This guide to
Short answer
Every class can do its job in Forever. These are our picks before launch, not rules.
- Easiest to level alone: Hunter.
- Dungeons: every role has options. Warrior and Paladin tank, Priest, Druid and Shaman heal, Hunter and Mage stand out for damage.
- Raids: Warrior and Paladin tank, Priest, Druid and Shaman heal. For damage our pick is Warrior, with Hunter, Mage and Warlock next.
- Open world PvP: our pick is Rogue.
- Battlegrounds: Priest, Druid and Shaman heal. For damage we like Mage, Rogue and Warlock, or a Warrior with a healer behind him.
- Not sure which role you want: Druid can do all of them.
Contents
What changed for every class
- No new class. Forever keeps the nine from Classic and changes what is inside the talent trees: of 467 talents, 113 are new and 277 are rewritten.
- Six new race and class combinations: Human Hunter, Gnome Priest, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin. The Skyborne race needs a paid upgrade.
- Group buffs last an hour, and several that used to cost talent points are now trained.
- World buffs do not work inside raids.
- Dual spec opens at level 40.
- The first raids open on 9 December: Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20, Onyxia’s Lair for 40.
All nine WoW Forever classes compared
| Class | Leveling | Dungeons | Raids | Open world PvP | Battlegrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Druid | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| Hunter | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Mage | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Paladin | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Priest | 5 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Rogue | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 8 |
| Shaman | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Warlock | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Warrior | 3 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 7 |
Ratings are out of 10 and are our own call. We started from level-60 damage simulations and the talent trees, then adjusted for what the numbers miss: area damage, group utility and gear.
Druid
Verdict: one character for every role, and one of the hardest to pin down in PvP.
| Races | Alliance: Night Elf, Skyborne. Horde: Tauren, Skyborne |
| Roles | Tank (Feral, Bear Form), healer (Restoration), melee damage (Feral, Cat Form), ranged damage (Balance) |
| Armor | Leather |
| Resource | Mana, Rage in Bear Form, Energy in Cat Form |
| Movement | Cat Form from level 20; the Feral Swiftness talent adds 30% run speed in it. Dash at 26. Travel Form from level 30 |
| Buttons at 60 | 49 |
Druid levels at a good pace once it has its forms. Until level 20 you are a caster with a bear form. Cat Form at 20 is where the pace picks up, and Travel Form at 30 shortens every run between quests. You also heal yourself: when a pull goes wrong, drop out of form, heal, and shift back.
Pro tip
Shifting into any form breaks roots and slows. If something snares you while you run, shift again instead of waiting it out.
In PvE
Restoration is the Druid’s strongest role: heals over time, Swiftmend, and Wild Growth for the whole party at level 40. Bear tanks with a huge health pool and a new threat tool, Primal Bite. For damage, level-60 simulations from 9 October put Cat 11th of 23 specs, at 71% of the top spec, and Balance 22nd.
Your group gets Rebirth from level 20, which revives an ally in the middle of a fight. You remove curses from level 24, and Innervate arrives at 40. Leader of the Pack or Moonkin Form gives the party 3% critical strike chance.
In PvP
You have fewer stuns and interrupts than a Rogue, Warrior or Mage. What you have is escape: shifting breaks Polymorph, roots and slows, your forms cannot be disarmed, and you heal yourself between fights. In battlegrounds that makes Druid the natural flag carrier.
Balance
The ranged caster. Moonkin Form arrives at level 40 and gives your party 3% critical strike chance. Near the bottom of the level-60 damage simulations for now.
Feral
Two jobs in one tree. Cat Form is melee damage from stealth with combo points. Blizzard removed Tiger’s Fury on 1 October and added Shifting Power, a talent that turns 55% of your base Mana into 40 Energy every 16 seconds. Bear Form is the tank: Feral Charge (talent) roots a target and interrupts its cast for 4 seconds, and Primal Bite (talent) generates high threat.
Restoration
The healer, built on heals over time. Swiftmend (talent) no longer uses up the heal it works from. Nature’s Swiftness makes your next Nature spell instant. Wild Growth at level 40 heals a whole party over 7 seconds.
