Wondering who is the best class to play in WotLK Phase 4? In this article we will explain who is the best DPS, heal and tank in our favorite expansion. You will also find out class rankings for WotlK PvE and PvP content, information about which class is easiest to play in WotLK and a short description about each spec and class. Let’s start?
Legends never die, so they say. And it should be of no surprise that one of the greatest – The Greatest as some think – expansion of World of Warcraft is here again to bring us joy and excitement.
Wrath of the Lich King. Arthas himself threatens Azeroth once more and it is up to brave heroes to put an end to the reign of the fallen king. Get yourselves ready, heroes of Azeroth and pay heed, because WotLK Boost by Leprestore is about to arm you with all the knowledge you need in the many battles to come before you can, finally, face the Lich King. Important note, though, there’s no such thing as a best class in WotLK in and of itself, as all of them are good and bad at some things. You can, actually, use this list as a minor wotlk class picking guide if you’re wondering how to choose your main, not the most in-depth one, but enough to get you started. Just read it through and see what works best for you. Wrath Classic ICC Raid Release Date 12.10.2023. With that being said – let’s get going.
| Tier | PvE | PvP |
|---|---|---|
| S-Tier | Holy Pala, Prot Pala, Fury Warrior, Fire Mage, Combat Rogue, Feral Druid (Cat), Ret Paladin | Holy Paladin, Discipline Priest, Arms Warrior, Destro Warlock, Affliction Warlock, Elemental Shaman |
| A-Tier | Resto Druid, Discipline Priest, Blood DK, Unholy DK, MM Hunter, Affliction Warlock, Frost DK | Restoration Druid, Frost Mage, Shadow Priest, Unholy DK, Subtlety Rogue |
| B-Tier | Resto Shaman, Feral Druid (Bear), Shadow Priest, Balance Druid, Arcane Mage, Assassination Rogue, Demo Warlock | MM Hunter, Ret Paladin, Preg Paladin, Feral Druid (Cat and Bear), Enh Shaman |
| C-Tier | Holy Priest, Prot Warrior, Enh Shaman, Destro Warlock, Survival Hunter, Elemental Shaman, BM Hunter | Prot Warrior, BM Hunter, Prot Paladin, Balance Druid, Frost DK |
| D-Tier | Arms Warrior, Blood DK (DPS), Subtlety Rogue, Frost Mage | Holy Priest, Fire Mage, Arcane Mage, Combat Rogue, Survival Hunter, Assassination Rogue |
| F-Tier | – | Demo Warlock, Blood DK, Fury Warrior |
It has been true since the Vanilla: classes are not totally equal to each other. Some are better in consistent DPS, some excel at bursting things down, and as such – are good on their own field of battle. But remember that things come out in phases, meaning that gear is to get better the deeper into the expansion we go. That means that some specs you might remember as blasters from the end of the original WotLK actually hitted like wet noodles at the start of it. And it might be in this very section that we find the answer to the question of what are the best classes in Wrath of the Lich King. Or rather what is the best dps class in WoW WotLK?
For most specializations the best endgame content professions are Engineering and Jewelcrafting. And keep in mind that it’s not a WotLK class tier list, only specs. With that out of the way, let’s break down when each spec should get the spotlight and come crashing down upon its enemies.
Unstoppable machines or massacre and carnage – Furry warriors are the embodiment of raging beasts that are barbarians in any classic RPG. Big arms, sweeping strikes and rage – the essence of battle. Wrath might be the best time to be a Furry warrior, mostly in PvE, however, but nevertheless. Humans are the wotlk best race on the Alliance side, thanks to additional expertise while wielding swords and maces and Orcs stand superior to others for the Horde faction.
It is a bumpy ride for Fury Wars in PvE. But lose no faith, as they are the monsters in disguise of little whelps, waiting for the right moments to go on a killing spree. Early phases are tough, single target, cleave and AoE are lackluster. But Phase 3 and Phase 4 – you better hold on to your chairs, because you’ll be blown away from the first charge and cut into little pieces while you land. All that they need – is that endgame equipment. And, the best in slot icing on the cake – Shadowmourne which Fury Wars are one of the first candidates for. All of this makes Fury Warrior one of the best DPS class WotLK. Well, spec, actually, but you got it :3
Just not happening. Sadly. The spec is so focused on PvE that it barely has any use in PvP due to the fact that all of their talents are designed for a different type of content. They do damage, for sure, a lot of it. But they lack the means to let them do that damage. No control, no mobility. No nothing. Compared to the Arms spec – Fury is simply hilarious and painful to watch.
Pretty and cute flowers for the bloody boiz:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low S-tier, because they’re just that strong in PvE
This spec has been totally overhauled coming into new expansion, getting a brand new playstyle, new spells, nice mechanics and, more importantly – interesting and engaging gameplay. All one could wish for. And though they might not be the best in every aspect, those which they are – they’re unmatched.
