Dragonflight DPS Rankings: Amirdrassil, the Dream's Hope Raiding Tier List (Patch 10.2.)

Patch 10.2. includes major changes and adjustments to the game's balance as well as introducing a brand new raid tier - Amirdrassil. Our analysis provides an estimate of how the current raid meta will be impacted, but it may require further tweaking in the coming weeks.

This tier list is entirely based on DPS viability for the new raid in Patch 10.2 of Dragonflight. The primary traits we are looking for have not changed and are what you would expect for raiding content. Mainly, we care about single-target damage; some burst cleave or AoE, and then defensive capabilities on a raid-wide or individual scale. Unique class utility buffs are also worth noticing and can be worth bringing a specific class for, but very few buffs are spec-specific.

While the traits that make a character valuable in a raid have not changed much, there are two incredibly important new factors to consider.

• Because of the new talent trees, classes now have the freedom of choice to decide how to build in various situations. However, this also means that certain classes are forced into specializing in either AoE or single target for different bosses. While some classes have excellent pure single-target damage, they can lose a significant portion of that damage when forced to take even a few points of AoE talents.

It is incredibly important to emphasize that just because a DPS specialization is low in the tier list, it does not mean that you should ignore it completely. For the vast majority of cases, you should choose to bring the better player, not the better specialization. That does not mean you never need to think about your raid composition, just that most of the time, player skill will be more important than the difference between classes, assuming you already have the required raid buffs. All being lower tier means is that all else being equal, those specs will be less desirable for the raid based on current tuning.

Below is a quick summary of the full rankings that we have detailed on this page. While this gives a good outline of the standings of specializations in comparison to one another, we recommend reading the full rankings to understand why certain specializations are ranked as they are.

1. Augmentation Evoker (S+-Tier)
2. Assassination Rogue (S-Tier)
3. Enhancement Shaman (S-Tier)
4. Havoc Demon Hunter (S-Tier)
5. Beast Mastery Hunter (S-Tier)
6. Demonology Warlock (S-Tier)
7. Balance Druid (A-Tier)
8. Arcane Mage (A-Tier)
9. Subtlety Rogue (A-Tier)
10. Frost Mage (A-Tier)
11. Fury Warrior (B-Tier)
12. Unholy Death Knight (B-Tier)
13. Outlaw Rogue (B-Tier)
14. Arms Warrior (B-Tier)
15. Feral Druid (B-Tier)
16. Survival Hunter (B-Tier)
17. Frost Death Knight (B-Tier)
18. Fire Mage (B-Tier)
19. Devastation Evoker (B-Tier)
20. Retribution Paladin (B-Tier)
21. Elemental Shaman (B-Tier)
22. Affliction Warlock (B-Tier)
23. Shadow Priest (C-Tier)
24. Marksmanship Hunter (C-Tier)
25. Destruction Warlock (C-Tier)
26. Windwalker Monk (D-Tier)

Data-Driven Raiding Tier List

Get the latest data driven tier list for Patch 10.2

View Rankings

If you are interested in our other rankings for the Season 3 Raid in Dragonflight, please click the links below.

Patch 10.2 update: Augmentation Evoker received some changes going forward to the next tier - Amirdrassil, as well as a brand-new tierset along with it. The 2-piece enables every 3rd Prescience cast to last 100% longer. In addition, the 4p effect allows for Prescience to enhance your next Eruption cast with smaller fissures for each Prescience you have active, each dealing damage and extending Ebon Might by 0.2 sec.

The Augmentation Evokers specialization is one of the most powerful specializations in the new Amirdrassil raid tier, thanks to its ability to enhance the damage and defensive capabilities of your raid members. While the players behind the Prescience and Ebon Might buffs are responsible for most of their damage, having at least one Augmentation Evoker in your raid composition can be very advantageous. This specialization also has a great defensive profile, and immunity, and is one of the most mobile specializations available.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Blessing of the Bronze	-
Core	Ebon Might	-
Core	Chrono Ward	Extra Shielding effect triggered after Breath of Eons cast.
Core	Prescience	Can be further bolstered by the Fate Mirror talent.
Optional	Blistering Scales	-
Optional	Spatial Paradox	-
Optional	Source of Magic	Can be further bolstered by Potent Mana
Optional	Zephyr	-
Optional	Cauterizing Flame	Bleed removal
Optional	Rescue	You can further bolster it with Twin Guardian talent for extra durability.

