WoW DPS Tier List: Dragonflight 10.2 December 2023

Shadow Priests are in a pretty bad spot right now. While they did get some buffs in the latest patch, it is nowhere near what they need to be competitive with the other classes at the top of the list. Power Infusion and Power Word: Fortitude are amazing utility, but they can be brought by a Discipline Priest, which is one of the strongest healing specs right now. Shadow's execute damage remains strong, but outside of that, they are a very weak and clunky class in both Mythic+ and Raid environments.

We believe that Affliction is currently the weakest Warlock spec for 10.2. The damage profile of the class is not very good for the current dungeons in the Mythic+ season, as well as most of the bosses in Amirdrassil. Their raw damage is nothing to write home about either, and as a class with three DPS specs, most players are just going to swap to the strongest one, which leaves Affliction in the dust.

Slightly above Affliction, we have the Destruction Warlock. This spec is definitely a bit more competitive this season with the rest of the classes, with a much better damage profile that does not rely on dotting up your enemies. The big problem with these two Warlock specs is that Demonology just has far more damage available to them. With a gap this big in performance, it's just better to swap to the stronger spec. Destruction can be strong on some bosses or dungeons, but still falls behind on damage compared to the rest of the cast.

Windwalker Monk is a bit higher than our last tier list, mostly due to the small buff they received recently. Their utility is still very strong for both dungeons and raids; however, Mistweaver being a very strong healing option does not help their chances at joining groups. The awkward rotation of Windwalker also doesn't help, with the class feeling very clunky and unsatisfying to play. We believe this class needs a big overhaul or rework instead of flat damage buffs at this point.

We believe that Arms is the lesser of the two Warrior specs for Dragonflight 10.2. The spec still suffers from overcapping their rage constantly and is in need of some changes to their talents and rotations. Their damage is decent and they are definitely playable, but their slot in dungeons and raids is likely to be taken by Fury, which is currently performing much better.

Marksmanship, while being at the bottom of the three Hunter specs, is still quite good at doing raw damage. With Hunters having so little utility between them, it's no wonder that they are going to be judged solely for the amount of damage they can bring. Marksmanship can bring a ton of burst damage, which is a big asset on some fights, especially ones with a burn phase or any damage amplification. If this list was purely about damage, we would place them higher, but they are still very squishy, provide little utility and are a bit behind the other specs.

Devastation is still being plagued by the release of the Augmentation Evoker spec. Aug has been so game-changing and strong since it became available in patch 10.5 that both Devastation and Preservation are barely getting picked for dungeons or raids. Dev itself is in a very solid spot with competitive damage and a very chill playstyle, however any utility that it brings is just going to be covered by Aug. Until Augmentation gets reworked or nerfed even further, this is going to be the fate of Devastation.

At the start of the B Tier, we have Survival Hunter. Similar to the other Hunter specs, the positioning of Survival is mostly about how much damage they do. They definitely have a stronger damage profile than Marksmanship in both dungeons and raids. The newest Hunter's Mark addition has also been quite helpful for the class, helping them get a guaranteed spot in Raids. All of the classes from this point onward are definitely playable, even at higher levels, there just might be better options.

We've placed Subtlety as the lowest performing Rogue spec, but they are still in a very strong spot at the moment. Rogues are definitely the class that benefits the most from swapping to different specs depending on the dungeon or raid boss. They bring competitive damage numbers and are lower on this list only because Outlaw and Assassination can deal with the current content of patch 10.2 much better.

Elemental Shamans are quite strong in patch 10.2, but might suffer a bit due to the rise of Enhancement. The Shaman class in general is not best for mythic+ dungeons as they have limited defensives and don't bring any unique utility to the table. You can definitely be competitive with Elemental, but if you want to get the most out of the limited amount of slots you might find for the Shaman class, we recommend going for Enhancement this patch.

Arcane Mage is always a tough one to place in any tier list. This spec just requires too much coordination from your group as well as a lot of individual skill on top of that to just be able to deal competitive damage. In the hands of a strong player, we could bump the spec to the A tier and in the hands of someone just starting to learn it, we might have to create an F tier. Even at optimal play, there are some options that are much easier to play with a much better payoff at the end.

Retribution Paladins remain as one of the tankiest DPS specs in the game, which is definitely a big bonus when doing Mythic Raids and high-tier Mythic+ dungeons. The spec is definitely much better in a raid environment, as their biggest issue is that their talents don't allow them to bring strong both AoE and single-target damage at the same time. Being able to swap talents from boss to boss is a big boon for the class, which they can't really do in Mythic+. If we had to separate this into both types of content, we would place Retribution in the A tier for raids and C tier for Mythic+.

Both Frost and Unholy Death Knights are pretty much placed at the middle of the tier list. We don't really think one is much better than the other, so you can play whatever you enjoy most. Unholy got a bit of a rework a few months ago and was underperforming, so Blizzard gave them a decent buff in the last few weeks. With the addition of the new legendary axe, they are also going to get a nice boost to their damage. Their utility is not the best but they are tanky and do a good amount of damage.

