Twenty years ago,World of Warcraftwas a much different game than it is today. Most people have likely heard the expression “retail is about the end-game, but classic is about the journey,” and that statement couldn’t be more true. WoW Classic brings players back to a time when leveling was the main attraction, and when you were actually forced to slow down and kill bears in Elwynn Forest one at a time.
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Classes were much different back then, too. Warriors were the best at just about everything. Mages had a one-button rotation that had them topping damage meters. Paladins wore cloth armor. With Blizzard’s newest Classic anniversary realms, you might be wondering what class you should play - and which ones you should avoid if you want to secure a raid spot in Molten Core come December.
Classic anniversary realms feature some quality-of-life changes, including a Looking for Group tool, removal of the game’s original buff/debuff limit, and most importantly, Dual Spec options coming at a later date. This will enable classes to swap between specializations, i.e a mage swapping from frost to fire, a feature that was not originally part of the classic experience.
Specializations: Balance, Feral, Restoration
When you hear people talk about Druids in Classic WoW, you might hear the expression “jack of all trades, master of none.” Druids can technically do everything in Classic that they can do today: They can tank. They can heal. They can (try to) deal damage.
The problem is that, for the most part, there are always going to be classes that can do those things better. Most raid teams limit themselves to only one or two Druids, and outside of a token bear tank, Druids are typically brought along for their utility more than anything else. (Mark of the Wild, Innervate, Faerie FireandRebirthare all important spells that Druids have at their disposal in Classic.)
Only Night Elves and Taurens can be Druids in Classic, so you have far less variety to choose from. Troll and Worgen Druids, the next available options, don’t become available until Cataclysm. On the bright side, you may have heard of a little battleground called Warsong Gulch, in which Druids are considered the best flag carriers thanks to their travel form and ability to shift out of crowd control. So, if PvP is part of your ideal Classic experience, you can’t go wrong with playing a Druid.
Specializations: Protection, Retribution, Holy
Paladins suffer from a similar problem that Druids do. They can technically tank, deal damage,andheal - but their only stand-out specialization is Holy. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a tank or damage-dealing Paladin on most raid teams, as they are simply out-performed by other classes.
In fact, you’re more likely to find a Paladin wearing cloth than plate, as cloth gear in Classic is most optimized for stats like intellect and spirit. Paladins do bring very important buffs to the party, however, likeBlessing of Kings,Blessing of Might, andBlessing of Wisdom, so you’ll find that most raid teams have several Holy Paladins on their roster.
Leveling is another low note for Paladin, as it’s considered the most monotonous. Much of your leveling experience will involve auto-attacking mobs to death, but the bright side to that is, if you’re ever in any danger (PvE or PvP), you have the best “get out of jail free” card. Paladins have the ability toshield themselvesand even Hearthstone out of danger, all while being invulnerable to enemy attacks (“bubble hearthing” is a term that was coined during Classic).
Only Alliance characters can play Paladins in Classic.
Specializations: Enhancement, Elemental, Restoration
Shamans, much like Paladins, are a hybrid class where their only real endgame potential is in healing. While you might see the occasional Enhancement or Elemental Shaman holding their own in PvP battlegrounds, you’re more likely to find Restoration Shamans in any PvE content. Restoration Shamans, however, are powerful, able to pump out big raid heals with theirChain Heal.What really makes Shamans shine in Classic, however, are their totems.
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Shamans can place aWindfury Totem,which buffs the damage output of their melee damage-dealing friends, and aMana Tide Totem, which can help restore mana to their fellow healers and casters during long boss fights. In fact, you’ll find that raid teams often have several Restoration Shamans on their roster, all due to how powerful these totems are.
Only Horde characters can play Shamans in Classic.
Specializations: Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, Survival
Hunters get a bad rep in Classic. You’ve probably heard stories about how a Hunter forgot to dismiss their pet in a dungeon or raid, leading to the pet accidentally pulling extra mobs and wiping the group. (If you haven’t heard that story, trust me: You will at some point in your Classic experience.) The pet AI in Classic is questionable at best, but Hunters still provide solid damage, and you’ll typically find them middle of the line on damage meters with spells likeAimed ShotandMulti-Shot, often falling just behind their melee friends.
Hunters provide unique utility through their Aspects, with spells likeAspect of the Packincreasing party movement speed. They can set traps, as well, likeExplosive Trap,which deals damage to all enemies when triggered, andFreezing Trap, which freezes an enemy in place once triggered.Feign Deathenables Hunters to drop combat, which can be useful in both PvE and PvP situations (in PvP, Feign Death causes other players to lose their target on you). Hunters are solid, well-rounded damage dealers in Classic… just make sure you know where your pet is at all times.
