The War Within DPS Rankings: Nerub-ar Palace Raiding Tier List (Patch 11.0.2 / Season 1)
World of Warcraft has never been perfectly balanced, and The War Within is no exception. Some classes are better than others at the high end for raiding, and inevitably, a meta will exist. This ranking is based on the viability and strength of the various DPS specializations for the first season of raiding in The War Within expansion.
Disclaimer: This list will be updated as new tuning and class changes come out over the course of the season.
About the Tier List
This tier list is entirely based on DPS viability for Season 1 of The War Within. 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/hero 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.
A Final Warning
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; it is 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.
The War Within DPS Tier List for Nerub'ar Palace
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.
- Arcane Mage (S-Tier)
- Fire Mage (S-Tier)
- Enhancement Shaman (S-Tier)
- Frost Death Knight (S-Tier)
- Beast Mastery Hunter (S-Tier)
- Retribution Paladin (A-Tier)
- Arms Warrior (A-Tier)
- Fury Warrior (A-Tier)
- Assassination Rogue (A-Tier)
- Unholy Death Knight (A-Tier)
- Devastation Evoker (A-Tier)
- Elemental Shaman (A-Tier)
- Marksmanship Hunter (A-Tier)
- Balance Druid (B-Tier)
- Frost Mage (B-Tier)
- Havoc Demon Hunter (B-Tier)
- Affliction Warlock (B-Tier)
- Augmentation Evoker (B-Tier)
- Demonology Warlock (B-Tier)
- Shadow Priest (B-Tier)
- Outlaw Rogue (B-Tier)
- Destruction Warlock (B-Tier)
- Subtlety Rogue (B-Tier)
- Survival Hunter (B-Tier)
- Windwalker Monk (C-Tier)
- Feral Druid (C-Tier)
Healer and Tank Class Rankings
If you are interested in our other rankings for the Season 1 Raid in The War Within, please click the links below.
Full DPS Class and Specialization Rankings
S-Tier
Arcane Mage
Patch 11.0.2 update: Arcane Mage received a massive amount of changes, 2 brand new Hero Talents - Spellslinger and Sunfury, as well as a new tier-set. The 2-piece increases the damage of Arcane Blast and Arcane Barrage by 6%, while the 4-piece enables Arcane Blast or Arcane Barrage to have a 5% chance to make your next Arcane Barrage deal 20% increased damage and generate 4 Arcane Charges.
Arcane Mage has competitive single-target, but more importantly, has some of the best single target burst damage in the game for a 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.
Raid Utility
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. |
Fire Mage
Patch 11.0.2 update: Fire Mage received a massive amount of changes, 2 brand new Hero Talents - Frostfire and Sunfury, as well as a new tier-set. The 2-piece increases the damage of your Phoenix Flames by 10%, which increases to 25% on its primary target. In addition, your 4-piece bonus triggers after dealing damage, giving Phoenix Flames a 10% chance to return to you, refunding 1% of the cooldown on Phoenix Flames and granting you 6% increased spell damage for 10 sec.
Fire Mage will continue to perform great in the upcoming raid tier in The War Within due to incredible on-demand burst single-target, which is great for key DPS checks and being relatively mobile compared to the rest of the Ranged DPS choices out there (this allows you to execute your rotation flawlessly without losing much DPS while moving). On top of this, they are one of the most durable raid specializations. At last, Fire Mages are known for their incredible toolkit and are traditionally useful for progression or damage in demand.
Raid Utility
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. |
Enhancement Shaman
Patch 11.0.2 update: Enhancement Shaman received a minor amount of changes, two new Hero Talent choices - Totemic and Stormbringer and a brand new tier-set leading to the Season 1 of Mythic+ in The War Within. The 2-piece bonus will increase the damage of Stormstrike, Lava Lash, Ice Strike and Crash Lightning by 15%. In addition, the 4-piece trigger once you activate Feral Spirits, summoning one extra Feral Spirit. At last, the old Windfury Totem will be retired for a brand new raid-wide utility - Skyfury.
Enhancement Shaman's performance will continue to be great in the first raiding tier of The War Within. From a competitive single-target to good cleave options when factors extra mobs surround the main target, you really can't go wrong with this spec. On top of this, their durability has improved, introducing several new ways to mitigate damage Seasoned Winds and Stone Bulwark Totem. To conclude, we believe Enhancement Shaman will be one of the best melee candidate for any raid team looking to bolster their raid rankings!
