The MMO World of Warcraft offers players a seemingly infinite amount of content, spread across nearly two decades of development, and World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is adding onto the experience with flair. PvP, however, is still PvP — while there have been meta shakeups with a few class reworks from the expansion, hardcore PvP players shouldn’t be too concerned about a class suddenly decimating the rest. Still, some classes can absolutely outshine others with utility, burst damage, and mobility. Here are the best classes that you should bring to PvP in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight.
Related: The best Fury Warrior talents in World of Warcraft Dragonflight
It’s worth noting that, for Arena playlists, singular classes are of less importance than overall party composition. Whether you’re aiming for high-survivability with burst DPS or chain-stunning foes, developing a party that can communicate clearly and has shared goals is the single most important factor in PvP, especially when going for special PvP mounts or titles. Theory crafting can help immensely with a party, brainstorming ideal configurations and win conditions that can result in something altogether new taking the season with style of spare.
Markmanship Hunter
The Marksmanship Hunter is a strong contender in PvP at the moment, with a bit of AoE harrassing DPS to offer along with single-target burns if Rapid Fire and Arcane Shot. Their utilities, such as Bursting Shot and High Explosive Trap, can foil melee and healers alike which allows your melee warriors to close the distance and finish the battle. Use Chimaeral Sting to silence the healers consistently, Survival Tactics for an obscene -90% damage taken and full dispel, and Roar of Sacrifice to guarantee survival for your party during hard burn times. Played right, the Marksmanship Hunter is the bane of PvP healers: make them your priority, and foil the rest of the team when possible.
Arms Warrior
The Warrior is an unstoppable force to be reckoned with, and has been since World of Warcraft originally launched. This melee fighter closes the distance, and can deliver consistent damage on both single targets and AoE. Dragonflight has altered this class a fair bit, though. Multiple defensive buffs, such as Ignore Pain, have been entirely removed, meaning the Arms Warrior has far less survivability. Their ability Sharpen Blade, however, consistently blocks 50% of all incoming healing to targets, and they can close the distance quickly to make enemies uncomfortable and throw their damage mitigation abilities early in the fight. A bleed-focused build, through Bloodletting, Bloodborne, and Tide of Blood can frustrate healers even further.
Holy Paladin
Strong utility, strong healing, and strong damage — some classes feel a bit more blessed than others, which may explain why the Paladin takes a keen interest in religious fervor. The Holy Paladin is the strongest in the center of the fray, with utility being offered by other players, and their self-healing bursts can madden even the most jaded PvP veterans. They’re weak to being singled out, and can’t offer much AoE healing. Glimmer of Light on the party, and Holy Shock to constantly proc heals on your party members. Mind your cooldowns, as flubbing a rotation can cost you the match quickly.
Retribution Paladin
A Retribution Paladin is a brutal playstyle to master, but once you get there, it’s one of the hardest classes to match against in PvP. They have low mobility, but high reliable damage and survivability on single-target and AoE can frustrate enemies. The abilities Blade of Wrath marries well with Blade of Justice, allowing it to proc 50% more often at an increasing rate of damage. Divine Spell is also a must, especially for arena, as it offers maximum impact if striking less than five enemies. Concentration Aura will mitigate the lasting impacts of interrupts and stuns onto your party. When the gates open, you’ll want to send Hammer of Justice onto the enemy healer, with a strategy in place to attempt to burn down a weak DPS.
Discipline Priest
The Discipline Priest is an extremely unique healer susceptible to running through mana quickly. Apply Atonement, and help the DPS burn down selected targets while keeping players up entirely through your damage output. Multiple proactive healing, such as shields and on-hit effects, keep the Discipline Priest as one of the best classes for PvP and PvE. They are tremendously susceptible to mobile enemies, and the fight needs to be quick before the Discipline Priest runs through their mana. If done properly, this Priest specialization can become the jewel of a static Arena team.
Assassination Rogue
They can die in the time frame of a single stun, as one of the squishiest classes available. That said, their utility and damage output, is simply unmatched. Use Stealth and Garrote to quickly murder backline healers before melee classes can turn around and help them, use poisons to limit healing received, and use Deathmark to help finish anyone with the gall to continue standing. Rogues are a fierce contender in PvP if their teammates can cause enough chaos for them to slip away for their dirty deeds. An expected rogue attack is a failed rogue attack, and can result in death when misplaying the slightest aspect of the class.
