WoW: Forever builds for every class

Tier list

What changed for every class

Trees keep the Classic shape, with 51 points at level 60. The difference is in the gold talents: on top of the 11, 21 and 31-point milestones there's a new 16-point milestone.

• Buff talents such as Blessing of Kings, Improved Mark of the Wild and Divine Spirit are baseline now. Don't spend points on them.
• Hit and crit are merged: the same number counts for melee, ranged and spells.
• Dual Spec unlocks at level 40.
• Every race now has 2 active and 2 passive racials. Some names differ between sources, so check in game.

New race: Skyborne

Starts on Zephras Isle (levels 1 to 12) and picks its faction at character creation.

New race/class combos

With Dwarf Shaman and Undead Paladin, both factions get Paladins and Shamans.

Calculators

• Warcraft Tavern: builds go at the end of the link, after #?t=.
• wowforevertalents.com: launch-client data (build 1.60.1.70707).
• Method and wowforever.tools.

Warrior

Arms and Fury are DPS; Protection tanks.

What changed

• Rage from damage taken ignores armor and absorbs; Rage from damage dealt scales with weapon speed. Crits give more Rage.
• Tactical Mastery is baseline at 14 and keeps 10 Rage on stance swap.
• Victory Rush at 20 heals 10%. Recklessness, Shield Wall and Retaliation no longer share a cooldown.
• Thunder Clap works in Defensive Stance. Weapon specializations became Weaponmaster. Battle Shout is raid-wide.
• 30 Oct hotfix: Revenge is 25% of AP at every rank.
• Warcraft Tavern says overall Rage still feels lower than in Classic.

Leveling: Arms 26/0/0

The classic build, with high, steady damage. Calculator (the guide only published images, no build link).

1. Improved Rend, Deflection, Improved Heroic Strike, Deep Wounds and Improved Overpower. Deflection over Improved Tactical Mastery so you can reach Anger Management.
2. 2 or 3/3 Two-Handed Weapon Specialization. Spearing Strike only if you fight Giants or Dragonkin.
3. Sweeping Strikes, Bloodthrill (the author's pick over Weaponmaster) and 1 point in Improved Slam.

Fury alternative (FinalBoss, levels 10 to 32):

1. 5 Cruelty
2. 5 Booming Voice (or Unbridled Wrath on PvE realms)
3. Piercing Howl
4. Blood Craze or Improved Battle Shout
5. 5 Enrage
6. Death Wish at 30
7. 2 Improved Execute

Fury hits hard but takes more damage and needs more downtime. Protection is good for big pulls; if you don't run many dungeons, swap Defiance for Improved Thunder Clap.

Endgame direction

The classic 31/20 Mortal Strike PvP build exists only as a Classic reference; its Forever version is unconfirmed.

Professions: Blacksmithing (lots of new BoP plate recipes) and Engineering.

Best races

Alliance Human (Ruthless crit) > Dwarf > Gnome > Night Elf > High Order Skyborne. Dwarf Stoneform is good for tanks.

Horde Orc > Troll > Undead > Tauren > Windshaper Skyborne.

Paladin

The 30 Oct hotfix reshuffled the Paladin tree. Any build published before then, including Warcraft Tavern's, may be invalid: rebuild it in an updated calculator at launch.

Holy heals, Protection tanks (with a real taunt now) and Retribution is melee DPS.

What changed

• Baseline: Holy Strike at 6, Seal of Fury at 10, Consecration at 20 and Lay on Hands on a 20-minute cooldown. Judgement no longer consumes the seal.
• Salvation is separate from blessings, with Mass Salvation for raids. Blessing of Kings is baseline. Seal twisting only through talents.
• 15 Oct: Consecration coefficient cut and Champion of the Light reduced.
• 30 Oct: Holy Shield damage -32%, Divine Precision down to 8% hit, Vindication no longer gives AP, Two-Handed Specialization physical-only, Conviction 3 ranks (6%), Righteous Fury learned at 10.
• 30 Oct also added Boundless Light, Oath of Light, Shieldsworn and Stoicism, and turned Holy Power into a crit-healing bonus.

Leveling: Retribution

Put your early points into Retribution even if you plan to tank later. Calculator.

Method order (updated 10 Oct):

1. Divine Strength
2. Improved Seals (Holy)
3. Holy Conduit and Pursuit of Justice (Ret)
4. Sacred Arbiter with the extra points

Ret 0/0/26 Seal of Command (Warcraft Tavern):

1. Deflection
2. Holy Conduit
3. Sanctified Judgement
4. Conviction
5. Seal of Command
6. 2 Pursuit of Justice
7. Sacred Arbiter
8. Improved Judgement
9. Vengeance or Two-Handed Specialization

It's cheap on mana and chains kills; with Consecration it handles packs. As Protection, Consecration plus Seal of Fury lets you pull big groups.

Endgame direction

Stats: no priority published yet. Professions: Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Engineering.

Best races

Alliance Human is the obvious pick for crit; Dwarf is good for its 10% physical damage reduction.

