WoW Cata Classic DPS Tier List

While not all raid content is out yet for Cataclysm, we already know which WoW classes will perform well in Dungeons. Many players would encourage you to play the job that interests you the most. Still, if you want to find raid parties easily, consider using or rerolling into the best DPS classes available in WoW Classic Cataclysm.

How the DPS Tier List is Rated

Unlike Healers and Tanks, DPS players might find it harder to join raid parties because there are higher standards for damage dealers to meet. This list rates each class depending on their overall damage, available utility skills, and impact on the raid group. This tier ranking will likely adjust once the subsequent Phases come out. In the meantime, here are the Cata DPS rankings:

WoW Cataclysm DPS Tier List for Raids and PvE

S-Tier

• Fire Mage: Fire Mages may be one of the most consistent classes in the game, maintaining their position as one of the best damage-dealing classes in WoW Classic Cataclysm. There isn’t much development in their kit, but they still hold one of the game's highest sustained DPS and burst attacks. Their kit is still one of the best in cleave, AoE, and single-target damage without any buffs or debuffs to its current setup.
• Shadow Priest: Shadow Priests are another DoT-oriented class, but they also mix defensive utilities into their kit to give their team an advantage.
• Affliction Warlock: What Affliction lacks in burst damage, it makes up for tremendously in terms of DoTs. Affliction Warlocks are primarily offense-oriented, as most of their abilities focus on dealing with as much DPS as possible over time. Spells like Corruption and Bane of Doom make this class great against bosses during raids. While they can’t burst down mobs, they have many AoE skills for mob clearing and ads. All in all, Affliction Warlock easily tops as one of the highest damage dealers in the Cataclysm.
• Survival Hunter: Survival Hunters became a top DPS after their kit and pet system improvements. They now have one of the best sustained single-target DPS and lethal AoE attacks, making them the best Hunter specs. They can quickly clear mobs while also ensuring significant damage to bosses. On top of this, they also have access to pets that can provide additional DPS or essential utilities to improve their raiding party further.
• Unholy Death Knight: Unholy DK is one of the best DPS in Phase 1 because of its powerful melee damage skills and vulnerability debuffs. Unholy also brings many utility abilities that greatly benefit its raid parties, especially with Raise Ally, which can resurrect teammates. It can also act as a sub-tank if it has a beefier build during niche situations using Death Grip and Chains of Ice.
• Arms Warrior: Arms Warrior shines not only as a DPS but also as a great utility carry. Aside from their cleaves and strong burst windows, they can quickly execute and sustain damage without using too many resources. They have many powerful buffs and debuffs that are extremely useful in raid content. While their base version doesn’t deal as much damage as others in the S-Tier, they considerably scale with their gear, so the sky is the limit with this class.
• Demonology Warlock: Demonology Warlocks are best known as one of the best DPS classes in AoE. They have multiple aura abilities that can damage surrounding enemies and significant single-target attacks. While they lack multiple utility buffs, their Demonic Pact significantly augments the battle efficiency of the whole party. In addition, they are considered one of the beefiest DPS in the game, which makes them a great all-rounder carry to have on the team.

A-Tier

• Frost Death Knight: Frost DK is considered one of the highest damage-dealing melee classes in the game, and the only reason it's not rated in S Tier is its high reliance on CDs and Runic Power. It has one of the most extraordinary multi-target attacks that can also serve as considerable single-target damage due to Howling Blast and Chilblains. It also has good utilities like Improved Icy Talons and Brittle Bones that can significantly augment their raid party. In addition, it also has some functional personal defensive skills, which can be crucial in many situations. The main issue you will have when playing this class is that you must constantly monitor your CDs and resources, as messing up your skill rotations will increase your downtime.
• Assassination Rogue: Assassination Rogue maintains its reputation as one of the highest single-target DPS carries with great DoTs. It has many poisons, bleeds, and defensive cooldowns, allowing it to deal unmitigated damage while ensuring it can survive most encounters. Their only drawback is their lack of AoE and cleave abilities to help their team during mob phases. In addition, their Deadly Poison skill significantly increases their DPS on sustained targets, but their damage will greatly suffer when changing targets.
• Elemental Shaman: Elemental Shamans weren’t a thing until Cataclysm, and their improved kit allows them excellent offensive capabilities, mobility, and utilities. They have various offense-oriented buffs, which can further augment their combat efficiency. Their primary damage-dealing skill is Fire Elemental Tome, which has enormous DPS potential. They can also attack using their Glyph of Unleashed Lightning, making them highly mobile. The only catch with this class is that they have low survivability and cannot outclass other DPS in the S-tier.
• Retribution Paladin: Ret Paladins are extremely useful in many situations as they can fill various roles while also dealing substantial DPS. They have helpful buffs, blessings, and auras with AoE and party-wide effectiveness. They can also cleanse status effects on teammates, which can help alleviate pressure for teammates. In terms of damage, they have one of the most significant burst attacks, and their only weakness is the lack of mobility and Holy Power generation when facing less than three opponents.
• Arcane Mage: Arcane Mage remains the top burst damage dealer in its class, but it’s severely out-matched by Fire Mage. While they can dish out huge numbers quickly, their high cooldowns prevent them from reliably doing sustained DPS. However, in situations that require high-burst attacks, Arcane can easily outperform the S-tier class in any situation.

