World of Warcraft Classic: All Classes, Ranked From Best to Worst (2024)

Twenty years ago, World of Warcraft was a much different game than it is today. Most people have likely heard the expression "retail is about the end-game, but classic is about the journey," and that statement couldn't be more true. WoW Classic brings players back to a time when leveling was the main attraction, and when you were actually forced to slow down and kill bears in Elwynn Forest one at a time.

Classes were much different back then, too. Warriors were the best at just about everything. Mages had a one-button rotation that had them topping damage meters. Paladins wore cloth armor. With Blizzard's newest Classic anniversary realms, you might be wondering what class you should play - and which ones you should avoid if you want to secure a raid spot in Molten Core come December.

9 Druid

Specializations: Balance, Feral, Restoration

When you hear people talk about Druids in Classic WoW, you might hear the expression "jack of all trades, master of none." Druids can technically do everything in Classic that they can do today: They can tank. They can heal. They can (try to) deal damage.

The problem is that, for the most part, there are always going to be classes that can do those things better. Most raid teams limit themselves to only one or two Druids, and outside of a token bear tank, Druids are typically brought along for their utility more than anything else. (Mark of the Wild, Innervate, Faerie Fire and Rebirth are all important spells that Druids have at their disposal in Classic.)

Only Night Elves and Taurens can be Druids in Classic, so you have far less variety to choose from. Troll and Worgen Druids, the next available options, don't become available until Cataclysm. On the bright side, you may have heard of a little battleground called Warsong Gulch, in which Druids are considered the best flag carriers thanks to their travel form and ability to shift out of crowd control. So, if PvP is part of your ideal Classic experience, you can't go wrong with playing a Druid.

8 Paladin

Specializations: Protection, Retribution, Holy

Paladins suffer from a similar problem that Druids do. They can technically tank, deal damage, and heal - but their only stand-out specialization is Holy. You'll be hard-pressed to find a tank or damage-dealing Paladin on most raid teams, as they are simply out-performed by other classes.

In fact, you're more likely to find a Paladin wearing cloth than plate, as cloth gear in Classic is most optimized for stats like intellect and spirit. Paladins do bring very important buffs to the party, however, like Blessing of Kings, Blessing of Might, and Blessing of Wisdom, so you'll find that most raid teams have several Holy Paladins on their roster.

Leveling is another low note for Paladin, as it's considered the most monotonous. Much of your leveling experience will involve auto-attacking mobs to death, but the bright side to that is, if you're ever in any danger (PvE or PvP), you have the best "get out of jail free" card. Paladins have the ability to shield themselves and even Hearthstone out of danger, all while being invulnerable to enemy attacks ("bubble hearthing" is a term that was coined during Classic).

7 Shaman

Specializations: Enhancement, Elemental, Restoration

Shamans, much like Paladins, are a hybrid class where their only real endgame potential is in healing. While you might see the occasional Enhancement or Elemental Shaman holding their own in PvP battlegrounds, you're more likely to find Restoration Shamans in any PvE content. Restoration Shamans, however, are powerful, able to pump out big raid heals with their Chain Heal. What really makes Shamans shine in Classic, however, are their totems.

Shamans can place a Windfury Totem, which buffs the damage output of their melee damage-dealing friends, and a Mana Tide Totem, which can help restore mana to their fellow healers and casters during long boss fights. In fact, you'll find that raid teams often have several Restoration Shamans on their roster, all due to how powerful these totems are.

6 Hunter

Specializations: Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, Survival

Hunters get a bad rep in Classic. You've probably heard stories about how a Hunter forgot to dismiss their pet in a dungeon or raid, leading to the pet accidentally pulling extra mobs and wiping the group. (If you haven't heard that story, trust me: You will at some point in your Classic experience.) The pet AI in Classic is questionable at best, but Hunters still provide solid damage, and you'll typically find them middle of the line on damage meters with spells like Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot, often falling just behind their melee friends.

Hunters provide unique utility through their Aspects, with spells like Aspect of the Pack increasing party movement speed. They can set traps, as well, like Explosive Trap, which deals damage to all enemies when triggered, and Freezing Trap, which freezes an enemy in place once triggered. Feign Death enables Hunters to drop combat, which can be useful in both PvE and PvP situations (in PvP, Feign Death causes other players to lose their target on you). Hunters are solid, well-rounded damage dealers in Classic... just make sure you know where your pet is at all times.

