Were classes tuned for a beta tournament? The 15 October podcast answer was no

During the beta, some players said classes were being balanced just for a tournament. Near the end of Blizzard’s official PvP episode of The WoW: Forever Podcast, published on 15 October, that claim was put directly to the panel, and the answer rejected it.

Who answered

The class designers were not on this episode; earlier in the recording, it was noted that this was why the questions would not be very class-specific. The denial came from a panel member who said they sit in the office with the class team, and who described how little the tournament mattered there when it came to class changes. Their conclusion was that it is simply not a thing.

What the denial covers

This is one colleague’s account of how class changes were discussed. It does not show what drove each balance change, whether any change was right, or which class is strongest.

Support for player-run events

Earlier, asked what it is like to support an event that is not official, the answer said the aim is to empower players to create their own fun and to make room in the game for player-driven activity. This was a special event for the beta, to be supported where possible. But the goal, the answer said, is not to support one event; it is to support the range of things players might want to do in the future. That is an intent, not a commitment to every event.

This account paraphrases the 15 October recording. It is not a transcript, and it does not describe the live game.