• 

  World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic

  Platform:

  PC

  Developer:

  Blizzard

  Publisher:

  Activision

  Genre:

  MMORPG

  Multiplayer:

  Online Multiplayer

  ESRB:

  Teen

  Released:

  2022-09-26

  Franchise:

  Warcraft

Players looking to become a Gladiator in the arena should know that it is possible to obtain with any class in WoW Classic. However, just like in PvE there are some specializations that are much better equipped to handle certain situations in PvP than others.

Be sure to check out our other Tier Lists for WottLK:

Knowledge of each specialization is essential to making sure you are prepared for even the toughest of situations in PvP. Seeing each specialization ranked is helpful for players to know which opponent could potentially be a problem for them. It’s important to note that each specialization within a class has access to a number of the same abilities. We wanted to highlight the main specialization-unique differences that give each of them an advantage or disadvantage over other specializations.

It’s also important to note that certain classes perform better at later stages in WoW Classic: WotLK than others due to the availability of better stats on gear and how a specialization scales with that gear.

WotLK PvP Tier List Ranking Criteria

This tier list for the Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft ranks all classes and specializations against each other based on their performance in Player versus Player combat. The main metrics that we use to rank each class are based upon 3 factors:

1. Crowd Control Effects
   • Does this class make good use of controlling or countering enemies?

2. Damage
   • Does this class provide amazing burst damage?
   • Are they able to pressure their target with consistent sustained damage?

3. Synergy with other classes
   • Do they provide any support to their team?
   • Are there buffs and debuffs that compliment other classes on their team?
   • Do the crowd control effects share a diminishing return and for how long can they lock down a target?
   • How many classes can they perform well with?

WotLK PvP Specialization Tier List

The table below shows an at-a-glance view of all 30 specializations and where they rank against each other in Wrath Classic. Continue reading for a more in-depth analysis of each specialization that includes other commonly seen group compositions that work well together.

Specializations in this tier consistently show up to PvP with a strong toolkit and take command of the playing field. You will often see these classes in many top arena compositions as they can work well with almost any class.

Subtlety Rogue

Sub. Rogues are the undisputed kings of PvP. The skill level to play them effectively can be fairly difficult but in the right hands they absolutely dominate. While their damage is lower overall they control the battlefield with so many of their abilities. The key ability they have is Shadowdance, giving them a remarkable advantage to use their crowd control skills and set up kills. They work so well with many different team compositions.

Notable compositions that include Subtlety Rogues are:

• Shadow Priest and Restoration Druid or Restoration Shaman.
  • High crowd control and high survivability

• Mage and Discipline Priest
  • High crowd control and good survivability

• Retribution Paladin and Discipline Priest
  • Good crowd control, great survivability

• Balance Druid and Discipline Priest
  • Higher Burst and good survivability

Holy Paladin

Paladins, in general, have a very great set of defensive cooldowns at their disposal with their Auras and Hands skills. Holy Paladins in particular make great use of these as a phenomenal support class. Sacred Shield absorbs damage and improves with spell power which Holy Paladins have a lot of. Beacon of Light effectively doubles their healing. They also have high defense and are very good at mana conservation. They pair well with nearly any class but especially so with high burst damage classes.

• Unholy Death Knight and Arms Warrior
  • Very high burst damage and great survivability

• Elemental Shaman and Arms Warrior
  • Very high burst damage and good control

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Arms Warrior

Arms Warriors are the best melee burst damage class at PvP, for both single target and cleave. They are very dangerous particularly against healers when combining Mortal Strike with Unrelenting Asssault. They can also completely destroy multiple targets in AoE with Bladestorm if they don’t get disarmed. Most teams with Arms Warriors will choose to go full in on the insane burst damage, those can include:

• Elemental Shaman and Holy Paladin
  • Very high burst damage and good control

• Unholy Death Knight and Holy Paladin
  • Very high burst damage and great survivability