Patch 10.2: Assassination Rogue received a complete rework going forward to the next tier - Amirdrassil, as well as a brand-new tierset along with it. The 2-piece bonus enables each 10 energy you spend to grant Natureblight, increase your attack speed and Nature Damage by 1% for 6 sec. Multiple instances of Natureblight may overlap up to 15 stacks. In addition, the 4-piece effect allows Envenom with Envenom active to explode, dealing Nature damage to all nearby enemies (deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets). If Envenomous Explosion deals damage to a single target, it is increased by 150%.

After the complete rework of the Assassination Rogues, their damage profile is in a much better shape while still having that great execute damage output. Rogues have great defensive profiles and a few sets of immunities, making it necessary to have at least one Rogue in your team, especially with the Atrophic Poison Raid utility. However, the main strength of Assassination Rogues lies in their ability to deal exceptional single-target damage.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Atrophic Poison	-

Patch 10.2 update: Enhancement Shaman received minor changes changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tierset along with it. The 2-piece enables Primordial Wave to summon a Lightning Feral Spirit that increases your Nature damage dealt by 20% for 15 sec. In addition, once you summon any Feral Spirit, it will reduce the cooldown of Primordial Wave by 7 sec.

Enhancement Shaman is a powerful DPS class that excels in both single target and cleave damage. However, when the Windfury Totem is factored in, and their damage output becomes even more significant, making them one of the most valuable melee DPS specs in the game. Many other melee classes also benefit from the totem, with some specializations gaining a significant boost in damage. Even without the totem, Enhancement Shaman would still be considered a great pick-up spec due to their impressive damage output. At last, anytime there is a fight that can benefit from funnelling, look no further as Enhance is a specialist in it!

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Windfury Totem	Exceptionally strong for melee damage dealers.
Core	Bloodlust	-
Optional	Wind Rush Totem	-
Optional	Ancestral Guidance	-

Patch 10.2 update: Havoc Demon Hunter received a complete rework going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tierset along with it. The 2-piece enables Blade Dance to automatically triggers Throw Glaive on your primary target for 100% damage and each slash has a 50% chance to Throw Glaive an enemy for 35% damage. In addition, the 4-piece bonus allows Throw Glaive to reduce the remaining cooldown of The Hunt by 2 sec, and The Hunt's damage-over-time effect lasts 6 sec longer.

As a class, Demon Hunters possess a versatile and effective range of damage abilities that make them a valuable asset in any situation. With a single talent build, they are able to compete effectively in fights that require a mixture of combat styles. One of their greatest strengths lies in their ability to deal strong cleave damage to 2-5 targets, as well as burst area-of-effect damage. Nevertheless, Demon Hunters still have access to the powerful Darkness ability, which can serve as a valuable raid cooldown.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Chaos Brand	5% extra Magical damage
Core	Darkness	% chance to avoid all damage from an attack.

Patch 10.2 update: Beast Mastery Hunter received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand-new tierset along with it. The 2-piece bonus enables Bestial Wrath to summon a Dire Beast for 15 sec. In addition, the 4-piece effect empowers Dire Beast to now benefit from Kill Command and Beast Cleave.

As a ranged DPS spec in the game, Beast Mastery Hunter stands out as the only one capable of performing their entire rotation while moving. This makes them an invaluable asset for any mechanics or tasks required during a fight. In addition to that, every Hunter specialization is now going to have a raid-buff - Hunter's Mark, making them slightly more appealing to be picked up in the mandatory 20-man Mythic raid composition. One of the main disadvantages of having Beast Mastery Hunter is that they suffer from lack of spread cleaving (when mobs are far away from each other) and is relatively squishy compared to most of the Ranged options; however, their current damage profile is among the highest in the raiding scene. Simply because of that, we are consider them as one of the "must" picks in every raid composition.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Hunter's Mark	Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%.

