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Every World of Warcraft expansion introduces buffs, nerfs, and changes to classes that impact their overall power level. Dragonflight is no different. However, Dragonflight happens to include a few additional changes that make it one of the most impactful WoW expansions in recent memory.
Thanks to the expansion’s new (or revamped) skill tree system, nearly every class in Dragonflight has “enjoyed” sweeping changes that have impacted their standing in the PvE meta. Granted, some powerhouse classes remain as strong as ever, but it’s clear that the Dragonflight team intended for this expansion to drastically change Shadowlands‘ frustratingly complacent class meta. Thankfully (depending on your favorite class, that is) the new expansion manages to do just that.
Before we dive into the rankings though, here are a few things to keep in mind:
– These rankings only apply to PvE content.
– These rankings account for all levels of group content, though they skew a little more towards high-end content given the demanding nature of that level of play.
– Every class and spec is different, but consistency and the ability to contribute to a variety of crucial situations were the most important factors when determining these rankings. Having said that, top-end potential was usually the determining factor when trying to separate relatively equal classes.
– Finally, these rankings are based on Dragonflight‘s earliest days. They will almost certainly change with future updates and once more of the expansion’s content is “solved.”
With that out of the way, here is where every class in Dragonflight currently stands.
WoW Dragonflight: Every DPS Class Ranked Best to Worst
Havoc Demon Hunter
Windwalker Monk
Enhancement Shaman
Outlaw Rogue
Demonology Warlock
Unholy Death Knight
Feral Druid
Devastation Evoker
Frost Mage
Assassination Rogue
Fury Warrior
Beast Mastery Hunter
Shadow Priest
Subtlety Rogue
Arcane Mage
Frost Death Knight
Balance Druid
Affliction Warlock
Elemental Shaman
Arms Warrior
Retribution Paladin
Destruction Warlock
Fire Mage
Survival Hunter
Marksmanship Hunter
I’ll break this section down by classes to hopefully help you make a little more sense of a lot of information
Havoc Demon Hunters are currently the best DPS in Dragonflight by some distance. They’re not necessarily broken (yet), but their potent combination of massive AoE damage and survivability/mobility makes them a unique threat in just about every situation.
Windwalker Monks are fascinating. They’re basically tanks that can put out impressive DPS numbers thanks to their amazing AoE abilities. In the early days of Dragonflight, their survivability will be an invaluable asset. We’ll see what happens from there.
Enhancement Shaman is certainly the better overall Shaman option at the moment. While Enhancement Shamans still don’t offer a ton of AoE damage or survivability, their utility options and single-target damage potential are both exceptional. Elemental Shamans are strong, but they just lack the top-end potential of some of the best casters in the game. They’re solid and unspectacular.
Outlaw Rogue appears to be the best Rogue spec at the moment. Their evasiveness and incredibly high per-target AoE damage make up for the fact that their best AoE ability is technically target-capped. Having said that, Assassination Rogues are still single-target destroyers, and Subtlety Rogues offer an AoE/single-target middle-ground that could become more appealing as the expansion goes on.
Warlocks are all over the place. Demonology’s impressive survivability options enhance the effectiveness of their solid (if not top-tier) raw damage output. They stay in the game and they do their thing. Affliction’s impressive AoE damage against large groups of weaker enemies is undeniably useful in some situations, but they’re a little too niche at the moment when it comes to longer, single-target fights. On the other hand, Destruction’s high single-target damage capabilities just aren’t quite good enough to recommend them over other options.
Unholy Death Knights bring some incredible survivability and utility tools to the party, though their actual DPS output can be limited to specific burst windows and massive AoE pulls. Still, they feel pretty strong at the moment. Frost Death Knight offers a lot of those same tools, though they currently lag slightly behind in AoE damage potential.
Feral Druids are exceeding quite a few expectations at the moment. Their AoE damage potential is simply absurd, and their single-target damage is a little better than some feared it would be (though it’s far from top-tier). Their survivability is certainly an issue, but they do make up for it slightly with some raid utility options. As for Balance…well, you probably know the story. Their damage windows are strong, but limited, and their low survivability quickly becomes an issue.
Devastation Evokers are not nearly as broken as some new expansion DPS specs have historically been. They’re still trying to find their identity and raid roles. Having said that, their mobility, utility skills, AoE damage, and single-target damage are all respectable or better. If they receive any kind of buff in the near future, they could be a serious threat.
