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WOW Forever Classes - WOW Forever Best Classes

Sat, Oct 31, 20267:45 AM16 min readBy Forever Upgrades
GuideWoW Forever classes and the best classes for each role

Which WoW Forever class should you play? With launch on November 4, it's the question every new and returning player is asking. All nine classes from the original game are back, but almost every one of them plays differently now - new talents, new spells, reworked racials and race and class combinations that were never possible before. This guide covers all the WoW Forever classes: what each one does, which roles and specs it has, what's new, and which races can play it. Then we answer the big question: what are the best classes in WoW Forever - for damage, healing, tanking, levelling, PvP and your first character.

WoW Forever classes: the nine classes - Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Warlock and Druid - and the best class for each role
The nine WoW Forever classes, with the best class for each role in our sims.

Our "best class" answers come from our own sim engine, which runs every spec on the WoW Forever beta client's own data - every spell rank, talent and item - in its best race, with the racial changes Blizzard announced on October 26. They're a fair comparison of the classes, not a promise of what a damage meter will show on launch night, and the end of this article explains what they don't capture.

WoW Forever classes at a glance

The nine classes are the same as in Classic. Four are pure damage classes - Hunter, Mage, Rogue and Warlock - and five are hybrids that can fill more than one role. Blizzard's designers have said hybrid damage specs are tuned to deal about 5% less than the pure classes, and Warriors count as hybrids because they can tank (see our hybrid tax article).

Which WoW Forever classes can tank, heal, and deal melee or ranged damage
Roles by class. Druid is the only class that can do all four.

Two classes have only one damage spec - Priest (Shadow) and Paladin (Retribution) - and Druid is the only class with a spec for every role. If you want to switch roles later without levelling a new character, that matters as much as any ranking.

Best classes in WoW Forever: the short answer

  • Best class overall for damage: Mage. Arcane Mage is first in our raid sims in short and long fights, and in dungeon gear.
  • Best healer: Druid. Restoration Druid heals 27% more than the next healer in raid gear.
  • Best tank: Paladin and Warrior, nearly tied in raid gear; Protection Warrior is clearly ahead in dungeon gear.
  • Best class for levelling and solo play: Hunter. Beast Mastery is far ahead at level 30 and never runs out of mana.
  • Best melee class: Warrior (Fury).
  • Best class for long boss fights: Mage, then Warlock - neither has a serious mana problem.
  • Best class for PvP at level 30: Warlock, going by The Forever Open, where Warlocks finished first and second.
  • Best class for beginners: Hunter.
  • Most flexible class: Druid, with a spec for every role.
Our take: if you just want the strongest class, play a Mage. If you want the safest all-round pick - easy to level, strong solo, top three in raids - play a Hunter. And if you want to be wanted by every group, a Restoration Druid or a tank is never short of invites.

WoW Forever class ranking by role

Here's how the nine classes rank by the best spec they have for each job. Damage is DPS in raid gear in a 60-second fight; healing is HPS in raid gear; tanking is effective health in raid gear. Druid tanking isn't in our sims yet.

  • Damage (best spec, level 60 raid gear): 1. Mage 681.9, 2. Priest 610.1, 3. Hunter 589.9, 4. Warlock 566.5, 5. Warrior 504.7, 6. Rogue 422.6, 7. Paladin 410.9, 8. Shaman 403.0, 9. Druid 398.4.
  • Damage over 3 minutes: Mage 563.9, Warlock 502.1, Hunter 494.0, Warrior 448.7, Priest 447.0 - the Priest falls from second to fifth because it runs out of mana.
  • Healing (level 60 raid gear): 1. Druid 1492.6, 2. Shaman 1172.2, 3. Priest 1035.1 (Holy), 4. Paladin 735.3.
  • Tanking (effective health, raid gear): Paladin 35,978, Warrior 35,452. In dungeon gear: Warrior 16,095, Paladin 13,555.
  • Levelling (best spec at level 30): Hunter 147.0, Mage 103.1, Shaman 90.6, Warrior 87.5, Rogue 73.7, Priest 73.3, Warlock 72.2, Druid 68.0, Paladin 64.8.

The middle of the damage table is close - Rogue, Paladin, Shaman and Druid are within 24 DPS of each other - so one patch can reorder it. The top three have stayed the same through every build we've simulated. For every spec one by one, see our WoW Forever tier list and best DPS class ranking.

