The Turtles Wow mascot: a goggled turtle adventurer giving a thumbs up

Turtles Wow

World of Warcraft 3.3.5a

Eight classes
no one has played

A 3.3.5a realm built around eight original classes instead of the ones you already know. Twenty-four specialisations between them, and eight of those are not damage specs. Level cap 80.

The realm is in private testing. Nothing here is live yet.

Overview

A different class list

Turtles Wow keeps the world, the dungeons and the feel of 3.3.5a and replaces the part you have already mastered. The eight classes here were written from nothing: their own resources, their own talent trees, their own reasons to press a button. You will not be re-rolling a spec you played in 2009.

Each class has been played from level 1 to 80 and checked against the other seven, so no one class is the obvious pick and none of them is a trap.

Meet the eight

Features

What you actually get

No cash shop pitch, no roadmap of things that do not exist. This is the realm as it is being built right now.

  • Eight custom classes

    Original spellbooks and original talent trees: 24 specialisations and 648 talent nodes in total. Sixteen specs deal damage; the other eight are four tanks, two healers, one support spec and one pet spec.

  • Level cap 80

    The full Wrath levelling range, played end to end with the new classes rather than bolted onto the last patch.

  • Balanced, not guessed

    Damage and survivability are measured with a repeatable test harness, so balance changes come from numbers instead of forum volume.

  • One-click setup

    A single installer points at the 3.3.5a folder you already have, applies the client patch and sets the realm list for you.

How to get in

Classes

The eight

Eight classes, 24 specialisations, 648 talent nodes. Sixteen of those specs are damage specs; the other eight are four tanks, two healers, one support spec and one pet spec. Every name, role and ability description below is read out of the realm's own files.

Open a class to read its signature abilities and the rules it is built under — including the one weakness each class is never allowed to fix.

  • Oathsworn

    Oath of the Dawn

    A holy front-line fighter that cannot reposition. It walks to the fight, and once it is there it either burns the target down or holds the line.

    Armour
    Mail
    Resource
    Mana
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • Wrath of the Dawn

      Damage

      Fire-and-dawn burst: a holy nuke, a burst cooldown, and a cone of holy energy channelled through a guided ally.

    • Aegis of the Dawn

      Tank

      Absorb-and-block self-sustain tank: a shield slam, an attack-power-scaled absorb, and the class taunt.

    • Judgment

      Damage

      Melee execute: a thrown burning spear and a finisher that dumps Holy Power.

    Abilities and class rules for the Oathsworn

    Signature abilities

    • Flash of Dawn

      Shine a powerful beam of sunlight at an enemy, dealing Holy Damage and generating 1 Holy Power.

      Wrath of the Dawn

    • Aegis Slam

      Slam up to 8 enemies in a 12 yd cone with your shield, dealing Holyflame Damage, modified by defense rating. Dawn: Has no cooldown.

      Aegis of the Dawn

    • Celestial Ward

      Absorbs damage, based on attack power. Lasts up to 6 sec.

      Aegis of the Dawn

    • Spear of Valor

      Throw a flaming spear at an enemy, causing Fire Damage. The spear also scorches the ground on impact, causing additional damage every second to enemies.

      Judgment

    • Oathbound Challenge

      Challenge an enemy in the Light's name, taunting them to attack you and increasing your threat generation for 3 sec.

      Aegis of the Dawn

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Mobility 1/5 — zero self gap-closer/blink/sprint/speed in the kit or any tree, ever
    Rated strength
    Survivability 5/5
    Counters
    Holy Power (max 5), Fervor (max 100)
    Not rated
    Control
  • The Vigil

    The Long Watch

    The roster's only pure-damage class: three damage specs, no tank, no healer, no support spec. A blade, a hound and a gun.

    Armour
    Leather
    Resource
    Mana
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • Inquisition

      Damage

      Melee blade spec: a channelled thrust that consumes Sensed Evil stacks, backed by a melee-haste passive.

    • Nightwarden

      Damage

      Pet spec: a Witching Beast whose health scales off the The Vigil's stamina and whose damage scales off both its attack power and spell power.

