Which Class Should You Play in WoW Forever? All 9 Classes Explained
Choosing your main for World of Warcraft: Forever? Here’s what each of the nine classes actually feels like to play, how they level on the beta, what’s new in Forever, and the upkeep and annoyances the character screen won’t tell you about.
By RaidForever Team
Quick summary
- There is no wrong pick: choose the class whose strengths excite you and whose chores you can live with, because you may spend hundreds of hours with it.
- Fastest on the beta right now: Paladin (thanks to Holy Strike) and Enhancement Shaman. Hunters and Warlocks remain great solo levelers.
- Most flexible: Druid can fill all four roles, and Paladin and Shaman can each tank or heal or deal damage without a new character.
- Most upkeep: Hunters (ammo, pet food, pet happiness) and Warlocks (Soul Shards, demons, health and mana). Least: Rogues and Warriors.
- Forever changed a lot: Hunters can drop their pet with Lone Wolf or fight in melee as Survival, Priests get Penance, Mages get Arcane Blast and Ice Lance, and Warlocks get Banes alongside Curses.
- Everything here is from the beta and can change before launch on 4 November.
Before you choose
The character screen tells you a class’s name and a sentence of flavour. It doesn’t tell you that one class spends half its time drinking, that another needs a bag full of arrows, or that a third barely comes together before level 20. And WoW Forever reworked every class, so what you remember from Classic isn’t always true any more.
Below is what each class feels like day to day, how it levels on the beta, what’s new in Forever, and the trade-offs to know before you commit. Hover any ability to see its WoW Forever tooltip. The beta is still being tuned, so treat the leveling notes as a snapshot, not a promise.
All nine classes at a glance
| Class | Roles | Resource | Leveling on the beta | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Tank, melee DPS | Rage | Slow start, gets much stronger with gear | Low, but gear matters a lot |
| Paladin | Tank, healer, melee DPS | Mana | Very fast right now | Low |
| Hunter | Ranged or melee DPS | Mana | Strong from level 10 | High: ammo, pet food, pet happiness |
| Rogue | Melee DPS | Energy and combo points | Good, and you can skip fights | Low to medium: poisons |
| Priest | Healer, ranged DPS | Mana | Efficient with a wand | Low |
| Shaman | Healer, ranged or melee DPS | Mana | Enhancement is strong | Medium: totems |
| Mage | Ranged DPS | Mana | Strong, with drinking breaks | Low: makes its own food and water |
| Warlock | Ranged DPS | Mana and health | Excellent solo | High: Soul Shards, demons |
| Druid | Tank, healer, melee and ranged DPS | Mana, Rage, Energy | Slow until its forms arrive | Medium: gear for several roles |
Warrior
For you if you love gear upgrades. Warriors live and die by their weapon: a new axe or sword makes the whole character feel stronger, more directly than any other class.
Warriors run on Rage, which works backwards from mana: you start a fight with almost none and build it by fighting. Arms swings big two-handed weapons, Fury dual wields for the most damage, and Protection tanks.
- Gear dependence cuts both ways. When your weapon falls behind, you feel it immediately.
- Few safety nets. No pet to hold enemies, no self-heals beyond
Victory Rush, which Forever adds at level 20. Pull two packs by mistake and you’re in trouble. - Groups will ask you to tank. You don’t have to, but if you do, you set the pace for the whole dungeon.
- Rage is still being tuned on the beta, so the early levels may feel different at launch.
Our Warrior guide covers the new Rage rules, talents and gear in depth.
Paladin
For you if you want to be hard to kill and useful to everyone. A plate-wearing knight who fights in melee, heals, and protects the group.
If you remember Classic Paladins auto-attacking things to death, forget it: on the beta, Paladin is one of the fastest levelers in the game.