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Skyfury | - |
Core | Bloodlust | - |
Optional | Wind Rush Totem | - |
Optional | Ancestral Guidance | - |
Frost Death Knight
Patch 11.0.2 update: Frost Death Knight received significant attention at the start of Beta testing and, like every specialization so far, inherited 2 brand new Hero Talents - Deathbringer / Rider of the Apocalypse and a new tier set. The 2-piece enables all Runic Power spending abilities to deal 8% more damage, while the 4-piece triggers when consuming Runic Power, giving a chance to increase your Strength by 10% for 8 sec.
Frost Death Knight's biggest strength comes from their ability to deal great single target damage while simultaneously cleaving multiple targets at once, thus exceling best in situations where more targets are present. There are a few specific fights where the Frost Death Knight shines, especially the ones where Death Grip ability can be utilized (not many of them). Overall, with great defensive capabilities, a Raid "utility" ( Anti-Magic Zone) and a great damage profile, Frost Death Knight is a great choice for any raid looking to add more melee specializations.
Raid Utility
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. |
Beast Mastery Hunter
Patch 11.0.2 update: Beast Mastery Hunter received a ton of changes leading to the The War Within expansion, including brand new Hero Talents - Dark Ranger / Pack Leader, and a new tier-set. The 2-piece bonus will allow Barbed Shot to further increase your pet's attack speed by 5%, while the 4-piece bonus will enable your pet's attacks to have a 10% chance to increase all pet damage you deal by 10% for 10 sec.
Beast Mastery Hunter stands out as it is one of the few Ranged DPS options capable of performing their entire rotation while moving and not losing DPS. This makes them invaluable for any mechanics or tasks required during a fight. In addition, their single target, especially sustained, is great, which is the driving factor for choosing its rankings. They also have gotten better survivability compared to the previous expansion, with 2x charges of Survival of the Fittest. However, one of the main disadvantages of having Beast Mastery Hunter is that they suffer from a lack of spread cleaving (when mobs are far away from each other).
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Hunter's Mark | Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%. |
A-Tier
Retribution Paladin
Patch 11.0.2 update: Retribution Paladin received a dozen notable changes leading to the The War Within expansion, including brand-new Hero Talents - Templar / Herald of the Sun, and a new tier-set. The 2-piece will increase the damage of Blade of Justice by 15% and the damage of Wake of Ashes by 10%. In addition, the 4-piece grants you 8 sec of 10% increased damage once you use Wake of Ashes.
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Devotion Aura | - |
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. |
Arms Warrior
Patch 11.0.2 update: Arms Warrior received a healthy amount of changes through the Alpha and Beta cycles, brand-new Hero Talents - Slayer / Colossus, and a new tier set. The 2-piece will enable Mortal Strike and Cleave to increase the damage of your next Overpower by 10%. The 4-piece will trigger once Overpower has its cooldown reset by Tactician, the next Mortal Strike or Cleave has its damage increased by 10% and critical strike chance increased by 10%, stacking up to 2 times.
The Rage changes combined with the Arms Warrior specific talent adjustments have put the spec in a much better position compared to the previous expansion. Their damage profile is their strongest asset as they currently have great single-target, 2-target, and on-demand burst damage if an opportunity arrives. They also have one of the best Execute damage in the game, making them an amazing candidate to progress dangerous bosses that require more output in later phases.
Raid Utility
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. |
Fury Warrior
Patch 11.0.2 update: Fury Warrior received a ton of positive changes, a brand new Hero Talents - Slayer and Mountain Thane and a new tier set. The 2-piece bonus will enable Bloodthirst to increase the damage of your next Rampage by 10%. In addition, the 4-piece bonus will trigger once Raging Blow resets its cooldown to buff the damage of the next Bloodthirst by 10%, stacking up to 2 times.
Raid Utility
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. |
Assassination Rogue
Patch 11.0.2: Assassination Rogue received a healthy amount of changes leading up to the The War Within expansion, along with two brand-new but disappointing Hero Talents - Deathstalker / Fatebound and a new tier-set. Their 2-piece bonus will trigger once their bleeds deal damage, granting a chance to gain Vile Tincture for 8 sec, increasing poison damage by 1% per stack (up to 10 stacks). Additionally, the 4-piece bonus will trigger once they have 5 or more stacks of Vile Tincture, causing Garrote, Rupture, and Crimson Tempest to deal 10% increased damage.
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Atrophic Poison | - |
Unholy Death Knight
Patch 11.0.2 update: Unholy Death Knight received massive changes since the start of the Alpha/Beta testing, alongside brand new Hero Talents - Rider of the Apocalypse / San'layn, and a new tier set. The 2-piece will passively increase the damage of your minions by 8%, while the 4-piece will trigger once you summon a minion, further increasing your Haste by 2% up to 8% for 8 sec.
