The Burning Crusade Classic is coming, so the last months of WoW Classic is the best time to pick a class you want to play in TBC and level up your characters.
To help you along, we’ve broken down every class in WoW Classic TBC, what they offer for PVE and PVP, and why they should be your next main.
Latest – Test Classes Out in the TBC Beta
One great way to figure out which class you should pick in WoW Classic TBC is by taking part in the upcoming beta.
While you’ll have to earn your spot in the closed beta by opting in via Battle.net, players that qualify will get a chance to try out different characters to find a best fit.
WoW Classic TBC Class Picking Guide
With plenty of new spells, new talent trees, and a whole new expansion ahead – the classes of World of Warcraft have been shaken up for Classic TBC.
So which class should you play in The Burning Crusade?
Let’s break each down into their strengths and weaknesses, and rate their success in PVE and PVP.
Druid
One class that is certainly looking forward to WoW Classic TBC is Druid.
Druid players have massively expanded options in TBC that let them contend in PVE and PVP environments, with an extra emphasis on PVP success.
TBC pushes Balance druids forward by improving the Moonkin experience from the OOMkin woes of Vanilla WoW. Feral (cat) druids also get some extra power in their bleeds (and no debuff cap to hold these back), and are dangerous Arena competitors. Feral (bear) druids are as successful as ever, despite some new tanking competition. And finally, Resto druids are kings in the TBC Arena, and get a huge boost in PVE with the 1 heal over time spell limit removed in the expansion, meaning multiple Rejuvenations can stack.
Overall, balance druid is a solid option for raids. Usually, you can see about 2 slots in a 25 raid group. Feral druid is also a solid spec, usually, there is one slot for feral druid in every raid group. Guardian is one of the strongest tanks in TBC. However, in TBC all tanks are well balanced. Restoration druid is a king of PvP healing and he is also pretty strong in raid and group healing.
Druid TBC Ratings: PVE: 4/5 – PVP: 5/5
Hunter
Another class that struggles in Vanilla WoW but gets a big glow up in WoW Classic TBC is the Hunter.
In Classic TBC, Hunter will be the most dangerous DPS in PVE next to Warlocks, and in a much more simple way.
Beast Mastery Hunters absolutely take over in The Burning Crusade, being able to fit their whole rotation into one button thanks to a simple macro. While other specs are still playable, BM will reign supreme every time.
Hunters also bring some important utility spells to PVP in the Arena, and no longer have to worry about the dead zone, which is removed in TBC.
So, BM Hunter is a really strong DPS spec. MM Hunter is a really hiche spec, not a lot of players can perform good dps with this spec. Surv Hunter is a solid spec. Also, some people find it much more interesting than any other Hunter spec.
Hunter TBC Ratings: PVE 5/5 – PVP 3/5
Mage
Mage has never been a bad choice throughout WoW’s history, but TBC isn’t their shining moment.
WoW Classic TBC opens some new avenues for mages, including utilizing the Arcane spec. But many will stay true to Fire, and it won’t be a bad choice in PVE, though it isn’t the top caster as it was in Vanilla WoW. Mages have a big place in PVP with Frost’s incredible control, and more spells open the doors for Mages to really step up in the Arena setting.
So, Arcane and Fire mages are pretty strong and can easily find a place in any raid group. Frost mage is very niche in PvE, However it’s extremely strong in PvP.
WoW Classic TBC Mage Ratings: PVE 4/5 – PVP 5/5
Paladin
The biggest improvement from Vanilla WoW to TBC is in the Paladin, and for Horde players, you’ll finally have the option to wield the Light alongside Plate armor!
Paladins finally have options in The Burning Crusade. Retribution picks up more spells and consistency, though still is below the pack on the charts. Holy remains one of the strongest healers in the game with a powerful utility package that helps in Arena. The real MVP, however, is Protection, which becomes arguably the best tank in the game in TBC!
All in all, Holy Paladin is a very strong healer, which has a lot of useful buffs and utility. Prot paladin is considered to be one of the best if not the best tanks, however it’s a must have tank only for fast dungeon runs, for most of the content it’s just a very strong and solid tank. Retribution is also a good spec which has good DPS and a lot of utility, however, his DPS is less than Tier S DPS such as BM or Destruction and it’s also a melee spec, so usually you see one or may be two Retri Pals for a 25 people raid.
