Most Fun and Easiest Classes in WoW Forever

The most fun class in WoW Forever is the one you will still want to log into after a hundred hours, and Forever has changed the answer for almost every class. Hunter is still the easiest start and sits in the top tier of creators' fun rankings, Shamans drop all their totems with one button, Paladins finally have an attack to press, and Warlocks got the deepest rework of all. Warrior remains the hardest class to learn and one of the most wanted at level 60. Whether you start on launch day, November 4, or join later, the right pick early on saves you a reroll.

Below you will find a quick way to choose, all nine classes ranked from easiest to hardest, the classes players find the most fun, the best picks for busy players, the chores each class brings, the best class for each role and the tips that save you a reroll. Power rankings for level 60 live in our WoW Forever tier list; this page is about which class suits you.

Which Class Should You Play in WoW Forever?

No class is a trap in Forever. The gap between the fastest and the slowest class is a few days of play, not whether you reach 60. What decides whether you keep a main is how its everyday routine feels, so answer four questions before you look at any ranking:

1. Which role do you want at 60? Druid and Paladin can tank, heal and deal damage on one character, and Shaman heals, deals damage and can hold dungeon mobs with a community tank build. Hunter, Mage, Rogue and Warlock deal damage only, Warriors tank or deal damage, and Priests heal or deal damage.
2. Will you enjoy the road? Reaching 60 takes most players several weeks, so you will spend far more time leveling than raiding in the first month. Warrior and Priest level slowly, Hunter and Warlock quickly.
3. Which chores can you live with? Ammunition and pet food, Soul Shards, poisons, water for the whole group, a gear set for every role.
4. How much time do you have? Short sessions favor classes with little downtime and no group that depends on them.

The table sums up all nine classes on those points. Difficulty means how hard the class is to play well as a new player, not how hard it is to master.

What each class gained and lost compared with 2004 is listed class by class in our WoW Forever class changes overview.

All Nine Classes Ranked From Easiest to Hardest

Easy here means forgiving: how often a mistake kills you, how many buttons you need and how long the class takes to play well. The order is for a new player leveling solo. A veteran will find some classes easier at 60 than this list suggests, and Forever changed something in every one of them.

1. Hunter. From level 10 your pet holds the mob while you shoot, Feign Death from level 30 resets a bad pull, and traps such as Freezing Trap now work in combat on a 30-second cooldown. Pets scale with your gear in Forever, so the hardest part is keeping ammunition and pet food in your bags. Since the October 15 build Auto Shot needs half a second of standing still before it fires, which makes kiting a little less forgiving.
2. Warlock. Summon Voidwalker gives you a demon that tanks from level 10, Drain Life heals you and Life Tap turns health into mana, so you rarely sit down. You juggle more than a Hunter: a demon, a supply of Soul Shards and the new Banes such as Bane of Agony.
3. Paladin. Holy Strike gives you an attack from level 6, Judgement no longer consumes your Seal, and heals plus Divine Shield make you very hard to kill. Its many support buttons are easy to ignore while leveling and start to matter in groups.
4. Priest. Leveling is simple: Shadow Word: Pain, a wand and Spirit Tap keep you fighting, and Power Word: Shield absorbs most of the damage. Wands no longer scale with spell power and also need half a second of standing still, so kills are slow but safe. Healing is where it gets hard, because the whole group depends on you.
5. Mage. The rotation is short and you conjure your own food and water, but cloth armor and no pet mean every mistake costs more. Forever cut the slow from the Improved Blizzard talent to 40% from 65%, so the big Blizzard pulls of Classic are riskier.
6. Shaman. Forever removed most of the totem busywork: Call of the Elements drops four totems in one cast and Totemic Projection moves them. You still manage totems, weapon imbues, shocks and mana, and Enhancement feels slow until Stormstrike and Windfury Weapon come together around level 30.
7. Rogue. Stealth and Energy mean you never drink, but you have no healing, depend on your weapons and have only Evasion and Vanish when a pull goes wrong. It also has the highest skill ceiling in PvP.
8. Druid. Four roles arrive over 30 levels: Bear Form at 10, Cat Form at 20 and Travel Form at 30. Bear and Cat Form come from class quests, Travel Form straight from your trainer. The first 20 levels are among the slowest in the game, and playing well means knowing which form the moment needs.
9. Warrior. The most gear-dependent class, with no way out of a bad pull. Victory Rush from level 20 and extra Rage from critical strikes make leveling less punishing than in Classic, but knowing when to swap Stances is still the biggest skill gap in the game.

