WoW SoD DPS Tier List: Phase 8 Classes and Raid Builds
In the last published SoD DPS tier list for Phase 8, Mage, Melee Hunter, ranged Hunter and Balance Druid share S tier. That ranking dates from , the day Scarlet Enclave opened, and we found no newer full ranking after development slowed down. We combined it with rune guides updated in June 2026, so what you see here is our reading of guide data and not live logs from November 2026.
The list covers PvE raiding in Season of Discovery only. For the rest of what Phase 8 brought, see our SoD Phase 8 overview.
How this SoD DPS ranking is built
The tiers come from an expert ranking that was last updated for the expected Phase 8 meta on April 10, 2025. It judges pure damage together with what a spec adds to the group, such as buffs, survivability and mobility. The runes come from a reference for all classes that was updated on June 16, 2026, although its Mage section still dates from Phase 7.
We could not get current SoD log rankings, so this page makes no claim about who tops the meters right now. The source also has a weak spot of its own: its longer texts rate some classes, Warrior and Rogue above all, higher than its summary does. We keep the summary tiers and point out where the text disagrees. That ranking used only S, A and B, which means no DPS spec landed in C.
SoD Phase 8 DPS tier list
| Spec | Tier | Why it ranks here | Key runes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mage | S | Scales very well with spell power, best at big AoE, brings control | Fire: Living Bomb, Hot Streak, Balefire Bolt, Overheat |
| Melee Hunter | S | Runes turn the Hunter into a top melee with the same scaling | Melee Specialist, Flanking Strike, Raptor Fury, Lone Wolf |
| Ranged Hunter | S | Mixes ranged, melee and trap damage, rated the strongest ranged DPS | Chimera Shot, Lock and Load, Sniper Training, Expose Weakness |
| Balance Druid | S | Strong burst and AoE, the most rounded caster damage | Starsurge, Eclipse, Sunfire, Fury of Stormrage |
| Retribution Paladin | A | Wanted for Paladin buffs, own damage behind the top melee | Divine Storm, Crusader Strike, Sheath of Light, The Art of War |
| Warlock | A | Solid burst and raid utility, mostly from the first Warlock | Demonic Pact, Mark of Chaos, Chaos Bolt, Unstable Affliction |
| Rogue | A | Excellent single-target boss damage with burst cooldowns | Mutilate or Saber Slash, Envenom, Deadly Brew, Honor Among Thieves |
| Warrior | B | B in the summary, yet the text expects top melee scaling, so the least certain rank | Consumed by Rage, Endless Rage, Raging Blow, Single-Minded Fury |
| Shadow Priest | B | Good utility and mana for the raid, lower raw damage | Vampiric Touch, Mind Spike, Void Plague, Despair |
| Feral Druid | B | Brings a Windfury style buff to Alliance melee, weak cleave | Wild Strikes, Savage Roar, Mangle, Berserk |
| Elemental Shaman | B | Strong bursts with Chain Lightning, totem buffs for casters | Overload, Lava Burst, Burn, Power Surge |
| Enhancement Shaman | B | Many party buffs, scales with attack power and spell power | Maelstrom Weapon, Lava Lash, Mental Dexterity, Two-Handed Mastery |
The Mage runes above are for the Fire build, because the rune reference still describes Mage as it played in Phase 7. Frost is the other option, and the Mage guide picks between the two by which debuff your raid is missing.
Melee, ranged and hybrid utility
Several specs earn their raid spot mainly for what they give the group. Shadow Priest feeds mana to its party with Vampiric Touch. The first Warlock brings Mark of Chaos, which lowers the resistances of the target, and Demonic Pact, which gives spell power to the raid. Retribution Paladins fill the Paladin buffs, and on the Alliance side a Feral Druid’s Wild Strikes gives melee the extra attacks Shamans give the Horde.
That last point matters more in SoD than in most versions, because the old faction rules still apply: Paladins are Alliance only and Shamans are Horde only. If you want a melee spot in an Alliance raid, a Feral Druid can be more welcome than one more Rogue.
Runes, talents and gear
Runes cost 1 copper each at the Rune Broker in every starting zone and capital, so buy all of them for your class and switch them between fights. You can only swap runes out of combat. A rune changes a base spell, so check that you have trained that spell first. Gear and tier sets still decide a lot, because most of these specs scale hard with attack power or spell power, so a player in good gear often beats the tier letter.
For your talents, take the current class guide for your spec and treat the runes above as the core. Moving a few points for a fight is normal.
Boss damage, cleave and SoD DPS charts
If you look at WoW SoD logs or DPS charts yourself, compare like with like. Scarlet Enclave is tuned for 20 players and allows up to 40, so 20-player and 40-player numbers are different data. Boss damage is not the same as total damage, because cleave on adds can push a spec up the chart without helping the kill. Look at the median and the top percentile separately, and check how many players of each spec are in the sample. A spec with only a handful of logs can look far better or worse than it really is.
Which is the best DPS class in SoD for you?
If you want the safest pick for a raid spot, Mage, Hunter in either style and Balance Druid are the strongest according to this ranking. The gap between S and B depends a lot on play and gear, though. Pick the class you enjoy and make sure your realm and faction have guilds for it, which our SoD realms and returning guide helps with. If you play a tank, our SoD tank tier list covers all six tank options.
If you want Scarlet Enclave gear without weeks of progression, a Scarlet Enclave boost is one option.
Frequently asked questions
In the last published ranking from April 10, 2025, Mage, Melee Hunter, ranged Hunter and Balance Druid share S tier. We found no newer full ranking, so treat it as guide data and not as live logs.
No. It is our reading of an expert ranking from April 2025 together with rune guides updated in June 2026. We could not get current SoD log rankings, so the page makes no claim about who tops the meters today.
The summary of the ranking puts Warrior in B, while the longer text of the same source expects Warriors to scale like top melee with the best gear. That makes Warrior the least certain rank on the list.
The core runes are Demonic Pact, Mark of Chaos, Chaos Bolt and Unstable Affliction. Demonic Pact and Mark of Chaos also help the raid, which is why the first Warlock in a group is the most wanted.
The tiers are the same, but the old faction rules still apply. Paladins are Alliance only and Shamans are Horde only, so the buffs a raid needs, and the specs that bring them, change with the faction.
No. It ranks DPS specs for PvE raids only. Battlegrounds and world PvP reward different strengths.
Change Log
- November 2, 2026: WoW SoD DPS Tier List for Phase 8 published.