With the final patch of the 8th expansion for World of Warcraft now upon us in the wake of the release of Eternity's End, Shadowlands 9.2 has brought back tier sets in the theme of classes, the sprawling new zone known as Zereth Mortis, and an exciting new raid called Sepulcher of the First Ones.
Of course, Patch 9.2 also brings with it a plethora of changes to the different classes. This list intends to discuss and analyze the best DPS classes and their respective specs for the current content update.
10. Destruction Warlock
Warlocks running Destro builds are receiving the best set of changes out of all 3 specs going into Mythic+ Season 3. In general, the spec is extremely flexible and can thrive in a wide array of environments.
- Strong single target bursts
- Effective cleaving
- Lack of movement
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: Ritual of Ruin, the 2-piece set bonus, allows for the next upcoming Rain of Fire or Chaos Bolt to be cast for free after the 10 Soul Shards are used.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus, Avatar of Destruction, summons forth a Blasphemy after the 2-piece bonus grants a free cast.
Given the current state of things, Destruction Warlocks are boasting one of the highest AoE damage dealing profiles across all DPS classes this patch, and are ideal for any composition.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Horns of the Demon Star (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Mantle of the Demon Star (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Robes of the Demon Star (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Grasps of the Demon Star (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Leggings of the Demon Star (Halondrus)
- Trinket - The First Sigil (Prototype of War)
- Trinket - Scars of Fraternal Strife (The Jailer)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus can be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from the 5 main slots including Helm, Chest, Shoulders, Legs, and Gloves as long as they are of identical item level. Of course, you should still be equipping the highest item-level pieces you’re able to get your hands on.
9. Marksmanship Hunter
Hunters specced into Marksmanship are noted as one of the best overall DPS in the current meta given their high output of AoE-burst damage. The harmonious combination of their passive Trick Shots talent and cooldown for Trueshot make their burst damage reach impressive numbers.
- Versatile movement
- Strong AoE bursts
- Bloodlust
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: Focused Trickery, the 2-piece set bonus, allows for Trick Shots to up the damage of all affected shots by up to 30%.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus version of Focused Trickery grants a single charge for Trick Shots at the expense of 40 Focus.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Godstalker’s Sallet (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Godstalker’s Pauldrons (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Godstalker’s Hauberk (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Godstalker’s Gauntlets (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Godstalker’s Tassets (Halondrus)
- Trinket - The First Sigil (Prototype of War)
- Trinket - Scars of Fraternal Strife (The Jailer)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Legs, Gloves, and Chest as the Helm slot is to be reserved for the legendary, Memory of Unity. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
8. Elemental Shaman
The greatest strength in the Elemental spec for Shamans lay within the sharp AoE burst delivered by the 20-target soft-capped ability, Earthquake. A synergy between the two best legendaries from Mythic+, Seeds of Rampant Growth and Echoes of the Great Sundering, substantially improves their single-target throughput in a competitive environment.
- Balanced single-target and AoE damage
- Strong offensive cooldowns
- Bloodlust
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: Fireheart, the 2-piece set bonus, allows for Lava Burst to deal out up to 20% increased damage along with an 8-second Lava Surge proc as long as either your Storm Elemental or Fire Elemental is active.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus version of Fireburst, allows the duration of either your Storm Elemental or Fire Elemental to be extended by 1.5 seconds. If your elemental is inactive, there is a 20% chance for Lava Burst to reduce the remaining cooldown time by 10 seconds.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Theurgic Starspeaker’s Ringmail (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Theurgic Starspeaker’s Adornment (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Theurgic Starspeaker’s Howl (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Theurgic Starspeaker’s Runebindings (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Theurgic Starspeaker’s Tassets (Halondrus)
- Trinket - Grim Eclipse (Rygelon)
- Trinket - Scars of Fraternal Strife (The Jailer)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Helm, Legs, and Chest for AoE or any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Gloves, Legs, and Chest for single target. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
7. Arms Warrior
Arms warriors are strong, reliable, and easy to use. Their strength bonus can be quickly stacked and maintained almost the entirety of the duration of a fight with Tactician procs. Players of various skill levels will perform with greater consistency thanks to not having to rely on heavy RNG.