- Why it’s fast:
Holy Strike, a new strike from level 6, gives you a real button to press, and 
Judgement no longer uses up your Seal. Blizzard is still tuning Holy Strike, so don’t pick Paladin only because it’s fast today. - Three roles on one character. Retribution deals damage, Protection tanks, Holy heals. Change your mind later without starting over.
- A lot of your kit is for others: Seals, Judgements, Blessings, Auras. If you only care about your own damage, much of the class won’t matter to you.
- New for the Horde: Undead can be Paladins in Forever.
See our Paladin guide for every new ability and talent.
Hunter
For you if you want a strong, safe solo class, and you like the idea of choosing what kind of hunter you are.
Traditionally one of the best levelers: once you 
Tame Beast at level 10, your pet holds enemies while you shoot them. Forever adds two more ways to play.
- Beast Mastery is the pet hunter, leaning into the animal at your side.
- Marksmanship can drop the pet entirely:
Lone Wolf gives you 20% more damage with all attacks while you have no pet out. You lose a tank in front of you, so solo play gets riskier. - Survival now fights in melee, with talents like
Predator’s Edge for off-hand damage and melee crits, alongside 
Raptor Strike. - Upkeep: your bow or gun needs ammunition, your pet needs food, and both take bag space. Pets also have happiness and loyalty to look after.
- Close range is awkward for a ranged Hunter, so positioning matters.
- New for the Alliance: Humans can be Hunters in Forever.
Rogue
For you if you want to decide when a fight starts. 
Stealth lets you slip past camps, pick pockets on the way, and strike only when your target is alone.
Rogues use Energy, which refills on its own, and build combo points to spend on finishing moves, so there’s no mana bar and no sitting down to drink.
- Skipping isn’t free. Every enemy you sneak past is experience you didn’t earn, so don’t avoid half the zone just because you can.
- Stealth isn’t armour. You fight in melee in leather; a bad pull is dangerous even with your escapes.
- Small chores: poisons, lockpicking, choosing openers, and combo points that stay on the target you built them on.
- New in Forever: Rogues can use axes, and
Hack and Slash covers every weapon type in one talent. - Great for PvP: picking your fights is a big advantage.
More in our Combat Rogue guide.
Priest
For you if saving a group that looked doomed sounds satisfying, or you like a calm, efficient leveling rhythm.
A cloth-wearing healer sounds slow to level, but Priests are actually very efficient, as long as you play them the efficient way.
- The rhythm: open with
Shadow Word: Pain, shield yourself with 
Power Word: Shield, and let your wand finish the enemy. The wand costs no mana, so you recover while still dealing damage. - Talents that help: current leveling builds start with
Wand Specialization and 
Spirit Tap, which boosts your mana regeneration after each kill. - Not for spam casters. If you want to press your biggest spell over and over, you’ll run dry quickly.
- Healing comes with responsibility: when someone dies in a dungeon, people look at the healer.
- New in Forever:
Penance for Discipline, and new options for Holy and Shadow. Gnomes can be Priests too.
Shaman
For you if you like having an answer for everything. Lightning, totems, a weapon, healing: a Shaman has a tool for every situation.
Elemental casts, Enhancement fights in melee, and Restoration heals. On the beta, Enhancement is looking especially good for leveling: most of your damage comes from your weapon, so your mana lasts, and you still have shocks, heals and 
Lightning Shield.
Ghost Wolf at level 20 makes you 40% faster, which matters a lot before your mount. Improved Ghost Wolf shortens the cast and, new in Forever, lets you use it indoors.- The toolbox is the class. Different totems for different situations, weapon enhancements, shocks and heals. Exciting for some players, exhausting for others.
- Mana still matters if you cast and heal aggressively.
- Who can play one: Dwarves can now be Shamans, and Horde Skyborne can too.
Mage
For you if you want control and convenience. 
Frost Nova freezes enemies in place, 
Polymorph takes one out of the fight, and you get to blast everything from range.
