Class Tier List (SoD Phase One)

WoW Classic: Season of Discovery offers a number of new mechanics to the vanilla MMO that fundamentally change how each of its nine classes plays. Thanks to the new Rune system, each class has new spells and abilities to play with, but that makes figuring out which class to play in SoD much more complex.

This guide to all classes in WoW SoD ranked places each class based on its overall improvements in the season, as well as how it performs at endgame level. In the end, there’s no one best class (and no one worst class) in the Season of Discovery – every class is fun to play in for its own reasons. But some just deal more damage, are more effective Tanks, dish out more heals, or just come with fewer downsides than other WoW SoD classes.

Warrior

Best Endgame Tank & Melee DPS, But Slow To Ramp Up

Though there aren’t necessarily any outright “bad” classes in the Season of Discovery, the Warrior doesn’t quite perform as well as other classes for most of the 1 to 25 experience. At max level in Phase One, Warriors do just fine as Tanks and DPS, but until they have good gear, the class suffers.

The Warrior suffers from being a very auto-attack-dependent class, though they do get a few new Runes that change up the vanilla rotation a bit. Though Warriors can be hard to level, and don’t get good until max level, they are top of the charts for the new Raid for both the DPS and Tank roles for BFD and dungeon content.

Why Should You Play Warrior in SoD? Choose Warrior if you want to play a standard melee damage dealer with a less complex rotation than some other classes, and if you don’t mind taking your time leveling. What they lack while leveling and in PvP they make up for in endgame PvE content.

Shaman

Good For All Three Roles, But Not The Best Choice

Shamans, like Rogues and Warlocks, are now able to play a role that wasn’t available to them in vanilla WoW: Tank. Thanks to a decent suite of new Tanking Runes, and others that empower the Shaman’s other specs, Shamans are generally in a better place than before.

However, also like Druids, Shamans are good at a lot of things but not truly great at any one. It’s true that Shaman tanking is far from the worst in SoD, and they make for decent healers now, too. But their DPS output leaves a lot to be desired. Shamans are easy to level and relatively easy to play, but at endgame, they can have a hard time topping meters.

Why Should You Play Shaman in SoD? Choose Shaman for its class fantasy, the ability to do any role in a Dungeon, but don’t mind being slightly outperformed by more empowered classes in SoD.

Rogue

Top-Tier Melee DPS In BFD, But Lackluster Elsewhere

Rogues in WoW SoD get some nifty new Runes as well as the ability to Tank with the Just A Flesh Wound Rune. Rogues, like Warriors, suffer in early levels when they don’t have many powerful (or situationally useful) abilities. But by the time players get their Poisons and Vanish, Rogues start crushing damage meters.

Though Rogues are typically good for PvP, with a max level cap of 25, the class doesn’t have the core parts of its PvP toolkit, like Blind and Cheap Shot. Rogue Tanking is fun, but managing combo points while relying on evasive stats rather than armor can make things tricky.

Why Should You Play Rogue in SoD? Choose the Rogue class if you want to try a new style of Tanking, or if you like fast rotations that reward skilled players with extremely high DPS output – just don’t take Battlegrounds lightly.

Druid

Great Tanks, DPS, & Class Fantasy – But It’s Complex

From here on out, this ranking of the best Classes in WoW SoD becomes much more of a tossup. While Rogues, Warriors, and Shamans all have obvious pitfalls, the downsides of these last six classes are more nuanced. Druids, like Shamans and Paladins, are able to perform all three standard group roles – but also like Shamans, they aren’t the best option for any. Unlike Shamans, Druids now get Windfury through the Wild Strikes rune.

For DPS, Feral Druids are great in PvP and PvE alike, but aren’t quite at the top of the meters. Guardian Druids are great tanks, but Paladins still outshine them. As for Restoration, the heal-over-time focus is unique, but not as powerful as a Priest or Paladin’s emergency healing options. Balance Druids are in a better place than in vanilla WoW, too, but they are not as competitive as other DPS specs available in SoD.

Why Should You Play Druid in SoD? Choose the Druid for its top-tier class fantasy and unique variety of abilities (including Shapeshifting), the ability to take on any role decently, and for its complex but rewarding ability rotations.

