WoW MoP Classic Tier List - Best DPS, Tank, Healer Ranking

The release of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Classic is upcoming, and the beta is underway. Now the question on every player's mind is: which class or spec to main in WoW Classic MoP? Which class isn't just strong in numbers, but brings utility, fun, and the elusive X-factor to truly dominate in MoP Classic Phase 1? So it's time to revisit the class rankings and see how each DPS, Healer, and Tank spec stacks up in this new-old expansion.

WoW MoP Classic Class Spec Tier List

This early WoW Classic MoP tier list for Phase 1 is based on a combination of personal testing, available logs from private servers, and historical data from the original MoP era. It is important to note that various private servers simulate different stages of the MoP expansion, from Patch 5.0 through 5.4. However, WoW Classic: Mists of Pandaria is likely to use the final class versions from Patch 5.4 across all phases, which means balancing and class performance will differ from both the original game and private server experiences. With that said, let's start ranking!

WoW Classic MOP DPS Tier List - Best Ranged & Melee DPS Specs Ranking

When discussing the best DPS in Mists of Pandaria, especially with Patch 5.4.8 balancing, there's more to consider than raw patchwork DPS. Raid buffs and debuffs are far more homogenized in MoP, making group composition easier. But beyond that, big raid cooldowns are crucial, think Stormlash Totem, Skull Banner, and more. DPS who bring both damage and impactful utility are the ones to watch.

1. Survival Hunter (S+ Tier)

Survival Hunters are quite literally the perfect DPS in Mists of Pandaria Classic. They dominate in single-target, AoE, and cleave scenarios with absurdly consistent damage. They're not burst-reliant, not cooldown-reliant, and aren't punished by movement. They bring nearly every raid cooldown or buff you'd need, at practically no cost. They're overpowered and only expected to get better once all the class bugs are ironed out on beta. Survival Hunter is beyond S tier — it’s in a category of its own.

2. Destruction Warlock (S Tier)

Destruction Warlocks are expected to be one of the strongest specs in the early tiers. The new Burning Embers mechanic makes their rotation incredibly fun, with massive Chaos Bolts and strong AoE from Rain of Fire. They bring excellent utility like Soulstone, Gateway, and more. When it comes to raw damage, Destruction is absolutely going to blast. While they might not bring as much outside of damage, their output alone earns them a solid place in S tier.

3. Arms Warrior (S Tier)

Arms Warriors are in a fantastic spot in MoP. They offer massive damage and bring an incredible amount of raid utility, such as Skull Banner for more damage, Demo Banner for damage reduction, and Rallying Cry for survivability. Their mobility is unmatched with Heroic Leap, Charge, and Intervene. The rotation becomes easier once you follow the priority list, and they are considered easier to play than in Cataclysm. Altogether, they’re top-tier damage dealers with unmatched raid contributions.

4. Subtlety Rogue (S Tier)

Subtlety Rogues are going to do S-tier-worthy damage. While the rotation might be complex and not ideal for the average player, the spec still delivers top-tier output along with valuable utility. Smoke Bomb is a great raid cooldown, and Mass Stealth can be used strategically to skip trash packs. Sub Rogues are in a really good place and bring both high damage and strong group utility, earning their spot in S tier.

5. Unholy Death Knight (A+ Tier)

Unholy DKs are being stacked in pro guilds for world-first progression. They bring incredible utility like Anti-Magic Zone and are capable of really insane DPS. While current numbers might be slightly lower than expected, once class bugs are fixed, Unholy is expected to be S tier. For now, they sit at the very top of A tier and could easily move up. Their performance is strong and consistent, and their toolkit makes them a top melee choice.

6. Affliction Warlock (A Tier)

Affliction Warlocks have a fun and rewarding rotation with Malefic Grasp, Soul Burn, and Soul Swap. They excel in sustained multi-target fights, but performance is heavily fight-dependent. While Affliction can be S tier on certain encounters like Stone Guard, it's more of an A tier spec overall in Phase One. Destro generally outperforms it early on, but Affliction still remains a strong and enjoyable choice.

