Classes, Specializations, & Roles

Mists of Pandaria has 11 classes available, with a total of 34 specializations, and 3 roles.

Class Specialization Role Matrix

Below you can find a matrix of the classes, specializations, and roles available in game as well as the DPS Type when it’s a damage based role specialization.

Class	Specialization	Role	DPS Type
Death Knight	Blood	Tank
	Frost	Damage	Melee
	Unholy
Druid	Balance	Damage	Caster
	Feral		Melee
	Guardian	Tank
	Restoration	Healer
Hunter	Beast Mastery	Damage	Ranged
	Marksmanship
	Survival
Mage	Arcane	Damage	Caster
	Fire
	Frost
Monk	Brewmaster	Tank
	Mistweaver	Healer
	Windwalker	Damage	Melee
Paladin	Holy	Healer
	Protection	Tank
	Retribution	Damage	Melee
Priest	Discipline	Healer
	Holy
	Shadow	Damage	Caster
Rogue	Assassination	Damage	Melee
	Combat
	Subtlety
Shaman	Elemental	Damage	Caster
	Enhancement		Melee
	Restoration	Healer
Warlock	Affliction	Damage	Caster
	Demonology
	Destruction
Warrior	Arms	Damage	Melee
	Fury
	Protection	Tank

Classes & Specializations

Death Knight

Druid

Hunter

Mage

Monk

Paladin

Priest

Rogue

Shaman

Warlock

Warrior

Death Knight

Death Knights engage their foes up-close, supplementing swings of their weapons with dark magic that renders enemies vulnerable or damages them with unholy power. They drag foes into one-on-one conflicts, compelling them to focus their attacks away from weaker companions. To prevent their enemies from fleeing their grasp, death knights must remain mindful of the power they call forth from runes, and pace their attacks appropriately.

Defense

To protect themselves and their fellows from death in battle, death knights gird themselves in heavy armor and parry attacks with their blades.

Utility

As former champions of the Lich King, death knights can command the dead as minions, freeze their foes with ice, and inflict weakening diseases.

Melee Damage

Death knight runeblades are empowered with dark magic; they can expend the power of their runes for vicious attacks.

Runeforging

Death knights have a personal connection with their blades, and can forge runes into them in order to increase their power.

• Roles: Tank, Melee DPS
• Resources: Health, Runic Power, Runes
• Armor: Plate
• Weapons: One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Maces, One-Handed Swords, Polearms, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Maces, Two-Handed Swords
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Worgen
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Goblin, Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead

Specializations

Death knight talents can bolster their defensive abilities by focusing on their ability to heal themselves with blood runes , increase their damage and spell attacks with frost runes, or summon forth minions and diseases with unholy runes.

• Blood: Tank
• Frost: Melee DPS
• Unholy: Melee DPS

Druid

Druids are versatile combatants, in that they can fulfill nearly every role – healing, tanking, and damage dealing. It’s critical that druids tailor the form they choose to the situation, as each form bears a specific purpose.

Versatility

Druids’ changing forms let them assume different roles and focus on either tanking, healing, or damage. They can also shapeshift to travel faster on land, sea, and air.

Defense

When shapeshifted into their bear form, druids possess a thick skin and imposing presence that makes them ideal front-line protectors of weaker party members.

Healing

By calling upon the powers of nature, druids are able to swiftly restore health to their injured allies.

Melee and ranged damage

Druids can take on the form of a savage cat in order to claw and bite their enemies up close, or that of a wild moonkin to blast enemies from afar.

• Roles: Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Caster DPS
• Resources: Health, Mana, Rage, Energy
• Armor: Leather
• Weapons: Daggers, Fist Weapons, One-Handed Maces, Polearms, Staves, Two-Handed Maces
• Races:
  • Alliance: Night Elf, Worgen
  • Horde: Tauren, Troll

Specializations

Druid talents focus on improving the powers of their natural and animal forms, enhancing their ability to summon forth natural phenomena, or increase the potency of their life-giving healing magic.