Horde Undead is the only option. Touch of the Grave is strong for tanks.

Hunter

DPS only. The pet can tank solo content.

What changed

• Aimed Shot is baseline at 20 and no longer shares a cooldown with Arcane Shot; Multi-Shot shares one with Aimed Shot instead.
• Traps work in combat (30 s cooldown).
• Pets scale with your gear. Fox is a new pet family.
• Wyvern Sting was folded into Resourcefulness.
• 15 Oct: Auto Shot needs 0.5 s standing still. 30 Oct: Pathfinding moved to Beast Mastery row 3.

Leveling: Beast Mastery

The smoothest option: the pet tanks while you shoot.

1. Bestial Swiftness and Ferocity
2. Unleashed Fury
3. Intimidation and Frenzy with the extra points
4. Pathfinding early, for mobility

Calculator: level 20 · level 30 · Marksmanship alternative. Skip Lone Wolf while leveling: the pet controls threat.

Endgame direction

Stats: Agility > Hit (effective 9% cap vs bosses) > AP/Crit/Haste. Weapon skill matters too. Professions: Leatherworking and Engineering (scopes, ammo).

Best races

Alliance Night Elf or Human (new as Hunter) for PvE; Human or Dwarf for PvP.

Horde Orc and Troll.

Skyborne, on either faction, brings rare Haste.

Rogue

Melee DPS.

What changed

• Rogues can use one-handed axes.
• Sap no longer breaks stealth. Feint's threat reduction is doubled.
• Expose Armor is stronger and stacks with Sunder Armor.
• New talents: Mutilate, Venom, Thousand Cuts, Cutthroat and Quietus.
• Poisons have more charges, stack with Sharpening Stones and Weightstones, and can crit.

Leveling: Combat

Survivability plus cleave. Calculator (no build link published).

1. Improved Sinister Strike
2. Improved Eviscerate
3. Precision
4. Riposte
5. Flawless Execution
6. Dual Wield Specialization
7. Blade Flurry
8. Hack and Slash
9. Aggression
10. Weapon Expertise
11. Adrenaline Rush

Dying a lot? Add Lightning Reflexes. Assassination (Mutilate at 21, Venom at 31) works, but isn't recommended as a first build.

Endgame direction

Stats: Agility first; Haste is strong. The hit cap is unclear, and Precision gives up to 3%. Professions: Leatherworking/Skinning, Engineering for PvP.

Best races

Alliance Night Elf for short fights, Human with swords for long fights, Human or Gnome for PvP.

Horde Orc is by far the best, then Troll.

Skyborne is weak for Rogue.

Priest

Discipline and Holy heal; Shadow is DPS.

What changed

• Fear Ward and Devouring Plague open to every race at 20. Divine Spirit baseline at 30. Shadow Word: Death at 32.
• Prayer of Healing heals the target's party. Renew stacks across different Priests.
• Racial priest spells were reworked; Gnomes get Confounding Flash and Contingency Plan. Lightwell is gone.
• 30 Oct: Shadow Word: Death backlash raised to 30%.

Leveling

Discipline and Shadow are the solo options; Holy only if you'll mostly run dungeons. Calculator (no build link published).

Discipline (wand and shields):

1. Inner Focus at 20
2. Penance at 30
3. Power Infusion at 40

Shadow: weak until about level 28.

1. Mind Flay at 20
2. Vampiric Embrace at 25
3. Silence at 30
4. Shadowform at 40

Endgame direction

Speculative level-60 splits: Discipline 31/20/0, Holy 19/32/0, Shadow 18/0/33. Unconfirmed.

Healer stats: Healing Power > Intellect > MP5 > Spirit > Crit. Shadow: Hit > Spell/Shadow Power > Crit > Intellect > Spirit. Professions: Tailoring, Enchanting, Engineering, Alchemy.

Best races

Alliance Night Elf (Starshards, Elune's Light) is strongest right now; the new Gnome Priest is deceptively strong.

Horde Undead (Touch of the Grave) is strongest; Troll is weaker than in Classic.

Shaman

Elemental is ranged DPS, Enhancement is melee DPS (it can hold small groups but isn't an endgame tank yet) and Restoration heals.

What changed

• Totem GCD is 1.0 s. Buff totems last 5 minutes. Weapon imbues last 60 minutes and stack with oils and stones.
• Windfury and Flametongue became party-wide totem buffs.
• Fire Nova is now a spell. Tranquil Air Totem is gone. New tools: Totemic Recall/Projection and Call of the Elements.
• No Bloodlust; Rage of the Farseer is a personal cooldown.
• Dwarf Shaman is new for the Alliance.

Leveling: Enhancement

The strongest leveling option. Enhancement calculator · Elemental · Restoration.

1. Mental Dexterity
2. Elemental Weapons
3. Flurry
4. Shamanistic Focus (11)
5. Stormstrike (unlocks at 25)
6. Improved Ghost Wolf (instant, usable indoors)

Endgame direction

Professions: Leatherworking, Alchemy, Engineering.

Best races

Alliance Dwarf is the only option.

