Comparing Classes, finding a main for new players

Community General Discussion
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I Took forever trying to decide a main. Literally 3 hard years of trying various races with classes and analyzing damage meters / Play style.

Below was pretty much my findings however many would probably say skill issue, due to being new at every class I tried but thats part of the experince in bringing in new blood imo.

Ranged.
Hunter- Great at PVE, get good at placing traps in PVP or get rekt. only ranged class that seems to be able to move and fight at the same time and only ranged physicle damage class. Easiest rotation to learn for newer players.

Mage- Great in PVE, Get steam rolled by a rogue and generally every melee class in pvp. Doesnt apply this patch due to seemingly infinite blinks. Frost mage does amazing at melting melee due to constant CC thats almost unavoidable if good at blinking away from players.

Warlock- seems to be the second Tankiest cloth class, Does massive dmg but skill cap felt high.

Priest-Before being nerfed the tankiest cloth class and feels like the heals are OP. IMO they felt nearly indestructible in PVP and ripped my hair out every time I fought one.

Shaman- Feels like its better in melee Format vs ranged, Highly bursty but not much else to comment.

Druid (Boomkin) - I didnt get to practice this one too much, My damage felt small so I probably never caught onto the actual rotation of this spec. They seem to be Meta at the beginning of every patch in pvp imo until they get nerfed generally within 3 weeks.

Dracthyr- (Medium range) They feel like an amazing class for open world if theres ever a new expansion where you cant fly, he will get across the map very fast due to having kind of a flying racial thats limited. They are a decent support DPS class due to the racial of giving people faster movement cooldowns and able to get out of snares fast. was a hard skill cap for me , felt better in PVE but definitely fun.

Melee.
Deathknight- Loved its tank version cant get a hang of the DPS rotations of them. Loved them in PVP but being disarmed felt like a death sentence.

Paladin- ME personally did some of the most damage on this class with an auto attack build, loved their utility however if you misclick an ability and go into forbearance for the wrong reason can be a death Sentence.

Warrior- Before Demonhunter existed they felt like they had the easiest rotation for new players, Any race can be a warrior. I feel like I do less damage in Arms VS Fury but Arms is seen as Meta so maybe need to learn rotation better in that spec. They seem to be meta when in full gear but before that get beat down in PVP, Luckily this expansion (DF) has a 1400 rating and you can send conquest gear to your alts, So can easily be fitted into a secondary PVP option when your able to just send them all the gear they need.

Druid- Most OP tank with good heals and armor gain, Rotation felt boring because all you do is see them paw at things all day. Feral Druid felt like the damage needs a rework. I probably didnt get a hang of the rotation.

Rogue- Nightmare in many ways especially in open world, I liked sub the most if a player doesnt die after using your bursting cooldowns you basically vanish and cant fight well for awhile of a team fight. I felt that outlaw had the most sustainability but hard to keep track of all their mechanics. Assasin hit and miss depending on patch but a ton of fun. Had the most fun as sub but took a long time setting up the hotbar.

Monk- In BFA they felt weak to me, this expansion (DF) they seem to be much stronger and do really well at countering both warriors and DH. They have very good healing Defensives in fights. Definitely the most mobile class.

Demonhunter- Just like Hunter they feel like they have the easiest rotation. Probably the most fun cleaving AOE class in the game which does make up alot of their damage and I feel that players dont often account for that. The damage they do to single target doesnt feel very meta imo. I even felt this way before they were considered overpowered and got their nerfs. Was able to get a hang of this probably the fastest and their mobility is pretty fun, Monk feels a little faster. Definitly a great pic for newer players.

After analyzing my data over the course of years and various patches DH has felt the most viable. One of the reasons that I took so long to just not main a DH is because Vulpera was my favorite race and I loved being cute and vicious at the same time but this class feels the most fun. Someone disagreed with me in another thread on DH and said monk was better, To each their own I guess?

Note- this Expanion (DF) if someone reads this thread years later. Maybe this analysis will help out newer players.

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World of Warcraft Class Guide for New Players: Comparing Classes in the Dragonflight Expansion (Reformatted for better readability and misconceptions fixed)

Navigating the world of Azeroth and choosing a main class can be overwhelming for new players. This guide aims to provide insights into various classes and specs, based on a player’s experiences, with corrections and additional context where necessary.

Ranged Classes:

  1. Hunter: Excelling in PvE, Hunters are unique for their mobility and ranged physical damage. They’re particularly beginner-friendly with an easier rotation, though mastering trap placement in PvP is crucial.
  2. Mage: Strong in PvE, Mages can struggle in PvP against melee classes. Their blink ability offers great mobility, though it’s not infinite in any patch. Skillful use of crowd control spells is key.
  3. Warlock: Known for durability and high damage output, Warlocks are a powerful but complex class suitable for players who enjoy a strategic approach to combat.
  4. Priest: Priests, especially in their healing specs, are formidable in PvP due to their survivability. The perceived indestructibility might stem from their potent defensive abilities rather than inherent tankiness.
  5. Shaman: Elemental Shamans can be impactful with their burst damage, though they often require careful positioning. Enhancement Shamans excel in melee combat.
  6. Druid (Boomkin): Balance Druids can be powerful when played correctly. Understanding their rotation is key to maximizing their damage output.
  7. Dracthyr: A new addition, offering unique gameplay with a mix of mobility and support DPS. While they have strengths in open-world scenarios, their effectiveness varies across different types of content.

