WoW Season of Discovery — Best Runes for Every Class
Best Season of Discovery Runes in World of Warcraft for Each Class, DPS, Tank, Healer
- Discovery Runes are unique buffs and abilities you apply to your gear that amplifies and in some cases changes the way players play their classes.
- Runes can be changed at any time outside of combat and are separate from talent trees.
- Every class in World of Warcraft Season of Discovery has 12 runes to be found.
The Season of Discovery has breathed new life into World of Warcraft and given players a different kind of experience in the Classic Servers. It’s a reinvention of World of Warcraft Vanilla and with it being aptly named the Season of Discovery, it’s reignited the magic of exploration and discovery in a new (old) MMORPG. Here are some of the best Runes of Discovery in World of Warcrafts Season of Discovery.
World of Warcraft Classic at Blizzcon 2023: Cataclysm and Season of Discovery
What Are Discovery Runes?
Runes of Discovery are a new way for players to customize their characters on the fly in World of Warcraft Classic and its Season of Discovery. Players find runes in all manners of way, including small quest chains and while out and exploring the world.
Once a rune is found, the player can use it to augment a piece of equipment and that rune will then upgrade or change some aspect of the class, sometimes in a way that alters the class in an entirely new way.
Runes of Discovery can be changed at any time outside of combat and are new ways to build your class outside of talents or skills.
The Best Runes for Each Class
This list is going to be pretty subjective as the runes players run will depend on a lot of different factors like what specialization you’re running. Plus, some can change up your class so much they may only be viable in certain situations, so it’s a great idea to collect every rune for your class. But here are some of the better ones you shouldn’t definitely keep on hand.
Best Hunter Runes in Season of Discovery
Aspect of the Lion: Hands down the best Hunter Rune for solo or party play, the Aspect of the Lion increases all of your allies stats by 10% and that includes your pet. Meanwhile, as the hunter you get an additional 10% on top of that.
Beast Mastery: This turns your pet into a tanking machine increasing its health and damage by 30%, its focus regeneration by 80% and its growl ability becomes a Taunt.
Flanking Strike: Deals instant damage and then buffs your Mongoose Bite and Raptor Strike by 10% for 10 seconds, and it stacks up to 3 times. In addition, your Raptor Strike has a chance to reset the cooldown on Flanking Strike.
Best Mage Runes in Season of Discovery
Mass Regeneration: Mage has always been one of the best damage dealers in the game and now with these Season of Discovery Runes, you can turn that lethality into healing. Mass Regeneration allows you to heal all of your party members within 15 yards over 3 seconds and applies Temporal Beacon to them.
Temporal Beacon allows 80% of your damage done to be turned into healing for your Temporal Beacon targets.
Regeneration: Another healing rune, this does the same thing as Mass Regeneration but for a specific target and more healing. It also benefits from the Temporal Beacon status.
Rewind Time: Allows you to instantly reheal all the damage taken by a target over the last 5 seconds if they were affected by your Temporal Beacon status.
Best Rogue Runes in Season of Discovery
Just a Flesh Wound: A great defensive cooldown, this rune reduces physical damage you take by 20% while Blade Dance is active. You also have a 6% reduced chance of being struck by a critical hit. Your feint ability becomes a taunt if you want to try your hand at tanking as well.
Deadly Brew: Overall improvements to your poisons and makes it so whenever you inflict a target with poison, it also applies Deadly Poison. It also will inflict Instant Poison if you have no poison applied. Furthermore, Deadly Poison and Instant Poison now gain increased damage based on your attack power.
Envenom: This rune pairs very well with the one above as it deals damage based on how many targets are affected by your Deadly Poison. It also increases the chances of applying Instant Poison by 75% afterwards.
Best Warrior Runes in Season of Discovery
Warbringer: This rune allows you to become much more mobile in combat and get from enemy to enemy a lot quicker. Your Charge, Intercept, and Intervene abilities are now usable while in combat and in any stance, and will all remove movement impairing effects when activated.
Flagellation: Gain a 25% bonus to Physical damage done for 12 sec after activating Bloodrage or Berserker Rage.
Consumed by Rage: Enrages you and grants you a 20% melee damage bonus for 12 sec or up to a maximum of 12 swings after you exceed 80 Rage.
