Picking a class and race in WoW Classic is very important as you cannot change the decision that you make.
Here we are going to talk about the best classes in WoW Classic and race combinations that you can pick in the game.
Death Knight, Monk and Demon Hunter that are available in Battle for Azeroth are not playable in WoW Classic so we are not going to talk about them here. Draenei, Blood Elves, Worgen, Goblins and Pandaren are also not available in Classic WoW.
Warrior
The Warrior class lacks Spirit on its equipment that is why their leveling is relatively slow. If you pick this class then you will spend a lot of time running back to your corpse.
The warrior class is very useful as it’s the best tank class in WoW Classic. With this class, you can tank a group of mobs. If you pick this class you will not have any trouble finding partners up to level 60 as players are looking for tank characters to help them on their journey.
If you are able to become the guild’s main tank you will become a cornerstone of the group. Keep in mind that this is not the best class for PVP. If you are alone then you are going to have a hard time. Things are different with a healbot on your side however.
Warrior is best when playing in a group, this class will struggle when playing solo or if you do not have crazy good gear. That is something to keep in mind if you are interested in playing this class.
All things considered, here is what you need to know about the warrior class in Classic WoW.
Pros of the Warrior class:
- Deals a lot of damage in classic
- Best tank class
- You can kill mods with no downtime
- Powerful in PVP with a healer
- Easy to finds dungeons
- Can enjoy all three specs
Pros of the Warrior class:
- Leveling is slow
- Overpopulated class
- Have to collect multiple sets
- Repairing plate gear is very expensive
Hunter
The hunter is the best class in Classic WoW when it comes to leveling. Your pet can tank for you and you can easily kill multiple mobs in a row. You do not need to wait for regeneration like other classes which saves a lot of time and makes leveling much easier.
The hunter does not rely on weapons to be effective. Even the Green weapons will do if you need to level up. In the raid, the Hunter is not the leading class. The Warrior is going to deal more damage. Other classes do more damage than the hunter. This is a decent class to play PVP as you have a lot of control.
The Hunter class can be a lot of fun to play. Playing a Hunter is pretty straight forward but they are hard to master. As a Hunter, you do not die a lot and you do not need to buy a lot of things so you can save up some gold. Playing the Hunter class is super smooth and a blast to play. You can tame different pets and the abilities that this class has is unique.
The hunter is a damage dealer with a lot of range. While the Hunter does not have the highest damage in the game, getting away from one is very difficult indeed.
Pros of the Hunter class:
- Best & fastest for leveling solo
- Best for speedrunning
- Kill mobs and elite targets easily
- Taming a pet adds depth to the class
- Kiting is cool in solo PVE and PVP
Pros of the Hunter class:
- Not great for DPS
- High skill cap ceiling
Rogue
Rogue is the best class when it comes to PVP. The main strength of this class is that it is stealthy and can start the fight first. This can give you a significant advantage in battle. Classes like mages, warlocks and priests are easy to kill as they cannot survive surprise attacks.
In PVE this is a very popular class in Classic WoW so it can be hard to get a spot in groups or in the raid. The Rogue class is very powerful in the game but that also depends on the gear and weapons that you have.
Undead Rogues are impossible to deal with and people actually think of them as things of nightmares. Rogue is a very solid class and you will have a lot of fun if you pick it.
All things considered, here is what you need to know about the Rogue class in Classic WoW.
Pros of the Rogue class:
- Best class for 1v1 PVP
- Best DPS in PVE
- Stealth is very powerful
- Can skip mobs
- A lot of fun to play
- 3 different specs
Pros of the Rogue class:
- A little bit squishy
- Solo leveling can be tricky
- Very popular
- Finding a spot in a group or raid can be hard
- Hard to master
Priest
The priest is the best healer in the game provided that you hit level 60. The priest has a very powerful shield and can heal single enemies effectively. If you pick this class then you will easily find a spot in a dungeon or raid.
When it comes to PVP, discipline and holy can be squishy and do not have a lot of mobility but if you use the shadow spec, you can do a lot of damage.
Other skills like fear and mind control are great to have in PVP. Shadow spec is also one of the best when it comes to leveling. Shadow Priests can do a lot of damage but mana management can be an issue.
All things considered, here is what you need to know about the Priest class in Classic WoW.
