Choosing a class

Classes
Class races	Death Knight	Demon Hunter	Druid	Ev	Hunter	Mage	Monk	Paladin	Priest	Rogue	Shaman	Warlock	Warrior
Quests	Death Knight	Demon Hunter	Druid	Evuid	Hunter	Mage	Monk	Paladin	Priest	Rogue	Shaman	Warlock	Warrior
Abilities	Death Knight	Demon Hunter	Druid	Evuid	Hunter	Mage	Monk	Paladin	Priest	Rogue	Shaman	Warlock	Warrior
Trainers	Death Knight	Demon Hunter	Druid	-	Hunter	Mage	Monk	Paladin	Priest	Rogue	Shaman	Warlock	Warrior
Armor sets	Death Knight	Demon Hunter	Druid	Evuid	Hunter	Mage	Monk	Paladin	Priest	Rogue	Shaman	Warlock	Warrior
Useful macros	Death Knight	Demon Hunter	Druid	-	Hunter	Mage	Monk	Paladin	Priest	Rogue	Shaman	Warlock	Warrior
Class Halls	Death Knight	Demon Hunter	Druid	-	Hunter	Mage	Monk	Paladin	Priest	Rogue	Shaman	Warlock	Warrior

All classes in the World of Warcraft are versatile, but each one has different roles in which it excels. It helps to choose a class based on the role you think you will enjoy playing.

Classes can be roughly categorized by whether they are front line or support, whether they are best at melee (close) or ranged combat, and how easily they can be played solo (without needing to be part of a group for enjoyable play). The lines are not always clear-cut; for example, support classes can still be defined as primarily melee or ranged for the damage output they do, even though damage is not necessarily their strong point. There is significant overlap in abilities between different classes. Still, each does have its strong points, as outlined below.

Also see:

• Classes for links to detailed info and specific race and faction requirements.
• Per Class Proficiencies for info on weapons and armor availability and limitations.

Melee Classes

A melee class excels at close-range combat, dealing heavy amounts of damage to the enemy (and likely taking quite a bit as well). Melee fighters don't rely on spells and ranged attacks to the extent that ranged classes do, and therefore must maintain a close proximity to the enemy in order to be effective. A melee class will be most enjoyable if you enjoy "in your face" action and fast tactical thinking.

Melee classes are unable to heal themselves and so spend time building up the First Aid skill. First Aid reduces down time while playing solo and can often be of use in extended group combat.

Warrior

The Warrior is the toughest melee class. Warriors can both inflict and withstand a tremendous amount of damage.

The signature role for a warrior is tanking in PvE (player versus environment) play. They have many tools available to draw the enemy's fire, and their use of plate armor and shields allows them to survive the significant amount of damage that predictably results. For this combination warriors are highly valued by groups. Having at least one warrior to play the role of main tank is considered essential in many circumstances, particularly in instances and at higher levels.

The role of a tank is somewhat counter-intuitive to new players; though it involves being on the front line, it does not normally involve doing the most damage to the enemy. If you want to be at the top of the damage-per-second list at the end of a fight, the warrior is probably not the best class for you. It is better suited for players who enjoy tactical thinking, crowd control, and the concept of "the captain goes down with the ship". With experience the value of a tank becomes clear, and a warrior that learns the art of tanking will always be in high demand.

Warriors are able to play solo well. They need the aid of potions, food and bandages, but these resources are usually in ample supply. Because warriors use rage -- which is built up during combat -- instead of mana or energy, there is relatively little downtime between fights.

In player versus player (PvP) play, warriors can experience difficulty due to their reliance on close range combat. They can find themselves immobilized while ranged classes wear down their health from afar. All classes have a weakness in PvP though, and the warrior certainly has the strengths to compensate for this. Their charge and intercept allow them to quickly close in with the enemy, and they never have to worry about running out of mana in the middle of a fight. When properly supported through healing, a warrior can continue fighting indefinitely.