WoW Classic TBC Paladin Ratings: PVE 4/5 – PVP 3/5
Priest
Priest ran the show in WoW Classic healing, and they’re still quite powerful in TBC.
In TBC, healing Priests receive new AOE healing capabilities and new powerful buffs which lead the show when choosing spec. For Shadow Priests, the spec rounds out to be much more consistent, offering unmatched utility for its DPS slot by returning mana to others and increasing spell damage taken.
Discipline priest is quite a niche spec, Holy Priest is more like a Tier A – very solid and strong healing spec. Shadow Priest is a must have spec in every raid because of mana restoration.
WoW Classic TBC Priest Ratings: PVE 4/5 – PVP 4/5
Rogue
Rogues will have a mixed experience in TBC, one that may lack in comparison to Vanilla WoW.
Rogues in TBC will not be the chart topping threats players may remember from Vanilla, but thrive in the Arena environment with their control and burst. In the end, though, an unfriendly expansion to melee DPS feels even harder on Rogues.
The good news? You can aspire to the legendary Warglaives of Azzinoth, which a lucky few will wield to crush in end-game PVE and PVP alike.
Combat spec is, honestly, the only spec that sees play in some groups. Other specs are not really welcomed to raids due to their low dps and not big amount of utility.
Classic WoW TBC Rogue Ratings: PVE 3/5 – PVP 4/5
Shaman
Paladins are making their way to the Horde, but Alliance players can rejoice – Shaman are coming to the Alliance in WoW Classic TBC as well!
Shaman is an incredibly powerful class in The Burning Crusade, bringing to the table the most significant raid spell in the game – Bloodlust. They offer some very competitive healing with Resto Shaman functioning as raid heals with some spells that can keep your tank up as well. Shaman also hangs with the caster DPS pack as Elemental, with some new solutions to their mana woes from Vanilla WoW. Finally, Shaman also can hang with melee DPS in TBC with Enhancement offering massive burst potential. All 3 Shaman specs are fantastic in PVP settings with strong utility in Purge and totems – and most importantly, are able to Bloodlust in Arena!
Elemental and Enhancement shamans are very good DPS specs, which provide a lot of great utility because of Bloodlust. Restoration is also great healing spec and it has even more utility than Ench and Elem shams
Shaman TBC ratings: 5/5 PVE – 3/5 PVP
Warlock
Warlock may have clocked in just below some of the premiere DPS classes of Vanilla WoW, but they’ll be top dogs on the charts in TBC.
Warlocks will be neck and neck as the premiere DPS choice in The Burning Crusade with Hunters, and offer a ton of premium utility that raids can’t pass up on like Health Stones, Banish, Portals, Soul Stones, and more. Each Warlock spec offers something in the talent tree – and with the debuff limit practically removed entirely, Warlocks are now free to DOT as they please. Warlocks will take advantage of this throughout TBC, pushing into Affliction to make it count before rounding out with other specs in later tiers.
Affliction warlock has some debuffs, which can be useful for some groups, however it’s not a must have spec for sure. Demonology is more of a niche spec, it doesn’t see much play in raids. And Destruction is one of the best DPS specs both in PvP and PvE, It’s really a great spec to play.
Warlock TBC ratings: 5/5 PVE – 5/5 PVP
Warrior
Now we land on Vanilla WoW’s golden child, the Warrior. Warriors ran the show in WoW Classic as the best option for DPS and tanking alike. With game bis items as early as phase 1 thanks to Lionheart Helm, it wasn’t a problem of scaling either, as they were the best from the very beginning.
In TBC, Warriors get a reality check, as nearly every class and spec has caught up with them. Warriors will have options with debuff limits gone and a new physical damage buff to play Arms instead of only Fury all the time, but you’ll struggle to make the same kind of DPS meter impact you did in Vanilla. And in the end, Fury will likely outdo Arms on DPS most of the time. Warriors do have some extra perks in PVP, including the chance to stun on hit with maces. As Protection, while Warriors are still a very viable choice, they aren’t the only tank choice anymore, which means finding your raid slot will actually be a challenge (unlike Vanilla.)
Fury warrior has not enough DPS for being competitive within other DPS specs. Protection warrior is a great tank, as well as other tanks. It’s mostly used in raids as a main tank. And arms war has slightly more DPS than Fury, however it’s still not the best DPS spec to play, especially in PvE.
Warrior TBC ratings: 4/5 PVE – 4/5 PVP
