The best PvP classes and specs

After years of fan requests, Blizzard is finally about to make the dream come true Classic World of Warcraft servers. WoW Players can already reserve character names and choose their servers, and it will be time to start the long grind to level 60 in just over a week. As players begin to decide which class they want to play after launch, it's important to consider whether they want to primarily focus on PvE or PvP.

PvE players will race to the end of the game to master the most difficult dungeons and raids with friends and guildmates, while some other players prefer to be the best at taking out the enemy faction in Battlegrounds or contested territories on PvP servers. Players who want to focus on PvP can use this list to decide which classes are best for that side of the game.

Updated December 2, 2024 by Erik Petrovic: In WoW Classic, PvP classes can be strong in two main forms of PvP: Battlegrounds and Open World PvP. For example, if you're playing on a PvP server, you need to consider classes that are good for open world PvP because you'll run into the opposite faction quite often when leveling and at the end of the game. No matter what class you choose for PvP, WoW Classic players have at least one spec that is viable and powerful for battlefield and open world PvP survival. This guide to the best PvP classes in WoW Classic has been updated to provide a recommended spec for each class in the vanilla version of the game, still ranked by their viability and strength in PvP combat.

1 The best WoW Classic PvP classes, ranked

Hunter shooting

Hunters are a good choice for open world PvP because of their pet. With a pet, you can slow down enemy spells while wailing on them with your own ranged abilities, and maybe force an enemy fighter to target your pet instead of your character. Hunters are less in demand in Battlegrounds, but Viper Sting can be incredibly powerful against an enemy team full of mana users.

In general, Hunters are great for Realm PvP and Open World PvP, but not so good in Battlegrounds. But just like any other class, if you can master the Hunter, you'll do better in any PvP situation than most players trying to max out their class.

Shadow or Discipline/Holy Priest

It might seem a bit cheap to list all three Priest specs, but they are quite relevant when it comes to PvP. Shadow Priests offer insane DPS potential when wielded by a skilled player, and the Disc/Holy build is the strongest (and perhaps only truly viable) option for PvP healing.

Dispel Magic becomes a key ability when you're up against a powerful Mage in PvP skirmishes, so priests have something to do in every encounter.

Elemental shaman

Shaman, a Horde-only class, is good (but not great) in Battlegrounds due to their burst damage potential and abundance of totem and buff abilities. Chain Lightning is incredibly powerful in battlefields where enemies are stacked on top of each other, and totems like Earthbind Totem and Tremor Totem can be key in dealing debuffs and removing them from your team.

Shamans are a bit behind when it comes to damage compared to other classes, but their variety of abilities and potential for damage makes them great to have on your side.

Holy Paladin

Paladins, an alliance-only class, can be good in PvP in the Retribution spec, but tend to be relegated to the healer role for the ridiculous healing power of the Holy spec. Blessing of Freedom, instant massive healing spells, Blessing of Protection, Divine Shield, and other Paladin abilities make them arguably the best support class in PvP.

While these buffs and abilities are powerful, a party really only needs a single paladin to take advantage of this class. Paladins can have trouble getting into groups because of this, despite the Holy spec being one of the best PvP healers.

Destruction Warlock

Warlocks may not take home the glory often, but when it comes to PvP Battlegrounds, they do a serious job. The combination of fear and very high DPS potential makes the Warlock a key part of any well-planned flag carrier kill.

Locks can put up insane DPS numbers, so when you see one coming your way, be prepared to burn through some cooldowns.

Warriors with weapons

He may not do the most damage over time, but a strong warrior can wreak havoc on the opposing team in a close PvP matchup. There's a reason there were so many Charge+Hamstring macros in the early days WoW.

Warriors have the ability to take over a melee and when teamed up with a strong healer, they can feel absolutely impossible to take down.

The subtlety of Rogue

In capture the flag scenarios it seems to be a huge advantage to have a well trained Subtelty Rogue on your side. Many teams don't even bother entering Warsong Gulch without one of these.

There is some scope for different specs, but based on our experience, we'd recommend sticking with the Subtlety.

Wild Druid

Feral Druid is in an interesting place for PvP. Technically, this is by far the best flag carrier for Warsong Gulch and great for traveling back and forth from areas in the Arathi Basin. In open world PvP, druids can stay alive quite effectively, and their Stealth in Cat Form allows them to get on top of enemies.

But if the Feral Druid isn't able to get the first hit from Stealth or isn't the designated flag bearer in Warsong Gulch, he can fight. Feral Druids don't deal the most damage and rely on their speed and stealth to be effective in PvP. But if you manage to jump on someone or manage to break away from the enemy team on the battlefield and run away with the flag, the enemy cannot stop you.

Arcane or Frost Mage

Press to call WoW classic spec and PvP king or queen class, it would have to be Mage. Mages have the unique power of having two incredibly viable builds for PvP. Both the Arcane build and the split between Fire and Ice builds are very strong options for Battlegrounds.

Crowd control with Polymorph and Frost Nova, breaking out of counter stuns with Blink, Counterspell, and creating some pretty ridiculous DPS all combine to make Mage king of the hill when it comes to PvP rating.