The first topic of podcast episode 3, at 1:32, was racial abilities, and the developers named names.
Orc and troll actives potentially too strong
The orc and troll active racials were mentioned as potentially too strong currently. No numbers, no proposed values, just a flag that the tuning is off.
That is the earliest stage of a balance change: an acknowledgment, not a patch. It matters because racial balance is one of the few levers that affects faction choice, and Horde-favored racials have shaped every version of this game.
Weapon passives may go entirely
Weapon passives, already changed from Classic, may be altered further or even replaced altogether.
"Replaced altogether" is the stronger half of that sentence. A passive that gets replaced rather than retuned means the design failed rather than the numbers, and it suggests the team is willing to cut systems that do not work rather than balancing around them.
Skyborne models: early next year, confirmed again
The podcast reiterated that Skyborne model changes are coming but will not be in game until early next year. That matches Blizzard's October 7 visual-update post placing SD Skyborne in early 2027, and it is now confirmed in two independent sources a day apart.
Reporting note
Via Tavern's timestamped write-up of the official podcast. The 1:32 timestamp is published so anyone can verify against the video. Second-hand with checkable pointers, graded accordingly.
SOURCES: Warcraft Tavern's write-up, published October 8 2026, read October 9 2026, reporting the official Blizzard podcast. Related: the episode-3 news, the Skyborne post, and the grading scale.