Where players disagree
Simulations put Druid damage in the middle and at the bottom. Players who main the class point at what a simulation does not count: a resurrection in combat, Innervate and a party-wide critical strike aura on one character.
Pros
- Every role on one character
- Heals itself and escapes roots and slows
- Faster travel from level 20, and again from 30
Cons
- Damage specs sit low in the level-60 simulations
- Few stuns and interrupts
- 49 buttons at level 60, the most of any class
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 7, dungeons 7, raids 6, open world PvP 7, battlegrounds 9.
Hunter
Verdict: the easiest class to level, and strong ranged damage for any group.
| Races | Alliance: Human (new), Dwarf, Night Elf, Skyborne. Horde: Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne |
| Roles | Ranged damage (Beast Mastery, Marksmanship), melee damage (Survival) |
| Armor | Leather, mail from level 40 |
| Resource | Mana, pet Focus |
| Movement | Aspect of the Cheetah from level 20. Aspect of the Pack for the whole group from level 40 |
| Buttons at 60 | 48 |
Hunter is the easiest class to level. The reason is the pet: it takes the hits while you shoot. You get it at level 10. Before that, enemies reach you after two shots and you finish them with a weak melee weapon, so levels 1 to 9 are the slowest part of the climb. Pets now scale with your gear, which keeps them useful in later zones.
Pro tip
If an elite stands next to a quest item, send the pet in first and pick the item up while the elite attacks the pet.
In PvE
In a dungeon a Hunter brings steady ranged damage, a pet, and Freezing Trap to take one extra enemy out of the fight. Traps now work during combat, and Feign Death saves a pull that went wrong. In level-60 raid simulations from 9 October, Survival is second of 23 damage specs, Marksmanship is seventh and Beast Mastery is eighteenth.
Count your ammo before a dungeon: if you run out halfway, you are left with a melee weapon.
In PvP
You fight from the longest range in the game. Your tools are traps in combat, Concussive Shot, Scatter Shot (Marksmanship talent) and a pet that keeps attacking while you kite. Tracking shows nearby players on the minimap, and Hunter’s Mark keeps a Rogue visible after it stealths. Your weak spot is the dead zone: inside about 8 yards your ranged attacks stop working.
Beast Mastery
The pet spec, and the easiest way to level. The pet does more of the work, and a talent lets you call in hawks. Near the bottom of the level-60 simulations.
Marksmanship
Your own shots do the damage. Aimed Shot arrives at level 20 and shares a 6-second cooldown with Multi-Shot. The Lone Wolf talent raises your damage by 20% when you fight without a pet, so pick this spec if you do not want to manage one.
Survival
A melee spec in Forever, with Counterattack and Strider Kick. It is the best Hunter spec in the raid simulations. Blizzard cut its Parry talent to 1-5% on 1 October, so expect more changes.
Where players disagree
Early beta videos describe Survival as a ranged spec with answers for melee. The current client and the simulations treat it as melee. Go by the newer ones.
Pros
- The easiest leveling of any class
- Strong ranged damage, with a pet that takes the hits
- Tracks creatures and players on the minimap
Cons
- Slow and fragile before the pet at level 10
- Ammo and pet food to manage
- No tank or healer role, so you always join groups as damage
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 10, dungeons 9, raids 8, open world PvP 8, battlegrounds 7.
Mage
Verdict: control, area damage and group utility from range; fragile when the mana runs out.
| Races | Alliance: Human, Gnome, Skyborne. Horde: Orc (new), Undead, Troll |
| Roles | Ranged damage (Arcane, Fire, Frost) |
| Armor | Cloth |
| Resource | Mana |
| Movement | No run speed. Blink from level 20. Teleports to capital cities from level 20, portals for the group from level 40 |
| Buttons at 60 | 36 |
Mage levels safely. You kill before the enemy reaches you: Frost Nova roots, Polymorph removes one enemy, and Blink at level 20 buys distance. You make your own food and water, so downtime is short. The weak point is the robe. If your mana is gone, so is your control.
Pro tip
Level as Frost. Fire kills faster on paper and leaves you exposed when you pull too much; move to Fire or Arcane later, with gear and more talents.