Discipline Priest

Disc. Priests have a large number of buffs and shields they can give to support their team. They have strong heals and good dispels and can be played defensively or aggressively with Penance and Mana Burn. The only downside is that they don’t have a good way to escape melee or physical slows. They also work well in a large number of different team compositions, such as being paired with:

• Retribution Paladin and Marksmanship Hunter
  • High Burst damage and good defense and healing

• Mage and Subtlety Rogue
  • High crowd control and survivability

• Hunter and Feral Druid
  • High Burst damage

Frost Mage

Frost Mages have really great control with their slows, freezes, and stuns. They also have very high burst potential with the infamous shatter combo. They also have good mobility but if they are not aware of their surroundings they have very poor survivability. Team combinations that pair well are:

• Subtlety Rogue and Discipline Priest
  • High crowd control and good survivability

• Warlock and Restoration Shaman
  • Very high crowd control and sustained damage

• Shadow Priest and any Healer
  • High crowd control and good survivability

Specializations in this tier are very strong at PvP and can perform very well with the right team. Not every team with one of these specs in them is going to have every scenario covered. Nonetheless, they can cause a lot of problems for under prepared targets.

Marksmanship Hunter

MM Hunters have incredible opportunities for burst damage, crowd control, and defensive capabilities. This is achieved with Readiness resetting their abilities to open up multiple opportunities. They can also provide disarm with Chimera Shot which is particularly helpful against Arms Warriors. Many other classes pair well with them including:

• Feral Druid and a Healer
  • High crowd control and good burst damage

• Retribution Paladin and any Healer
  • Great crowd control and good survivability

Feral Druid

The Feral Druid's play style provides a strong crowd control combo with an instant cast Cyclone from Predatory Strikes. Being able to control one target while they burst down another while using Berserk is another reason they are so dangerous. They also have access to good defensive capabilities in Bear Form and Survival Instincts. They pair well with other classes that also give a lot of crowd control:

• Marksmanship Hunter and any Healer
  • High crowd control and good burst damage

• Arms Warrior and any Healer
  • Very High burst damage

Affliction Warlock

Afflic. Locks are known for bringing very high amounts of sustained damage via damage over time skills. They are unfortunately fairly susceptible to burst damage. They will be a very welcome addition to any other class in the game and some notable compositions are:

• Mage and Restoration Druid
  • Very high crowd control and sustained damage

• Shadow Priest and Restoration Shaman or Restoration Druid
  • Very high sustained damage and good survivability

Elemental Shaman

Ele. Shamans are some of the best burst damage classes in the game. They also provide some decent support with their totems. They also have access to a good knockback with Thunderstorm that can be used in both offensive and defensive scenarios. Due to their insanely high burst damage, they are often paired with other burst damage classes to not give their targets a chance.

• Arms Warrior and a Healer
  • Very high burst damage and good survivability

• Destruction Warlock and Restoration Druid or Holy Paladin
  • Very high burst damage and good control

Restoration Druid

Resto. Druids are formidable healers with their healing over time skills, especially with Wild Growth. This gives them plenty of opportunities to avoid heal while also being on the move. However, if they are caught by melee and are unprepared they don’t have any good way to escape them. They are still able to provide good control with Cyclone. A few classes they pair well with are:

• Mage and Affliction Warlock
  • High crowd control

• Destruction Warlock and Elemental Shaman
  • Very High burst damage

• Shadow Priest and Affliction Warlock
  • Very high sustained damage and good survivability

Unholy Death Knight

Unholy Death Knights are the go-to specialization for PvP as they provide a number of unique benefits that are hard to counter. Their damage over time from diseases is particularly dangerous especially when paired with their Summon Gargoyle for even more damage. They also have good area control with Desecration and have Anti-Magic Zone for spell damage protection. Some compositions that work well with them are:

