
Best World of Warcraft Classes – Top Race & Class Combos
When it comes to class choice, no other game comes close to World of Warcraft. WoW has a large selection of melee, ranged, caster and hybrid classes – each one with its own unique twist and resource mechanic. Some of them focus on heavy burst damage windows, while others rely on sustained damage in terms of bleeds, poisons or diseases. No matter what class you pick, you’re guaranteed to have a good time.
We’ll now list the best World of Warcraft classes and discuss all the pros and cons of each class.
Best World of Warcraft Classes
Now that we’ve established some basics regarding WoW classes, it’s time to delve a bit deeper and see how many classes are in World of Warcraft and which ones are the best for you. We’ll explain the strengths and weaknesses of each class and give you a general idea of how each class performs in WoW Dragonflight.
How many classes are in World of Warcraft?
World of Warcraft has a total of 13 playable classes for you to enjoy. Each of them comes with their own unique theme and 2-3 specializations, depending on the class.
Full List of Classes:
- Warrior
- Paladin
- Death Knight
- Hunter
- Shaman
- Evoker
- Druid
- Rogue
- Demon Hunter
- Monk
- Priest
- Mage
- Warlock
What World of Warcraft Class Should I Play?
Picking a class is a personal choice a player has to make, and while there’s not an objective best World of Warcraft class, there are some that pull ahead of others in certain scenarios. To help you make that choice, we’ll share some details about each individual class.
Warrior – Human (Alliance) / Orc (Horde)

@ Pxfuel
Warriors are the quintessential tough guy class of World of Warcraft. They are built strong, wear bulky armor and hit incredibly hard. For such a sturdy class, they are surprisingly mobile and can cover a large distance in a matter of seconds through their Charge and Heroic Leap skills. On top of their strong offensive capabilities, they’re also incredible tanks.
Warriors have three different specializations:
- Arms Warrior
- Fury Warrior
- Protection Warrior
Paladin – Human (Alliance) / Blood Elf (Horde)

@ Pxfuel
Paladins wield light to smite their foes. They can best be described as a mix between a Warrior and a Priest, in the sense that they mostly use melee attacks but their damage is labeled as Holy or Radiant.
Paladins have three different specializations:
- Retribution
- Protection
- Holy
This is a class that can do everything in the game. They can do incredible burst and sustained damage with Retribution, tank with Protection and heal their party and raid members with Holy. As such, they’re considered one of the best World of Warcraft classes in the game. You’ll often see many of the top World of Warcraft streamers playing Paladins.
Death Knight – Human (Alliance) / Orc (Horde)

@ Blizzard
Death Knight was the first hero class introduced to World of Warcraft back in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. They were outrageously overpowered back then, but over the years Blizzard have balanced them out. Nowadays, they remain incredibly competitive in both PvE and PvP settings.
Death Knights have three different specializations:
- Unholy
- Frost
- Blood
Unholy and Frost Death Knight specializations focus on dealing damage, while Blood excels at tanking. Both DPS specs offer an interesting playstyle, with Unholy being the more challenging of the two. Overall, the overall class power and fantasy is on another level and will appeal to many players.
Hunter – Night Elf (Alliance) / Orc (Horde)

@ Pxfuel
Hunter is the perfect class for any solo player. It has high burst damage, can utilize a plethora of traps and shots to disable and weaken enemies, but most importantly, it comes with a strong pet companion that you can tame yourself. It’s also the go-to pick for those players looking to roleplay as a Ranger and usually gets some nice cosmetic rewards from the WoW Trading Post each month.
Hunters have three different specializations:
- Beast Mastery
- Marksmanship
- Survival
All three Hunter specializations focus on dealing damage, which makes Hunter a solid pick for anyone whose main role in World of Warcraft is DPS.
Shaman – Dark Iron Dwarf (Alliance) / Orc (Horde)

@ Wowhead
Shamans call upon the elements of Azeroth to defeat their enemies. They utilize strong spells and attacks to attack foes from range, and from melee distance.
Shamans have three different specializations:
- Enhancement
- Elemental
- Restoration
Enhancement Shamans are the most fun and versatile of the three specs, mixing strong Stormstrike and Lava Lash hits with instant bolts of lightning. Elemental is more of a stationary caster, hurling Lava Bolts and spreading powerful Shock spells. Restoration Shamans draw power from water to heal their allies, using Chain Heal to mass heal entire groups effectively.
Evoker – Dracthyr