Patch 10.2 update:. Demonology Warlock received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tierset along with it. The 2-piece bonus enables Demonbolt to apply Doom Brand that explodes after 20 sec dealing Shadow damage to nearby enemies (reduced damage beyond 8 targets). Hand of Gul'dan reduces the duration of your Doom Brands by 1 sec per Soul Shard spent. In addition, the 4p effect gives Doom Brand a chance to summon Doomfiend when it explodes, that casts 5 Doom Bolt Volleys before departing. Each Doom Bolt Volley deals Shadow damage up to 4 enemies.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Create Healthstone
Core	Soulstone
Core	Demonic Gateway
Core	Curse of Tongues	Useful against caster targets. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Curse of Weakness	Useful against physical damage dealers. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Optional	Banish	Useful on some boss encounters for an extra crowd-control effect.

Patch 10.2 update: Balance Druid received some changes going forward to the next tier - Amirdrassil, as well as a brand-new tierset along with it. The 2-piece triggers once Eclipse ends or when you enter combat, enter a Dreamstate, reducing the cast time of your next 2 Starfires or Wraths by 40% and increase their damage by 100%. In addition, the 4-piece enables Starsurge or Starfall to increase your current Eclipse's Arcane or Nature damage bonus by an additional 2% up to 10%.

As a Balance Druid, you may not have the highest single-target output, but your damage toolkit is well-rounded and all-inclusive, making you a valuable asset in the game. Starfall, in particular, is a unique ability that sets you apart from other classes as it allows you to constantly cleave spread groups of enemies. While this may not matter in most fights, Boomkins are irreplaceable when facing multi-target fights. Also, don't forget the mandatory Mark of the Wild raid-wide buff is a must in every raid, making it more appealing to pick them up.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Mark of the Wild	Increasing the Versatility of your raid/party by 3%.
Optional	Innervate	Allowing 1 friendly healer to cast spells without spending mana for 8 sec.
Optional	Stampeding Roar	Increasing the movement speed to all raid members by 60% for 8 sec.
Optional	Nature's Vigil	Extra off-healing.

Patch 10.2 update: Arcane Mage received minor changes since going forward to the next tier - Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece triggers when consuming Clearcasting, which then grants you increased spell damage by 2% for 20 sec, stacking up to 10%. In addition, the 4p effect triggers after consuming Clearcasting 3 times, your next Arcane Missiles consumes Arcane Battery, dealing 150% increased damage to your primary target and fires at up to 4 nearby enemies dealing 100% increased damage.

Arcane Mage has competitive single target, but more importantly, has some of the best single target burst damage in the game right now for small burst windows. Arcane is a top-heavy spec in terms of the skill required to truly make use of its phenomenal toolkit; in the hands of the right player, it is incredibly powerful in terms of the raw damage and burst potential. Mages are also still quite strong defensively, and immunities like Ice Block / Ice Cold will always have value in a raid. Anytime there is a damage increase phase or a requirement for a burst-damage orientated scenario, Arcane Mage will be great.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Arcane Intellect	5% extra Intellect to the whole raid/party.
Core	Time Warp	Alternative of Bloodlust.
Optional	Mass Barrier / Mass Invisibility	Gives a shield that absorbs damage or mass invisibility to the entire party.

Patch 10.2: Subtlety Rogue received a rework going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece bonus enables Eviscerate, Rupture or Black Powder to have a chance to summon a shadow clone to echo your finishing move for 70% additional Shadow damage. In addition, the 4-piece effect grants your shadow clones to deal 20% increased damage with all attacks and grants you 2 combo points per clone when summoned.

