10.1.5 Spec Tier List (DF 10.1.5)
Table of Contents
Introduction
In this post you will find every DPS and healing specialization, or spec, in the game. There are several descriptions underneath each spec. The first is what team compositions the spec works well in. Depending on your team's overall strategy, multiple specs of the same class can play in the same team composition. If you are looking for a complete list of viable comps we have a guide for that. Underneath the team compositions are descriptions for the strengths and weaknesses the specialization has.
DPS Rankings
A Tier
A-tier specializations have strong defensive and offensive cooldowns. With help from teammates it is easy for these specs to excel in 3v3 arena. Specializations are not ranked on their strengths and weaknesses alone. These Tiers reflect how well certain specs work within a team and with other specs.
Windwalker Monk
Best team compositions
- Walking Dead (Windwalker Monk + Unholy DK + Holy Paladin)
- Windwalker Monk + Havoc Demon Hunter + Restoration Druid/Holy Paladin
- Windwalker Monk + Balance Druid + Holy Paladin/Restoration Druid
- Windwalker Monk + Demonology Warlock + Holy Paladin
- Windwalker Monk + Arcane Mage/Frost Mage + Holy Paladin/Restoration Druid
Strengths of Windwalker Monks
- Great mobility
- Strong team utility
- Strong self-healing
Weaknesses of Windwalker Monks
- Kiting is important to stay alive
- No defensive abilities when stunned
- Difficult for newer players
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Windwalker Monk in PvP, check out our Windwalker Monk PvP Guide.
Unholy Death Knight
Best team compositions
- Walking Dead (Unholy Death Knight + Windwalker Monk + Holy Paladin)
- TSG (Unholy Death Knight + Arms Warrior + Holy Paladin)
- Hero Cleave (Unholy Death Knight + Havoc Demon Hunter + Holy Paladin)
- Shadowcleave (Unholy Death Knight + Demonology Warlock + Holy Paladin)
- Spriest / DK (Unholy Death Knight + Shadow Priest + Holy Paladin)
Strengths of Unholy Death Knights
- Strong burst damage
- Great consistent damage
- CC prevention
- Great lockdown toolkit
Weaknesses of Unholy Death Knights
- No large hits for finishing power
- Many setup globals
- Low mobility
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Unholy Death Knight in PvP, check out our Unholy Death Knight PvP Guide.
Shadow Priest
Best team compositions
- Balance Druid/Shadow Priest/Restoration Shaman or Holy Paladin
- Subtlety Rogue/Shadow Priest/Restoration Shaman
- Shadowplay (Shadow Priest/Destruction Warlock/Restoration Shaman or Holy Paladin)
- Shadow Priest/Elemental Shaman/Restoration Shaman or Restoration Druid
Strengths of Shadow Priests
- Strong spread damage
- Dispel Magic and Mass Dispel are crucial
- High consistent damage
Weaknesses of Shadow Priests
- No mobility
- Struggle to cast against melee teams
- Rely on teammates to stay alive
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Shadow Priest in PvP, check out our Shadow Priest PvP Guide.
Balance Druid
Best team compositions
- Balance Druid + Havoc Demon Hunter + Restoration Shaman/Preservation Evoker;
- Balance Druid + Windwalker Monk + Preservation Evoker/Restoration Shaman;
- Balance Druid + Demonology Warlock + Restoration Shaman/Preservation Evoker;
- Balance Druid + Elemental Shaman + Preservation Evoker.
Strengths of Balance Druids
- Strong control
- Multiple mobility spells
- Strong burst damage
Weaknesses of Balance Druids
- Cannot do damage when forced into Bear Form
- Little consistent damage
- Long burst cooldown
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Balance Druid in PvP, check out our Balance Druid PvP Guide.
Subtlety Rogue
Best team compositions
- RMP (Subtlety Rogue + Fire Mage/Frost Mage/Arcane Mage + Discipline Priest)
- Thug Cleave (Subtlety Rogue + Survival Hunter/Marksmanship Hunter + Discipline Priest/Holy Priest)
- RPS/RLS (Subtlety Rogue + Shadow Priest/Destruction Warlock + Restoration Shaman)
- Dancing With The Stars (Subtlety Rogue + Balance Druid + Discipline Priest/Preservation Evoker)
Strengths of Subtlety Rogues
- Powerful burst.
