World of Warcraft: Dragonflight was released on November 28, 2022. The tier list sorting, which includes information based on extensive testing, research, and parsing logs in the beta version, has also been adjusted in an update. The game will be constantly updated as it will likely see more balance changes in the near future.
Now that some features have been removed from Shadowlands, we can get an accurate picture of how classes will perform in Mythic+ and Raids in Dragonflight.
WoW Dragonflight DPS Ranking Criteria
The criteria for the DPS Tier List should consider the following:
WoW Dragonflight DPS Tier List by Class Specialization
| Tier | Expertise |
| S Tier | Havoc Demon Hunter |
| Windwalker Monk | |
| Outlaw Rogue | |
| A Tier | Enhancement Shaman |
| Demonology Warlock | |
| Assassination Rogue | |
| Devastation Evoker | |
| Unholy Death Knight | |
| B Tier | Subtlety Rogue |
| Feral Druid | |
| Balance Druid | |
| Beast Mastery Hunter | |
| Shadow Priest | |
| Frost Mage | |
| Fury Warrior | |
| C Tier | Elemental Shaman |
| Arcane Mage | |
| Retribution Paladin | |
| Arms Warrior | |
| Fire Mage | |
| Destruction Warlock | |
| Frost Death Knight | |
| Affliction Warlock | |
| D Tier | Survival Hunter |
| Marksmanship Hunter |
S Tier (S Tier)
The best DPS features in Dragonflight for Raids and Dungeons will be at the top of the damage meters in almost every encounter, both Single Target and Multi-Target, providing significant benefits for the group.
Havoc DH
Havoc Demon Hunters have changed their playstyle a bit since Shadowlands with the revamp of their skill tree. Their mid-pack damage has been increased significantly since the last expansion, and therefore will likely do more damage than before.
From testing in Dragonflight Beta we believe this will be the best feature for both Mythic+ and Raids. With Chaos Brand and Darkness they really do have a great benefit and with Netherwalk they have great survivability.
Windwalker Monk
Windwalker Monks dominates the DPS counters in season 4 of Shadowlands, and we don't expect that to stop. Most of the core games remain intact and are further accelerated by pre-patch changes to the skill system.
They mostly excel in AoE situations and so are expected to be great in Mythic+ content while getting a buff for their single target damage against Shadowlands. The tools they provide are Mystic Touch, Generous Pour, and Close to Heart. They also have great survivability with Touch of Karma, Fortifying Brew, Dampen Harm, and Diffuse Magic.
Outlaw Rogue
Outlaw Rogues seem pretty strong so far in terms of DPS, with their damage mostly focused on Single-Target. The best outlaws are currently defeating assassins on DPS meters, but the skill ceiling seems pretty high with Outlaw expertise. To maintain high performance levels you really need to be able to keep up with getting all the right skills at the right time, which perhaps brings this specialization down a notch for the average player.
Outlaw Rogue gets a ton of flexibility with the new ability update, and the option to pick up a lot more abilities than was possible in the past. They provide the Atrophic Posion debuff and have many different survival cooldowns.
A Tier (A Tier)
These specializations are typically at the top of the DPS charts for Single-Target matches, but they also have good AoE potential. They will also likely bring important power-ups and tools that many groups will want to consider.
Enhancement Shaman
Enhancement Shaman received improvements in terms of AoE / Mythic+ as well as CC. New skill options for Evolve Shamans offer many options that are not just one or two options. This flexibility in playstyle and versatile damage in every aspect of the game make it even more attractive to players.
Windfury Totem provides an excellent damage boost and has a number of tools from totems and spells, as well as a number of survival cooldowns such as Astral Shift, Astral Bulwark, Earth Elemental, and Brimming with Life.
Demo Warlock
Demonology Warlocks sticks to their expertise and offers many demons to summon and defeat your enemies. The damage outputs in beta looked reasonable but not surprising as we saw in the pre-patch. They have adequate Single target damage and great Cleave and AoE damage abilities. They have a multitude of defensive abilities that make them an absolute powerhouse for survival.
Assassination Rogue
Assassination Rogue is up with some of the best Single Target damage from pre-patch. However, this feature hasn't changed much from Shadowlands, so we don't see a huge increase in area damage. In Mythic+ they combat chaining as their abilities work better with stealth, but otherwise you can always switch to a different feature for great performance.
Devastation Evoker
Devastation Evoker was not performing well at all prior to the patch, but in beta it performs really well in AoE fights and their Single Target damage is decent. While their playstyle is a strange short-range DPS, they respond to it with some really great mobility.
They bring Bloodlust/Heroism and have an interesting survivability with Renewing Blaze and Obsidian Scales.
Unholy DK
Unholy Death Knights will always have one of the strongest explosion stages of the specializations available. Although their damage is good, they are unfortunately lagging behind in Mythic+ settings if their draw is not too great. Their survivability is high, but they don't benefit the group much apart from Death Grip and Anti-Magic Zone.
B Tier (B Tier)
These specializations usually excel only in damage, utility, or survivability.
Subtlety Rogue
Subtlety Rogues outperform single-target focus on AoE and Cleave, and they're in the middle of the pack. However, they lag behind other rogue specializations for both types of encounters. This specialty is really hard to master. There are many changes to how to play with the new skill system for the sub-bandits, making it somewhat of a fun gameplay experience.
Like other Rogues they have some really good vehicles, but they make the most of Cloak of Shadows and have great mobility with a second Shadowstep.
