The short answer
Blizzard has confirmed three spell-power changes for WoW Forever.
They are in its Deep Dive panel recap of September 13, 2026.
Bonus healing now also gives bonus damage equal to one third of its value.
Spellcaster weapons now carry spell damage and healing.
So casters get level-up weapons the way other classes do.
Spell, melee and ranged hit chance are merged into one stat.
Critical strike chance is merged the same way.
The beta build of September 24, 2026 added two item changes.
Wands no longer gain damage from spell damage.
Three wizard oils went back to their Classic Era values.
Blizzard has not said that spell base damage was lowered across the board.
That idea comes from player measurements.
As of September 26, 2026, we found no Blizzard reply in the main forum threads.
Those threads cover spell scaling and the wand change.
Forever vs Classic: what Blizzard has confirmed
The table lists only changes that Blizzard describes in its own texts.
We checked those texts on September 26, 2026.
| Area | Classic Era | WoW Forever beta |
|---|---|---|
| Hit chance | Separate for spells, melee and ranged | One combined hit chance |
| Critical strike chance | Separate for spells, melee and ranged | One combined critical strike chance |
| Bonus healing | Healing only | Healing plus one third as bonus damagepanel recap, September 13, 2026 |
| Caster weapons | Few level-up weapons for casters, in Blizzard’s framing | Spell damage and healing on caster weapons |
| Minor, Lesser and regular Wizard Oil | 8, 16 and 24 spell power | Back to 8, 16 and 24beta build of September 24, 2026 |
| Wands | Not described by Blizzard | No extra damage from spell damage |
| Spell base damage | Not described by Blizzard | No general statement from Blizzard |
Sources: Deep Dive panel recap and beta development notes, checked on September 26, 2026.
Hit and critical strike chance are merged across spells, melee and ranged attacks.
Blizzard says this helps hybrids such as Retribution Paladins and Enhancement Shaman.
Bonus healing now includes one third as much bonus damage.
That is from the Deep Dive panel recap of September 13, 2026.
Spellcaster-oriented weapons now grant spell damage and healing.
Casters can look forward to new weapons while leveling.
On September 24, 2026, Blizzard reverted three wizard oils to Classic Era values.
Minor Wizard Oil is back to 8 spell power, Lesser Wizard Oil to 16, Wizard Oil to 24.
The same notes say wands no longer gain additional damage from the user’s spell damage.
Blizzard’s texts do not describe a general cut to spell base damage.
Blizzard has published no spell coefficients or damage formulas.
The one-third rule: bonus healing now adds damage
Blizzard’s Deep Dive recap says bonus healing now also includes bonus damage.
That bonus damage is one third as much as the bonus healing.
Blizzard says the aim is more support for healing specializations.
It names questing and adventuring in the world.
Our calculation assumes the rule works as written.
Then an item with 30 bonus healing would also add 10 bonus damage.
Our calculation: 30 bonus healing
Blizzard has only described the healing-to-damage direction.
The recap does not say whether spell damage also adds healing.
Blizzard has not said how the extra damage shows on tooltips or the character sheet.
Check both in the beta before you compare items.
Wands and wizard oils after the September 24 build
Blizzard’s beta development notes of September 24, 2026 changed two kinds of caster items.
| Item | Change | Blizzard post |
|---|---|---|
| Wands | No extra damage from spell damage | September 24, 2026 |
| Minor Wizard Oil | 8 spell power (Classic Era value) | September 24, 2026 |
| Lesser Wizard Oil | 16 spell power (Classic Era value) | September 24, 2026 |
| Wizard Oil | 24 spell power (Classic Era value) | September 24, 2026 |
| Brilliant Wizard Oil | Unchanged | September 24, 2026 |
| Cast before a wand shot | Bug: the intended 0.5-second cast runs much shorterfix announced for an upcoming build | September 23, 2026 |
From Blizzard’s beta development notes and the auto-shot bug post.
Wands no longer gain any additional damage from the user’s spell damage.
The words “no longer” mean that wands did draw on spell damage in earlier beta builds.
The notes give no reason for the wand change.
Minor Wizard Oil went back to 8 spell power, Lesser Wizard Oil to 16, Wizard Oil to 24.
Blizzard calls these the Classic Era values.
Brilliant Wizard Oil stays unchanged, and the notes do not list its value.
Separately, Blizzard reported a bug on September 23, 2026.
It made the intended 0.5-second cast before a wand shot much shorter.
The same bug affects a Hunter’s Auto Shot.
Blizzard said it would fix this in an upcoming beta build, hopefully the following week.
The September 24 notes do not list that fix.
Our reading: in the beta, spell damage no longer raises wand damage.
So compare your spell damage and the wand’s own damage separately.