In PvE
Mage is the area damage class. Blizzard has said it wants Mages to stay the best at it, and big dungeon pulls are where that shows. On a single target, level-60 simulations from 9 October put Arcane 10th of 23 damage specs, Fire 17th and Frost 20th. Our raid rating sits a little above the simulations, because a Mage also brings Arcane Intellect and food and water for the group.
Improved Scorch and Winter’s Chill now help only the Mage who applied them, so raids no longer need one Mage on debuff duty. You also bring Counterspell from level 24, a sheep for the extra enemy, Remove Lesser Curse from level 18, and portals.
In PvP
You win by keeping the fight at range: Frost Nova, slows, Blink, and Counterspell to lock an enemy caster out of a spell school. Ice Block (Frost talent) makes you immune for 10 seconds, and Cold Snap resets your Frost cooldowns.
Arcane
The mana gamble, and the most changed Mage tree. Each Arcane Blast makes your other spells hit 10% harder and makes the next Arcane Blast cost 175% more, up to four stacks. Casting any other damage spell ends the effect.
Fire
Built toward one big spell. With the Heating Up talent, critical hits from Fireball, Fire Blast and Scorch cut the cast time of your next Pyroblast by 25% each, up to three times. Combustion is at the bottom of the tree.
Frost
The leveling and PvP spec. Ice Lance (talent) is instant and deals 300% more damage to frozen targets. Fingers of Frost lets your next spell treat the target as frozen. Ice Barrier at level 40 absorbs damage and protects your casts from interruption.
Where players disagree
Single-target simulations place Mage in the middle. Players in the beta call it the best area damage class and say every dungeon group wants one. For dungeons we side with the players: a simulation of one boss does not count a frozen pack of ten enemies.
Pros
- Safe leveling through control
- The most control of any ranged class, with no pet to manage
- Own food and water, teleports and portals
Cons
- Cloth armor and no self-healing
- Middle of the single-target simulations
- Every fight ends with a drink
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 7, dungeons 9, raids 8, open world PvP 8, battlegrounds 8.
Paladin
Verdict: the only class that tanks, heals and deals damage in plate, and the hardest to kill while leveling.
| Races | Alliance: Human, Dwarf. Horde: Undead (new) |
| Roles | Healer (Holy), tank (Protection), melee damage (Retribution) |
| Armor | Mail, plate from level 40 |
| Resource | Mana |
| Movement | Pursuit of Justice (Retribution talent, 2 points): 15% run and mounted speed |
| Buttons at 60 | 45 |
In Classic the Paladin was safe and slow. Forever keeps the safety and adds buttons. Holy Strike arrives at level 6, so there is an attack to press between swings, and Judgement no longer uses up your Seal. Consecration comes from the trainer at level 20. You rarely die: Lay on Hands arrives at level 10 and Divine Shield at 34.
Pro tip
Pursuit of Justice opens after 10 points in Retribution. If you level by questing, take both ranks as soon as it opens. If you level mostly in dungeons, put those points into Improved Judgement first.
In PvE
Protection is a real tank now: with Seal of Fury active, Judgement pulls an enemy onto you from range, and Consecration holds a pack. In level-60 simulations from 9 October, Retribution is fourth of 23 damage specs. Holy heals with strong direct heals. Raid healing and tanking are not simulated yet.
Your group gets blessings that now last an hour, an aura, Purify for poisons and diseases, and a resurrection.
In PvP
You are hard to kill and bad at chasing: the kit has no interrupt and no slow. Hammer of Justice is your stun, Repentance (talent) takes a humanoid out for 6 seconds, and Blessing of Freedom removes slows. With a partner your value changes, because Blessing of Protection and Blessing of Freedom on a teammate matter more than your own damage.
Holy
The healer, built on strong direct heals. Holy Shock is a talent. Light’s Vigil at the bottom of the tree marks an ally, and your next Holy Shock on them heals their whole party. Illumination now returns half of a spell’s base Mana cost on a critical heal. In Classic it returned the full cost.
