Which Class Should You Play in WotLK? My Honest Take

Paladin: the support class that never stops pressing buttons

Roles: Tank · Healer · Melee DPS

Paladin is more of a support class than anything else. Hand of Freedom, Hand of Salvation, Hand of Sacrifice, Divine Sacrifice, Aura Mastery, Hand of Protection and Lay on Hands all help the raid in different ways. If you plan to play the end-game as Retribution, expect to use a lot of keybinds, because raid leaders will ask for these spells constantly.

Two examples. Swapping between your Frost Resistance Aura, Shadow Resistance Aura and Fire Resistance Aura is part of the job. On Lord Marrowgar, who deals a crazy amount of frost damage during Bone Storm, you use Aura Mastery together with the Frost aura, and that can literally save the group. Divine Sacrifice will be called on almost every boss, several times if you have more than one Paladin that can use it, and tanks in high-tier progression will also ask for your Hand of Sacrifice.

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Warrior: the controversial one

Roles: Melee DPS · Tank

Unlike Paladins, Warriors are a pure DPS class. They have their own uses, but their job in end-game raids is damage, and at best-in-slot gear they do a LOT of it. More damage means a shorter fight, fewer mechanics to survive and fewer chances to fail as a group.

Yes, there is a tank spec, and yes, you can tank end-game content with it. But in WotLK people avoid it because Warriors have serious threat problems and are not built for PvE tanking as well as other tanks. Many people will argue with this, so I will say it again: possible, but not preferable. It is better to bring a Fury Warrior for the damage and let the Rogues trade Tricks of the Trade between themselves for extra damage on some bosses, instead of fighting the Warrior tank for aggro.

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Death Knight: the tank everyone wants, and a lot more

Roles: Tank · Melee DPS

When Wrath came out, ten of us kids crowded around one net-cafe computer just to watch the owner play a Death Knight for the first time, and the class still lives up to the hype. It is the best end-game tank in the game, and it also has two strong melee DPS specs. What you need to learn is rune management: your abilities are tied to runes that come back on a timer, so you cannot just press buttons at random. Keep Frost Fever and Blood Plague on the target with Icy Touch and Plague Strike, and spend your runes before your runic power.

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Hunter: one of the most fun DPS classes in PvE

Roles: Ranged DPS

Hunters are insane damage dealers. All three DPS specs (Survival, Marksmanship and Beast Mastery) can do crazy damage, and it is possible to top the meters with any of them. But a Hunter is not as easy as a Fury Warrior, because of the support work that never ends:

• traps on certain bosses, for example Frost Trap on Deathbringer Saurfang to slow the adds;
• Tranquilizing Shot to remove the enrage from the Shambling Horrors on the Lich King (and from Saviana Ragefire in Ruby Sanctum);
• constant Misdirection on the tank;
• holding the Kinetic Bombs on the Blood Prince Council;
• keeping your pet alive with Mend Pet, and pulling trash with Eyes of the Beast in Icecrown.

A lot more work than a simple DPS, but the damage is crazy and it is really fun to play.

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Rogue: high damage, and no room to zone out

Roles: Melee DPS

The Rogue is one of the highest single-target damage dealers in the game, and for raiding one spec has proven itself above the others: Combat. Assassination and Subtlety exist, but if you want the safe choice that raid leaders trust, it is Combat. The spec does not forgive laziness: if you let your energy cap or your buffs fall off, you lose damage immediately.

Rogues are also a support class in disguise, and that is what makes them wanted: Tricks of the Trade gives another player extra damage for a short time and two Rogues can trade it between each other, Kick, Blind, Kidney Shot and Sap are all used in raids, and Cloak of Shadows, Evasion and Feint are your own life-savers.

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Priest: shields, heals and a mana battery for the raid

Roles: Healer · Ranged DPS

Priests are healers first, with one strong damage spec on the side, and two of the three specs are wanted in almost every high-end raid. Every Priest also brings Prayer of Fortitude, Divine Spirit and Prayer of Shadow Protection for the group, Fear Ward and Mass Dispel for the fights that need them, and Levitate for movement. If you want to be the reason a raid is alive, play a Priest.

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Shaman: three roles in one class

Roles: Healer · Melee DPS · Ranged DPS

A Shaman can be a melee DPS, a ranged DPS or a healer, and every one of them can drop Heroism or Bloodlust on the raid, which is why a group always wants at least one Shaman. Totems are your other superpower: Windfury Totem, Strength of Earth Totem, Wrath of Air Totem, Tremor Totem and Grounding Totem all change how a fight plays out.

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Mage: strong damage and the utility everyone uses

Roles: Ranged DPS

Mages are pure ranged damage dealers with a huge toolbox. Two specs are used in serious raiding, and which one is better depends a lot on your gear. Then there is the utility: Arcane Brilliance for the whole group, Focus Magic for a partner, Spellsteal, Counterspell, Invisibility, portals for the guild and Conjure Refreshment and Ritual of Refreshment for food and water for everyone. A good Mage is loved by the guild long before the boss dies. It is also one of the easiest classes to play, but the hardest to play well, because there is always more damage to squeeze out.

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Warlock: damage over time, and the summoning stone

Roles: Ranged DPS

Warlocks are ranged damage dealers who win fights with damage over time, and two of their specs are wanted in end-game raids. On top of the damage, the Warlock keeps the raid moving: Create Healthstone and Ritual of Souls for everyone, a Soulstone for a second chance, Ritual of Summoning for the friend who is late (there is always one), and Curse of the Elements on the boss for the rest of the group. Life Tap keeps your mana running.

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Druid: the class with the most roles

Roles: Tank · Healer · Melee DPS · Ranged DPS

A Druid can fill any role in a raid, and they bring Innervate and Rebirth, so almost every group wants at least one. The catch is that you have to actually choose: the class is good at all its jobs, but each job is a different way of playing. If you cannot decide on a role, the Druid is the class that lets you decide later.

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