Fury is definitely the stronger Warrior spec at the moment. Their Rallying Cry and Battle Shout guarantee them a spot in raids and in some compositions they can really shine in Mythic+ dungeons. There isn't much more to say about them; they are fairly tanky and bring good enough damage, it's just some classes do even more and have better utility options.

Frost Death Knights benefit a lot from having two different builds. They can switch them around based on the type of content they are doing. While they don't do as much damage as some of the specs at the top of the list, they are very tanky and their Grip can be game-changing on some fights, as well as Sanguine weeks in Mythic+.

Frost Mage is a very safe pick for patch 10.2. They are by far the most versatile Mage spec in the game and are both good in raids and Mythic+. Frost is the best for purely pugging your keys or raids as it does not require as much maintenance by yourself or your teammates. With Arcane Intellect and Mass Barrier on the table, we expect to see a lot of Frost Mages in this season.

In the middle of the Rogue specs, we have Outlaw. Outlaw rogues are in a very strong spot in patch 10.2, with their ability to shine in multi-target encounters. They bring all of the strong utility that the other specs provide while also being specialized in a certain type of damage that will surely see a lot of play for a bosses and dungeons. We recommend learning to play Outlaw so you can swap between the different specs for any situation.

Demonology is definitely the big winner out of the three Warlock specs in patch 10.2. They have the highest damage, as well as the best damage profile and cooldowns, compared to Affliction and Destruction. Having a Warlock in your raid is mandatory for some fights due to them bringing Gate and Healthstones to the table. For Mythic+, they are a bit weaker, but as a tanky class that brings Battle Rez and Healthstones, they will surely be able to do some of the highest content in the game.

Feral Druids are just slightly behind Balance, but they are much easier to play. They are a lot tankier, which is very important in patch 10.2, especially for a class that carries a Battle Rez. They bring a ton of utility between their Mark of the Wild buff and a different assortment of stuns, knocks, and roots. I think it's time for the community to start embracing Feral, as they have been in a really good spot for the entirety of Dragonflight.

Balance Druids have been one of the most polarizing specs in this patch. The potential damage they can do in AoE is certainly unmatched, but they need enough time to set up their abilities in order for that to happen. 'Why is that a problem?' you might ask. Well firstly, they are the squishiest class in the game, with over 20% more deaths than any other spec in Amirdrassil, and you can't really do damage while you are dead. In dungeons, unless you are doing really high keys (they die there too), the enemies just die before you can ramp up your damage. This class is in a bit of a weird spot and we are placing them this high purely because of their potential in the hands of a decent player.

Fire Mage is our pick for the best Mage spec you can play in PvE for patch 10.2. They are not much stronger damage-wise than Frost, but their damage profile and the way their cooldowns work feels much smoother to play this season. Mages are always going to be brought into raids for their Arcane Intellect, and since their rework in 10.1.5, they can also provide dungeon groups with their Mass Barrier for some extra survivability. If you want to focus on only one Mage spec for patch 10.2, we recommend that you play Fire.

Beast Mastery Hunter is this far up the tier list purely because of the absurd amount of damage they are able to bring. We've seen this time and again when even when a class or spec is not able to provide the most utility to your group, if they do enough damage, they are going to be invited to groups. Beast Mastery is also a very mobile spec that is able to and should be handling most of the mechanics that force you to move in raids and dungeons. For an easy class that is also very strong right now, we definitely recommend Beast Mastery!

Assassination Rogues are far and away the best Rogue spec in patch 10.2, even after the recent nerfs. They are the best Rogue option for most weeks in Mythic+, as well as most bosses in Amirdrassil. The amount of utility they provide to dungeons is always going to be unmatched, but they also have some of the highest damage in the game as well. If you are looking to only play one Rogue spec without swapping, we recommend Assassination.

Enhancement Shamans just do way too much damage to not be placed high in this tier list. This is another instance, similar to Beast Mastery, where the damage provided just outweighs any of the limitations of the class or spec. They remain a squishy class with little to no utility (except Windfury Totem), but you would be a fool to underestimate just how much damage they can dish out. This spec is going to live or die by those numbers, so we hope that Blizzard doesn't just kill it with some nerfs in patch 10.2.5.

Havoc Demon Hunters got hit with some hefty nerfs recently, but nothing close to pushing them away from the S Tier. Following their rework for patch 10.2, they have just become a lot stronger in every area, both damage, utility, and survivability. Momentum is also not a required talent anymore, which makes them a lot easier to play. We expect more nerfs to come to the Havoc spec in the coming weeks and months, as it is far and away the strongest DPS class for dungeons and it also has a guaranteed spot in raids for their debuff.

Augmentation Evokers keep getting nerfed, but it feels like it's never going to be enough. The way this spec works is just so game-changing that we don't see them dropping out of the S-tier until they get reworked or new support classes start being added to the game. They provide an overall increase in survivability, as well as damage to the entire group, while remaining pretty simple to play. We believe that this spec is going to continue to be mandatory for both raiding guilds and M+ groups for the foreseeable future.