Season of Discovery DPS, Healer, Tank Tier List (Level 25) | WoW SoD Phase 1 Class Rankings

WoW Classic Season of Discovery has been released, let's take a look at which classes are truly meta as the game progresses! Here, we update the WoW SoD Class Tier List for DPS, Healer, Tank class and specs!

WoW Season of Discovery Tier List for Phase 1 (25 Level)

First, we derived a comprehensive ranking by looking at the potential performance of each class in various aspects:

1. Warlock (S Tier)

The best class overall in phase one. Very strong single-target DPS and great AoE options from talents, alongside no mana issues. Build variety seems high, and this class will gain more power as the season progresses. In PvP, Warlock will be overpowered with damage over time abilities, armor increasing runes, and instant nukes. Voidwalker, Sack, Healthstone, Fear make them very survivable.

2. Hunter (A Tier)

Known as the strongest solo leveling class in classic WoW due to high early DPS and pet damage. Possibly the highest single-target DPS in the game. In PvP, Hunters will likely win fights if they get the opener, but the new melee playstyle may feel awkward without gap closers.

3. Paladin (A Tier)

Great AoE DPS and utility. Not S-tier due to mana concerns. Ret and Prot look very strong. In PvP, the 4-second Hammer of Justice stun and burst damage will be lethal.

4. Mage (A Tier)

Should be in a good spot for all content types at Level 25. Fire needs crit to take off, but all specs seem viable, including the new healing build for AoE. Squishy in PvP without Ice Barrier and Ice Block, and low early health pools.

5. Shaman (B Tier)

Will likely be S-tier at 40, but missing a lot at 25. This is offset by strong runes like Lava Burst and Overload. Guaranteed Lava Burst crits will be huge in PvP.

6. Druid (B Tier)

Received many impactful new abilities, but other classes seem overpowered, while Druid seems fairer. No Moonkin form yet, but Feral provides Windfury aura. In PvP, hit-and-run playstyle with HoTs and DoTs.

7. Priest (B Tier)

Steady performers as usual, but Shadow lacks damage bonuses and mana sustain at 25. Disc has strong tools like Barrier, Penance, Death, and dispel. Shadow decent in 1v1 PvP.

8. Warrior (C Tier)

Missing many key abilities at 25 like stances, Whirlwind, Rage generation, etc. Will be S-tier nearing 60. In PvP, limited options after Charge without Hamstring, Overpower procs, etc.

9. Rogue (C Tier)

Missing many Combat abilities like Sword Spec, Blade Flurry, and Adrenaline Rush. Assassination seems best early. Tank build lacks damage mitigation. No AoE and loses combo points when tabbing. In PvP, lack of Cheap Shot, Kidney Shot, and Blind hurts.

Related Read:

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WoW SoD 25 Level DPS Ranking

In WoW Classic Season of Discovery, several DPS specs are considered strong and viable. Here is our WoW Class SoD Ranking list at 24 level cap for Phase 1:

1. Warlock DPS (S Tier)

Will likely be the best overall DPS in phase one. Very strong single target and AOE damage from talents and runes. No mana issues with Life Tap. Huge build variety between all 3 specs. Needs tuning or will dominate meters. Warlocks DPS stands out as a solid choice for both PvE and PvP, thanks to their substantial damage output, especially with abilities like Lake of Fire. They shine in single-target situations and also have the unique ability to tank.

2. Retribution Paladin (S Tier)

Big AOE improvements with talents like Divine Storm and Consecration. Not S tier due to mana issues in longer fights. Single target hampered by reliance on slow weapons. Kings and other utility still valuable. Retribution Paladins have received recent adjustments and are expected to be very strong, especially in dealing high damage to individual targets. They offer more versatility to their playstyle compared to previous versions.

3. Fire Mage & Arcane Mage (A Tier)

Strong AOE and single target competing with Warlocks and Hunters. Living Bomb and Flamestrike add more AOE. Mana issues are likely in long fights. An excellent utility like Intellect buff. Fire Mages are expected to be a formidable force, despite their many challenges. The increase in critical hits significantly enhances their performance, making them a powerful choice for players. Arcane Mages excel in both healing and damage, making them a versatile and strong choice for many players. Abilities like Arcane Blast and Arcane Surge are expected to be very powerful.

4. Marksmanship Hunter & Beast Mastery Hunter (A Tier)

Known as the best solo leveling class due to high early damage. Likely the top single target DPS. Pet provides extra damage. Kings buff is a powerful utility. Mana issues are possible in long fights without Viper Sting. Melee weaving and Lone Wolf viability are unclear. Hunters, despite significant nerfs, remain a solid choice. While they might not be as overwhelmingly overpowered as before, they still pose a significant threat, especially because of their DPS focus.

5. Balance Druid (B Tier)

Best utility DPS with party buffs. Cat DPS is reliant on landing Mangle; energy issues are likely. No Moonkin form yet. Wrath spam lacks mana efficiency. Solid off-healing supplements DPS. Balance Druids do not encounter mana issues, making them unstoppable in battle. They offer a good balance between damage and utility.

6. Fury Warrior (B Tier)

Warrior is the top 2-target DPS, but poor scaling means the weakest DPS at 25. No rage generation or Whirlwind hampers damage. Lack of cleave or ranged ability. Reliant on landing hits with slow 2h weapons. Battle Shout provides melee buff. Fury Warriors are known for their incredible power and versatility in both AoE and single-target damage. They are expected to be a popular choice among players.