Pros of the Priest class:
- Best healer in the game
- Guaranteed spot in group or raid
- You will have a lot of friends
- Healing ability and high skill ceiling
- Shadow priest does a lot of damage in PVP
- Shadow priest is efficient for leveling
Pros of the Priest class:
- Shadow priest could be difficult to gear
Mage
The Mage is a very versatile class.
It offers effective leveling due to its AoE ability and it can produce its own food and drink. Hence it is easy to get to level 60 as a Mage.
These will allow you to easily kill 3 players single-handedly. If you can master this class then you can create a lot of chaos in PVP.
Mages scale well with gear but the gear does not look great. This is a personal opinion and you might not feel the same way. A skilled Mage is great against Warriors and can potentially one-shot people.
Pros of the Mage class:
- Great for a quick leveling
- Gear Independent
- Dynamic gameplay
- Free consumables
- Strong in PvP
- All 3 specs are viable
- Good for gold farming
Pros of the Mage class:
- Frost spec is mandatory during the first 2 stages of Classic
- No self-healing
- Very squishy
Warlock
Next, we have the Warlock Class. This class is similar to the hunter as you can easily get to level 60. Warlock shines the brightest in solo PVE. In raids and dungeons, the Warlock can to plenty of damage and can control mobs once you hit level 60.
With different pets, Warlocks can take on multiple mobs at the same time. This clock does not rely on gear too much which is another thing to keep in mind. Warlock is a great class to play and is pretty much unkillable in the open world.
All things considered, here is what you need to know about the Warlock class in Classic WoW.
Pros of the Warlock class:
- Great class for leveling
- Great for playing solo
- Free mount at level 40 and another one at level 60
- Summon players to dungeons
- You have your own free healing pots
- Really good duo leveling with a healer
Pros of the Warlock class:
- Mobility is low
- You will have to summon everyone
Druid
The second fastest class when leveling to 60 is the Druid. This is a leveling machine because it can take the form of different animals.
You can call it a hybrid class as it can heal, tank and DPS. The Druid class is very useful in dungeons. Its unique ability allows it to resurrect in combat.
Druid class is also impressive in instanced PVP. It can defend itself pretty well but can be squishy depending on the spec that you have selected. Druids can still survive by changing form. This does not mean killing the attacker in all scenarios.
Druids are underestimated in the game but they have a lot of potential to perform great in PVP and PVE.
Druids do not depend on gear too much and have a lot of mobility. Druids are great for healing at level 60. While they are not the best healers, they are most efficient. Healing over time spells can be great for raids.
Pros of the Druid class:
- Least played class in vanilla, so if you love this class, you’ll get all the gear
- Resto is the only good way to play a druid in PVE and you’ll always find a place in a raid
- Best PVP healer (Healing over time, bear form to tank, etc..)
- Unique ability in PVE with “Battle rez” that can save a raid and innervate
- Best flag carrier in WSG
- Early travel form to level faster
- Good leveling skills when you hit 20 as feral
Pros of the Druid class:
- Balance and Feral druid are kind of useless (much worse than other classes)
- Hard leveling until you hit level 20, then you can spec feral and be a cat
Shaman
The Shaman class in WoW Classis is great at healing. This is the only class that has AOE healing. This can be of great advantage when doing dungeons or raids. In PVP, enhancement spec is very popular. This spec can be used to one-shot an enemy is you are lucky. Elemental/restoration hybrid spec is also great for PVP as it gives the Shaman a lot of DPS. You can still heal allies.
Leveling up a Shaman is not easy either but things do tend to get interesting once you hit level 20 and unlock Ghost Wolf. This increases movement speed by 40%. If you have the right talents then you will be able to complete quests much faster once you hit level 20.
Shamans are not mana efficient and you will need to keep that in mind if you are looking to level up fast. This class does not have on-demand cooldowns so you cannot really solo hard quests with this class.
Pros of the Druid class:
- One of the most wanted healers in PVE
- AOE healing
- High burst damage
- 40% movement speed at level 20
- Can DPS or heal
- Strong self-healing
Pros of the Druid class:
- Healing is the only viable PVE spec
- Constant mana management is frustrating
- Struggles against multiple enemies
- Slow leveling
Paladin
The Paladin is a hybrid class and like all the hybrid classes in the game, the Paladin is pretty average in all regards.
In PVP the Paladin is decent at best. Getting healing or Ret spec along with good gear can make playing this class a lot of fun. That does involve some grinding so keep that in mind.