WoW Forever Warrior

Warriors are the melee class with two jobs: tank or damage. In Forever every Warrior gets Victory Rush, a heal after each kill, from level 20. Weaponmaster replaces the old Axe, Mace, Sword and Polearm Specialization talents with one talent that works with any weapon, Anger Management now gives you Rage in combat, and Heroic Strike is an instant Rage dump instead of a next-swing queue. Whirlwind hits with both weapons and Bloodthirst scales with your Attack Power.

How it ranks: Fury is the best melee damage spec in WoW Forever - 504.7 DPS in raid gear, 448.7 over three minutes, and fourth of all specs in dungeon gear (391.0). Arms (398.3) is behind for damage but is the levelling spec. Protection is one of the two best tanks and the best in dungeon gear. Blizzard's designers have called Warriors the "kings of cleave".

Play a Warrior if you want to tank, or want the strongest melee damage and don't mind that levelling is slower than for classes with pets or self-healing.

Races: 9 races can play it - Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne; Horde: Orc, Undead, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne. More on the Warrior: our Warrior leveling guide, the best race for Warriors and the best professions for Warriors.

WoW Forever Paladin

Paladins can tank, heal and deal melee damage. Forever made them far more active: every Paladin has Holy Strike from level 6, Judgement no longer uses up your Seal, Consecration and Blessing of Kings are trainer spells, and Retribution has new talents such as Sacred Arbiter, Champion of the Light and Twist of Light, which lets you swap seals after a swing so the next swing echoes the old one. Paladins are no longer Alliance-only: Undead can be Paladins.

How it ranks: Protection has the most effective health of any tank in raid gear (35,978). Holy is the fourth healer (735.3 HPS), mostly through Flash of Light, with Light's Vigil and Holy Shock reaching the party. Retribution is seventh of the nine classes for damage (410.9) and the weakest at level 30 - it pays the hybrid tax.

Play a Paladin if you want to tank or heal in a group, bring blessings everyone wants, and be very hard to kill.

Races: 3 races can play it - Alliance: Human, Dwarf; Horde: Undead. More on the Paladin: our Paladin leveling guide, the best race for Paladins and the best profession for Paladins.

WoW Forever Hunter

Hunters are the ranged class with a pet - and in Forever the pet matters more than ever, because it scales with your gear. Aimed Shot is a trainer spell, Beast Mastery can summon hawks that keep diving for 18 seconds, Marksmanship has Lone Wolf for Hunters who'd rather fight alone, and Survival is a melee spec. Humans can be Hunters for the first time.

How it ranks: Hunter is the most consistent class in our sims. Beast Mastery is third in short raid fights (589.9), third in long ones (494.0), second in dungeon gear (454.1) and first at level 30 by a mile (147.0). The pet and hawks do more than half of its damage and none of it costs mana. Marksmanship (482.7) runs out of mana in long fights, and Survival sits mid-table (398.3).

Play a Hunter if you want the easiest and fastest class to level, a strong solo class, or a first character you won't regret at 60.

Races: 7 races can play it - Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Skyborne; Horde: Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne. More on the Hunter: our Hunter leveling guide, the best race for Hunters and the best professions for Hunters.

WoW Forever Rogue

Rogues are the stealthy melee class. Hack and Slash replaces the old weapon specialization talents with one talent that works with any weapon, Puncturing Wounds replaces Improved Backstab, Mutilate hits with both daggers, poisons can crit, and poisons are now recipes in their own spellbook tab. Skyborne can be Rogues on both sides.

How it ranks: Assassination (422.6) and Combat (412.9) are close, sixth of the nine classes in raid gear. Rogues lose less than most over a long fight (403.0 over three minutes) because energy never runs out. Subtlety (365.3) trails the other two. Blizzard's designers said Rogues should have the best single-target melee damage; in our sims Fury Warrior is still ahead, which tuning could change.

Play a Rogue if you like stealth and melee combat, and steady damage that never runs dry.

Races: 8 races can play it - Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne; Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll, Skyborne. More on the Rogue: our Rogue leveling guide, the best race for Rogues and the best professions for Rogues.

WoW Forever Priest

Priests heal or deal shadow damage. Every Priest now has Devouring Plague, Improved Mind Flay makes each tick hit harder than the last, Shadow Word: Death is a new finisher, Shadowform makes your Shadow crits deal double damage and your damage over time can crit, and Power Word: Shield stops spell pushback while it holds. Discipline has Penance, and Holy has Prayer of Mending. Gnomes can now be Priests.