Warriors are either helped or hindered by the quality of their gear (equipment). A poorly outfitted warrior is easily outmatched, while Template:Epic-geared warriors are considered one of the most powerful opponents in the game. Shopping, crafting, and planning can be important to warriors when it comes to their equipment. If you enjoy this aspect of the game you will find the warrior to be a rewarding class.

Rogue

The Rogue class has two primary strengths that are ironically in opposition to each other: they are tremendous damage dealers, yet they are also the best at avoiding combat in the first place.

The [Stealth] skill is the rogue's best friend. Rogues have stealth-enhancing talents that can allow them to travel nearly anywhere in the game by themselves, even to the extent of exploring high level instances solo without ever engaging in combat. They can even grab a few extra coins on their way by picking pockets, though this is not a significant source of income. If you enjoy exploration and prefer to pick your fights, the rogue is a very enjoyable class.

Once in combat, rogues can arguably deal the most sustainable damage of any class. The rogue is a class that "fights dirty" and they are frequently found at the top of damage-monitoring statistics during endgame raids. Through the use of the combo point system and special talents earned in mid- to end-game play, rogues have many abilities at their disposal that can either stop an enemy in its tracks, or slay it quickly. Like warriors, they need close proximity combat to be effective. They are limited to leather armor and can withstand much less damage than warriors; a rogue will be outmatched if suddenly made the attention of multiple enemies. However, stealth often allows them to escape this situation, either to get away completely or to restart the fight under better circumstances.

Several of the rogue's most useful combat abilities (e.g. [Cheap Shot], [Ambush]) require the rogue to be in stealth, which means that in solo play they can only be used at the start of a fight. In PvP and in groups, [Vanish] and [Preparation] can allow more chances.

The typical play style of a rogue is to sneak up to the enemy, deal tremendous damage while barely being hit yourself (this is often called "stun-locking"), and then sneak away. If this appeals to you then the rogue is an excellent choice.

Skilled rogues are feared opponents in PvP. Rogues that learn to play their class well (in PvP style, which is very different from PvE style) can be nearly unstoppable. Rogues that do not play their class well will find PvP frustrating.

If you enjoy a class that requires, a high octane, quick reflex environment, the Rogue is for you. Take care, if you are one that tends to make mistakes, your Rogue will become an easy, and vulnerable target.

It's also worth noting that on PvP servers, there are often a very high number of Rogues, meaning it can be incredibly easy to get groups, or find a guild at higher levels.

Ranged Classes

Ranged classes rely on keeping the enemy at a distance. For casters like the mage and warlock this is because the requisite cloth armor provides almost no protection, and the player is quickly killed if the enemy gets too close; for the hunter it is because the player's best combat abilities simply will not work inside a minimum range. Like melee classes, ranged classes do not have the ability to heal themselves (aside from the Warlock's  [Healthstone]), and generally train themselves in First Aid. If nothing else, Warlocks use first aid as a quick mana fix in conjunction with [Life Tap].

Hunter

The hunter uses a mixture of ranged attacks and a pet. The general approach in PvE play is for the hunter's pet to engage the enemy while the hunter stands some distance away and uses ranged attacks (usually a gun or a bow).

The hunter is the only class in the game that can deal effective damage with guns and bows. These weapons are available to other classes, but only do token damage and are chiefly used for pulling. In the hunter's hands, they are the weapons of choice. A hunter's damage-per-second and attack ratings using ranged weapons scale upward as they increase in level, much like a warrior's attack power scales with melee weapons. In addition hunters gain many special abilities with ranged weapons that either cause extra damage or help control the enemy in some way (slowing, stunning, mana drain, etc.). It is normal for a hunter to have one of his bags completely filled with ammunition.

By contrast, hunters do not gain significant attack abilities with melee weapons. While certainly more deadly in melee combat than most spellcasters, the hunter will be outmatched in a serious swordfight (or axefight, fisticuffs, spitting contest, etc.). Compounding this problem is the fact that the ranged weapons used by hunters have minimum ranges, usually 8 yards, inside of which they cannot be fired. Close-range combat is not a strength for hunters and is avoided as much as possible.