- Great mobility.
- Great control.
- Excellent utility.
Weaknesses of Subtlety Rogues
- Very prone to dying in stuns.
- Significant cooldown on defensive abilities.
- Often reliant on teammates to stay alive.
- Non-existant sustained damage.
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Subtlety Rogue in PvP, check out our Subtlety Rogue PvP Guide.
B Tier
B tier specializations are slightly weaker than A tier specializations. These specs are still strong, but might not be strong into certain match-ups against the stronger specializations.
Destruction Warlock
Best team compositions
- RLP/D (Destruction Warlock + Assassination Rogue + Discipline Priest / Restoration Druid)
- MLD (Destruction Warlock + Frost Mage + Restoration Druid)
Strengths of Destruction Warlocks
- Extremely disruptive
- Strong, casted burst damage
- Great on-demand instant damage
Weaknesses of Destruction Warlocks
- Struggle to stay alive against melee teams
- Hard to cast against teams with multiple interrupts
- Difficult to close games out before Dampening
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Destruction Warlock in PvP, check out our Destruction Warlock PvP Guide.
Feral Druid
Best team compositions
- Kittycleave (Feral Druid + Arms Warrior/Fury Warrior + Preservation Evoker/Mistweaver Monk);
- Jungle (Feral Druid + Survival Hunter + Discipline Priest);
- FLS (Feral Druid + Destruction Warlock/Demonology Warlock + Restoration Shaman);
Strengths of Feral Druids
- Strong sustained damage
- Multiple mobility spells
- Strong burst damage
Weaknesses of Feral Druids
- Cannot do damage when forced into Bear Form
- Very few defensives
- Long burst cooldown
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Feral Druid in PvP, check out our Feral Druid PvP Guide.
Frost Mage
Best team compositions
- MLD (Frost Mage + Demonology Warlock + Restoration Druid)
- RMD (Frost Mage + Assassination Rogue + Restoration Druid)
- GodComp (Frost Mage + Shadow Priest + Restoration Druid/Preservation Evoker)
- WMD (Frost Mage + Arms Warrior + Restoration Druid/Preservation Evoker)
Frost Mages' Strengths
- Great control
- Multiple defensive cooldowns
- Strong burst damage
- Relatively strong sustained damage
Frost Mages' Weaknesses
- Forced to cast most abilities
- Predictable burst damage
- Low Durability when out of cooldowns
- Only one school of casting
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Frost Mage in PvP, check out our Frost Mage PvP Guide.
Arcane Mage
Best team compositions
- RMD(Arcane Mage + Assassination Rogue + Restoration Druid)
- Arcane Mage + Windwalker Monk + Holy Paladin/Holy Priest
- Arcane Mage + Demonology Warlock + Holy Priest
- Arcane Mage + Shadow Priest + Restoration Druid
- FMP (Arcane Mage + Feral Druid + Holy Paladin)
Arcane Mages' Strengths
- Great mobility
- Strong single-target damage
- Great control and utility
- Strong Survivability
Arcane Mages' Weaknesses
- Only one major casting school
- Predictable burst damage
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Arcane Mage in PvP, check out our Arcane Mage PvP Guide.
Fire Mage
Best team compositions
- MLD (Fire Mage + Demonology Warlock + Restoration Druid)
- RMP (Fire Mage + Subtlety Rogue + Holy Priest)
- WMP (Fire Mage + Fury Warrior + Holy Priest)
- FMP (Fire Mage + Feral Druid + Holy Priest)
- Boomy/Mage (Fire Mage + Balance Druid + Holy Priest)
Fire Mages' Strengths
- Strong crowd control
- High burst damage
- Multiple casting schools
- Significant instant cast damage
- Strong DoT Pressure sustained Damage
Fire Mages' Weaknesses
- Consistent damage is low without the use of Glass Cannon
- Predictable burst damage
- Will struggle versus teams with two melee on it
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Fire Mage in PvP, check out our Fire Mage PvP Guide.