• Arms Warrior and Holy Paladin
  • High burst damage

• Affliction Warlock and any Healer
  • High Damage over time damage

• Retribution Paladin and any Healer
  • High burst damage and good survivability

Shadow Priest

Shadow Priests have a surprising amount of abilities in their toolkit. They have good crowd control with Psychic Scream and another with disarm from Psychic Horror. They also have a big damage mitigation skill with Dispersion. Some notable team compositions you may see with them are:

• Frost Mage and any Healer
  • High crowd control and survivability

• Rogue and Restoration Shaman or Restoration Druid.
  • High crowd control and survivability

• Affliction Warlock and Restoration Shaman or Restoration Druid
  • Very high damage over time and good survivability

Retribution Paladin

Ret. Paladins are a great all-around class; they have good sustained damage and burst damage. Being a Paladin they bring numerous support abilities as well. For them specifically, The Art of War allows them to support their team with instant heals and Divine Storm provides passive healing when they damage. Overall a great class to pair with.

• Marksmanship Hunter and Discipline Priest
  • Great crowd control and good survivability

• Unholy Death Knight and any Healer
  • High burst damage and good survivability

Balance Druid

Balance Druids, or Boomkins, are fairly middle of the pack in PvP as their biggest advantage is burst damage, particularly with Starfall. If they are being targetted they do have some defenses with Typhoon but as many of their skills are casted it’ll be necessary to shift forms to escape. They also pair nicely with other higher burst damage classes such as:

• Mage and any Healer
  • Good control and High Burst Damage

• Affliction Warlock and Restoration Shaman
  • Very high burst damage and good sustained damage

Destruction Warlock

Where Destro. Locks shine is their high burst damage capabilities. They are very dangerous if left alone to cast Chaos Bolt and Conflagrate. However, just like with Affliction, they have low defense and can be taken out fairly easily if they are the target of focused damage. However, pairing them with other classes that can burst or can provide them with space to cast is very helpful. Other classes that work well with them are:

• Elemental Shaman and Restoration Druid
  • High burst damage and good control

• Discipline Priest and Subtlety Rogue or Arms Warrior
  • Good survivability and good control

Specializations in this tier generally have a very niche role in PvP. You won’t see them absolutely dominating everyone around them but in the right hands can still be formidable. Given the right support and good knowledge of their classes strengths and weakness they still have some good potential.

Enhancement Shaman

Enh. Shamans have access to a lot of defensive and support abilities. Unique to them is good mobility with Earthen Power for their Earthbind Totem and Spirt Walk from their Spirit Wolves. They provide good sustained damage and are able to support the team with healing from Maelstrom Weapon. They can also use this for an instant cast Hex. Most teams utilize them in a melee-heavy composition such as:

• Arms Warrior or Unholy Death Knight and any Healer
  • Good burst damage and good survivability

• Marksmanship Hunter and any Healer
  • Good control, damage, and survivability

Restoration Shaman

Resto. Shamans are a great all-around healing class. They have access to a lot of useful skills and totems for many scenarios and can also decurse with Cleanse Spirit. Shamans have a distinct advantage over other healers as they can Wind Shear to interrupt to great effect. They do however fall short of other healers due to a lack of bigger cooldowns. You will still see them in a variety of combinations of classes:

• Warlock and Mage
  • Very high crowd control and good sustained or burst damage depending on spec.

• Shadow Priest and Subtlety Rogue
  • High crowd control and survivability

Fire Mage

Fire Mages provide good control with Dragon’s Breath, Blast Wave, and Impact. Deal decent sustained damage over time and potentially some very high burst damage with Pyroblast. They do however lack a bit of the defensive capabilities that Frost Mages can use. Some good teammates are:

• Affliction Warlock and any Healer
  • Very high crowd control and sustained damage

• Balance Druid and any Healer
  • Good sustained and High Burst Damage

Beast Mastery Hunter

BM Hunters are known for having high burst damage from their pet with Bestial Wrath. They give up some utility in comparison to the other Marksmanship Hunters for this one-dimensional strategy. It really is only effective on a team composition with Enhancement Shaman for class synergy and Holy Paladin for the best chance at survivability.