The hunter is able to tame many animals from the wild and use them as pets. This is a central aspect of the class. Hunters can specialize in Beast Mastery which ultimately lends their pet considerable destructive power. In solo play the hunter will send the pet to engage the enemy, and shoot the enemy from a distance during the fight. Keeping the enemy focused on the pet, rather than running back to the hunter, is a balancing act hunters must master to play effectively.

Hunters can keep pets throughout the life of the character if desired. If you tame an animal at level 10, you can still have that pet at level 60. Pets level with the hunter and can be trained new abilities as the hunter learns them. Hunters are the only class allowed to name their pets; names are permanent and need not be assigned right away, so choose carefully.

Hunters also have the ability to lay traps. The usefulness of traps varies depending on the situation. They are normally not enough to decide a fight but they do add variety to the game, and can be quite useful in certain circumstances, including PvP.

In groups hunters are usually considered damage dealers, using their normal modus operandi to hit the target (pet engages, hunter shoots). In instances the skilled hunter can often be very useful at pulling as the hunter has the ability to cancel the encounter using the [Feign Death] ability, presuming it is not resisted and the group is far enough away. It should be noted however that hunters must be practiced at controlling their pets in instances for reasons of aggro control, knowing when and how to keep the pet restrained so as not to interfere with other group members' duties.

In PvP hunters will often specialize in ranged damage (Marksmanship) and traps (Survival) and downplay the use of a pet, since the pet's taunt will not work on other players like it does on computer-controlled enemies.

If you think you would enjoy controlling a pet and using a gun or a bow, the hunter is a fun class for both solo and group play.

Mage

The Mage is a powerful ranged combat class. Mages arguably cause the most straightforward damage in the game, and for this have earned the nickname "nukers".

Mages are famous for their area of effect spells (AoE), such as [Blizzard] or [Arcane Explosion], that cause damage to all enemies in a given area simultaneously. When used improperly this will result in a small army assaulting the mage directly and the mage's sudden death. When used judiciously, however, AoE spells shorten fights, save group members' lives, and make certain encounters easy that might otherwise be very tough.

Mages have other useful abilities besides their destructive spells. They have a quite useful crowd-control spell called [Polymorph] which temporarily turns an enemy into a sheep, pig or turtle. This comes in very handy when facing multiple opponents, and in PvP also provides comic relief. Mages are also popular for their ability to open Portals for their party to use to travel to a capital city (Orgrimmar, Ironforge, etc.), and their ability to conjure water and food for faster regeneration of mana and health between fights.

Mages have particular weaknesses that offset their strengths. Their greatest weakness is that they are limited to cloth armor and cannot long survive melee combat, which they should avoid more than any other class. For this they have also earned the nickname "squishies". Their other chief weakness is their total reliance on mana, which limits the sustainability of their damage. Mages cannot do significant damage with melee or ranged weapons, so if they run out of mana they are relatively powerless.

Typically in PvE groups the mage will not engage the enemy immediately; instead they will allow the tank and other classes to wear the enemy down and build up sufficient threat. Once the enemy is suitably focused on the tank the mage will unleash a torrent of damage that quickly ends the fight. Knowing when to start attacking and how much damage to do is one of the main skills a mage must master.

In solo play the mage relies on spells that slow or freeze the enemy in place so it cannot approach within melee range. They have several escape abilities (e.g. [Blink]) that can help if they are losing a fight.

If high-powered ranged combat and mass carnage suit your tastes, the mage is a good choice.

Warlock

The Warlock is one of the more eccentric classes in the game. Warlocks are similar to Mages, except they have a Demon pet, and primarily use Damage over Time (DoT) spells instead of Direct Damage (DD) spells, even though most classes have a little bit of both. Warlocks are brought primarily to raids for their DoT spells and debuffs, and also for their [Soulstone] ability which can be useful in wipe recoveries.

