WoW Forever Best Spec Tier List
Protection Paladin is one of six S specs, a tank whose Holy Shield adds 30 percent block chance for up to 4 blocks over 10 seconds. The surprise is Subtlety Rogue: D here, yet S on the PvP tier list, where its Preparation talent resets other Rogue cooldowns.
TankProtection Paladin
HealerRestoration Shaman
HealerRestoration Druid
TankProtection Warrior
DPSArcane Mage
HealerHoly Priest
DPSEnhancement Shaman
DPSRetribution Paladin
DPSAffliction Warlock
DPSSurvival Hunter
HealerDiscipline Priest
HealerHoly Paladin
DPSElemental Shaman
DPSFury Warrior
DPSBeast Mastery Hunter
DPSAssassination Rogue
DPSShadow Priest
DPSBalance Druid
DPSDemonology Warlock
DPSMarksmanship Hunter
Tank / DPSFeral Combat Druid
DPSFrost Mage
DPSDestruction Warlock
DPSFire Mage
DPSMoved up from CArms Warrior
DPSMoved up from CCombat Rogue
DPSSubtlety RogueWhat each tier means
- STop The top grade on this board, the strongest specs it ranks
- AStrong A strong pick on this board, one step under the top grade
- BSolid Sound on this board, without the edge of the bands above
- CSituational Short of the bands above on this board, even where one of its reads runs high
- DBottom The lowest grade on this board, with the weakest case once every read is counted
Talent tree icons and class emblems by Blizzard Entertainment, from the World of Warcraft Forever game client.
Reduces the cooldown of your Holy Strike ability by 4 sec. Additionally, Holy Strike now strikes with your shield, triggering your active Holy Shield and Shield Specialization talents without consuming their charges or triggering their cooldowns, and allowing you to Block spells for 6 sec.
Increases your Parry chance by 5%.
Increases the threat generated by your Holy Strike ability by 30%. While Righteous Fury is active, Holy Strike also reduces your damage taken by 6% for 6 sec.
Reduces the duration of Stun and Charm effects on you by 20%.
Improves your chance to get a critical strike with all spells and attacks by 5%.
Heals a friendly target for 445 over 15 sec, and increases the effectiveness of your Chain Heal casts directly on that target by 25%.
Increases the effectiveness of your healing spells by 10%.
Increases the amount healed by your Healing Wave spell by 25%.
Increases the duration of your Moonfire and Rejuvenation spells by 3 sec, your Regrowth spell by 6 sec, and your Insect Swarm spell by 2 sec.
Heals the target and their party for 280 over 7 sec. Party members must be within 43.5 yards of target. The amount healed is applied quickly at first, and slows down as Wild Growth reaches its full duration.
Increases the critical effect chance of your Regrowth spell by 50%.
When activated, your next Nature spell becomes an instant cast spell.
Generates 1 Rage every 3 sec while in combat, and reduces Rage loss while out of combat by 30%.
Slam the target with your shield, causing 430 damage, increased by your Block Value, and has a 50% chance of dispelling 1 magic effect on the target. Causes a very high amount of threat.
Increases all damage you deal by 10% while a shield is equipped.
Reduces the cooldown of your Shield Wall ability by 11.0 min.
For the next 15 sec, your spells deal 30% more damage while costing 30% more mana to cast.
Non-periodic critical strikes with Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Fire Blast, and Scorch reduce the cast time of your next Pyroblast cast within 20 sec by 25%, stacking up to 3 times. Fire Blast grants an additional stack every time it deals damage.
Improves your chance to hit with all spells by 6%.
Increases the damage done by your spells by 3% and your critical strike chance by 3%.
When activated, reduces the Mana cost of your next spell by 100% and increases its critical effect chance by 25% if it is a non-periodic spell and capable of a critical effect.
Places a spell on the target that heals them for 172 (+ a share of your bonus healing) the next time they take damage or receive non-periodic healing. When the heal occurs, Prayer of Mending jumps to a party or raid member within 20 yards. Jumps up to 5 times and lasts 30 sec after each jump. This spell can only be placed on one target at a time per caster.
Increases the amount healed by your spells by 10%.
When you cast a healing spell, gain Mana equal to 10% of the base cost of the spell if your previous heal was a different spell.
Your Critical Strikes with direct damage spells increase your chance to get a Critical Strike with melee attacks by 9% for 10 sec.
Increases your attack speed by 30% for 25 sec.
Reduces the Mana cost of your totems and any spells that summon or move them by 25%.