Feral Druid
Feral Druids were seeing massive damage performance pre-patch thanks to some poor balancing oversight, but in beta that's a different story. They have some of the best AoEs but not very strong Single Target damage. Feral Druids can provide Mark of the Wild, Innervate, Stampeding Roar and for utility and have good survivability with Nature's Vigil, Survival Instincts, Barkskin and Predatory Swiftness.
Balance Druid
Balance Druids are getting massive buffs for Dragonflight in the pre-patch, while other classes are taking the lead. His bursts and AoE damage are still really high when combining certain abilities. They don't have much survivability and can sometimes lag behind in Mythic Plus if fights are too short.
Beast Mastery Hunters
The Beast Mastery Hunters feature is well suited for mobility as you can use almost all of your skills on the go, which makes the feature's survivability quite surprising. Being ranged DPS means you have more freedom to avoid melee damage, but most of your animals will perform at melee range. Their playstyle hasn't changed much since Shadowlands, and their survivability is good as long as they don't get hit.
Of all the hunter traits, Beast Mastery also has the highest Single Target damage, but they don't provide any obvious tools.
Shadow Priest
Shadow Priest is another class that hasn't changed much from Shadowlands . There have been some changes but not really "empowerments" so to speak. In pre-patch and Dragonflight Beta they are performing pretty moderately for DPS. While their damage isn't strong, they do provide some truly outstanding tools like Power Infusion, Mass Dispel, Power Word: Fortitude, and Vampiric Embrace. There are also many healing tools that can help improve class abilities as well.
Frost Mage
Frost Mages have medium sustained damage, but have some of the best group tools for Mythic+ and provide exceptional kite abilities with their slows, especially Cone of Cold. They have good survivability with new options unlocked due to the skill system overhaul.
A lot of flexibility has been added with the freedom to choose more abilities. Additionally, they provide buffs for Arcane Intellect and Time Warp.
Fury Warrior
Fury Warriors features both Raging Blow and Annihilator. They feel great in a Mythic+ environment and in the burst stages, but currently lack sustained DPS. An incredibly fun feature to play, these features make it a great choice for Melee Combat.
AoE damage and self-healing are also really great with Cold Steel, Hot Blood, Impending Victory, and Enraged Regeneration. They also provide Battle Shout and Rallying Cry for raid power-ups.
C Tier (C Tier)
They're specializations that don't usually top the charts and have any vehicle not covered by other high-end features. There may be some niche encounters that allow some of these traits to shine through with certain uses or mechanics, but are not generally sought after.
Elemental Shaman
Elemental Shamans are currently in a "bad" place due to skill point restrictions; they still have adequate Single Target and AoE damage and perform well on the move. All Shamans have little benefits other than what they can provide and do not have very good survivability. The gameplay of this feature is a bit more rigid and can be considered boring for some players.
Arcane Mage
Arcane Mages gain a buff in terms of utility by speculating on Dragon's Breath and/or Blast Wave. This specialization still lags behind Fire in terms of overall damage, despite having some improved single-target blast damage.
The only thing that really sets Arcane far behind is his lack of mobility and the need to cast all his spells hard. This places them much lower on the list, and they really suffer in a fast-paced Mythic+ environment.
Reject Paladin
Retribution Paladins have become more powerful than their time in Shadowlands. Avenging Wrath paired with Crusade means it's been buffed by a decent amount since Shadowlands, especially in the AoE region with Consecration, but only if targets remain stationary.
The Paladin has great benefits they bring to the group, Hammer of Justice, Blessing of Freedom, Lay on Hands and Blessing of Protection but some pretty weak defensive cooldowns.
Arms Warrior
Arms Warrior is sadly incomplete as they have to choose between Single Target or AoE. Therefore, depending on their build choices, they dominate some fights and lag a bit in other fights. Their damage has been consistent in beta, but they trust the Enhancement Shamans Windfury Totem is worth bringing.
Fire Mage
Fire Mage largely retains the same gameplay and feel as in Shadowlands. They were performing well, but Ignite has been nerfed and that really hurts the spec's damage; Blazing Barrior, Alter Time and even Ice Block.
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlocks has pretty good damage overall, but will perform poorer than Demonology if there are too many moves. It can be difficult for many casual players to master them fully, which can limit their potential. They have good disintegration potential with Havoc but don't provide any extra benefits apart from other Warlocks.
Frost DK
Frost Death Knights gameplay hasn't changed much since Shadowlands, but with the new skill system revamp, there are plenty of ways to customize and improve builds. Breath of Sindragosa synergizes with some other abilities to keep its uptime even longer, meaning longer high damage times while active. All that to say they're great at shredding damage, but weak at Single Target.
Affliction Warlock
Affliction Warlocks are near the bottom as they've only excelled in AoE, although Shadowlands has seen ridiculous numbers in the pre-patch. They probably won't be great in Mythic+ as their single-target damage will be severely lacking in AoE builds.
D Tier (D Tier)
Playing as one of these specialties will be challenging for most players. Their damage is low for both AoE and Single Target, and other stats will likely benefit more, or higher damage means faster kills.
Survival Hunter
Survival Hunter does not currently deal major damage on either AoE or a single target and must attack within melee range. They don't benefit the group much compared to many other specializations, especially after the skill revision.
If you enjoy the gameplay of this feature, go ahead and hope it improves, but if you want to beat the meters as a hunter in Dragonflight , switch to Beast Mastery.
MM Hunter
Marksmanship Hunters isat the bottom of the tier list . Skill ceilings can be very high and thus is often a more difficult specialty to master. They do some good bursts with Careful Aim for the start of the encounters, but that's about it. Also, they have good survival skills and really nothing to benefit from.
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