- Consistency
- Lack of RNG
- Fast, reliable procs
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: The 2-piece set bonus allows for Colossus Smash to last an additional 3 seconds and increases damage to enemies by up to 5%.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus version has Tactician providing a 50% increased proc chance against enemies affected by Colossus Smash and causes one’s next Overpower to grant as much as 8% Strength for 15 seconds.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Gaze of the Infinite Infantry (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Pauldrons of the Infinite Infantry (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Breastplate of the Infinite Infantry (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Grasps of the Infinite Infantry (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Legguards of the Ultimate Threat (Halondrus)
- Trinket - Old Warrior’s Soul (Sylvanas Windrunner)
- Trinket - Gavel of the First Arbiter (The Jailer)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Helm, Gloves, and Chest. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
6. Windwalker Monk
Monks specced into Windwalker provide exceptional damage for AoE and powerful group utility with the help of Leg Sweep and Tiger’s Lust. Compared to their other specializations, raw output for damage is supreme. In addition to several key defensive cooldowns, they are the only class capable of providing a 5% increase to physical attack damage as a result of Mystic Touch.
- Strong AoE damage
- Versatile movement
- Strong physical damage bonus
- Lack of single target
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: The 2-piece set bonus, Fists of Primordium, allows for the damage output of Fists of Fury to increase by a staggering 40%.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus, Primordial Potential, has the subsequent 3 offensive abilities after the first 10 dealing out up to 22% in additional damage.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Crown of the Grand Upwelling (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Tassets of the Grand Upwelling (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Cuirass of the Grand Upwelling (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Grips of the Grand Upwelling (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Legguards of the Grand Upwelling (Halondrus)
- Trinket - The First Sigil (Prototype Pantheon)
- Trinket - Elegy of the Eternals (Prototype Pantheon)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Helm, Gloves, and Chest. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
5. Frost Mage
One of the only specs capable of providing funnel damage in addition to single-target and AoE, a feature that can dramatically speed up encounters when performed properly. Aside from this, their AoE throughput boasts one of the strongest profiles in combination with consistent, high damage overall.
- Strong AoE damage
- Crowd Control
- Shielded glass cannon (Ice Barrier)
- Strong single target
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: The 2-piece set bonus, Frost Storm, allows for a 25% probability that a random Comet Storm will be called down on a targeted enemy. However, this cannot occur more than once on a 20-second basis.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus, Frost Storm, has enemies affected by Comet Storm taking an additional 2% damage from all Frost Spells. This effect increases by up to 10% for a spread of 8 seconds.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Erudite Occultist’s Hood (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Erudite Occultist’s Mantle (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Erudite Occultist’s Robes (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Erudite Occultist’s Handwraps (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Erudite Occultist’s Leggings (Halondrus)
- Trinket - Architect’s Ingenuity Core (Lihuvim)
- Trinket - The First Sigil (Prototype Pantheon)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Helm, Legs, and Chest for AoE or any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Gloves, Legs, and Chest for single target. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
4. Survival Hunter
Survival is witnessing the best AoE damage that the spec has ever seen throughout the Shadowlands expansion. Furthermore, it has a supreme set of party tools, most notably through abilities like Intimidation, Binding Shot, and Tar Trap. Of course, Hunters in general are one of the only two classes that can transfer threat to an alternative target through the use of Misdirection.
- Strong AoE damage
- Self-sustainability
- Threat mitigation
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: The 2-piece set bonus, Mad Bombardier, allows for a 40% probability that your next upcoming Wildfire Bomb will have no cooldown incurred upon the reset of Kill Command.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus, Mad Bombardier, increases the damage of Wildfire Bomb by as much as 30%. This bonus extends to 80% for those improved by Mad Bombardier.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Godstalker’s Sallet (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Godstalker’s Pauldrons (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Godstalker’s Hauberk (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Godstalker’s Gauntlets (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Godstalker’s Tassets (Halondrus)
- Trinket - The First Sigil (Prototype of War)
- Trinket - Earthbreaker’s Impact (Halondrus)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Helm, Gloves, and Chest. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
3. Fury Warrior
Fury sees exceptional sustained damage during cooldowns and outside of cooldowns, along with a perfect blend of single-target and AoE DPS. Their high mobility helps for sustainability. As Warriors are the only class capable of producing the buff, Battle Shout, they are critical to all melee group compositions.
