When we hear PvP some blood runs cold, some shivers go through our spine and we have visions of Mines, Farms and enemy generals. Knowing what to play isn’t just a casual choice if you want to be good. The following are my picks as top tier PvP classes, from experience and fellow player input. Not a definitive list.
Number 10: Windwalker Monks
We walk on the very air you breath, beware.
The Wind walkers have always been a great class to play in PvP. This spec of the monk class has great mobility. Pair this with self-healing gives the Wind Walker Monks a strong advantage over many classes.
The class has TWO rolls. This makes them a very mobile class that is hard to pin down. Their ability to make a stand is impressive due to their Whirling Dragon Punch and Fist of Fury cleave.
Monks have the destructive ability: Touch of Death. This execute ability can lead the Wind walker Monk to getting that killing blow. 35% of your maximum health inflicted after 8 seconds. BUT to add on top of that the fact that you get an additional 10% of the damage done during the 8 seconds is amazing! Lining up all your cooldowns could result in a major damage burst.
Fortifying Brew is another amazing monk ability. By increasing your hp 20% this spell also decreases all damage taken by the same amount! This not only gives you a big boost in hit points, but it also affects the amount healed with a health stone when you have a Warlock in your party. With the Expel Harm ability you also get a selfheal that grants a (120% spell power) heal. This spell also deals 10% of the amount healed as nature damage to an enemy within 8 yards.
These are some of the reasons Wind walker Monk is great in PvP:
- Self-Healing
- Great Mobility
- Good Cleave Damage Windows
- Defensive Toolbox with HP and Damage Manipulation
Number 9: Shadow Priest
The darkside of the Parsonage
Shadow Priests! The OPness has transferred from PvE raiding to the Battlegrounds and arenas. This impressive class brings a lot to the table the fact remains that even though you can deal damage, you heal! Also you have many other methods of offensive and protective mastery .
Abilities such as Void Shift, Leap of Faith, and Power Word: Shield, are a few of the defensive abilities in the line up.
With abilities Like Void Shift and Leap of Faith, your ability to be a support class is saved while still being able to lay down some heavy damage. Void Shift allows you and your party member’s healt percentages to be swapped while Leap of Faith pulls a party member to your spot. A double whammy of saving a party member!
On the offensive you have a toolset that will be a big roadblock to any opposing team. With abities to fear the poor victims that have stumbled into your Black Smith like Psychic Scream and Psychic Horror, you’ve got disruption covered!
If you’re really feeling cruel and have that golden opportunity, there’s always Mind Control. We’ve all know the pain of being mind controlled off a ledge or bridge. Causeing that greif is one of the perks of being a Shadow Priest!
These are some of the Preistly Perks that make shadow preists great in PvP:
- Heals and Damage Hybrid
- Great Single Target Damage
- Party Saving Abilities
- Fear Bomb(s)
- Mind Control Shenanigans
Number 8: Affliction Warlocks
Breath in the corruption
The Warlock has always been a mainstay in meta-WoW. “World of Warlock”? Their ability to spread damage over high amounts of other players is a huge draw to the class. Their utility toolbox is very powerful. Fears and snares, not to mention personal HP potions are included in this toolbox.
The ability to fear another player puts you at a prime advantage. Not only is it a first-rate interrupt, but a massive break in gameplay. With the fear the opposing player has about 3 options.
Let the fear run out. Use an auto break (auto pvp trinket). Or use the pvp trinket which breaks the control upon use. If using a class such as a Paladin popping the bubble itself.
Letting the fear wear off is the potential worst as it takes away any opportunity for retaliation. The auto trinket is nice, no reaction time so you can go get revenge on the lock who feared you. However, this can only happen once a minute, making it second in reactions. The pvp trinket or a bubble could be the best due to the ability to choose when the ability is activated. The biggest thing with this option is reaction time.
The thing that makes Affliction Locks what they are is of course their DOTs (damage over time). This is the ability that gives them their spread damage. While applying multiple DOTs to as many targets as can be selected the pressure that locks provide is amazing.
Health Stones are a vital aspect of Warlock life. The “Lock Rock” is a personal healing potion that is always available.