Protection
The tank. Templar’s Bulwark (talent) absorbs damage equal to your full health for 8 seconds, on a 5-minute cooldown. Blocks restore Mana with Shield Specialization. Blizzard cut Redoubt’s Block chance from 30% to 20% on 1 October.
Retribution
The leveling spec and the melee damage spec. Seal of Command arrives at level 20. Sacred Arbiter makes Holy Strike hit 20% harder and refresh your Judgement effects. Twist of Light at level 40 rewards switching Seals: your next swing also applies the Seal you just replaced.
Where players disagree
Players who leveled a Paladin in the beta split in two. Some call it the most forgiving class they tried. Others find the first 20 levels short on buttons and slow. Both are true: the class is safe from level 1 and gets busier with every new ability.
Pros
- Three roles on one character
- Very hard to kill
- A real taunt and strong melee damage in Forever
Cons
- No interrupt and no slow
- Slow first 20 levels
- Only three races
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 7, dungeons 8, raids 8, open world PvP 6, battlegrounds 6.
Priest
Verdict: the healer every group wants, and one of our top picks for PvP.
| Races | Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome (new). Horde: Undead, Troll |
| Roles | Healer (Discipline, Holy), ranged damage (Shadow) |
| Armor | Cloth |
| Resource | Mana |
| Movement | None before the mount |
| Buttons at 60 | 33 |
Priest is not a fast leveler. You shield yourself, apply a Shadow damage-over-time spell and finish with Mind Blast. Level 20 helps: every Priest now learns Devouring Plague, which heals you as it damages, and Fear Ward, which used to belong to two races. Mind Flay is a Shadow talent at the same level and slows the target by 50%.
Pro tip
From level 30, Mind Control takes over a humanoid. In a dungeon, control one enemy from a pack and use it against its own group while your party kills the others.
In PvE
Priest is the only class with two healing specs. Discipline prevents damage with shields, and Holy heals it back. Blizzard calls it the most versatile healer. Shadow is the damage option: in level-60 simulations from 9 October it is 13th of 23 damage specs. Healers are not simulated yet.
Every Priest brings Power Word: Fortitude, Dispel Magic, Fear Ward and a resurrection.
In PvP
Psychic Scream fears up to three enemies. Power Word: Shield stops damage from interrupting your casts. Dispel Magic removes a harmful effect from an ally or a useful one from an enemy, and Mana Burn drains an enemy healer. Silence (Shadow talent) stops casting for 5 seconds, and Mind Control takes an enemy player out of the fight while you hold it. A healer with a dispel and Fear Ward decides more battleground fights than any damage dealer, which is why Priest sits at the top of our battleground ratings.
Discipline
The shield healer, and the most rewritten Priest tree: none of its talents read as they did in Classic. Penance is a 2-second channel that heals an ally or damages an enemy. Power Infusion at the bottom of the tree raises a target’s spell damage and healing by 20% for 15 seconds.
Holy
The direct healer. Binding Heal (talent) heals your target and you. Spirit of Redemption lets you keep healing for 15 seconds after you die. Prayer of Mending at level 40 heals a target when it takes damage, then jumps to another party member, up to five times.
Shadow
The damage spec. Vampiric Embrace (talent) heals your party for 20% of your Shadow damage. Shadowform at level 40 raises Shadow damage by 10%, halves the mana cost of Shadow spells and doubles their critical strike bonus. You cannot heal while in it.
Where players disagree
Shadow is the open question. Its changes read well, but nobody has played it at level 60 with Shadowform, and the simulations put it in the middle. A healing spec is the safe pick. If you love Shadow, take the risk.
Pros
- Two healing specs
- Among our top picks for PvP
- Fear Ward and Devouring Plague for every race
Cons
- Slow to level
- Cloth armor and few ways to escape
- No movement tools before the mount
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 5, dungeons 9, raids 7, open world PvP 9, battlegrounds 9.
