DPS Rankings / Tier List - WoW Classic Era & Season of Discovery (SoD)

Classic Era
Season of Discovery (SoD)

Here you can find the DPS rankings for World of Warcraft Classic Era. These rankings are based upon in game data recordings from all phases of WoW Classic 1.14 with data captured by warcraftlogs.com.

WoW Classic Era

Below you can find historical DPS rankings from each raid in WoW Classic Era. These numbers reflect DPS based upon available gear at the time.

Naxxramas DPS Rankings

Class	Spec	DPS
Warrior		1140.7
Rogue		1002.9
Mage	Fire	905.89
Warlock		768.94
Hunter		717.37
Druid	Feral	703.79
Shaman	Elemental	649.74
Mage	Frost	616.27
Shaman	Enhancement	580.85
Priest		496.99
Paladin		469.91
Druid	Balance	450.23

AQ40 DPS Rankings

Class	Spec	DPS
Warrior		499.44
Mage	Fire	470.4
Rogue		466.14
Shaman	Elemental	383.73
Warlock		369.24
Hunter		357.54
Druid	Feral	354.95
Priest		352.01
Mage	Frost	329.54
Shaman	Enhancement	291.7
Druid	Balance	282.2
Paladin		254.88

Zul’Gurub DPS Rankings

Class	Spec	DPS
Warrior		571.22
Rogue		552.36
Hunter		458.6
Mage		419.52
Warlock		403.68
Shaman	Elemental	384.89
Druid	Feral	377.32
Priest		373.95
Shaman	Enhancement	345.45
Paladin		300.68
Druid	Balance	273.94

BWL DPS Rankings

Class	Spec	DPS
Rogue		594.7
Warrior		580.79
Druid	Feral	424.52
Mage		383.11
Hunter		375.09
Warlock		368.44
Priest		360.89
Shaman	Elemental	317.53
Shaman	Enhancement	308.18
Warrior		293
Paladin		271.78
Druid	Balance	244.87

Onyxia DPS Rankings

Class	Spec	DPS
Rogue		309.84
Hunter		300.17
Warrior		273.44
Mage		244.54
Warlock		231.33
Priest		219.47
Druid	Feral	189.17
Shaman	Elemental	173.90
Paladin		158.38
Druid	Balance	154.09
Shaman	Enhancement	151.16

Molten Core DPS Rankings

Class	Spec	DPS
Warrior		620.39
Rogue		606.27
Hunter		458.96
Mage		417.9
Warlock		401.19
Priest		391.28
Shaman	Elemental	380.2
Druid	Feral	355.54
Shaman	Enhancement	346.67
Paladin		310.77
Druid	Balance	259.95

Warrior

Because of their access to some of the most powerful weapons in the game, Warriors tend to dominate the top damage rankings for DPS in World of Warcraft. This is especially true when they are outfitted with the best raid gear available, after which they are the clear winners in raw damage output. Their advantage over other melee classes is their AoE with abilities like Cleave and Whirlwind and with the right enchantments, buffs and flasks, some Warriors (and Rogues for that matter) are even breaking 1000 DPS.

Rogue

Rogues, like Warriors tend to be at the very top of the DPS Rankings, both because of their access to very powerful weapons and their specialization in single target DPS. Where the Warrior gains advantage with access to AoE attacks, the Rogue doubles down on making sure a single enemy is deader than dead. This, coupled with their surprise and stealth burst damaging abilities, makes the Rogue an absolute powerhouse of damage, especially after they acquire their raid gear.

Mage

Mages, while also being extremely important providers of Crowd Control, are also the absolute masters of AoE DPS in the game. One of their main advantages, with respect to damage, is that many of their spells have a particularly high base damage, especially the AoE spells. Their single target DPS is impressive as well, though it pales in comparison to either of the top tier entries. In later phases, mages scale a lot better with access to spell power centric gear, but in the earlier game, they are limited to only being kind of awesome at everything but healing.

Warlock

Warlock’s would be far higher in the DPS rankings, if not for a few glaring issues that hamstring them from point go. First, outside of PvP, Warlocks perform less well at AoE, because of threat, which means that if they want to do DPS, they must use Hellfire and be in melee range. Another issue with threat that plagues the class is the unusually high amount of it generated by Shadow Bolt, one of their staple damage dealing spells. While Warlocks are capable of damage that might even excel the Mage’s, their handicap with respect to threat management means that they are always going to be middling in the Raid DPS Rankings, unfortunately.

Hunter

Like some of their caster compatriots, Hunter’s have always brought critical utilitarian abilities to any raid group, with abilities like Tranquilizing Shot and Trueshot Aura. This is one of the reasons that they tend to fall behind other pure DPS classes when it comes to straight damage. They are not the lowest damage dealers at all, easily keeping ahead of even the Mage, which is a feat in itself, but they fall somewhat noticeably behind the Rogue and Warrior. Another reason for this is, of course, the fact that they are the absolute masters of ranged DPS, bar none, which is why it’s important to make sure to gear them properly.

Druid (Feral)

Never anyone’s first choice to fill the role of damage dealing, the Druid has an uphill slog to compete with most of the other classes, being outpaced, at time, even by the Shadow Priest. Because they have access to some of their BiS gear long before most other classes, they tend to hold a place of power for awhile. Right up until they are ready for raiding, where they fall behind. Druids’ main problem is that they were never designed to replace any one class at any specific role, but to supplement multiple roles and support other classes. So they can fill in as off DPS, but won’t ever get their damage quite as high as other classes that specialize in damage dealing.

Shaman (Elemental)

Shaman’s share a lot of their troubles with Druids, as both classes are built more for utility and their multitude of disparate abilities than for damage at all. They also both suffer heavily from a need for an abundance of extra mana. Elemental Shaman’s suffer even more, as they do not offer their raid group any sort of unique, or stackable buff. For these reasons, more often than not, most groups prefer a Restoration Shaman.

Shaman (Enhancement)

Built far more to support and increase the overall damage of their allies, enhancement shaman have to rely both on their critical striking and good gear to get anywhere with respect to damage. Unlike Elemental Shamans, Enhancement Shamans don’t have any of the talents that directly increase the damage of their spells and abilities, just the amount of damage that their totems provide. It is exactly because of this that, while they don’t often do as much damage as their fellows, they are almost always a welcome addition to any raid group.

Priest

Shadow Priests are deceptively adept at dealing damage in a Raid, trailing not at all far behind the Warlock, or even the Mage in the damage rankings. While they are limited to only a few spells that can actually be used in a raid situation and their AoE is non-existent, they still manage to maintain a surprisingly high spot on the tier. Their primary offering in a raid group is to increase a target’s Shadow Damage taken with Shadow Weaving, which increases the damage of Warlocks, other Shadow Priests and some Hunters.

Paladin

While almost always sought out for their healing efficacy, Paladin’s sometimes lag behind when it comes to damage in a raid situation. Their direct single target damage can be impressive, but their AoE is less than, though they can do some decent AoE when spec’d for tanking. All of that aside, their adeptness at tanking and their rare ability to heal while doing so often get them a spot in any Alliance raid group.

Druid (Balance)

Another great class, built for utility that struggles mightily when it comes to damage output, the Balance Druid is almost unseen in a raid group where their Restoration counterparts are far more welcome. The main trouble that Balance Druids have is the same one that Feral Druids and Elemental Shaman have – mana. Most of their spells and abilities are mana hogs and aren’t as damaging as the spells of other classes. The one real contribution that Balance Druids can bring to a raid group is enhanced Crowd Control and the utility of their form shifting, but that’s not always enough to get them an invite.

Welcome to the World of Warcraft Classic Season of Discovery DPS tier list! We will be ranking each DPS class available for the season, as well as explaining each class’s position on the tier list.

Overall Performance: The raw amount of damage the spec can deal, in single-target, cleave, and AoE encounters.
Utility: Any bonuses that the spec brings to a raid besides its damage, such as buffs, combat resses, etc.
Stackability: How many of this class you can bring to a raid without diminishing returns. For example, currently Saber Slash for Rogues does not stack, significantly weakening multiple Rogues.

Note that this Tier List covers classes at the time of writing, and Season of Discovery is constantly changing and evolving.

Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5

Hunter (S Tier)
Cat Druid (S Tier)
Rogue (A Tier)
Paladin (A Tier)
Warrior (B Tier)
Warlock (B Tier)
Mage (C Tier)
Melee Shaman (C Tier)
Caster Shaman (D Tier)
Caster Druid (D Tier)
DPS Priest (D Tier)

The early stages of Phase 1 are going to vary heavily both from players expectation, and likely from later in the same Phase. Without a PTR for testing, a lot of things are performing a lot better and a lot worse than they should be.

Additionally, Blackfathom Deeps has proven to be surprisingly unfriendly to Caster DPS. This combined with mana issues, and spell ranks being a bit awkward by level 25 leads to Casters falling behind.

S-Tier

The S-Tier represents the most powerful classes in the current meta – those with the highest damage and utility. These specializations are usually recruited in larger numbers due to their outstanding performance.

Hunter

Starting Season of Discovery incredibly strong, Explosive Shot was way too powerful. That was nerfed fairly quickly, along with Chimera Shot.

Of course, this didn’t stop Hunters for long, and the new kid on the block is Scorpid pets, dealing way too much damage with Scorpid Poison. Along with this, Hunters by themselves have always been solid even at lower levels, and their inability to do glancing damage with ranged attacks makes them a great contender in a low Hit chance Phase.

Despite being the best damage dealer in the Phase, Hunters also bring vital group utility in the form of Aspect of the Lion, a (currently) everyone-wide Blessing of Kings, even buffing enemy players, because why not.

Cat Druid

Most of the gaps in the Cat DPS toolkit have been plugged, allowing them to deal massive damage both up close and even at range with Sunfire. Not only that, Cats and Bears bring one of the best tools available in Phase 1, Wild Strikes. In a Phase without Windfury Totem, this is an invaluable buff that has no opportunity cost as a Cat DPS.

A-Tier

The A-Tier represents strong DPS specializations that offer a great amount of damage and utility, but not offering the best possible damage output. They will be found in almost every raid group and it will be common to see more than one of each.

Rogues

Rogues find themselves in an interesting position. They deal massive DPS with Saber Slash and Deadly Brew, but these abilities currently do not stack. This means that any more than one will drastically reduce their damage output.

Additionally, outside of the usual stuns and interrupts, Rogues bring no group utility. They are a selfish DPS class, but a very strong one.

Paladin

Pink class rejoice, you are finally viable! While Paladins aren’t quite keeping up in DPS with the big 3, they bring a lot of utility in the form of Auras, Blessings, A Fear break, and more.

B-Tier

The B-Tier represents mediocre damage specializations. They are still considered viable, as they do a decent amount of damage, but they typically cannot compete with the A-tier specs on the damage meters. However, in many cases they provide valuable raid buffs that make them worth bringing anyway, as their utility makes up for their deficiency in raw damage.

Warrior

The original kings of Classic, Warriors may have felt like they got shafted by the Phase 1 changes and additions, but this doesn’t stop them from being one of the top DPS currently.

Unfortunately, similarly to Rogues, Warriors are a selfish DPS class, bringing very little to the raid outside of Battle Shout.

Warlock

DPS Warlocks are another mostly selfish class. In order to deal the high damage you’re looking for, you will be sacrificing a lot of the potential utility you could provide. You will need to make the choice between Incinerate and Demonic Pact, and at this point, the choice is likely going to be Incinerate.

While DPS Warlocks are definitely outmatched by the Physical DPS classes, they tend to be stronger than other casters because Life Tap allows them to last longer in a very mana restrictive Phase.

C-Tier

The specializations that make up the C-Tier are on the weaker side of the DPS spectrum. They can still be considered viable, occasionally offering useful buffs and debuffs, and can very often be very fun to play. However, you aren’t likely to be on the top places of DPS meters with these specs, and you won’t have the easiest time finding a raid group, as they aren’t in high demand.

Mage

DPS Mages are in a very strange position right now. As a DPS spec they don’t actually do very high damage, and are easily outclassed by a lot of other classes. The main benefit of bringing a Mage DPS is their ability to provide decently high DPS as a Healer. That’s right, high DPS Mages are still able to be very functional healers.

While Fire does offer some potentially high damage, the relatively low Critical chance available in Phase 1 is a heavy restriction on their damage. Instead, playing as a Frost/Arcane Mage seems to be the way to go, keeping Chronomantic Healing up while blasting the enemy with Arcane Blast and Arcane Missiles.

Melee Shaman

Enhancement is in an odd position right now, with alright damage but a few hurdles to overcome. Mana can be an issue if you are trying to spam max rank spells consistently, and your best AoE option has an increased threat modifier, making it difficult to use as a DPS.

Shamans bring the usual powerful toolkit, including Tremor Totem, Strength of Earth Totem, and Healing Stream Totem.

D-Tier

Simply put, specs in the D-tier are considered to be not viable. They can be fun to play, but you will struggle to get invited to raids when playing one of these, and you may even find yourself getting kicked from groups, as your damage will be really bad.

Caster Shaman

Unfortunately, Caster Shaman just doesn’t bring anything that Melee couldn’t do better. Lava Burst is great, but that is mostly the extent of their strength.

Shamans bring the usual powerful toolkit, including Tremor Totem, Strength of Earth Totem, and Healing Stream Totem.

Caster Druid

Despite Wrath not having a Mana cost with Fury of Stormrage, Caster Druids really don’t have the damage to stand up to other classes. Starsurge ended up being very disappointing, and Sunfire can deal more DPS in the paws of a Cat instead.

Caster Druids do bring a very solid ability to off-heal, able to throw out emergency Healing Touches at a moments notice, but this doesn’t help them as a DPS.

DPS Priest

Ranking DPS Priests at D is being generous. DPS Priests are barely playing Season of Discovery, with most of their changes being so low impact that they are effectively still on their original Classic toolkit of Shadow Word: Pain and Wanding. While you still bring all the usual tools of a Priest, so do Priest Healers.