Creators who ranked the classes agree on the top and the bottom more than on the middle. In one star ranking for leveling, downtime, difficulty and time needed, hammerdance picked Hunter as the easiest class overall, then Paladin, then Priest, and named Warrior, Druid and Warlock as the hardest to master. The stars are closer than they look: even the widest gap in time needed means "maybe like a 10% maybe a 20% difference", in hammerdance's words.

Speed is a separate question from difficulty: how fast each class gets to 60, and how often it stops to rest on the way, is rated in our WoW Forever best leveling class ranking.

Easiest and Hardest Specs

Inside one class the specs can sit at opposite ends. Sky of The Comeback Kids ranked every spec from easiest to hardest, and both ends of that list match what players reported from the beta:

• Easiest: Beast Mastery Hunter ("Your pet does like 80% of the lifting"), Restoration Shaman once Riptide and Chain Heal come online, Enhancement Shaman, Retribution and Protection Paladin, and Protection Warrior.
• Hardest: Arcane Mage, where mana management decides whether you top the meters or sit at the bottom, Subtlety Rogue, Survival Hunter with its many build variants, and Feral and Restoration Druid.

The old hard part of Retribution, seal twisting, now comes from the Unsealed Wrath talent, which replaced Twist of Light in a late October hotfix. It stores your Seal and releases it when you switch, so the twisting happens on its own. That is why hammerdance gives Paladin top marks for ease of play and names it, together with Rogue, as the easiest damage dealer at level 60.

Most Fun Classes in WoW Forever

Fun is personal, but the same classes keep coming up. In a most fun tier list, hammerdance put Hunter, Rogue and Shaman in S tier, every other class in A and only Priest in B, and the comments under every class ranking show the same pattern: players stay with a class for how it feels in the moment, not for its numbers.

Each class has a high point that keeps players and a stretch that makes some quit. The table pairs them:

Why Hunter, Rogue and Shaman Top the Fun Lists

hammerdance calls Hunters the "kings of world PvP" and rates their leveling "literally top tier": you can kite mobs above your level with almost no downtime. Forever adds a unique ability to every pet family, a pet-free Marksmanship build and a melee Survival tree, so one class plays three different ways.

Rogue is the fantasy Sour Mouse enjoyed most on the beta. hammerdance puts it in S tier for raids and PvP while admitting that its early leveling and dungeons are "kind of bad", and Blizzard's designers have said Rogues are meant to lead single-target damage on boss fights where they can stay on the target.

Shaman "got a bit of a glow up", in hammerdance's words: totems no longer eat half the fight, weapon imbues last an hour, and Enhancement speeds up once Stormstrike arrives. The other side is real too. One of the most liked comments under that video calls totem management tedious, so play a Shaman for an evening before you commit.

Classes That Get Fun Later

Druid and Warlock are known for slow starts. Sour Mouse's advice for Druids is simple: if you reach level 5 and wonder why everyone loves the class, keep going. hammerdance calls Druid levels 1 to 20 "the most unfun experience possible" and S tier once Travel Form arrives at 30. Warlocks turn around at level 10, when the Voidwalker starts taking the hits, and Warriors at 20 with Victory Rush. hammerdance sums up the Warrior as "incredibly low lows and incredibly high highs".

Priest splits opinions the most. hammerdance puts Priest leveling in D tier as "very unfun", while Zilla dismissed Priest after two minutes, then gave it a real try, found it "extremely consistent" and now ranks it above Hunter.