7. Frost Mage (A Tier)

Frost Mages have become a legitimate raiding spec in MoP. With abilities like Alter Time and Ice Floes, they gain extra mobility and utility. The damage is consistent, and in 10-man raids on beta, they were often topping the meters. While they don't bring much outside of their damage, the rotation is fun, and the toolkit is unique. Frost Mage is a high A tier spec, just short of S purely because of its limited raid utility.

8. Assassination Rogue (A Tier)

Assassination Rogues provide high, steady damage that's solid but not particularly exciting. They’ve been consistent performers for years — good damage, reliable uptime, but nothing flashy. They’re not top-tier in terms of utility or burst potential, but they’ve earned their place in the A tier due to their consistent output.

9. Windwalker Monk (B Tier)

Windwalker Monks are situationally strong, particularly in cleave-heavy fights where they can hit S-tier levels. However, their average performance across all encounters places them in the B tier. The rotation is complex, and the spec has a high learning curve. Like Feral Druids, they reward mastery but can be frustrating to play. Still, they’re a fun and viable spec that can shine in the right hands.

10. Shadow Priest (B Tier)

Shadow Priests feel much improved in MoP with the addition of Shadow Orbs, making the rotation more dynamic and less about pure DoT management. They sit in the middle of the pack — not top-tier, but perfectly viable. Their damage is consistent, and they bring decent utility. Overall, a solid B-tier spec.

11. Arcane Mage (B Tier)

Arcane Mages remain viable with the Arcane Charge system and tools like Nether Tempest. They’re capable of strong burst and AoE, but they don’t quite match the consistency of Frost. While fun to play, they don’t bring much extra utility and sit comfortably in the B tier.

12. Feral Druid (B Tier)

Feral Druids are fun and start in a good place, scaling well with gear. They bring great utility like Symbiosis and Stampeding Roar, but they’re known for being one of the more difficult specs to play. Like Windwalkers, they reward practice but can be overwhelming. Damage can be excellent, but the complexity keeps them in B tier.

13. Balance Druid (B Tier)

Balance Druids have a smoother rotation in MoP and no longer deal with clunky mechanics like Insect Swarm. They perform consistently in raids and five-mans but don’t stand out in any one area. Their utility is solid, and they’re fun to play, making them a stable B-tier spec.

14. Elemental & Enhancement Shaman (B Tier)

Both Elemental and Enhancement Shamans bring powerful raid utility through Stormlash Totem, which is essentially free damage for the group. Enhancement feels a bit like playing whack-a-mole due to its reactive nature, while Elemental shines with Ascendance and Chain Lightning. Both are fun and viable but sit in B tier due to middling consistency.

15. Beast Mastery Hunter (B Tier)

Beast Mastery was expected to perform better in Phase One, but many confused its Siege of Orgrimmar strength with early-tier performance. BM has solid tools and potential but lacks the raw output and consistency of Survival. It ends up in B tier.

16. Fire Mage (C Tier)

Fire Mage feels like it has taken a step down compared to Cataclysm. While still viable, its performance is underwhelming in comparison to Frost and Arcane. It lacks the consistency to place higher and sits in C tier for now.

17. Fury Warrior (C Tier)

Fury Warriors aren’t optimal in early MoP. They are expected to come online much later in the expansion and possibly overtake Arms at that point. For now, their damage is low, and they don’t bring enough to justify a higher placement.

18. Marksman Hunter (C Tier)

Marksman can out-DPS Survival in very specific fights, but lacks consistency and sustained output. It’s not a reliable spec for overall raid performance and lands in C tier.

19. Combat Rogue (C Tier)

Combat Rogues are situationally decent, doing well on sustained cleave fights. However, for the majority of content, they underperform compared to Subtlety and Assassination. They are a lower-tier choice for most encounters.

WoW Classic Healer Tier List - Best Healer Specs Ranking

Healing in Mists of Pandaria moves away from Cataclysm’s slow, punishing style and back toward the faster-paced, powerful healing of Wrath, but with increased complexity and decision-making. Mana pools are flat (no longer scaling with Intellect), regen is tied to Spirit, and secondary stats scale exceptionally well. Tanks are more self-sufficient, reducing demand for single-target “babysitting” healing. The meta favors cooldowns, AoE healing, and raid-wide utility, including healer DPS contributions.