Fire Mage (S Tier)
Fire Warlock (S Tier)
Melee Hunter (S Tier)
Shadow Priest (S Tier)
Feral Druid (A Tier)
Fury/Arms Warrior (A Tier)
Arcane Mage (A Tier)
Mutilate Rogue (B Tier)
Retribution Paladin (B Tier)
Enhancement Shaman (B Tier)
Elemental Shaman (B Tier)
Ranged Hunter (C Tier)
Balance Druid (C Tier)
Frost Mage (D Tier)

Many things have changed with the arrival of Phase 2 in the Season of Discovery, with some unexpected specializations climbing up to the S-Tier. With the addition of the Waist and Feet runes, some of the specializations gained vital components for their specific identity, improving their overall performance, and altering their play style in the process. As a clear example, runes such as Hotstreak, Shadow and Flame, Melee Specialist, and Mind Spike turn Fire Mage, Destruction Warlock, Survival Hunter, and Shadow Priest into the strongest DPS specializations at the current moment.

While Phase 1 was much more Melee DPS oriented, Phase 2 is much more Caster-centric, with Destruction Warlock, Fire Mage, and Shadow Priests dominating the scene. The only exception in the current meta that still proves a Melee DPS dominance is the Survival Hunter specialization paired up with the Melee Specialist and Dual-Dual Wield runes, turning the specialization into the most powerful Melee DPS that has the same damage output as the top Caster DPS specializations.

This DPS Ranking List is based on the currently available information presented on Warcraftlogs along with all the current changes based on the most recent hotfix. The DPS Ranking List will be updated weekly with the most up-to-date information based on any upcoming patches and hotfixes.

Additionally, due to the Human Error component and the individual player skill involved in high-end PvE content, Tier A through B is highly relative, with only a few select specializations ranking higher than others based on the current adjustments made by the hotfixes.

S-Tier

Fire Mage

What did the mage say: Burn the whole world, or something among the lines? Fire Mage makes an extraordinary comeback in Phase 2, melting the mechanical armor of any gnomish construct while turning irradiated gnomes into piles of ash.

With the level cap raised to 40, Fire Mage now has multiple mechanics that vastly enhance its overall performance. Fire Mages can now properly stack Improved Scorch on their targets, improving the overall Fire Damage for any spell caster in the group. Furthermore, thanks to the additional Critical Strike Chance available from stats and talents such as Critical Mass, Fire Mages can now effectively make use of Scorch and Fireball, generating a large damage output at a low mana cost.

Thanks to the new runes, Fire Mage can now access a mechanic that allows it to fully utilize Pyroblast, namely the Hot Streak rune. With every two critical strikes in a row, Fire Mage can now instantly launch a Pyroblast at no mana cost. Additionally, the Spell Power rune further enhances the Critical Strike Chance-reliant play style, empowering the Critical Strike Bonus damage by up to 50%.

Besides the very high Single-Target damage. its AoE damage is also extremely powerful, with Living Bomb and Living Flame proving themselves as one of the best AoE tools in the game at this very moment.

Thanks to all of those effects, their damage output is on par with Destruction Warlocks and Survival Hunters, generating one of the best damage outputs available in Phase 2.

Fire Warlock

While many believed that it might take longer for Destruction Warlocks to pop off, their time of glory arrived sooner than expected. The Destruction Specialization became so powerful in Phase 2, that it completely obliterated the Affliction Specializations, with the latter missing entirely from any Warcraftlogs entry. While Affliction Warlock is by no means a weak specialization, Warlock DPS will mainly utilize the Destruction Specialization thanks to multiple reasons.

Among the main reasons why Destruction Warlocks perform so well at this point are the following:

Fire Mage and its Improved Scorch effect severely enhance the overall damage dealt by Incinerate and Chaos Bolt.
The Curse of the Elements scales with Improved Scorch, heavily influencing Warlock’s play style since Curse of Shadow is not yet available.
The overall increase in Critical Strike Chance available in Phase 2 improves Direct Damage Spells more than Damage-over-Time Spells.

Additionally, thanks to the new Shadow and Flame and Demonic Knowledge runes, Destruction Warlocks may massively empower their overall damage output. While this also applies to Affliction Warlocks, it is far easier for Destruction Warlocks to trigger the effects since their arsenal is mostly made up of Direct Damage Spells. Since Damage-over-Time effects can’t land critical strikes, Destruction Warlocks make better use of the Shadow and Flame.

However, while Destruction Warlocks do gain access to Conflagrate at level 40, their most optimum rotation barely makes use of it, with Chaos Bolt, and Incinerate being their best-performing abilities. Besides their amazing Single-Target damage, their AoE damage is almost on par with a Mage’s AoE capabilities. They can use the Shadow Bolt Volley, Lake of Fire, and Shadowflame runes to devastate multiple enemies at the same time.

Besides their insane damage output in both Single Target and AoE, Warlocks also grant large amounts of utility through Soulstones, Healthstones, and their newly acquired Curse of the Elements and Portal of Summoning spells.

Melee Hunter

Hunters have performed extraordinarily in the first phase of the Season of Discovery, however, no one expected such a massive turn of events in Phase 2. Hunters in Phase 2 have made a huge switch in play style, favoring all-out melee tactics instead of ranged combat.

This is mainly due to the new runes, Melee Specialist and Dual Wield Specialization, massively improving the efficiency of Raptor Strike up to a point where it simply out-damages most ranged abilities.

The most interesting aspect of the new build is that it can achieve the same results with both Beast Mastery and Survival as main talents, with both Talent Trees providing great improvements. While Beast Mastery seeks to improve your pet besides the damage you deal through Raptor Strike by adding effects such as Frenzy, Survival fits the build slightly better by improving your overall Agility, Hit Rating, and Critical Strike Chance through talents such as Lightning Reflexes, Surefooted, Killer Instincts, and Savage Strikes.

A Melee Hunter’s damage is also powerful in AoE encounters besides Single-Target encounters. It can utilize either the Carve and Explosive Shot runes and the Explosive Trap ability to deal high amounts of damage while maintaining its mana with the new Aspect of the Viper.

Besides their insane damage output, they continue providing vital group utility in the form of Heart of the Lion, replacing the Blessing of Kings, if the situation requires so.

Shadow Priest

Lo and behold, one of the weakest DPS Specializations from Phase 1 makes a comeback in Phase 2 as one of the S-Tier specializations. While it may seem shocking to some, the Priest community has certainly loved the new runes and overall changes brought to the specialization, as they massively improved the overall performance of Shadow Priest.

Shadow Priests have multiple effects that improve their overall damage in Phase 2, with all of their abilities scaling tremendously. They gain access to new runes such as Mind Spike and Dispersion which solidifies their overall play style, with the former becoming one of their main damaging abilities. Thanks to Mind Spike‘s effect, Mind Blast receives a massive damage boost, with the whole rotation revolving are those two abilities.

Additionally, they gain access to Shadowfiend, a major mana regeneration tool. The Shadowfiend itself also deals a decent amount of damage, acting as an offensive tool as well.

With the raise of the level cap to level 40, they finally gain access to the coveted Shadowform, and other specific talents such as Shadow Weaving, Vampiric Embrace, and Darkness. Just like in Phase 1, even with 5 points now available in Shadow Weaving, Shadow Priests will be the only ones that will benefit from the effect, especially as Warlocks heavily favor the Destruction Specialization in Phase 2. Thanks to the changes made in Phase 2, Darkness now empowers Shadow Word: Death, turning it into another very strong damage source.

For a short time, Void Plague has been bugged, resulting in the spell gaining more Spell Power than intended. However, that was quickly patched through one of the most recent hotfixes.

Besides their newfound exceptional damage, Shadow Priests can also provide most of the utility spells provided by Discipline and Holy Priests, massively aiding their group. They also bring invaluable utility through the Homunculi rune which provides armor reduction that empowers any Physical Damage Dealer and the Vampiric Embrace talent which improves a raid group’s survivability by a considerable amount.

A-Tier

Feral Druid

Darker days seem to befall the king of the jungle, as its damage output is hardly anything spectacular. However, Feral Druid retains one of the most important spots due to the Wild Strikes rune. While its damage output is average at best, with many other specializations generating roughly the same damage output, the existence of the Wild Strikes rune itself places Feral Druid on top of the A-Tier, even going as far as being considered a possible S-Tier specialization.

At the current moment, Wild Strikes itself is far better than Windfury Totem, making Feral Druids a must-have addition for any Physical Damage-centric group.

However, besides the very important buff that they grant to all Physical Damage Dealers, their overall play style takes a shift toward a Shred spam build, especially since Mangle has been nerfed. This results in rather mediocre damage output, with their overall damage being similar to Retribution Paladins, Enhancement/Elemental Shamans, Marksmanship Hunters, and Balance Druids.

Nevertheless, while they may not dish out as much damage as the S-Tier Specializations, the presence of Wild Strikes, Mangle, and many other utility spells such as Rebirth and Innervate make them almost mandatory additions to any raid composition.

Fury/Arms Warrior

Warriors climb the ladder as one of the top damage specializations in Phase 2, reaching the A-Tier. Their overall damage is great, even with the high amount of armor that the Gnomeregan bosses possess.

At the current moment, Arms Warriors are preferred in Phase 2 Gnomeregan, especially since one of the best weapons that they can acquire is a Two-Handed Axe. However, their fellow Fury Warrior brethren display a showcase of strength, closely battling them for the best possible damage outputs.

Both specializations gain multiple tools to empower it, both in terms of new runes and new talents which they can now access. In terms of talents for Arms Warrior, Mortal Strike, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization, and Axe Specialization are the ones that empower them the most. In terms of runes, Rallying Cry and Focused Rage are “staple” runes for Arms Warrior in Phase 2, with the latter being a core mechanic of the specialization which aids with their spam-heavy rotation.

As for their Fury Brethren, the most impactful talents they gain access to are Death Wish, Bloodthirst, and Flurry. In terms of runes, Rallying Cry and Blood Surge can be considered mandatory, with the latter providing a new core mechanic for any Fury Warrior.

While Warrior doesn’t offer much utility apart from Rallying Cry and their core shouts, their overall damage output is similar to Arcane Mage and Assassination Rogue in its current form, providing one of the best damage outputs in the current phase.

The only downside of Arms Warriors is that they heavily rely on Deep Wounds as one of their major damage sources, meaning that without a Feral Druid with the Mangle rune, their damage output is substantially reduced.

Arcane Mage

While Arcane Mage was the stronger Mage Specialization in the initial part of Phase 1 with Fire Mage becoming stronger towards its end, it continues to underperform in Phase 2, with Fire Mage remaining the much-preferred build. The main reason for this is that their play style becomes hard to sustain for longer fights due to the mana management mechanic, even with all the added mana regeneration tools such as Minor Evocation, and Conjure Mana Jade.

Nonetheless, they received an overall damage buff thanks to all the new talents such as Arcane Mind, Arcane Instability, and Arcane Power. Additionally, the new Missile Barrage rune heavily empowers their Arcane Missiles, making their rotation far easier.

Still, with all the new mana regeneration tools, they struggle to keep up with Fire Mages which are far more mana efficient. For an Arcane Mage to reach the same damage output as a Fire Mage, they would have to spam Arcane Blast with 4 debuff stacks endlessly, without having any mana issues at all.

Their damage output peaks at around 350 DPS according to the current Warcraftlogs, having a similar damage output to Assassination Rogue and Arms Warrior.

B-Tier

Mutilate Rogue

Assassination Rogues have become the dominant specialization in Phase 2, turning the Mutilate Build into the best possible play style at this current moment. Their damage output is so high that Combat Rogue sees close to no play in the current meta, outside of tanking, with Combat becoming the standard Tanking Specialization for Rogue.

Thanks to the new level 40 cap, Assassination Rogue gains access to multiple talents that improve its overall performance. They can now fully spend talent points on talents such as Vile Poisons and Improved Poisons. Thanks to those talents, the overall damage improvement to their poisons heavily empowers their damage output. While their builds may reach Seal Fate and Vigor, they heavily Opportunity due to the Backstab damage amplifier which also empowers Mutilate.

Additionally, Rogue receives some new runes to play with, although, they do not majorly empower its overall damage. In its current state, Shuriken Toss is a mediocre AoE tool for Trash Mob clearing while the standard runes for Single-Target encounters are Master of Subtlety and Shadowstep.

The Mutilate Rogue build is heavily preferred in Phase 2 due to the mechanical nature of Gnomeregan’s bosses. Since the bosses themselves have high armor pools, the magical damage dealt by an Assassination Rogue’s poisons averages a higher damage output than their Combat Rogue peers. The major issue Mutilate Rogue faces is the lack of any potent AoE tool, making it good only for Single-Target encounters.

Their overall damage output resembles that of Arcane Mage and Arms Warrior, placing them on top of the damage charts compared to the majority of the other damage specializations which average a lower DPS output.

Retribution Paladin

While Retribution Paladin received some very interesting new toys to play with thanks to new runes and a new level 40 cap, the overall damage output remains average at best when compared to the other specializations, with the specialization itself being far better for utility.

The most notable talents they gain access to are Conviction, Sanctity Aura, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization, and Vengeance, all of which massively improve their former performance from Phase 1 by raising their Holy Damage and Physical Damage proefficiency. Additionally, they gain access to two new runes that pair perfectly with the ones they had in Phase 1, namely Sheath of Light and The Art of War. Those two runes now allow them to solidify their Hybrid Damage specialization identity, having Exorcism as one of their main damage tools.

Nevertheless, even with all the amazing new passives and tools they acquire, their overall damage output averages around 250 DPS, with the top contenders having around 320-330 DPS. The specialization is far better suited for its utility effects in PvE while its damage output is far better in any PvP encounter.

Enhancement Shaman

Enhancement Shaman receives an overall boost to its performance thanks to the new talents and abilities that are unlocked by the new level 40 cap. Their overall damage output massively increases in Phase 2, as they also gain a new core gameplay mechanic thanks to the new runes.

The most notable talents that Enhancement Shaman can now acquire are Flurry, Elemental Weapons, Weapon Mastery, and Stormstrike. Stormstrike becomes one of the core abilities, even if its overall damage is not particularly high. It pairs extremely well with the Dual Wield Specialization rune. Most of the new talents accessible by Enhancement Shaman aim to improve its overall Melee Swing, especially with how impactful Windfury is at the moment.