• Balance: Caster DPS
• Feral: Melee DPS
• Guardian: Tank
• Restoration: Healer

Hunter

Hunters battle their foes at a distance, commanding their pets to attack while they nock their arrows and fire their guns. Though their missile weapons are effective at short and long ranges, hunters are also highly mobile. They can evade or restrain their foes to control the arena of battle.

Pets

Hunters tame the beasts of the wild, and those beasts serve in return by assaulting their enemies and shielding them from harm.

Traps

Hunters are consummate survivalists, able to set traps to burn, freeze, and disable potential prey.

Ranged damage

Whether wielding bows, guns, or crossbows, hunters are deadly with ranged weapons. They are capable of dishing out consistently high damage.

Soloing

Thanks to their pets and damage output, hunters are effective at completing quests and leveling quickly, even when they’re alone.

• Roles: Ranged DPS
• Resources: Health, Focus
• Armor: Mail
• Weapons: Bows, Crossbows, Fist Weapons, Guns, One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Swords, Polearms, Staves, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Swords
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Human, Night Elf, Worgen
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Goblin, Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead
  • Neutral: Pandaren

Specializations

Hunter talents primarily strengthen their pets; improve the damage, effectiveness, and duration of their traps; and increase the speed and power of their ranged attacks.

• Beast Mastery: Ranged DPS
• Marksmanship: Ranged DPS
• Survival: Ranged DPS

Mage

Mages demolish their foes with arcane incantations. Although they wield powerful offensive spells, mages are fragile and lightly armored, making them particularly vulnerable to close-range attacks. Wise mages make careful use of their spells to keep their foes at a distance or hold them in place.

Ranged damage

Mages can expend mana in order to deal high amounts of damage with amazing speed, though they must be wary of exhausting themselves.

Control

A mage has many options for controlling the battlefield, from freezing enemies in place to transforming them into helpless critters.

Area of effect spells

By calling upon sheets of ice, columns of flame, and waves of arcane power, mages can effectively attack multiple foes at the same time.

Teleportation

Mages possess the ability to transport themselves and their allies between cities and can summon replenishing food and water.

• Roles: Caster DPS
• Resources: Health, Mana
• Armor: Cloth
• Weapons: Wands, Daggers, One-Handed Swords, Staves
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Worgen
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Goblin, Orc, Troll, Undead
  • Neutral: Pandaren

Specializations

Mage talents focus on enhancing individual schools of magic – quick, aggressive Fire spells; efficient, controlling Frost spells and punishing Arcane spells.

• Arcane: Caster DPS
• Fire: Caster DPS
• Frost: Caster DPS

Monk

Whatever their combat role, monks rely mainly on their hands and feet to do the talking, and on strong connection with their inner chi to power their abilities. Abilities such as Expel Harm and Chi Wave both heal their allies while at the same time damaging their enemies.

Chi

All monks harness their potent “chi” energy to enhance their abilities or deliver devastating attacks to their foes.

Fighting Style

By changing the type of weapon being wielded, the Monk changes the behavior of certain attacks, perhaps causing them to attack faster or inflict more damage.

Energy or Mana

Both the stalwart Brewmaster and the fierce Windwalker utilize energy as their primary resource, while the steady Mistweaver relies on the use of mana.

Versatility

Monks are a true hybrid class, able to serve equally well as tank, healer, or melee-damage dealer.

• Roles: Tank, Healer, Melee DPS
• Resources: Health, Chi, Energy, Mana
• Armor: Leather
• Weapons: Fist Weapons, One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Maces, One-Handed Swords, Polearms, Staves
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead
  • Neutral: Pandaren

Specializations

Monk talents focus on directing their chi energy to control the battlefield by enhancing their movement and restricting their foe’s, healing their allies while simultaneously damaging their enemies, or invoking celestial spirits to aid them in battle.