Subtlety Rogues have great damage output when targeting a single enemy and, in some situations, can be picked up instead siblings Outlaw Rogue / Assassination Rogue, depending on the boss encounter. Despite this, Rogue as a class is one of the best melee options, so you will not be mistaken if your choice is going to be Subtlety Rogue. Their ability to deal solid damage in cleave situations and burst attacks makes them stand out among other Rogue specializations.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Atrophic Poison	-

Patch 10.2 update: Frost Mage minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece increases the damage of Glacial Spike by 16% and it explodes when it Shatters a frozen target, dealing 15% of its damage dealt to nearby enemies. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets. In addition, the 4-p bonus effect triggers when casting Glacial Spike, giving Brain Freeze a 40% chance to trigger.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Arcane Intellect	5% extra Intellect to the whole raid/party.
Core	Time Warp	Alternative of Bloodlust.
Optional	Mass Barrier	Gives a shield that absorbs damage to the entire party.

While not as strong as the A-tier specializations, these specs are still viable and will not be uncommon in raid groups. Some of these might be rarer to see, but more so because the other specs of that class are just so much stronger.

Patch 10.2 update: Fury Warrior received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece buffs Odyn's Fury to deal 50% increased damage and causes your next 3 Bloodthirsts to deal 150% additional damage and have 100% increased critical strike chance against its primary target. In addition, the 4-piece effect allows Bloodthirst critical strikes to reduce the cooldown of Odyn's Fury by 2.5 sec.

Fury Warriors are highly effective when it comes to sustained cleave on low targets and executing due to their powerful ability - Execute. They will also benefit from the newly introduced 2H Legendary Axe, so depending on the tuning, their rankings can go significantly up. On top of this, they still possess one of the strongest non-healer raid cooldowns - Rallying Cry. It's worth noting that every raid requires you to have at least 1 Warrior due to Battle Shout being a mandatory raid buff, you always stand a chance to be picked up even if your overall performance is not there.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Rallying Cry	Temporary increasing the health of your raid/party.
Core	Battle Shout	Extra 5% attack power.
Optional	Spell Reflection	Usable in a niche situations.

Patch 10.2 update: Unholy Death Knight received major changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece enables Apocalypse to summon an additional Magus of the Dead. Your Magus of the Dead's Shadow Bolt now fires a volley of Shadow Bolts at up to 4 nearby enemies. In addition, each Rune you spend increases the duration of your active Magi by 0.5 sec. Your Magi will now also cast Amplify Damage, increasing the damage you deal by 5% for 10 sec.

Following the most recent "mini-rework" to how Unholy Death Knight deal damage, they have significantly nerfed their damage during their cooldowns while giving the specialization a lot more sustained damage. The change itself has been rather negative on behalf of their raid performance, leaving them far behind their previous exceptional single-target from the last tier. Although they are quite a durable melee DPS options and have useful raid-wide utility tools, the damage is the single; most important detail which determines the rankings of each specialization. On top of this, on fights where Death Grip is not utilized, outside of Anti-Magic Zone they have nothing to offer to your raid.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Anti-Magic Zone	Provides extra durability against heavy magical damage.
Core	Death Grip	Repositions an enemy of your choice.
Core	Raise Ally	Combat-resurrection.
Optional	Abomination Limb	Every 1 sec an enemy is pulled close to you.
Optional	Insidious Chill	Reduces auto-attack speed of your target by 5% stacking up 4 times.

Patch 10.2: Outlaw Rogue received a rework going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece bonus enables Sinister Strike to have an additional 15% chance of striking additional time. To include, the 4-piece effect enables Roll the Bones to additionally refresh a random Roll the Bones combat enhancement buff you currently possess.

Outlaw Rogues are capable of dealing exceptional cleave and AoE damage thanks to Blade Flurry. Even in situations where only a single target is present, Outlaw remains a formidable damage dealer with a solid set of defensive abilities shared by all rogue specializations, as well as the ability to apply Atrophic Poison debuff. The great defensive profile paired with amazing single-target of Outlaw Rogue make them one of the better melee choices out there!