Frost Death Knight

Frost Death Knights have very high burst damage but will likely stick to one strategy, crowd controlling their targets with Hungering Cold and focusing another down. While they do benefit from a number of Death Knight utilities, they have less survivability than Unholy, making them an easier target to kill.

Unfortunately for these specializations, there aren’t many opportunities to shine in PvP. Most classes here have a better specialization more suitable for PvP combat. It’s going to be a hard battle if you choose any of these specs.

Assassination Rogue

Ass. Rogues are able to put out a good amount of sustained damage specifically with Mutilate. They only have one ability to help with burst damage Cold Blood, but overall burst is lacking. They have stronger poisons with Master Poisoner, but they have a serious lack of survivability and mobility not having access to Cheat Death and Shadowstep.

Protection Warrior

Prot. Warriors have a number of strong stuns with Shockwave and Concussion Blow. They also get silence with Gag Order, and have good mobility from Warbringer. Combining this class with a high damage class can produce some effective results.

• Marksmanship Hunter or Elemental Shaman and Holy Paladin
  • Fair control and good damage

Fury Warrior

Fury Warriors don’t provide much of anything of value when compared to the other specializations. Their single target damage is still good but lose out on AoE. They also don’t have the stuns that Prot has nor the skills that allow them to cause problems for healers. For this reason, you won’t see many Fury Warriors out there.

Survival Hunter

The Survival Hunter doesn’t really have anything distinct in their toolkit that would give them an advantage over the other specializations. While they do still have Wyvern Sting, but it shares a diminishing return with many other spells so it is not very effective. Aimed Shot is a great tool against healers but other specializations also have it.

Similar to the tier above, these specializations just don’t have the necessary toolkit when it comes to PvP. There may be some rare cases where a unique but one-dimensional strategy works, but will often get outclassed by the other specializations in almost any scenario.

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Arcane Mage

Arcane Mages have one strategy that only works if left completely alone with Missile Barrage and Arcane Missiles. However, due to the random nature of these skills, it often fails against more experienced players. The other problem they have is that that strategy is very mana intensive which is a problem in longer fights.

Protection Paladin

Prot. Paladins are more defensive Ret. Paladins. They have less burst damage and less support healing. They have one strategy to keep a target locked down with Avenging Wrath with Shield of the Templar to silence and then Hammer of Justice to stun and hope that your teammate has done enough damage. Overall not a great choice for PvP.

Blood Death Knight

Generally, the only strategy that Blood Death Knights have is to prolong fights as a tank class. They do have access to moderate burst damage if they can get critical hits with Death Strike. But other than that they don’t have any distinct advantages over the other specializations.

Combat Rogue

The only strategy Combat Rogues have is trying to burst the target down within the duration of Killing Spree. They lack mobility and control in comparison to Subtlety and have worse sustained damage in comparison to Assassination. It will be very rare to see a Combat rogue in PvP.

Demonology Warlock

Unfortunately for Demo. Locks, they are seen as a one-trick pony when using Metamorphosis. They are fairly strong while using it but don’t provide anything else beneficial once the duration is over.

Holy Priest

Holy Priests don’t provide any strong benefit over Discipline. The main problem they run into is having to cast Flash Heal as their main heal. They also don’t have any good cooldowns to help mitigate damage. Overall it’s not a specialization you’ll see being used to any great effect.

Final Thoughts

While PvP Tier Lists for WotLK are sometimes seen as trivial, they help newer players understand where they might fit in the grand scheme of battlegrounds, world PvP, and arenas; We hope this has been informative for you!

In case you are looking for our other tier lists and interesting top articles for WotLK Classic, check these out:

Tank Tier List

Healer Tier List

PvE Tier List

Best Addons for Wrath Classic