Unholy Death Knight looks quite promising going forward to the next season as both their burst single-target damage and sustained damage are great. On top of this, they are quite a durable melee DPS option and have useful raid-wide utility tools ( Anti-Magic Zone / Death Grip) Overall we are happy with the performance of this spec and looking forward to see it play throughout the raiding tier.
Raid Utility
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. |
Devastation Evoker
Patch 11.0.2 update: Devastation Evoker received a decent amount of changes leading to the The War Within expansion, followed by 2 brand-new Hero Talents - Flameshaper / Scalecommander and a new tier-set. The 2-piece will increase the damage of Disintegrate and Pyre by 10%, while the 4-p will reduce the Eternity Surge's cooldown by 5 sec, further allowing it to grant an Essence Burst.
Devastation Evokers are going to continue to have powerful single-target damage, both burst-orientated and sustained. They excel in handling movement effortlessly, which enables them to execute their rotation without any issues while on the move. 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. We believe they will be an excellent ranged DPS option in the Nerub-ar Palace tier due to their damage output and impressive burst potential.
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. |
Elemental Shaman
Patch 11.0.2 update: Elemental Shaman received a much-needed rework, new raid utility, two new Hero Talents choices - Farseer and Stormbringer, as well as a new tier set. The 2-piece bonus increases Elemental Blast and Earthquake damage by 25%, while the 4-piece bonus rewards you with a chance of 5% increased critical strike chance and 10% increased critical damage every time you spend maelstrom.
After the complete overhaul of the talents, Elemental Shaman not only will have a new rotational playstyle but will also receive the long-awaited raid-wide buff - Skyfury. Their single-target will be good, but sadly, your best-performing builds are not going to enable you to have the god-like spread cleave damage as you used to. Your 2-target is also going to be quite weak, which will be another issue for them. Overall, we believe further tuning is needed to place you higher on the rankings.
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Skyfury | - |
Optional | Wind Rush Totem | - |
Optional | Ancestral Guidance | - |
Marksmanship Hunter
Patch 11.0.2 update: Marksmanship Hunter has gotten its fair share of changes, two brand new Hero Talents - Sentinel / Dark Ranger and a brand new tier-set. The 2-piece will increase the damage of Arcane Shot and Multi-Shot by 20%, while the 4-piece triggers once you consume Precise Shots, further increasing the damage of your next Aimed Shot by 10%, stacking up 2 times.
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Hunter's Mark | Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%. |
B-Tier
Balance Druid
Patch 11.0.2 update: Balance Druid received a massive amount of changes through the Beta cycles, paired with 2 brand new Hero Talent choices - Elune's Chosen / Keeper of the Grove and a new tier set. The 2-piece will increase the damage of Starsurge by 10% and Starfall by 14%. In addition, the 4-piece will grant Eclipse (Lunar) / Eclipse (Solar) to increase the Astral Power that Wrath generates by 2 and Starfire by 5.
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 specs as it allows you to constantly cleave spread groups of enemies. While this may not matter in most fights, Boomkins are amazing choice 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. At last, their single-target was recently buff so that department is doing way better than before but still a long route to go before they become one of the best Ranged option this tier.
Raid Utility
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. |
Frost Mage
Patch 11.0.2 update: Frost Mage enjoyed several rounds of changes, paired with 2 brand new Hero Talent choices - Frostfire / Spellslinger and a new tier set. The 2-piece increases Ice Lance damage by 8%, while the 4-piece enables the damage dealt by Fingers of Frost's enhanced Ice Lances to invoke a Frigid Pulse, dealing Frost damage to nearby targets (reduced damage beyond 8 targets).
Raid Utility
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. |
Havoc Demon Hunter
Patch 11.0.2 update: Havoc Demon Hunter received minor changes paired with 2 brand new Hero Talent choices - Aldrachi Reaver / Fel-Scarred and a new tier set. The 2-piece will increase the damage of Blade Dance by 20%, while the 4-piece enables Chaos Strike to deal 20% increased damage and to have 25% chance to reset the cooldown of Blade Dance.
Havoc Demon Hunter 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. Overall, a decent pick across for any raid composition.
Raid Utility
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Chaos Brand | 5% extra Magical damage |
Core | Darkness | % chance to avoid all damage from an attack. |
Affliction Warlock
Patch 11.0.2 update: Affliction Warlock received a complete rework, paired with 2 brand new Hero Talent choices in Hellcaller/ Soul Harvester, and a new tier-set. The 2-piece will increase the damage of Malefic Rapture by 5% and its critical strike chance by 10%, while the 4-piece enables Malefic Rapture to have a chance to increase the damage dealt by your Agony, Corruption and Unstable Affliction by 15% for 8 sec.
