TBC Anniversary DPS Tier List for Phase 4 (Zul’Aman)

Zul’Aman has been live on the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary realms since October 22, 2026, which was midnight going into October 23 in Central Europe. Black Temple and the Battle for Mount Hyjal are still run next to it, and so are the older T4 and T5 raids. In PvE, Beast Mastery Hunter, Fury Warrior and Destruction Warlock sit at the top of the current community rankings.

Blizzard does not publish a tier list, so this one follows community rankings and raid logs, and it covers raiding only, not PvP. Death Knights do not exist in TBC, which is why you won’t find them here. For the rest of what this phase added, see our TBC Anniversary phase overview.

TBC Anniversary DPS tier list for Phase 4

When Zul’Aman came out, the community rankings kept every spec in the tier it had during the Black Temple phase.

Why each spec ranks where it does

S tier

• Beast Mastery Hunter does a large part of its damage through the pet, and the pet keeps scaling as the Hunter’s gear gets better. Ferocious Inspiration adds damage for the rest of the Hunter’s party as well.
• Fury Warrior turns gear into damage very directly, because Armor Penetration and a strong weapon both raise its output.
• Destruction Warlock gives up its demon with Demonic Sacrifice for more personal damage and keeps Improved Shadow Bolt up on the boss. When a pack of enemies comes in, Seed of Corruption gives it strong AoE.

A tier

• Arcane Mage has very high burst damage, but it burns through mana fast, so it does best when the raid gives it mana support such as a Shadow Priest’s Vampiric Touch.
• Retribution Paladin brings Improved Sanctity Aura, which adds 2% damage to its whole party, and its Crusader Strike refreshes the Judgements on the boss.
• Arms Warrior does less damage on its own than Fury, and raids take it for Blood Frenzy.
• Enhancement Shaman brings Windfury and Unleashed Rage for the melee around it. Like every Shaman it also has Bloodlust or Heroism, which players have seen reach the whole raid on Anniversary realms since Phase 2.
• Affliction Warlock deals less damage than Destruction and makes up for it with curses and other utility.
• Survival Hunter earns its own raid spot with Expose Weakness, even in a raid that already has Beast Mastery Hunters.

B tier

• Combat Rogue scales with its weapon and with Armor Penetration, and it can bring Improved Expose Armor for the physical damage dealers.
• Shadow Priest supports the raid: Vampiric Touch gives mana back to its party, and Misery and Shadow Weaving are debuffs on the boss that the casters profit from.
• Feral Druid brings Leader of the Pack and can switch from Cat to Bear when the raid needs another tank.
• Elemental Shaman adds Totem of Wrath to its party, but it runs short on mana in long fights.
• Balance Druid earns its spot with Improved Faerie Fire and Moonkin utility.
• Fire Mage sits one tier below Arcane. The current rankings give no separate reason for Fire in this phase.

C tier

Demonology Warlock has neither the damage of Destruction nor the utility of Affliction, so a raid that wants a Warlock usually has a better option inside the same class. Frost Mage ranks below both other Mage specs, and like Fire it has no separate explanation in the current rankings.

D tier

Marksmanship Hunter brings Trueshot Aura, but that does not make up for what Beast Mastery and Survival bring. Assassination and Subtlety Rogue are both in D as well, while Combat is the Rogue spec that ranks highest this phase. All three D tier specs have a much stronger spec inside their own class, so a Hunter or Rogue who wants a raid spot can look there first.

Why raid buffs matter more than the letter

Several specs get their raid spot for what they give the group, and their own damage comes second. A raid leader fills those spots first and then adds the specs with the highest damage, which is how an A or B tier spec can get in ahead of yet another S tier player.

Some of these, like Improved Sanctity Aura, only reach the player’s own party, so raid leaders also plan who sits in which group. Your own play and gear move your damage more than one step on this list does, so pick a spec you will enjoy for many lockouts. If you play a tank instead, our TBC Anniversary tank tier list covers Paladin, Druid and Warrior.

Talent builds for Beast Mastery, Destruction and Arcane

Three of the top specs have well documented raid builds in current community guides.

The 21 points in Demonology are what give the Destruction build Demonic Sacrifice. These builds are a safe start for raids, and moving a few points for your gear or your group is normal. For every other spec, take the build from a current class guide for TBC.

How to read a TBC tier list

A tier list is a community opinion about raid value, and it changes with gear and with the raid. Log rankings show the best parses of each spec on Black Temple and Hyjal bosses, which tells you how high a spec can go in strong hands and much less about what an average raider will do.

The next phase with Sunwell Plateau has no release date from Blizzard yet, and until it comes the order above is the one to plan with. If you want Zul’Aman or Black Temple gear without weeks of progression, a TBC Anniversary raid boost is an option.

Frequently asked questions

Change Log

• October 24, 2026: TBC Anniversary DPS Tier List for Phase 4 published.