How it ranks: Shadow is the second-best damage spec in a short raid fight (610.1) but runs out of mana for 59 seconds of a three-minute fight and falls to fifth (447.0). Holy is the third healer (1035.1 HPS), and Discipline is the best healer of all at level 30 (172 HPS). Blizzard reshuffled the Priest talent trees in build 70630, after our last damage sims, so Shadow's numbers may move.

Play a Priest if you want top-tier burst damage, a healer that levels well, and a self-sufficient solo class with a wand.

Races: 6 races can play it - Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome; Horde: Undead, Troll. More on the Priest: our Priest leveling guide, the best race for Priests and the best professions for Priests.

WoW Forever Shaman

Shamans heal, cast or fight in melee, and they're no longer Horde-only: Dwarves can be Shamans. Enhancement turns Intellect into Attack Power with Mental Dexterity, Maelstrom Weapon turns your swings into instant Lightning Bolts, Fire Nova explodes your Fire totem, and Call of the Elements drops up to four totems at once. Shamans can't dual-wield in Forever, so Enhancement uses a two-hander. Restoration has Riptide.

How it ranks: Restoration is the second healer (1172.2 HPS) - Chain Heal does most of the work. Enhancement is the best Shaman damage spec (403.0) and third at level 30, so it levels very well. Elemental (363.5) was reworked in build 70425 and runs out of mana in long fights.

Play a Shaman if you want to heal, want a strong levelling class with self-healing, and like bringing totems the whole group benefits from.

Races: 5 races can play it - Alliance: Dwarf; Horde: Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne. More on the Shaman: our Shaman leveling guide, the best race for Shamans and the best professions for Shamans.

WoW Forever Mage

Mages are the ranged spellcasters who make their own food and water. Arcane has Arcane Blast, which now turns Intellect into spell damage with each stack, Missile Barrage and Forever's new Arcane Wrath, which adds 5% of your maximum mana as spell damage. Frost has Ice Lance and Fingers of Frost, and every Mage learns Frost Blast and Frostfire Bolt from the trainer. Orcs and Skyborne (Alliance) can now be Mages.

How it ranks: Mage is the best damage class in WoW Forever. Arcane does 681.9 DPS in raid gear - 12% more than the next class - and stays first over three minutes (563.9) and in dungeon gear (457.1). Fire (556.8) and Frost (472.0) are strong in short fights but run out of mana in long ones. At level 30, Arcane is second only to Beast Mastery Hunter.

Play a Mage if you want the highest damage and a caster that makes its own food and water.

Races: 6 races can play it - Alliance: Human, Gnome, Skyborne; Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll. More on the Mage: our Mage leveling guide, the best race for Mages and the best professions for Mages.

WoW Forever Warlock

Warlocks are the casters with demons. Curse of Agony is now Bane of Agony, Affliction has the new Wrack channel and Soul Harvest, Demonology adds Demonic Energies and Demonic Pact, Destruction gets Bane of Havoc and Incinerate, which hits 25% harder on an Immolated target, and you can summon an Incubus as well as a Succubus. Trolls can now be Warlocks.

How it ranks: fourth in a 60-second fight but second over three minutes, because Life Tap means it never runs out of mana. Demonology (566.5) is the best short-fight spec and Destruction (502.1) the best long-fight one, and all three specs are in the top ten. In PvP, Warlocks finished first and second in The Forever Open, the $100,000 level 30 duel tournament.

Play a Warlock if you want strong PvP, a class that's great in long boss fights, and levelling with a Voidwalker tanking for you.

Races: 5 races can play it - Alliance: Human, Gnome; Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll. More on the Warlock: our Warlock leveling guide, the best race for Warlocks and the best professions for Warlocks.

WoW Forever Druid

Druids are the only class that can tank, heal, and deal ranged and melee damage. Omen of Clarity is a trainer spell, Feral Charge has a Cat version that leaps behind your target, Berserk and Rend and Tear are new Feral talents, Cat Form attacks now scale with your weapon's damage, and Restoration has Wild Growth. Skyborne can be Druids on both sides.

How it ranks: Restoration is the best healer in WoW Forever by a wide margin - 1492.6 HPS in raid gear, with Wild Growth doing 39.5% of it. For damage, Druid is last of the nine: Balance does 398.4, though it never runs out of mana in long fights, and Feral is 287.6.

Play a Druid if you want to heal, want the freedom to switch roles, or like flexible levelling with Bear and Cat Form.