    • Deadeye

      Damage

      Ranged physical spec: crossbow work that snares and builds rage, with bonus attack power against Demons and Undead.

    Abilities and class rules for the The Vigil

    Signature abilities

    • Stoic Ward

      Strengthen your resolve, reducing all damage taken for 6 sec.

      Learned at level 62

    • Impaling Thrust

      Requires Blade Stance. Rapidly strike your target for 3 sec, slowing their movement speed. Each strike deals Weapon Damage. Wickedness: Each strike consumes a stack of Sensed Evil from the target dealing bonus Fire Damage. Purity: While striking, you take reduced damage.

      Inquisition

    • Summon Wardbeast

      Summons a Witching Beast to aid you in combat. The Witching Beast gains health based on your Stamina, and damage based on your spell power and attack power.

      Nightwarden

    • Hamstring Bolt

      Requires Crossbow Stance. Fires a crossbow bolt at an enemy, dealing Off-hand Damage, scaling with ranged attack power. Reduces the target's movement speed for 5 sec. Generates rage. Can only be used directly after Coiling Shot.

      Deadeye

    • Run Down

      Charge an enemy, reducing their movement speed for 4 sec and generating rage.

      Learned at level 26

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Survivability 2/5 — the sole relief valve is a weak conditional 20 % damage reduction, only while moving AND the hound is alive
    Counters
    Momentum (max 8), Blasting Powder (max 5), Sensed Evil (max 5)
    Not rated
    Mobility
  • Vampire

    Crimson Thirst

    A melee attrition fighter that sustains itself off its target. It has no lockdown, so it cannot stop a fight going long; it wins by being the one still standing.

    Shown in the client as Vampire.

    Armour
    Leather
    Resource
    Energy
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • Nightshroud

      Damage

      Stealth burst: a leaping scythe arc, an execute usable below 35 % health, and the Underwalk stealth the whole class shares.

    • Sanguine Rite

      Damage

      Damage-over-time and plague caster: bleeds, an area blood siphon that heals off the damage it deals, and a swarm.

    • Dread Lord

      Tank

      Leech-and-mitigation tank: armour and resistance wards, a maximum-health cooldown, and parry retaliation.

    Abilities and class rules for the Vampire

    Signature abilities

    • Slaughter Crescent

      Eradicate an enemy with your scythe, dealing Weapon Damage, generating 1 Reaped Soul. Only usable on enemies that have less than 35% health.

      Nightshroud

    • Exsanguinate

      Requires Soul Infusion. Siphon blood from enemies, dealing Shadow Damage to up to 8 enemies within 20 yds, healing for 25% of the damage dealt.

      Sanguine Rite

    • Shroud of Night

      Sneak around in the spirit world, becoming stealthed for 15 sec. Cannot be used in combat.

      Nightshroud · Sanguine Rite · Dread Lord

    • Bloodward Resolve

      Consumes 1 Reaped Soul. Increases your armor and magic resistance based on your Stamina for 15 sec. While active, you can use abilities as if you were in Underwalk.

      Dread Lord

    • Crescent Leap

      Leap forward through the air swinging your scythe in an arc. When you land, unleash a spinning attack that deals Weapon Damage to nearby enemies.

      Nightshroud

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Control 1/5 — no stuns, no lockdown - one 3 s 50 % slow, ever
    Rated strength
    Self-sustain
    Counters
    Reaped Souls (max 5), Soul Fragments (max 5)
    Not rated
    Mobility
  • The Enthraller

    The Grey Court

    A shadow attrition class that never spikes and instead grinds. The only class on the roster whose fixed weakness is its damage ceiling rather than its survivability, mobility or control.

    Armour
    Cloth
    Resource
    Mana
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • The Abyssal Court

      Damage

      Pet-army damage: summons and commands the brood, and holds the class's only Void Rune generator.

    • The Withering Court

      Damage

      Pure shadow damage-over-time: stacked enemy DoTs and curses that shred magic resistance.

    • The Grey Communion

      Healer

      Healer: heals and wards, including a leech curse that drains a target to heal the caster.

