With 13 unique classes and countless specializations, selecting your character in World of Warcraft can seem incredibly daunting for new and returning players. But don’t worry – by focusing on your preferred playstyle and interests, you’re sure to find a class you’ll love adventuring within Azeroth.

This comprehensive guide will break down all the key factors to consider when choosing your WoW class. Follow these tips, and you’ll end up with a character tailor-made for your gameplay preferences.

Introduction to Classes in WoW

WoW classes determine your character’s abilities, available weapons/armor, and role in groups. Your class shapes your entire gameplay experience – from combat to exploration and story.

Picking your first character or “main” is a monumental choice. You’ll be investing hundreds of hours of playtime, so you want to select a class that truly clicks with your style.

Don’t stress too much though! At the end of the day, every class can succeed in WoW with enough skill. Focus on enjoyment, not complex statistics or theoretical rankings.

 

The Importance of Your Main in WoW

Your first character serves as your main in WoW. This is the class that you’ll spend the most time playing and developing.

While you can have multiple “alt” characters, your main becomes your primary avatar in the World of Warcraft. You experience the world, story, and endgame content primarily through your main.

This means rerolling or switching your main class requires massive amounts of time releveling, regearing, and reprogessing.

For example, if you mailed a Hunter to max level and decided to swap to a Monk, you’d have to level that Monk from 1-60, gear them up, complete story quests, reputations etc.

That’s why it’s smart to put plenty of thought into your initial class selection. But once again – don’t obsess too much! You can always make alts later on.

Key Factors When Choosing a WoW Class

Keep these key decisions in mind when selecting your class:

Faction – Alliance or Horde?

WoW is split into two rival factions – Alliance and Horde. Each class is available to either faction except for:

• Night Elf, Worgen – Alliance Only
• Tauren, Blood Elf – Horde Only

Pick a faction that aligns with any friends/family who play WoW. You can only group and interact with those on your faction.

Class Fantasy and Style

Do you enjoy the core fantasy of a class? For example, holy warriors (Paladins), dark spellcasters (Warlocks), or mystical monks?

Also, consider the armor style and aesthetics. Do you prefer bulky plate suits (Warriors) or graceful cloth robes (Priests)?

Pick a class with a fantasy and look that resonates with you. You’ll be spending a lot of time with your character!

Preferred Playstyle

Every WoW class has a distinct playstyle. Consider factors like:

• Melee vs Ranged – Get up close in the fray or attack from afar?
• Damage vs Healing vs Tanking – Preferred group role?
• Simple vs Complex – Do you want an easy or challenging playstyle?
• Speed vs Tactics – Fast reactive gameplay or slower strategic play?
• Pet Class – Do you want a loyal companion pet?
• Stealth – Gank enemies from the shadows as a rogue or druid?

There’s a class for every playstyle – choose one that aligns with yours.

Solo vs Group Play

Some WoW classes excel at soloing content while others rely on groups. Important factors:

• Survivability – Self-healing, damage mitigation, pets
• Crowd Control – Abilities that slow or immobilize foes
• Burst Damage – Critical for soloing difficult enemies

Classes like Hunters, Warlocks and Death Knights have great solo capability. Others like Warriors and Priests rely more on groups.

Decide how much solo gameplay matters to you. Solo-focused classes offer a smoother early leveling experience.

Beginner Friendly vs Complex Classes

WoW classes fall along a spectrum from easy to master to deeply complex.

Class	Learning Curve
Hunter	Beginner Friendly
Demon Hunter	Beginner Friendly
Warrior	Easy
Paladin	Easy
Priest	Moderate
Rogue	Moderate
Mage	Hard
Monk	Hard
Druid	Very Hard

As a new player, you may want to consider an easier class like Hunter or Warrior. They offer simpler rotations while still being very powerful.

Veterans seeking deep mastery may lean towards high skill cap classes like Monk or Druid.

Overview of Each WoW Class

Now let’s dive into the 13 classes of WoW and their specializations. This will give you a great starting point for selecting your main.

Death Knight

Armor – Plate Roles – Tank, Melee DPS Specializations – Blood (Tank), Frost (Melee DPS), Unholy (Melee DPS/Pets)

Death Knights start at level 55 and wield dark, necromantic powers. They have excellent self-healing capabilities making them one of the smoothest solo leveling classes.

Choose Death Knight if you enjoy the undead theme and melee combat.

Demon Hunter

Armor – Leather Roles – Melee DPS, Tank Specializations – Havoc (Melee DPS), Vengeance (Tank)

Demon Hunters sacrifice everything for their all-consuming mission against the demonic Burning Legion. They boast unrivaled mobility and brutal fel magic attacks.

Pick Demon Hunter for outrageous speed and fluid acrobatic combat.

Druid

Armor – Leather Roles – Tank, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS, Healer Specializations – Balance (Ranged DPS), Feral (Melee DPS), Guardian (Tank), Restoration (Healer)

Druids harness primal natural magic with incredible versatility – they can fill any role in a group. With their shapeshifting powers, no adventure is out of reach.

Choose Druid if you crave flexibility. Excellent for experienced players.

Hunter

Armor – Mail/Leather Role – Ranged Physical DPS Specializations – Beast Mastery (Pet Focus), Marksmanship, Survival

Hunters utilize bows, guns, and beasts to overwhelm foes from a distance. Their constant companions – their pets – make them phenomenal solo players.

Select Hunter for ranged weapon combat augmented by loyal animal pets.