From the lowest depths to the highest heights. This is how you can describe Fire Mage’s way through the expansion. Well, not really depths, but rather lackluster at the start. But boy, o boy, do they blast starting from Phase 3, effectively becoming top damage dealer class WotLK Classic across the board. Amazing single target, paired with amazing area of effect damage and no less amazing cleave – what else do you want from a spec? Yes, they do not bring much utility, but they more than make up for it with their damage. Imba damage. Every wrath class guide is praising them for it.
Sadly, all the best things Fire can do – it does on the fields of battles with PvE content, leaving it on the backseats of PvP roaster. Yes, they are indeed capable of deleting enemies, but so are they and fire simply does not have the tools needed to survive that. That, in turn, makes all of its damage completely irrelevant and moments of glory – rare.
Clovers that fire didn’t want to burn:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low S-tier, simply due to their strength in PvE
Not initially associated with pirates, combat Rogues are yet to go on their first plunder. Meanwhile, they stay one of the most straightforward specs of Rogues in terms of class fantasy, as they, much like warriors, prefer to roll in and get up close and personal. Not without some tricks, though.
Scaling is the best friend for combat and it takes some time for that to happen. But, fortunately, it doesn’t take long for them to shine. Phase 2 gets them into S-tier, thanks to its gear. They drop a bit into A-tier in Phase 3, but come back strong in the Phase 4 in which they once again claim their spot as one of the top-tier DPS according to a lot of rankings.
Being the kings in PvE, Combat Rogues do not fare just as well in PvP, falling far behind their Subtlety brothers in almost every aspect. This is a pretty standard situation when the class has one “de-facto” PvP spec, which is Sub for Rogues. And yes, Combat has Killing Spree, but that doesn’t do much in terms of bringing them up to some reasonably competitive level in PvP.
Clovers killed during Killing Spree:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-tier
Cats once shared the same tree with the Bears, which is Druid’s tank spec. And it is actually not a bad thing at all, since it allows you to off-tank should the need arise. They also stay at a very high spot, especially during the second phase, till the very end, which makes them even better as a spec.
As I’ve mentioned previously, Feral druids are at their best in Phase 2 and Phase 4, but, sadly, not so much at the start of the addon. They’ve got a new AoE ability, which allows them to do really well in those types of fights, but, they drop down when cleave is a thing, since most of their damage comes from bleed effects, that must first be applied. That leaves them in need of some ramp up time. They also have nice utilities, namely their spec specific Leader of the Pack and Mangle.
A lot of mobility, a lot of damage, a lot of survivability, a lot of control. This is what you can say about feral druids in PvP. And even though they can’t compete with some other classes that have better tools to deal with certain situations, the strength of cats comes from being able to do it all, which makes it an all-in-one-deal kind of thing. And it only gets better when you learn how and when to use your tools properly.
Here are the clovers for Cats:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top A-tier
Proud warriors of Light had seen their rise to prominence at the end of TBC and it was only the beginning of their ascension. There is nothing to stop them from dominating in this new expansion, even though they start a bit weak. Paladins in general are considered to be WotLK best PvE class overall.
Flowers that bloom late – this is what Retribution Paladins are. They can not outshine some other melees at the start but quickly push ahead starting with Phase 3 and on, thanks to a great scaling and many nice utility bells that will ring, ushering their rise to the tops of DPS meters. And, come on, what gamer did not want to at least once play a paladin since the original strategy?
Rets are one of the few specs that can nuke you down before you even know it. They have the same amount of self sustain and survivability as any other paladin, although somewhat traded off for a much higher damage. Additionally, they are very vulnerable to casters and their CC. And guess what? WoW WotLK best class to play – is a caster, and the casters are the meta in PvP, which means all of the strengths of Ret Pallies are simply too hard to realize, which gets them a rather low spot on the PvP tier-list.
This started as a meme-spec, first introduced by a player named Preghiera that once played on a private server. This spec is a hybrid DPS spec, that capitalizes on the Sheath of Light talent, using 1 handed weapon and shield with spell power, in order to get as much crit chance as possible. The idea is to hit fast, crit often and use instant Flashes of Light for healing. Which results in a ludicrous amount of healing from a DPS spec. It also counters the lack of survivability that pure Retribution spec has.
There’s one important thing, however: they are extremely gear dependent. It’s not like trying to build one results in insane time investments, but you do need to wait until Phase 3 to make it somewhat viable. One important note: this is a private server build that might not see the light in Wrath Classic.
Clover, avenged by retribution:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-tier, for their strength in PvE and easy gameplay
Want to rule the hordes of the undead? Unholy – is the spec for you then. Dark magic, diseases and ghouls are yours to command. They keep their very high place on top of DPS meters, especially on AoE encounters of the later phases, in which they’re most satisfying to play. And they are also the most overall best out of all WotLK classes and specs to play in both PvE and PvP.