Priest

Top-Tier Healer in SoD, But Shadow Still Underperforms

Priests in WoW SoD are the least-played class, but that’s not for a lack of power or interesting Runes. In fact, Priests are the best outright Healer in WoW SoD, just like in vanilla, though the Shadow spec leaves a lot to be desired.

Playing a Shadow Priest is much better than it is in the base game thanks to abilities like Mind Sear and Homunculi. But it’s still just not as powerful as other ranged or magic DPS classes, and nine times out of ten, a Priest will find it more effective to play a Healer instead. Plus, it means getting invited to groups faster.

Why Should You Play Priest in SoD? Choose the Priest class to easily get invited to groups for PvE content, and if you want to play one of the game’s best Healing classes. Those looking to play Shadow Priest will have fun with the class changes and new Runes, and can likely expect to get buffed in future phases.

Mage

Great DPS for PvE and PvP Content, & Mages Can Heal Now

The Mage class is one of the most popular in World of Warcraft for a few important reasons. It has a ton of utility for groups, as it’s able to summon Portals for quick travel across the continents. Mages can summon Water and Food for a party free of charge, and their ability to CC enemies is nearly unmatched – let’s not get started on the Mage’s AoE farming potential.

Mages in SoD, and in vanilla, excel at AoE damage and PvP. They also get the ability to play the Healer role in SoD, with three new Runes that turn the Mage into an arcane-healing-and-damage-slinging machine. It can have a hard time topping meters, but a skilled Mage player brings a lot to a party.

Why Should You Play Mage in SoD? Choose the Mage class to try out its new Healing role, for unrivaled AoE DPS and CC abilities, and if you don’t mind playing the squishiest class in exchange for great magical power.

Warlock

Good Damage In All Content – Plus, Warlocks Can Tank In SoD

Warlocks, like Mages, bring a lot of utility to a party with its ability to summon party members to their location and for Soulstones and Healthstones. In SoD Warlocks also get a new spec to try out: Tanking, via the Metamorphosis Rune. As it turns out, Warlocks make for decent tanks, but their damage output has the potential to be great, too.

Demonology and Destruction Warlocks especially have great new tools to play with in SoD, but Affliction Warlocks are somewhat left in the dust. Add to that a summoned Demon pet, which must be managed to optimize damage output, and Warlocks quickly become a more complex class than most others. With the right rotations and pet management, it can be a powerhouse – and virtually never die.

Why Should You Play Warlock in SoD? Choose the Warlock class to play out the dark wizard fantasy with a pet demon, to try out the new Tanking spec, or if you want to provide some really handy buffs and utility to a party. Raids always need summons, after all.

Paladin

The Best Tank in SoD, With Top-Tier Heals & Decent DPS, Too

The Paladin and the Hunter are practically tied for the best class in SoD. Paladins come in just behind Hunters, though, because of their relatively lackluster DPS output. Though Paladins can be just as good at healing as Priests (if not better with Beacon of Light), and serve as the game’s best Tanks in SoD, Retribution Paladins still don’t match up to other melee DPS classes.

Ultimately, Paladins are much more interesting to play in SoD thanks to new Runes that change up its relatively boring rotations – like Crusader Strike at Level 2. But it’s not a class that players looking to stick to DPS should opt for.

Why Should You Play Paladin in SoD? Choose the Paladin class if you want to play the game’s best Tank or Healer, with one of the easiest leveling experiences, but don’t mind being low on the damage meters at endgame.

Hunter

Ridiculously Powerful PvP Class That’s Received A Few Nerfs

Hunters are leagues ahead of other classes in SoD, so much so that the class has received more than a few nerfs within the first week of the Season’s launch. First, Explosive Shot and Chimera Shot were ridiculously good, then Hunter Pets (like Scorpids) became OP thanks to pet scaling and new Runes. Now, the Class is more on-par with others in SoD, but it still tops charts in PvP and PvE alike.

The one downside of the Hunter, aside from being under the judging gaze of Blizzard, is that its rotation is not that much different than vanilla. Its new Runes add some variety, but typically players will have to follow the meta of having Aspect of the Lion at the very least. Hunters are unmatched in PvP and excel in PvE, but they aren’t as easy to master as some players would have you think.

Why Should You Play Hunter in SoD? Choose the Hunter class to have a combat pet companion and to play arguably the most broken class in SoD – but expect the class to get further nerfs as the Season of Discovery continues.

World of Warcraft

Released

November 23, 2004

ESRB

T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)