Mages are the masters of elemental and arcane magic, adept at blowing things up and polymorphing baddies into sheep. Hunters are the woodsmen of the game: expert trap setters and marksmen, they are aided also by their loyal beast companions. The Warlock is a more specialized spell casting class; using powers of demonology, they can control beings of darkness to do their bidding and enslave others of their ilk, even those of the elemental plane. They are also masters of infernal and demonic magic on their own, as well as through their hell-spawned pets. Rogues are the assassin class, capable of dealing enormous damage in a short time, picking pockets, then fading into the darkness. Sadly, many classes are tied specifically to certain races/alignments. Shamans are exclusively Horde, Paladins are exclusively Alliance, only Tauren and Night Elves are capable of being Druids, Gnomes cannot become Priests etc.

  As players level, they will learn new abilities and upgrade old ones by frequently visiting their class trainers and paying the requisite fee once they reach higher levels. To further enhance the standard roles and abilities of these classes, there is the Talent Tree. Upon reaching level 10, players will have access to three schools of training for their class. For each subsequent level, they will earn a point to assign along these paths, unlocking new abilities and enhancing role definition. A priest, for example, can choose between the Holy, Shadow and Discipline trees to augment their basic powers. With the Holy path, they will gain new healing abilities, reduce the mana cost on healing spells and have increased effect of their restorative magic.