As for the new runes, the most impactful rune is Maelstrom Weapon, altering their entire play style in a way in which Enhancement Shamans will now proactively “weave in” Chain Lightning between their Stormstrike and Melee Swings. This new mechanic is one of the new main damage sources they have at their disposal, improving their general performance by quite a substantial amount.

Nonetheless, their damage output is still considered somewhat average, with the best contenders from the current Warcraftlogs displaying a damage output similar to Retribution Paladins and Feral Druids. Their current strong point resides in the vast utility that they provide, themselves being the official counterpart of Paladins in terms of raw utility.

Elemental Shaman

Elemental Shamans share a similar fate with their fellow Enhancement Shaman brethren, receiving an overall boost on their damage output. However, just like Enhancement Shamans, their overall damage output is fairly average when compared to the majority of the other Damage Specializations.

Their burst nature makes them much more viable in PvP encounters rather than PvE encounters, although they deal fairly decent damage in PvE encounters as well.

Thanks to the new level 40 cap and the new runes, their overall performance improved massively compared to Phase 1. They gain access to talents such as Lightning Mastery and Elemental Fury which improve their overall damage output, with the former effect being key for consistent damage output. Additionally, the new Power Surge rune acts as both an improvement to their mana issues while also serving as a massive quality-of-life improvement for their overall play style. Since Lava Burst‘s cooldown can now be reset, they have the potential of dealing a similar damage output to the A-Tier specializations, however, RNG plays a huge role in whether or not they can achieve this outcome.

According to Warcraftlogs, the best contenders managed to reach a 350-370 DPS output, meaning that the specialization itself has a decent potential when RNG favors the player. Of course, player skill also plays a huge role in this endeavor. While their play style is much more RNG-based, their Enhancement Shaman brethren provide a much more consistent damage output.

Elemental Shamans currently provide the same utility that Enhancement Shamans provide, bringing vast bonuses to their allies. If their somewhat average damage output is not the best reason to bring an Elemental Shaman in a raid while there are better casters available, their vast utility is one of their strongest points.

C-Tier

Ranged Hunter

But wait, weren’t Hunters S-Tier? Well, nowadays, only Melee Hunter occupies the S-Tier spot, as their fellow brethren sadly fall in line with many specializations, generating an average damage output.

While they did gain access to multiple new effects thanks to the level 40 cap which slightly improved their overall performance, the main reason they remain so behind when compared to the other damage specializations is the underwhelming runes they can utilize when compared to other damage dealers. As the majority of the runes are either tailored specifically for Melee Hunter or mana regeneration, they are left with very few viable choices.

As such, Trap Launcher and Expose Weakness are the only viable runes for Marksmanship Hunter, with Steady Shot being completely disregarded in favor of the raw attack power granted by Expose Weakness. Trap Launcher is an amazing tool for any AoE encounter and trash clearing, however, it barely aids in Single-Target scenarios as most of your damage comes from Auto-Shot and Chimera Shot.

Another reason why their damage is very similar to all the other classes is their talent tree offers far too few damage-enhancing effects, with Mortal Shots, Barrage, Ranged Weapon Specialization, and Trueshot Aura being the only damage-enhancing effects available. While those effects can be considered great, they pale in comparison to the stronger talents of the other specializations.

Their top current damage based on Warcraftlogs is around 320 DPS, meaning that they fall in line with many other specializations such as Retribution Paladin, Elemental/Enhancement Shaman, Feral Druid, and Balance Druid.

Balance Druid

Balance Druid or better known as “Boomie”, “Owl”, “Boomkin”, or “Moonkin” is one of the more interesting Damage Specializations in the Season of Discovery. While the specialization is known as a terrifying foe in PvP content, its overall performance is rather average in PvE content. The specialization lacks any serious form of AoE, with Hurricane being the only viable form of AoE damage, the specialization has an average Single-Target Damage output that places it into a similar spot with many other specializations.

The specialization gained multiple beneficial effects with the new level 40 cap, increasing its overall performance. They finally gain access to the coveted Moonkin Form, allowing them to reach their true potential. Besides the new form, they also benefit from Improved Starfire, Nature’s Grace, and Moonfury, all of which severely enhance their overall damage output. The Nature’s Grace talent is especially important as it further emphasizes the importance of Critical Strike Chance for Balance Druids.

Furthermore, the new runes, Eclipse and Dreamstate change Balance Druid’s play style, modifying it from a Wrath spam and Starsurge on-cooldown casts to an alternating rotation between Wrath and Starfire as the main damage sources. Unluckily for Balance Druids, Starsurge got quickly nerfed after the launch of Phase 2, reducing its overall impact. While Starsurge‘s damage is reduced, it now grants a powerful buff to Starfire, solidifying the Eclipse-centric play style.

While Balance Druid has only made it to the C-Tier at this current moment, as time passes, we believe that Balance Druid has the potential to reach B-Tier in terms of pure damage output.

Besides its damage output and specific effects such as Moonkin Form, Balance Druid can offer any of the general utility effects that a Feral Druid may offer, with Rebirth being one of the most powerful utility tools.

D-Tier

Frost Mage

Frost Mage is sadly at the bottom of the chain, displaying one of the worst performances in Phase 2. While the specialization gains multiple damage-enhancing effects through talents and new runes, its damage output is completely underwhelming.

Frost Mage gains access to new talents thanks to the new level cap such as Winter’s Chill and multiple points in Shatter which improve its overall damage, albeit not enough. It also gains access to new runes such as Frostfire Bolt, Spellfrost Bolt, and Brain Freeze, however, as the recent logs can be observed, the damage output resulted remains underwhelming.

As it currently stands, Frost Mage is a much better specialization for PvP and farming content as opposed to any Raid PvE encounter.

Shadow Warlock

Shadow Warlock, better known as Affliction Warlock is finding itself in one of the most unfavorable spots at this very moment. The main reason for this is the much-favored Fire Warlock build, completely outperforming Shadow Warlock by a tremendous amount. The difference is so high that Affliction Warlock sees close to no play at this current moment.

While certain effects empower Shadow Warlock such as the new Shadow and Flame rune and access to the Shadow Mastery talent, the overall Affliction Tree barely has any other damage-empowering effects. Since Warlocks don’t have access to the Curse of Shadow, Affliction is simply way too underpowered when compared to the Curse of the Elements which also scales with the Improved Scorch from Mages. Additionally, the Destruction Tree provides far more damage-empowering effects which currently solidify Fire Warlock’s reign.

As the build sees close to no play, it is hard to determine whether or not it can hold its ground, ranking itself as a D-Tier until any further changes occur.

Fury/Arms Warrior (S Tier)
Melee Hunter (S Tier)
Enhancement Shaman (S Tier)
Mutilate Rogue (S Tier)
Fire Mage (A Tier)
Feral Druid (A Tier)
Retribution Paladin (A Tier)
Fire Warlock (B Tier)
Shadow Warlock (B Tier)
Ranged Hunter (B Tier)
Frost Mage (C Tier)
Elemental Shaman (C Tier)
Balance Druid (C Tier)
Shadow Priest (C Tier)
Arcane Mage (D Tier)

Phase 3 in the Season of Discovery brings forth multiple changes and class enhancements, with many of the Melee Specializations climbing back up to the S-Tier. With the addition of the Bracers and Helm runes, some of the specializations gained vital components for their specific identity, improving their overall performance. As a clear example, runes such as Taste for Blood, Wrecking Crew Mental Dexterity, Raptor Fury, Cut to the Chase, and Molten Armor turn Fury/Arms Warriors, Melee Hunters, Enhancement Shaman, Mutilate Rogue, and Fire Mage into the strongest specializations at the current moment.

While Phase 2 was much more Caster DPS oriented, Phase 3 is most certainly Melee-centric, with the Sunken Temple raid featuring some of the most difficult encounters for any Caster Specialization. The clear top contenders of the DPS Meter are Fury/Arms Warriors, Melee Hunters, Enhancement Shaman, and Mutilate Rogue. Specializations such as Fire Mage, Fire Warlock, and Ranged Hunter are still consistently played due to their overall popularity, even if they are not the best-performing Specializations.

This DPS Ranking List is based on the currently available information presented on Warcraftlogs along with all the current changes based on the most recent hotfix. The DPS Ranking List will be updated with the most up-to-date information based on any upcoming patches and hotfixes.

S-Tier

Fury/Arms Warrior

The moment of reckoning has arrived as Fury/Arms Warriors climb up to the top spot of the S tier, boasting one of the most insane damage output performances that was seen in the Season of Discovery. True to their infamous reputation of being one of the best scaling specializations as Classic progresses, Warriors in Phase 3 have an astonishing performance in both Single Target and AoE encounters.

The sudden rise of Warriors was all but expected with the new runes heavily boosting their overall performance. Wrecking Crew is being favored by both Fury and Arms Warriors due to the empowerment effect it grants to Deep Wounds. Taste for Blood is the only viable Helm Rune for any Warrior build, however, it’s only truly useful for Arms Warrior.

The star of the show is Deep Wounds as it deals the highest amount of damage across the board in all possible boss fights, with only the Melee Swings, Heroic Strike, and Execute keeping up with it. The reason for that it uses the WotLK version of it, acting as a stacking Bleed Damage that completely ignores Armor. This is especially powerful considering the high amount of armor that the Sunken Temple bosses have. Fury Warriors seem to be performing overall better at the current moment, dealing great amounts of damage in both Single Target and AoE encounters.

While their damage is absolutely insane, the class only brings along a decently low amount of utility, having access only to Rallying Cry and their core shouts.

The only weakness that Fury and Arms Warriors display in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery is their overall limited utility. Another issue they might encounter is the raid composition itself, as they require Wild Strikes, Mangle, Faerie Fire (Feral), and Curse of Recklessness to empower them as much as possible. Without those buffs and debuffs, their overall damage drops, yet not by a staggering amount.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1700-1800 DPS.

Melee Hunter

Surprising?Not at all! Everybody expected Melee Hunter to remain on top of the pack, even after the many nerf attempts. Melee Hunters in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery maintain their S-tier status, receiving even more powerful new runes to amplify their already ludicrous damage outputs.

Melee Hunters receive Raptor Fury, an amazing rune that fully complements the already existing Melee Specialist and Dual Wield Specialization runes. Raptor Fury is extremely powerful as it increases their overall Raptor Strike damage output by 15%, stacking up to 5 times for 15 seconds. The great part about this new rune is that it has no internal cooldown, meaning that after the first 15 seconds upon proccing have elapsed, the buff will proc again, starting with 1 stack of Raptor Fury. While it massively boosts a Melee Hunter’s damage output, Raptor Fury also presents a weak spot. The problem with the rune is that each additional stack doesn’t reset the duration of previous stacks, meaning that you will only get the 5-stack damage bonus for only a few seconds at a time.

While on paper the new Catlike Reflexes is supposed to empower Flanking Strike, the reality is that the ability itself relies much more on the Raptor Strike reset component, meaning that the overall reduced cooldown granted by Catlike Reflexe is useless. The dodge chance is also useless, for both the player and the pet since neither of them are supposed to tank damage.

In the current metaBeast Mastery builds are dominant, whereas, in the previous phase, both Survival and Beast Mastery were viable. There have also been attempts to make the Build functional with the Marksmanship Talent Tree, however, Beast Mastery dominates the scene for Melee Hunters since they have access to Bestial Wrath.

Overall, Melee Hunters don’t seem to display any weaknesses, especially since the release of the Dual Talent Specialization which allows them to shift to an entirely new Build if their group demands more utility. Their overall mana management is insane, with the build never running out of mana while both themselves and their pets deal extraordinary amounts of damage in a consistent manner.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1600 DPS in the most favorable.

Enhancement Shaman

Enhancement Shaman makes a mind-boggling recovery in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery, raising to the S-tier from its previous B-tier spot. Not only has the new level 50 cap been very rewarding for their overall performance as their scaling is great, especially in the case of rank 3 Windfury, but the access to the new runes has granted them access to a vital component of their kit.

Phase 3 of Season of Discovery grants Shamans the Mental Dexterity rune, an enormously powerful addition to their entire playstyle. The rune buffs both their Attack Power and Spell Power meaning that both their auto-attacks and spells receive a massive boost. The 100% Attack Power increase massively boosts their Melee Swings and Windfury procs while the 30% Spell Power increase massively boosts their Chain Lightning along with every other Magical Damage.

They also gain access to Static Shock which can triggered easily, making Lightning Shield much easier to use with the additional charges.

Their overall damage is great in both Single-Target and AoE encounters, with their main damage output coming from Melee Swings and Windfury procs. In terms of AoE Overcharged, Chain Lightning. The only issue they seem to be facing is the overall lack of damage from their Fire Nova and Magma Totem, even if they gained access to the Call of the Flame talent.

Besides their extraordinary damage, Enhancement Shamans grant an astonishing amount of utility, making them a truly worthy S-tier specialization. One of the most useful tools at their disposal which truly aids the raid is Shamanistic Rage, providing extremely valuable mana for both Caster-heavy and Melee-heavy raid comps.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1550 DPS in the most favorable conditions.

Mutilate Rogue

Similarly to Enhancement Shaman, Mutilate Rogue makes a huge comeback in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery raising to the S-tier rank up from the B-tier. While their playstyle hasn’t changed, with players that have mained the specialization finding it very similar in Phase 3, the new runes they gained significantly empower their overall performance.

Mutilate Rogues gain access to the Cut to the Chase and Combat Potency runes which drastically improve their overall performance. Cut to the Chase removes the necessity of refreshing Slice and Dice which makes their overall rotation much easier to perform. Additionally, Combat Potency synergizes perfectly with this newly found bonus as Mutilate Rogues find themselves in a spot where they spam their abilities due to the insane amount of energy they have at their disposal.

While nothing else particularly changed for them, with most of their damage coming from Melee Swings, Mutilate, Envenom, and Instant Poison, their Single-Target damage is absolutely astonishing. The issue they encounter is their AoE damage, with Mutilate Rogues severely lacking in that department. Nonetheless, since most of the fights are Single-Target oriented, Mutilate Rogue is currently one of the most powerful specializations that dominate the DPS Meters.

