Wrath of the Lich King has landed, and hopefully you’ve been keeping up with the insane amount of changes being made to each and every of the current nine classes in WoW. However, if you’ve found all of the patch notes and forums posts a little confusing, GotFrag is here to make it much simpler for you.

In this article, GotFrag will take a focus onto the new 51 point talents in the major three trees of each class, and how they just might affect PvP and arenas at level 80. Many class defining abilities and spells were also changed along with the introduction of these new talents, so if you’re looking to find the best way to spend your talent points once you’ve hit 80 and are ready to duke it out in an Arena, look no further.

Warriors have had quite a decent overhaul in all three of their trees for the 3.0/WotLK patch. The biggest change that most people seemed to be interested in is the addition of the 51 point talent in Arms called Bladestorm. For only 25 rage, you do a whirlwind every 6 seconds and (practically) immune to every form of CC out there. This skill is often called the "spin and win" move as it is very hard to escape if the warriors plays it smart and uses it when his opponent has no more outs left. However, with the tweaking of certain talents like Improved Disarm, you may see some hybrid specs or even tri-spec warriors in arenas. However, the reality is that both Shockwave and Titan's Grip are far too removed from the burst nature needed in 3.0, and will most likely rarely be used except in the case of gimmick or fun runs.

A few other key skills for warriors have changed to make them even more desirable in PvP, beyond the MS and hamstring one/two trick ponies they were before. Recklessness and Shield Wall are now usable in an arena, which means they will have significantly higher burst or defense on call whenever they need it. Post 3.0, there is definitely a higher skill cap for warriors in high end arenas. Most warriors will go with a Bladestorm-esque build and get to a decently high arena rating, but a warrior who can handle a hybrid or tri-spec will have the utility and DPS to be very appealing in the professional scene.

Warlocks at the end of 2.4, had it fairly easy with the WLD arena composition and seemed like they weren't going anywhere. However, the name of the game changed from outlasts to burst when 3.0 hit and Warlocks have been left in the dust. Metamorphosis is the new Demonology 51 point talent, and seems to be the only one worth even attempting for in Arenas. 600% increased armor and 20% reduction on damage taken for 30 seconds is huge, and allows them to tank melee with ease.

The other two 51 point talents, Haunt and Chaos Bolt seem to provide little needed utility to Warlocks in arenas. Haunt has the ability to do nice damage over a short period of time (if not dispelled), but not anywhere near the burst needed and will sadly fall far behind when compared to Mages. Chaos Bolt is something completely out of left field, and seems more like a neat gimmick rather than a spell to be feared. It used to be decent when it would actually penetrate an Ice Block or Divine Shield, but no longer actually penetrates immunities functions, only spells such as Power Word: Shield or Cloak of Shadows.

A much needed buff to the control and utility of pets was completely passed over with this patch, and sadly Warlocks will probably be the 2.4 Ret Paladins or Shamans of WotLK, rarely seen and rarely taken seriously. Expect a few tweaks over the next patches to bring them back up to speed, hopefully Blizzard gives them more sustained DPS as it seems like they're out of the burst game for now.

Shamans have finally stepped into the ring of being truly viable in high level 3v3 arena play. Before, Shadowplay was the only time a shaman was ever seen, and now they will definitely be competing for the top spot in arenas both as healing and DPS. Thunderstorm has the ability to knock players back, which was recently introduced in the 3.0 patch. This may come into some very strange plays, but don't be surprised to see a few elemental shamans running around trying to gib players. With the 3.0 patch, however, Shamans also received two new very interesting abilities: Hex and Cleanse Spirit. Hex is a decent CC ability that still gives the CC'd player the chance to move, and Cleanse Spirit means that Shamans finally have a de-curse.

Feral Spirit is also an extremely viable 51 point talent for a shaman to try out. They have a stun and they heal the shaman for a percentage of the damage done, which is nothing to scoff at. However, most shaman will try out the 51 point restoration talent of Riptide as it provides the shaman with a great heal over time, and also allows for a decent bonus on the amount healed by Chain Heal. Look for Shamans to come back with a force, both as DPS and healing specs, or even a mixture of the two. There have been a few specs floating out there that allowed for a Shaman to fulfill both roles with deadly force, and they're definitely a deadly combo together.

Rogues, as always, will be popular in PvP, and Wrath will not be changing that tune. Shadow Dance will allow for an insane amount of burst in a fashion not seen before. Being able to cast stealth-required spells such as Ambush and Cheap Shot while the buff is active is a force to be reckoned with. Casters caught off guard by a SD spec'd rogue have a Garrote -> Ambush -> Cheap Shot -> Ambush -> Ambush chain to fear.

Killing Spree definitely gives combat the needed burst instead of the usual sustained damage, however the damage is fairly negligible if used when two (or more) targets are near. Look to see a healer or caster caught off guard and bursted down with a quickness thanks to the Adrenaline Rush and Killing Spree combo. The third and final 51 point talent for rogues is Hunger For Blood and sadly seems fairly lackluster for PvP. It comes with a 9% increased damage effect (when stacked three times) and has a chance to remove a bleed effect which is one of the more annoying aspects of playing a rogue. Rogues will most likely be a dominant class in the 3v3 arena bracket at 80, as being able to pick up both Shadowstep and Shadow Dance means a player can do ridiculous burst and stay on top of their target with ease.