Rogue
Verdict: the best class for picking your fights in the open world, and slow to level.
| Races | Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne. Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll, Skyborne |
| Roles | Melee damage (Assassination, Combat, Subtlety) |
| Armor | Leather |
| Resource | Energy, combo points |
| Movement | Sprint, and Stealth to walk past enemies. The Camouflage talent cuts the Stealth speed penalty by 15% |
| Buttons at 60 | 22 |
Rogue is one of the slower classes to level. Your damage is high from the first levels, but you have no heal, so hard pulls end with food and a bandage. What you get in return is choice: Sap takes one enemy out before the fight and now keeps you in Stealth, Evasion arrives at level 8, and Vanish at 22 lets you drop a fight that went wrong. With 22 buttons at level 60, Rogue is also the simplest class to set up.
Pro tip
Sneaking past enemies saves time and loses experience. Skip a camp when the quest target is behind it, and kill your way through when the enemies are your level.
In PvE
In a dungeon you Sap before the pull and Kick the dangerous cast. Cheap Shot arrives at level 26, Kidney Shot at 30 and Blind at 34. In level-60 simulations from 9 October, Combat is 9th of 23 damage specs, Subtlety is 14th and Assassination is 16th.
In PvP
This is where the class is at its best. You choose when a fight starts, Sap and stuns decide how it goes, and Vanish lets you leave and try again. Riposte (Combat talent) disarms for 6 seconds, and Improved Sprint removes slows and roots when you Sprint.
Assassination
Poisons and critical strikes. Malice adds 5% critical strike chance to attacks and poisons. Mutilate strikes with both weapons, deals 20% more damage to poisoned targets and awards two combo points. Venom at the bottom of the tree is a finisher that raises poison damage by 30%.
Combat
The steady spec. Hack and Slash gives a bonus by weapon type: axes and swords can trigger an extra attack, daggers and fist weapons add critical strike chance, maces ignore armor. A new weapon does not force a new build. Blade Flurry hits a second target, and Adrenaline Rush is at the bottom of the tree.
Subtlety
The Stealth and PvP spec, and the most changed Rogue tree. Premeditation adds two combo points before you open, and Preparation resets your cooldowns. The talent at the bottom of the tree is Thousand Cuts, and Blizzard has talked about replacing it.
Where players disagree
Blizzard says it wants Rogues to lead single-target boss damage. The level-60 simulations do not show that yet: the best Rogue spec is 9th. Poisons, weapon stones and Windfury now stack, so this is the number most likely to move.
Pros
- Chooses its fights, and can leave one with Vanish
- Sap, Kick and stuns for the group
- Only 22 buttons at level 60
Cons
- Slow leveling
- No self-healing
- One role only
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 4, dungeons 6, raids 6, open world PvP 10, battlegrounds 8.
Shaman
Verdict: makes its whole group stronger with totems, as a healer, a melee fighter or a caster.
| Races | Alliance: Dwarf (new). Horde: Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne |
| Roles | Healer (Restoration), melee damage (Enhancement), ranged damage (Elemental) |
| Armor | Leather, mail from level 40 |
| Resource | Mana |
| Movement | Ghost Wolf from level 20. The Improved Ghost Wolf talent cuts 3 seconds off its cast and lets you use it indoors |
| Buttons at 60 | 48 |
Shaman is a slow starter. Level 20 changes a lot at once: you get Ghost Wolf, and Call of the Elements puts down four totems with one cast. Buff totems now last 5 minutes and you can move them along with the fight. Windfury Weapon arrives at level 30 and Windfury Totem at 32.
Pro tip
Level as Enhancement. Elemental runs out of mana early and gets Chain Lightning only at 32 and Lava Burst at 40, so switch around level 40 if you want to cast.
In PvE
Your totems are the reason groups invite you. Strength of Earth and Windfury help melee, Mana Spring helps casters, Tremor Totem breaks Fear, and Grounding Totem absorbs one harmful spell. Restoration heals with Chain Heal and Riptide, both from level 40. In level-60 simulations from 9 October, Enhancement is 8th of 23 damage specs, and Elemental is last, at 48% of the top spec. Bloodlust is not in the Forever client.
In PvP
Earth Shock interrupts a cast, Frost Shock slows by 50%, Purge strips a magic effect, and Earthbind Totem slows everything near it. Grounding Totem eats a spell meant for you, and Tremor Totem answers Fear. Reincarnation lets you get back up after dying, once per cooldown.