From a utility perspective, Mutilate Rogue doesn’t truly bring any unique utility when compared to the rest of the classes, with the standard crowd control in their kit being their only asset. Expose Armor is the only true asset they bring to the raid besides their crowd control, heavily empowering all other Physical Damage Dealers since Sunken Temple bosses have very high armor values.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1550 DPS in the most favorable conditions.

A-Tier

Feral Druid

Feral Druid finds itself in an amazing position in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery, with multiple people seamlessly pushing the specialization higher and higher in terms of DPS output. The specialization has undergone multiple theory-crafting attempts until a powerful specialization has been discovered, resulting in quite a powerful damage output. In its current state, the specialization finds itself in the A-tier, however, the past few days have certainly proven that Feral Druid might have what it takes to rise to the S-tier.

In terms of new runes Feral Druid has received two new viable runes, one of which can be considered rather useless while the other can be considered one of the most RNG-heavy elements that can either make or break their damage output. Elune’s Fires is the first rune that they can use, however, it currently performs extremely poorly as Rip‘s damage is inconsequential at the moment. The rune itself is much better-suited for the other Druid Specializations. The second rune, Gore, has tremendous potential as it can be used together with Shred to reset Tiger’s Fury. However, the 5% RNG involved is what currently makes Feral Druid rather unpredictable, keeping it locked in the A-tier.

Besides the new talent build and new runes, Feral Druid doesn’t necessarily receive any other toys to play with, with Shred being the highest damage output in most encounters. Feral Druid still lacks AoE making it rather weak in any AoE encounter, however, luckily for them, the Sunken Temple features many more Single-target-oriented fights than AoE fights.

In terms of utility, Feral Druid specifically brings Wild Strikes, Mangle, and Faerie Fire (Feral), which are highly valued by most Physical Damage Dealers, with Fury/Arms Warriors especially benefiting from their utility.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1500 DPS in the utmost best conditions with the average being considerably lower. This heavily showcases that the RNG component of their newfound playstyle can heavily impact whether a Feral Druid can dish out large amounts of damage or not.

Retribution Paladin

Retribution Paladin finds itself in a slightly better spot in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery compared to Phase 2, climbing from the B-tier to the A-tier. Its overall performance playstyle is similar, even with the newly added runes and talents. One of the biggest changes that occurs for Retribution Paladins is the buff to the mana generation of Seal of Martyrdom, transforming Retribution Paladins into a necessary component for both Caster-heavy and Melee-heavy raid comps.

Retribution Paladins gain access to multiple runes, however, only two seem to be viable choices. Wrath is the first viable rune that heavily dictates how Retribution Paladins currently perform. With the possibility of having Consecration critically strike while also enhancing the Critical Strike Chance of Exorcism, Retribution Paladins receive a considerable boost to both their AoE and Single-Target damage output. The second new rune that makes an impact is Improved Hammer of Wrath, finally turning Hammer of Wrath into a viable execute tool.

The bulk of the damage dealt by Retribution Paladins remains the same, with Seal of Martyrdom, Melee Swings, and Exorcism.

In terms of utility, besides the newly empowered Seal of Martyrdom which massively helps all DPS Casters and Healers, they bring all of the same tools as they have during Phase 2, with the addition of Blessing of Sacrifice and Cleanse into the mix.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1350 DPS in the best conditions. Unlike Feral Druid which heavily relies on RNG yet produces similar numbers, the DPS output of Retribution Paladins is much more consistent.

Fire Mage

While Fire Mage is certainly still one of the most popular specializations in the game, its overall performance has somewhat dropped in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery. While it was previously considered S-tier during Phase 2, in Phase 3 it struggles to keep up with the Melee Specializations. This is mostly due to the low-scaling gear found in Sunken Temple, along with the mechanics that heavily favor Melee classes over Caster classes.

Nonetheless, even with the low-scaling gear and difficult mechanics, Fire Mage is still one of the most powerful caster specializations, sitting atop all other casters. Firstly, Fire Mage’s playstyle has massively shifted in Phase 3, with the meta straying away from the Hot Streak playstyle where two critical strikes in a row were imperative to a playstyle that revolves around spamming Frostfire Bolt. While the Hot Streak playstyle is still viable, especially with the addition of the new Molten Armor rune, the Frostfire Bolt meta simply overpowers any previously praised playstyle.

Fire Mage also gains access to Balefire Bolt, which is a decently powerful alternative to the Molten Armor, however, most players prefer the Molten Armor and Frostfire Bolt due to how powerful the ability is when combined with the newly accessed Ice Shards talent.

Besides its new powerful Single-Target performance, Fire Mage still deals a great amount of damage in AoE encounters by using Living Bomb. In terms of utility, Fire Mage still brings Improved Scorch, which is one of the most powerful Fire Damage buffs for other classes available.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1200 DPS in the most favorable conditions.

B-Tier

Ranged Hunter

Ranged Hunter finds itself in a better spot than it did in Phase 2, performing consistently better in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery. While it still doesn’t compare to its Melee Hunter brethren, its damage output is consistent, having the potential of being considered an A-tier specialization, even if it currently stands at the top of the B-tier.

Ranged Hunter has a very high degree of versatility when it comes to its new runes in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery. Focus Fire is the first viable option, becoming the standard choice if either one of Heart of the Lion or Master Marksman is used as a Chest Rune. As an alternative to it, T.N.T. is another new rune that can be used, however, its effect is underwhelming when compared to Focus Fire.

Lock and Load is a very powerful new rune that is currently used by all Ranged Hunters as it massively empowers Chimera Shot. Rapid Killing is another new rune that shares the same slot with Lock and Load, however, the fight durations are far too short for Ranged Hunters to truly benefit from it, turning it into an underwhelming choice when compared to Lock and Load.

In terms of Single-Target damage, both builds seem to perform extraordinary, especially with how powerful Chimera Shot and Rapid Fire are at the current moment. Ranged Hunters also display a great AoE performance, with Multishot currently representing the bulk of their damage. Their traps are also very effective, however, with the new Lock and Load, they are mostly used in Single-Target encounters for Chimera Shot resets.

In terms of utility, Ranged Hunter grants different bonuses depending on the particular specialization they’ve chosen, with Trueshot Aura being an iconic buff granted by the Marksmanship Specialization. Heart of the Lion remains a staple utility tool in case Blessing of Kings is not present while they can now also grant Aspect of the Wild to provide Nature Resistance with the new level 50 cap.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1250 DPS in the most favorable conditions.

Fire Warlock

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Previously one of the best specializations during Phase 2, currently only a “mid” specialization in Phase 3, Fire Warlock has certainly fallen out of grace in terms of raw performance. In terms of popularity, the specialization is still one of the most played specializations, with players aiming to optimize the spec as much as possible to return it to its former glory.

Fire Warlock receives some very interesting toys in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery, with two possible build variations in terms of talents while also gaining new strong runes that they interswap. Most notably, the new Backdraft rune is the most popular, increasing their overall damage output by granting them a considerable 30% Spell Haste buff. The variations also use the new Pandemic and Summon Felguard runes, yet the best results for Fire Warlock revolve around using Backdraft as a main amplifier for Incinerate while also gaining passive damage from the new Immolation Aura rune.

In Single-Target encounters, their overall damage comes from Incinerate, Chaos Bolt, and their Imp pet, with the pet itself dealing a large chunk of damage. In Phase 3 Lake of Fire received a huge nerf, forcing the player to channel the effect. Instead of Lake of Fire, Fire Warlocks now opt for Demonic Tactics which further enhance their own critical strikes and those of their pets, making the Imp perform even better.

The problem that Fire Warlocks face, even with all the overall positive changes that they received is their overall scaling and weak gear that they have access to. In terms of pure damage output, they fall behind the Melee Specializations and even behind Fire Mage. Although their damage output can be considered fairly similar to that of a Fire Mage.

Besides their new damage-enhancing effects, Warlocks bring even more utility through the Curse of Recklessness and Curse of the Elements which now have even stronger versions available with the new level 50 cap. This new addition heavily emphasizes the requirement of at least two Warlocks in the raid group since both Curse of Recklessness and Curse of the Elements should ideally be placed on the target.

Their overall damage output peaks at around 1180 DPS in the best conditions.

Shadow Warlock

Shadow Warlock finally becomes viable in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery, as they’ve previously been completely unplayable with how Fire Warlock has been dominating the scene. The specialization receives multiple bonuses that finally make it viable, especially when considering the new runes that they can access.

Shadow Warlock receives the Unstable Affliction and Pandemic runes, which help it consolidate its identity. While Unstable Affliction is now a new powerful source of Shadow Damage, Pandemic is the true star of the show. Those two runes grant Shadow Warlock the possibility to viably showcase a full DoT build, especially with how potent Critical Strike Chance is in Sunken Temple.

In terms of Single-Target encounters, Shadow Bolt, Unstable Affliction, Drain Life, and Corruption are their best damaging abilities, with Shadow Bolt dealing the bulk of the damage. Their AoE capabilities are also top-notch thanks to Shadow Bolt Volley, however, since the Sunken Temple is mostly Single-Target-oriented, this doesn’t truly affect them.

In terms of utility, they bring all the same utility that Fire Warlocks bring, with Curse of Recklessness and Curse of the Elements being powerful tools they have at their disposal. Depending on their build, they can also bring Demonic Pact as a unique buff while Fire Warlocks are locked into the Incinerate rune.

Their overall damage output is extremely similar to Fire Warlocks, showcasing almost the same numbers. The peak overall damage output that can be observed on Warcraftlogs currently is 1147.

Frost Mage

Frost Mage surprisingly finds glory in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery, turning itself from one of the worst and most unreliable PvE specializations in the past two phases into one of the most solid DPS Specializations that finds its way up to the B-tier. This is mostly due to the shift in meta towards Frostfire Bolt as the main damage source, especially since the Ignite talent can now be accessed with the new level 50 cap. Additionally, with the nerf of Living Flame and rise of Icy Veins for all Mage Specializations, Frost Mage can truly make use of it unlike Arcane or Fire Mages since they have access to Cold Snap, allowing them to double the duration of Icy Veins.

With the heavy meta shift towards Frostfire Bolt, Frost Mage only uses the new Molten Armor rune as a key component to empower Frostfire Bolt even more while simply spamming the ability for the entire duration of any Single-Target encounter. For AoE encounters, they rely on Living Bomb just like Fire Mages do. In a sense, all of the runes and abilities that are specific to the Frost Mage identity are completely ignored in favor of the Frostfire Bolt meta, with Ice Lance and Brain Freeze never seeing actual PvE play.

Their damage output peaks at around 975 DPS.

C-Tier

Elemental Shaman

Elemental Shamans find themselves in the same spot they were in during Phase 2, with Phase 3 placing them in a rather weird spot. While they were close in terms of performance during Phase 2 to their fellow Enhancement Shaman brethren, the gap between the two is hard to ignore in Phase 3.

Elemental Shaman currently has two different ways of being played in the current meta, one of which is similar to the traditional way casters sit back and spam their targets with spells from a safe distance while the other makes use of the new Mental Dexterity rune to get right up in Melee Range and weave-in auto-attacks in order to upkeep the Spell Power buff granted by the rune. The latter playstyle currently performs way better than the former, however, both playstyles seem to struggle in both Single-Target and AoE scenarios due to poor scaling. Besides the new Mental Dexterity rune which seems to serve as the BiS Helm option at the moment, Elemental Shamans also makes use of the new Rolling Thunder rune on their bracers which allows them to use Lightning Shield efficiently while also offerring a powerful mana regeneration tool besides their Shamanistic Rage.

Even with the additional Spell Power from Mental Dexterity, the scaling problem that Elemental Shamans face is mostly due to their low base damage on their abilities, with Lightning Bolt which is their main damage source having one of the worst base damage values in the game. Not only that the base damage of their abilities is low, the fact that they are plagued by the same issue that other casters face with Sunken Temple caster gear being underpowered when compared to the melee gear is definitely not helping them either.

However, while their damage output is subpar when compared to some of the higher-tier specializations, Elemental Shamans currently provide the same utility that Enhancement Shamans provide, bringing vast bonuses to their allies. If their somewhat average damage output is not the best reason to bring an Elemental Shaman in a raid while there are better casters available, their vast utility is one of their strongest points.

Their damage output peaks at around 950 DPS.

Balance Druid

Balance Druids have possibly one of their roughest moments in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery, as the specialization completely falls behind, ranking among the lowest Caster Specializations. The reason for their downfall mostly resides in the new runes they receive in Phase 3, with one of them focusing on AoE encounters which are scarce while the other provides rather underwhelming bonuses.

In terms of AoE, Boomies received Gale Winds which is a massive bonus to their overall AoE capabilities. However, the Sunken Temple raid is mostly Single-Target oriented, with only two fights relying on AoE damage. In terms of Single-Target, they received Elune’s Fires which is completely underwhelming when considering how little impact Moonfire and Sunfire have in PvE at the current moment.

Their Single-Target rotation still revolves around the Eclipse and Dreamstate, with Starfire, Wrath, and Starsurge being their best damage-dealing abilities by far. Both Sunfire and Moonfire deal considerably lower amounts of damage, which makes Elune’s Fires seem almost pointless.

Besides the underwhelming Single-Target rune they received, they are also plagued by the same issue that Caster Specializations have in this current phase, a lack of powerful Spell Power gear from the Sunken Temple raid.

What saves them is their overall utility, with Moonkin Form being a great addition for Caster-oriented groups. Additionally, they are often brought in raid groups as Off-Healers. Albeit, many raids simply prefer Feral Druid instead as the meta is currently shifted toward Melee-oriented groups.

Their damage output peaks at around 980 DPS.

Shadow Priest

Famous and beloved in Phase 2, underpowered and shunned in Phase 3, Shadow Priest somehow manages to drop from the S-Tier to the very bottom of the C-Tier. While they get access to some pretty new cool runes such as Despair, Void Zone, Eye of the Void, and Pain and Suffering that are all-around useful yet a tad underwhelming, Shadow Priests seem to perform average at best, generating a very similar damage output with the rest of the C-Tier specializations.