Affliction Warlock
Best team compositions
- LSD/LSPri (Affliction Warlock + Elemental Shaman + Restoration Druid / Holy Priest)
- Shadowplay (Affliction Warlock + Shadow Priest + Restoration Druid)
- RLP/D (Affliction Warlock + Assassination Rogue + Discipline Priest / Restoration Druid
Strengths of Affliction Warlocks
- Great spread damage
- Good against teams with low self-healing or no hybrids
Weaknesses of Affliction Warlocks
- Struggle to cast against teams with many interrupts
- Lack of reliable crowd control
- Only one casting school
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Affliction Warlock in PvP, check out our Affliction Warlock PvP Guide.
Retribution Paladin
Best team compositions
- Retribution Paladin + Arms Warrior + Restoration Shaman/Restoration Druid)
- Cupid (Retribution Paladin + Beast Mastery Hunter + Discipline Priest)
- Vanguards (Retribution Paladin + Unholy DK/Frost DK + Mistweaver Monk/Restoration Druid/Restoration Shaman)
- Retribution Paladin + Havoc Demon Hunter + Mistweaver Monk/Restoration Druid
Strengths of Retribution Paladins
- Strong burst damage
- Great consistent and cleave damage
- Multiple ways to support teammates via blessing spells
- Nearly the entire damage kit can be done from mid-range
Weaknesses of Retribution Paladins
- Limited mobility
- Target of choice for most teams
- No Mortal Wounds effect limits compositions
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Retribution Paladin in PvP, check out our Retribution Paladin PvP Guide.
Enhancement Shaman
Best team compositions
- Turbo (Enhancement Shaman + Arms Warrior + Holy Priest/Mistweaver Monk)
- Turbo (Enhancement Shaman + Fury Warrior + Holy Priest/Mistweaver Monk)
- Enhancement Shaman + Windwalker Monk + Discipline Priest
Enhancement Shamans' Strengths
- Strong melee and ranged damage and burst
- Multiple interupts
- Significant caster distruption
- Strong team healing
- Grounding Totem and Tremor Totem provide strong utility to the team
Enhancement Shamans' Weaknesses
- Predictable burst damage
- Limited crowd-control
- Damage is dependent on uptime
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Enhancement Shaman in PvP, check out our Enhancement Shaman PvP Guide.
Augmentation Evoker
Best team compositions
- Augmentation Evoker + Subtlety Rogue + Holy Paladin
- Augmentation Evoker + Arms Warrior + Holy Paladin
- Augmentation Evoker + Unholy DK + Holy Paladin
- Great mobility
- Countless spells to help teammates land a kill
- Multiple instant healing spells to keep teammate alive
Augmentation Evoker Weaknesses
- If mobility is not used properly, easy to crowd control
- Very little crowd control
- Can get swapped to and die in a stun
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Augmentation Evoker in PvP, check out our Augmentation Evoker PvP Guide.
Demonology Warlock
Best team compositions
- Shadowcleave (Demonology Warlock + Unholy Death Knight + Holy Paladin/Restoration Druid).
- Mage/Lock (Demonology Warlock + Frost Mage + Mistweaver Monk/Restoration Shaman);
- Demonology Warlock + Elemental Shaman + Restoration Druid/Holy Paladin;
- Shadowplay (Demonology Warlock + Shadow Priest + Holy Paladin/Restoration Druid).
- LSD2 (Demonology Warlock + Balance Druid + Holy Paladin/Preservation Evoker).
Strengths of Demonology Warlocks
- Great control
- Multiple casting schools
- Strong consistent damage
Weaknesses of Demonology Warlocks
- Predictable burst damage
- Lack of scary damage outside of Summon Demonic Tyrant
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Demonology Warlock in PvP, check out our Demonology Warlock PvP Guide.
Beast Mastery Hunter
Best team compositions
- Jungle (Beast Mastery Hunter + Feral Druid + Holy Priest/Discipline Priest)
- Cupid (Beast Mastery Hunter + Retribution Paladin + Restoration Druid/Discipline Priest)
- Beast Mastery Hunter + Frost DK/Unholy DK + Holy Paladin/Restoration Druid
- Beast Mastery Hunter + Arms Warrior + Restoration Shaman/Holy Paladin
Strengths of Beast Mastery Hunter
- Great control
- Decent mobility
- Strong consistent damage
Weaknesses of Beast Mastery Hunter
- Hard to get crowd control without the help of teammates
- Weak to teams with multiple stuns
- Very few defensive cooldowns
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Beast Mastery Hunter in PvP, check out our Beast Mastery Hunter PvP Guide.