This ranking assesses each healing spec’s meta viability in group content such as raids and dungeons, with a special focus on cooldowns, throughput, utility, damage contribution, and flexibility.

1. Restoration Shaman (S+ Tier)

Restoration Shaman is arguably the strongest healer in MoP Classic. It brings insane raw HPS, exceptional cooldown coverage, and strong flexibility. Healing Rain and Chain Heal dominate stacked scenarios, and glyphs allow adaptation for spread fights. It offers multiple throughput cooldowns like Ascendance, Healing Tide Totem, Ancestral Guidance, and Elemental Totem Empowerment. While lacking a tank external, this is less of an issue due to more self-sufficient tanks. Shaman also brings Stormlash Totem, a powerful group DPS boost. With top-tier HPS, strong utility, and the best flex spec (Elemental), Restoration Shaman is God-tier.

2. Discipline Priest (S Tier)

Disc Priests also sit comfortably in S+ tier. With Atonement, they convert damage into healing, now with a full 40-yard range. Penance does massive damage, is castable while moving, and scales well. Importantly, Disc healing is mostly absorbs, which are incredibly effective and efficient. Their cooldown kit includes Power Word: Barrier, Pain Suppression, and the unique Spirit Shell, which converts healing into powerful pre-emptive shields. Disc also excels at single-target damage, bringing more to the raid than any other healer. Pairing Disc Priest with a Resto Shaman covers all healing profiles.

3. Restoration Druid (A Tier)

Restoration Druids bring excellent raw HPS, solid mobility, and a position-agnostic playstyle. Their new healing mushrooms (Efflorescence) provide constant AoE healing and burst potential. Abilities like Rejuvenation, Wild Growth, and Swiftmend remain core, with Soul of the Forest enabling powerful burst combos. Tranquility and Tree of Life are strong throughput cooldowns, and Ironbark provides a useful tank external. Druids also have Symbiosis, adding unique utility with the potential to gain immunities or grant externals. Though they lack a raid-wide DR, their HPS and flexibility make them a top-tier option.

4. Mistweaver Monk (A Tier)

Mistweaver is a jack-of-all-trades healer with two playstyles: Fistweaving (melee damage into healing) and Hot-based ramp healing. It excels in movement-heavy fights due to instant casts and smart healing mechanics. Revival is a raid-wide heal and dispel — useful but nerfed in 5.4. Chi Cocoon offers solid tank protection. Mistweavers bring decent damage, but less than Disc, and are weaker in single-target support. Their utility is average but include good mobility and Diffuse Magic for personal defense. While not best-in-slot, Mistweavers are well-rounded and fun, earning a solid A-tier placement.

5. Holy Paladin (B Tier)

Holy Paladins have fallen from grace. Though they still bring strong single-target externals (Hand of Sacrifice with glyph), this utility is no longer unique — all Paladin specs bring it. Their mastery-based healing is weaker than Disc's absorbs. Beacon of Light is devalued due to tank self-sufficiency. Holy Paladins have two viable playstyles: Selfless Healer for melee-based healing and Eternal Flame for a HoT-based approach. Their cooldowns (Avenging Wrath, Guardian of Ancient Kings) are rotational and require active use. While tanky and flexible, their low DPS, lack of smart AoE healing, and redundancy in utility keep them in B tier.

6. Holy Priest (B Tier)

Holy Priests face a familiar issue: they’re on the same class as Discipline, which is just better in nearly every way. While Holy Priests have strong AoE healing through Prayer of Healing, Circle of Healing, and Holy Word: Sanctuary, they lack impactful raid cooldowns or unique utility. Their Guardian Spirit is a solid tank external, and Divine Hymn and Lightwell offer decent throughput. They also have access to the same broken level 90 talents (Divine Star, Halo, Cascade). Holy Priest can do high raw HPS, but no absorbs, low DPS, and lack of uniqueness keep them stuck at the bottom of B tier.

WoW Classic Tank Tier List - Best Tank Specs Ranking

Several private servers run different patch versions (5.0 to 5.4), but Classic will use the final 5.4 balance, meaning class tuning and design reflect the last state of MoP. This significantly alters class performance compared to earlier phases or private server experiences. Tanks in MoP are more self-sufficient, and active mitigation becomes a core design philosophy. This reduces the value of constant single-target healing and tank externals, shifting focus to survivability, cooldowns, utility, and DPS.