The main issue that Shadow Priests encounter is their overall low scaling. Additionally, the lack of new powerful abilities in Single-Target encounters makes them fall behind when compared to other Caster Specializations, especially since Eye of the Void is mostly utility-based and doesn’t do enough damage while Despair shares the same fate since their main damaging abilities can’t scale off it. Pain and Suffering is also not viable in Single-Target due to the low overall damage of Shadow Word: Pain when compared to Eye of the Void. Most of the damage in Single-Target scenarios comes from Mind Spike, Void Plague and Mind Blast.

Their AoE is not spectacular either, relying on multi-dotting, Mind Sear, and the new AoE rune, Void Zone. The new rune is not particularly helpful either as it currently seems to underperform. Other than the new runes, Shadow Priest doesn’t get its hands on any impactful ability, making it one of the most underpowered caster specializations at the moment.

Their damage output peaks at around 900 DPS.

D-Tier

Arcane Mage

Arcane Mage certainly has it rough in Phase 3 of Season of Discovery, as it reaches the bottom of the ranking list in the D-tier. While the specialization has received some hotfixes since the release of the patch, with Balefire Bolt now proccing correctly off Arcane Blast, the current meta simply favors Frostfire Bolt in a way that completely obliterates Arcane Mage.

The new available talents don’t aid Arcane Mage unless players specifically choose Balefire Bolt over Molten Armor for the Ignite DoT effect. This makes their overall playstyle feel clunky, especially when considering Missile Barrage will proc significantly fewer times if they don’t choose to go with the Molten Armor rune and spam Arcane Blast.

Conjure Mana Citrine resolves a bit of their mana management issues, however, their Arcane Blast spam can still lead to an OoM situation.

Considering all that we’ve previously mentioned, the new runes for the Mage class heavily emphasize Fire Mage and Frost Mage as the two dominating specializations in the current meta, leaving the Arcane Mage in a healer position. The addition of Temporal Anomaly also places Arcane Mage in a much more supporting role since the other two mage specializations simply out-damage it by a considerable amount.

Their damage output peaks at around 730 DPS according to Warcraftlogs.

Fire Mage (S Tier)
Feral Druid (S Tier)
Elemental Shaman (S Tier)
Mutilate Rogue (S Tier)
Fire Warlock (A Tier)
Shadow Priest (A Tier)
Frost Mage (A Tier)
Enhancement Shaman (A Tier)
Shadow Warlock (B Tier)
Melee Hunter (B Tier)
Balance Druid (B Tier)
Ranged Hunter (B Tier)
Fury/Arms Warrior (C Tier)
Retribution Paladin (C Tier)
Arcane Mage (D Tier)

Phase 4 in the Season of Discovery features even more changes than the previous phase, with many of the runes receiving tweaks or even an entire overhaul. Such changes result in performance variations showcased by many classes, with some of the stronger specializations from the previous phase having their spots completely altered. Besides the reworked existing runes, Phase 4 brings two new types of runes, Cloak and Ring runes, aiming to empower further and solidify each specialization’s identity. Furthermore, with the addition of the new dungeon and raid sets, the performance in phase 4 of many of the specializations is much more gear-dependent, with some specializations having stronger set bonuses than others.

While Phase 2 was Caster DPS-oriented and Phase 3 was mostly Melee-centric, the current state of Phase 4 that can be observed on the Classic Era PTR is currently a mix between the two types of specialization with clear examples of both types of specializations such as Feral Druid, Mutilate Rogue, Fire Mage, and Elemental Shaman displaying a phenomenal performance thanks to the changes that occurred.

This DPS Ranking List is based on the currently available information that can be observed on the Classic Era PTR, along with all the current changes based on the recent hotfixes. The DPS Ranking List will be updated with the most up-to-date information based on any upcoming patches and hotfixes that will occur post-launch.

S-Tier

Fire Mage

We can officially say that Fire Mage is certainly back claiming the top spot in the S Tier, thanks to all the changes brought by Phase 4. Firstly, Hot Streak has now been moved to the Helm Rune slot, which is a massive improvement for Fire Mages as they can now fully integrate Pyroblast into their gameplay while also maintaining the beloved Frostfire Bolt. Since the Balefire Bolt playstyle has been proven to be inferior to the Molten Armor and Frostfire Bolt playstyle, this change massively buffs Fire Mage. Additionally, Phase 4 introduced the Overheat rune which allows the use of Fire Blast while casting another spell, with the spell now ignoring the normal GCD limit. Additionally, Fire Blast will always result in a critical strike, further empowering Hot Streak.

In terms of the available set bonuses from the tier gear, Fire Mage has access to a rather interesting bonus, gaining 1% increased damage for 15 seconds each time a spell from a different school of magic is used. This bonus ties in perfectly with Frostfire Bolt and Hot Streak as you will be guaranteed to trigger both Frost Damage and Fire Damage, triggering the set bonus.

Feral Druid

Feral Druids can once again call themselves the “Kings of the Jungle” as they gain massive improvements in Phase 4, placing them in the S-Tier. Firstly, they received a massive buff to their overall AoE damage thanks to the Improved Shred rune, helping them in a department where they were previously lacking. Not only did their AoE damage capabilities have been increased but some of their old abilities such as Rake and Rip received an overall buff to their Attack Power modifiers, increasing their Single-target capabilities in the process. Additionally, Gore‘s proc chance has been increased significantly, further empowering their overall DPS.

In terms of the available set bonuses from the tier gear, Feral Druids have hit the jackpot! Their overall utility is improved by the set bonus, with Faerie Fire (Feral) now also acting as a Hit Chance-increase buff to their allies. Additionally, the set bonuses grant Rake and Rip the ability to critically strike while they also grant Rip and Ferocious Bite the chance to reset Savage Roar. Those bonuses not only empower the overall damage output of Feral Druids but also make the specialization much easier to play, since Savage Roar theoretically only needs to be applied once per fight.

One more important aspect for Feral Druids is the access to additional Talent Points, allowing them to finally tweak their build to incorporate both Omen of Clarity and Leader of the Pack.

In terms of utility, Feral Druid specifically brings Wild Strikes, Mangle, and Faerie Fire (Feral), which are highly valued by most Physical Damage Dealers. Since Bleed Damage is much more often encountered in Phase 4, Mangle is especially powerful in this phase of the Season of Discovery.

Elemental Shaman

Elemental Shamans find themselves in one extremely unexpected spot, climbing up to the S Tier thanks to the new tier sets and some very important additions to their overall kit. While their performance was quite underwhelming in Phase 3, Phase 4 brings forth a complete change in scenery.

Elemental Shamans received one of the most powerful runes in Phase 4, namely the Storm, Earth, and Fire rune. While in its initial state, it reduced Chain Lightning‘s cooldown by 100%, this was way too powerful, being quickly nerfed to a 50% cooldown reduction. Nonetheless, this massively improves Elemental Shaman’s overall performance when also thinking about the Flame Shock damage increase, especially when considering the tier-set bonuses.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, Elemental Shamans have received some utterly broken bonuses, especially when considering the new Storm, Earth, and Fire. Lightning Bolt now has a 35% chance to reset the cooldown of Lava Burst and Chain Lightning while Lava Burst now refreshes the duration of Flame Shock. Additionally, their totems will now have a 40-yard radius.

While in the previous phase, Elemental Shamans had the option of using two distinct playstyles. While this is still technically possible, since Mental Dexterity was nerfed, it is currently unknown whether the playstyle is still viable. Additionally, since Burn synergizes with the tier-set bonus and with Storm, Earth, and Fire, sharing the same rune slot with Mental Dexterity, the latter’s viability is questionable. Furthermore, since Lava Burst now actually has a useful interaction with the tier set, picking Mental Dexterity would mean that Lava Lash would be mandatory as well, which is hardly viable.

Elemental Shamans currently provide the same utility that Enhancement Shamans provide, bringing vast bonuses to their allies, especially since their totems’ range is massively buffed by the tier-set bonus. Additionally, since Shamanistic Rage is now a baseline ability, Shamans also have a very powerful mana regeneration tool that they can grant their allies.

Mutilate Rogue

Mutilate Rogue has an astonishing time in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, receiving a few powerful new toys in addition to their already strong kit. Due to those additions, they managed to retain their spot in the S Tier, now having a stunning performance in both Single-Target and AoE encounters. However, with all the changes occurring to the Rogue Class in Phase 4, other builds such as Backstab/Ambush Build and the Saber Slash Build may also gain popularity, meaning that Mutilate Rogue may not be the only playstyle to dominate the scene.

While Mutilate Rogues were known for their astonishing Single-Target damage coming from Melee Swings, Mutilate, Envenom, and Instant Poison but very lackluster damage in the AoE department, Phase 4 made sure to remove that particular weak point. Phase 4 introduces two new viable runes for Rogue, namely the Fan of Knives and Crimson Tempest Back runes. Those two runes have massively improved Mutilate Rogue’s performance, alongside the other viable Rogue Builds, with Fan of Knives applying Instant Poison and Deadly Poison to its target. Additionally, since Rogues gained a new poison, Occult Poison, which replaces the typical Deadly Poison, that specific effect can also be spread by Fan of Knives, resulting in some terrifying effects.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, Mutilate Rogues benefit the most from the new tier-set items, gaining the most from the increased critical strike damage bonus for Poison Damage which the set offers. Additionally, the full set also grants a chance for abilities to cost no energy after a Finishing Move, meaning potential free Mutilate casts!

From a utility perspective, Rogues finally brings a few unique effects besides their typical crowd-control effects! Occult Poison is a new attraction that grants Rogue a very potent utility tool that can empower all Magic Damage-based specializations. However, they also gain access to other special poisons such as Atrophic Poison, Numbing Poison, and Sebacious Poison, providing similar effects to Thunder Clap, Demoralizing Shout, and Sunder Armor.

A-Tier

Fire Warlock

Fire Warlocks find themselves in an overall better spot than they were in the previous phase, with Phase 4 bringing beneficial changes for them! As their current performance can be observed on the PTR, they are most certainly worthy of the A Tier. While it is uncertain whether or not they will encounter any issues with scaling later down the road, that remains to be seen.

Phase 4 brings a powerful execution tool for Fire Warlocks, offsetting the position of Shadow Warlock as the only specialization with a proper execution tool. They gain access to the new Decimation Back rune, which will allow them to trigger the effect with ease by casting Incinerate. As such, they gain free uses of Soul Fire, integrating a very powerful tool in their standard rotation.

The rest of their rotation remains the same, with Backdraft, Incinerate, and Chaos Bolt being their core tools. Luckily for Fire Warlocks, Backdraft now allows them to no longer consume Immolate whenever they cast Conflagrate, being a much-desired quality-of-life improvement. Additionally, Lake of Fire was redesigned again, allowing them to instantly cast Rain of Fire without requiring any channeling, albeit the ability gained a cooldown now. Additionally, Warlocks gained Fel Armor as a valuable tool that can be learned through a spell book to increase their overall damage.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, their bonuses are rather lackluster, with only one bonus being truly impactful, the chance to trigger Incinerate or Immolate instant casts based on the periodic damage of Immolate! The rest of the bonuses are rather generic, with the 2% Critical Strike Chance increase being rather underwhelming when compared to other sets.

Besides their new personal damage-enhancing effects, Warlocks bring even more utility through the Curse of Shadow, Curse of Recklessness, and Curse of the Elements which now have even stronger versions available with the new level 60 cap. Additionally, the Demonic Pact rune can now be used by Fire Warlocks too, enhancing an entire raid group instead of party members. This means that Warlocks now bring a very powerful spell-enhancing effect to both healers and casters. Furthermore, a new effect, Mark of Chaos can also be used to enhance the overall Spell Damage inflicted on a target whenever it is afflicted with either Curse of Shadow or Curse of the Elements.

Shadow Priest

Shadow Priests received a large number of beneficial changes in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, enhancing their overall performance by quite a substantial amount! As a result, their current performance on the PTR indicates that they are worthy of the A-Tier, with the potential to scale even further, depending on what the devs decide.

Phase 4 brings forth a very powerful tool for Shadow Priests, the Vampiric Touch Back rune. The spell not only deals a great amount of damage but it also applies Vampiric Embrace to the target whilst also providing a mana regeneration tool to all party members. Additionally, Pain and Suffering has received an overhaul, now acting as a “Refresher” tool for all DoT abilities, including Vampiric Touch. Those changes have simplified Shadow Priest’s rotation, boiling it down to Mind Spike and Mind Blast besides the initial cast of DoTs. The rotation also starts including Mind Flay when the full tier-set bonus is achieved.

Shadow Priests have also received a buff in the AoE department, with Mind Sear now working as a proper Cleave tool that will also damage the main target.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, Shadow Priests have mixed bonuses between utility and damage-enhancing effects. The two-set bonus allows them to off-heal in emergencies without losing Shadow Form while the more impactful damage-increasing effect is the proc effect which enhances Mind Flay.

As for utility, Shadow Priests bring the same effects they brought in the previous phases, with the most impactful addition being Vampiric Touch.

Frost Mage

Frost Mage is doing surprisingly well in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, maintaining a strong position in the current PTR version of the game. As Frostfire Bolt meta remains strong, Frost Mage can display an even stronger performance given the new available Talent Points and changes that occurred to the runes.

Ironically, Frost Mage uses almost the same runes as Fire Mage, utilizing the new Overheat rune which allows the use of Fire Blast while casting another spell, with the spell now ignoring the normal GCD limit. While Frost Mage can use the new Frozen Orb Back rune to deal damage in both Single-Target and AoE encounters, Overheat simply works better since it procs Ignite. Furthermore, since the Frostfire Bolt is so strong, the change to Hot Streak and the new Talent Points which allow you to reach Pyroblast simply provide a much better playstyle, even for Frost Mage. While this theoretically seems to be the better option, Frost Mages can continue to use Ice Lance and Fingers of Frost if they choose to do so.