C Tier
It is important to note that these specializations are not bad just because they are in the third tier. They are in this tier because one or more of the classes other specs are much stronger to play in arena right now.
Assassination Rogue
Best team compositions
- RMP/E (Assassination Rogue + Fire Mage/Frost Mage/Arcane Mage + Holy Paladin/Discipline Priest/Preservation Evoker)
- RPS/E (Assassination Rogue + Shadow Priest + Restoration Shaman/Preservation Evoker)
- RSD/E (Assassination Rogue + Elemental Shaman + Restoration Druid)
- RLS/E (Assassination Rogue + Affliction Warlock/Destruction Warlock + Restoration Shaman/Preservation Evoker)
Strengths of Assassination Rogues
- Excellent sustained damage.
- Decent burst.
- Great control.
- Excellent utility.
Weaknesses of Assassination Rogues
- Very prone to dying in stuns.
- Significant cooldown on defensive abilities.
- Often reliant on teammates to stay alive.
- Very predictable burst damage.
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Assassination Rogue in PvP, check out our Assassination Rogue PvP Guide.
Havoc Demon Hunter
Best team compositions
- Hero Cleave (Demon Hunter/Frost Death Knight/Holy Paladin or Restoration Shaman)
- Demon Hunter/Destruction Warlock/Holy Paladin or Restoration Shaman
- Demon Hunter/Arms Warrior/Holy Paladin or Restoration Druid
- Demon Hunter/Retribution Paladin/Holy Paladin or Restoration Druid
Strengths
- Great mobility
- Strong burst and sustained damage
- Multiple utility spells
Weaknesses
- Weak against teams with multiple stuns
- Predictable burst damage
- Easy to learn, but difficult to master
If you are interested in learning more about to play Havoc Demon Hunter in PvP, check out our Havoc Demon Hunter PvP Guide.
Arms Warrior
Best team compositions
- TSG (Arms Warrior + Frost DK / Unholy DK + Holy Paladin / Restoration Shaman)
- Arms Warrior + Retribution Paladin + Holy Priest / Restoration Shaman
- Turbo Cleave (Arms Warrior + Enhancement Shaman + Holy Paladin / Mistweaver Monk)
- WLS (Arms Warrior + Destruction Warlock + Restoration Shaman / Holy Paladin / Holy Priest)
- WMP(ala) (Arms Warrior + Fire Mage + Holy Paladin / Holy Priest
- Arms Warrior + Shadow Priest + Holy Paladin / Restoration Shaman)
Strengths of Arms Warriors
- Strong, consistent damage and powerful burst windows.
- Can effectively fight any number of enemies.
- Strong mobility.
- Sharpen Blade is the strongest healing reduction in the game.
- Adaptable kit able to respond to almost any situation.
- Strong defensive kit.
Weaknesses of Arms Warriors
- Struggles to keep up with consistent ranged slows.
- Talent lineup has you sacrifice either sustained or burst damage for the other.
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Arms Warrior in PvP, check out our Arms Warrior PvP Guide.
Frost Death Knight
Best team compositions
- Walking Dead (Frost Death Knight + Windwalker Monk + Holy Paladin/Restoration Shaman)
- TSG (Frost Death Knight + Arms Warrior + Holy Paladin/Restoration Shaman)
- Zombie Chicken (Frost Death Knight + Balance Druid + Holy Paladin)
- Vanguards (Frost Death Knight + Retribution Paladin + Holy Paladin/Restoration Shaman)
- Hero Cleave (Frost Death Knight + Havoc Demon Hunter + Restoration Shaman)
- Dev DK (Frost Death Knight + Devastation Evoker + Healer)
Strengths of Frost Death Knights
- Strong burst damage
- Powerful AoE setups
- Unmatched disruption & anti-mobility
- Crowd Control prevention tools
Weaknesses of Frost Death Knights
- Limited crowd control
- Low damage mitigation
- Little to no mobility
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Frost Death Knight in PvP, check out our Frost Death Knight PvP Guide.