Best Druid Runes in Season of Discovery
Wild Strikes: An amazing melee DPS buff akin to Windfury Totem, but doesn’t stack with it. So only use this if you don’t have a Shaman in your party. While you are in Cat Form, Bear Form, or Dire Bear Form, party members within 20 yards gain increased combat ferocity. Each melee hit has a 20% chance of granting the attacker an extra attack with 20% additional Attack Power.
Wild Growth: Heals all of target player's party members within 40 yards of target player over 7 sec. The amount healed is applied quickly at first, and slows down as Wild Growth reaches its full duration.
Sunfire: Burns the enemy for Nature damage and then additional Nature damage over 12 sec.
Best Paladin Runes in Season of Discovery
Hand of Reckoning: Taunts the target to attack you, but has no effect if the target is already attacking you.
While you know this ability, the threat bonus from Righteous Fury is increased to 80% and Righteous Fury causes you to gain mana when healed by others equal to 25% of the amount healed. Additionally, while Righteous Fury is active, damage which takes you below 35% health is reduced by 20%. Righteous Fury will remain active until canceled.
Crusader Strike: In Classic it can be hard to keep mana topped up, so this is a godsend for keeping yourself stocked up on mana for your abilities. An instant strike that causes 75% weapon damage and regenerates 2% of your maximum mana.
Divine Sacrifice: 30% of all damage taken by party members within 30 yards is redirected to the Paladin for 10 sec. Damage which reduces the Paladin below 20% health will break the effect and grant the paladin 10% increased damage and healing done for 10 sec. Divine Sacrifice cannot be used while you are under the effects of Blessing of Protection, Divine Shield, or Divine Protection, and prevents you from being targeted by those abilities while it is active.
Best Shaman Runes in Season of Discovery
Overload: Easily the best Shaman rune, it works for all specializations and gives you free damage and healing. Gives your Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Chain Heal, Healing Wave, and Lava Burst spells a 33% chance to cast a second, similar spell on the same target at no additional cost that causes half damage or healing and no threat.
Shamanistic Rage: Reduces all damage you take by 20% and you regenerate mana every second for 15 sec. Mana regenerated per second is equal to 15% of your Attack Power, 10% of your spell power, or 6% of your healing power, whichever value is greatest. Your party and raid members within 40 yards will also receive 10% of the mana you receive this way.
Way of Earth: This is the rune you want if you’re looking to try your hand at tanking as a Shaman. While Rockbiter Weapon is active on your main hand weapon, you deal 50% increased threat, gain 30% increased health, take 10% reduced damage, gain 6% reduced chance to be critically hit by melee attacks, and Earth Shock taunts targets to attack you and has a separate cooldown from other Shock spells but has its range reduced to melee range.
Best Priest Runes in Season of Discovery
Power Word: Barrier: Is a great party-wide damage reduction ability. Summons a holy barrier to protect all party members at the target location for 10 sec, reducing all damage taken by 25% and preventing damage from delaying spellcasting.
Shared Pain: Turns Shadow Word: Pain into a bit of an area of effect by affecting multiple nearby targets. Your Shadow Word: Pain now also afflicts up to 2 additional nearby targets within 15 yards.
Prayer of Mending: Is a great tool to help with passive healing. Place a spell on the target that heals them the next time they take damage or receive healing. When the heal occurs, Prayer of Mending jumps to a party or raid member within 20 yards. Jumps up to 5 times and lasts 30 sec after each jump. This spell can only be placed on one target at a time.
Best Warlock Runes in Season of Discovery
Chaos Bolt: Sends a bolt of chaotic fire at the enemy, dealing Fire damage. Chaos Bolt always hits, cannot be resisted, and its knowledge causes all your Fire spells to pierce through absorption effects. Chaos Bolt gains a high chance to be resisted when used against monsters 4 or more levels above your level.
Metamorphosis: This is the rune you want to take if you’re looking to tank as a Warlock. It gives you a lot of buffs and grants new abilities to help tank such as Menace, Demon Charge and Demonic Howl.
Transform into a Demon, increasing Armor by 500%, reducing the chance you will be critically hit by 6%, increasing your threat by 50%, increasing mana gained from Life Tap by 100%, transforming the functionality of some of your abilities, and granting some new abilities.
Shadow Bolt Volley: Turns Shadow Bolt into an AoE allowing it to affect multiple targets. Your Shadow Bolt now strikes up to 5 targets within a chain distance of 10 yards, but for 20% reduced damage.