The ever-faithful Felhunter can silence and eat buffs to deal damage. The ability to lock someone out of their school of magic for 6 seconds is a game changer.
The ability Sacrolash's Dark Strike comes from the legendary crafted item. This ability snares any opponent affected by your Corruption by 50%. As a bonus the damage of Corruption is increased by 15%!!!
These abilities are what make Affliction Warlocks superb in PvP:
- Fears
- Interrupts
- Great Spread Damage
- The Pet
- A 50% Snare from Legendary
Number 7: Beast Mastery Hunter
FETCH!!!
The beast mastery hunter has a lot going for it. The best mastery hunter’s ability to deal the massive amounts of damage that it has access to is compounded by the fact it’s ranged!
Putting pressure on the enemy with their pets in combination with frost traps creates a noticeably big problem for the other team.
With the advent of their mobile play style, the BM hunters can deal damage on the move. This is due to their spells being useable while moving. With no need to stand in one spot and cast this sets BM Hunters in a great spot. You can simply lay a Frost Trap to snare an opponent and send in the forces. With the added ranged damage, the hunter’s pets go to town and start pummeling the opponent with moves like Kill Command!
These are the traits that give the Beast Master hunter their edge in PvP:
- Strong Ranged Damage
- Good Mobility
- Damage Even While CC’d
Number 6: Holy Paladin
Here come some Holy Light! Enjoy the illumination!!!
My personal favorite is the Holy Paladin. A healer turned Wambulance in certain situations.
To start off with is the spell Beacon of Light. When you heal the target, you get 1 holy power if you heal with “holy flash” or “holy light”. This also heals the Beacon of Light for 50% of all healing you do to your other targets.
Your big holy power spender, Word of Glory, costs 3 holy power for one big heal. Paired with the talent Divine Favor, you have a 15% chance to be able to cast a second (if not more with multiple procs) Word of Glory for free!
Your second Holy Power spender is Light of Dawn. This spell heals up to 5 targets in a cone in front of the Paladin who are within 15 yards.
The defensive toolbox of a holy paladin has the many blessings.
Blessing of Freedom, Blessing of Protection and Blessing of Sacrifice. Blessing of freedom is your most powerful, giving you or a party member freedom from slows and snares!
Another part of the holy paladin kit is Divine Protection. This spell makes you take 20% less damage for 8 seconds!
When choosing talents, you can also spec into a somewhat strong single target DPS character. Taking the Crusader Might talent, Divine Purpose talent and the Avenging Crusader talent you have a small burst damage window. Your Crusader Strikes cooldown quicker and hit 30% harder with Avenging Crusader. Also, healing you AND your teammates for 250% of the damage done. The effects translate to Judgment as well. The Crusader Strikes also reduce cooldown on Holy Shock by 1 second per strike.
Powerful Traits that make the Holy Paladin a force for the light in PvP:
- Strong Healing with Blessing of Light on Self
- Great Defensive Toolkit
- Ability to Spec into Decent Damage.
Number 5: Assassination Rogue
Poisons from the shadows will claim you
The Assassins of WoW, the rogues carry the one unique trait that has drawn so many to its path: stealth. The way of the Shadows also packs a huge punch in damage and maybe even more impactful: healing reduction!
The ability to be a stealthy is one of the most broken mechanics in the game. You know that feeling when you have been running to the biggest objective, trying to make it to your group, kick, kidney punch, kick, kitchen sink. You are stuck on your mount and have no escape other than a bubble, a miracle or of course skill.
The secret power from the shadows have many different forms. Perhaps the biggest is the healing reduction from Wound Poison. With 5 stack the healing reduction is at 20% and 23% if you’ve picked up the Master Poisoner talent.
Here are the Assassination rogue’s reasons for being great in PvP.
- Stealth
- Healing Reduction
Number 4: Restoration Druid
Did that tree just move?!
The restoration Druid is very well known among pvp players. It is hard to chop down the tree when it’s jumping around throwing around heals. And not just on itself! The restoration Druid is the Affliction lock of all heals. And did I forget about the travel form?
Heal over time. HoTs are the crazy ability that a resto druid have over all other healing classes. They can cast many spells on any amount players, and unlike conventional spells they heal each of them, over time! These passive aggressive heals make druids top the heal charts with ease.