Warlocks can specialize in many different ways, one of which allows them to become the most durable cloth class in the game, though at the expense of their damage. Warlocks have problems with inventory space similar to Hunters due to Soul Shards, which can be obtained when an enemy dies while being afflicted by Drain Soul; without these, a Warlock cannot use many abilities that can be considered key to the class and most Warlocks carry a dedicated bag for them called a Soul Bag.

Warlocks have several potent forms of crowd control (fear and seduce) to offset their lack of snaring abilities. A warlock's DoTs will slowly drain their opponent's life away, regardless of whether the warlock himself survives.

During solo play and group play, a well-played Warlock is arguably the busiest DPS class in the game; there is plenty of debuffing to be done to help the group (e.g. [Curse of Tongues] to slow enemy casters down, [Curse of Recklessness] to keep mobs from running, and more), a pet to control, crowd control to be handled, all the while trying to maintain a high damage output.

If you enjoy playing a less straight-forward spellcaster and see your enemies suffer, the warlock might be your class.

Support Classes

Support classes can fall into either Ranged or Melee classes, but because of their ability cast healing spells, they are generally called upon for this reason instead of their damage dealing potential. Even though these classes are proficient healers, they are also proficient in causing enough damage to retain the ability to solo level (but their effectiveness can vary based on talent spec). Some players also believe that these classes have the ability to solo much more efficiently than the damage dealing classes, but this subject is, like many other things in World of Warcraft, a topic of heavy debate.

Paladin

Paladins are arguably the strongest supportive class in the game, though not necessarily the best healers. Unlike the Priest and Druid, the main supportive strength of a Paladin is based on his wide variety buffs, supportive spells and auras. The Paladin's buffs are powerful and efficient, but still very cheap thanks to their short duration, making them as useful on the battlegrounds as they are in instances. While other classes have two or three buffs at most, the Paladin can have as many as nine, though he can apply only one at a time. Paladins also have auras to give both himself and his party members a (usually defensive) benefit, like extra armor or spell resistance. Switching between auras is free, allowing the Paladin to change auras dynamically based on the situation.

Unlike the other support classes, the Paladin does most of their damage in melee combat. With a fighting style that often mirrors that of a Warrior the Paladin uses similar types of skills to deal both physical and Holy damage to their opponents. Damage dealt by Holy magic is often very sustained in its DPS because it is not partially resistable by targets, this helps to give Priests and Paladins and edge in combat. One tactic employed by paladins is to weaken the target to Holy damage (much like a Warrior's [Sunder Armor] or a Rogue's [Hemorrhage]) and attack them with a series of instant attacks (similar to use of [Mortal Strike] or [Sinister Strike]) in a chain combination while dealing physical damage. If properly equipped and specialized for combat the Paladin can be a very durable melee fighter and, because of their long history of being the lowest damage dealing class before recent changes, can often be deceptively powerful in PvP.

The Paladin's ability to wear plate armor, heal and become invulnerable for a short amount of time also makes them one of the toughest classes around. In end-game raiding, Paladins are generally expected to make use of their healing capacity; when using equipment that augments healing power, the low mana cost of their [Flash of Light] spell makes them the most resilient healer in the game. Paladins also tend to be the primary removers of debuffs on raid members as they are able to remove poison, disease and magic effects with their [Cleanse] spell.

If you like to play a melee class that is extremely durable and difficult to kill, and one that can act as a mobile fortress of support, the paladin may be the class for you. In the expansion, the Burning Crusade, this class will be available to Horde players with the addition of the newly-playable Blood Elf race.

Priest

Much like a Warrior, the presence of a Priest is usually considered vital to the success of a party. There is very little argument among veteran players that the Priest is the most versatile healer in the game. The Priest also possesses a popular buff that increases a target's Stamina ( [Power Word: Fortitude]). Contrary to popular belief, the Priest is not just a healer. In [Shadowform], Priests can cause very high damage that can rival many of the ranged classes, and often exceeds them in terms of efficiency. Although they can't use Holy spells in Shadowform, they can use a special debuff called [Vampiric Embrace] to heal themselves and their group members based on the amount of Shadow damage they do. Priests also have access to fear and charm abilties, the most notable of which is Mind Control, which can be an extremely useful PvP ability, being able to take full control over another player. The efficiency of Shadow Priests (as a Priest with Shadowform is often called) makes them quite feared in PvP.