Unholy DKs are quite strong at the start of the expansion for the same reason Frost are – absence of need for the armor penetration. They’ve decent single-target damage, but are known much better for their blasting AoE potential.
Utilitywise they bring a debuff – Ebon Plaguebringer, which is basically a curse of elements on the target they’ve hit and a powerful Anti-Magic Zone CD that will help the raid to get through some of the damage heavy moments in fights.
They are not easy to play. You will not have the best leveling experience too. A lot of management is required so it’s not really for beginners. But they are extremely satisfying once learned to play correctly.
Like with Frost DKs – Phase 1 and Phase 3 are the most favorable for them.
Unlike their Frost-speeced brothers, Unholy DKs have it all: control, damage, all and any tools you need to simply roll over your enemies as they try to survive your unstoppable onslaught.
A lot of the best compositions consist of Unholy Death Knights. Pair them with Holy Paladins in 2v2 – you’re not going to die and all that will be left for your opponent is to embrace their inevitable defeat.
Not much do they have in terms of survivability, but the other tools, implying a very aggressive playstyle, paired with the support from the healer will more often than not cover that minus.
Clovers that ghouls are not allowed to chew on:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: S-tier
MM hunter is a quite straightforward spec. There’s not really much to say about them. They’re very mobile, have good burst damage and do not need any ramp up time to be competitive in dealing it.
In PvE MM hunters are all about scaling and getting that armor pen to higher points. They start a bit weak, compared to the Survival spec, as they mostly do physical damage. But once they get their items with a lot of armor pen from later stages – this is when things get spicy. To the point where they jump into S-tier during Phase 3. And even though they drop down a bit in Phase 4 – they are still more than welcomed into raids and dungeons.
PvP is a stage on which MM hunters are one of the main stars of the show. Insane damage not even slightly crippeled by movement, really strong defensive cooldown and ability to apply a healing received debuff – all that combined makes a recipe for a disaster for the opposing team.
In their strengths, however, lies their biggest weakness: there’s just no room for CC. Not only that, they can be easily countered by simply standing in their dead zone in which they’re unable to use their ranged weapon. And they are a ranged spec. This does not hold them from being one of the best classes in the expansion when it comes to arena compositions.
Masters of curses that drain life out of their foes, watching them wither away and decay, crippeled and unable to do anything. This is what Affliction Warlocks are about. This specialization is ranged and focuses almost exclusively on damage over time effects. Humans and Orcs are the best races for this spec. Warlocks in general are considered to be WotLK best PvP class so you might as well stick to it if you like PvP.
Specialization has seen some changes transferring into the WotLK and has now become one of the best caster specs in the game. It has decent single-target damage but shines the most in fights with AoE or where they’re able to cleave by multi-dotting. They start quite strong, only slightly dropping down in Phase 3, and coming back really solid in Phase 4. Their most noticeable utilities are Healthstones and Soulstones, as well as ability to summon party members.
More of a monster in PvP than it is in PvE. Just like that. Some talent changes to other trees and all of a sudden Affliction finds itself on top of the mountain, looking down at other specs from unreachable distance. They’ve sustain, survivability, amazing CC and, what’s more important, damage to back that control up. They might be a bit lagging behind Destruction in terms of burst Damage, but as gear gets better in the later stages – that slowly goes away. And, Affliction also gets an execute-type ability in Wrath, so they become even more dangerous. Reddit still, even to this day, can’t decide if it is Affliction or Destruction that does better in PvP.
Withered clovers in Affliction’s garden:
Clovers that ghouls are not allowed to chew on:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: S-tier
An Ice solid pick for PvE all the way through the whole expansion. Yes, they’re just that good. And fun, catually, because you start really strong in comparison and retain that straight up until the Ice Crown. And not that you lose it there, it’s just that others become better than they were. Being a new addition to the game, it is no wonder that they are among the best classes in Wrath of the Lich King.
Fun, reliable and engaging spec that doesn’t actually get boring due to some proc management needed in order to maximize your output. What makes them even better – is the fact that they start extremely strong due to having hybrid damage: a lot of their abilities, such as Frost Strike, for example, deal magic damage, which makes them less dependent on armor penetration rating – the stat that will hold a lot of melee specs until later phases.
They have really good single target DPS but what makes them stand out – is their burst AoE and cleave potential, turning each and every fight with additional targets into a skyrocket ride for their DPS. They also bring a really juicy raid buff in the form of Improved Icy Talons and this one will always be desired.
They are at their strongest during Phase 1 and Phase 3 of the addon.
As sad as it can be – Frost DKs do not perform as well in PvP as they do in PvE. They lack survivability, are dependent on the PvE gear for the damage, which, in turn, lowers their survivability even more and simply lacking in comparison with their Unholy counterparts. And though they can indeed be a threat if allowed to actually do damage – they rarely do as they’re the first ones to be focused down with no real means of survival. That is the absolute truth for the 3v3. In 2v2 scenarios it gets better, though.
