Best classes in season two (Patch 11.1)

Season two of The War Within is finally underway, with brand new content and class changes for World of Warcraft fans to dig into. If you play DPS when tackling raids or dungeons, there are plenty of powerful picks to run with this season.

To help keep you up to date with the latest changes in the WoW meta, we’ve pulled together a tier list of every DPS class in the game, ranking them based on power, versatility, and success rates in the current competitive scene.

WoW The War Within DPS tier list criteria

This WoW tier list is based on the Undermine(d) patch in particular, written with the aim of helping PvE fans dig into new pieces of content like the Liberation of Undermine raid and Operation: Floodgate dungeon with the strongest characters possible.

Rankings range from S Tier to D Tier, and we’ve predominantly focused on how the classes and specs have performed in the current Mythic+ dungeon pool and Liberation of Undermine.

Here’s our TWW DPS tier list criteria explained:

• S Tier – This is the cream of the crop, the strongest DPS classes that are currently outperforming the competition in both M+ and high-level raid content.
• A Tier – This tier contains powerful DPS classes that are performing well in end-game content but aren’t untouchable.
• B Tier – This tier features consistent DPS choices. If you’re looking for a solid class and aren’t too worried about rolling with something meta, these picks should be perfect for you.
• C Tier – This tier features viable classes that are in need of some buffs to get them into an optimal position.
• D Tier – This tier represents DPS choices that are in dire need of major buffs to make them viable for both raids and Mythic+ content.

With the right gear, spec, and understanding of class mechanics, any class can reasonably tackle end-game content. Don’t be put off if you see your favorite in the C Tier, for example—you may just need to investigate the best specs and gear choices to fill in the gaps.

Complete DPS tier list for WoW Patch 11.1

At the time of writing, there currently aren’t any classes that we’d place in D Tier. There are some specs that might fall into this category, but the lowest that we’d place any of the classes in WoW‘s current state would be a C- overall.

S Tier

Mage

While Mages have had a somewhat turbulent experience throughout the past expansion, they’re currently in an exceptional place in the Undermine(d) patch, performing particularly well in raids. These spell-slingers can deal massive amounts of damage, with each spec feeling stellar to play.

The main spec to watch for is Fire, offering an exceptional level of damage that puts most other ranged DPS classes and specs to shame. Arcane and Frost are still in great positions, making them worth bringing to your next Liberation of Undermine run.

Mages received a number of ability tweaks and spell readjustments in Patch 11.1 to help them perform more consistently, with some of the key focuses being Fire’s resource economy and Arcane’s 4-set bonus from Nerub-ar Palace.

Shaman

Both Enhancement and Elemental feel great in the current game state, with the pair receiving a huge rework in the Undermine(d) class updates. We’d recommend Enhancement for raids and Elemental for Mythic+ based on their performance so far in this patch.

One of the biggest changes that Enhancement received in the update was a readjustment to how damage is distributed throughout their toolkit. The aim was to remove the emphasis on Maelstrom Weapon spenders and to make melee attacks feel more worthwhile.

Elemental Shamans also saw changes that affected their gameplay style, with damage adjustments, a huge healing buff to Healing Stream Totem to help with survivability, and a number of solid visual changes.

These two specs feel vastly different to play, but they’re both equally fun and impactful in end-game content. Elemental is a smooth ranged experience while Enhancement is a solid pick for players looking to get right up in the action.

Warrior

Warriors weren’t in a particularly exciting place pre-patch, but they’re consistent, strong, and impactful in Patch 11.1 thanks to talent redesigns and damage adjustments.

In a raiding environment, Arms is looking like a stronger pick compared to Fury, offering slightly more damage and versatility. We’d class Arms as an S Tier raid pick and Fury as an A+ raid pick, with the former having a toolkit that matches up to Liberation of Undermine perfectly.

For Mythic+ players, both Warrior DPS picks are solid but we’d suggest Fury, particularly with the Mountain Thane Hero Talent in play. This class-talent combination offers bags of survivability and a powerful toolkit that can help you blast through dungeons with ease.

A Tier

Hunter

Hunters are in a varied position in WoW right now, with one spec excelling and the others falling a little short. As a whole, though, this class is sitting comfortably in A Tier, with Beast Mastery Hunter being the most significant option.

Beast Mastery Hunters have solid movement and consistently high damage, placing them in a golden position for both raids and Mythic+ dungeon content.

Survival and Marksmanship aren’t quite on the same level as Beast Mastery right now, but they’re still strong enough, with both offering decent damage output and the usual survivability associated with Hunters.

If you want to play a ranged DPS class with a pet, though, Beast Mastery is one of the best picks in the game.

Demon Hunter

Havoc Demon Hunter is in a fantastic spot in WoW, with a particular bias towards Raids and a strong showing in Mythic+ content.

The biggest strength of this class and spec is its versatility and ability to adapt to a number of fight styles—and if you’ve seen the Liberation of Undermine bosses list, you’ll know how valuable this is. Every fight in the raid has a different playstyle, meaning this highly mobile class can comfortably handle demanding mechanics while still dealing damage.

