Mage is the best DPS class in World of Warcraft: Forever for dungeons and most group play, and Rogue is the best for single-target damage, the job that matters most once raid bosses arrive. Warlock, Warrior and Hunter are close behind, so any of the five is a safe pick if you want to deal damage.
These picks are our own reading of Blizzard’s class deep dives, development notes and hotfixes, not a Blizzard ranking. Nobody has raided yet, since the first raids open on December 9, so we weight the list toward leveling and dungeons. It reflects Blizzard’s notes through its November 9 hotfixes, and we explain below what the class tuning planned for November 10 targets.
The Damage Dealers at a Glance
| Rank | Class | Damage specs | Best at | Main weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mage | Arcane, Fire, Frost | Area damage in dungeons | “Extremely fragile” in melee |
| 2 | Rogue | Assassination, Combat, Subtlety | Single-target bosses | Damage is its only group role |
| 3 | Warlock | Affliction, Demonology, Destruction | Sustained spell damage, solo play | Physically weak, relies on its demon |
| 4 | Warrior | Arms, Fury | Damage to several melee targets at once | Few tools to recover from heavy damage |
| 5 | Hunter | Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, Survival | Range, pet support | A dead zone within 8 yards |
| 6 | Shaman | Elemental, Enhancement | Burst spells, sturdy melee | No effective crowd control |
| 7 | Druid | Feral (Cat), Balance | Flexibility | Less utility than Rogues, Warriors or Mages |
| 8 | Paladin | Retribution | A sturdy hybrid | No interrupt, few ranged options |
| 9 | Priest | Shadow | Damage over time | Less utility than a Warlock |
No damage spec is unplayable. Blizzard’s stated aim is for every class to feel valuable to the groups it joins, and the bottom four are hybrids that can also tank or heal, which is what groups usually ask them to do.
1. Mage: The Best DPS for Dungeons
Blizzard’s Mage and Shaman deep dive calls Mages “one of the most powerful and resourceful damage dealing classes” and “masters of ranged area damage which is stronger and more varied than any other class.” That is why we put them first: dungeon pulls in Forever are packs, and nothing clears a pack like a Mage.
Each spec has a clear job, in Blizzard’s words: Arcane to “manipulate and consume Mana for more damage,” Fire for “devastatingly heavy hits and critical damage,” and Frost for combat control “still unrivaled by any other class.” Forever adds Frostfire Bolt, which counts as both a Fire and a Frost spell, and Arcane Blast, which hits immediately and then raises the damage of your other Mage spells. Mages also conjure their own food and water, which saves time between pulls.
The trade-off is survival. Blizzard says Mages are “extremely fragile and die easily if caught in melee combat.” Two November 9 hotfixes touched Mages: Arcane Concentration’s chance now splits across a cast and every bolt (it was granting 10% on the cast and on each bolt), a small trim for Arcane, and Flamestrike’s ground ticks no longer use up Clearcasting, which saves the proc for a real spell. Neither moves Mage from the top spot. Our Mage leveling guide and best Mage race guide pick up from here.
2. Rogue: The Best Single-Target DPS
Blizzard’s Rogue and Warlock deep dive credits Rogues with “the highest potential single-target melee damage in the game.” Raid bosses are single targets, so this is the class we expect to shine most when Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair open.
The specs, per Blizzard: Assassination “specializes in daggers and buffing themselves with Finishing moves,” Combat focuses on “hard hitting direct damage and little bit of cleave damage with Blade Flurry,” and Subtlety on “combat tricks and Bleeds.” Combat is the one to pick if you want to help in dungeon packs too.
The catch is that damage is a Rogue’s only group role, and it has no pet or self-heal to lean on while leveling. Our Rogue leveling guide, best Rogue race guide and poisons guide cover the rest.
3. Warlock: Caster Damage With a Bodyguard
Blizzard says Warlocks “now do damage to compete with any other spellcaster,” while staying “physically weak themselves, depending on their demon pets for protection.” That pairing makes the Warlock the best damage dealer to level alone, since the demon takes the hits.
Affliction concentrates on damage over time and drains, with the new Wrack channel that inflicts Shadow damage every second. Destruction mixes Shadowburn and Conflagrate with the new Incinerate, which deals 25% more damage to a target afflicted by Immolate. A November 9 hotfix made Incinerate a Destruction-only spell, so other specs can no longer use it.
Affliction is also one of Blizzard’s three tuning targets for November 10, covered below. Our Warlock leveling guide and Voidwalker guide have the details.
4. Warrior: Melee Damage for Big Pulls
Blizzard’s Priest and Warrior deep dive says Warriors have “a unique strength in dealing sustained damage to multiple melee targets, found on no other melee class,” and that “any party or raid is happy to add a Warrior as either a tank or damage dealer.”
