Our Season of Discovery DPS tier list will answer the age-old question: what’s the best DPS I can play in World of Warcraft?
With Phase One winding down and Phase 2 on the horizon, we analyze the best performing classes in the Blackfathom Deeps raid. Due to the level cap of 25, some classes have performed better than others. We expect that to change in the future.
Our methodology involves analyzing the DPS damage statistics from Warcraft Logs and personal experiences playing the game.
For now, here are the best DPS classes for Season of Discovery Phase One.
Rogues
It remains to be seen how long Rogues will be, according to the numbers, the best DPS in Season of Discovery. They’ve enjoyed a comfortable cushion at the top, especially once Hunters saw sweeping balance changes.
Rogues will utilize three essential runes to their damage profile: Saber Slash, your primary method of gaining combo points, which also applies a bleed, Envenom, and Deadly Brew. Given the nature of BFD enemies, the damage profile for Rogues allows them to outshine every other class.
Warrior
It wouldn’t be Classic World of Warcraft without Warriors topping the damage meters. Warriors are near the top of our Season of Discovery DPS tier list despite the level cap.
Compared to Rogues, the one disadvantage they have is dealing with enemies with high armor. This comes into play heavily when fighting Ghamoo-Ra, the second boss of BFD. Despite being near the top of the overall damage meters for the entire raid, Warriors are at the bottom for this boss, placing well behind Rogues.
Hunter
Despite seeing nearly a dozen nerfs and balance updates, Hunters still perform well in Season of Discovery. While they’re no longer the far and away best DPS in Season of Discovery, they’re still quite potent. Providing the beneficial Aspect of the Lion buff helps ensure they have a spot in raid, too.
The introduction of pet scaling in Season of Discovery has been, infamously, a big boon to their performance. While Blizzard continues to tweak with the class, pets perform well, helping Hunters appear near the top of the damage meters. However, it remains to be seen if this can continue in later phases.
Feral Druid
While Feral Druids aren’t the best Season of Discovery DPS option, they’re still one of the most important. Providing Windfury to the rest of the classes, like Warrior and Rogue, who top our Season of Discovery DPS tier list, makes them a vital part of your raid.
It’s not just about their buffs, though. Feral Druids are more than capable of dealing out damage on their own. This combination of the two makes them an attractive option for any melee player. You may not top the meters, but you’ll perform well and be a part of any raid composition.
Warlock
The first caster to appear on our list of the best DPS for Season of Discovery. Casters were always going to have an issue in Phase One due to the insane hit requirements needed to land every spell.
Warlocks are on par with classes such as Feral Druid, Ret Paladin, and even Hunter in some cases. The biggest reason for this is the inclusion of a Legendary caster weapon available in the BFD raid. Combined with their utility and single-target efficiency, it helps put Warlocks over the edge when compared to other casters.
Mage
While the Mage class doesn’t have as strong of a single-target damage profile as Warlocks, they’re still capable of dishing out damage as a caster. Again, the Legendary caster weapon plays a role here.
Beyond that, their AOE damage is easily the best in the game. While boss fights are single-target, you still need to deal with trash. Mages should scale better in later phases when they get access to essential spells.
The one exception here is Frost. Frost is the worst DPS in Season of Discovery, bar none. Unless you’re actively PVPing, we recommend you avoid the spec altogether.
Retribution Paladin
Despite other melee classes scaling better than Ret Paladins, it’s still an attractive option if you want to play a melee DPS class. The class is fun to play; it just pales compared to nearly every other melee option.
The inclusion of Crusader Strike and Divine Storm has made the class worth it for Paladins despite falling off as Phase One has gone on. Seeing how well the class scales in later phases will be interesting.
Balance Druid
While Feral Druids are one of the best DPS in Season of Discovery, Balance Druids are near the bottom of our Season of Discovery DPS tier list. Not having access to Moonkin form, one of their core abilities, is a big reason for this.
Starfire is a great spell, though it’s as mana hungry as ever. Thankfully, the Wrath rune gives them the Wrath spell for free. Despite these issues, it’s performing better than the other three classes below.
Elemental Shaman
Shamans are in a weird spot with Phase One of Season of Discovery. They’re missing vital totems and have to deal with mana issues. The one saving grace Elemental has is the ability to perform higher-than-average bursts. It’s barely above Enhancement, but that’s not saying much.
Enhancement Shaman
Everything said about the issues with Elemental Shamans is true here. The one added detriment is the lack of burst that Elemental has. Combined with a poor damage profile and mana issues, there’s no reason to bring an Enhancement Shaman to raid when every other melee option is infinitely better.
Shadow Priest
Priest is the worst DPS class in Season of Discovery, bar none. Where do we begin?
Shadow Priests were already a subpar class headed into Season of Discovery. Despite the changes the game brings to Classic World of Warcraft, their damage profile is still one of the worst in the game.
No Shadow Form is a big deal, and your most beneficial ability (Homunculi) is also available to healers. It begs the question: if you’re a priest, why aren’t you healing?
For more Season of Discovery content, check out our tier list of the best tanks in Season of Discovery.
