World of Warcraft has an ever-evolving series of classes and specializations that quickly change as part of the game’s broader landscape. Keeping up with the best in each role can be tricky, so our tier list has you covered ahead of The War Within.
Those who have played the game for more than five minutes will know that WoW has thirteen distinct classes, each of which has between 2-4 specializations that players can build into.
The arrival of The War Within is doing plenty to alter the existing equation from the Dragonflight era. Hero Talents have been added to the game, adding further ways to build around individual abilities, and other previous staples are making their way to the exit door.
Here’s how the classes are lining up as The War Within beta draws to a close.
WoW: The War Within class tier list
Our class tier list is divided into four distinct tiers, each of which represents a different level of overall potency.
To construct this list, we’ve taken into account each spec to create an aggregate grade for the class. As some specs are far ahead of others, we have explained exactly why each class is where it is below, with S-Tier being the best and C-Tier being the weakest overall.
| Tier | Class/Spec |
| S | Death Knight, Mage, Paladin |
| A | Demon Hunter, Warrior, Druid, Evoker, Warlock |
| B | Monk, Shaman, Rogue, Priest, Hunter |
WoW class tiers explained
Our tier list follows a simple format that clearly defines why each class appears where it does. Each tier exists as follows:
- S: The best classes in the game
- A: Very good classes offering more than enough prowess in difficult activities
- B: Decent classes that are viable if built very efficiently
S-Tier classes
Death Knight
The tale of the Death Knight in Patch 11.0 is one of remarkable consistency across its three specs, perhaps even more so than the Warlock. Starting with Tanking, Blood DK is one of the best options in the game, competing alongside other meta picks like the Vengeance Demon Hunter and Guardian Druid.
The changes to Grasp talents have granted Blood DKs more utility, allowing for greater sustain for themselves and the party, as well as more chances to silence. In terms of DPS, the class is also impressive regardless of which spec you pick, though Frost is definitely in a better spot than Unholy at launch.
Frost has improved markedly over the final throes of Dragonflight and, with The War Within’s release, it’s in the best shape it has been in for a long time. Though there haven’t been any kind of stark alterations to its toolkit, the overall tapestry of the spec synergizes a lot better than it did previously, and the additional utility in the Death Knight talent trees furthers the spec’s prowess.
Unholy Death Knight is the weakest of the three and would appear in the tier below in its own right. That said, it’s still an effective operator with impressive DoT, and solid single-target to add to its impressive AoE offering. Recent nerfs brought the spec down somewhat, but it remains a viable choice regardless.
Mage
The Mage is a class of extremes at the moment, but with two specs performing pretty spectacularly and the other remaining a solid workhorse, it’s well worth its place in the top tier. WoW’s resident spell slinger has arguably been the most consistent class in the game over the years, and Dragonflight did little to change that. The additions to the toolkit in The War Within have benefitted the class massively, and it’s also one of the greatest beneficiaries of the new Hero Talents.
Starting with Arcane, the spec steadily improved throughout the last expansion, and the changes made in this latest expansion make it one of the best ranged DPS options in the game. The spec’s crowd control capabilities and general group utility in the right comp should make it a popular choice in raids and Mythic+ as the first season progresses.
Slotting behind Arcane as the spec of choice for Mages, there are several situations where Frost may be the play. The single-target damage capability remains high, and the new Hero Talent offerings have only furthered this. In particular, Frostfire seems like a real boon early on, despite the potential difficulty of gathering Fire Mastery stacks in AoE settings.
The tale end of the beta was bizarre for Fire Mages as they received a raft of changes, all of which seem to have combined to make the spec noticeably worse. In both single-target and AoE output, it’s languishing at the bottom among the Healer and Tank specialists. There will likely be more balancing as time progresses, but it’s impossible to see why competitive groups would bring this spec over the other two.
Paladin
Throughout all of the Paladin reworks during the game’s beta period, Paladins have remained remarkably consistent without tearing up any proverbial trees. Operating across all three roles, they are now appealing to those who like to have different options on the table, with all three specs viable for most activities (aside from Protection in PvP).