Elemental
The ranged caster. Lightning Overload gives Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning a chance to cast a second bolt for half damage. Lava Burst at level 40 hits 20% harder on a target with your Flame Shock on it.
Enhancement
The melee spec, built on two-handed weapons: dual wield is not in the Forever trees. Stormstrike makes your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning or Earth Shock hit that target 20% harder. Maelstrom Weapon, deeper in the tree, lets melee hits cut the cast time and cost of your next Lightning Bolt, up to a free instant cast at five stacks. Spirit Weapons raises your threat while Rockbiter Weapon is active, so some players build a tank from it. It has no taunt.
Restoration
The healer. Mana Tide Totem (talent) restores mana to the group. Riptide at level 40 is an instant heal that keeps healing for 15 seconds and makes your Chain Heal on that target 25% stronger.
Where players disagree
Elemental is last in the level-60 simulations, and players still plan to main it. Curse of the Elements now raises Nature damage too, and Lava Burst arrives only at 40, so nobody has seen the full spec in play.
Pros
- Totems that help every member of the group
- An interrupt from level 4 and a slow from level 6
- Three different roles, two of them damage
Cons
- Elemental is last in the level-60 simulations
- Damage, heals and totems all drain one mana bar
- Core healing spells arrive only at level 40
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 6, dungeons 8, raids 7, open world PvP 7, battlegrounds 8.
Warlock
Verdict: steady to level, hard to kill, and wanted in every raid for curses, Healthstones and summons.
| Races | Alliance: Human, Gnome. Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll (new) |
| Roles | Ranged damage (Affliction, Demonology, Destruction) |
| Armor | Cloth |
| Resource | Mana, Soul Shards |
| Movement | None before the mount |
| Buttons at 60 | 43 |
Warlock levels at a steady pace once the Voidwalker arrives. From level 10 the Voidwalker holds the enemy while your damage-over-time spells work. Life Tap turns health into mana and drains pull health back, so you rarely sit down to drink. The cost is travel: you have no speed boost, no stealth and no escape until you buy a mount. No class in Forever changed more, with 48 of 52 talents new or rewritten.
Pro tip
Watch where a feared enemy runs. Fear sends it in a random direction, and in a crowded camp it comes back with others.
In PvE
In level-60 simulations from 9 October, Demonology is fifth of 23 damage specs, Affliction is 12th and Destruction is 19th. We rate Warlock above its damage numbers. A raid wants one for more than damage: Curse of the Elements raises the magic damage every caster deals to the target, Healthstones give each player an extra heal, and Ritual of Summoning brings the group together.
Curses are split in two. Damage curses are now Banes, so Bane of Agony no longer competes with a utility curse for the same slot. Curse of Shadow is gone, and Curse of the Elements covers every school of magic.
In PvP
Fear holds one target, Curse of Exhaustion (talent) slows by 30%, and Drain Mana empties a healer. Howl of Terror arrives at 40 and Death Coil at 42. Soul Link (talent) sends 30% of the damage you take to your demon, which makes a Warlock very hard to burst down.
Affliction
Damage over time. Five points in Improved Corruption make Corruption instant. Siphon Life drains health over 30 seconds. Wrack at level 40 adds a channeled spell that makes your other Shadow damage-over-time effects hit 10% harder.
Demonology
The durable spec, and the best Warlock spec in the simulations. Master Demonologist gives you a bonus that depends on the demon: the Voidwalker cuts Physical damage taken by 10%, the Felhunter cuts Magic damage by 10%. Demonic Sacrifice trades the demon for a 2-hour buff. There is no Felguard in the Forever client.
Destruction
Direct damage with Fire and Shadow. Shadowburn and Conflagrate are instant, and Ruin doubles the critical strike bonus of Destruction spells. Incinerate is the spell at the bottom of the tree.
Where players disagree
Veteran players call Warlock one of the easiest classes to level. A new player in the beta found the first levels the hardest of any class, out of mana after every kill. The class gets comfortable once you have the Voidwalker at 10 and learn to pair Life Tap with drains.