While all tanks are viable and appear in top logs, some clearly stand out in certain scenarios. This list reflects overall performance across the expansion and is not limited to Phase One.

1. Blood Death Knight (S Tier)

Blood Death Knights are really strong tanks in Mists of Pandaria, and they will be very strong in MoP Classic as well. This depends a little bit on what you want to accomplish in the game. If you're a speedrunner, you might run something else like a Prot Paladin or Prot Warrior, since in that case, you want your tanks to do a lot of damage, but you might also run a Blood DK for survivability. For 95% of players, DKs are a very solid choice. They can survive a bunch of hits and have one of the best survivability kits in the game. The one drawback that could drop them to A tier if played poorly is the need to use your cooldowns properly, knowing what buttons to press and when. A good Blood DK will easily be S tier, while a bad one may fall to A or even B tier. That said, it's also a somewhat noob-friendly class, easy to pick up, but hard to master. So while they are ranked in S tier, not every Blood DK you see will be an S-tier tank.

2. Brewmaster Monk (S Tier)

Monk tanks are going into A tier, but it's important to say that if played by the right person, Monk tanks are S tier, even above Blood DKs. Brewmaster Monks are arguably one of the best tanks in the game but require a whole lot of knowledge. You need to know what buttons to press and when, and you have far more abilities and things to think about than a Blood DK. Their toolkit is huge, and if you master the monk, you'll be an insane tank. They're also very good in challenge mode dungeons because they can do a bunch of damage while surviving well. They have excellent mobility through Roll, Momentum talents, and Flying Serpent Kick. Monks also have strong crowd control with abilities like Paralysis, Ring of Peace, and Leg Sweep. One of their biggest strengths is the Stagger mechanic, which spreads incoming damage over time, making them easier to heal. The main reason Monks are not placed in S tier is due to their difficulty, they are a much less noob-friendly class with both a high skill ceiling and a high skill floor. While they have the potential to be the best in raids, dungeons, and challenge modes, they take a lot of learning and practice.

3. Protection Warrior (B Tier)

Protection Warriors are placed in B tier. They bring more damage to the table compared to Paladins, which helps them generate threat and contributes meaningfully to overall raid DPS, especially with the Vengeance mechanic. Tank damage is more important this time around, and Prot Warriors have strong offensive capabilities. However, they bring fewer survival tools and raid utility compared to Paladins. While they do have some cooldowns, in general, they don’t offer as much in terms of group support. Based on logs and experience from playing MoP back in the day, Prot Warriors tend to deal more damage but offer less utility overall. Still, they are a viable option for players who prioritize damage output from their tanks.

4. Protection Paladin (B Tier)

Protection Paladins are also placed in B tier. They offer much better survival than Prot Warriors, in the speaker's opinion, and bring a lot of helpful cooldowns to the raid like various Blessings that can save party members or break crowd control effects. Paladins feel like they bring more to the table in terms of raid sustainability and survivability. When looking at logs, Prot Paladins perform very well, they rank number one in Siege of Orgrimmar and also rank highly in Throne of Thunder. However, these logs may be somewhat skewed by padding damage in AoE-heavy fights. Still, Paladins tend to have more cooldowns and utility compared to Warriors, making them a more support-oriented tank with solid defensive capabilities.

5. Guardian Druid (C Tier)

Guardian Druids are placed in C tier. This may be controversial, especially for players who main Guardians, but in the speaker’s experience, Guardian Druids just aren't as strong as the other four specs. They lack the same number of cooldowns that Paladins have, and compared to Monks, they are less mobile, less survivable, and deal less damage. It feels like they are outclassed in nearly every aspect of tanking. That said, Guardian Druids are still viable — in logs for Throne of Thunder, Guardians appear in the top rankings (like number 3 and number 6), showing they can perform well. However, compared to other tanks in MoP Classic, they are generally weaker based on survivability, utility, and damage output. It’s also worth noting that since the game is running on Patch 5.4. any strengths Guardians had in earlier patches like 5.1 may not carry over due to nerfs and class rebalancing.