• Brewmaster: Tank
• Mistweaver: Healer
• Windwalker: Melee DPS

Paladin

Paladins stand directly in front of their enemies, relying on heavy armor and healing in order to survive incoming attacks. Whether with massive shields or crushing two-handed weapons, Paladins are able to keep claws and swords from their weaker fellows – or they use healing magic to ensure that they remain on their feet.

Defense

Stalwart paladins are trained to use the heaviest armor and shields, and can utilize their skill to ensure that enemies focus on them, defending weaker members of their group.

Auras, Blessings, and Seals

As champions of order, paladins are extremely potent in a group – their auras, blessings and seals can improve damage and survivability for both themselves and their party.

Melee damage

Paladins charge their weapons with holy might, allowing them to deal additional damage with their strikes.

Healing

Paladins’ potent healing abilities can ensure that they and their allies remain in fighting shape.

• Roles: Tank, Healer, Melee DPS
• Resources: Health, Mana, Holy Power
• Armor: Plate, Shields
• Weapons: One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Maces, One-Handed Swords, Polearms, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Maces, Two-Handed Swords
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Human
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Tauren

Specializations

Paladin talents increase their ability to heal the wounded, strengthen their capacity to protect their companions, and allow them to deal out vicious damage in the name of justice.

• Holy: Healer
• Protection: Tank
• Retribution: Melee DPS

Priest

Priests use powerful healing magic to fortify themselves and their allies. They also wield powerful offensive spells from a distance, but can be overwhelmed by enemies due to their physical frailty and minimal armor. Experienced priests carefully balance the use of their offensive powers when tasked with keeping their party alive.

Healing

Priests utilize their holy powers to restore their health and that of their comrades.

Power words

By calling on mystic shielding and holy empowerment, priests can prevent incoming damage and improve their defenses and those of their allies.

Ranged damage

Priestly Shadow magic can deliver great amounts of immediate damage, or wracking pains that punish foes over longer periods of time.

Mind Control

Priests’ connection with the minds and spirits of living beings allows them to control and manipulate others.

• Roles: Healer, Caster DPS
• Resources: Health, Mana
• Armor: Cloth
• Weapons: Daggers, One-Handed Maces, Staves, Wands
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Worgen
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Goblin, Tauren, Troll, Undead
  • Neutral: Pandaren

Specializations

Priest talents can strengthen their ability to heal the wounded, endanger their foes with the power of Shadow, or empower themselves and others with protective prayers.

• Discipline: Healer
• Holy: Healer
• Shadow: Caster DPS

Rogue

Rogues often initiate combat with a surprise attack from the shadows, leading with vicious melee strikes. When in protracted battles, they utilize a successive combination of carefully chosen attacks to soften the enemy up for a killing blow. Rogues must take special care when selecting targets so that their combo attacks are not wasted, and they must be conscious of when to hide or flee if a battle turns against them.

Stealth

Rogues sneak about the battlefield, hiding from enemies and delivering surprise attacks to the unwary when opportunity arises.

Evasion

When endangered, rogues have many tools at their disposal to avoid their enemies’ gaze and, if necessary, their attacks.

Melee damage

By coating their dual-wielded blades with deadly poisons, rogues can deliver catastrophic damage to their targets.

Combos

By planning and combining successive melee attacks, rogues can build up combo points that allow them to deliver devastating finishing blows in combat.

• Roles: Melee DPS
• Resources: Health, Energy, Combo Points
• Armor: Leather
• Weapons: Bows, Crossbows, Daggers, Fist Weapons, One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Maces, One-Handed Swords
• Races:
  • Alliance: Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Worgen
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Goblin, Orc, Troll, Undead
  • Neutral: Pandaren

Specializations

Rogue talents can strengthen their ability to hide in shadows, kill foes with quick, deadly strikes, and survive in extended slugfests.

• Assassination: Melee DPS
• Combat: Melee DPS
• Subtlety: Melee DPS

Shaman

During combat, shaman place damaging and controlling totems on the ground to maximize their effectiveness while hindering their enemies. Shaman are versatile enough to battle foes up close or at range, but wise shaman choose their avenue of attack based on their enemies’ strengths and weaknesses.