Specializations: Affliction, Demonology, Destruction
Warlocks deal most of their damage in endgame content with one spell:Shadowbolt.They also have a wealth of other spells, however, that may see more play during the Classic Anniversary thanks to the debuff limit being removed. Spells likeCorruption, which deals heavy damage over time to the target, andDrain Life, which damages enemies while also healing the Warlock, were not previously used in endgame content like raids due to other, more important debuffs taking priority. With that limit no longer being an issue, Warlocks might be more versatile this time around.
Of course, Classic Warlocks are also known for their pets, and they have several that they can summon in Classic, from an imp to a succubus. The spellSoul Linkis extremely powerful in PvP, which redirects damage taken by the Warlock to its demon instead. Warlocks can alsoSacrificetheir Voidwalker demon in exchange for a temporary shield. If an enemy player gets too close, Warlocks also have a powerfulFearspell at their disposal.
Specializations: Frost, Fire, Arcane
As far as casters in Classic are concerned, none are more powerful and none have a simpler rotation than the mage. The mage is powerful, but it comes at the cost of such a simple rotation that some might find it too mindless. In most content, you’ll spend your time spamming a single spell: frostbolt, frostbolt, frostbolt. If the idea of that doesn’t deter you, however, you’ll find yourself topping most damage meters. You’ll also find that mages are excellent in PvP, with the ability to keep distance from their foes with spells likeFrost NovaandPolymorph.
Mages also bring great utility to the team, with the ability toconjure food and waterfor themselves and their teammates,open a portalto a major city for their teammates, orteleportthemselves at will. While mages do not have lust or heroism in Classic, they do haveArcane Intellect, a powerful buff which increases the intellect of themselves or a targeted party/raid member.
Specializations: Assassination, Combat, Subtlety
Melee reigns supreme in Classic, and when it comes to damage-dealing, Rogues are only second to Warriors. Rogues deal damage based on building combo points throughSinister StrikeandBackstab. Those combo points can then be spent on heavy damage-dealing finishing moves likeEviscerateandRupture. Rogues can also spend their combo points on a buff for themselves,Slice and Dice, which increases melee attack speed by 30% (up to 45% with Improved Slice and Dice).
In Classic, Rogues also have a number of different poisons they can apply to their weapons, such asInstant Poison, which has a chance to inflict an enemy with nature damage, andDeadly Poison, which has a chance to inflict a stacking damage-over-time spell.
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Rogues are also elusive opponents in PvP, able to ambush their opponents by attacking unexpectedly fromStealth. They have a wealth of utility abilities, including stuns likeGouge,Cheap ShotandBlind, as well asVanish, an ability that enables Rogues to drop combat and escape fights - whether PvE or PvP.
Specializations: Discipline, Holy, Shadow
Priests are considered the best healer in both PvP and PvE content, whether they specialize in Holy or Discipline talents. They have an arsenal of healing spells at the ready, such asFlash Healfor fast spot healing,Greater Healfor big impact (but slow cast) heals, andRenewfor healing-over-time spot coverage. TheirPower Word: Fortitudebuff increases the stamina of targeted party members, andPower Infusion- if specializing in discipline - is a spell that increases spell damage and healing done by a targeted party member.
Priests have great utility that helps them with survival in both PvE and PvP content, such asFade, which drops threat;Psychic Scream, which sends nearby enemies running in fear; andDispel Magic, which dispels harmful debuffs from friendly targets or beneficial buffs from enemies.
Their damage specialization, Shadow, isn’t too shabby either. While Shadow Priests won’t be topping damage meters anytime soon, they bring along the debuffShadow Weaving, which causes enemy targets to be vulnerable to shadow damage (and thus, boosting friendly Warlocks' damage).Vampiric Embraceis a spell that afflicts targets with damage while also healing friendly players, which can help get a raid through tricky situations thanks to its spot healing.
Specializations: Protection, Fury, Arms
Don’t let their underwhelming appearance on the character creation screen fool you: Warriors fill at least half of most raid rosters in Classic, and for good reason. They’re by far the best tanks, the strongest damage dealers and perhaps the most formidable opponents in PvP, where they’re nearly unmatched when equipped withMortal Strikeand a good healer. Abilities likeSunder ArmorandBattle Shoutare required in any serious content, both of which warriors bring to the table.
The only downside for warriors, really, is that their performance is highly dependent on having the right gear and weapons… and the cost of their repair bills. Since warriors are plate wearers, and likely to take the most damage due to being in melee range, a visit to the blacksmith after a particularly long raid will cost you.
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There are six dungeons on the Classic Timewalking roster. Characters level 10 or higher can queue for dungeons via the Group Finder.