In terms of the available set bonuses from the tier gear, Frost Mage has access to the same bonuses that Fire Mage has access to. The first effect is a rather interesting bonus, granting a 1% increased damage for 15 seconds each time a spell from a different school of magic is used. This bonus ties in perfectly with Frostfire Bolt and Hot Streak as you will be guaranteed to trigger both Frost Damage and Fire Damage, triggering the set bonus.

In terms of utility, Frost Mage brings the same utility that all Mage Specializations can, albeit they can also bring Improved Scorch if they choose to do so, just like a Fire Mage.

Enhancement Shaman

Enhancement Shaman sadly takes a big hit with the arrival of Phase 4, as some of the effects that made it so great in Phase 3, receive quite some powerful nerfs. Nonetheless, the specialization itself still has an impressive performance, currently placing itself in the lower parts of the A Tier. While some may argue that the specialization has fallen beyond its glory days and can even be considered B Tier in Phase 4, Enhancement Shamans have the potential to scale tremendously in time.

The worst change that hit Enhancement Shamans in Phase 4 is the nerf that Mental Dexterity dexterity received, with the effect now no longer being able to be used to instantly cast Chain Heal or Healing Wave while also providing a substantially lower amount of Attack Power and Spell Power.

In terms of new runes, they gain access to the Feral Spirit and Storm, Earth, and Fire Back runes, with the latter option somehow proving stronger in an ironic manner thanks to the overall buff that it grants to Flame Shock. While Feral Spirit might also prove quite useful, its overall long cooldown makes it a questionable choice in the current PTR scene.

Their overall rotation remains the same as it was in the previous phase of Season of Discovery, with most of their damage coming from Melee Swings, Windfury, shock spells, and weaved-in Lightning Bolt/Chain Lightning.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, Enhancement Shamans took another big hit when compared to other DPS specializations or even their fellow Elemental Shamans brethren, as their bonuses are quite generic and mediocre at best. The 10% additional Attack Speed granted by Flurry that the set bonus provides can be considered one of the worst bonuses when we look at what the other specializations have available.

Enhancement Shamans currently provide the same utility that Elemental Shamans provide, bringing vast bonuses to their allies, especially since their totems’ range is massively buffed by the tier-set bonus. Additionally, since Shamanistic Rage is now a baseline ability, Shamans also have a very powerful mana regeneration tool that they can grant their allies.

B-Tier

Shadow Warlock

Shadow Warlock receives massive bonuses when compared to the previous phase, with Phase 4 of Season of Discovery bringing quite a few changes to those that like to afflict their foes with multiple damage-over-time effects. As they currently stand, Affliction Warlocks (Shadow Warlocks) place themselves in the upper B Tier, however, their damage may skyrocket as the phase unravels, reaching a solid A Tier.

While the specialization plays mostly the same, with Unstable Affliction, Everlasting Affliction, and Pandemic being core runes that shape its identity, Phase 4 introduces two new runes that complete the specialization’s identity entirely. The new Soul Siphon Back rune and the newly overhauled Shadowflame Feet rune add a new flavor to the specialization, making up for some of its former issues.

Firstly, Soul Siphon grants Affliction Warlock (Shadow Warlock) a much stronger version of Drain Soul, as opposed to its Classic version which was lackluster and behind in Spell Power scaling when compared to Shadow Bolt. Secondly, the Shadowflame rune grants Shadow Warlock a new proper Shadow Damage DoT, no longer having to rely on the Fire Damage dealt by Immolate.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, their bonuses are rather lackluster, with only one bonus being truly impactful, the 4% increased chance to trigger Nightfall. The rest of the bonuses are rather generic, with the 2% Critical Strike Chance increase being rather underwhelming when compared to other sets.

Besides their new personal damage-enhancing effects, Warlocks bring even more utility through the Curse of Shadow, Curse of Recklessness, and Curse of the Elements which now have even stronger versions available with the new level 60 cap. Additionally, the Demonic Pact rune can now be used to enhance an entire raid group instead of party members. This means that Warlocks now bring a very powerful spell-enhancing effect to both healers and casters. Furthermore, a new effect, Mark of Chaos can also be used to enhance the overall Spell Damage inflicted on a target whenever it is afflicted with either Curse of Shadow or Curse of the Elements, although Shadowflame would be sacrificed in the process.

Melee Hunter

Poor Melee Hunters, their glory days seem to be long gone with the amount of changes that are currently happening to them. Phase 4 of Season of Discovery has brought numerous changes to Melee Hunters, with the current PTR iteration placing them in a rather weird spot. Their performance seems to consistently fluctuate from one day to another, as the devs are unsure of what to do with them. As they currently are, they can be considered B Tier with a chance of grabbing an A Tier spot, however, with the amount of rebalancing that they are facing consistently, that remains to be seen.

In terms of changes, the most impactful can be observed in regards to added variety in terms of available playstyles. Melee Hunters received some massive overhauls to some of their runes, allowing them to properly choose between multiple separate styles, one focusing on solo play, one focusing on their pets, another focusing on the classic Dual-Wield Hunter, and lastly, one that focuses on Two-Handed Hunter. Flanking Strike and Cobra Strikes have been reworked to increase your overall damage whilst playing with a pet, providing far better effects now than their previous versions while Lone Wolf‘s overall damage increase has been buffed.

Additionally, Rapid Killing has also been specifically tailored for Melee Hunters, granting them a big offensive cooldown that they can use to increase their overall melee Attack Speed. Furthermore, traps can now be used in combat, which adds a whole new depth of gameplay for Hunters!

In terms of new runes, Melee Hunter gains the Hit and Run and Resourcefulness Back runes, with the latter being the obvious choice for PvE since it ties into the trap changes directly. Hit and Run can also be useful in PvE scenarios that require a lot of movement, but it is mainly PvP-centric. Additionally, a new rune has been introduced to solidify the Survival Talent Tree for those who wish to play Two-Handed Melee Hunter, the Wyvern Strike Feet rune. This rune replaces the Wyvern Sting talent and instead grants a powerful ability that deals damage and also causes a Bleed effect.

As for their tier-set bonuses, the bonuses themselves are centered around Mongoose Bite, increasing your overall Hit Rating whenever it is used while also granting you a way to reset its cooldown more efficiently.

Lastly, Melee Hunters brings almost all the same utility tools as the other Hunter Specializations. Phase 4 has brought a change to the overall utility that a Hunter can provide thanks to the “In-Combat” trap mechanic while also turning the former Heart of the Lion rune into a baseline ability. Additionally, Heart of the Lion was also buffed to increase Attack Power besides its former 10% stat increase effect.

Balance Druid

Compared to their fellow “Kings of the Jungle”, Balance Druids continue to have one of the worst moments in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, as they only receive minimal changes. Albeit their weak performance when compared to other caster specializations, the few buffs that they received have elevated them to the B Tier, with their current performance being somewhat average at best.

In terms of changes, they received overall buffs to their Moonkin Form, with the ability now offering a 120 Spell Power increase which can be considered absolutely bonkers when compared to other weaker buffs received by the caster specializations. Additionally, Elune’s Fires now no longer has a limit on each DoT effect that it can increase its duration, meaning that similarly to Shadow Priests, they can now indefinitely refresh their DoTs.

As for new runes, Phase 4 brings the Starfall Back rune for Balance Druids, complimenting their AoE damage capabilities that they received in the previous phase with the Gale Winds rune. However, since crowd control or shapeshifting can end the effect instantly, Balance Druids should be careful with their positioning when they use Starfall.

With the amount of minimal changes that they received, Balance Druids still maintain their Single-Target rotation which revolves around the Eclipse and Dreamstate effects, with Starfire, Wrath, and Starsurge being their main damaging tools besides Sunfire and Moonfire.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, they receive some of the weakest bonuses, with a generic Hit Chance increase buff and an overall cooldown reduction to the new Starfall rune. The only part of the tier-set bonus that stands out is the buff to Thorns, which is an odd benefit for Balance Druids, hinting that the devs intend to emphasize the utility side of Balance Druids more than the damage output part.

Lastly, their great utility and off-heal capabilities are what makes them shine more and the devs seem to want to emphasize that further. Their unique Moonkin Form continues to be a great addition to Caster-oriented groups, especially as many casters heavily rely on Critical Strike Chance.

Ranged Hunter

Ranged Hunters find themselves in the same spot in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery as they previously did in the previous phase, with their overall performance being worthy of the B Tier.

While their fellow Melee Hunter brethren have gone through a large number of changes to adjust their playstyle, Ranged Hunters were somewhat neglected in the new phase, with most of their kit remaining almost intact in a sense. Among the impactful changes we can mention the “In-Combat” traps playstyle being heavily emphasized with runes such as Lock and Load playing a vital role in the Ranged Hunter identity.

With most of the Hunter runes in Phase 4 being centered around Melee Hunters, Ranged Hunters only get a few toys to play with by comparison. Phase 4 introduces the Improved Volley and Resourcefulness Back runes, with the latter being the obvious choice in most Single-Target encounters. Additionally, Ranged Hunters can use Kill Shot, a new rune that replaces Kill Command as both a powerful execution tool and an on-demand instant shot while their other shots are on cooldown. As Kill Shot doesn’t require your target to be below a current threshold to be used, Ranged Hunters will find themselves spamming this ability.

In terms of set bonuses, Ranged Hunters gain one of the worst bonuses, with one of the bonuses being a generic buff shared by their fellow brethren. Their full set bonus is tied directly to Aimed Shot, providing a rather weak 20% damage increase bonus to their follow-up shot after using Aimed Shot.

Lastly, Ranged Hunters bring almost all the same utility tools as the other Hunter Specializations, with one particular extra effect, Trueshot Aura. Although the effect was reworked to now only increase Ranged Attack Power. Phase 4 has brought a change to the overall utility that a Hunter can provide thanks to the “In-Combat” trap mechanic while also turning the former Heart of the Lion rune into a baseline ability. Additionally, Heart of the Lion was also buffed to increase Attack Power besides its former 10% stat increase effect.

C-Tier

Fury/Arms Warrior

A big “oof” could be said about the current state of Fury/Arms Warriors in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, as the PTR version of the Warrior Class has been a massive shock to all who used to dominate the damage meters during Phase 3. The current state of Warriors is largely due to a huge amount of Nerfs and rebalances thrown at them in an attempt to allow other specializations to shine through the Season of Discovery. Yet all the panic regarding the state of Warrior may be diminished in time, especially since it is a well-known fact that they are Gear and World Buff reliant. Many believe that while its performance on the PTR is absolutely horrendous, Warrior will scale with time, especially as the phase unfolds.

In terms of changes, the Warriors shared the same fate with Paladins and Hunters, receiving massive overhauls to most of their runes. Wrecking Crew, Rampage, Flagellation, Consumed By Rage, and Single-Minded Fury have been all nerfed into the ground, with all the runes now granting vastly underwhelming effects when compared to their previous versions. In terms of additions, Warriors received the Sudden Death and Fresh Meat Back runes. Sudden Death them a chance to cast Execute regardless of the target’s health which is useful for Arms Warrior while Fresh Meat grants a damage-enhancing buff specifically tailored to Fury Warriors which is tied into Bloodthirst and the “Enraged” effect.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, Warriors have some of the more unique bonuses when compared to the other specializations, with most of their bonuses revolving around gaining temporary benefits by performing “Stance Dancing”. For those of you who are not familiar, the term refers to proactively changing stances during combat.

As for their utility, Warriors still grant Rallying Cry, although a new particularly useful tool has been added to their kit, making up for all the heavy nerfs they received. The Valor of Azeroth ability has been added to their kit, turning them into a walking World Buff, for themselves and their allies. This has been implemented to both mitigate the heavy nerfs and compensate for the Warrior’s well-known reliance on World Buffs, although the concept seems to be experimental at best.

Retribution Paladin

Retribution Paladins find themselves in a worse spot in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, as their overall performance on the PTR can be considered mediocre at best. As such, they find themselves down to the C Tier, even though they have received some interesting changes.

In terms of changes, Retribution Paladins have received overall buffs with former runes such as Exorcist and Seal of Martyrdom now being turned into baseline abilities. Although the changes make room for new runes that are tailored for utility, Seal of Martyrdom has been nerfed as a result. Additionally, the Vindication talent has been majorly buffed to now increase a Retribution Paladin’s Attack Power by 15% in addition to its old effect while The Art of War rune has been massively nerfed to no longer reset the cooldown of Exorcism, instead reducing its cooldown by 2 seconds whenever it procs. Nonetheless, Exorcism is still a huge part of a Retribution Paladin’s gameplay, even if in a lesser form.

Phase 4 brings the new Righteous Vengeance Back rune to Retribution Paladins, providing them with a DoT effect based on their Judgement, Divine Storm, and Crusader Strike critical hits. The damage deals a total of 50% of the critical strike’s value over 8 seconds, providing a decent damage increase to the specialization. However, when compared to the utterly broken runes that other specializations receive, Retribution Paladins can say that they drew the short straw in that regard.

In terms of set bonuses, Retribution Paladins are in for an actual surprise. Whereas many have claimed that “Seal Twisting” will be completely irrelevant in the Season of Discovery, the devs brought us a surprise by implementing the “Seal Twisting” concept into the tier-set bonuses themselves. The bonuses allow Retribution Paladins to unleash multiple seals at once with Judgement while also retaining multiple seal effects for a limited amount of time after swapping a seal. While some will be overjoyed by this, others will surely find it frustrating as opposed to the Exorcism spam playstyle they were used to.

As for utility, Retribution Paladins bring almost all the same utility spells that the other Paladin Specializations bring, with the addition of Aura Mastery which is a new rune that fits their playstyle the best when considering the alternatives.

D-Tier

Arcane Mage

Arcane Mage still finds itself in the D Tier in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery, as its overall identity has been consolidated as a Healer Specialization instead of a Damage Dealer Specialization. Albeit this trend, Arcane Mage received some new toys in Phase 4 which might increase its overall viability as a DPS.