Races: 3 races can play it - Alliance: Night Elf, Skyborne; Horde: Tauren, Skyborne. More on the Druid: our Druid leveling guide, the best race for Druids and the best professions for Druids.

Best class in WoW Forever for each goal

Best class for levelling

Hunter. A Beast Mastery Hunter does 147.0 DPS at level 30 in our sims, against 103.1 for Arcane Mage in second - and its pet takes the hits. Mage, Shaman (Enhancement) and Warrior follow. Every class levels fine with a good route: our 1-30 leveling guide has the quests, and our best level 30 DPS ranking has every spec. The Legacy talent Talented also gives any class its talent points earlier - see our Legacy talents calculator.

Best class for raiding

For damage, Mage, then Priest, Hunter and Warlock - ranged classes hold the top four places in raid gear. For healing, Restoration Druid, then Restoration Shaman. For tanking, Protection Paladin and Protection Warrior. The first raids, Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia, open on December 9.

Best class for dungeons

In dungeon gear the order tightens: Arcane Mage (457.1) and Beast Mastery Hunter (454.1) are almost level, Shadow Priest is third, and Fury Warrior moves up to fourth, ahead of every Warlock. Protection Warrior is the tankiest dungeon tank, and Restoration Druid heals the most.

Best class for PvP

There's no PvP ranking we can simulate, but there is one big result. In The Forever Open, the $100,000 level 30 duel tournament, Undead Warlocks finished first and second, and the next two places went to Orc Shamans (our report). Icy Veins points to Fear, the Succubus's Seduction, damage over time that stops healing and breaks stealth, and pet sacrifices as reasons Warlocks are so strong at 30. Duels at 30 aren't battlegrounds at 60, so treat it as one data point.

Best class for beginners

Hunter. It's near the top of every ranking, levels fastest, has a pet to tank for you and never runs out of mana as Beast Mastery. Warlock is a good second choice for the same reasons - a Voidwalker to tank and Life Tap for mana.

Best class for alts and switching roles

Druid, then Paladin and Shaman. A Druid can tank, heal or deal damage with one character, and Restoration is the best healer in the game. If you only have time for one character, a hybrid lets you take whatever role your group needs.

Best Horde and Alliance classes

Forever opened up race and class combinations, so every class is available to both factions - Undead Paladins and Dwarf Shamans included - and the Skyborne's faction decides whether they can be a Mage (Alliance) or a Shaman (Horde). The best classes are the same on both sides. Race only changes the numbers by a few percent: see our races and classes article for every combination.

How much should a class ranking decide for you?

Less than you'd think. Our sims model every spell, talent and item from the game's data, but they leave out consumables, world buffs, buffs from other players, movement and adds. Mana potions and group buffs help mana-hungry casters most, so the long-fight gap will be smaller in a real raid. Blizzard is still tuning classes - the hybrid tax is a server-side target, and the newest build already changed the Priest talent trees - so the middle of the table can shift with any patch.

And the biggest factor isn't on any chart: a player who enjoys their class, learns its rotation and gets the right gear will out-damage a bored player on the "best" class every time.

Test it yourself: paste your armory link or addon export into our rotation simulator to see your own damage spell by spell, build your talents in the talent calculator, and check the BiS lists for your spec.
Our take: WoW Forever's classes are closer than Classic's ever were, but casters lead at 60 - Arcane Mage most of all. Hunter is the class we'd recommend to most players, because it's strong at every level, not just at 60. The hybrids pay a small damage tax and get back something worth more in a group: Restoration Druid and the two tanks will never wait long for a dungeon.

WoW Forever classes FAQ

  • How many classes are in WoW Forever? Nine: Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Warlock and Druid. There's no new class - the new addition is the Skyborne race.
  • What is the best class in WoW Forever? For damage, Mage. For healing, Druid. For levelling and solo play, Hunter.
  • What is the easiest class in WoW Forever? Hunter - a pet that tanks, ranged damage and no mana worries as Beast Mastery.
  • Are Paladins and Shamans still faction-locked? No. The Horde can play Undead Paladins and the Alliance can play Dwarf Shamans.
  • Which classes can tank? Warrior, Paladin and Druid.
  • Which classes can heal? Priest, Shaman, Druid and Paladin.
  • What is the worst class in WoW Forever? For damage, Druid is last in our sims - but its Restoration spec is the best healer in the game, so no class is a bad choice.
  • Will the best class change after launch? Probably in the details. The top of our rankings has been stable through every build, but Blizzard keeps tuning, and we'll re-run the sims with each new build.

Sources

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