Clovers that withstood the frozen winds of Northrend:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: A-tier
Priests of the Holy Light that glanced into the abyss and were consumed by the madness of the darkness. And now they are spreading their pain and their madness, covered in the shadows.
Well, at least that sounds like it. Shadow is the only DPS spec, ranged one, of Priest class and it has been a rather meme one for a time. But those times are over. Humans and Trolls are the best races for them.
Not too good and not too bad. They do not have as amazing scaling as Affliction does and do not really have any high base damage as the next Arcane guy, but they’re still good and reliable. And they only get better when there are opportunities for multi-dotting. Sadly, they’ve no specific niche and can’t really compete with other intellect-wielders. They’re at their strongest in Phase 1, due to their rivals lacking scaling but keep an unwavering average spot in DPS meters and are actually quite desirable in PvE.
Caster dominance is a meta in WotLK PvP world and Shadow Priests are one of the main reasons as well as participants of this action of dominance. They’ve seen some very nice buffs to their PvP toolkit both damage and survivability wise, the latter they can boost even more using Glyph of Dispersion to lower the cooldown on their Dispersion, which also helps them keep their mana full. They are only slightly behind Affliction Warlocks and it is only because they are not as tanky. They are the counter to a lot of comps, but are also easily countered, since many of their spells need to be casted, and thus – might be interrupted.
This is how many clovers you need to enter the Shadowform:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-tier
Birdies. You have to love them for their Moonkin Form alone. But what you also want to love them for – is their utility and it doesn’t matter that it comes from Druids in general. Balance Druids are a ranged DPS spec and that, sometimes, might be more valuable than having a Cat.
Boomies, or Boomkins, are ranged DPS spec of the Druids. While they have rather mediocre single-target damage, they are really good in AoE situations, thanks to the new spell they got in Wrath – Starfall. This was all they needed to rock-n-roll. And despite not being overpowered and not scaling as good as other damage dealing specs, they’re more than capable of holding their ground.
Balance brings to the table two nice buffs: Moonkin From and Improved Moonkin Form. They also have a battle ress, like all druids do, however, but that doesn’t make them less versatile, they’re actually one of the most utility-rich specializations in the game.
Sadly, Balance druids do not that much better in Wrath PvP than they did TBC. Their strong sides are their utility, survivability, especially against melee classes, as boomkins have a lot of armor, compared to the other casters, which allows them to counter the armor penetration stat that melees will be stacking for the whole expansion.
This is what Boomies get:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top B-tier
The fantasy of the class dictates that they are to be masters of powers beyond simple folks’ comprehension. They command the most destructible fire element, are able to call blizzards down upon their enemies, polymorph them into helpless sheeps and simply destroy them, wielding the pure essence of magic itself. All three specs are ranged DPS and are more than welcomed in both PvP and PvE – each in their own content. When it comes to choosing your main – mages are a really good choice, if you’re into DPSing. Trolls are the best race for mages on the Horde side, and Draenei on the Alliance.
Kind of a meme specialization that does, however, do tons of damage, has one of the best single-targets early on and in general a rather fancy one to play. That is to say – if you like to press one button and see your name go up the meters. Simple rotation and really rewarding, although, not very engaging gameplay. Yay! It’s all about pros and cons.
You want to top the meters from the get go? Arcane is for you. While not scaling as good as Fire Mages do, Arcane surely has a few words to say when it comes to bursting down priority targets. First two phases will be the most favorable for the Arcane spec, as the fights are not yet too long and others haven’t gotten their scaling rolling. They drop down a bit later, but still remain a solid choice, especially for pure single-target fights. Yet, others will get much more value out of scaling that Arcanes will.
Just as they do in PvE – start good and fall off later – Arcane mages are no different in PvP, save for it’s even worse for them in that content. They do have good damage, burst profile, not without CC but all of that simply fades in comparison with their Frost counterparts, especially in later seasons.
Each different clover – is a different button Arcane has to press:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-tier
Unseen killers that use poisons and evisceration tools to take out their enemies for their own selfish purposes. A melee assassin that comes out and ambushes the target to get that one strike and end it. Trolls and Humans are the best races.
This spec of the Rogue in almost complete opposition to Combat: they start incredibly strong thanks to not relying on armor penetration, and fall off of their heights as their brothers begin to scale better. Not to say that they end up being bad. Their single-target damage is gorgeous throughout the expansion, but that is just about it.
In the PvP reality Assasination is in rather weird spot. They have damage. Stupidly high damage. But they give up so much for it, namely mobility and control that it doesn’t really make any sense. Yes, you might catch someone off-guard and yes, you might nuke them down before they know it, but that’s the only strat you have. Subtlety is just better in this field.