Retribution has a shiny new setup, and some recent overall damage buffs allow it to appear higher on this list. The buffs to Mastery: Highlord’s Judgement has worked wonders in improving the spec overall, with big buffs to Holy damage and the chance to proc Judgement during combat.
Protection Paladins also look in good shape, with impressive defensive and offensive builds that should make it a competitive play. It also has great group utility that should work to increase survivability in dungeons and raids where a Prot Paladin is present.
Holy Paladin is the most exciting of the three specs on offer, consistently performing as the best Healer in the game for a little while now. Avenging Wrath is more of a focus again, increasing healing and damage done by 15%. The Tier Set bonuses are also a nice addition this time around, increasing the healing and reducing the cooldown of Holy Shock, as well as a stacking buff on Word of Glory and Light of Dawn.
A-Tier classes
Demon Hunter
The class with the most satisfying movement in the game has been suffering in recent months, but the general trend is noticeably upward. The overall outlook is that Demon Hunter is actually set up very well, but it needs some direct damage buffs to enter the top tier with Warlocks, Mages, etc.
Havoc Demon Hunters fluctuated wildly in output throughout Dragonflight, and the aforementioned buffs have started to show. Resource generation remains a bit of an issue, but the spec is highly competitive again. This isn’t hurt by the Tier Set bonuses for DH this time around, buffing damage and potentially resetting the cooldown of core parts of the damage rotation.
On the tanking side of the equation, there’s a fairly strong case for Vengeance Demon Hunter being the best in the game at what it does. The real advantage of the spec comes in how well it synergizes with some of the better-performing DPS specs. This should make it a popular part of competitive comps, particularly with the outgoing damage benefit it can provide to the group via Chaos Brand.
Warrior
The landscape for Warrior is one of the more interesting at the moment, with the class performing very well as both a DPS and Tank. WoW’s traditional OG melee choice has managed to achieve remarkable parity in these early periods of The War Within, and its consistency will likely appeal to many groups.
Both Arms and Fury Warrior are nearly impossible to separate in terms of output, with both appearing in the top ten for raw DPS. Fury is the more exciting of the two, with spectacular burst damage that borders on comical at times, though it can struggle in Mythic+ compared to some of the other classes. Long fights can also be a bit of a drain, but the front-end damage is a worthy trade-off.
Arms is easily the most improved of the Warrior specs, thanks to some nice changes in the talent tree and some additional augmentation from Hero Talents. It’s more well-rounded than Fury, offering AoE, dual and single-target damage in spades, even if its performance is slightly weaker in the latter when compared to Fury.
Protection Warrior has often been one of the strongest tank offerings, but it’s currently one of the weaker choices alongside Prot Paladin. That said, it only appears weak thanks to the immense prowess of its immediate peers in the current patch, and there is still a lot to like. Spell Reflection is the big boon, with many of the upcoming dungeons featuring a heavy volume of spells that need to be dealt with, and Battle Shout is set to also play a big role.
Druid
With four specs on offer, the Druid is a uniquely varied class, but it actually excels best outside of contributing to DPS right now. Starting there, however, Feral remains the stronger of the two damage specs, with Balance struggling to find direction and a niche for itself in the current landscape.
The class’ overall talents have been updated for The War Within, and these have generally proved to be a net benefit. Buffs for Feral have elevated the spec significantly in both single-target and AoE encounters, with more rotational options that leave it feeling significantly more forgiving than previous iterations.
Balance Druid is by no means the worst DPS choice in the game, but its damage is limited, and it needs some buffs to bring it into line with the best spellcasters. Some of the spec’s issues with a lack of talent kit have been assuaged, and the new Hero Talents will help with that, but it’s an uphill battle when many of the rotation staples don’t pack enough of a punch.
Restoration Druid is a hugely impressive choice in the healer role that excels in both single-target and group heals in equal measure. Many of the spec’s core abilities have received potency buffs, and it’s now competing with Holy Paladin at the top of the tree in that role. With an extensive toolkit of cleanses, curse removals, and dispels to add to the package, Restoration Druid is likely to remain a strong choice for some time.
Everyone’s favorite fluffy bear is also carving out a path for itself as a tank, battling it out among the best in class. There is a bit of an odd dichotomy for the spec at the moment, where it feels illogically set up, but manages to excel despite its potential limitations. Outputting excellent damage for a tank while also operating as the most durable is an impressive combination, and Guardian Druids should appear regularly in Mythic+ and raiding.