This class has some of the most powerful buffs in the game which can be useful in raids.
Paladins can be a bit boring to play as you just stand there auto-attacking mobs. This class does have some of the coolest armor in the game.
All things considered, here is what you need to know about the Paladin in Classic WoW.
Pros of the Druid class:
- Best single target healer in PVE and PVP
- Really good utility in raid
- Unique buffs
- Decent in PVP with ret spec
- Free mount at level 40 and another one at LVL 60
Pros of the Druid class:
- One of the worst classes for leveling
- Can be boring to play
What Races will be in WoW Classic?
Choosing the best class is not enough.
You need to pick a combination of class and race.
In the modern game, races are more aesthetic and properly balanced but that is not the case in Classic WoW. Races can have a significant impact on the game and that is why you need you carefully pick the race along with your class.
Here are some of the best combinations that you can pick in Classic WoW.
Rogue
The best races for the Rogue class are Orc, Dwarves, Night Elf or Undead. Night Elves are great for pick-pocketing or making your way through dungeons. The dodge is also an added bonus if you are playing solo.
Who can kill a Rogue in PVP? A better Rogue.
Rogues can have a massive advantage if they attack first. That is why some people use the Human race with this class as you get increased perception. That way you can attack first.
Priest
If you are interested in playing the Priest class then the best races for you are Troll, Humans, Gnome or Undead. Human is a great choice for mana regeneration because of Spirit. You get increased mana regeneration and health.
Hunter
The Hunter class is best combined with Orc, Dwarves or Troll. Dwarves have Stormform which can be an Ace up your sleeve when playing as a Hunter. This ability is great for PVP and PVE. As a Dwarf, you can also take advantage of the guns skill.
Druid
The best race combinations for the Druid class are Tauren or Night Elf. If you are playing as Tauren of Night Elf then you should use the Feral spec.
Shaman
If you are interested in playing the Shaman class then you should consider a combination with Orc or Troll. If you are playing as a Troll then you should go for enhancement.
Paladin
Paladin can be a lot of fun when paired with Dwarves or Humans. Humans can take advantage of the weapons skill especially if you are playing the retribution Paladin. Dwarves are great due to Stormform which grants immunity to Bleed, Poison and Disease effects.
Mage
If you are interested in playing WoW Classis as a Mage then consider going with Troll, Gnome or Undead. Gnomes offer 5% Intelligence which will boost your mana and crit. You also have Escape Artist which negates the effects of any immobilization or movement speed reduction effects.
Warlock
For Warlock, we recommend you pick Orc or Gnome. Gnomes offer 5% Intelligence which will boost your mana and crit. You also have Escape Artist which negates the effects of any immobilization or movement speed reduction effects.
Warrior
If you are going with the Warrior class then you should pick Orc, Dwarves or Undead as your race of choice. Dwarves can make use of Stoneform which grants immunity to Bleed, Poison and Disease effects.
Summing Up
Picking a class and race in WoW Classic is very important as you cannot change the decision that you make. Once you have selected your race and class combination then you are pretty much stuck with it. This is why you need to carefully pick your class and race in WoW Classic.
We have done our best to tell you about each class and their benefits and disadvantages. Each class is different and you can combine it with a race to get additional benefits.
We have mentioned the best races for each class so that you can take advantage of the additional perks and skills.
Let us know what you think about Classic WoW and what you experience has been like playing the game so far.
2 thoughts on “Best Class for WoW Classic – What Class Should You Pick?”
I love how the title clearly suggest that the guide will point out the best class and summary just contradicts with that – LoL! Myself been a wow enthusiast for over 15 years, and in my humble opinion the summary at https://mmoauctions.com/news/wow-classic-druid-guide-best-builds-for-vanilla is way better specified! Other than that, like the simplicty of pros and cons here, not a bad job! 😉
Druid has great QoL features when solo, probably 2nd only to Mage in that regard. They’re extremely well-rounded and have no obvious weaknesses… but in that same vein, once you get into group content at 60, being well-rounded isn’t what people want. They want the BEST melee DPS (Fury/Rogue). The BEST ranged DPS (Mage). The BEST healer (Priest/Pally). The BEST tank (Warrior). Druids can do all of those things, except ranged DPS because boomkin is just awful… however they aren’t really great at any of it.