Phase 4 brings forth some interesting changes, among which is the new Arcane Barrage rune. Since this rune synergizes with Missile Barrage and can be empowered by Arcane Blast, Arcane Mage has a much higher chance of succeeding as a proper DPS with an actual rotation. Furthermore, since Balefire Bolt was changed to also inflict Frost Damage, talents from the Frost Tree become much more relevant for Arcane Mage.

Arcane Mages benefit from the same tier-set bonuses as Fire and Frost mages, meaning that Balefire Bolt may aid them in gaining the damage-increase buff much more easily.

Since mana is no longer such a huge issue for raid groups thanks to all the mana regeneration effects such as Vampiric Touch, Arcane Mages may finally be rid of the “Mana Starvation” states that they often found themselves in, especially when considering the tier-set bonus to Mage Armor.

Nonetheless, many players still view Arcane Mage as a pure Healer/Utility specialization, especially when considering Temporal Anomaly and Advanced Warding.

Fury Warrior (S Tier)
Fire Mage (S Tier)
Feral Druid (S Tier)
Ranged Hunter (S Tier)
Mutilate Rogue (S Tier)
Fire Warlock (A Tier)
Shadow Priest (A Tier)
Shadow Warlock (A Tier)
Balance Druid (A Tier)
Enhancement Shaman (A Tier)
Elemental Shaman (B Tier)
Melee Hunter (B Tier)
Retribution Paladin (B Tier)
Frost Mage (C Tier)
Arms Warrior (C Tier)
Arcane Mage (D Tier)

Phase 5 of the Season of Discovery features many balance changes, and rune modifications, along with a plethora of new items and sets that became available with the release of Blackwing Lair, The Crystal Vale, and Zul’Gurub. Such changes result in performance variations showcased by many classes, with some of the stronger specializations from the previous phase having their spots completely altered. Furthermore, with the addition of the new raid sets and brand new class-specific epic items, the performance in Phase 5 of many of the specializations is much more gear-dependent, with some specializations having stronger bonuses than others.

Similarly to how things worked in Phase 4, Phase 5 of Season of Discovery features some of the famous specializations such as Fire Mage, Fury Warrior, and Feral Druid maintain the top spots while others such as Elemental Shaman occupy different spots than expected. Furthermore, some specializations such as Retribution Paladin or Melee Hunter are extremely hard to tie to a single tier, as they showcase varied performances, with some of the top contenders on the logs even overpowering S-Tier specializations such as Feral Druid or Ranged Hunter. This implies that some specializations, even if generally viewed as weak, can achieve top performances in the right conditions.

Additionally, Phase 5 seems to have a specific different approach when compared to the previous phases. While the previous phases were either dominated by casters or melees, Phase 5 has somewhat uniformized the damage output of the majority of the Damage Dealer Specializations. While certain specializations are in a league of their own, the other specializations seem extremely close to one another based on their overall damage output. This overall change emphasizes player skill more than the class/specialization itself, as the fine line between the specialization tiers blurs even further.

This DPS Ranking List is based on the currently available information that can be observed on Warcraft Logs, along with all the current changes based on the recent patches and hotfixes.

S-Tier

Fury Warrior

The moment of glory has finally arrived with the launch of Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, as Fury Warriors reach their peak potential, turning themselves into absolute monsters and showcasing a spectacular overall Damage Output. In terms of balance changes, Fury Warriors retain most of the changes they received in Phase 4, with only one addition to their kit, the removal of the GCD of Rampage, allowing them to initiate their burst sequence far more easily.

Most of the damage dealt by Fury Warriors in Phase 5 is thanks to the new Tier 2 sets, with both variants providing overpowered effects.

The Draconic set empowers them by quite a considerable amount, with the 4-item set bonus and 6-item set bonus providing a massive damage boost! Since they can easily trigger free Slam casts, they can effectively spam Bloodthirst now while also being able to make the most of the newly empowered Heroic Strike. On the other hand, the Core Forged Set grants equally powerful bonuses, although they force Fury Warriors into a consistent “Stance Dancing” state to maintain their damage-enhancing buffs.

While they don’t gain a cool new epic weapon like the other classes do in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, the raw damage output presented by Fury Warriors in both Single-Target and AoE encounters remains truly astonishing.

As for their utility, Warriors still grant Rallying Cry and Valor of Azeroth, providing a valuable raid defensive tool and a precious World Buff, just like in Phase 4.

Fire Mage

Dethroned only by the godlike Fury Warriors, Fire Mages retain their phenomenal spot in the S-Tier, representing the most powerful caster specialization in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery. Not only that the improvements they received in Phase 4 still stand tall in Phase 5, but they also received a few balance changes that further improved their performance.

Fire Mage is by far the best-performing Mage Specialization, and certainly the best Caster DPS specialization in the game at the current moment. Their playstyle changed a bit since Balefire Bolt was improved to stack only up to 5 times instead of 10 times, allowing them to perform the rest of their rotation in peace without having to worry about spending too much time casting the ability and missing on Fire Blast casts and Hot Streak procs. Albeit this change was not received well by all Mages due to the loss of Molten Armor, the players quickly adapted to the new playstyle, showcasing some truly incredible numbers in both Blackwing Lair and Zul’Gurub.

Phase 5 also brings a few new goodies to Fire Mage in the form of the new T2 Draconic set which is exclusively dedicated to the Fire Specialization! Although the playstyle that the new set involves forces Fire Mages to alternate between Frostfire Bolt and Fireball to maximize the damage output, which many players consider somewhat annoying. Alternatively, Fire Mages may also choose to use the new Core Forged set which can be very powerful if they choose to retain the Molten Armor build.

Furthermore, Fire Mages receive one of the most powerful new epic weapons, Staff of Inferno, which allows them to proc the effect of Improved Scorch AoE by using Blast Wave, effectively empowering themselves and other casters in AoE encounters.

Feral Druid

If we named them the “Kings of the Jungle” in Phase 4, in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery we can proudly call them the “Prowling Terrors”, as Feral Druids not only maintain their S-Tier spot but improve upon their former spectacular performance. In terms of balance changes, Feral Druids retain most of the changes they received during Phase 4, with Rake and Rip still performing amazingly. Sadly, they also received a nerf to Elune’s Fires which hindered Rip, although it didn’t seem to impact their overall performance by much.

Phase 5 introduced two new fully viable sets for Feral Druids, the Draconic set and the Core Forged set. Both are extremely powerful, with the latter being tailored more for overall utility, having the same effects as the T1 set from Phase 4. The former is more Damage-oriented, providing some truly interesting effects. The 4-item set bonus and the 6-item set bonus from the Draconic are especially powerful, allowing Feral Druids to have insane burst windows.

However, while both sets are powerful on their own, crafty druids quickly found out that they could combine the two sets and acquire both 4-item set bonuses, resulting in some incredible damage outputs!

Furthermore, Feral Druids have received an astonishing epic weapon that can be compared to Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros, namely Rae’lar. Their new epic weapon is so strong, that Feral Druids simply can dish out incredible damage without even having to attain any new weapon from Blackwing Lair or Zul’Gurub, with the weapon being easily acquired and representing their BiS.

In terms of utility, Feral Druids retain the same utility they had in the previous phases. They specifically bring Wild Strikes, Mangle, and Faerie Fire (Feral), which are highly valued by most Physical Damage Dealers. Since Bleed Damage is much more often encountered in Phase 5, Mangle is especially powerful in this phase of the Season of Discovery.

Ranged Hunter

While Ranged Hunters were initially presented as one of the worst specializations at the beginning of Phase 4, they quickly turned the page around and rose all the way to the top of the DPS charts. In Phase 5, this trend continues, albeit somewhat differently. They manage to maintain outstanding damage output, although their capabilities depend largely on the player and the encounter itself, as they sometimes manage to pass other specializations such as Fire Mage or Feral Druids whereas sometimes they are right below them on the damage meters.

In Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, both the Survival and Marksmanship specializations make a full comeback, with both benefiting from the various changes that occurred in the previous phase! Lock and Load and Resourcefulness remain irreplaceable in any Ranged Hunter’s kit while Chimera Shot still represents their most powerful single-target ability.

Phase 5 also brought a few impactful balance changes, providing both nerfs and buffs to Hunters:

Lone Wolf: The bonus damage from this rune has been decreased to 30% (was 35%).
Trueshot Aura grants the Hunter that activates it 50/75/100 additional Ranged Attack Power based on rank.

In terms of item sets, the Core Forged set has the same weak bonuses as the original T1 set which is tied to Aimed Shot while the new Draconic set has quite some interesting effects which involve maintaining a dynamic rotation for a 10% damage increase while also improving Serpent Sting by a considerable amount.

Ranged Hunters also gain a set of epic swords that they may use to improve their overall Critical Strike, Kestrel and Peregrine. However, those weapons are not as impactful for Ranged Hunters as they are for Melee Hunters.

Lastly, Ranged Hunters bring all the same utility tools that they provided in the previous phase as well, with Trueshot Aura and Heart of the Lion particularly standing out!

Mutilate Rogue

Rogues stay strong in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, as they now maintain their spot among the top S-Tier specializations! While they maintain most of the changes related to the runes they received back in Phase 4, they did receive quite some hefty nerfs for all of their builds in Phase 5. As a result, the Mutilate Rogue Build, the Backstab/Ambush Build, and the Saber Slash Build all suffered quite a lot. Luckily, Occult Poison I received a buff that allows Mutilate Rogue to dish out even more Magic Damage while also increasing the Magic Damage of most of their allies, with the poison no longer empowering Holy Damage.

Nerfs:

Slaughter from the Shadows: Now increases the damage of Backstab and Ambush by 50% to non-players (was 60%).
The Carnage rune now increases damage done by Rogues to targets with their Bleed effects by 8% (was 20%).

In terms of the new sets that they receive, Mutilate Rogues and Saber Slash Rogues will find the Core Forged set to be the better option as it presents the same bonuses as the Tier 1 set, meaning potential multiple Mutilate casts while Backstab/Ambush Rogues will benefit more from the new Draconic set which allows them to have extremely powerful burst sequences.

Furthermore, all Rogue Builds receive one truly amazing new epic weapon which serves as their BiS for the entirety of the phase, namely Dream Eater. As this weapon introduces a new energy regeneration component, Phase 5 allows Rogues to mitigate some of the huge nerfs they received.

Nevertheless, even with the present nerfs, all builds perform quite extraordinarily, fitting well in the S-Tier. While their damage output might be considerably lower than expected until they get their hands on the proper equipment, their damage skyrockets once they reach closer to their BiS.

From a utility perspective, Rogues finally bring a few unique effects besides their typical crowd-control effects! Occult Poison I is a new attraction that grants Rogue a very potent utility tool that can empower all Magic Damage-based specializations except for Holy Damage. They also gain access to other special poisons such as Atrophic Poison, Numbing Poison, and Sebacious Poison, providing similar effects to Thunder Clap, Demoralizing Shout, and Sunder Armor.

A-Tier

Fire Warlock

Fire Warlocks find themselves in the same spot that they were in the previous phase, with Phase 5 maintaining most of the changes that occurred in Phase 4. However, Fire Warlocks have a huge reason to rejoice, as Incinerate now increases Fire damage by 40% compared to its previous 25% version! This has greatly increased the overall damage output of every Fire Warlock, especially when considering how Backdraft, Incinerate, and Chaos Bolt remain their core tools while they also keep the improved Conflagrate and Decimation rune mechanics.

However, Fire Warlocks find themselves in a similar spot with Shadow Priests and Affliction Warlocks, being plagued by the new situation of Phase 5 where a lot of classes seem to have similar performances at various gear differences. This means that they tend to fall in line with those specs, no longer having a clear and distinguishable difference in damage outputs. Based on logs, Fire Warlocks tend to perform very similarly to Shadow Priests and slightly better than Shadow Warlocks (Affliction), depending on the encounter.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, Fire Warlocks will only benefit from the Core Forged set! While the 2-item set and 4-item set bonuses are not particularly strong when compared to other specializations or classes, the 6-item set bonus is quite powerful, allowing Decimation to be triggered regardless of the target’s HP.

Furthermore, Phase 5 provides Fire Warlocks with a new epic weapon that has quite a unique interaction! The Scythe of Chaos allows Fire Warlocks to further enhance their Fire Damage by sacrificing their Imp. Luckily, the weapon also allows Warlocks to gain a proc which can be used to instantly resummon their demons, meaning that that Fire Warlocks won’t have to worry about potential DPS loss due to losing their “Machine Gun Imp.”

Lastly, in terms of utility, they bring all of the utility that they gained in Phase 4, with a small change in which Mark of Chaos no longer increases Holy Damage, meaning that Shockadins or Retribution Paladins will heavily suffer as a consequence.

Shadow Priest

Shadow Priests find themselves in quite a decent spot in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, retaining their position in the A-Tier. Their overall effects and mechanics remain the same as the ones they received in Phase 4, although some balance changes have modified their overall performance and utility quite considerably.

They maintain most of the empowered effects they received in Phase 4 such as Vampiric Touch and Pain and Suffering but they now gain an empowered Despair effect which not only allows DoT effects to critically strike, but also increases the critical strike damage of all the the rest of their spells too! This massive buff has made Shadow Priest compete and even overcome classes such as Warlocks and even in some cases Fire Mages, depending on the encounter itself.

Sadly, while their damage got buffed in Phase 5, Shadow Priests lost a considerable amount of healing they could provide to their allies, with Vampiric Embrace now only providing a 15% healing if the proper talents are selected compared to its previous 30% version.

In terms of tier set bonuses, Shadow Priests have two interesting sets they can choose from, with both the Draconic set and the Core Forged set providing valuable bonuses. Shadow Priests can choose between both sets depending on the playstyle they favor, as one set involves a mechanic with Spirit Tap that can increase all Shadow Damage by 25% while the effect is active, and the other set has a mix of utility and damage-enhancing effects, enhancing Mind Flay and allowing them to heal from Shadowform.

As for utility, Shadow Priests bring the same effects they brought in the previous phases, with the most impactful addition being Vampiric Touch.

Shadow Warlock

Affliction Warlocks, better known as “Shadow Warlocks,” retain quite a powerful position in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, landing themselves in the A-Tier! While their performance has shifted throughout the entirety of Phase 4, in some cases being the top DPS on the meters and in others being the middle of the pack, they are expected to slowly climb again on the meters in Phase 5.