Poisonous flowers sent by Assasination Rogue:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: B-tier
If you want to command demons, gover over shadows and flames and be able to embrace the dark powers, turning yourself into a powerful demonic being – this is the spec you’ve been looking for. The best races are Orcs and Humans.
Second in strength spec of Warclocks, Demonology is nevertheless an interesting one to play. Not only the damage is there, albeit not the top-tier, but they also bring to the table the best caster buff in the game – Demonic Pact. It does need some time to become that precious thing that every caster-heavy raid will have wet dreams about, but it is totally worth it. If you’re okay with being in the middle of the meters but would very much like to support your group or raid – Demo is the way to go.
Bad to the point of not being viable. 2 minutes cooldown on their main offensive ability – Metamorphosis is an eternity you will not survive. You’ve a pet that will be killed to leave you helpless and damageless and, despite all of your survivability the Demo’s always been proud of – you will be focused. With nothing you can do about it. It is sad, but the reality is that Demo ceased to be a PvP spec in Wrath.
Bouquet your mage fire mage mate will send you:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top C-tier
If you’ve ever been driven to the fantasy of the Shaman class, the spirits and elements being your thing, but you’ve also wanted to be a warrior – you’ve found your middleground. Enhancement is a melee spec for shamans and is a rather fun one to play. Orcs are the best race for the Horde, whereas only Draenei can be shamans on the Alliance side.
Kind of average in general. They have a nice single target, can effectively cleave, do not need too much of anything to get going but just not as good as the ones that are at higher spots in this list. They’re feeling the best during Phases 1 and 3, but never really get higher than B-tier. They do, however, bring a very important raid buff – in form of Heroism/Bloodlust but so does every other shaman spec.
Again – very average. They do have mobility, damage, CC and the means to get rid of one, namely snares and roots when they find themselves controlled, but nothing too flashy and fancy. They are dependent on their damage CD to do damage AND have mobility and they survivability, while not terrible, is just not really enough to stand a chance against a focused fire.
Those are fiery, btw:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top-C tier
This spec has been seen as a de-facto PvP one for a while and Wrath only made it stick to that niche. They are more than capable in PvE, but not even close to the levels they are in PvP. The best races for Destro are Orcs and Humans.
Nothing Destro lock can do that Affliction doesn’t do better, especially during the Phase 1. The Single target damage is there, as are cleave and AoE but it’s just not enough to compete with other, more powerful specs when it comes to PvE.
PvP, however, is where things change. S-tier spec, no less. They’ve control, they’ve survivability, they’re exceptionally good against casters in the caster wotlk class meta, and they have the damage, the raw damage that goes through the roof. The only thing that they might fear – is melee demons, such as Arms warrior.
Immolated clovers:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-Tier simply due to the PvP strength.
Wrath brought a good chunk of changes to Survival hunters, making them more than viable and, more important, distinct. They do not resemble some cheap version of MM hunters, but are able to stand on their own and be good at what they do.
As was mentioned before – Survival spec had been changed in a good way. Most of the changes added new spells and finally allowed the spec to shine. They have strong single-target damage and more than simply good area of effect damage as well. They also have mixed damage, which helps them with armor penetration rating not being high enough. A lot of their abilities are instant, which helps them to move around and not lose damage. What they lack, though – is good scaling, and thus they fall off in later phases, outshined by their Marksmanship comrades.
In Classic Wrath, Vanilla one, Survival hunters were bizarre in the way they could stunlock you and kill without even doing anything. That, however, was quickly changed via a series of nerfes, but, sadly, nerfes alone. Blizzard Entertainment didn’t give anything to compensate for them, leaving Survival hunters in much, much worse spot than they were before. Facing facts: Surv is just a lesser version of MM hunter, sharing all the same strengths and weaknesses but being worse in every way at the same time.
Those flowers helped Survival to survive:
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| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low B-tier due to their strength in PvE during early Phases.
Elemental Shamans are the ranged spec of the Shaman class. They command Earth, Fire and Lightning to fight their foes and those who threaten the balance. The best races for shamans are Orcs on the Horde side and only Draenei can be shamans on the Alliance’s.
Not in the best spot. Not in the worst, but not in the best either. Elemental Shamans feel pretty good on any cleave or AoE fights but are hardly the strongest specialization in WoW WotLK in general. Their ride through expansion is a bit bumpy but, in the end, they end up in the very same mediocre spot. But it is still better than nothing.
While not being the most shocking PvE spec, Ele does roll as a thunder across the PvP stage where it takes a place among the S-tier boys. Their only real weakness is in the need to cast almost everything that does damage and, as such, they are really vulnerable to CC. But it doesn’t stop them from dominating one single bit.
This is how many clovers survived the Thunderstorm:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-tier, since they’re so weak in PvE.
BM specialization is just another example of a sad story coming live. They’ve lost a lot of their power coming into the new addon and, sadly, didn’t get anything to compensate for it. They’re not bad to the point where they’re not worth playing at all, but they simply are not good enough to be brought over any other spec.