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Atrophic Poison	-

Patch 10.2 update: Arms Warrior received minor changes going forward to the next tier - Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece increases Rend damage by 30% and Sudden Death can be triggered by Rend's Bleed damage. In addition, the 4p effect enables Sudden Death to also make your next Execute powerfully slam the ground, causing a Thunder Clap that deals 100% increased damage. In addition, the Execute target bleeds for 50% of Execute's damage over 5 sec. If this bleed is reapplied, the remaining damage is added to the new Bleed.

Arms Warriors are incredibly strong on 2-target cleave due to Sweeping Strikes and then in execute due to their Execute. Arms Warrior is known to have one of the best execute damage profiles in the game, while also benefiting quite well from Windfury Totem, making it a great pick-up for raiding. At last, don't forget that Warrior class brings one of the strongest non-healer raid cooldown in the game, Rallying Cry.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Rallying Cry	Temporary increasing the health of your raid/party.
Core	Battle Shout	Extra 5% attack power.
Optional	Spell Reflection	Usable in a niche situations.

Patch 10.2 update: Feral Druid received minor changes changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece enables Feral Frenzy to grant Smoldering Frenzy, increasing all damage you deal by 20% for 8 sec. In addition, the 4-piece reduces Feral Frenzy's cooldown by 15 sec. During Smoldering Frenzy, enemies burn for 10% of damage you deal as Fire over 10 sec.

Feral Druid possesses all the typical utility of a Druid, including the ability to provide Innervate. However, in a tier where numerous excellent ranged options already exist, it is much more challenging to find a slot for a Feral Druid compared to a Balance Druid. Although Feral Druids have amazing single-target damage and exceptional AOE damage, there are better melee options out there as the slots for them are usually limited within a standard Raid composition. Regardless, we still believe they will do fantastic, and they will be in good shape at the start of the Amirdrassil raid tier.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Mark of the Wild	Increasing the Versatility of your raid/party by 3%.
Optional	Innervate	Allowing 1 friendly healer to cast spells without spending mana for 8 sec.
Optional	Stampeding Roar	Increasing the movement speed to all raid members by 60% for 8 sec.
Optional	Nature's Vigil	Extra off-healing.

Patch 10.2 update: Survival Hunter receivedminor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil. The 2-piece bonus increases your and your pet's critical strike chance and damage by 15% for 12 sec when using Fury of the Eagle. In addition, the 4-piece effect enables Fury of the Eagle to throw a free Wildfire Bomb at your current target at 100% effectiveness, causes your next Wildfire Bomb to not incur a cooldown, and increases the damage Wildfire Bomb deals to your primary target by 40% for 12 sec.

The performance of Survival Hunters has been steadily improving since the start of the expansion, as they are entering the next tier with amazing single-target and AoE damage profiles. To top it off, Hunter recently received a raid-wide buff - Hunter's Mark which makes a difference when choosing your ideal raid composition. One of the biggest disadvantages of Survival Hunter hunter, however, is, due to the limited melee slots in each raid tier, there might be other options that fit better the current raid profile, and therefore, you might be pushed outside of the ideal raid composition.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Hunter's Mark	Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%.

Patch 10.2 update: Frost Death Knight received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece increases Chill Streak's range by 4 yds and can bounce off of you. Each time Chill Streak bounces your damage is increased by 4% for 12 sec stacking up to 5 times. In addition, the 4-p effect enables Chill Streak to bounce 2 additional times, and each time it bounces, you have a 30% chance to gain a Rune, reduce Chill Streak cooldown by 5 sec, or reduce the cooldown of Empower Rune Weapon by 6 sec.