Best Classes for Busy Players and Short Sessions

With an hour a night the questions change: how much of that hour goes into eating and drinking, how long you wait for a group, and whether a group falls apart when you have to leave. Two "dad gamer" tier lists published in late October agree that no class is off limits, and both put Druid at the top with Shaman right next to it. Here is how each class fits short sessions:

• Druid. Prowl past trouble, Travel Form at 30 before your first mount at 40, little rest from Bear Form on, and one character that can tank, heal or deal damage for whatever group is forming.
• Shaman. Both dad gamer lists put it in the top tier next to Druid: it heals or deals damage, levels safely and is wanted in every group for Windfury Totem. The Horde has four Shaman races and the Alliance only the Dwarf, so an Alliance Shaman finds groups more easily.
• Rogue. You never drink, Vanish and Stealth let you step away safely, and a group rarely depends on you. One of the dad gamer lists calls it "a pretty dad gamer friendly class" for leveling and casual PvP, but both lists rank it lower overall because of the wait for dungeon groups: many players roll Rogue, and it brings no AoE.
• Hunter. Almost no downtime and the safest solo play make it the best pick if your goal is simply to reach 60. Hunter was the most played class in community counts of the beta, about 15% of all characters, so expect the longest waits for dungeon and raid spots.
• Warlock. Life Tap keeps you fighting, Summon Felsteed gives you a mount from a class quest at 40, and Ritual of Summoning saves your group the walk. Warlock was the least played class on the beta, and one of the dad gamer lists calls it "the most desirable pure DPS class" at the level cap.
• Mage. You drink more than any other class, but city teleports, and Teleport: Dalaran at 50, get you to a city in seconds, and you feed the whole group.
• Paladin. Easy to keep alive and wanted in every group for Blessing of Kings. Undead Paladin, the only Horde Paladin, was the most created race and class combination on the beta, so expect company on the Horde side.
• Priest. A healer gets invited fast, but a healer who leaves in the middle of a run usually ends it.
• Warrior. The weakest fit for short sessions. Slow solo leveling and gear dependence make each hour count for less, unless you have a regular group or level as Protection and start your own dungeon groups.

A few habits help more than the class itself. Match the dungeon to your evening: a short low-level run such as Ragefire Chasm or The Deadmines fits a free hour, while Blackrock Depths can take all night. Tell the group when you have to leave before the first pull, not after the third boss. And main tanking a raid needs reliable attendance, so a busy player is usually happier as a damage dealer who can off-tank or off-heal when needed.

Class Chores, Gold and Upkeep

Every class has small jobs that come back every session. None of them is hard, but over weeks they decide whether a class feels light or heavy. This is what each one asks of you:

• Hunter: ammunition for every Auto Shot, food to keep the pet happy and a bag slot for the quiver.
• Warlock: Soul Shards collected with Drain Soul for demons, summons and Create Healthstone, plus resummoning your demon after every death.
• Rogue: poisons such as Instant Poison, which you craft yourself after a class quest at level 20.
• Mage: Conjure Water for yourself and, in practice, for everyone in your group.
• Priest, Paladin, Druid and Shaman: reagents for group buffs and resurrections, which add up at 60 when you rebuff a raid after every wipe.
• Druid: a gear set for every role you plan to fill.
• Warrior: no reagents at all, but the class that suffers most when its weapon falls behind.

A Mage is the cheapest class to run, and the Legacy perk Reagent Economy removes purchasable reagents from class abilities for every class, though not Soul Shards, ammunition or pet food. You will find the price of each reagent in the class running costs section of our WoW Forever class tier list.

Best Class for Each Role: Tank, Healer and DPS

If you already know the role you want, start there and pick the class inside it. Every pick below is a forecast for level 60, because the beta stopped at level 30.

Best Tank Class

Protection Warrior is the main raid tank and the only tank close to mandatory, but it needs the most Rage management. Protection Paladin is the easiest tank to play well and the best one for dungeon packs: Consecration holds up to four mobs at once, on par with a Warrior's Thunder Clap, and Seal of Fury turns Judgement into a taunt from level 10. The Bear has the simplest rotation and the most armor and health. Community builds for Shaman, Warlock and Hunter can hold dungeon mobs, but none of them is meant for raid bosses.

The three real tanks and the three experimental builds are ranked for leveling, dungeons and raids in our WoW Forever tank tier list.