The complete rework of Affliction Warlock has left them in a much better state leading to the first raiding tier of The War Within, with phenomenal single-target and fantastic burst. They have much better flexibility in builds — a strong single-target build, amazing hybrid options, and heavy AoE if needed. They are one of the strongest specs when choosing your composition against council-type of fights, where spread-cleave damage with a stong presence of priorty-target damage is needed. Overall, one of the best current ranged this tier.
Raid Utility
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. |
Augmentation Evoker
Patch 11.0.2 update: Augmentation Evoker received a fair share of changes leading to the The War Within expansion, along with two brand-new Hero Talents - Chronowarden / Scalecommander and a new tier-set. The 2-piece bonus will increase Upheaval damage by 30%, which further increases your next two Eruption casts by 30%. Additionally, the 4-piece bonus allows Ebon Might to increase your primary stats by an additional 0.4% of your own every 2 sec it remains active, up to 2%.
Augmentation Evoker will continue to be a great choice in the first raid tier of The War Within, 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. To conclude, this specialization has a great defensive profile, a "cheat-death", and is one of the most mobile specializations available.
Raid Utility
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. |
Demonology Warlock
Patch 11.0.2 update:. Demonology Warlock received a healthy amount of changes, paired with 2 brand new Hero Talent choices - Diabolist / Soul Harvester and a new tier set. The 2-piece bonus increases the primary demon's damage by 5% and your Shadow Bolt damage by 50%. The 4-piece bonus enables Shadow Bolt to have a chance to enrage your primary Felguard, increasing the damage of their next Legion Strike by 300%.
Raid Utility
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. |
Shadow Priest
Patch 11.0.2 update: Shadow Priest received barely any changes since the start of the Beta testing and, like every specialization so far, inherited two brand-new Hero Talents - Archon / Voidweaver and a new tier-set. The 2-piece will increase the duration of Devouring Plague by 1 sec, while the 4-piece enables Devouring Plague to increase your damage done by 2% for 10 sec (multiple applications may overlap).
Shadow Priest 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. By itself, Shadow Priest single target damage output is mediocre, but the ability to focus their primary target and effortlessly cleave multiple targets, even if they are not close to each other. Additionally, they can 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.
Raid Utility
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. |
Outlaw Rogue
Patch 11.0.2: Outlaw Rogue received their fair share of changes leading to the The War Within expansion, with two brand-new, yet disappointing Hero Talents - Fatebound / Trickster and a new tier set. The 2-piece bonus will enable Sinister Strike, Pistol Shot, and Ambush to have a 20% chance to trigger Ethereal Rampage, dealing 15% increased damage as Shadow. In addition, the 4-piece bonus, Ethereal Rampage, additionally increases the damage of your next Between the Eyes by 6%, stacking up to 3 times.
Outlaw Rogue are capable of dealing decent cleave and AoE damage, while doing amazing single-target, thanks to Blade Flurry. Don't forget that Rogue has a solid set of defensive abilities, as well as the ability to apply Atrophic Poison debuff, which is a great raid utility for any purpose of the raid (reclear or progress).
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Atrophic Poison | - |
Destruction Warlock
Patch 11.0.2 update: Destruction Warlock received a complete rework, paired with 2 brand new Hero Talent choices - Hellcaller / Diabolist and a new tier set. The 2-piece will focus on Incinerate, increasing its critical strike chance by 20%, as well as increasing Conflagrate critical strike chance by 25%. In addition, the 4-piece will offer Conflagrate critical strikes to trigger 5% increased Fire damage for 6 sec.
Leading to the first raiding tier in The War Within, Destruction Warlock will retain their decent single target damage, as well as their ability to deal an incredible two-target cleave damage thanks to 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. Overall, we believe Destruction Warlock could still benefit from further single-target adjustments to be placed anywhere higher on the tier-list.
Raid Utility
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. |
Subtlety Rogue
Patch 11.0.2: Subtlety Rogue received minor changes leading to the The War Within expansion, followed by two brand-new but disappointing Hero Talents - Deathstalker / Trickster and a new tier-set. The 2-piece allows Symbols of Death to increase the damage of the next Secret Technique by 20%, while the 4-piece enables Secret Technique to increase the damage of any other finishing move by 16% for 7 sec.