Frost Death Knight's biggest strength comes from their ability to deal with great single-target while simultaneously cleave multiple targets at once. While their damage is overall competitive, they really excel in situations where multiple targets are present. There are a few specific fights where the Frost Death Knight really shines, especially the ones where Death Grip ability can be utilized (not many of them). In addition, Frost Death Knight are one of the few specializations that will benefit from the newly introduced Legendary Weapon, so depending on the tunning, their rankings might change. Overall, with great defensive capabilities, a Raid "utility" ( Anti-Magic Zone) and a good damage profile, Frost Death Knight is going to be a good pickup for a melee slot in the upcoming Amirdrassil raid tier.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Anti-Magic Zone	Provides extra durability against heavy magical damage.
Core	Death Grip	Repositions an enemy of your choice.
Core	Raise Ally	Combat-resurrection.
Optional	Abomination Limb	Every 1 sec an enemy is pulled close to you.
Optional	Insidious Chill	Reduces auto-attack speed of your target by 5% stacking up 4 times.

Patch 10.2 update: Fire Mage received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece effect activates when Pyroblast and Flamestrike critically strike you gain Searing Rage, increasing your critical strike damage by 4% for 12 sec, stacking up to 20%. In addition, the 4p bonus triggers when activating Combustion, increasing the critical strike damage bonus of Searing Rage by 150% for 12 sec.

The Fire Mage class is performing decent in this tier due to good single-target and quite strong mobility. On top of this, they are one of the most durable raid specializations, combined with exceptional cleave abilities. Fire Mages are known for their incredible toolkit and are traditionally useful for progression.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Arcane Intellect	5% extra Intellect to the whole raid/party.
Core	Time Warp	Alternative of Bloodlust.
Optional	Mass Barrier / Mass Invisibility	Gives a shield that absorbs damage or mass invisibility to the entire party.

Patch 10.2 update: Devastation Evoker received minor changes changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece activates when Dragonrage is active; you will gain Emerald Trance every 6 sec, increasing your damage done by 5% stacking up to 5 times. In addition, the 4-piece enables when Dragonrage ends, Emerald Trance will persist for 5 sec per stack, granting you Essence Burst every 5 sec.

The Devastation Evokers are highly skilled in delivering powerful and single-target damage, during a long period of time (likely the longest single-target burst in the game). They excel in handling movement and are considered one of the best ranged DPS specializations in the Amirdrassil raid. However, it's important to keep in mind that they have a limited range of 25 yards, which could be a disadvantage in certain situations depending on your group's positioning. Despite this drawback, we still believe they will do decent as a ranged DPS spec due to their damage output and impressive burst potential, with the only possibility to climb higher is further buffs targeting their damage profile.

• Raid utility

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Blessing of the Bronze	-
Optional	Source of Magic	Can be further bolstered by Potent Mana
Optional	Zephyr	-
Optional	Cauterizing Flame	Bleed removal
Optional	Rescue	You can further bolster it with Twin Guardian talent for extra durability.

Patch 10.2 update: Retribution Paladin received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece enables Expurgation to last an additional 3 sec and deals 30% increased damage. Casting Judgment or Divine Toll on a target with Expurgation causes Wrathful Sanction, damaging the main target and 4 additional nearby enemies with Holy damage. In addition, the 4-piece effect will cause Wrathful Sanction to buff you with Echoes of Wrath, causing your next Templar's Verdict or Divine Storm to deal damage a second time at 25% effectiveness. This effect does not consume Judgment.

Retribution Paladin's competitive damage profile, combined with amazing Raid-wide utility, makes them a great all-around melee choice for the upcoming Amirdrassil raid tier. In addition, they have numerous tools to support your raid ( Blessing of Protection, Blessing of Freedom, Blessing of Sacrifice, Lay on Hands) immunity ( Divine Shield), great defensives, and a raid-wide buff ( Retribution Aura). With a slightly higher damage profile, they will be a serious contender on our rankings.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Devotion Aura	-
Core	Retribution Aura	In case you already have Devotion Aura from another Paladin, you can choose the Retribution Aura to help your raid do more Damage and Healing.
Core	Lay on Hands	-
Optional	Blessing of Sacrifice	Helps a single member of your raid in a critical situation. Can be further improved by talenting Sacrifice of the Just.
Optional	Blessing of Protection	Physical immunity, which can help you with some boss encounters.
Optional	Blessing of Freedom	Immunity to movement impairing effects.

