WoW Forever Tier List: Best Classes in the Beta
Everyone wants a World of Warcraft: Forever tier list, but there’s a catch. The beta has only gone up to level 30. Nobody has played a level 60 raid, so any list claiming to know the best raid DPS is guessing.
So this isn’t another made-up S to F ranking. It’s what the beta is actually showing: where the official forums and published lists agree, where they flatly contradict each other, and the confirmed changes behind it all.
Last checked 6 October 2026, beta level cap 30. Expect big shifts at launch.
Our beta tier list
| Tier | Classes | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Strong | Hunter, Priest, Warlock | These come up as strong on both the forums and the guide sites. Hunter has front-loaded talents and pets that scale with gear (plus a very strong early bow). Priest has great mana and a strong wand, with Penance and shields for Discipline. Warlock has the Voidwalker, Fear, and DoTs that can now crit. |
| Good | Mage, Paladin, Shaman, Rogue | Strong tools but mixed early reports. Mage has big damage but early mana trouble. Paladin is helped by Judgement no longer eating your Seal, and Holy Strike and Consecration being baseline. Shaman has one-cast totems and Lava Burst or Riptide. Rogue has smoother Energy. |
| Slow start | Warrior, Druid | Both look weak below 20, but likely improve a lot later. Warrior Rage is bugged in beta (Blizzard says a fix is coming). Druid “hits like a limp noodle” until Cat Form at 20. |
What the official forums say
The official Class Rankings thread, from the level 20 cap, put Priest and Shaman on top, Paladin, Rogue and Warrior next, and Mage, Hunter and Druid at the bottom. Since then, the level 30 patch flipped Hunter to the other extreme (see the Hunter guide).
The best comment in the thread is a warning: in the original Vanilla beta, “everyone would’ve put warriors F- tier”. Warriors went on to dominate raids for years.
Where published tier lists disagree
Most “WoW Forever tier lists” online come from boosting and gold-selling sites, and they don’t agree with each other:
| Class | One major list | Another major list |
|---|---|---|
| Warlock | S tier | B tier |
| Mage | A tier | S tier |
| Paladin | B tier | S tier |
| Warrior | C tier | A tier |
When lists disagree this much at a level 30 cap, the honest answer is that no class is clearly broken except early Hunters, and that’s mostly one item.
Confirmed tuning to factor in
From the 1 October beta notes:
- Warrior: critical strikes generate 100% more Rage (raised from 75% in the 2 October build). Bear Druid: 75% more.
- Warlock: Hellfire can crit. Priest: Devouring Plague can crit.
- Mage: Combustion reduced to 3 charges.
- Paladin: Protection’s block chance reshuffled. Retribution’s spell-damage scaling cut to 20/40/60%.
- Hunter: Deflection halved, Sniper Shot gets 45-yard range.
Full details: every class change.
So what should you play?
- New to WoW or want the smoothest ride? Hunter or Warlock. Both have pets, safety, and little downtime. Best leveling classes →
- Want to be wanted in groups? Priest, Paladin or Shaman. Healers and hybrids are always in demand, and all three got big quality-of-life upgrades.
- Playing the long game? Warrior. It’s the weakest in the beta, and historically the class that scales hardest with gear.
We’ll redo this list at launch and again once raids open on 9 December.
Related: PvP tier list · Racials · Alliance vs Horde
Sources: Forums: Class Rankings, Forums: Hunters overpowered?, Beta notes, 1 Oct, Gamer-guides tier list, Overgear tier list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best class in WoW Forever?
In the WoW Forever beta, Hunter, Priest and Warlock come up as strong on both the forums and the guide sites. The beta has only gone up to level 30, so any list claiming to know the best level 60 raid class is guessing.
Are Hunters overpowered in WoW Forever?
Early Hunters are the only class that looks clearly broken in the WoW Forever beta, and that is mostly down to one item, Truthseeker's Bow.
Are Warriors bad in WoW Forever?
Warriors look weak below level 20 in the WoW Forever beta, and Rage is bugged, though Blizzard says a fix is coming. Warrior is historically the class that scales hardest with gear, so it is likely to improve a lot later.
Which class should I play in WoW Forever?
For the smoothest ride in WoW Forever, pick Hunter or Warlock, as both have pets, safety and little downtime. If you want to be wanted in groups, pick Priest, Paladin or Shaman, since healers and hybrids are always in demand.