With the defensive ability to change different forms for each situation is many different cooldowns in one insane ability. When faced with high amounts of damage Bear Form is a saving grace. Frenzied Regeneration gives them 24% HP restoration over 3 seconds.
The next part is the ability to change into Travel form. Being able to switch into the form of mounted speed without the cast time. Also, the ability to carry flags, not being dismounted with daze, and having a retreat form is amazing.
The Points that make Restoration Druids great in PvP
- Heal power.
- Forms
Number 3: Retribution Paladin
Crimson Taurus
The winged terror! When a Ret Paladin pops the wings, the Verdicts fly! Avenging Wrath, a 20% increase to damage, healing, and critical strike for 20 seconds! This ability is on a 3-minute cool down so is not the most spammable. It is still on a very manageable cool down.
Not only can this ability roxorboxors as a dps cool down, but also as a healing cooldown as well. The heal from Holy Paladins, Word of Glory, is also in the hands of the Retribution Paladin. This makes them a very survivable class as well.
With the spell Templar’s Verdict doing 194% of the Paladin’s attack power the Avenging Wrath makes a crazy attack force. This ability requires 3 holy power, paired with the Divine Purpose talent you can sometimes pull 2 in a row!
The ability for Ret Paladins to bubble twice is also a major cooldown saver. Through Divine Shield and Blessing of Protection the Paladin gains two bubbles, that share the Forbearance debuff. The Forbearance debuff prevents any target with it to be unable to receive any spells that cause it for 30 seconds. This includes both bubbles.
These are the Wings that carry Retribution paladins to PvP Greatness:
- Strong Offensive Cooldown
- Strong Healing in a Pinch Cooldown
- Two Bubbles
Number 2: Destruction Warlock
Chaos Bolt!!!
The powerhouse of being able to one-shot players reigns supreme in PvP. With all the tuning and rebalances this is almost a thing of the past but with a Desto Lock you can down a player with 50% HP with your most destructive spell: Chaos Bolt!
With the Dark Soul: Instability spell you gain a 30% increase in critical hit! Paired with the massive amount of damage that Chaos Bolt does this is an insane damage cool down.
When you need some disruption against healers you have the ability Curse of Tongues. This ability causes the target to have a 30% increased cast time. Lasting for 30 seconds this is a death sentence to anyone who cannot pull through the depuff. This puts other spell casters, as well as healers in a bind.
Curse of Exhaustion is another devastating spell. A debuff of snaring the target for 50% slowed movement speed. Lasting for 12 seconds this spell can severely hinder enemy flag carriers or give you enough time to cast that devastating Chaos Bolt!
These are the skills that make Destruction Locks Great in PvP:
- Destructive Damage Cooldowns
- Spellcaster Debilitating Debuffs
- Snares to Seal the Deal
Number 1: Marksmanship Hunter
This is only gonna hurt a lot.
The top dog in PvP currently: The Marksmanship Hunter! The aimed flurry of arrows and the barrage of bullets cannot be denied the top spot. Opening any score board in a BG and there is likely to be a hunter (if not more than one) at the top.
The thing that makes this class so destructive is the combination of Aimed Shot and Double Tap. With the Double Tap ability, the next Aimed Shot you use will shoot an additional time! Also dealing 100% damage while not needing focus! These two abilities are what give the Marksmanship Hunter the top spot in the damage position.
But there is more to a Marksmanship Hunter than just the massive damage output! Binding shot is a set-up to the main event. The ability sets a trap that tethers any opponent that comes within 5 yards for 10 seconds. If they move from the arrow, they are rooted for 8 seconds. This ability totally sets up your next aimed shot or gives you the ability to heal or get out of danger!
The defensive cooldowns are limited but a great help. With the Aspect of the Turtle, you gain a shield that deflects all damage and reduces damage taken by 30% for 8 seconds! You can’t attack with this cooldown, but it does give you some help with survivability. To be noted this ability can be paired with Aspect of the Chetah to be a getaway machine!
The Perks that give Marksmanship Hunters the top spot:
- Highest Potential DPS in PvP currently
- Ability to Set Up for DPS or Escape
- Limited but Effective Defensive Cooldowns
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