Pros
- A demon that tanks while you level
- A demon for each job, and health you can trade for mana
- Curses, Healthstones, Soulstone and summons for the group
Cons
- No movement tools before the mount
- After every death you rebuild: demon, armor, stones
- Soul Shards take bag space
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 7, dungeons 8, raids 8, open world PvP 7, battlegrounds 8.
Warrior
Verdict: the slowest class to level, and our top pick for raids as a tank or as damage.
| Races | Every race, including Skyborne on both factions |
| Roles | Tank (Protection), melee damage (Arms, Fury) |
| Armor | Mail, plate from level 40 |
| Resource | Rage |
| Movement | No travel speed. Charge starts a fight; Intercept from level 30 closes distance in combat |
| Buttons at 60 | 32 |
Warrior is the slowest class to level. You have no heal, you fight one enemy at a time, and a weak weapon makes every fight longer. Forever softens this. Victory Rush at level 20 heals 10% of your health after a kill, and since 2 October critical strikes generate extra Rage. One bug is still open: Warriors get less Rage from taking damage than Blizzard intends.
Pro tip
Thunder Clap now works in Defensive Stance. For hard quests, put on a shield and fight in Defensive Stance: each kill takes longer and you take less damage.
In PvE
Protection is the classic tank: Taunt at level 10, Challenging Shout at 26, Shield Wall at 28, and the Vanguard talent lets you Charge in Defensive Stance. For damage, Fury is first of 23 specs in level-60 simulations from 9 October, at 939 DPS, and Arms is sixth.
In PvP
Alone in the open world, a Warrior struggles. Charge only works out of combat, anyone who slows you can walk away, and you cannot heal. Battlegrounds are different: on your own you are a 7 there, and paired with a healer you are a 10. Mortal Strike (Arms talent) cuts healing on the target by 50%, and Piercing Howl (Fury talent) slows every enemy within 10 yards.
Arms
The two-handed spec. Weaponmaster replaces the old per-weapon talents: axes and polearms add critical strike chance, maces and staves ignore armor, swords can trigger an extra attack. A new weapon type does not force a new build. Spearing Strike (talent) knocks a mounted target off its mount.
Fury
The dual-wield spec, and the top of the simulations. Death Wish adds 20% Physical damage and makes you take 5% more. Bloodthirst at the bottom of the tree also gives 10% run speed for 10 seconds.
Protection
The tank spec, and the most rewritten tree: none of its talents read as they did in Classic. Master of Defense gives Rage when you dodge or parry with a shield. Last Stand adds 30% of your maximum health for 20 seconds. Shield Slam arrives at level 40.
Where players disagree
Warrior is last for leveling and first in the raid simulations. Both are true: no class depends on its weapon and gear as much.
Pros
- Top raid damage in the simulations, and a top tank
- Every race can play it
- Tanks were in short supply late in the beta, so groups come fast
Cons
- The slowest leveling of any class
- Weak alone in PvP
- Needs a good weapon at every level
Our ratings out of 10: leveling 3, dungeons 9, raids 10, open world PvP 3, battlegrounds 7.
New race and class combinations
Forever opens six combinations that Classic did not have. All six come with a normal subscription.
| Combination | Faction | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Human Hunter | Alliance | A fourth Hunter race for the Alliance |
| Gnome Priest | Alliance | The first healer class for Gnomes |
| Dwarf Shaman | Alliance | Shaman on the Alliance for the first time |
| Orc Mage | Horde | A third Mage race for the Horde |
| Troll Warlock | Horde | A third Warlock race for the Horde |
| Undead Paladin | Horde | Paladin on the Horde for the first time |
Skyborne
Skyborne is the one new race. It needs a paid upgrade, and its class list depends on the faction you choose.
| Faction | Skyborne name | Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | High Order | Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, Mage |
| Horde | Windshaper | Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, Shaman |
Skyborne cannot be Paladins, Priests or Warlocks. Skyborne Druids have their own forms.
Does race still matter?
Less than in Classic for damage, and more than you might expect in PvP. Every race now has two active and two passive racial abilities. Fear Ward and Devouring Plague no longer belong to particular Priest races, and the old weapon skill racials are gone.