Best Healer Class

Holy Priest is the healer raids will want first, thanks to Prayer of Healing and Prayer of Mending, with Restoration Shaman close behind for Chain Heal and its raid-wide totems. Discipline Priest is the most mana-efficient single-target healer with Penance, Holy Paladin has Holy Shock on a 10-second cooldown, and Restoration Druid brings Wild Growth and Rebirth. For a first healer, Restoration Shaman and Holy Paladin have the fewest buttons, while Restoration Druid asks you to plan your heals over time ahead of the damage.

Every healing spec is ranked for leveling, dungeons and raids in our WoW Forever healer tier list.

Best DPS Class

Survival Hunter, Fury Warrior and Demonology Warlock lead early level 60 simulations, which are a forecast, not final numbers. For a damage dealer the raid spot matters as much as the numbers: Warlock is the safest damage spot because raids want several for curses, while Hunter, the most played class on the beta, faces the heaviest competition. Rogue brings no raid-wide buff but is built for the top of the single-target meters.

Every spec is graded for leveling, dungeons, raids and PvP side by side in our WoW Forever tier list for classes and specs.

Best Class for PvP

Shadow Priest, Hunter and the Soul Link Warlock are the strongest picks across battlegrounds, world PvP and duels. Kargoz calls the Forever Hunter "the puppeteer control class" now that traps work in combat, and pet abilities such as the Crocolisk's Dismember cut the healing a target receives. Arms Warrior and Retribution Paladin hit hard but need a healer behind them to shine.

Tips for Choosing Your Main

These habits come from players who rerolled on the beta and wished they had thought it through earlier:

• Play past the slow start. Take a Warlock to the Voidwalker at 10, a Warrior to Victory Rush at 20 and a Druid to Cat Form at 20 before you judge them.
• Test two or three classes to level 25. Each class pays a Legacy point the first time your account reaches 25 with it, so a test character is never wasted. Our WoW Forever Legacy Points guide explains what those points unlock.
• Don't pick a class for its beta numbers. Sour Mouse warns against choosing Paladin just because it was tearing through the beta, while Blizzard was still tuning Holy Strike, and the October 15 build cut the spell power scaling of Consecration by more than half.
• Pick a Hunter for how it plays, not for the pet. Lone Wolf gives Marksmanship 20% more damage with no pet out, and Survival fights in melee.
• Remember that Stealth costs experience. Every mob a Rogue or Druid sneaks past is one it doesn't kill, so skip only what stands between you and the quest.
• Don't roll a healer only to get groups. You will find groups fast, but when somebody dies, the group looks at you.
• Write down each class's chores and ask whether you can live with them every evening for months.
• Check what your friends or guild are missing. A tank or healer who forms the group never waits, and a sixth Hunter in a guild with five will sit on the bench.
• On a hybrid, keep a second gear set for your other role. Dual spec unlocks at level 40, so a Shaman with a Restoration set gets invited as a healer when nobody needs damage.
• Do a field test. GrayMaine's advice is to stop asking whether a class looks cool and ask whether you enjoy pressing its buttons. Montages of PvP kills tell you nothing about the 40th hour.
• Use professions to back up the class. Enchanters craft their own wands, which Priests, Mages and Warlocks shoot between spells to save mana.
• Judge a class in a dungeon, not only solo. A class that feels great alone can feel different when you are the healer nobody else wants to be, so run at least one dungeon on every class you test.
• If your class is popular, start the group yourself. A Hunter or Rogue who forms the group and offers to share the dungeon quests rarely waits long for a run.
• Check your race before you settle. Undead are now the only Horde Paladins, the Dwarf is the only Alliance Shaman, and the new Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue or Warrior on both sides, plus Mage as High Order Skyborne and Shaman as Windshaper Skyborne. Every combination is listed in our WoW Forever races and classes guide.
• Playing on a controller? Controller support launches in a beta state. Stances, forms, pets and auras sit in flyout menus, so classes that switch them often, such as Warrior and Druid, take a little more setup.
• Still torn between two? GrayMaine's advice is to flip a coin: the moment it lands, you know whether you hoped for the other class.

Sour Mouse's rule of thumb fits every class: pick "the one whose good parts sound exciting and whose annoying parts you can live with."

More WoW Forever Class Guides

These guides take the choice further, from raw rankings to the road to 60.

WoW Forever Most Fun Classes FAQ

These are the questions players ask most often while they choose a main before launch.