When you deal damage with a melee attack, you have a chance to reduce the cast time and Mana cost of your next Lightning Bolt spell by 20%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec.
Reduces the mana cost of your Consecration, Holy Wrath, Exorcism, and Hammer of Wrath spells by 40%.
Improves your chance to hit by 3%.
Your melee attacks store a copy of your active Seal for 15 sec, stacking up to 3 times. Landing an attack with a different Seal consumes all stacks, giving the stored Seal its normal chance to activate once per stack.
Increases your spell damage by up to 60% of your Intellect, and reduces the cast time of your Hammer of Wrath by 1.0 sec.
Tears the target apart from within, inflicting 36 Shadow damage every 1 sec and increasing the damage they take from your other Shadow damage over time effects by 10% for 6 sec.
When activated, sacrifices your summoned Demon to enhance the opposing aspect of your power, granting you an effect that lasts 2 hr. The effect is canceled if any Demon is summoned.
Imp: Increases your Shadow damage by 15%.
Voidwalker: Restores 2% of your total Mana every 4 sec.
Succubus/Incubus: Increases your Fire damage by 15%.
Felhunter: Restores 3% of your total Health every 4 sec.
Your Shadow Bolt critical strikes increase Shadow damage taken by the target from your attacks by 20% for 12 sec.
Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 10%.
While Aspect of the Hawk is active, Auto Shot has a 10% chance of increasing ranged attack speed by 30% for 12 sec. While Aspect of the Beast is active, all melee auto attacks have a 10% chance of increasing melee attack speed by 30% for 12 sec.
Reduces the cooldown on your Rapid Fire ability by 2 min. In addition, when you kill a non-trivial enemy or it dies while afflicted by your Serpent Sting, you gain Rapid Killing, increasing the damage of your next Shot ability within 20 sec by 20%.
Your Mongoose Bite also causes the target to Bleed for damage equal to 40% of the damage done by Mongoose Bite over 21 sec
Increases your Agility by 15%.
Infuses the target with power, increasing their spell damage and healing done by 20% for 15 sec.
Increases the range of your Smite and Holy Fire spells and the radius of your Prayer of Healing and Holy Nova spells by 10%.
Your non-periodic critical heals create a protective shield on the target, absorbing 15% of the amount healed. Shields up to (20 x your level) damage and lasts 12 sec.
Launches a volley of holy light at the target, causing 42 Holy damage to an enemy, or 126 healing to an ally, instantly and every 1 sec for 2 sec.
Applies Light's Vigil to a friendly target for 30 sec. The caster's next Holy Shock on the target incurs no cooldown and heals the target and their party for 324. Only one Vigil per Paladin may be active in each party.
Increases your Defense Skill by 20.
Increases the critical strike healing bonus of your Holy spells by 50%.
Blasts the target with Holy energy, causing 134 Holy damage to an enemy, or 114 healing to an ally.
Gain mastery over Lightning, reducing the cast time of your Lightning Bolt spell by 0.5 sec, and removing the cooldown from your Chain Lightning spell. Lasts 15 sec.
The caster is surrounded by 3 globes of water. When a spell, melee, or ranged attack hits the caster or when one of the caster's spells gets a critical result, 2% of maximum mana is restored to the caster, expending one water globe. Only one globe will activate every few seconds. Lasts 10 min.
Only one Elemental Shield can be active on the Shaman at any one time.
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Searing and Magma Totems and your Fire, Frost, and Nature spells by 100%.
A brutal attack that deals 75% weapon damage. Deals an additional 75% weapon damage against Giants, Dragonkin, and mounted targets. Mounted targets are dismounted.
Instantly attack the target causing damage equal to 45% of your Attack Power plus 30 and increasing your movement speed by 10% for 10 sec.
Reduces the cooldown of your Whirlwind ability by 2 sec and increases the damage it deals to the closest enemy by 30%.
Increases your melee attack speed by 30% for your next 3 swings after dealing a melee critical strike.
Send your pet into a rage causing 50% additional damage for 18 sec. While enraged, the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear and it cannot be stopped unless killed.
Increases the critical strike damage bonus on all ranged abilities by 30%.
Gives your pet a 100% chance to gain a 30% attack speed increase for 8 sec after dealing a critical strike.
Command your pet to Stun the target for 3 sec on its next successful attack, which also gains 100% increased critical strike chance. Generates high threat.
Instantly attacks with both weapons for 90% weapon damage plus an additional 39.6 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.
Reduces the cooldown of your Sprint and Evasion abilities by 30%.
Increases the damage dealt by your Backstab, Garrote, Ambush, and Mutilate abilities by 8%.