Healing

By calling on their spiritual power, shaman can restore health to injured allies.

Ranged damage

The elemental force of the shaman can be used to damage enemies from afar with lightning strikes, earthquakes, and lava bursts.

Melee damage

Shaman enhance their weapons with elemental effects, empowering their blows with the power of fire, wind, or ice.

Totems

Shaman can choose to deploy a wide array of different totems, each providing allies with a unique effect, including improved restoration, greater damage, faster attacks, and more.

• Roles: Healer, Melee DPS, Caster DPS
• Resources: Health, Mana
• Armor: Mail, Sheilds
• Weapons: Daggers, Fist Weapons, One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Maces, Staves, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Maces
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf
  • Horde: Goblin, Orc, Tauren, Troll
  • Neutral: Pandaren

Specializations

Monk talents focus on directing their chi energy to control the battlefield by enhancing their movement and restricting their foe’s, healing their allies while simultaneously damaging their enemies, or invoking celestial spirits to aid them in battle.

• Elemental: Caster DPS
• Enhancement: Melee DPS
• Restoration: Healer

Warlock

Warlocks burn and destroy weakened foes with a combination of crippling illnesses and dark magic. While their demon pets protect and enhance them, warlocks strike at their enemies from a distance. As physically weak spellcasters bereft of heavy armor, cunning warlocks allow their minions to take the brunt of enemy attacks in order to save their own skin.

Pets

Warlocks bind demons to their will; these infernal denizens defend their masters with their lives or rain death upon their enemies

Ranged Damage

Warlocks deliver fire and shadow damage with their spells, and they’re able to hurt others both instantly and with ongoing afflictions.

Curses and Drains

Warlocks are able to curse their foes: slowing them, crippling their combat effectiveness, and weakening their resistance. They can also drain enemies’ health to rejuvenate themselves.

Soul Shards

Warlocks can drain enemy souls and use them to empower their own spells, making them swifter or more deadly.

• Roles: Caster DPS
• Resources: Health, Mana, Soul Shards
• Armor: Cloth
• Weapons: Daggers, One-Handed Swords, Staves, Wands
• Races:
  • Alliance: Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Worgen
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Goblin, Orc, Troll, Undead

Specializations

Warlock talents can improve the damage of their searing magics, increase the potency of their curses and persistent damaging spells, and empower their demonic servants.

• Affliction: Caster DPS
• Demonology: Caster DPS
• Destruction: Caster DPS

Warrior

Warriors equip themselves carefully for combat and engage their enemies head-on, letting attacks glance off their heavy armor. They use diverse combat tactics and a wide variety of weapon types to protect their more vulnerable allies. Warriors must carefully master their rage – the power behind their strongest attacks – in order to maximize their effectiveness in combat.

Defense

Mighty warriors depend on their heavy armor, shields, and battle prowess to defend themselves and ensure enemies don’t focus on their softer-skinned allies.

Rage

As warriors deal or take damage, their rage grows, allowing them to deliver truly crushing attacks in the heat of battle.

Melee damage

Weapon mastery is a staple of warrior training, and they are capable of delivering high damage with enormous two-handed weapons or by wielding two weapons.

Stances

By changing their stance during battle, warriors can adjust their focus in combat, dealing greater damage, defending more carefully against enemy attacks, or striking a balance between the two.

• Roles: Tank, Melee DPS
• Resources: Health, Rage
• Armor: Plate, Shields
• Weapons: Bows, Crossbows, Daggers, Fist Weapons, Guns, One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Maces, One-Handed Swords, Polearms, Staves, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Maces, Two-Handed Swords
• Races:
  • Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Worgen
  • Horde: Blood Elf, Goblin, Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead
  • Neutral: Pandaren

Specializations

Warrior talents can improve their already considerable defenses with a shield, increase their deadliness with two-handed weapons, or bolster their savagery while dual-wielding.

• Arms: Melee DPS
• Fury: Melee DPS
• Protection: Tank