Other September 24 changes that touch caster damage
The same development notes changed several spells that affect casters while leveling.
| Spell | Class | Change on September 24 |
|---|---|---|
| Wrath | Druid | Base damage about 50% higher |
| Lightning Bolt, ranks 3 and 4 | Shaman | More damage, always an upgrade |
| Lava Burst, ranks 1 and 2 | Shaman | About 10% more base damage than Lightning Bolt of a similar level |
| Thorns | Druid | Values follow the caster’s spell power |
| Retribution Aura | Paladin | Values follow the caster’s spell power |
| Voidwalker Sacrifice | Warlock | Scales with 10% of spell healing |
Blizzard publishes no build number or spell coefficients in these notes.
Druid Wrath base damage was increased by about 50%.
Shaman Lightning Bolt ranks 3 and 4 now deal more damage.
That makes them always upgrades over earlier ranks, despite changed cast times.
Lava Burst ranks 1 and 2 now deal about 10% more base damage.
The comparison is the Lightning Bolt rank learned around the same level.
Druid Thorns and Paladin Retribution Aura now update their values dynamically.
Both follow the caster’s spell power.
Voidwalker Sacrifice now correctly scales with 10% of the Warlock’s spell healing.
The notes also say a small number of early caster rewards were adjusted.
They do not name those rewards.
Blizzard’s known-issues list of September 24 also covers casters.
It says the glancing blow chance for casters is wrong at all levels.
The damage reduction of a glancing blow is wrong too; both are work in progress.
The notes do not say whether these changes respond to player feedback about spell scaling.
Beta feedback: why low-level casters feel weak
The beta opened on September 17, 2026.
Since then, official forum posts keep saying that casters feel weak at low levels.
Players report that many spells have lower base damage than in Classic.
They also say more of their damage now comes from spell power on gear.
Some posts argue that a higher spell rank can be a step down at low spell power.
Their reason is its higher mana cost and longer cast time.
These are player measurements and arguments; Blizzard has not confirmed them.
The wand change of September 24 started a second wave of threads.
They came from players who used wands to finish enemies and save mana.
Other players posted that they welcome the change.
Our daily report data was collected on September 26, 2026.
It covers September 25 and 26, Korea time.
In it, the forum thread on the wand spell-damage change had 66 replies and 1,300 views.
A forum thread asking what casters should do after the wand change had 21 replies.
It also had 891 views.
A thread saying Priest leveling is still painful had 59 replies and 547 views.
On r/classicwow, the thread for the September 24 development notes had 762 upvotes.
It also had 1,144 comments.
A Reddit post about a level 20 Mage reaching 100 fire spell damage had 144 upvotes.
It had 82 comments.
| Thread topic | Activity when collected | Blizzard reply |
|---|---|---|
| Wand spell-damage change (forums) | 66 replies, 1,300 views | None found |
| What casters do after the wand change (forums) | 21 replies, 891 views | None found |
| Priest leveling still painful (forums) | 59 replies, 547 views | None found |
| September 24 development notes (r/classicwow) | 762 upvotes, 1,144 comments | Not checked (Reddit) |
| Level 20 Mage with 100 fire spell damage (r/classicwow) | 144 upvotes, 82 comments | Not checked (Reddit) |
Counts from our daily report data collected on September 26, 2026. They keep changing.
On September 26, 2026 we read the forum threads in the table.
We also read two spell-scaling threads posted on September 22.
None of them had a reply from a Blizzard employee.
Choosing gear as a caster: what to look at
This section is our guidance, built only on the rules Blizzard has confirmed.
It is not a stat-weight list.
First, look for caster weapons with spell damage or healing.
Blizzard added those stats to spellcaster weapons for leveling.
Second, if you heal, count bonus healing as one third as much bonus damage.
Do this when you compare items for questing.
Third, treat hit and critical strike chance as single stats.
Each one works for spells and weapon attacks alike.
Fourth, remember that spell damage no longer raises wand damage.
Compare your spell damage and the wand’s own damage separately.
Fifth, when you learn a new spell rank, compare damage, mana cost and cast time.
Check the tooltip before you replace the old rank on your bar.
Finally, check again after each beta build.
One update on September 24 changed Wrath, Lightning Bolt, Lava Burst, wands and oils.
Gear check for casters
- Caster weaponSpell damage or healing on the weapon
- Healing gearOne third also counts as damage
- Hit and critOne stat for spells and weapons
- WandCompare apart from spell damage
- New spell rankCompare damage, mana and cast time
Sources and what we could not verify
Every rule in this guide comes from Blizzard pages we opened on September 26, 2026.
They include the Deep Dive panel recap in English, German and Korean.
They also include the beta development notes and known issues of September 24.
The last one is the wand bug post of September 23.
The development notes are published in English on the US and EU forums.
We found no German or Korean version.
Blizzard gives no build number in these notes.
So this guide describes the beta as of September 24, 2026.
Player reactions are summarized from our daily report data and official forum threads.
We do not quote them.
We will update this guide when Blizzard comments on spell scaling.
We will also update it if wands, oils or spell ranks change again.