New expansion brought no good treatment to this specialization. As sad as it might be – they’re simply lackluster and pale in comparison to others. There’s absolutely nothing they can do that others don’t do better and even their unique utility buff – Ferocious Inspiration in Wrath is provided by Ret Pallies, who are much better in every aspect. Even reaching an armor pen cap will not save the day for the BM hunters.
In PvP the spec shares the same fate it does in PvP, but for slightly different reasons. They do, in fact, do really good damage in PvP but that simply is not enough, as they lack any form of reliable control and thus – are not really a force to be reckoned with. They are better than Survival hunters in PvP but so much worse than MM.
Clovers that BM’s pet haven’t eaten:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: C-tier
In opposition to their Fury counterparts, Arms warriors are more of a One-Strike-One-Death kind of lads. They’ve a rather steady paced gameplay and are generally very chill spec outside of their cooldowns.
Nothing really to say here. They are, literally, the reflection of Fury warriors. They start a bit stronger then they do, thanks to their cleave potential but it fades away very, very quickly. And by the end of the expansion they’re hardly the spec you’d like to bring into the raid or party. But when one door closes – another opens.
“Watch out, coz here I come!” This is the cry of Arms warriors entering the arena. Healing reduction, mobility, damage that simply deletes enemies in a blink of an eye. Arms’s main weakness is that he lacks sustain and thus relies on the healer to keep him alive, meaning it will be a tough match with those teams that can control a healer. But it doesn’t cripple this absolute unit of a spec in the slightest.
Clovers chopped off by Bladestorm:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-tier, for their absurd power in PvP
The first masters of Ice and frozen winds, Frost mages are gods of control and one of the best specs when it comes to creeping someone’s ability to play their character. As you could already guess, they’re more of a PvP spec then PvE.
Simply bad. Just like that. You might find it fun for yourself to throw Ice lances and Frostbolts into your enemies, but, sadly, that will not get you far in terms of any PvE content progression. Other two of the Mage’s specs are simply better in PvE than frost. But the power budget demands it so that there is a power that lies somewhere.
PvP is the environment where Frost Mages excel and rise above so many others. Control? Check. Constant control in the form of snares? Check. Burst damage? Check. Survivability? Not too perfect, but something has to be fair. The fact that they wear cloth is the only thing stopping them from murdering everyone without thinking about their own safety. But the higher the stakes – the better the reward and it is absolutely true about Frost Mages. The sheer ability to shut down an entire team’s momentum – is something to be reckoned with.
These are the flowers that survived the cold:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Low A-tier, for their strength in PvP
Knights of the Holy Light, defenders of the weak. They, who bring retributions, solace and protection to where it is most needed. Glorious champions, Paladins are the bulwark of the Good. They can tank, do damage and heal. And the best thing is that they are good in every role. Especially in healing and tanking, where they’re basically gods of what they’re doing. Only Blood Elves can be paladins for the Horde, whereas Alliance players can pick either Dwarves or Draenei for PvE and Humans for PvP. Engineering and Jewelcrafting are the best choices for high-end raiding.
Now that we have the Damage-per-second part covered, the best classes in Wrath of the Lich King is our next topic. Being the absolute must for PvE content, they are also a really welcomed addition to any big scale PvP battles, namely – Battlegrounds. But their true domain is PvE content. You can not go into any raid or dungeon without a tank if you want to get past the first few packs of mobs. So let us see who has the best tank spec in Wrath of the Lich King and what they can offer to back up their position in this rating.
Prot Pallies left TBC with a nice and solid reputation of being more than just decent tanks. Just for a little example: there were some that didn’t even want to go into some raids, like Battle for Mount Hyjal, without a paladin tank. And it only got better.
God-tier. Just like Holy Paladins – Protection Palas are rocking the tanking stage. They got some many new cool perks. Survivability is simply stupid. They’ve cheat death on a 2 minute cooldown, they’ve a gorgeous single-target threat and as if that was not enough – just as good AoE threat. They can survive what no other tanks can without even breaking a sweat all the while bringing a whole creamy lot of paladin-ish utility along with them, which is insane.
They do, however, have one rather serious weakness: they are very, very mana dependent. And they can only really get it back while they’re healed. Which means that if they’re not actively tanking – they’re not healed and thus – are not getting their mana back. Main tanks – is the role for them. But it only suits them best.
All in all Paladins – are the best Tank class WotLK.
Unlike PvE – PvP does not come easy to Protection Pallies. That is to say – they’re not bad, by any means. On the contrary – they’ve been buffed, coming into new addon, which made them quite viable as tank spec in PvP. But, sadly, that did not make them just as overpowered as it did the Holy spec.
In general, Prot Palas are quite similar to Rets, but with more survivability and less burst damage. On one hand that covers the Rets biggest weakness, on the other – does nothing to cover their own in the form of mana dependency. And while they do have nice control capabilities, that blue bar under their health is an enemy in and of its own. On BG, however, that becomes really fun.