Forever’s changes include axes and polearms granting more critical strike chance, Bloodthirst “retuned to have a base value and less scaling from Attack Power,” and a new Raging Blows talent that makes Whirlwind hit with both weapons when you dual-wield. Flurry’s total attack speed bonus was cut by 5%.
Warriors rank fourth only because they are the hardest damage dealer to level: Blizzard says they “lack the tools to easily recover from taking too much damage.” In a group with a healer, that weakness fades. Our Warrior leveling guide helps with the climb, and a Warrior can keep a tanking build too with Dual Specialization.
5. Hunter: The Easiest Damage Dealer
Blizzard’s Hunter and Druid deep dive gives Hunters “the longest range of any class,” but their ranged attacks stop working in the “dead zone” within 8 yards. A new talent grants a shot with a 4-second cast and 15-second cooldown that deals even more damage than Aimed Shot, and Blizzard’s November 2 notes raised Aimed Shot’s bonus damage by about 110% and Arcane Shot’s base damage by about 30%.
Hunters are our top pick for solo play, but their group damage depends on the pet staying alive, and pet durability is one of the November 10 targets. Our best Hunter pets guide, our guide to taming a Hunter pet and our Hunter leveling guide cover both.
The Hybrids: Shaman, Druid, Paladin and Priest
- Shaman. Elemental lost a talent Blizzard says it could not keep while raising Elemental’s PvE damage, and gained Lava Burst, which deals 20% more damage to a target with your Flame Shock, plus Lightning Overload, which has a chance to cast a free second copy of a spell for half damage. A November 9 hotfix made Lightning Overload deal the correct damage for Lightning Bolt. Enhancement’s stat priorities are a November 10 target. Our Shaman leveling guide has more.
- Druid. Blizzard raised Claw and Shred damage “significantly,” and redesigned Wrath to cost much less Mana for much less damage. Druids are “fully capable tanks and damage dealers,” Blizzard says, but lack the utility of Rogues, Warriors or Mages. Our Cat Form guide covers the melee side.
- Paladin. Blizzard wants Paladins “effective as tanks, healers, or Retribution melee damage dealers,” and Retribution is a sturdy way to deal damage, but most groups will ask a Paladin to tank or heal.
- Priest. Shadow deals “powerful damage-over-time,” Blizzard says, but lacks “the full utility in that role that could be found on a class such as the Warlock.” Shadowform no longer breaks when you cast Fear Ward, as of the November 9 hotfixes.
The Best DPS Class by What You Want
- Dungeons while leveling: Mage, for pack damage. Our dungeon level ranges show where to go at each level.
- Raids from December 9: Rogue for single targets, with Warrior and Mage close; our guide to when the level cap goes up has the raid dates.
- Leveling alone: Warlock or Hunter, as our best solo class guide explains.
- PvP: a different question, answered in our best PvP class guide.
If you would rather fill a role groups are short of, our best tank and best healer guides compare those classes.
What Blizzard’s November Tuning Changes
Blizzard’s class tuning post of November 6 planned hotfixes for Tuesday, November 10, “and then on future Tuesdays if necessary.” It named three targets:
- Hunter pets and Warlock Voidwalkers are “not as durable as tanks as we would like them to be,” and Blizzard wants them “relatively the same as in Classic Era.” This helps the two classes that lean on a pet.
- Affliction Warlocks do better always channeling Wrack than also casting Siphon Life, Corruption and Bane of Agony. Blizzard plans to make those spells worth casting “without affecting Affliction Warlocks’ total damage output,” so we do not expect Warlock to move.
- Enhancement Shaman were finding Intellect and Spell Power better than Strength and Attack Power. Blizzard plans to make Strength “always their strongest stat,” and advises leveling Enhancement Shaman to collect Strength and Attack Power gear now.
Beyond that, Blizzard’s November 2 development notes say it does not plan big tuning changes before the raids open, outside bugs and serious outliers, and expects a larger pass once it has data from players past level 30. Expect damage rankings to shift when that lands. Every other guide is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best DPS class in WoW Forever? Mage for dungeons and group play, and Rogue for single-target damage. Warlock, Warrior and Hunter are close behind.
What is the best ranged DPS class? Mage, for its area damage. Warlock is the better pick if you also want to level alone.
What is the best melee DPS class? Rogue, which Blizzard credits with the highest potential single-target melee damage in the game. Warrior is better against several targets at once.
What is the easiest DPS class to play? Hunter. Its pet holds monsters while you attack from range, which is why it tops our solo list.
Will the November 10 tuning change the best DPS class? It targets Hunter pets, Voidwalkers, Affliction Warlocks and Enhancement Shaman. Blizzard says the Affliction change will not raise or lower its total damage, so we do not expect our top two to change.
Which DPS class is best for raids? Nobody has raided yet. Based on Blizzard’s class kits, we expect Rogue, Warrior and Mage to do well when the first raids open on December 9.