While Shadowform may be the most obvious and arguably the most efficient way for a Priest to deal damage, a Holy Priest is in no way restricted to just healing spells either. Through [Smite] and [Holy Fire], especially when augmented with a suitable talent build, a Holy Priest has access to some very mana-efficient damage spells as well, with the added bonus of not losing the ability to heal (as is the case with Shadowform). As a matter of fact, the DPS output of a smite build priest can exceed that of Shadowform when wearing very high levels of +spelldamage gear. Holy school magical damage is also impossible to partially resist.

The Priest might only be able to wear Cloth armor, but through a variety of spells (most notably [Power Word: Shield], [Inner Fire] and [Shadowform]) they can become pretty hard to kill. As a shadow specialized priest, one can solo very effeciently, especially through usage of [Spirit Tap].

If you would enjoy playing a vital support class (who will almost never have trouble finding a group) who can solo well while leveling up, you may like playing as a priest.

Druid

Druids are a shapeshifting Hybrid class. Unlike other hybrid classes Druids do not fulfill several roles at once (e.g., both healing and melee at the same time), but can choose which role to take by shifting into one of their forms.

In their normal form they are exceptional healers, second only to Priests, and can also be augmented in this role by their Tree of Life form. In Bear form they gain considerable toughness and the skills to act as a Warrior. The Cat form gives them Rogue-like abilities, while their Moonkin form allows them to become a tough, and armoured (at high levels, armour can rival even that of plate) version of the Mage. They also have a travel form which greatly increases their movement speed and an aquatic form for efficient underwater movement as well as unlimited breath.

In the Druid community, it is believed that if a Druid obtains the correct equipment and uses the correct talents, their forms can be almost as efficient as the class they're emulating. Druids can train in several melee weapons, but many use Staves to increase spell stats, unless the Druid chooses to focus on their feral forms. While Druids can only wear Leather armor and Cloth armor, this is offset by their Bear and Moonkin forms, which increase their armor greatly. Druids are also prized in parties for their [Innervate] and [Mark of the Wild] spells, making them some of the best buffers in the game alongside the Paladin. Druids also are the only class to get a resurrection spell which may be used in combat, [Rebirth]. However, unlike the other resurrection spells, it can only be used infrequently, as a trade-off to its combat-usability.

In end-game raiding, Druids are generally expected to heal. Some guilds allow their druids to do damage or tanking in one of their forms, but not all. And even in the latter case, you will surely be called upon to heal when the raid is low on healing power. Players who have no intention of healing should probably find another class.

If a class with the motto of "Jack-of-all-trades, master of none" appeals to you, then the druid is the right class for you.

Why choose a druid?

Shaman

Shamans are an offensive hybrid class known for their high damage and totems. They can wield most melee weapons and shields, cast numerous direct damage spells, cast healing spells, and buff themselves and their party with totems. In exchange for this versatility, they can only wear Leather armor until level 40 and Mail armor beyond that, and their heals and damage spells are among the least mana-efficient in the game.

Shamans have a reputation for strength in PvP due to their damage and versatility; conversely, like all supporting classes, they are sometimes expected to play a limited healing-and-buffing role in level 60 raiding.

Compared to the Alliance's unique class, the Paladin, they have higher damage output but lack the survivability, have more powerful but less efficient heals, and have more ways to debuff enemies but are weaker in buffing allies.

In end-game raiding, shamans are expected to make the utmost use of their totems based on the composition of their group, pick up slacks in healing, all the while contributing to damage output.

If you like playing a highly versatile class with strong offensive abilities, the Shaman might be the class for you.