With the launch of WoW Anniversary: The Burning Crusade Phase 1, class balance looks very different from what many players remember in 2021. This TBC Anniversary Phase 1 tier list breaks down the best DPS, Tank, and Healers, specifically focusing on Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, and Magtheridon’s Lair.

WoW Anniversary Phase 1 Best DPS, Tank & Healer - TBC Anniversary Phase 1 Ranking

In WoW Anniversary Phase 1, having a strong spec matters because the event is time-limited and heavily efficiency-driven, with players rushing through Blackrock Depths, Chromie’s Codex scenarios, Korrak’s Revenge, and daily activities to maximize Bronze, Timewarped Badges, experience, and reputation bonuses. Post-nerf tuning and scaled content favor specs with front-loaded damage, reliable threat, and efficient healing, as faster kills reduce wipes, lower group stress, and make mechanics more forgiving in mixed-skill pug environments.

Our WoW TBC Anniversary Phase 1 Rankings are based purely on performance in raid environments, not class popularity, nostalgia, or long-term scaling in later phases. Each tier reflects how well a spec performs with early gear, how it interacts with post-nerf encounter design, and how much real value it brings during progression.

WoW Anniversary Phase 1 DPS Tier List

These specs have massive front-loaded damage, scale well with early gear, and thrive in post-nerf kill times.

S Tier

Arcane Mage

Multiple stacked cooldowns: Arcane Power + Icy Veins + Trinkets. Damage happens immediately. No ramp time. Top-tier AoE and single target. Post-nerf heavily favors burst windows. Arcane doesn’t win because Fire is bad — it wins because Fire needs time and Arcane doesn’t.

Fury Warrior

Incredible synergy with post-nerf melee buffs. Huge cooldowns (Death Wish, Recklessness). Scales absurdly well with Phase 1 gear. Cleave fights push them even higher. PTR showed Fury constantly topping meters when geared. Go buttons + fast kills = Fury heaven.

Beast Mastery Hunter

Best early-expansion scaling. Pet damage ignores many early stat issues. Strong sustained and burst

Skill ceiling (melee weaving) pushes elite players higher. BM falls off later — Phase 1 is their peak.

A Tier

Destruction Warlock

Shadow Bolt spam = consistent, not explosive. Curse of Doom loses value due to short fights

No real “go button”. Still excellent damage — just not burst-dominant. They didn’t get worse — everyone else got better.

Survival Hunter

Strong personal DPS. Brings raid value. Outperformed by BM in raw numbers. BM is simply better at the same job.

Combat Rogue

Adrenaline Rush + Blade Flurry are perfect for Phase 1. Very strong cleave on Karazhan bosses. Can top meters in the right fights. Fury Warriors do the same thing… but better. Limited raid stacking value.

Arms Warrior

Consistent damage. Strong with post-nerf melee changes. Required for raid debuffs. Fury just outscales them in raw DPS.

Retribution Paladin

High variance, high ceiling. Seal twisting RNG can push them very high. Post-nerf buffs helped Ret significantly.  Ret is casino DPS — sometimes S tier, sometimes B. A Tier is the fairest average.

Demonology Warlock

Viable and functional. Outperformed by Destruction. No reason to stack it.

Elemental Shaman

Very bursty. Mana issues largely solved post-nerf. Strong logs on PTR. Threat and scaling limit ceiling. Still behind Arcane/Destro in pure numbers.

B Tier

Enhancement Shaman

Can spike early with good gear. Falls off as others scale. Strong utility, weaker pure DPS later

Affliction Warlock

DoTs need time. Bosses die too fast. Meta actively works against them.

Feral Druid

Extremely high skill ceiling. Average players underperform. Top players can reach A, but not the norm.

Fire Mage

Requires heavy support and setup. Arcane simply does more damage with less effort. Fire shines later, not Phase 1.

Balance Druid

Better than Classic. Still not competitive with top casters. Strong utility, weak DPS ceiling.

Shadow Priest

DoT-based damage. Mana battery role less valuable. Scales poorly into Phase 1 endgame.

C Tier 

Frost Mage

PvP spec. No PvE damage scaling. Arcane exists — making Frost pointless.

WoW Anniversary Phase 1 Tank Tier List

S Tier

Protection Warrior

Protection Warriors are the most complete tanks at Tier 4 launch. The safest main tank. The easiest to gear early The most reliable during progression. S Tier on this TBC Annivesary phase 1 tier list, no debate for early Phase 1.

A Tier

Feral Combat Druid 

Highest Effective Health Pool (EHP) in the game Massive armor scaling from Dire Bear Form and Thick Hide.. Very strong tank. Incredible threat. Slightly riskier early progression. A Tier in Phase 1, S Tier later.

Protection Paladin

Protection Paladins dominate AoE tanking and remain very strong in raids. Mandatory in most raids. Best AoE tank. Slightly weaker for progression main tanking. High A Tier.

WoW Anniversary Phase 1 Healer Tier List

S Tier

Restoration Shaman

Best WoW TBC Anniversary Phase 1 healer. Chain Heal defines TBC raid healing. Totems provide unmatched group utility: Tremor Totem, Mana Spring Totem and Windfury Totem.

A Tier

Holy Paladin

Premier tank healer. Best single-target healing in Phase 1. Exceptional mana efficiency with Flash of Light.  Strong emergency buttons: Divine Shield and Lay on Hands.

Discipline Priest

Mitigation-focused support healer.  Power Word: Shield is extremely strong in TBC. Prevents damage rather than reacting to it.

Holy Priest

Most versatile healer.  Best AoE burst healing: Circle of Healing and Prayer of Healing. Can fill almost any role in the raid. Strong reactive toolkit.

B Tier

Restoration Druid

Sustained healing specialist.  Excellent healing over time: Lifebloom, Rejuvenation and Regrowth. B Tier for PvE raids, S Tier in PvP.