In terms of Hero Talents, Havoc is working particularly well with the Aldrachi Reaver set right now, in both Mythic+ and raiding encounters.

Rogue

In a similar vein to Hunters, Rogues feel different based on which specialization and Hero Talwent you opt for—but as a whole, they sit in the A Tier for both forms of end-game PvE content, performing equally well in Mythic+ content and raids.

Outlaw Rogue players are reporting exceptional damage levels for Mythic+ content, while Subtlety and Assassination are making steady work of the latest raid tier. All three specs are viable for both kinds of content, though, so experiment with them all if you’re comfortable with the toolkits on offer.

Rogues received a number of positive changes with Patch 11.1, with one of the biggest being buffs to Trickster Hero Talent components like Unseen Blade and Surprising Strike. Unsurprisingly, this is one of the best Hero Talents to look at right now, alongside Deathstalker.

Death Knight

Unholy is storming ahead of the competition in Mythic+, offering almost unparalleled levels of survivability in the format.

Frost Death Knight isn’t performing quite as well in Patch 11.1 as it was in Patch 11.0.5, but it still feels incredible in a Mythic+ dungeon setting.

It’s likely that Frost DK will shoot back up the rankings after some time in Patch 11.1, as it received a number of buffs in the initial Undermine(d) update. Along with the flat five percent damage boost to all abilities, key abilities like Frost Strike and Obliterate have been boosted.

Warlock

Warlocks are performing consistently in Patch 11.1, with each spec offering their own perks for Mythic+ dungeons and raid content.

The specs were treated well in the class changes for the patch, with minimal nerfs. One of the biggest changes was Drain Life getting a mind-melting 300 percent damage boost.

Both Destruction and Demonology Warlock players have shown off mighty damage output stats across both raids and M+ dungeons. Affliction is still looking powerful, although we’d recommend it for M+ over raids if you lean towards this specialization.

B Tier

Paladin

Paladins feel fine enough in 11.1, with the fan-favorite class receiving minimal changes in the initial changes for the latest patch.

There’s nothing overly exceptional to note about Retribution Paladins right now, but they’re not bad by any means, either. The biggest selling point is their damage output potential for Mythic+ dungeons, which varies from middling to high. Pair them with the Templar Hero Talent for the best results.

With the right gear, Hero Talent, and party members, Retribution Paladins can pull off some solid M+ runs. If you’re looking for pure power as a melee player in this form of content though, you may be better off with a Warrior or Death Knight.

Druid

Druids are sitting at a better level than they were a few patches ago, but they’re still not showcasing anything remarkable.

Balance Druids are performing well in both raids and M+ dungeons, offering plenty of utility with their varied toolkits and a decent level of damage. During our research, we didn’t see any Hero Talents for Balance standing out as clear winners in terms of strength and usefulness.

Feral Druids aren’t performing as badly as they once were, but they’re still feeling somewhat shaky. If you’re set on playing this spec, they’re in a better spot with M+ content based on damage and survivability.

For raiding, they’re simply not standing out as unique or exceptionally valuable—which is a shame, as Feral Druids received a number of buffs for Patch 11.1 and should theoretically be looking stronger. We’re predicting that this spec will see further changes with Patch 11.1.5.

Priest

Shadow Priest might not be the strongest ranged DPS choice in WoW right now, but they’re still consistently pulling in solid results across the board. This spec is performing well in both forms of end-game PvE content.

The changes that Shadow Priests received for Patch 11.1 were simple yet effective, with the spec getting a flat 13 percent damage boost and targeted changes for the Voidweaver Hero Talent.

This spec remains a little squishy, but it can deal high damage and help with additional healing where required. If you’re a ranged player and you’ve never dipped into the Shadow Priest toolkit, we’d recommend rolling an alt and having a go.

Monk

Windwalker Monks received a blend of buffs and nerfs in Patch 11.1, with some talents and abilities being reshuffled in their toolkit. The class as a whole didn’t change too much, with Mistweaver getting the bulk of the changes, but the Talent Tree looks different for the DPS spec in particular.

If you’re looking for a melee class to experiment with in M+ dungeons and don’t mind running something that isn’t top of the charts, this is a solid pick that offers a fun gameplay style.

Based on the community reports we’ve seen and the changes made to Heart of the Jade Serpent, we’d suggest going for the Conduit of the Celestials Hero Talent.

C Tier

Evoker

While some players are finding success with Devastation Evokers in the PvE scene and Augmentation Evokers still have their uses in raid builds, on the whole, this class isn’t looking reliable in the current game state.

In the Patch 11.1 class changes, the most notable adjustments to the Evoker toolkit were the improvements to the Flameshaper Hero Talent, alongside some visual changes for a better gameplay experience.

Devastation Evokers did receive some damage buffs for the Undermine(d) patch, but at the time of writing, we’d suggest looking at other DPS options for both raiding and Mythic+ content. This class is likely to pick up as we spend more time in Undermine(d) but it’s not the best option right now.

For further details about everything that changed with Patch 11.1, make sure to check out our patch notes breakdown. We’ll be sure to keep this guide updated with fresh DPS rankings for TWW, so check back if you’re looking for something new to play.