- Strong AoE damage
- Self-sustainability
- Strong single target
- Mobility
- Damage mitigation
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: The 2-piece set bonus, Frenzied Destruction, grants Raging Blow an additional charge along with 15% more damage output.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus, Frenzied Destruction, increases the chance for Raging Blow to grant the player Recklessness for up to 4 seconds.
The full set is composed of 5 main slot pieces:
- Helm - Gaze of the Infinite Infantry (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Pauldrons of the Infinite Infantry (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Breastplate of the Infinite Infantry (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Grasps of the Infinite Infantry (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Legplates of the Infinite Infantry (Halondrus)
- Trinket - Gavel of the First Arbiter (The Jailer)
- Trinket - Rift-Scarred Solcrusher (Skolex)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Helm, Gloves, and Chest. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
2. Demonology Warlock
Demonology locks can expect a balance of great single target and high burst for AoE DPS. The reduced cooldown for Summon Demonic Tyrant creates plenty of nuke opportunities on high-profile enemies in rapid fashion. Interacting properly with Haste, locks are great standalone cannons for ranged groups. Just be aware that they lack mobility and party utilities.
- Strong AoE damage
- Strong single target
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: The 2-piece set bonus, Ripped From the Portal, grants Call Dreadstalkers a 100% probability to spawn another Dreadstalker.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus, Malicious Imp-Pact, increases the chance for Hand of Gul’Dan to spawn a Malicious imp by 15%. Upon being slain, the imp has a chance to deal out Fire damage equal to 85% of your current spell power to all nearby enemies of an Implosion or to a current target.
The full set is composed of 5 gear pieces:
- Helm - Horns of the Demon Star (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Mantle of the Demon Star (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Robes of the Demon Star (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Grasps of the Demon Star (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Leggings of the Demon Star (Halondrus)
- Trinket - Soulleting Ruby (Kul’tharok)
- Trinket - Scars of Fraternal Strife (The Jailer)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus can be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from the 5 main slots including Helm, Chest, Shoulders, Legs, and Gloves as long as they are of identical item level. Of course, you should still be equipping the highest item-level pieces you’re able to get your hands on.
1. Subtlety Rogue
Rogues completely dominate Mythic+ and have for quite a while. Although they offer nothing in comparison to other classes and specs with respect to AoE throughput, they more than makeup for this with supreme single target damage. Contributing to their stellar performance in this category is their toolkit, with many high survivability powers like Evasion, Feint, Cloak of Shadows, and Crimson Vial.
- Strong single target
- Self-sustainability
- Great mobility
How to Build
Season 3 of Shadowlands sees the return of class tier sets. And this time, they’re available for raiders, PvPers, and Mythic+ runners.
- 2-Piece: The 2-piece set bonus, Immortal Technique, gives Shadowstrike a 15% probability to grant the buff, Shadow Blades, for up to 5 seconds.
- 4-Piece: Furthermore, the 4-Piece set bonus, Immortal Technique, increases the chance for all finishing movies to cast off Shadowstrike against 5 enemies that are within 15 yards per combo point.
The full set is composed of 5 gear pieces:
- Helm - Soulblade Guise (Anduin Wrynn)
- Shoulders - Soulblade Nightwings (Lords of Dread)
- Chest - Soulblade Leathers (Rygelon)
- Gloves - Soulblade Grasps (Lihuvim)
- Legs - Soulblade Leggings (Halondrus)
- Trinket - Cache of Acquired Treasures (Artificer Xy’mox)
- Trinket - Earthbreaker’s Impact (Halondrus)
Acquiring either the 2-piece or 4-piece set bonus should be achieved by equipping any group of pieces from 4 of the 5 main slots including Shoulders, Helm, Gloves, and Chest. Of course, you should still equip any group of pieces from the 5 main slots to achieve the maximum item level.
