Warrior is the best tank class in World of Warcraft: Forever if you want to main-tank raids, while Protection Paladin is the easiest tank for dungeons and leveling thanks to Consecration, which is now baseline at level 20. Druid is the flexible third option that can switch to healing or damage, and all three are viable: Blizzard says each class should keep its own strengths and weaknesses “rather than feeling homogenized.”
These picks are our own, built on Blizzard’s class deep dives and development notes. Nobody has tanked a level 60 raid yet, so treat raid predictions as early. Class facts are current to the November 2 update of Blizzard’s beta development notes.
The Tanks at a Glance
| Tank | Best at | Blizzard’s stated weakness | Races |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior (Protection) | Raid bosses, single-target threat and mitigation | Few tools to recover from heavy damage | Every race |
| Paladin (Protection) | Dungeon packs, area threat, self-sustain | Still no interrupt | Human, Dwarf (Alliance); Undead (Horde) |
| Druid (Bear Form) | Flexibility across tanking, healing and damage | No snare, silence or interrupt | Tauren, Night Elf, Skyborne |
Shaman is not a full tank class, but Blizzard’s Mage and Shaman deep dive says Enhancement keeps the ability to “serve as a temporary tank in small group gameplay.”
1. Warrior: The Raid Main Tank
Blizzard’s Priest and Warrior deep dive calls Warriors “the masters of melee combat” and says “any party or raid is happy to add a Warrior as either a tank or damage dealer.” Their stated weakness is that they “lack the tools to easily recover from taking too much damage,” so they lean on healers.
Forever’s main fix is Rage. Blizzard rebalanced Rage gains during the beta, because it had been tuned around tank-level armor and starved questing Warriors, and it fixed a bug that gave less Rage to players wearing more Stamina gear. A September 24 beta build moved Focused Rage earlier in the Protection tree to smooth leveling before Shield Slam, and raised Sunder Armor’s threat.
Our read: the Warrior kit is built for single-target threat and mitigation, which suits raid bosses, while the Paladin’s baseline Consecration makes dungeon packs easier to hold. Pick Warrior if you want to tank raids long term and accept tougher dungeon pulls while leveling.
2. Paladin: The Dungeon Tank
Protection Paladin is the biggest change of the three. Per Blizzard’s Deep Dive panel recap:
- Consecration is baseline at level 20, with high damage and threat on the first four targets it hits and less beyond that.
- Holy Strike at level 6 and seals that are no longer consumed by Judgment cut down busy work.
- Mana sustain: Shield Specialization restores Mana when you block, so a Paladin can keep tanking pull after pull. Blizzard’s November 2 notes removed Improved Seal of Fury, the recap’s other Mana talent.
- Safety nets: Templar’s Bulwark adds an absorb shield, and Reckoning now triggers from blocks. Swift Judgment changed in Blizzard’s November 2 notes: it now unleashes your active Seal instantly instead of resetting Judgment.
That toolkit is why we rate Paladin the easiest dungeon tank. Blizzard’s November 2 notes also made Righteous Fury trainable at level 10 (was 16), with a 33% bonus to all threat plus 90% more threat from Holy damage. The bigger limit is faction: only Humans and Dwarves on the Alliance, and only Undead on the Horde, can be Paladins.
3. Druid: The Flexible Tank
Blizzard’s Hunter and Druid deep dive says Druids are “fully capable tanks,” and gives Bear Form more armor from Defense skill on gear, just like other tanks. Druids can now use more consumables and racial abilities without leaving form, so a Tauren can War Stomp in Bear Form. Mangle has been renamed Primal Bite.
The trade-off, per Blizzard, is utility: no snare, silence or interrupt, and weaker crowd control. The upside is that Dual Specialization at level 40 lets you keep a tank build and a healing or Cat build, and our Cat Form guide covers the damage side.
Which Tank Should You Pick?
- Want to main-tank raids? Warrior, the class every raid has a slot for.
- Want smooth dungeon runs while leveling? Paladin, if your faction and race allow it.
- Want to swap roles? Druid, or Paladin, which can also heal.
- Horde and want plate area threat? Undead is your only Paladin race; our best Warrior race guide covers the alternative.
Whatever you pick, tanks are in demand. Our Dungeon Finder guide explains how the Group Finder works, and our race and class combos guide covers racials such as Stoneform and War Stomp. Every guide is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best tank in WoW Forever? Our picks are Warrior for raids and Paladin for dungeons, based on Blizzard’s class design.
Can Shaman tank in WoW Forever? Not as a full tank. Blizzard says Enhancement Shaman can serve as a temporary tank in small groups.
Which races can be Paladins? Human and Dwarf for the Alliance, and Undead for the Horde.
Is Warrior tanking fixed in WoW Forever? Blizzard rebalanced Rage during the beta, fixed bugs that cut the Rage Warriors gain from taking damage, and raised Defensive Stance’s threat bonus to 80% (from 30%) in its November 2 notes. Dungeon packs are still easier on a Paladin, in our view.
What is the easiest tank to level? Paladin, in our view, thanks to baseline Consecration, Righteous Fury from level 10 and the Mana that Shield Specialization returns on blocks.
Will tank balance change? Likely. Blizzard tuned tanks through the whole beta, and the first raids open on December 9.