After years of fan demands, Blizzard is finally about to deliver the dream of World of Warcraft Classic servers. WoW players can already reserve character names and select their servers and it will be time to start the long grind to level 60 in just over a week. As gamers start to decide which class they want to play when the game launches, an important consideration is whether they want to primarily focus on PvE or PvP.
PvE players will be racing to the endgame so that they can master the most difficult dungeons and raids with friends and guildmates, while some other players prefer to be the best at slaughtering the opposing faction in Battlegrounds or in contested territories on PvP servers. We've already put together our list of best class and race combos, but that list is mostly focused on the PvE-minded MMO fans. Players who want to focus on PvP can use this list to help decide which classes are best for that side of the game instead.
Note: These rankings are not definitive and are mostly based off of performance during the original days of vanilla WoW PvP. The metagame will likely play out differently this time around, but it should still be helpful to know which classes and specs were the MVPs back in the 2004-2006 era.
5 Destruction Warlock
Warlocks may not often take home the glory, but they do serious work when it comes to PvP Battlegrounds. The combination of Fear and very high DPS potential make the Warlock a crucial part of any well-planned flag carrier kill. Locks can put up some insane DPS numbers, so when you see one heading your way, prepare to burn through some cooldowns.
4 Shadow or Discipline/Holy Priest
It may feel a little cheap to list all three Priest specs, but they are pretty relevant when it comes to PvP. Shadow Priests offer an insane potential for DPS when being controlled by a skilled player and the Disc/Holy build is the strongest (and maybe only really viable) options for PvP healing. Dispel Magic becomes a crucial ability when up against a strong Mage in PvP skirmishes, so Priests have plenty to do during every encounter.
3 Subtlety Rogue
In capture the flag scenarios, it feels like a huge advantage to have a well-trained Subtelty Rogue on your side. Many teams won't even bother entering Warsong Gulch without one of these. There is some wiggle room to spec differently, but based on our experience we would recommend sticking with Subtlety
2 Arms Warriors
They may not put up the most damage over time, but a strong Warrior can spell disaster for the opposing team in a close PvP match. There's a reason why so many Charge+Hamstring macros existed back in the early days of WoW. Warriors have the ability to takeover a skirmish and, when paired with a strong healer, they can feel absolutely impossible to take down.
1 Arcane or Elemental Mage
When pressed to call one WoW Classic spec and class the king or queen of PvP, it would have to be the Mage. Mages have the unique strength of having two incredibly viable builds for PvP. Both the Arcane build and the split between Fire and Ice build are both very strong options for Battlegrounds. Crowd controlling with Polymorph, breaking out of opposing stuns with Blink, and putting up pretty ridiculous DPS all combine to make the Mage king of the hill when it comes to PvP rankings.
Obviously, this only covers a handful of our favorite PvP builds and strategies, but there are plenty of other great options that work very well in the hands of the right player. Elemental Shamans, Survival Hunters, and Affliction Warlocks were just a point or two below the above list in our rankings. Be ready for the metagame to shift as players actually start to dive in and master this fresh approach to classic PvP and prepare to level some PvP alts or shell out the Gold to respec after the dust settles.
Be sure to check back in the coming weeks for plenty more World of Warcraft Classic strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, For The Horde!
World of Warcraft Classic releases August 27, 2019 on PC. World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is available now on PC.