7. Assassination Rogue (C Tier)

Rogue has a strong single target possible by maximizing runes and talents. No AOE whatsoever. Major hit rating issues. Minimal raid utility. Forced into quasi-ranged builds which hurt dps. Highly encounter-dependent. Assassination Rogues excel in single-target attacks, particularly with their Ranged Slow ability. However, they have limitations in terms of Cleave and AoE damage.

8. Frost Mage (C Tier)

Frost Mages can deliver decent damage, especially with abilities like Fingers of Frost and Burnout. While generally weaker compared to Arcane and Fire Mages, they should not be underestimated, particularly in PvE.

10. Enhancement Shaman & Elemental Shaman (C Tier)

Good utility via totems and healing. Lava Burst and Overload offer big improvements for Elemental. Enhancement is hampered by dual-wield miss rate and mana issues. Only AOE is the Fire Nova totem until 26. Enhancement Shamans are expected to have decent but not highly competitive DPS. They might shine more in the late game. Despite losing Bloodlust and Windfury, Shamans remain a good choice.

11. Feral Druid (D Tier)

Feral Druids have weaker DPS and encounter significant mana issues. However, they still have some viable options.

12. Shadow Priest (D Tier)

Priest’s Runes don't push damage enough to compete. Mana problems are likely for all specs. Lack of Shadow damage boosts at 25. Discipline smite spam is unimpressive. Strong off-healing supplements dps. AOE was solid with Mind Sear. Shadow Priests are currently facing challenges in terms of competitive damage and mana usage. However, improvements in their performance are anticipated later on.

WoW SoD 25 Level Healer Ranking

Healers like Druids and Mages are getting meaningful DPS capabilities in SoD, enabling efficient off-DPS while healing through runes like "Fury of the Stormrage." Though unlikely to match pure DPS, off-healing DPS represents a significant departure from vanilla healing dynamics. However, speedruns will likely still prioritize raw HPS over hybrid DPS/healing, with Druid as the most viable healer for off-DPS since free Wraths via the rune avoid wasting mana during downtime. With that being said, here is our WoW Season of Discovery Healer Ranking list for 25 level cap in SoD Phase 1:

1. Priest Healer (S Tier)

Best pure HPS at 25 due to strong healing values and scaling. Prayer of Mending and Circle of Healing provides powerful raid healing. Penance offers strong, mana-efficient tank healing.

2. Mage Healer (S Tier)

Very mana-efficient healing with massive mana pools. Good passive healing while DPSing. Strong cooldown in "Rewind Time" and can Evocate to restore mana. Lack of talent support offsets strengths.

3. Restoration Shaman (A Tier)

Missing some key abilities but still has efficient heals. Strong totems like Tremor and Stone provide utility. Focus on Healing Wave over Lesser for efficiency.

4. Restoration Druid (B Tier)

Lacking raw healing output the rune "Fury of the Stormrage" enables dealing damage while healing. Maintain Lifebloom on tanks and use instant Regrowths after casting Wrath.

5. Holy Paladin (C Tier)

Missing core identity without Illumination talent and BoSalvation. Focus on buffing with Kings and Might rather than raw HPS. Prioritize the Holy Light for efficiency.

WoW SoD 25 Level Tank Ranking

As a tank, your main priorities are holding aggro, surviving boss encounters, and properly executing mechanics. You only need a threat lead of 1 over DPS to hold aggro effectively. As long as you fulfill those duties and avoid wiping the raid, your performance is sufficient. After that, contribute damage where possible. There's no need to parse as a tank - if you hold aggro, live, handle mechanics, and help DPS when you can, you've done your job successfully. With that being said, here is our WoW Season of Discovery Tank Ranking list for 25 level cap in SoD Phase 1:

1. Bear Druid (S Tier)

Windfury + leader of the pact is already enough to justify your spot as a tank even if you were mediocre in other respects. However bears have always been threat monsters in classic, especially with MCP, and now that they are getting lacerate as well expect them to be a top-tier tank throughout SoD.

2. Pret Warrior (S Tier)

Warriors are shaping up to be very strong physical mitigation tanks out of the gate. Shield Block allows you to push both crits and crushes off the hit table and you can maintain an 80% uptime on shield block. Warriors are also unique in that they bring strong Tank CDs for boss enrage phases. If you need tank durability, the Warriors are likely the best.

3. Tank Shaman (A Tier)

Tank shamans so far aren’t very exciting in what they bring to the table as a tank. However, where they truly shine is what they bring as a shaman. The ability to bring both Windfury and a myriad of other very strong party buffs is indispensable to the raid. You won’t have the threat output other tanks, but the raid utility and buffs will justify your slot so long as you can bring one.

4. Prot Paladin (C Tier)

Prot paladins are by far the best AOE tanks in the entire game. Not only do they generate obscene amounts of threats with holy shields and consecrate, but they can cheese global AOE threats by spamming Blessing of Kings with righteous fury. Although their mana and taunt issues are now solved, they likely still don’t have the single target threat of other classes. If you need a strong AOE tank for both threat and aggro, prot paladin is the choice.

5. Warlock Tank (C)

One of the primary benefits of a warlock tank is that they can generate tons of threat from ranged, which is unique to warlock. They are also spell damage based which could be relevant if a boss is resistant or immune to physical damage during a phase. They don’t bring the utility of other classes, and likely won’t be as good as other tanks on average, but expect them to very strong or optional in select scenarios.

6. Rogue Tank (D Tier)

Rogue tanks have one thing they will do well and that is single-target tanking very hard-hitting bosses that kill other tanks. Geared rogues with lots of Evasion will be able to hit 100% dodge/parry/miss and will be able to entirely mitigate all damage done by a boss. Threat generation is TBD as we don’t have hard data yet, but their single target threat seems good.