5 Warlock

Specializations: Affliction, Demonology, Destruction

Warlocks deal most of their damage in endgame content with one spell: Shadowbolt. They also have a wealth of other spells, however, that may see more play during the Classic Anniversary thanks to the debuff limit being removed. Spells like Corruption, which deals heavy damage over time to the target, and Drain Life, which damages enemies while also healing the Warlock, were not previously used in endgame content like raids due to other, more important debuffs taking priority. With that limit no longer being an issue, Warlocks might be more versatile this time around.

Of course, Classic Warlocks are also known for their pets, and they have several that they can summon in Classic, from an imp to a succubus. The spell Soul Link is extremely powerful in PvP, which redirects damage taken by the Warlock to its demon instead. Warlocks can also Sacrifice their Voidwalker demon in exchange for a temporary shield. If an enemy player gets too close, Warlocks also have a powerful Fear spell at their disposal.

4 Mage

Specializations: Frost, Fire, Arcane

As far as casters in Classic are concerned, none are more powerful and none have a simpler rotation than the mage. The mage is powerful, but it comes at the cost of such a simple rotation that some might find it too mindless. In most content, you'll spend your time spamming a single spell: frostbolt, frostbolt, frostbolt. If the idea of that doesn't deter you, however, you'll find yourself topping most damage meters. You'll also find that mages are excellent in PvP, with the ability to keep distance from their foes with spells like Frost Nova and Polymorph.

Mages also bring great utility to the team, with the ability to conjure food and water for themselves and their teammates, open a portal to a major city for their teammates, or teleport themselves at will. While mages do not have lust or heroism in Classic, they do have Arcane Intellect, a powerful buff which increases the intellect of themselves or a targeted party/raid member.

3 Rogue

Specializations: Assassination, Combat, Subtlety

Melee reigns supreme in Classic, and when it comes to damage-dealing, Rogues are only second to Warriors. Rogues deal damage based on building combo points through Sinister Strike and Backstab. Those combo points can then be spent on heavy damage-dealing finishing moves like Eviscerate and Rupture. Rogues can also spend their combo points on a buff for themselves, Slice and Dice, which increases melee attack speed by 30% (up to 45% with Improved Slice and Dice).

In Classic, Rogues also have a number of different poisons they can apply to their weapons, such as Instant Poison, which has a chance to inflict an enemy with nature damage, and Deadly Poison, which has a chance to inflict a stacking damage-over-time spell.

Rogues are also elusive opponents in PvP, able to ambush their opponents by attacking unexpectedly from Stealth. They have a wealth of utility abilities, including stuns like Gouge, Cheap Shot and Blind, as well as Vanish, an ability that enables Rogues to drop combat and escape fights - whether PvE or PvP.

2 Priest

Specializations: Discipline, Holy, Shadow

Priests are considered the best healer in both PvP and PvE content, whether they specialize in Holy or Discipline talents. They have an arsenal of healing spells at the ready, such as Flash Heal for fast spot healing, Greater Heal for big impact (but slow cast) heals, and Renew for healing-over-time spot coverage. Their Power Word: Fortitude buff increases the stamina of targeted party members, and Power Infusion - if specializing in discipline - is a spell that increases spell damage and healing done by a targeted party member.

Priests have great utility that helps them with survival in both PvE and PvP content, such as Fade, which drops threat; Psychic Scream, which sends nearby enemies running in fear; and Dispel Magic, which dispels harmful debuffs from friendly targets or beneficial buffs from enemies.

Their damage specialization, Shadow, isn't too shabby either. While Shadow Priests won't be topping damage meters anytime soon, they bring along the debuff Shadow Weaving, which causes enemy targets to be vulnerable to shadow damage (and thus, boosting friendly Warlocks' damage). Vampiric Embrace is a spell that afflicts targets with damage while also healing friendly players, which can help get a raid through tricky situations thanks to its spot healing.

1 Warrior

Specializations: Protection, Fury, Arms

Don't let their underwhelming appearance on the character creation screen fool you: Warriors fill at least half of most raid rosters in Classic, and for good reason. They're by far the best tanks, the strongest damage dealers and perhaps the most formidable opponents in PvP, where they're nearly unmatched when equipped with Mortal Strike and a good healer. Abilities like Sunder Armor and Battle Shout are required in any serious content, both of which warriors bring to the table.

The only downside for warriors, really, is that their performance is highly dependent on having the right gear and weapons... and the cost of their repair bills. Since warriors are plate wearers, and likely to take the most damage due to being in melee range, a visit to the blacksmith after a particularly long raid will cost you.

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World of Warcraft

MMORPG

Systems

Platform(s)

PC

Released

November 23, 2004

Developer(s)

Blizzard

Publisher(s)

Blizzard

See at Official Site