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Evoker
WoW’s most recent class is another case of one spec stealing all of the attention away from the other two. Evokers have three options to choose from, with two centered around DPS and the other available to fill the healing role in dungeons and raids.
The first, and comfortably the most popular throughout the previous expansion is Augmentation, and there’s very little chance of that changing. The main reasons for that are twofold in that it is capable of supporting allies very effectively while also pumping out impressive damage in its own right.
That said, many of the changes implemented throughout The War Within’s beta placed greater precedence on the class bringing its own damage, over buffing others, and it shows. The class is dominating in the rankings, competing with the two Warlock specs as the best in the game right now. Despite the emphasis moving away from support slightly, it is a very worthwhile spec to take in group comps and one of the most well-rounded overall.
Devastation Evoker, on the other hand, still feels unfinished, an afterthought designed to bring the spec count up to three for the sake of it. The new Hero Talents have added depth and better defensive offerings, but it’s not enough to make most choose it over Augmentation. In better news, there are now the beginnings of a cohesive and distinct spec, but it still needs more time to find its identity.
Preservation Evoker is an effective operator in the healing slot with plenty to like, but unfortunately, it struggles to perform at the same level as other, more traditional healing specs. The Hero Talents have added potency to their healing output, but the class still struggles offensively and defensively. It really is a specialist for the right group comp in its current form.
Warlock
Warlocks were a solid option across the board throughout Dragonflight, and the release of The War Within has done nothing to change that. In our original version of this tier list, we had Warlock in the S-tier, with both Demonology and Destruction seemingly tearing up the rulebook and outperforming most specs. Unfortunately, this data was skewed somewhat by both being bugged heading into Patch 11.0.
Now that the dust has settled on that somewhat, it’s clear that both specs are A-Tier choices in the current patch. With unrivalled options for damage dealing and the ability to walk into any activity and excel, there is plenty to set the Warlock apart from its peers. A slight lack of utility for some status conditions and potential issues with sustain are the only things holding both specs back from the S-Tier.
The previously ailing Affliction spec has experienced a rapid rise thanks to the changes in the latest update. Though it isn’t able to do everything at once like the other two seemingly can, Affliction players can build into extensive AoE or high single-target, and they won’t find themselves lagging behind in any sense. Across the board, the Warlock is so powerful that it seems unlikely there won’t be at least some subtle nerfs in the future.
B-Tier classes
Hunter
Hunter is in a bit of a strange spot at the moment, mainly because it seems like it’s on the precipice of becoming an A-Tier class again. As it is, however, it remains stuck towards the bottom, mostly due to just how effective it is at rolling out damage in the current version of the game.
The class received a much-needed rework over the last few months, with Beast Mastery being a real winner, particularly in terms of how practical it is to use. Many talents are now cheaper to use and more viable to include as part of their damage rotation, including Explosive Shot, with major defensive upgrades to Survival of the Fittest and Natural Mending adding to the overall appeal.
Unfortunately, the class needs a decent damage buff to move higher up this list. The devs have done a solid job improving how the class functions and how it feels to play, but without higher output, it’s difficult to recommend over other ranged DPS in particular, regardless of which spec you choose.
Survival Hunter is bizarrely the best-performing spec at the moment for the first time in forever, with the flexible melee/ranged hybrid proving particularly successful, another indicator that the other two do need some love.
Monk
Monks proved a popular choice during the release of WoW Remix, and if that transfers over to the main game, many will find a solid class throughout. Though it isn’t vastly outperforming the competition in any of its focus areas, it is a decent pick that offers fun and variability in playstyle.
Windwalker is the DPS option for the class, and it’s easily the most changed from its Dragonflight form. A significant overhaul of the spec talents has done wonders for how it performs, with much more capacity for AoE output and burst damage more generally. The spec is also in a good spot to scale well with endgame gear, though recent damage nerfs have lowered its effectiveness somewhat.