    Abilities and class rules for the The Enthraller

    Signature abilities

    • Wrath of the Grey Court

      Consumes All Void Runes. Crush an enemy with overwhelming void power, dealing Shadow Damage plus periodic damage every 0.5 sec for 6 sec and generates 20 Insanity. Scales with Void Runes consumed. When used with at least 2, this always critically strikes. Cannot be reflected or redirected, and pierces immunity effects. Herald of C'Thun: Strikes enemies.

      The Abyssal Court · The Withering Court · The Grey Communion

    • Dread Strike

      Strike an enemy dealing Weapon Damage, applying Seething Void, and generating 2 Void Runes.

      The Abyssal Court

    • Shadow Decay

      Applies an Eldritch curse to an enemy, causing Shadow Damage every 3 sec for 18 sec. Generates 5 Insanity.

      The Withering Court · The Grey Communion

    • Malice

      Smash an enemy with eldritch force, dealing Shadow Damage and healing the 5 lowest health nearby allies. Usable while moving. Generates 10 Insanity.

      The Grey Communion

    • Conjure Thrall

      Summons a Mindbender to aid you in battle until dismissed. This minion excels at supporting allies and can periodically heal allies.

      The Abyssal Court

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Burst 2/5 — no execute, no detonation, no nuke, ever
    Rated strength
    Sustain / utility
    Counters
    Insanity (max 100), Void Runes (max 6)
    Not rated
    Survivability, Mobility, Control
  • The Revenant

    Deathless Cadence

    The widest kit on the roster paired with the narrowest permissions: the most buttons of any class, and almost nothing it is allowed to do with them beyond stand its ground and hit things.

    Armour
    Plate
    Resource
    Runic Power
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • Pyrewrought

      Damage

      Fire spec: builds Deathfire and spends it on a Hellstorm, with a Flamewrath-fed fire window on top.

    • Bonereaver

      Tank

      Tank: holds the only Demon's Blood generator and its stack-cap extender, plus the class's taunt.

    • Xorothian Runeblade

      Damage

      Melee spec: shadowflame strikes and an area smash, with a strength-stacking passive fed by every target hit.

    Abilities and class rules for the The Revenant

    Signature abilities

    • Grave Hook

      Hook an enemy from afar, dealing Physical damage and generating Runic Power.

      Learned at level 1

    • Skulltaker

      Consumes Deathfire Stacks. Slash an enemy viciously, dealing Weapon Damage plus Physical Damage. Deals increased damage per Deathfire consumed.

      Bonereaver

    • Deathsnarl

      Taunts an enemy to attack you and increases your threat generation for 3 sec.

      Bonereaver

    • Gravestorm

      Conjure a Hellstorm, consuming all of your current Deathfire stacks and dealing Fire damage to up to 8 enemies within 8 yds. Embers then flare every 1 sec, dealing Fire damage to the same enemies. The ember window lasts longer for each stack of Deathfire consumed.

      Pyrewrought

    • Bloodslick Blade

      Melee Physical Damage dealt generates a stack of Demon's Blood.

      Bonereaver

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Mobility 1/5 — no leap/charge/pull/grip, ever
    Fixed weakness
    Control 2/5 — one short interrupt only - no stun/root/silence
    Rated strength
    Button budget 5/5
    Counters
    Deathfire (max 8), Demon's Blood (max 5), Flamewrath (max 6)
    Not rated
    Survivability
  • Winter's Widow

    Hourglass of Grief

    A glass-cannon zoner. It front-loads everything, it has one defensive, and it is not allowed a filler.

    Armour
    Cloth
    Resource
    Mana
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • The Stilled Hour

      Damage

      The Order side nuke kit: sand blasts, plus a detonation that records the damage you deal and replays a share of it.

    • The Unmaking

      Damage

      The Chaos side nuke kit: unmaking damage and a delayed gravity bomb that drags enemies together before it explodes.

    • The Endless The Vigil

      Support

      Support and control: a defending guardian pet, a reflecting ward, a stun that adds vulnerability, and an ally haste buff.