Frost Mages are the best mage option at the moment. What they lack in pure damage, they make up for with their mobility and defensive options. They’re a useful tool in a lot of fights. Arcane Mages offer a ton of raw damage, but that damage isn’t quite good enough to make up for their smaller selection of mobility and “debuff” tools. I’m hearing some hype up Fire Mage’s potential, but that brutal Ignite nerf really seems to have hindered both their consistency and overall damage potential.
I may be overrating Fury Warriors slightly, but their AoE damage and combat-based healing options make them a slightly less effective version of Havoc Demon Hunters. Their single-target damage isn’t where it needs to be, but they will be an asset in many raid groups. As for Arms…well, their big problem at the moment is having to choose between single-target and AoE damage. Neither option is exceptional at the moment, and that lack of utility clearly puts them behind Fury Warriors.
Hunters are obviously not in a great place at the moment. Their defenses are laughably bad, and they fail to cover for that downside with any notable utility tools. Beast Mastery’s high damage potential and enhanced mobility make them the best spec in their class, but there are better options out of the gate.
Finally, we have Shadow Priest and Retribution Paladin: the two DPS black sheep of their respective classes. Shadow Priest’s incredible toolkit will make them an easy addition to most groups (even if they are held back by their lower damage and complicated rotations). Some are high on Retribution Paladins due to their Paladin toolkits and decent damage potential, but I find that they just fall too far behind other melee options at the moment.
WoW Dragonflight: Every Healer Class Ranked Best to Worst
Restoration Druid
Preservation Evoker
Holy Paladin
Mistweaver Monk
Discipline Priest
Holy Priest
Restoration Shaman
Restoration Druid is clearly the best overall healer in Dragonflight at the moment. While other healers offer more damage potential, their pure healing output, incredible toolkits, and best-in-class cooldown skills make them the pure healer that every party needs.
Preservation Evokers are the strongest overall Evokers. They not only bring some additional DPS to the party (which is always welcome in the early days of an expansion), but their impressive cooldown abilities (most notably Rewind) will save the day more often than not.
Holy Paladins and Holy Priest are in somewhat similar spots. They’re both pretty classic pure healers that are bolstered by their amazing utility skills and overall efficiency. Paladins’ irreplaceable buffs and proximity effects give them the slight edge, but don’t overlook Holy Priest’s damage buffing potential if you need a little extra DPS in tough fights.
I’m actually a big fan of Mistweaver Monks due to both their absurd DPS potential and a number of necessary buffs that greatly improved the versatility of their healing kits. Having said that, their melee range and mana efficiency issues can be a problem in tougher fights.
Discipline Priests have the ability to outperform Holy Priests, but the fact that some of their best abilities demand perfect timing means they could lag behind slightly in the early days of an expansion when everyone is figuring out fight timing. They will likely move up a couple of spots over time, though.
Finally, Restoration Shaman is the only healer in the game without an obvious home at the moment. Their damage and utility are certainly nice, but they don’t come anywhere close to offering the healing needed to justify running them in higher-end content.
WoW Dragonflight: Every Tank Class Ranked Best to Worst
Protection Warrior
Blood Death Knight
Vengeance Demon Hunter
Protection Paladin
Guardian Druid
Brewmaster Monk
Pretty much everyone guessed that Protection Warriors were going to dominate Dragonflight’s tank meta, and everyone was right. There isn’t a tank in the game that can match their pure defensive abilities, and their damage output is respectable enough for those times when you need your tank to do more than soak a ton of hits. They will likely be nerfed, but they’re the best tanks in the game until then.
That said, Blood DK’s ability to soak tremendous amounts of magical damage will make them an irreplaceable main tank for certain fights. They lack Warrior’s raw overall defenses, but they’ll be a popular off-tank option.
Vengeance Demon Hunter’s balance of offensive, defensive, and self-healing abilities make them an obvious choice for anyone looking for a tank that can hold its own in just about any situation. They’re not necessarily the best in any particular category, but they have a lot to offer in most situations.
Protection Paladins are wonderful damage dealers who bring all those great Paladin spells to the party, but their defenses can be an issue from time to time. While that issue is obviously offset by their immunity abilities, Paladins can sometimes struggle to match other tanks in-between cooldowns.
Guardian Druids are odd. When you’re speed-clearing content, their AoE damage and healing abilities make them the obvious choice. When it comes time to survive tougher fights, though, their lack of pure defensive options and single-target damage abilities will expose their limits.
Some recent nerfs to Brewmasters’ overall damage output have undeniably hurt their overall potential. Most groups will want to bring at least one Monk, but it’s a little difficult to justify running Brewmaster over some of the other, generally more capable Monk options.