Melee Classes:

  1. Death Knight: Strong in both tank and DPS roles. Their DPS rotations can be complex but are effective when mastered. Awareness of disarm mechanics is important in PvP.
  2. Paladin: Known for their versatility and utility, Paladins require strategic management of abilities to avoid self-inflicted vulnerability. They can be potent in both damage and support roles.
  3. Warrior: Suitable for beginners, with straightforward rotations in both Arms and Fury specs. Arms is often favored in PvP due to its burst damage potential.
  4. Druid: Guardian Druids are robust tanks, while Feral Druids, though perceived as underwhelming, can be effective with the correct rotation and gear.
  5. Monk: Their performance has varied across expansions. In Dragonflight, Monks have improved, offering a balanced mix of offensive and defensive capabilities.
  6. Demon Hunter: Favored for their simplicity and effectiveness in AoE situations. Their agility and unique abilities make them an enjoyable class for many, especially new players.

Choosing a Main:

Selecting a main class should balance personal enjoyment with gameplay effectiveness. While certain classes may be popular or considered ‘meta,’ the best choice is the one that aligns with your preferred playstyle and offers the most enjoyment.

Note:

Class effectiveness can shift with patches and expansions. This guide is based on the Dragonflight expansion and may not apply to future updates. New players are encouraged to experiment with different classes and find what suits them best.

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Oh nice! this was a guide in the forums? so I was right in alot of ways lol.

Im actually a little impressed with myself seeing my own firsthand account and it being pretty close to what was posted there.

I also like that I was able to put a PVP perspective in what I wrote.

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I never really understood the concept of a “main” Sure I’ll spend more time on one toon than another but I always felt like my collection of toons were a small team working to please a single fickle overseer. Me.

The characters are there to provide a way to get to whichever goal I am working on.

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Life just gets hard and it feels better for alot of players to focus on one toon due to time management. Job, Family life and the like.

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Totally get that. Do you consider your other characters are there to support your main?

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It supported me in finding my main. I feel that an alt army can be good for farming mounts and mogs but can get overwhelming if you want to do more than that in the game with them.

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I’ve been enjoying building an alt army for the first time just recently (RIP 19% XP boost + Timewalking), but I generally feel like there is far too much to do in the game to play multiple characters seriously.

I’m still working on Renown and story quests on my main. I just discovered Eon’s Fringe quests a few days ago. I haven’t done the Furbolg quests yet. I still have Time Rifts to do. I really want Cobalt Assembly rep finished.

It feels like a endless list of tasks I care about, and spending time on a fresh 70 feels like a waste other than to occasionally take a break and try a new play style.

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I tried this at one point and was exhausted.

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I only played warlocks for the first few expansions because that was the class fantasy that appealed to me: I wanted something like an EQ necromancer type of thing (although I haven’t played EQ much at all, just the watered down PS2 spinoff that can’t actually be played anymore because the servers went down forever) and warlocks seemed closest, with the main difference being that the minions were demons rather than zombies

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Same, my dream in wow is to have all classes/specs on one char like Final Fantasy. I know it will never happen but I’d love to have everything on one toon. I might sound crazy but I would love to be able to level all classes on that character from level 1.

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I get it. I do. SWG used to be one toon per server.

For my clarity, though, you’re saying you’d want one toon that you can be a Rogue, Druid, or Warlock on?

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Yea, in final fantasy you can switch your class (job) at will. So that would be great for me.

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14

I usually have 3 classes I focus on during a season but if one or more gets boring I’ll replace it. I have 15 70s at this point. I try to avoid focusing on too many at any one time because I am The Great Forgetter of Rotations. And stat priority.

I should rename all my toons to have the stat priority at the end. So “Corvaecm.”

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holy wow… my eyebrows went up so high when I read that; I needed to take my hat off to get them back.

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I blame it on the weekly list of things to do. I usually finish up my 3 toons in the first three days, then I’ve got the rest of the week to do whatever, and I often choose to work on an alt.

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I felt this way about my rogue, but I’m not the best rogue at all. I hate the feeling of people yelling at me for learning a class.

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I have 34

A big part of how I have so many is that at the start of DF I already had loads of lvl 60 alts from SL because I enjoyed leveling in Chromie Time and was often leveling several characters at once. Also, timewalking, Cobalt Assembly pre-nerf, etc.

tbh I really only have like 3 or 4 characters that I actually play routinely

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19

I love that system. You can do EVERYTHING on one character. I have all the jobs and professions at max, on my one little guy.

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If I knew then what I know now…my ‘main’ would have been one of the following…

Death Knight…blood or unholy.
Warlock…destruction, with voidwalker.
Druid…guardian only.
BM hunter, with ferocity pet.