    Abilities and class rules for the Winter's Widow

    Signature abilities

    • Shatter the Timeline

      Shatters the target's timeline. Every point of damage you deal to an enemy is recorded for 10 sec; casting this detonates that record, dealing 60% of the recorded damage to the target.

      The Stilled Hour

    • Frost Cyst

      Launch a blast of magical sand, dealing Arcane Damage to an enemy and to every other enemy within 8 yds of it.

      The Stilled Hour

    • Imploding Frost

      Places a gravity bomb on the target. After 6 sec they explode for Chaos Damage. Directly before the explosion occurs, all enemies are teleported to the initial target.

      The Unmaking

    • Summon Rime Sentinel

      Create a Bronze Protector under the command of the Winter's Widow, capable of defending allies. While active, this pet boosts your haste.

      The Endless The Vigil

    • Frozen Clasp

      Conjure a magical binding upon an enemy target, stunning them in place for 4 sec. While stunned, the target takes increased damage.

      The Endless The Vigil

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Survivability 2/5 — a small flat absorb, no armor, no self-heal, ever
    Fixed weakness
    Sustained 1/5 — no DoT or filler, ever
    Rated strength
    Resource complexity
    Counters
    Order and Chaos (Frost / Sorrow) (max 20), Frozen Tears (max 4), Hoarfrost (max 5), Reconstruction (max 4), Deconstruction (max 4), Empowerment (max 5), Vast Winter (max 3)
    Not rated
    Mobility
  • Blood Hunter

    The Ledger

    A blood-and-voodoo attrition support class that wins by outlasting, enabling and eroding, from a position it cannot leave.

    Armour
    Cloth
    Resource
    Mana
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • Hemomancer

      Damage

      The class's only damage spec: consumes marks on the target for a combined weapon-and-shadow strike.

    • Loaspeaker

      Healer

      Healer, unambiguously: all three of its spec abilities are heals.

    • Beastcaller

      Pet

      Pet and pack spec: the raptors are visuals and every point of pack damage is credited to the player, so it does not depend on a creature ever swinging.

    Abilities and class rules for the Blood Hunter

    Signature abilities

    • Exsanguinate

      Consumes Shadow Marks. Invokes Bethekk. Slash an enemy for Weapon damage plus a burst of Shadow damage scaled to your level and gear, increased by 3% for each Shadow Mark consumed.

      Hemomancer

    • Ichor Beam

      Bring mojo to an ally, healing them every 1 sec for 6 sec. This spell is unaffected by haste modifiers.

      Loaspeaker

    • Sanguine Glaive

      Hurl a voodoo glaive at an enemy dealing Ranged Weapon Damage plus Nature Damage, restoring health equal to 2% of the damage dealt. Usable while moving.

      Learned at level 1

    • Sanguine Bulwark

      Create a copy of yourself that channels voodoo energy for 8 sec on allies, reducing damage taken. In addition, you and your summons are immune to damage, but deal 25% reduced damage and healing.

      Learned at level 74

    • Sanguine Golem

      Summon a War Golem for 10 sec, absorbing damage dealt to you based on your Intellect, and redirecting harmful spells cast on nearby allies to itself.

      Beastcaller

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Mobility 2/5 — zero movement tools anywhere - no blink/sprint/gap-closer/teleport/snare-immunity, ever
    Rated strength
    Survivability 4/5
    Counters
    Blood Spirits (max 5), Vials (max 5), Blood Mark (max 5)
  • The Ravener

    Rite of the Moon

    The roster's damage leader, bought with the roster's worst survivability. A feral predator that kills before it is killed, and dies if that fails.

    Armour
    Leather
    Talents
    81 nodes
    • Bloodmoon

      Damage

      Selfish blood-and-bite melee with leech: spends Thirst stacks to steal health out of the target.

    • Eclipse

      Damage

      Lunar and umbral caster damage: bleeds and shreds that scale off spell power, with conditional bonus damage.

    • Direlord

      Tank

      Feral tank: a damage-reduction cooldown, a melee reflect, an ally shield and a taunt.