Arcane, Fire and Frost all get new tools in Forever: 
Arcane Blast and 
Missile Barrage for Arcane, 
Heating Up for Fire (much like Hot Streak), and 
Ice Lance with 
Fingers of Frost for Frost.
- You will drink. Mana breaks are part of leveling a Mage, but you conjure your own food and water, so you’re not paying for it.
- Control is your armour. Frost in particular keeps enemies away. Lose control of a fight in cloth and you’ll know it fast.
- Travel:
Teleport: Stormwind and the other city teleports from level 20, and portals later. Over the life of a character that saves hours, and other players will ask you for portals. - Who can play one: Orcs can now be Mages, and Alliance Skyborne can too.
Warlock
For you if you want a self-sufficient caster for lots of solo play. You bring your own demon, wear enemies down with damage over time, and trade health for mana.
Affliction is about damage over time and drains, Demonology about your demons, and Destruction about direct spell damage.
- Why it solos so well: your demon fights with you, your damage over time keeps ticking while you do something else, and
Life Tap turns health into mana, so you drink far less than a Mage. - Chores: Soul Shards take bag space, each demon has its own job, and you juggle health, mana and several effects at once.
- New in Forever: Banes are separate from Curses, like
Bane of Agony, so you can put more effects on one enemy. Trolls can now be Warlocks. - Give it time: try one at least until you can
Summon Voidwalker at level 10 before you decide.
Druid
For you if you change your mind a lot. A Druid can tank, heal, and deal damage in melee or at range, all on one character.
The catch: the class arrives in pieces. If you reach level 5 and wonder what the fuss is about, keep going. You haven’t met the real Druid yet.
- Forms unlock as you level:
Bear Form at level 10 makes you tough and safe, 
Cat Form at level 20 adds faster damage, and more forms follow, including one for swimming. - Still being tuned: Blizzard has kept adjusting the early Druid on the beta, so the first levels may change before launch.
- Lots to learn: each form has its own abilities, and playing several roles may mean carrying several sets of gear.
- Skyborne Druids get their own druid forms, on either faction.
Picked your class? Skip straight to 60
Still can’t decide?
| If you want… | Look at |
|---|---|
| The fastest leveling on the beta | Paladin, Enhancement Shaman |
| The safest solo leveling | Hunter, Warlock, Paladin |
| To tank | Warrior, Paladin, Druid |
| To heal | Priest, Paladin, Shaman, Druid |
| One character for every role | Druid |
| Little upkeep | Rogue, Warrior, Paladin |
| To travel faster | Mage (teleports and portals), Shaman (Ghost Wolf) |
| To choose your fights | Rogue |
| Your gear to matter most | Warrior |
In the end, don’t pick the class someone calls the best. Pick the one whose good parts sound exciting and whose annoying parts you can live with. Once you’ve chosen, read our leveling guide for the road to 60, and our Skyborne guide if you’re tempted by the new race.
FAQ
What is the best class for beginners in WoW Forever?
Paladin and Hunter are the most forgiving: Paladins wear plate and heal themselves, and Hunters have a pet to hold enemies from level 10. Warrior is rewarding but less forgiving of bad pulls.
What is the fastest leveling class in WoW Forever?
On the current beta, Paladin is leveling very fast thanks to Holy Strike, and Enhancement Shaman is also strong. Hunters and Warlocks remain excellent solo levelers. Tuning can still change before launch on 4 November.
Can Hunters play without a pet in WoW Forever?
Yes. The Marksmanship talent Lone Wolf gives 20% more damage with all attacks while you have no pet out, and Survival has been reworked into a melee spec.
Which classes can do every role in WoW Forever?
Druid can tank, heal, and deal melee or ranged damage. Paladin can tank, heal or deal melee damage, and Shaman can heal or deal melee or ranged damage.
What new race and class combinations are in WoW Forever?
Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin. The Skyborne can be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues and Druids on either faction, plus Shamans on the Horde or Mages on the Alliance.
Did you like the article?
Be the first to rate this guide.