They keep all of the changes that occurred in Phase 4, with Phase 5 presenting them with an improved set specifically designed for them and a balance change that acts as a great quality-of-life improvement. The specialization plays mostly the same, with Unstable Affliction, Everlasting Affliction, and Pandemic being core runes that shape its identity. However, Shadowflame received a major quality-of-life improvement, now allowing Warlocks to correctly maintain the Shadow Vulnerability stacks without the Shadowflame effect having to fall off first.

The current performance showcased by Shadow Warlocks on Warcraftlogs makes them quite hard to place on the tier list, as their damage outputs seem to be all over the place. In some cases, their damage aligns with the one of Shadow Priests and Fire Warlocks while in others they manage to completely obliterate both of them in terms of performance. As it currently stands, their performance is largely related to individual player skill and the amount of gear they acquire, with the encounter itself also playing a huge role into how they perform.

In terms of possible tier sets, they may use the Core Forged set for the 4% increased chance to trigger Nightfall, although the Draconic set is the obvious better choice as it empowers periodic damage and the overall damage of Shadow Bolt based on the active DoTS on the target.

Furthermore, Phase 5 provides Shadow Warlocks with the same new epic weapon that Fire Warlocks can use, allowing them to empower themselves through an interactive effect! The Scythe of Chaos allows Shadow Warlocks to sacrifice their Succubus or Incubus to increase their overall Shadow Damage. However, the effect only lasts 15 seconds, with Warlocks gaining a proc that can be used to instantly resummon their demons after the effect ends.

Balance Druid

Deceptively strong is what truly describes Balance Druids in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, as the general performance they showcase on the current Warcraftlogs can be considered both great and bad at the same time. When looking at top contenders, Balance Druids seem to perform amazingly, placing themselves among the top caster specializations such as Warlocks, Priests, and in some cases, even Mages. However, in other cases, their performance is average, with their overall damage output being the middle of the pack.

Balance Druids retain most of the changes that occurred in Phase 4 of Season of Discovery involving Moonkin Form and Elune’s Fires, with Phase 5 bringing one additional change, a massive buff to Dreamstate! Dreamstate will now always trigger from Starsurge casts, while also increasing the overall Arcane Damage received by the target by 20%. This buff considerably raises the overall performance of Balance Druid, raising it from its previous mediocre iteration. However, they also receive somewhat of a nerf which can be considered more of a balance change, with Dreamstate and Stormstrike’s Nature Damage increasing effects no longer stacking with one another.

In terms of tier-set bonuses, Balance Druids are among the luckiest specializations in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, as they gain access to the new powerful set bonuses offered by the Draconic set, which solves the issue they had with the previously available weak tier set bonuses. Additionally, they also receive a new epic weapon just like the other specializations, Gla’sir, which helps them in both Single-Target and AoE encounters.

Enhancement Shaman

Enhancement Shamans find themselves in an odd position in Phase 5, as they received some huge buffs but their overall performance is tied to the encounters themselves. They keep a spot in the A-Tier, but the overall damage output consistency they display is somewhat questionable. On the higher-end brackets of Item Level, Enhancement Shamans seem to position themselves close to the S-Tier specializations, in some cases even beating all the other A-Tier specializations. On the other hand, at lower Item Level brackets and in cases where the parses are middle-tier at best, Enhancement Shaman seems to be performing awfully, making the specialization a wildcard which is defined by skill, gear, and most importantly the encounter itself.

Compared to the huge nerfs they received back in Phase 4, Enhancement Shamans received overall buffs in Phase 5, with Mental Dexterity now offering increased Attack Power based on Intellect by 100% and by Spell Power by 35%, bringing Enhance/Spellhance back to its former glory! Sadly, Enhancement Shamans still can’t use Chain Heal or Healing Wave with Maelstrom Weapon.

Their overall rotation remains the same as it was in the previous phase of Season of Discovery, with most of their damage coming from Melee Swings, Windfury Weapon, shock spells, and weaved-in Lightning Bolt/Chain Lightning.

In terms of item sets, Enhancement Shamans share a similar condition with Feral Druids, being able to mix both the Draconic and Core Forged sets to acquire multiple benefits. Multiple variations are viable, however, a combination of 6 items from the Core Forged set and 2 items from the Draconic set seem to offer the best performance so far.

Additionally, in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, Enhancement Shamans sadly have no epic weapons specifically made for them, with Elemental and Restoration Shamans receiving a cool shield instead.

Enhancement Shamans currently provide the same utility that Elemental Shamans/Restoration Shamans provide, bringing vast bonuses to their allies, especially since their totems’ range is massively buffed by the tier-set bonus. Additionally, since Shamanistic Rage is now a baseline ability, Shamans also have a very powerful mana regeneration tool that they can grant their allies.

B-Tier

Elemental Shaman

Elemental Shamans in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery can be described in a single word, “Auch.” Compared to their previous version in Phase 4, the current iteration seems to be all over the place. While players expected Elemental Shamans to be one of the top dominating caster specializations, the reality is that their damage output falls in line with most other B-Tier and A-Tier specializations, being a victim of the “Harmonized Damage Outputs” we mentioned in the beginning. In some cases, their damage output is even below the normal threshold, being considered as low as a C-Tier specialization.

Their performance can certainly be impressive in some encounters while in others, their damage simply blends in with other specializations, drawing almost no attention to themselves whatsoever. Most of the huge buffs they received back in Phase 4 still apply in Phase 5, however, they also received some overhauls and nerfs that dampened their overall performance.

Power Surge: This rune has been slightly redesigned. Flame Shock periodic damage can no longer make the Shaman’s next Chain Heal instant, and Riptide periodic healing can no longer reset the cooldown on Lava Burst and Chain Lightning and can no longer make those spells instant.
Burn: This rune now requires Flametongue on the main hand weapon to grant its spell damage. It also now grants 1 spell damage per Intellect (was 2 spell damage per level).

Luckily for them, the new Draconic Tier 2 set provides some very strong bonuses that may restore some of their former lost glory. The entire set revolves around Elemental Focus, which also received a slight adjustment, improving their overall damage output by quite a considerable percentage. Additionally, they also receive a cool new epic shield thanks to the introduction of the new class-related epic items in Phase 5, Terrestris, which provides quite an impressive array of buffs.

Melee Hunter

The situation hasn’t changed for the better with Melee Hunters in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, as the issues they went through in Phase 4 seem to persist. Their placement on the DPS meters is still awkward at best, as they seem to be extremely inconsistent from encounter to encounter. Additionally, Phase 5 introduces even more changes to their playstyle, with the dev team seeming to try as best as they can to balance the specialization in an impactful way. The issue with Melee Hunters is that their overall performance is highly related to the skill of the player, with most logs from Warcraftlogs suggesting that Melee Hunters are often in the middle of the pack.

They retain most of the changes that occurred in Phase 4, but they receive a large amount of buffs to some of their abilities:

Cobra Slayer: The chance for Mongoose Bite to activate from this rune is now 10% and accumulates 10% per time it fails to activate (was 5%). Also, bonus damage on Mongoose Bite is now 45% of Attack Power (was 40%).
Flanking Strike: The chance for Flanking Strike to trigger has been increased to 50% (was 33%) and grants 8% Melee damage increase per stack (was 5%).
Wyvern Strike: The damage has been increased to 140% (was 100%). In addition, its damage over time effect has been increased to 80% of Attack Power over its duration at rank 3 (64% at rank 2 and 48% at rank 1).

As for their tier-set bonuses, the new Draconic Tier 2 set is specifically made to synergize with the new changes made to Wyvern Strike, however, they may also use the Core Forged set, even if it seems to be less effective. Alternatively, some Melee Hunters found out that a combination of both the Draconic set and the Core Forged is a viable option, which seems to improve the overall damage output a bit more than either set alone.

Melee Hunters receive two epic weapons in Phase 5, Kestrel, and Peregrine, which can be considered a very strong addition to their overall damage capabilities. However, unlike other classes/specializations, those weapons are far from BiS, placing Melee Hunters in quite a weak position.

Lastly, Melee Hunters brings almost all the same utility tools as the other Hunter Specializations.

Retribution Paladin

Retribution Paladins in Phase 5 find themselves in a rather peculiar spot as their performance can be seen as all over the place. Some logs suggest that they are among the top DPS specializations while others place them at the bottom. If we specifically look at the 95th percentile when looking at both Zul’Gurub and Blackwing Lair, their position tends to be either at the middle of the pack or in the lower ends. However, in some cases, their damage output is astonishing, reaching numbers as high as some of the top specializations such as Ranged Hunter or Feral Druid. Because of this, it can be stated that Retribution Paladins’ performance in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery is highly tied to individual player skill, especially as the “Seal Twisting” mechanic is largely at play.

Retribution Paladins retain most of the changes that occurred in Phase 4, with Phase 5 bringing no balance changes specifically tailored to them. They keep the overhauled Exorcist, The Art of War, and Seal of Martyrdom while still dealing most of their damage through melee attacks.

In terms of set bonuses, Retribution Paladins are in for an actual surprise. Whereas many have claimed that “Seal Twisting” will be completely irrelevant in Season of Discovery, the devs brought us a surprise by implementing the “Seal Twisting” concept into the tier-set bonuses themselves. The bonuses allow Retribution Paladins to unleash multiple seals at once with Judgement while also retaining multiple seal effects for a limited amount of time after swapping a seal. While some will be overjoyed by this, others will surely find it frustrating as opposed to the Exorcism spam playstyle they were used to.

The combination of the new Draconic set which allows them to maintain their Seals after using Judgement and the “Seal Twisting” provided by the Core Forged Set places Retribution Paladins in an extraordinary spot gameplay-wise. However, the damage output resulting from the build is extremely tied to the skill of the player, often resulting in varied damage outputs as a result. This is the main reason why the current logs are very different than the Retribution Paladin sims we’ve seen on sites such as Github.

Additionally, the new epic weapon they receive, Truthbearer, has an effect that increases their Attack Speed, further facilitating their “Seal Twisting” potential. The issue, however, is that at the current time, there are not many logs with players that have complete sets, so a precise estimation of their full potential is yet impossible.

As for utility, Retribution Paladins bring almost all the same utility spells that the other Paladin Specializations bring, with the addition of Aura Mastery which fits their playstyle the best when considering the alternatives.

C-Tier

Frost Mage

Compared to Phase 4, Frost Mage seems to struggle in Phase 5, as it lands itself in the C-Tier. The major issue that can be observed with Frost Mages at the current moment is the inconsistency they have in terms of damage output, with two new builds emerging that seem to be very reliant on RNG. The Frostfire Bolt, Overheat, Burnout, and Hot Streak meta remains strong, although a new build based on Deep Freeze, Fingers of Frost, and Frozen Orb also emerged which seems to be performing almost identically.

The specialization retained all the changes that occurred in Phase 5, being affected only by the Balefire Bolt change which is not so impactful. The only beneficial change for them is the addition of the Core Forged set which seems to be specifically designed for Frost Mages as they can use it to trigger Fingers of Frost more often. They may also use two pieces of the Draconic set to empower Frostfire Bolt even further.

However, the inconsistent damage when compared to Fire Mages or other similar caster specializations puts them in a hard place, as in some encounters they seem to fare better than specializations such as Enhancement Shamans. Elemental Shamans or Melee Hunters while in others they fall behind miserably.

In terms of utility, Frost Mage brings the same utility that all Mage Specializations can, albeit they can also bring Improved Scorch if they choose to do so, just like a Fire Mage.

Arms Warrior

Phase 5 brings a clear distinction between Arms and Fury Warriors, as Arms seems to be performing far worse than Fury Warrior, alongside all the other Melee Damage Dealer Specializations, landing itself in the C-Tier. While Phase 5 brings the exact same changes for both specializations, with the majority of the changes being tailored toward the rune themselves, the reality is that the Arms Talent Tree is completely overwhelmed by the Fury Talent Tree, with Fury performing spectacularly by comparison when looking at Arms.

While most changes from Phase 4 are still present, the Mortal Strike build is simply not cutting it, with most of the damage dealt by Arms Warriors being represented by Deep Wounds, Overpower, and Melee attacks. Even if the new Tier 2 set, 2-piece bonus, benefits Arms Warriors a bit more than Fury Warriors thanks to the Rend reset, Fury Warriors simply seem to perform better. It is yet unclear if this is specifically related to player skill or not, however, even the top performers in the Arms category are struggling to keep up with other Melee DPS specializations.

As it stands in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, Arms Warriors have a far better chance of performing in PvP encounters rather than PvE encounters, especially with how useful Mortal Strike is.

Their utility remains the same as the one provided by Fury Warriors, still granting Rallying Cry. if they are not brought to a raid for the damage itself, the Valor of Azeroth ability still adds a lot of value for the raid group in the absence of Fury or Protection Warriors who might have provided the buff instead.

D-Tier

Arcane Mage

Arcane Mage seems to be forever doomed to the D Tier in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, as the specialization found itself in the same spot during the previous phases as well.

While the changes from Phase 4 seemed to give Arcane Mage a bit of hope, the reality is that the newly introduced Draconic and Coreforged Tier 2 sets heavily influence Arcane Mage towards a pure support/healer specialization. The new T2 sets revolve themselves around empowering all the supportive abilities and effects such as Temporal Beacon, Regeneration, Mass Regeneration, and Chronomantic Healing while the only real DPS change for Arcane Mage is the Draconic T2 4-item set bonus which allows Arcane Blast to have a higher chance of proccing Missile Barrage.

Furthermore, in Phase 5, Arcane Mage had no balance changes in favor of optimized DPS, meaning that it remains stuck with what it received in Phase 4. The only changes which pertain to Arcane Mage are the following two changes, which are directly aimed towards Mage Healers:

Regeneration: Mana cost reduced by approximately 35%.
Mass Regeneration: Mana cost reduced by approximately 35%.

Luckily, Arcane Mages still seem to have control over their Mana Pool thanks to all the Refreshment effects available, meaning that they don’t have to worry about “Mana Starvation” states consistently.