@ Blizzard
Dracthyr Evoker is the newest class and race introduced in World of Warcraft Dragonflight. These dragons are incredibly powerful and combine ranged magic with their healing capabilities to either cause devastation or mend wounds.
Evokers have two different specializations:
- Devastation
- Preservation
Devastation Evokers call upon the Red and Blue dragonflight powers to wreak havoc. They are incredibly powerful and are considered as one of the more mobile casters in the game. Preservation Evokers call upon the Emerald Dream to heal the wounds of fellow allies and prevent future damage. Both specializations are performing exceedingly well in Dragonflight.
Druid – Night Elf (Alliance) / Tauren (Horde)

@ Wallpaper Cave
Druids are the masters of shapeshifting and the only class that has 4 unique specializations, each covering every single role in the game. Aside from that, their other selling point is the fact they’re considered some of the best farmers due to their instant flight form.
Druids have four different specializations:
- Feral
- Balance
- Guardian
- Restoration
Balance and Feral specializations focus on dealing damage – the first one being ranged caster and calling upon stars to assail their foes, the other being focused on heavy bleeds and large melee hits.
Guardian druid is the designated tank spec, offering massive mitigation and respectable damage, while remaining relatively simple in design. Restoration is the healing specialization that plays around heal-over-time spells. It is currently one of the best healing specs in the game, which is no WoW news to any WoW veteran.
Rogue – Human (Alliance) / Undead (Horde)

@ Pxfuel
If you’re a fan of stealthy classes, then Rogue will be your number one pick. All three specializations utilize the unique Stealth class ability to avoid direct confrontation and attack from the shadows.
Rogues have three different specializations:
- Assassination
- Combat
- Subtlety
Assassination Rogues use strong poisons to incapacitate and slowly whittle down their enemies. Combat opts for a more direct approach and uses strong melee hits along with some impressive gun shots. Combat also tilts heavily towards the Pirate theme, so if you’re trying to roleplay as Jack Sparrow, you’ll like this one.
The final specialization is Subtlety, which is arguably the strongest and most difficult one to master. This Rogue spec strikes from the shadows and has enhanced Stealth capabilities, making them one of the best specializations for Arena and general WoW rank grinding.
Demon Hunter – Night Elf (Alliance) / Blood Elf (Horde)

@ Icy Veins
Demon Hunters combine fel magic with physical dexterity to overcome their foes. Their unique selling point is the ability to turn into a full-blown demon for a brief period of time.
Demon Hunters have two different specializations:
- Havoc
- Vengeance
Havoc spec deals incredible AoE burst damage and is considered one of the best World of Warcraft classes in Dragonflight. Vengeance is a strong tank specialization revolving around healing through taking large damage. If you want to learn more about the class, check out our Demon Hunter WoW guide.
Monk – Kul Tiran (Alliance) / Orc (Horde)

@ Wowhead
Monks are unique in many ways. They are very fast-paced and have little downtime, making them highly engaging. Monks deal great damage and don’t sacrifice any mobility, and they have a great class theme to boot.
Monks have three different specializations:
- Windwalker
- Brewmaster
- Mistweaver
Windwakers use their fists to deliver devastating blows, while Brewmasters consume special brew to tank immense amounts of damage with ease. Mistweaver uses mists to soothe and heal their allies. All three specializations offer unique playstyles, making Monks one of the best World of Warcraft classes in the game.
Priest – Draenei (Alliance) / Troll (Horde)

@ Pxfuel
The dual nature of Priests is what makes them so appealing. They call upon Holy magic to heal their allies, but in times of great need, these devout casters turn to the Shadow and obtain the ability to summon horrific beings from the Void.
Priests have three different specializations:
- Holy
- Discipline
- Shadow
Holy and Discipline are the designated healing specializations, with Discipline being the more unique one of the two. Shadow, on the other hand, is a DPS caster specialization dealing heavy Shadow and Void magic and focusing mostly on DoT damage.
Mage – Gnome (Alliance) / Undead (Horde)

@ Wowhead
Mage is your classic spellcaster found in any of the best MMORPG games out there. They can call upon different elements, conjure food and drink, and open Portals to anywhere in the world.
Mages have three different specializations:
- Fire
- Frost
- Arcane
Frost is slow, methodical and relatively easy for a beginner. Fire is more advanced and offers a slightly faster pace through a variety of spell procs. Arcane is the most complex Mage spec and is suitable for veteran players with a bit more experience under their belt.
Warlock – Human (Alliance) / Orc (Horde)

@ Blizzard
Warlocks are one of the best World of Warcraft classes for a variety of reasons. They are incredibly powerful and remain at the top through every expansion. Oh yeah, and they can summon Demons!
Warlocks have three different specializations:
- Destruction
- Affliction
- Demonology
All three specializations focus on DPS, but in different ways. Destruction rains hellfire and casts powerful Chaos Bolts, while Affliction spreads DoTs and Curses to injure and debilitate their foes. Demonology is the most unique one of the three, where it focuses on leading an army of Demons to destroy anything in front of them.
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