WoW players call for major Rune slot change in Season of Discovery

James Lynch
A Rune Engraved Druid in Bear Form in Season of Discovery

One of the biggest new additions to the Vanilla World of Warcraft formula in Season of Discovery was the Rune Engraving system, but players are calling for a major change when the game enters phase two.

For those who are yet to play, the Rune Engraving system allows players to imbue their characters with additional power and abilities in Season of Discovery. Runes can be discovered in the open world, earned as a reputation reward or by completing quests.

In turn, these runes can be engraved onto pieces of armor, and they grant additional, hugely powerful boons. For some, these Runes are so game-altering that they allow classes to operate in entirely new roles, like Tank or Healer.

Despite their mass appeal, some players are calling for a significant change that they feel could hugely benefit the gameplay after this first phase.

Some Rune synergies are impossible in their current slots

In a post on Reddit, one player shared their desire to see some of the game’s existing Runes change slots when the game enters phase two.

The reason for this suggestion lies in the effects of the Runes themselves. It looks as though some Runes would synergize extremely well with others, but they occupy the same slot and can’t be used simultaneously.

The example given, and arguably the most egregious at the time of writing, is Lacerate and Mangle, both of which are hugely useful to Tank Druids. They both occupy the glove slot and cannot be used at the same time.

Others were quick to chime in with their agreement, citing similar issues in their own classes. One said: “As a Hunter, having Chimera compete with explosive is understandable. But having Lone Wolf compete with Lion Heart, while still giving you the option to grab Beast Mastery in another slot, seems a little off.”

Another added: “Same deal with arcane blast, basically the go-to heal mage rotation spell, competing with rewind time, the only oh shiz instant heal.”

Bear Druids are the least effective Tanks during the first phase of Season of Discovery, and the lack of opportunity to play both Lacerate and Mangle does play a part in that. That said, Blizzard has made it clear that things will change starkly across each phase, so Bear-form Druids could be more viable before long.