WoW Forever Tier Lists

What changed

1. Oct 8, 20261.60.1.70291

   Crits against players count in full again: the October 8 build fixed the bug that halved their bonus from about September 25.

   Warriors and Druids get more Rage from the hits they take: Stamina gear no longer lowers it, crits and crushing blows count in full and absorbed damage still counts. Bears now have a 50% threat bonus (was 30%) and get 100% more Rage from crits (was 75%).

   Penance was toned down, it paid out like a 3 sec channel instead of 2 sec. Thorns and Retribution Aura are back to their Classic base damage with 6% of spell power, Paladin tanks no longer make threat when Improved Seal of Fury or Shield Specialization gives Mana back, Entrapment roots only when a Frost Trap first goes off and Impact no longer stuns from Flamestrike's burn.

   The low ranks of Wrath, Frostbolt, Fireball, Arcane Missiles, Smite, Lesser Heal, Heal, Lightning Bolt and Shadow Bolt were evened out, so every new rank is an upgrade. No tier moves until these changes are tested.

2. Oct 6, 20261.60.1.70235

   The raid list was re-ranked on the raid sim of October 6, which now counts the beta Wrack update: Arms Warrior drops from S to A, Feral Druid rises from B to A and Retribution Paladin climbs to third. Fury Warrior and Survival Hunter lead.

   Beta builds 1.60.1.70205 (October 3) and 1.60.1.70235 (October 5) changed no talents or spells, so the other lists stay as they are.

3. Oct 3, 20261.60.1.70205

   The PvP tier list now ranks all 27 specs in four modes: overall, battlegrounds, world PvP and duels. Demonology takes the Warlock S (Soul Link is a Demonology talent), Subtlety the Rogue S, Frost replaces Arcane as the Mage pick, Arms drops to C and Beast Mastery joins at A.

   Dungeons, raids, tanks and healers rebuilt the same way: every damage spec for dungeons and raids, the raid sim of October 3 as its own column, Fury rises to A in dungeons, Survival (S) and Combat (A) join the raid list, Beast Mastery drops to A there, and Restoration Druid moves to A overall.

   Every class list now names the best spec of every class and answers it in the FAQ, and links the guides and tools of its topic.

   The class overview now names the best pick for every goal, has a class finder and a short verdict for every class. The best race list has one section per class with the racials of each pick and every race and class combination, the six new ones marked.

   The best race list now shows the picks for Mage, Paladin, Priest and Shaman as well.

   Changes we had not listed yet: on September 24 Two-Handed Weapon Specialization dropped to 2/4/6%, Arms got an 18 sec Slam cooldown and a stronger Bloodthrill, two Elemental talents swapped rows and Ignite stopped double dipping on damage bonuses. The class deep dives of September 30 added healing reduction on a Crocolisk pet and Shadow Word: Death at 32, and on October 1 Protection Warrior talents moved up as PvP tools.

   Crits against players gave only half their bonus from about September 25. A developer called it a bug, the October 1 notes do not list a fix yet. The client of October 3 brings no class changes.

4. Oct 2, 20261.60.1.70170

   The October 1 build raises the beta cap to 30. Every ranking here is still the level 20 one. Tiers move only once the classes are tested at 30.

   Warriors get 100% more Rage from critical hits with basic attacks, which takes away the main reason for their C in leveling. Fury was reworked: Whirlwind always hits with both weapons, Bloodthirst scales with 45% of attack power (was 35%) and Berserker Rage arrives at level 30. Arms stays C until it is tested.

   Druids lose Tiger's Fury and King of the Jungle, Shifting Power turns Mana into Energy in Cat Form instead. Bears get 75% more Rage from crits, Primal Bite makes about twice the threat and every form is immune to new Disarms.

   Holy Shield blocks more (30%, was 20%), Redoubt less (up to 20%, was 30%), and Champion of the Light turns less Intellect into spell damage (up to 60%, was 100%). Protection and Retribution keep their tiers.

   Smaller changes: Hot Streak is now called Heating Up and Combustion has 3 charges again, Hellfire can crit, Soul Harvest now gives its Mana regeneration, Hunter and Warlock pets have Aggressive mode back, and Eureka! no longer helps periodic effects. No tier moves.

5. Sep 28, 20261.60.1.70009

   The September 24 build reworked the Paladin: Holy Strike hits harder at every rank and has a 10 sec cooldown for everyone, Vengeance stacks up to 3 times, Crusade and Improved Holy Strike are gone. Retribution stays S, Vengeance only matters from level 30.

   Wrath deals about 50% more base damage. Balance stays at D until it is tested in the beta.

   Wands no longer gain damage from spell power, Eureka! saves 10% for every class and Mangle is now called Primal Bite. No tier moves.

6. Sep 25, 20261.60.1.69977

   First version of every tier list, ranked for the level 20 beta.

7. Sep 22, 20261.60.1.69977

   Weekly client update with stability fixes, no class balance changes.

8. Sep 21, 20261.60.1

   Blizzard announced eight fixes for the next build, among them Vengeance no longer triggering from periodic crits, which boosted Retribution Paladins while leveling.

9. Sep 19, 20261.60.1

   The first week of beta play: Retribution Paladin and Beast Mastery Hunter lead leveling, Arms Warrior, Combat Rogue, Shadow Priest, Enhancement Shaman and Balance Druid trail behind.

10. Sep 17, 20261.60.1

    Beta start: hit and crit merge into one stat per type, every tree gets a capstone at 16 points, Divine Spirit, Blessing of Kings, Improved Mark of the Wild and Improved Battle Shout become baseline.