Your critical strikes from abilities that add Combo Points have a 100% chance to add an additional Combo Point.
Allows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
Gives your spells a 70% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage.
Assume Shadowform, increasing your Shadow damage by 10%, reducing the Mana cost of all Shadow spells by 50%, increasing the critical strike damage bonus of your Shadow spells by 100%, and reducing Physical damage taken by you by 15%. However, you may not cast healing spells while in this form.
Increases your Shadow damage done by 10%.
Shapeshift into Moonkin Form, increasing Omen of Clarity's chance to trigger by 100%, Armor contribution from items by 360%, and all party or raid members within 45 yards have their Critical Strike chance increased by 3%. Also protects the caster from Polymorph effects and prevents the use of healing spells.
The act of shapeshifting frees the caster of Polymorph and Movement Impairing effects.
Reduces the cast time of your Healing Touch and Wild Growth spells by 0.5 sec and increases all damage you deal by 10%.
Increases the damage done by your Arcane and Nature spells by 10%.
All non-periodic spell criticals grace you with a blessing of nature, increasing your spellcasting speed and reducing your global cooldown by 10% for 3 sec.
Reduces the casting time of your Corruption spell by 0.8 sec and increases the damage it deals by 4%.
Your Demonic Sacrifice effect is no longer cancelled by summoning a different Demon pet. Resummoning the sacrificed pet will still cancel the effect.
Increases the critical strike chance of your Searing Pain spell by 10% and the damage done by all your Destruction spells by 10%.
Grants both the Warlock and the summoned demon an effect as long as that demon is active.
Imp - Increases Fire damage done by 10%.
Voidwalker - Reduces Physical damage taken by 10%.
Succubus/Incubus - Increases Shadow damage done by 10%.
Felhunter - Reduces Magic damage taken by 10%.
A long-range shot that deals ranged damage plus 320 and increases the range of your next 3 Shots by 10 yards for 10 sec.
While tracking Beasts, Demons, Dragonkin, Elementals, Giants, Humanoids, or Undead, all damage you deal to the tracked creature type is increased by 5%.
Increases the damage you deal with ranged weapons by 5%.
Increases your critical strike chance with spells and melee attacks by 4%.
Bite the target, dealing 100% normal damage plus 42 and generating a high amount of threat.
Increases your Intellect by 10%. In addition, while in Bear Form or Dire Bear Form your Stamina is increased by 20% and while in Cat Form your Strength is increased by 10%.
Increases damage done by your melee abilities on Bleeding targets by 15%.
Allows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
Gives your Frostbolt and Fingers of Frost empowered Ice Lance spells a 100% chance to apply Winter's Chill, increasing the target's damage taken from your next Cone of Cold by 20% and it gains an additional 7% of your spell damage, stacking up to 5 times.
Increases the damage dealt by your Cone of Cold spell by 35%.
Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 2 spells cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec.
Improves your chance to hit by 5% and reduces all threat you generate by 20%.
Deals 97 Fire damage to your target and an additional 25% damage if the target is afflicted by Immolate.
Hitting an enemy with Conflagrate increases all Shadow damage you deal by 20% for 20 sec, and hitting an enemy with Shadowburn increases all Fire damage you deal by 20% for 20 sec. In addition, Conflagrate has a 100% chance not to consume Immolate, and Shadowburn has a 100% chance to instantly refund a Soul Shard.
Allows 17% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
When activated, this spell causes each of your Fire damage spell hits to increase your critical strike chance with Fire damage spells by 10%. This effect lasts until you have caused 3 non-periodic critical strikes with Fire spells.
Increases the damage done by your Fire spells by 3% per your Fire effects on the target, up to a maximum increase of 12%. Effects which mix multiple schools of magic do not qualify.
A vicious strike that deals weapon damage plus 85 and wounds the target, reducing the effectiveness of any healing by 50% for 10 sec.
Your next 4 melee attacks generate 5 additional Rage. Lasts 8 sec.
Increases all the Rage generated by your Bloodrage ability by 50%.
Reduces the cooldown of your Slam ability by 5.0 sec, the cast time and global cooldown by 0.50 sec, and Slam no longer interrupts or delays your melee swing.
When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, Eviscerate, or Mutilate by 100%.
Increases your Energy regeneration rate by 100% for 15 sec.
Increases the Energy generated by your Shank ability by 15 and reduces its cooldown by 2.0 sec.
Increases the damage done by your off-hand weapon by 25%.
Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks and Poisons by 5%.
Gives your Kick ability a 100% chance to Silence the target for 2 sec.