B-Tier

• Balance Druid: While they might not be in the top DPS rankings, players find Balanced Druid to have some of the most entertaining gameplay. They offer multiple bursts and AoE damages, making them great in mob phases. They also have tons of utilities like buffs and revives. The only issue with this class is their lack of mobility skills and long casts. They also lack significant single-target DPS, which diminishes their output during boss fights.
• Enhancement Shaman: Enhancement Shamans feel like a lackluster spec because they lack any unique utility or buff like their counterparts. However, they fill an excellent niche role because they can still provide good support totems with strong AoE attacks. They also have high mobility and survivability skills, which make them more durable than other Shamans.
• Combat Rogue: Due to its lackluster DPS output, this Rogue class feels average compared to the others. However, it is still very feasible in most raids for multiple reasons. Its Savage Combat debuff and Tricks of the Trade buff offer niche utilities to raid parties. It also has excellent cleave and burst attacks, allowing Combat Rogue to deal significant damage. However, they rely on buffs and debuffs to maximize or optimize their total DPS.
• Feral Combat Druid: Feral Druids are ranked in B-Tier primarily because of their weaker damage than other classes. However, they are still a great choice due to their flexibility in filling roles in any raid party. Despite the lack of DPS, teams will gladly accept Feral Druids due to their excellent utilities, like Stampeding Roar and Rebirth, and their valuable raid buffs, like Faerie Fire and Feral Aggression. They can also alternate between being a tank and a DPS to alleviate pressure from other party members. Due to their high survivability and excellent flexibility, they more than make up for their lackluster damage.
• Marksmanship Hunter: What this class lacks in damage, they make up for in buffs. As a DPS, Marksmanship Hunter pales compared to the higher damage-dealing class, but in terms of overall rating, they provide huge boosts with their various arsenal. Their most significant contribution is Trueshot Aura, which boosts any raid party’s attack power. On top of this, their pets can provide additional perks to fill up other vacant roles. The teams won’t mind having a low damage dealing Marksman on their side if they get all the excellent buffs.
• Beast Mastery Hunter: BMs might not shine as brightly as other DPS, but they bring much to the table, like Marksmanship. They offer a lot of utilities and buffs, and raid-wide aura Ferocious Inspiration significantly boosts damage output. Beast Masters also gain unique perks for their Exotic pets, which can fill up niche roles within parties. On top of these, they also have decent cleaves and AoE attacks. They are only ranked lower than most due to their lackluster damage, but they won’t have a hard time joining raids due to their usefulness.

C-Tier

• Destruction Warlock: Regarding damage output, the Destruction Warlock sits near the bottom compared to other Warlocks in the game. They have straightforward DPS and okay-ish AoE. However, the catch with this class is that many prefer it as a beginner spec because it has simple rotations that produce decent output. It’s rated C-tier because it doesn’t reach that high in terms of damage that can be compared to higher-rated classes.
• Subtlety Rogue: Subtlety has seen many improvements after several patches but remains the lowest damage-dealing among the three Rogue classes. They can be very competitive in terms of DPS if the players using them are knowledgeable and skilled. However, the high skill requirement to make them great damage dealers often discourages gamers from using them. On the other hand, Subtlety also produces some good raid buffs like Hemorrhage and Tricks of the Trade for the average user.
• Fury Warrior: Fury is an average DPS that only starts to shine as it gets better gear. It has high burst attacks and great personal buffs to maximize its damage output. Fortunately, it also has effortless rotations that make it easy to use. However, its lack of raid buffs and utilities makes it less appealing to raid parties. You must prove you have complete Raid gear to show A-tier damage output.

D-Tier

• Frost Mage: Most people don’t even consider Frost Mage when thinking about raids or PvE. It is widely accepted that this spec won’t perform well in this content, but it reigns supreme in PvP. It has a lot of burst damage and crowd-control spells that are excellent for player-to-player combat. It’s best not to use it for PvE since you won’t get into raid parties if you have this spec active.