Patch 10.2 update: Elemental Shaman received minor changes changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece enables the Primordial Wave to also cast Elemental Blast at the target at 70% effectiveness, and grants you all three Elemental Blast bonus effects for 10 sec. In addition, the 4p bonus allows your Lava Burst to burn your target for 10% additional damage over 4 sec, and after consuming Primordial Wave, your next 2 casts of Lava Burst to also hit up to 3 additional targets affected by your Flame Shock for 65% of normal damage.

Elemental Shaman is known for its great single-target damage while still being able to handle cleave and AoE attacks. This makes it a great choice for encounters with varying damage profiles. However, compared to other classes, such as Mage and Warlock, Elemental Shaman lacks the raid utility and durability to compete. One area where they excel is in their ability to deal damage while moving (depending on your build), making them great against heavy movement boss encounters. Overall, while Elemental Shamans may not have the highest DPS ranking, their strength lies in their versatility and mobility.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Optional	Wind Rush Totem	-
Optional	Ancestral Guidance	-

Patch 10.2 update: Affliction Warlock went through some changes going forward to the next tier - Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece bonus will increase the damage of Soul Rot by 15% and its duration by 4 sec. In addition, the 4p effect will enable Soul Rot to grant 3 Umbrafire Kindling, which increases the damage of your next Malefic Rapture by 50% or your next Seed of Corruption by 60%. Umbrafire Kindling causes Malefic Rapture to extend the duration of your next damage-over-time-effects and Haunt by 2 sec. The spec is performing well on some of the encounters with single-target and cleave needs. Their recent rework on the damage pattern will allow faster ramp-up and higher damage, closing the gap between the spec and the rest of the damage specializations. At last, the tier-set makes your single-target a lot better compared to last season, which is also great when approaching raid environment.

It is common for every raid to require at least one Warlock due to their beneficial class utility. Affliction offers a play style that's based on damage over time and is pretty good at handling movement, as well as offering great single-target with right talents. Cleaving and doing damage to spread targets is also a valuable asset, so keep that in mind!

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Create Healthstone
Core	Soulstone
Core	Demonic Gateway
Core	Curse of Tongues	Useful against caster targets. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Curse of Weakness	Useful against physical damage dealers. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Demon Summoning	Summon Imp can help you with Singe Magic dispel while Summon Felhunter can be useful with an extra interrupt - Spell Lock.
Optional	Banish	Useful on some boss encounters for an extra crowd-control effect.

Patch 10.2 update: Shadow Priest received a complete rework (once again) going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand-new tier set along with it. The 2-piece enables Shadow Word: Death to trigger 2 additional times at 15% effectiveness. Triggers again 1 additional time at 20% effectiveness if Deathspeaker is active or your target is below 20% health. In addition, the 4-piece bonus will trigger each time you take damage from Shadow Word: Death, gain a stack of Death's Torment, increasing the initial damage of your next cast of Shadow Word: Pain by 225% or increasing the damage of your next Shadow Crash by 50%, stacking up to 12 times.

After the several rounds of nerfs, Shadow Priests damage profile took a massive hit, although they still have good execute damage, their overall damage profile diminished. They still have one of the strongest external damage cooldown - Power Infusion, which can benefit both them and the chosen target thanks to the Twins of the Sun Priestess talent. This significantly increases the damage dealt to the target and makes Shadow Priests a more attractive option. Additionally, Shadow Priests have the ability to off-heal with Vampiric Embrace, which can be a lifesaver in critical situations during raids. Lastly, the defensive cooldown, Dispersion, can be used instead of an "immunity" soak when necessary. Overall , we were quite happy with the initial rework of the specialization, but after several rounds of nerfs, they are now back to a "poor" performance rather than the "overpowered" label they have had for a while during the PTR testing.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Power Infusion	You must always have Twins of the Sun Priestess talented.
Core	Power Word: Fortitude	A raid-wide 5% Stamina buff.
Core	Mass Dispel	Incredible useful where Mass Dispelling is needed.
Optional	Vampiric Embrace	Extra off-healing.
Optional	Leap of Faith	Helps with repositioning.