Increases your Stealth detection as if you were 3 levels higher and reduces your chance to be hit by spells and ranged attacks by 4%.
When activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other Rogue abilities.
Board breakdown
Protection Paladin and Restoration Shaman tie for the top seat. Arcane Mage is the one damage spec at S, and every other S spec tanks or heals. Before leveling a tank or healer, check the solo grade: Protection Warrior, Restoration Druid and Holy Priest drop to C there.
Every face here opens that spec card on the board, starting with Protection Paladin.
An absorb shield from Templar's Bulwark keeps the front line up, Mana Tide Totem and Wild Growth keep the party topped up, and Arcane Power gives a caster seat 30 percent more spell damage to time around.
Big pulls get a real safety net from Templar's Bulwark, an absorb shield worth 100 percent of maximum health for 8 sec. Shieldsworn adds the ability to block spells for 6 sec through Holy Strike, so the tree answers magic as well as swings.
Casters around this tree stay in the fight longer because Mana Tide Totem restores mana to group members within 30 yards for 12 sec, and Restorative Totems lifts the effect of Mana Spring Totem by 25 percent and Healing Stream Totem by 50 percent.
Wild Growth heals a target and their party over 7 sec, the tree's answer to splash damage, and Bloom adds a heal worth 100 percent of Spirit when Rejuvenation or Regrowth runs its duration. Improved Tranquility also cuts that channel's cooldown by 60 percent.
Improved Shield Wall strips 11 minutes off Shield Wall's cooldown, so the big defensive button comes back far sooner on a long night. Improved Shield Bash also silences a caster for 3 sec, and Last Stand adds 30 percent of maximum health for 20 sec in a bad moment.
Mana decides how long a caster keeps hitting, and Arcane pays for it: Arcane Meditation keeps 50 percent of regeneration running through casts, and Arcane Concentration's 10 percent Clearcasting chance makes the next damage spell free. Arcane Subtlety also trims Arcane spell threat by 30 percent.
Even a dead Holy Priest keeps healing: Spirit of Redemption makes healing spells free for 15 sec after death. Holy Nova heals party members within 10 yards, and non-periodic critical heals raise the target's Armor by 25 percent for 15 sec through Inspiration.
Group tools lift much of this row: Guardian Totems strengthens party totems, Amplify Curse softens an enemy's physical hits, and Power Infusion lends a caster 20 percent more spell damage and healing.
A melee seat that also toughens the party: Guardian Totems adds 20 percent to the damage reduction Stoneskin Totem gives party members within 30 yards, and Spirit Weapons cuts attack threat by 30 percent while Rockbiter Weapon is inactive, so a tank has less threat to stay ahead of.
Sacred Arbiter makes Holy Strike refresh Judgement effects on the target, so judged debuffs stay up on a long pull, and Repentance adds an incapacitating 6 sec hold on Humanoids. Two-Handed Weapon Specialization also drops generated threat by 20 percent while a two-handed weapon is equipped.
Amplify Curse lifts the next Curse of Weakness by 50 percent, which eases the physical hits an enemy deals, and Soul Siphon pushes drains up to 36 percent harder while other Affliction effects sit on the target.
Survival fights in melee for its damage: Savage Strikes adds 4 percent critical strike chance to melee abilities and Improved Tracking adds 5 percent damage against the tracked creature type. Entrapment then holds enemies caught by a trap in place for 5 sec, which gives a pull time to settle.
Power Infusion hands a teammate 20 percent more spell damage and healing for 15 sec, and Improved Power Word: Shield stretches a shield's absorption by 20 percent, which gives a raid real damage prevention to plan around.
Holy turns a spot heal into party healing: put Light's Vigil on an ally, and your next Holy Shock on them heals them and their party while skipping its cooldown. On your own, Holy Conduit cuts Mana costs of Consecration, Holy Wrath, Exorcism and Hammer of Wrath by 40 percent.
Lightning Overload gives Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning a 30 percent chance to cast a similar spell on the target, and Lightning Mastery removes Chain Lightning's cooldown for 15 sec, so damage arrives fast on a stacked pack. Earthbound adds a 5 sec immobilize from Earthbind Totem.
Booming Voice widens Shouts by 50 percent and cuts their Rage cost by 25 percent, which keeps shared shouts over a spread group, and Flurry adds 30 percent melee attack speed for 3 swings after a melee critical strike.
Bestial Wrath gives the pet 50 percent additional damage for 18 sec, and Spirit Bond has hunter and pet regenerate 1 percent of total health every 5 sec, so much of the value here arrives away from a group.