Mage

Armor – Cloth Role – Ranged Spellcaster DPS Specializations – Arcane, Fire, Frost

Mages annihilate enemies with devastating arcane and elemental magic like Frostbolts and Fireballs. While lacking defense, their control spells make them masters of soloing.

Choose Mage to wield immense mystical power as a ranged nuker and controller.

Monk

Armor – Leather Roles – Tank, Melee DPS, Healer Specializations – Brewmaster (Tank), Windwalker (Melee DPS), Mistweaver (Healer)

Monks seamlessly combine martial arts with chi magic spells. Extremely mobile melee fighters and healers. They play faster than any other class.

Select Monk for unparalleled mobility and hand-to-hand combat. High skill cap.

Paladin

Armor – Plate Roles – Tank, Melee DPS, Healer Specializations – Protection (Tank), Retribution (Melee DPS), Holy (Healer)

Paladins are heavily armored crusaders who use holy magic to buff allies, heal friends, and vanquish evil. Very well-rounded and great in groups.

Choose Paladin to play a stalwart knight with blessings, auras, seals, and divine power.

Priest

Armor – Cloth Roles – Ranged DPS, Healer Specializations – Discipline (Healer), Holy (Healer), Shadow (Ranged DPS)

Priests harness divine and sinister magic to heal allies and destroy foes. Extremely versatile magic users with heal, damage, and utility. Great solo leveling.

Select Priest if you enjoy traditional cleric archetypes throwing buffs, debuffs, heals, and harmful magics.

Rogue

Armor – Leather Role – Melee DPS Specializations – Assassination, Outlaw, Subtlety

Rogues ambush and control enemies using stealth, poisons, and dirty tricks. They lack defense but can instantly dispatch foes with huge burst damage.

Choose Rogue for stealthy gameplay, critical strikes, and slick subterfuge.

Shaman

Armor – Mail Roles – Ranged DPS, Melee DPS, Healer
Specializations – Elemental (Ranged DPS), Enhancement (Melee DPS), Restoration (Healer)

Shaman wield the power of the elements along with totems that support the party. Jack-of-all-trades with great magical offense, defense, and healing.

Pick Shaman for elemental spellcasting and melee fighting combined with spirit animal magic.

Warlock

Armor – Cloth Role – Ranged DPS Specializations – Affliction, Demonology, Destruction

Warlocks utilize sinister feel energy and demonic forces to overwhelm foes with affliction and destruction magic. Their pets make them phenomenal solo players.

Choose Warlock for controlling demons, vampiric draining of life, and mastering forbidden magics.

Warrior

Armor – Plate Roles – Tank, Melee DPS Specializations – Arms (Melee DPS), Fury (Melee DPS), Protection (Tank)

Warriors are the personification of blood, steel, and physical prowess. These plate-clad berserkers can both dish out and absorb tons of punishment.

Select Warrior if you want to scream barbaric war cries while charging into the heart of battle wearing full-plate armor.

Evoker

 

Armor – Cloth Roles – Ranged DPS, Healer Specializations – Devastation (DPS), Preservation (Heal)

Evokers are new dragon-infused spellcasters joining the Dragonflight expansion. They can draw from either destructive or restorative cosmic powers to devastate or support their allies.

Choose Evoker if you want to harness the ancient magics of the dragon aspects.

Additional Class Resources

For even more detailed class info, check out these resources:

• Icy Veins Class Guides
• Wowhead Class Guides
• Digital Trends Best Classes

Staying Satisfied With Your Final Choice

Here are some final tips to help you stay satisfied with your chosen class:

• Play What You Enjoy – Playstyles, not rankings, should drive your choice. Every class is viable in the hands of a skilled player.
• Try All Specializations – You may end up preferring a specialization you didn’t originally intend to play. Experiment!
• Focus On Skill – Class balance changes all the time. Mastery of your class is more important than flavor-of-the-month rankings.
• Customize With Talents – Tailor your gameplay by selecting fun talents that enable your preferred style.
• Don’t Reroll Constantly – Frequently switching classes wastes huge amounts of time. Stick with a class and master it.

Concluding Thoughts on WoW Class Selection

Picking your class in WoW can feel daunting at first but becomes much simpler if you focus on your desired playstyle and interests. Avoid overthinking it and go with what seems fun!

Creating alts gives you a chance to experiment with other styles later on. Your skill with your class matters far more than which one you pick initially.

Most importantly, immerse yourself in the fantasy of the class you select. World of Warcraft is all about becoming a legendary hero, championing your faction, and going on unforgettable adventures.

Now that you have a strong grasp on WoW’s classes, it’s time to forge your destiny in Azeroth! Which class will you choose?

Frequently Asked Questions about WoW Classes

1. Should I just play the “best” class?

No – you should play what seems fun, not the so-called best class. Every class is viable if played well. The best class is the one you enjoy playing the most.

2. Can I play solo as any class?

Yes! While some classes excel at soloing more than others, all classes can progress through solo content. Certain specs like Beast Mastery Hunter are extremely solo-friendly.

3. How long does it take to level a character to max?

For experienced players leveling efficiently, count on around 6-10 hours typically to go from level 1 to 60 (the current cap). For newer players taking their time, it often takes 20-40 hours.

4. Should I play the same faction as my friends?

Definitely coordinate factions with friends if you want to play together. You can only group cross-faction for instanced PvE content, not world gameplay.

5. Can I change specializations freely?

Yes! You can easily change your specialization any time you’re out of combat. So feel free to experiment with different specs. Some even use different ones for questing vs dungeons/raids.