Horde Orc is best; Tauren, Troll and Windshaper Skyborne (Haste) also work. Skyborne suits Elemental and Restoration.

Mage

Ranged DPS.

What changed

• Frostfire Bolt is baseline at 40 and counts as both Fire and Frost.
• New Comprehension tradeskill (scrolls). Cone of Cold lasts less.
• 30 Oct: Arcane Focus removed, Critical Mass down to 6%, Ice Barrier gives +15% Frost damage, Precision applies to all crit, Arcane Blast moved to 12% per stack and Ice Lance does 300% to frozen targets on an 8 s cooldown.

Leveling: Frost

The strongest at the beta cap. Arcane is the open-world alternative; Fire suits dungeons. Calculator (no build link published).

1. Improved Frostbolt
2. Frostbite
3. Ice Shards
4. Frost Channeling
5. Ice Lance (11-point gold)
6. Shatter
7. Ice Block
8. Cold Snap
9. Fingers of Frost
10. Winter's Chill
11. Ice Barrier

Endgame direction

Professions: Tailoring + Enchanting.

Best races

Alliance Gnome is best; Human (crit) and High Order Skyborne (haste) are situational.

Horde Orc (new for Mage) is best, with Troll close behind.

Warlock

Ranged DPS.

What changed

• Agony and Doom became Banes: one per Warlock per target.
• Curse of the Elements covers every magic school; Curse of Shadows is gone.
• Pets scale with your stats. Life Tap scales with Spirit. DoTs can crit and don't snapshot.
• Firestone and Spellstone became weapon imbues that stack with Wizard Oil.
• Troll Warlock is new.

Leveling: Affliction

Calculator (no build link published).

Levels 10 to 29:

1. Improved Corruption (instant)
2. 4 Suppression
3. Malediction
4. Improved Bane of Agony
5. Nightfall

Wand between casts. At 30, respec into drain-tanking: Improved Drains, Fel Concentration, Improved Life Tap, Soul Siphon.

As Demonology, take Unholy Power, then Demonic Brand so the pet holds aggro. Destruction is the hardest solo spec.

Endgame direction

Speculative splits: Affliction 40/11/0 and raid Demonology 0/31/20. Unconfirmed.

The Affliction tree was still moving: the 15 Oct notes swapped Malediction for Grim Reach, and the 30 Oct notes say Improved Drains replaces Wrack.

Stats: no priority published yet. PvP: Curse of Exhaustion (16) is the key kiting tool. Professions: Tailoring/Enchanting, Alchemy, Engineering.

Best races

Alliance Human (Will to Survive, Ruthless) and Gnome (Eureka!).

Horde Orc (Shatter Curse, PvP), Undead (PvE sustain), Troll (beast bosses).

Druid

The 30 Oct hotfix reshuffled the Druid tree and removed Berserk. The calculator links below predate it and are likely out of date: use them as a reference and rebuild at launch.

Covers all three roles: Balance is ranged DPS, Feral covers cat (DPS) and bear (tank), Restoration heals.

What changed

• Most consumables, racials and doors work in form. Form melee damage uses your weapon's DPS. Potions too (Thistle Tea for cats, Rage Potion for bears).
• Baseline: Nature's Grasp at 10, Revive (out-of-combat resurrection) at 12, Omen of Clarity at 20. Polearms are usable.
• 30 Oct: Lacerate became a talent, Wild Growth got a cast time, Berserk was removed, Leader of the Pack covers all crits, Shifting Power on an 8 s cooldown, Genesis 2-10%, Swiftmend needs your own Regrowth or Rejuvenation.
• The Balance changes went down badly on the forums.

Leveling: Feral

The smoothest in the open world.

1. Feral Swiftness
2. Feral Charge (20)
3. Primal Bite and Shifting Power (25)
4. Leader of the Pack (30)
5. Berserk (40) — removed on 30 Oct, pick another talent

Pre-30 Oct calculators: Feral · Balance DoT · Balance Eclipse · Restoration.

Endgame direction

Professions: Leatherworking, Herbalism, Alchemy.

Best races

Alliance Night Elf (best PvP racials) or High Order Skyborne (haste, mana).

Horde Tauren (War Stomp in form) or Windshaper Skyborne.

Skyborne Druids get their own forms.

What's still unconfirmed

• No final 51-point level-60 build, and no PvP build, has been published for any class. We'll update after November 4.
• The Druid and Paladin calculator links predate 30 Oct and are probably out of date.
• No stat priority has been published for Paladin and Warlock; the rest are level-30 estimates.
• The tier grades come from an aggregate (classicwowforever.com, 25 Oct) citing Wowhead's 6 and 8 Oct lists. We couldn't open the Wowhead pages directly, and some grades predate the 15 Oct and 30 Oct tuning.
• Some racial names differ between sources (for example Orc and Dwarf on Warcraft Tavern's pages).
• The opening date for the first raids (9 Dec) is unconfirmed.
• Talent and spell names are in English in both versions because we haven't checked the Portuguese client names yet.