    Abilities and class rules for the The Ravener

    Signature abilities

    • Sanguine Fang

      Expends Thirst Stacks. Steal health from an enemy. Damage increased for each Thirst stack. Clears Insatiable and Thirst stacks.

      Bloodmoon

    • Moonbane Shred

      Requires Cursed Form. Shred an enemy, dealing Physical Damage. If an enemy is bleeding, below 35% maximum health, or if you are behind them, deal 100% additional Shadow Damage for each condition met.

      Eclipse

    • Umbral Hemorrhage

      Requires Mortal Form. Infest an enemy with blood parasites, dealing Shadow Damage and causing them to bleed every second for 12 sec. Periodic damage from this spell can critically strike.

      Eclipse

    • Ironpelt

      Requires Cursed Form. Reduces damage taken for 5 sec. Useable while stunned.

      Direlord

    • Bared Fangs Taunt

      Requires Worgen Form. Taunts an enemy to attack you for 4 sec, and reduces their movement speed for the duration.

      Direlord

    Class rules

    Fixed weakness
    Survivability 1/5 — no wall; the Bloodmoon tree trades it further down
    Rated strength
    Damage
    Counters
    Consecutive Worgen Bites (max 3), Bloodmoon Cadence (max 3), Savage Charges (max 6), Darkwing Echo (max 5), Endless Thirst (max 3), Grimclaw (max 1), Bloodsore (max 5), Rent Hide (max 5)
    Not rated
    Mobility, Control

Getting started

Create your account

Accounts are created on the game server itself, and registration is now open on this site. The playtest is invite-only for the moment, so you need a code from Discord; the form tells you if yours is not valid. Registration only ever happens at turtles-wow.com over HTTPS — if anyone sends you a signup link on another domain, it is not ours.

Create an account

Creating an account Open now — invite only

Registration is open at turtles-wow.com/register.html. Pick an account name and a password, both 16 characters or fewer — the 3.3.5a client cannot send more than that, and it silently cuts a longer password short, which would lock you out of your own account.

While the realm is in friends-and-family testing you also need an invite code. Ask in Discord for one.

Both the account name and the password are case-insensitive: the game client puts them in capitals before it sends them.

Create an account
Logging in Opens with the realm

There is no account panel to log into yet. When one exists it will be linked from this header, and it will live on this domain — not on a link someone sends you.

You log into the realm from the game client itself, using the account you make when registration opens.

Downloading and playing Launcher built, hosting pending

The launcher is a single Windows .exe. You point it at the World of Warcraft 3.3.5a folder you already have, it downloads roughly 400 MB of client patch data, installs it and sets the realm list. There is no separate 4 GB client download and no manual file copying.

The download is not hosted yet. This button is wired the moment file hosting is in place — check Discord for the announcement.

Download the launcher

Community

Everything happens on Discord

Test invites, class change notes, bug reports and the date the realm goes public all land in the same place. It is a small server and the people building the classes read it themselves.

Join the Discord

The invite link goes up alongside the first public test round.

Support

Straight answers

What do I need before I can play?
A World of Warcraft 3.3.5a (12340) installation. The launcher handles everything after that.
Can I play the eight classes right now?
Not publicly. They are finished and playable to 80 on the private test realm while public testing is set up.
Are the original classes still there?
The eight custom classes are the point of the realm. What sits alongside them is being confirmed before it is promised here.
Where do I report a bug?
Discord, once testing opens. Bug reports from testers are what the balance passes are built on.
Ask on Discord

Realm status

  • Turtles Wow In Testing

Status is read from /status.json and updates the moment the realm goes public.

News

Where the build is

  • Classes

    All eight classes balanced and verified

    Every custom class has been played the full way to 80 and put through the same damage and survivability harness. The roster came out level with itself: no class is the correct answer and no class is dead weight.

  • Launcher

    One-click launcher is built

    A single .exe that finds your existing 3.3.5a install, pulls about 400 MB of patch data and configures the realm list. It works; what is left is putting the file somewhere the public can reach.

  • Testing

    Public testing is being set up

    The realm runs privately while the public test round is organised. When it opens, the status strip above turns green and account registration opens the same day. No date is being promised until it is certain.