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Patch 10.2 update: Marksmanship Hunter received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece bonus enables Rapid Fire to deal 20% additional damage. Trick Shots causes Rapid Fire to launch a Volley for 6 sec, dealing 100% of normal damage. In addition, the 4-p grants for every 10 focus you spend to have a 3% chance to reset the cooldown of Rapid Fire and cause your next Rapid Fire to shoot 100% additional shots during its channel.

Marksmanship Hunters excel in cleaving 3-5 targets and have great burst AoE / single-target capabilities. In addition to their 2-minutes strong burst coming from Trueshot, their new tier-set will help them with the 2-target damage profile (previously a major issue). The newly introduced Raid utility - Hunter's Mark might also look appealing to your guild to consider bringing a Hunter in their raid further to bolster the damage profile of the whole squad. Overall, Marksmanship Hunter will be a decent pickup for the upcoming Amirdrassil raid, with one of the main reasons not seeing them as often is due to how dominant Beast Mastery Hunter currently is, leaving you with no other choice than that. In addition, the spec still struggles with their defensives, but could be used in niche situations where burst is needed to push phases.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Hunter's Mark	Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%.

Patch 10.2 update: Destruction Warlock received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece bonus will increase the damage of Bolts coming from Dimensional Rifts by 25% of damage dealt to nearby enemies. Immolate periodic damage has a chance to grant a charge of Dimensional Rift. In addition, the 4-piece effect will enable Dimensional Rift to summon a powerful Flame Rift which blasts 20 Searing Bolts that deal instant and damage-over-time Fire damage.

Destruction Warlocks are known for their decent damage output against a single target, as well as their ability to cleave two targets at once thanks to the powerful spell Havoc. Additionally, their bursts are strengthened by the use of Summon Infernal, have a good defensive profile, and, as every Warlock spec, provide valuable Raid utility. However, this time around, the specialization is suffering from lack of output and is currently one of the lowest-performing DPS specs in Amirdrassil.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Create Healthstone
Core	Soulstone
Core	Demonic Gateway
Core	Curse of Tongues	Useful against caster targets. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Curse of Weakness	Useful against physical damage dealers. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Demon Summoning	Summon Imp can help you with Singe Magic dispel while Summon Felhunter can be useful with an extra interrupt - Spell Lock.
Optional	Banish	Useful on some boss encounters for an extra crowd-control effect.

Patch 10.2 update: Windwalker Monk received minor changes going forward to the next Raid tier in Amirdrassil, as well as a brand new tier set along with it. The 2-piece enables free Spinning Crane Kicks to grant Blackout Reinforcement, increasing the damage of your next Blackout Kick by 150%. Melee abilities can grant Blackout Reinforcement. In addition, the 4-p effect allows for Blackout Reinforcement to empower Blackout Kick reducing the cooldown of Fists of Fury, Rising Sun Kick, Strike of the Windlord and Whirling Dragon Punch by 3 sec. Damage of Fists of Fury, Rising Sun Kick, Strike of the Windlord, and Whirling Dragon Punch increased by 4%.

Windwalker Monks have exceptional burst AoE but really poor single-target damage. The main reason to bring a Windwalker would be for Mystic Touch, in which you are not the favorite as Mistweaver Monk Brewmaster Monk are much more likely to be picked up based on the latest tuning. Additionally, Monks can talent into two incredibly useful buffs with Generous Pour and Close to Heart, which could be critically important on high-damage Mythic encounters where you are stacked with the raid group, and be an additional reason to consider having one within your raid composition. Overall, the spec will have trouble staying competitive in the upcoming Amirdrassil raid tier and are in dire need of further buffs.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Mystic Touch	5% extra Physical damage for your raid.
Core	Generous Pour	Extra damage reduction against area-of-effect damage.
Core	Close to Heart	Increased healing from all sources for all allies within 10 yards.
Optional	Tiger's Lust	Removes all roots and snares.