This is how many clovers Protection Paladins have saved:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: S-tier
Out of three specs of Death Knights, Blood – is the tanking spec. And guess what – they are, just like the other two, are one of the best in what they do. Funny enough, tho, they used to be a DPS spec. And seriously imbalanced one. Frost at the time was considered a tank-spec, but as the expansion went on it changed, since it is the Blood talent tree that has a lot of stamina talents.
In PvE Blood Death Knights are often considered the best off-tanks, especially by the end of the expansion. They’ve amazing sustain and can stay alive for a very long period of time on their own, which is especially helpful in encounters that put a lot of pressure on healers.
Additionally they offer some of the best utilities among other tanks. Most notable of all are – Death Grip, which is simply the best tool for any adds repositioning and, of course, Unholy Frenzy, formerly “Hysteria”, which is one of the best, if not the best, external buffs for melee.
They only gain strength as the expansion progresses, so they are never a bad choice from start to finish. Not only that, but they’re also a really good option for both solo leveling and dungeon leveling, as you won’t rely as much on the random healer.
As sad as it is – Blood DKs, even a hybrid speced one, is far from being desired to play with in PvP, arena specifically. On Battlegrounds – yes, they might see some action, if the enemy team is stupid enought to simply forget about objectives and get into an evergoing train of sensless battles in the middle of Warsong Gaulch. Arena, well, no. Blood DKs have more survivability and that is it. No damage, no more control than the other two specs. Just a little bit harder to kill, but still as easy to control, so you just may find yourself in a situation where you can’t control your character for the whole match. Which is sad and not fun at all.
Blood Death Knights rating is as follows:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: B-tier
Bears have seen some nice changes as well as some nerfs coming into the Wrath. What was good for them – are the changes to their defensive CDs and addition of a new big one. Other than that – not much changed. Best professions are Engineering and Jewelcrafting for any challenging content.
In PvE Feral tanks are in a somewhat weird spot. They have what it takes to be a good tank, but others are simply better. What makes them stand out of the rest is their more than decent damage, that is always a good addition to the raid. This, however, is also the weakness, as it is much more efficient to go DPS feral that can occasionally off-tank, since you will have more DPS this way, than the other way around. Still, Bears will not be that uncommon to see as an off-tank and off-DPS in the raids.
Since Feral tree is one for both Bears and Cats – they kind of share the same weaknesses and strengths, when it comes to PvP. This leaves little room to comment on them, rather than you can choose to opt more into survivability or damage, effectively making Bears non existent as a standalone spec in the PvP environment.
Flowers for the Bears:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: C-tier
What an unfortunate time to be a Protection Warrior. WotLK class changes, specifically to Protection spec, just stumped it into the ground. Gone are the days of glory and fame. The King is dead. All hail the King. But it’s not actually that grim, however. So let’s look at what the classic shield walls can offer in different types of content.
It is almost unfair what happened to the Protection spec. They got nerfed and didn’t really get anything in return for that, while other specs did. And some – a lot. Sadly, the main issues that Prot Wars had, namely – single target threat – are still there. Which makes tanking harder and more dangerous for them than for any other tank on the list. They have some survivability and some nice big cooldowns, but nothing that could compare with bells and whistles other classes got, especially Paladins. Protection Warriors, however, are extremely, extremely good in the AoE threat… but that’s the only thing they are good at.
PvP brings some relief to the torchered spec, as this – is where they’re at their best. 4 stuns, crazy mobility, interrupt on top of interrupt, disarm, strong defensive cooldowns, damage that surpasses that of all other tanks – what else to ask? Well, time, really. They do have all but damage until they get to ICC heroic gear. Yes, that’s right. PvE gear in PvP. And you know what that means: their resilience rating is next to nothing in their BiS. That turns them into nice punching bags for casters. If, and only if, however, they somehow manage to survive the lockout and CC chain longer than eternity.
Clovers the Warriors took from their Vanilla homeland:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top C-tier, sadly
And last, but not at all least, we have Healers. Those wounds-closing beings of unimaginable wisdom, that will always remind you not to stand in the fire and more out of any danger, should you get too lost in the battle, pushing your damage ever so higher even at the cost of your own health. They will heal you. And they will make it so you live through all the hardships of the encounter. Or will sacrifice your life for the sake of some others, if the situation demands. It’s all in their power. So let us see which ones will do it less often than others and as such – worthy of a title of the best heal spec in Wrath of the Lich King.
Always known for their almost absurdly good single-target heal, Holy Paladins have kept that same fame coming into the WotLK. With the addition of a new capstone talent – Beacon of Light they’ve become even stronger, now that they can heal two targets at once.