Though it can’t quite compete with Guardian Druid and Vengeance DH, there is a lot to like about Brewmaster Monk in The War Within. In particular, it has one of the highest damage potentials of any tank spec and synergizes well with melee classes, even if spellcasters are likely to prove more popular in Mythic+. After recent reworks, it’s much easier to play and more approachable for newcomers.
Mistweaver is an interesting healing option that excels in some areas and lags behind its peers in others. As an overall package, there is plenty to like, and it rewards clever use of its abilities more than most specs. Lack of buffs and support for other members of the party can see it eschewed in favor of other healing specs, but it’s a forgiving option that should work well for those looking to take their first forays into healing.
Shaman
Shaman is going through a difficult period, with both damage specs struggling to perform in a cohesive way. A perceived lack of changes to the Shaman has caused discontent among players who feel that the toolkit alterations for other classes and specs have been much more significant and positive during The War Within’s beta period.
Restoration Shaman is comfortably the best reason to play Shaman right now and it’s competing with the better healing specs in terms of raw output. Playing Resto is a case of keeping everyone’s health bars topped up with small, regular, and cheap heals that can be hard to get into at first. Once you’ve got the hang of the rhythm, however, it’s actually one of the most intuitive and logical healing specs around.
Enhancement is the better of the two DPS specs right now, thanks to spec talents and some general quality-of-life changes that make it much more enjoyable to play. The Stormbringer Hero Talent tree is a real highlight, adding plenty of AoE utility that scales brilliantly as the size of the pack you’re fighting increases.
Elemental has traditionally been one of the more enjoyable specs to play in WoW, but it’s in a bit of a sorry state at the start of The War Within. Where the changes to Enhancement have mainly been positive, Elemental received a complete overhaul that has rendered it useless in many settings. From single-target to AoE, Elemental is largely behind the rest, with very little to tempt players into giving it another go.
Rogue
The Rogue is another tale of variation across each spec, but the overall landscape for the class is good at the time of writing. With only DPS to worry about, the new Hero Talents feel particularly synergized, and there is plenty to like for longtime players of the class as well as those looking to try it for the first time.
Most of the changes to Assassination Rogue have increased its utility and made it a bit of a monster in high-health single-target encounters. The damage potential of the spec is off the charts, with the damage buff from the tier set being one of the more wide-reaching and potent of any available in Season 1.
Subtlety Rogue is in a weird spot right now, with what seems to be a middling damage output. That said, its AoE debuffs and interrupts actually elevate it significantly, while the spiraling tier set buffs on Secret Technique look to be an excellent offering. For crowd control and stuns, it’s also very effective, and it should improve over the course of the first few weeks of The War Within.
AoE has always been a weakness for Outlaw, and that remains the case now. Additionally, despite having decent single-target output, it isn’t as competitive as the other two specs within the class. Crowd control remains strong, but that’s universally true of Rogues, and it’s difficult to see why competitive players would pick this spec at the moment.
Priest
Sitting towards the bottom of this list is the humble Priest, which couldn’t catch a break in any of its three specs throughout the beta. For a class that’s designed to be so focused on healing, both specs are lagging behind the best options, while the only damage choice is serving as a silver lining in the broader landscape for the class.
Discipline Priest is currently the worst healing spec in the game, and it’s vastly underperforming in most competitive settings. A major part of the problem is the lack of changes that the spec has received in preparation for the expansion, with many of the issues from Dragonflight still present. Poor Mythic+ healing is not offset by decent utility and the lack of any kind of interrupt is criminal at this point.
Holy Priest is another spec that has suffered from a lack of changes while so many others are moving forward. The rotation is identical to the format throughout Dragonflight, and it performs very well, but it’s difficult to recommend over its Paladin namesake due to a lack of crowd control and mobility.
Shadow Priest realized its potential as one of the coolest casters in World of Warcraft during Dragonflight, but recent changes have lowered its effectiveness. Across the board, the spec has a great toolkit that makes it equally suited to AoE and single-target, but it needs to be more effective in its use of resources and cooldowns to return to the top of the tree.
That’s our complete tier list. This will be continually updated as The War Within progresses to give you an analytical window into where exactly your chosen class and spec stands. To see what’s available in the Trading Post this month, then make sure to check our guide, or take a look at everything on offer in the latest expansion.