Elemental Shaman
Best team compositions
- Elemental Shaman + Destruction Warlock + Holy Priest
- Elemental Shaman + Demonology Warlock + Restoration Druid
- Elemental Shaman + Shadow Priest + Restoration Druid/Preservation Evoker
- Elemental Shaman + Balance Druid + Holy Priest/Preservation Evoker
Strengths of Elemental Shaman
- High sustained damage with high uptime of Fire Elemental and Flame Shock through the use of Surge of Power causing strong pressure
- High burst damage with Primordial Wave, Lava Burst, Deeply Rooted Elements and Earth Shock
- Strong mobility and kiting with Gust of Wind, Thunderstorm and Earthgrab Totem
- 5-second stun and moderate damage with Lightning Lasso, which cannot be dispelled but can be interrupted.
- Dispel protection of Flame Shock
- Has Healing Stream Totem, Earth Shield and Healing Surge for strong off-healing
- Short cooldown interrupt in Wind Shear
- Grounding Totem, Static Field Totem and Tremor Totem provide strong utility to the team
Weaknesses of Elemental Shaman
- Predictable burst damage
- Dependent on procs of Lava Surge based on Flame Shock which can be dispelled
- When focused, it can be challenging to generate Maelstrom
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Elemental Shaman in PvP, check out our Elemental Shaman PvP Guide.
Marksmanship Hunter
Best team compositions
- Jungle Cleave (Marksmanship Hunter + Feral Druid + Holy Priest/ Discipline Priest)
- Cupid Cleave (Marksmanship Hunter + Retribution Paladin + Holy Priest/ Discipline Priest)
- Thug Cleave (Marksmanship Hunter + Subtlety Rogue/ Assassination Rogue + Holy Priest/ Discipline Priest)
- Scatterplay (Marksmanship Hunter + Shadow Priest + Restoration Druid)
Strengths of Marksmanship Hunter
- Lethal burst damage when freecasting
- High sustained damage
- Decent mobility and kiting tools
- Mortal strike from pets
- Support for team with Roar of Sacrifice, Master's Call, Sentinel's Perception or Interlope
Weaknesses of Marksmanship Hunter
- Weak to teams with multiple stuns and other instant crowd control
- Needs help from teammates to land crowd control
- Less crowd control than other ranged specs and all on relatively long cooldowns
- Heavily relies on landing Freezing Trap at the right moment and timing Scatter Shot effectively
- Being able to do damage effectively relies on having knowledge of which targets are able to stop your casts
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Marksmanship Hunter in PvP, check out our Marksmanship Hunter PvP Guide.
Fury Warrior
Best team compositions
- TSG (Fury Warrior + Unholy DK + Holy Paladin / Restoration Shaman)
- Fury Warrior + Retribution Paladin + Holy Priest / Restoration Shaman
- Turbo Cleave (Fury Warrior + Enhancement Shaman + Holy Paladin / Mistweaver Monk
- WMP(ala) (Fury Warrior + Fire Mage + Holy Paladin / Holy Priest
- Fury Warrior + Shadow Priest + Holy Paladin / Restoration Shaman)
- KFC (Fury Warrior Beast Mastery Hunter / Survival Hunter + Holy Priest / Restoration Druid
Strengths of Fury Warriors
- High sustained damage.
- Recklessness gives a lot of burst damage.
- High mobility.
- Incredible healing output.
- Enraged Regeneration is a strong defensive and useable while stunned.
Weaknesses of Fury Warriors
- Struggles against consistent ranged slows.
- Lack of Bladestorm means high vulnerability to being hit with CC.
- Not a lot of utility.
- Choice of PvP talents is minimal.
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Fury Warrior in PvP, check out our Fury Warrior PvP Guide.
Survival Hunter
Best team compositions
- Jungle (Survival Hunter + Feral Druid + Holy Paladin/Discipline Priest)
- Cupid (Survival Hunter + Retribution Paladin + Restoration Druid/Discipline Priest)
- Thug (Survival Hunter + Subtlety Rogue + Restoration Druid/Holy Paladin
- Survival Hunter + Arms Warrior + Holy Paladin/Restoration Druid
Strengths of Survival Hunter
- Consistent crowd control abilities
- Decent mobility
- Strong burst damage
Weaknesses of Survival Hunter
- Difficult for newer players
- Weak against teams with multiple stuns
- Very few defensive cooldowns
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Survival Hunter in PvP, check out our Survival Hunter PvP Guide.
