June 30th Hotfixes - Purging Flames, Darkheart Thicket, and Naigtal

Blizzard has updated the hotfix blog to reflect this week's class tuning, as well as an addition bug fix for Elemental Shaman, Darkheart Thicket, and Naigtal.

With the PvP changes for Havoc Demon Hunter already removed, three new additions to the notes stand out:

Corrected an issue where Purging Flames could cause Lava Burst to generate less Maelstrom than intended for Elemental Shaman.

Players must now defeat Dresaron in Darkheart Thicket to complete the dungeon on Timewalking difficulty.

Players can no longer be attacked while on Transport Skiffs in Naigtal.

June 30, 2026

Classes

Druid

Balance

• All damage increased by 4%.

Feral

Developers’ notes: Feral is performing well in M+, but their overall damage in raid is low. These changes shore up their single-target power and total raid damage.

• All damage increased by 3%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
• Melee auto-attack damage increased by 15%.
• Rip damage increased by 5%. Does not apply to PvP combat.
• Rampant Ferocity damage reduced by 15%. Does not apply to PvP combat.

Restoration

Developers’ notes: Restoration’s damage compared to other healers is lower than we’d like. We’re rebalancing some of Restoration Druid’s damage out of Thrash and into the rest of the kit.

• All damage increased by 15%.
• Bear Form Thrash damage reduced by 25%.

Evoker

Devastation

• All ability damage increased by 3%.

Mage

Arcane

• All ability damage increased by 3%.

Priest

Holy

• Holy Word: Serenity healing increased by 20%.
• Holy Word: Sanctify healing increased by 20%.

Shaman

Elemental

• Corrected an issue where Purging Flames could cause Lava Burst to generate less Maelstrom than intended.

Restoration

• All healing increased by 4%. This does not apply to PvP combat.

Player versus Player

Demon Hunter

Devourer

Developers’ notes: Devourer Demon Hunters have been performing above expectations, especially in defensive metrics, so self-healing is being reduced.

• Shattered Souls now heals for 0.5% of maximum Health per Soul Fragment consumed (was 1%) in PvP combat.

Death Knight

Unholy

Developers’ notes: Unholy’s burst damage is overwhelming too frequently, so contributing abilities are receiving a reduction with some of that overall damage moving into the steadier output from Dread Plague.

• Putrify damage reduced by 15% in PvP combat.
• Soul Reaper damage reduced by 15% in PvP combat.
• Dread Plague damage increased by 15% in PvP combat.

Druid

Guardian

Developers’ notes: Guardians’ burst potential with their apex talent has been higher than we would like for a tank specialization in PvP.

• Wild Guardian now echoes at 50% effectiveness (was 200%) in PvP combat.

Evoker

• Fixed an issue where the Fire Breath Infuser during Evoker’s introductory quests would not reset the cooldown of Fire Breath.

Augmentation

• All damage increased by 8% in PvP combat.

Preservation

Developers’ notes: Preservation Evoker is slightly overperforming in PvP, so we’re making one additional targeted nerf to them in this pass. Temporal Burst makes it hard for enemies to react to important casts like Sleep Walk, so we’re reducing its effectiveness.

• Temporal Burst increases haste, movement speed, and cooldown recovery rate by 15% in PvP combat (was 30%).

Hunter

Marksmanship

• Double tap now causes Aimed Shot to fire at 16% effectiveness or your next Rapid Fire to fire 16% additional shots (was 40%).

Developers’ notes: We’re reducing Double Shot’s burst potential to allow enemy players to have more time to react to the Marksmanship Hunter’s incoming damage.

Survival

• All damage increased by 3% in PvP Combat.

Mage

Frost

Developers’ notes: We are redistributing some of Frost Mage’s damage out of Ray of Frost and into the rest of its kit with the intention of decreasing its burst capabilities and improving its steady-state pressure.

• Ray of Frost damage decreased by 20% in PvP combat.
  All damage increased 3% in PvP combat.

Paladin

Protection

Developers’ notes: Templars’ burst capabilities have made Protection Paladin more of an offensive threat than we would like them to be in PvP.

• Divine Exaction now casts Divine Toll again at 25% effectiveness (was 75%) in PvP combat.
• Hammer of Light damage decreased by 30% in PvP combat.

Retribution

Developers’ notes: Retribution has been performing better than expected, so we are applying a small damage reduction.

• All ability damage reduced by 3% in PvP combat.

Priest

Discipline

Developers’ notes: Voidweaver Priests are dealing too much damage in PvP. We’re reducing some of that damage and increasing their healing to compensate.

• Expiation deals damage equal to 200% of the of the amount consumed from Shadow Word: Pain in PvP combat (was 300%).
• Inescapable Torment damage reduced by 25% in PvP combat.
• Shadow Word: Pain damage reduced by 10% in PvP combat.
• Voidweaver: Atonement healing increased by 15%.
• Oracle: Preventive Measures increases damage of Penance, Smite, Holy Nova by 20% (was 15%).
• Ultimate Penitence healing increased by 25%.

Shadow

Developers’ notes: In addition to a needed boost of overall damage, Shadow Word: Death is also receiving a buff intended to make its damage worthwhile when striking enemies in its low-health threshold.

• All ability damage increased by 4% in PvP combat.
• Shadow Word: Death damage increased by 45% in PvP combat.

Shaman

Restoration

Developers’ notes: Farseer Restoration Shaman has been behind in performance in PvP compared to Totemic, we’re increasing the throughput of heals and effects provided by Farseer talents and their Ancestors to help close the gap.

• Farseer: Maelstrom Supremacy increases healing of affected spells in PvP by 20% (was 15%).
• Farseer: Hydrobubble’s effectiveness is no longer reduced in PvP (was a 20% reduction).
• Farseer: Heals cast by Call of the Ancestors increased in PvP by 30% (was 20%).

Warrior

• Arms, Protection

Developers’ notes: We’re slightly reducing Colossus’ ability to tank damage to make them more of a viable kill target.

• Mountain of Muscle and Scars reduces damage taken by 3% in PvP combat (was 5%).

Warlock

Affliction

• All damage increased by 3% in PvP combat.
• Consuming Nightfall with Seed of Corruption on a target already afflicted with Seed of Corruption will cause the preexisting Seed of Corruption to detonate.

Demonology

Developers’ notes: Demonology damage while freecasting has not been as effective as we would like, so we’re targeting a few adjustments to Shadow Bolt and Demonbolt with the intention of increasing their ability to punish enemies for allowing them to chain casts together.

• Shadow Bolt damage increased by 200% in PvP combat.
• Demonbolt damage increased by 30% in PvP combat.

Destruction

• Incinerate damage increased by 50% in PvP combat.
• Dungeons and Raids
• Darkheart Thicket
• Players must now defeat Dresaron to complete the dungeon on Timewalking difficulty.
• Naigtal
• Players can no longer be attacked while on Transport Skiffs in Naigtal.