Oh mine, where to start. Utility? A number of “Oh, crap” buttons to save your mates from a certain death, the most famous being the Lay on Hands, that saved many a lives before and sure is to save many more. God-tier single target healing with one of the strongest instant heals in the game? Shock them all, mates. If you searched google for “best Heal class WotLK” then look no more, for this is what you seek. And for all the goodies Holy Paladins bring to the table, they’re the first ones to get the Val’anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings once the Ulduar is opened.
In PvP Holy Paladins are as strong as they are in PvE and, surprisingly, for the very same reasons. They’ve unmatched output, their utility is unique and many in number, and it is nearly impossible for them to run out of mana. On top of that they’re so hard to lock out and control to the point where it becomes almost unfair. On top of that their survivability is way up there, thanks to both their defensive CDs and the amount of armor they get from their plate gear and shield, that gives them some edge over melee classes. The only real weakness of a Holy Paladin in PvP is the weakness before magic damage, since there is not much really they can do while CCd.
Clovers that reached out to the Light:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top S-tier
If Holy Paladins were to wear cloth – they would become Discipline Priests. They are fun to play, offer extremely rewarding and simple gameplay, while also being one of the best healer specializations in the game.
Mandatory in the later Phases. Absolute must to take Arthas down. This expansion is an easy ride for a Disc Priest – from start to finish. Their main strength comes from the ability to shield allies and prevent them from taking damage in the first place. And we all know that absorb>healing. Voila! S-tier healer recipe.
There are so many good things going on with Disc in PvP it’s unbelievable. They’ve one of the – if not the – strongest AND versatile healer in the game, they’ve control, they’ve shields, they’ve utility, they’ve means to make Holy Paladins tremble as they dispel their immunity. Their only real weakness lies in their lack of armor, which cripples their survivability a bit, but not hard enough to stop them from rolling over the meta and claiming victories.
Clovers that are about to face their Penance:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top S-tier
Restoration Druids didn’t see much changes coming into the WotLK, but it is actually not a bad thing. There’s just nothing to fix when something isn’t broken. And so the Rdrus were mostly left alone. Mostly.
A. Top. Tier. Healer. And many of the wotlk class guides will tell you the same. Second only to Holy Paladins, Restoration Druid is almost a must in any raid. Their incredible AoE healing is a thing that will keep your raid alive through the most difficult of fights. But wait, there’s more: Revitalize is yet another reason to get Resto Druid into your party. And it won’t hurt if you get two, so that’s something to look out for.
They are annoyingly good. Almost to the point of it being illegal. A good Restoration druid will leave you raging at the class design team. They’ve survivability, they can throw in some damage, they’re hard to CC, due to them being protected from polymorphs when shapeshifted, and being able to get rid of any snares and roots by simply re-shifting, while also being able to heal and control you at the same time.
The only thing holding them down from total domination is the fact that burst damage is a meta and there are healers that can handle it much better.
One more important note: Restoration Druids are so much stronger in 3v3, then they are in 2v2, so bear that in mind.
Restoration Druids have cultivated these next clovers for themselves:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Top A-tier
Restoration is a healing spec of Shaman class and they’ve been really solid ones in TBC, but, sadly, have seen some nerfes with the release of Wrath and have dropped down in tierlists.
As was mentioned above, Resto spec has been nerfed a number of times but even though they’re not S-tier healers, they are still more than simply viable. They’ve one of the best AoE heals in the game, outshined only by that of the Druids. They can hold a single-target for as long as needed and bring nice utility to the table. No real reason not to bring them along.
Much like in PvE – they’re not bad, not by a long shot. It’s just that the gap between them and other healers are so vast it might very well seem so. They lack means to counter focusing and, sadly, are not fast enough when it comes to topping a wounded ally.
Water has been spilled on these clovers:
| PvE: | |
| PvP: | |
| Difficult to play: |
Total score: Strong B-tier
The days of Vanilla glory are long gone for the Holy Priests. They are nothing more than a distant memory now, sad as it is. There’s nothing to say about them really, besides “they’re just not good enough”. They are so far behind every other healer that it’s not fair. Do give it a try if you want, but be ready that you might be pointed out as a weaker healer every now and again.
It’s been a long road for many classes since Vanilla to Wrath and even though not all of them are in their best shape now – they are all viable to the point where you can play them if you want to. Yes, there will be classes and specs that are frankly better, but this is just the nature of the beast.
And to sum things up we’ve prepared simple visuals for each of the tier lists we’ve formed in this article, starting with DPS in the PvE environment. And, as you can see – melees are four out of five top classes in WotLK.
| Tier | Tank | DPS | Heal |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-Tier |  |      |   |
| A-Tier |  |     |  |
| B-Tier |  |      |  |
| C-Tier |  |      | – |
| D-Tier | – |    |  |
| Tier | Tank | DPS | Heal |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-Tier | – | | |
| A-Tier | – | | |
| B-Tier | | | |
| C-Tier | | | |
| D-Tier | – | | – |
| F-Tier | | | – |
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