Outlaw Rogue
Best team compositions
- RMP/D (Outlaw Rogue + Frost Mage/Arcane Mage + Discipline Priest/Restoration Druid)
- RLS/E (Outlaw Rogue + Warlock + Restoration Shaman/ Preservation Evoker)
- RPS/E (Outlaw Rogue + Shadow Priest + Restoration Shaman/Preservation Evoker)
- RSD (Outlaw Rogue + Elemental Shaman + Restoration Druid)
- Thug Cleave (Outlaw Rogue + Beast Mastery Hunter/ Survival Hunter + Discipline Priest)
Strengths of Outlaw Rogues
- Great control.
- Great sustained damage.
- Great mobility.
- Very durable.
- Excellent utility.
Weaknesses of Outlaw Rogues
- No defensive abilities when stunned.
- Mediocre burst damage.
- Reliant on luck regarding Roll the Bones.
- Suffers greatly from loss of uptime because of Restless Blades.
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Outlaw Rogue in PvP, check out our Outlaw Rogue PvP Guide.
Devastation Evoker
Best team compositions
- Devastation Evoker + Frost Death Knight + Discipline Priest/Restoration Druid
- Devastation Evoker + Enhancement Shaman + Discipline Priest/Restoration Druid
- Devastation Evoker + Subtlety Rogue + Restoration Druid
Devastation Evoker Strengths
- Great mobility
- Some of the strongest burst damage in the game
- Multiple healing spells to keep teammate alive
Devastation Evoker Weaknesses
- If mobility is not used properly, easy to swap to in a stun
- Very little crowd control
- Can get swapped to and die in a stun
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Devastation Evoker in PvP, check out our Devastation Evoker PvP Guide.
Healer Rankings
Just like the DPS specializations, there is a ranking for each healer. They are based on utility, team compositions and overall healing output.
S Tier
Holy Paladin
Best team compositions
- RMPally (Holy Paladin + Arcane Mage + Subtlety Rogue/Outlaw Rogue)
- Jungle (Holy Paladin + Survival Hunter + Feral Druid)
- WPP (Holy Paladin + Shadow Priest + Arms Warrior)
- WMP (Holy Paladin + Fire Mage + Arms Warrior)
- RPP (Holy Paladin + Subtlety Rogue + Shadow Priest)
Strengths of Holy Paladins
- Large amount of healing cooldowns
- Multiple defensive abilities
- Great burst healing
Weaknesses of Holy Paladins
- Weak spread healing
- Easy to swap to if overextended
- Limited mobility when out of Blessing of Freedoms
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Holy Paladin in PvP, check out our Holy Paladin PvP Guide.
A Tier
Preservation Evoker
Best team compositions
- Mage/Lock (Preservation Evoker + Frost Mage + Demonology Warlock)
- Dancing with the Stars (Preservation Evoker + Subtlety Rogue + Balance Druid)
- Shadowcleave (Preservation Evoker + Demonology Warlock + Unholy DK)
Strengths
- Great mobility
- Strong damage output to contribute to kills
- Multiple instant healing spells to keep teammate alive
Weaknesses
- If mobility is not used properly, easy to crowd control
- Very little crowd control
- Can get swapped to and die in a stun
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Preservation Evoker in PvP, check out our Preservation Evoker PvP Guide.
Holy Priest
Best team compositions
- RMP (Holy Priest + Subtlety Rogue + Frost Mage);
- Jungle (Holy Priest + Survival Hunter + Feral Druid);
- MLP (Holy Priest + Demonology Warlock + Frost Mage);
- Thug Cleave (Holy Priest + Subtlety Rogue + Survival Hunter);
Holy Priests Strengths
- Strong spread healing
- Multiple powerful healing cooldowns
- Very Mana efficient
Holy Priests Weaknesses
- Struggle against teams with two melee on it
- Have to cast most spells to get value from cooldowns
- Very limited mobility
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Holy Priest in PvP, check out our Holy Priest PvP Guide.