For damage the gap is small. In level-60 simulations from 8 and 9 October, all races of a class sit within about 2.5% of each other. The table shows the top race on each faction for one damage spec per class.
| Class and spec | Alliance | Horde | Best to worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Druid, Feral | Night Elf | Skyborne | 1.2% |
| Hunter, Marksmanship | Night Elf | Orc | 2.2% |
| Mage, Arcane | Gnome | Undead | 1.8% |
| Paladin, Retribution | Human | Undead | 1.3% |
| Priest, Shadow | Night Elf | Undead | 1.2% |
| Rogue, Combat | Human | Undead | 1.1% |
| Shaman, Enhancement | Dwarf | Orc | 1.2% |
| Warlock, Demonology | Gnome | Undead | 0.8% |
| Warrior, Fury | Human | Orc | 2.4% |
Undead is the only Horde race for Paladins, and Dwarf is the only Alliance race for Shamans. The simulations count damage on a raid boss and nothing else.
In PvP the racials do something a simulation cannot measure: they answer a specific kind of control.
| Race | What it gives you in PvP |
|---|---|
| Human | Will to Survive removes every stun on you (3 min cooldown). Perception helps you spot stealthed enemies for 20 seconds |
| Dwarf | Stoneform clears bleeds, poisons and diseases, makes you immune to them and cuts Physical damage by 10% for 8 seconds |
| Night Elf | Shadowmeld drops you out of sight, and Elune’s Light adds 10% critical strike chance for 15 seconds |
| Gnome | Escape Artist breaks roots and slows and makes you immune to them for 3 seconds (2 min cooldown) |
| Skyborne (Alliance) | Walk on Air lets you glide for 10 seconds, and you have 1% Haste at all times |
| Orc | Stuns last 20% less on you. Shatter Curse removes curses and Banes and cuts Magic damage by 15% for 8 seconds |
| Undead | Will of the Forsaken removes Charm, Fear and Sleep (2 min cooldown) |
| Tauren | War Stomp stuns up to five enemies around you for 2 seconds, and you have 5% more Health |
| Troll | Berserking speeds up attacks and casts by 10% to 30%, more the lower your health is |
| Skyborne (Horde) | Skysight adds 10% run speed, Walk on Air lets you glide, and you have 1% Haste at all times |
Match the racial to what you expect to fight. Human and Orc answer Rogue stuns, Undead answers Fear from Warlocks and Priests, Gnome answers a Mage’s roots and a Hunter’s slows, and Dwarf answers Rogue poisons. For PvE, pick the race you want to look at for the next year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best class in WoW Forever ?
There is no single best class, so pick by role. Our picks are Hunter for leveling, Warrior for raids and Rogue for open world PvP. For healing, take a Priest, Druid or Shaman. In level-60 raid simulations Fury Warrior is first.
What is the easiest class to level solo?
Hunter, by a wide margin. From level 10 the pet takes the hits while you shoot. Druid, Mage, Paladin and Warlock form the next group.
Which class is best for a new player?
Hunter or Paladin. The Hunter's pet keeps enemies off you, and the Paladin wears heavy armor and can heal itself when a pull goes wrong.
What is the best class for PvP?
In our ratings, Rogue leads the open world, with Priest right behind. In battlegrounds Priest and Druid share the top. Nobody has battleground results at level 60 yet.
Which class should I pick if I do not know my role?
Druid. It can tank, heal, and deal damage in melee or at range, and dual spec opens at level 40.
Can I change my class later?
No. You level a new character. The first one stays useful as a crafter, and Legacy progress is shared across your account.
Will these ratings change?
Yes. These are pre-launch ratings. Blizzard patches the game and rebalances classes all the time, so the picture can change a lot after the launch on 4 November and again when the first raids open on 9 December.
Useful resources
WoW Forever Talents: every talent and ability, read from the beta client- Classic
WoW Forever tier list: beta tier lists combined into one - MythicSim: level-60 damage simulations
World of Warcraft : Forever: the official pageBoosting.Pro blog: more guides