Vile Poisons adds 20 percent poison damage and Mutilate hits 20 percent harder against Poisoned targets, while Improved Expose Armor trims Energy by 10 and refunds 2 Combo Points at 5, which keeps the armor debuff cheap.
Personal damage fills this row: Improved Scorch raises the Fire damage you deal, and Soul Link shifts damage onto the demon, while Moonkin Form gives the party 3 percent critical strike chance.
Party healing rides on Vampiric Embrace, returning 20 percent of Shadow spell damage, and Mind Blast or a fully channeled Mind Flay lifts party Spirit by 15 percent for 10 sec through Dark Inspiration. Shadowform blocks healing spells, so a direct heal means leaving the form and its damage bonus.
Party and raid members within 45 yards gain 3 percent Critical Strike chance from Moonkin Form. Healing spells are off limits while the form is active, so a backup heal means shifting out and dropping that buff.
Soul Link moves 30 percent of damage taken onto the demon and adds 3 percent damage for master and pet, value that stays with the warlock and pet and leaves little for the party. Improved Felhunter cuts Spell Lock's cooldown by 6 sec.
Trueshot Aura raises Ranged Attack Power for party or raid members within 45 yards, which helps ranged attackers, and Scatter Shot disorients for 4 sec in a pinch. Lone Wolf adds 20 percent damage with the pet away, so this Hunter gives up the pet for raw shots.
Leader of the Pack gives party or raid members within 45 yards 3 percent Critical Strike chance in Cat Form or Bear Form, and Predatory Strikes and Sharpened Claws feed those forms alike, so the same tree can slot into damage or tanking.
Frostbite gives Chill effects a 15 percent chance to Freeze for 5 sec and Improved Blizzard adds a 40 percent slow for 1.5 sec, so the tree brings control to awkward pulls. Winter's Chill feeds your next Cone of Cold, which keeps that damage bonus personal.
Shadow and Flame adds 20 percent Shadow damage for 20 sec after Conflagrate, and Bane of Havoc copies 15 percent of damage dealt to other targets onto the cursed target for 5 min, strong output that lands as the Warlock's own damage.
Improved Scorch stacks a 3 percent Fire vulnerability up to 5 times and Combustion adds 10 percent Fire critical strike chance per hit, a personal damage engine with little for the party to share, though Impact adds a 10 percent chance to stun for 2 sec.
Packs feel Sweeping Strikes, which sends the next 5 melee attacks into an additional nearby opponent, and Two-Handed Weapon Specialization adds 6 percent melee damage, while Mortal Strike's 50 percent healing cut for 10 sec mostly matters against targets that heal.
Blade Flurry adds 20 percent melee attack speed and strikes an additional nearby opponent for 15 sec, and Adrenaline Rush lifts Energy regeneration by 100 percent for 15 sec, personal windows that leave a party little to share beyond Improved Kick's 2 sec silence.
Subtlety Rogue sits this low because Hemorrhage and Dirty Tricks serve the Rogue's own bleeds and its Sap and Blind control more than a group's needs.
Hemorrhage raises Rupture and Garrote damage from the Rogue by 15 percent, and Dirty Tricks cuts the Energy cost of Sap and Blind by 50 percent, so much of what this tree buys stays with the Rogue and its stealth work.
Healing is the safest role here: every healing spec grades A or better. Tanks split hard, with Protection Paladin and Protection Warrior at S and Feral Combat Druid at B. Damage specs crowd the middle, so damage players should read the DPS tier list.
- Tank3 specs
- Healer5 specs
- Damage20 specs
Bars split each role by its grades on this list; a face takes you to that spec card here.
Role comes before class: most classes peak in a tank or healing tree, Protection for Paladin and Warrior, Restoration for Shaman and Druid, Holy for Priest. Damage peaks are Arcane for Mage, Assassination for Rogue, Affliction for Warlock and Survival for Hunter. Beast Mastery Hunter also earns A.
- DruidS best
- MageS best
- PaladinS best
- PriestS best
- ShamanS best
- WarriorS best
- HunterA best
- RogueA best
- WarlockA best
Yes, every S spec here has a build: tank builds for the Protection specs, healing builds for the healers and a PvE DPS build for Arcane Mage. Open yours before spending points, since the next row down opens after 5 more points in that tree.
- Protection PaladinS tierTank build
- Restoration ShamanS tierHealing build
- Restoration DruidS tierHealing build
- Protection WarriorS tierTank build
- Arcane MageS tierPvE DPS build
- Holy PriestS tierHealing build