B Tier
Restoration Shaman
Best team compositions
- Restoration Shaman + Fury Warrior + Shadow Priest
- Restoration Shaman + Shadow Priest + Affliction Warlock
- Restoration Shaman + Shadow Priest + Destruction Warlock
- Restoration Shaman + Shadow Priest + Demonology Warlock
- Restoration Shaman + Shadow Priest + Fire Mage
- Restoration Shaman + Shadow Priest + Subtlety Rogue
Restoration Shaman Strengths
- Spirit Link Totem will save a teammate from dying.
- Very strong team healing through Healing Tide Totem with the PvP talent Living Tide selected.
- Resetting the cooldown of Earthen Wall Totem with Totemic Recall.
- Multiple utility spells
- Purge/ Greater Purge is crucial in matchups
- Wind Shear and Grounding Totem are critical stopping crowd-control.
- Passive healing through Healing Stream Totem and Earth Shield.
- Strong damage through Flame Shock, Stormkeeper and Lava Burst.
- Several spells that heal when you are in crowd control or interrupted.
- A Mortal Strike effect and damage reduction through Unleash Shield
Restoration Shaman Weaknesses
- Heavily dependent on rotating cooldowns for keeping teammates alive.
- Lacking large damage reduction cooldowns, or burst healing.
- Healing throughput is moderate, not strong.
- No damage reduction team cooldowns.
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Restoration Shaman in PvP, check out our Restoration Shaman PvP Guide.
Restoration Druid
Best team compositions
- MLD (Restoration Druid + Frost Mage + Demonology Warlock);
- RMD (Restoration Druid + Frost Mage + Subtlety Rogue);
- Restoration Druid + Elemental Shaman + Demonology Warlock;
- Hero Cleave (Restoration Druid + Arms Warrior + Unholy DK);
- God Comp (Restoration Druid + Fire Mage + Shadow Priest);
Strengths of Restoration Druids
- Great control and crowd control
- Good mobility
- Very hard to kill
Weaknesses of Restoration Druids
- Hard to play for newer players
- Hard to heal against teams with strong spread damage
- Struggle against teams with a Purge ability
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Restoration Druid in PvP, check out our Restoration Druid PvP Guide.
C Tier
Discipline Priest
Best team compositions
- Jungle (Discipline Priest + Feral Druid + Survival Hunter/Beast Mastery Hunter);
- Discipline Priest + Retribution Paladin + Arms Warrior;
- RMP (Discipline Priest + Assassination Rogue/Subtlety Rogue + Frost Mage);
- Thug Cleave (Discipline Priest + Assassination Rogue/Subtlety Rogue + Survival Hunter/Marksmanship Hunter);
- Cupid (Discipline Priest + Retribution Paladin + Survival Hunter/Beast Mastery Hunter);
Strengths of Discipline Priests
- Powerful defensive abilities.
- Significant damage.
- Offensive purge.
- Decent utility.
Weaknesses of Discipline Priests
- Very little mobility.
- High Mana consumption when hard-casting heals.
- Reliant on teammates to land CC.
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Discipline Priest in PvP, check out our Discipline Priest PvP Guide.
Mistweaver Monk
Best team compositions
- Shadowplay (Mistweaver Monk + Demonology Warlock + Shadow Priest
- Turbo(Mistweaver Monk + Arms Warrior + Enhancement Shaman)
- Shadowcleave (Mistweaver Monk + Demonology Warlock + Unholy DK
- MLChi (Mistweaver Monk + Frost Mage + Demonology Warlock
- Herocleave (Mistweaver Monk + Havoc Demon Hunter + Unholy DK)
- TSG (Mistweaver Monk + Arms Warrior + Unholy DK)
Mistweaver Monks Strengths
- Great mobility
- Strong single-target healing
- Multiple crowd control abilities
Mistweaver Monks Weaknesses
- Easy to get stuck in crowd control
- Very little utility for teammates
- No damage to help with kills if you do not Fistweave
If you are interested in learning more about how to play Mistweaver Monk in PvP, check out our Mistweaver Monk PvP Guide.
Conclusion
Every class has at least one strong specialization they can play. Each spec brings different damage and utility. Find one that you enjoy playing and build teams around that playstyle. If there are any questions please let me know in the comments.
Changelog
- 11 Aug. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 07 Oct. 2017: Specialization tier list created.
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