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Atrophic Poison | - |
Survival Hunter
Patch 11.0.2 update: Survival Hunter received a massive number of changes, a brand new Hero Talent options - Pack Leader / Sentinel and a new tier-set. The 2-piece increases your Wildfire Bomb's damage by 5%, while the 4-piece boosts the damage of Raptor Strike by 10% if targets are affected by Wildfire Bomb.
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Hunter's Mark | Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%. |
C-Tier
Windwalker Monk
Patch 11.0.2 update: Windwalker Monk received a complete overhaul leading to the The War Within expansion, followed by 2 brand-new Hero Talents - Conduit of the Celestials / Shado-Pan and a new tier set. The 2-piece will enable Tiger Palm to increase the damage of your next melee ability by 5%. In addition, the 4-piece allows any other melee ability to increase the damage of your next Tiger Palm by 25%, stacking up to 6 times. 15% of Tiger Palm's damage is dealt to nearby enemies, reduced beyond 5 targets.
The main reason for bringing a Windwalker Monk would be for their burst on-demand damage (both ST and AoE) and Mystic Touch. Their sustained damage is average, which can be problematic is some cases. They have multiple defensive options along their decent damage profile.
Raid Utility
Functionality | Spells | Notes |
---|---|---|
Core | Mystic Touch | 5% extra Physical damage for your raid. |
Optional | Tiger's Lust | Removes all roots and snares. |
Feral Druid
Patch 11.0.2 update: Feral Druid received a good amount of changes throughout the Beta cycles, paired with 2 brand new Hero Talent choices - Druid of the Claw / Wildstalker and a new tier set. The 2-piece will enable Tiger's Fury to increase your chance to critically strike for 10 sec, starting at 6% and increasing by 1% every 2 sec. In addition, the 4-piece will trigger once you critically strike with your combo point-generating abilities to increase the direct damage of your next Ferocious Bite, Rampant Ferocity, or Primal Wrath by 15%, stacking up to 3 times.
Feral Druid possesses all the typical utility of a Druid, including the ability to provide Innervate and Mark of the Wild. Their single-target will be unfortunately moderate, making it much harder for them to fight for a spot in the upcoming raiding tier. Keep in mind that due to the limited melee slots in the raid, if you already have Mark of the Wild, your value will drop so be aware.
Raid Utility
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. |
Changelog
- 09 Oct. 2024: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 23 Sep. 2024: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 20 Sep. 2024: Updated after further Mythic weekk testing.
- 15 Sep. 2024: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 01 Sep. 2024: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 21 Aug. 2024: Fully Updated for Season 1 of The War Within.
- 02 Jun. 2024: Reviewed and updated based on the most recent class changes.
- 07 May 2024: Reviewed and update dfor 10.2.7 Patch.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Reviewed and updated for Season 4.
- 25 Mar. 2024: Reviewed and updated for 10.2.6 Patch.
- 12 Mar. 2024: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfixes.
- 28 Jan. 2024: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed and updated for 10.2.5 Patch.
- 18 Dec. 2023: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 04 Dec. 2023: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 25 Nov. 2023: Further class adjustments.
- 12 Nov. 2023: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 05 Nov. 2023: Reviewed and Updated for 10.2. Patch.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed and Updated for 10.1.7 Patch.
- 22 Aug. 2023: Further Adjustments based on the most recent class hotfix.
- 09 Aug. 2023: Further changes based on the most recent class hotfixes.
- 25 Jul. 2023: Interface overhaul and update with the most recent class changes.
- 11 Jul. 2023: Added Augmentation Evoker.
- 05 Jul. 2023: Updated for patch 10.1.5.
- 07 May 2023: Updated for Season 2 of Dragonflight.
- 06 Feb. 2023: Updated for patch 10.0.5.
- 22 Nov. 2022: Updated for Season 1 of Dragonflight.
- 18 Aug. 2022: Updated for Season 4.
- 23 Jun. 2022: Check-in since last update.
- 25 Apr. 2022: Updated after first few weeks of Mythic.
- 18 Feb. 2022: Updated for patch 9.2.
- 06 Nov. 2021: Updated for patch 9.1.5.
- 04 Aug. 2021: Updated for first couple of Mythic weeks.
- 13 Jul. 2021: Updated after Heroic week.
- 24 Jun. 2021: Page added.
This guide has been written by Petko, one of the top Mythic players of all time. He has accomplished several Europe- and World #1 Team and Solo Seasonal rankings with multiple specialization and classes. Moreover, he competes in the MDI and streams his runs live on Twitch, and shares his personal opinions on YouTube and Twitter.
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