In Season of Discovery (SoD), the Sunken Temple raid tests players'ability to maximize their Damage Per Second (DPS). This manual concentrates on tiers where most efficient classes for dealing with DPS can be found. To do this we shall examine abilities as well as utilities along side performance in both single target & AOE situations thereby finding out what makes them mandatory for any raid group that intends to speedrun or achieve high damage parses.

 

• B Tier
• A Tier
• S Tier

↖ B Tier

Though B Tier DPS may lack topping single target charts as far as damage done goes during fights , it is important never to forget about them as members of an AOE capable Sunken Temple run. 

 

1. Shadow Priests

• Single Target: As of now, shadow priests are not the best for single-target DPS. Abilities like Eye of the Void add utility rather than damage and Despair Rune does not affect DOT critical hits enough to matter much.
• AOE: Shadow Priests have become a powerhouse in AOE damage with the inclusion of Void Zone, which is great for trash packs.
• Utility: Vampiric Embrace and new ability Eye of the Void (allowing them to put Warlock curses) still make shadow priests one of the most useful classes.
• Verdict: They may not be number one choice when it comes down to boss killing power but bring some important utilities while also dealing good aoe damage on multiple targets at once during raid encounters – so should always find their place in raid composition.

 

2. Paladins

• Single Target: Even with new runes that boost core abilities like Wrath, paladins still remain behind other melee classes in terms of single target damage output according to logs.
• AOE: Paladins' burst potential shines brightest during large scale aoe pulls; this could be very useful for future speedruns targeting those kinds of situations where they excel at quickly cleaving down lots of low health minions simultaneously.
• Utility: Seal of Martyrdom will now restore more mana for raid groups than Shamanistic Rage from Shamans ever could have done before it was nerfed into oblivion by Blizzard’s balance team;
• Verdict: Despite not being top dps class overall among others its still provide strategic advantage because pala can regen allys mana too if healer needs it so badly… thus making them perfect fit for any ALLIANCE based raid group

 

3. WARLOCKS

• Single Target: Spell haste has been given through such runes as Backdraft but logs don't show them performing well in this area currently.
• AOE: Warlocks still have their vast array of AOE abilities, and with new talents like Shadowfury Volley they are even better at it now;
• Utility: The reason you bring warlock is for Curse of Recklessness which helps melee dps classes;
• Verdict: They may be weaker right now but still bring some good utility – could get buffed later on in tier if needed.

 

↖ A Tier

Mages, Druids and Shamans within A Tier. These three classes provide both damage dealing and utility talents for a group.  Mages need assistance to reach their maximum potential as a DPS class; Druids and Shamans differ with self-reliance and benefits that affect an entire raid.

 

1. Wizard:

• Single Target: When it comes to single-target scenarios, mages are far behind physical dps classes, not even high frostfire bolt damage can fix that gap.
• AOE: Living Bomb may have diminishing returns as trash mobs die too quickly on top of that for spells like living bomb to be effective, however mages rule when it comes to aoe damage.
• Utility: Mages give arcane intellect and easy portals out of sunken temple post-raid.
• Verdict: Despite their dominance in AoE this phase may be less favourable for them than previous ones were.

 

2. Druid:

• Single Target: Feral druids are competitive following the top damage-dealing classes very closely. Shapeshifting gives additional energy with the wolf’s head trophy enchant. Their scaling is greatly boosted by ancient divining rod (25 agility).
• AoE: Until the next phase feral druids are limited in AoE capabilities. However with Gale Winds enhancement balance druids (boomkins) get an enhanced hurricane spell on trash mobs.
• Utility: Druids provide off-healing and buffs such as Wild Strikes making them vital for versatility sake.
• Verdict: Druids have excellent DPS along side high utility which makes them one of the best choices for raids. Due to their Innervate support we plan on having three druids in speedrun compositions.

 

3. Shaman:

• Single Target: Enhancement shamans perform well scaling with new runes such as mental dexterity.
• AoE: Chain Lightning works well with weapon enchants which are possessed by elemental shamans but restoration shamans excel in healing since they have strong aoe abilities 
• Utility: No other class can match shamanistic rage poison cleansing totem windfury shamanistic rage raid mana regen poison cleansing shamanistic rage windfury raid mana regen poison cleansing shamanistic rage windfury raid mana regen poison cleansing shamanistic rage windfury raid mana regen poison cleansing shamanistic rage windfury raid mana regen poison cleansing shamanistic rage windfury raid mana regen poison cleansing shamanistic rage windfury raid mana regen.
• Verdict: Shamans can do both DPS and Utility quite well. Tons of different totems along with their other cooldowns make them really good for raids and they should be included in most raid groups.

 

↖ S Tier

Each of the S Tier classes—Hunters, Rogues and Warriors—have their own special advantages. No other class can match the versatility of hunters; in single-target encounters, rogues are unparalleled; while warriors rule over DPS charts. In WoW's Season of Discovery, these three classes are essential to every successful raid strategy.

 

1. Hunters:

• Melee Hunters can activate closer-range Runes like "Cadik Reflexes" and "Raptor Fury," which amplify damage dealt and shorten cooldown times.
• For Ranged Hunters, they may use the "Lock and Load" Rune to get an extra "Chimera Shot" after using a trap, while "Focus Fire" greatly increases attack speed.
• Furthermore, choosing a Dual-spec allows you to switch between melee and ranged on the fly, so you can maximize AOE damage by chaining together "Explosive Shots" with "Explosive Trap."
• They are more mana efficient than Mages.
• Utility spells include "Aspect of the Lion" for raid speed and "Trueshot Aura" for melee DPS.
• Also very strong at crowd control through methods such as "Freezing Trap," as well as raid pulling. 
• Verdict: Hunters have lots of utility which makes them versatile; this combined with their high sustained damage output justifies why they are placed in the highest tier – S rank.

 

2. Rogues:

• Single target capabilities shine brightest when equipped with runes like "Combat Potency" that regenerate energy based on swings or procs, or even cutting down rotation complexity with a talent known as "Cut to the Chase".
• Limited in AoE potential due to abilities like Shuriken Toss not scaling well enough for speedruns.
• Utility comes into play when taking into consideration that Raid wide damage is increased by things such as "Improved exposed armor", however this may be detrimental towards personal DPS gain. 
• The interruption rogue possesses called Kick is applicable for most encounters and should be used accordingly whenever needed against spellcasting mobs.
• Verdict: Rogue deals top-tier single-target DPS but lacks in multiple target situations. They bring a lot of utility but due to overlapping benefits raids may not want too many rogues.

 

3. Warriors:

• One of the highest single-target DPS in game especially during shorter fights like Atal’alarion.
• Scale well with percentage-based Runes which allow them to synergize greatly with new gear sets.
• AoE presence is maintained through skills such as Whirlwind while some opt for dual spec to take advantage of Sweeping Strikes.
• "Battle Shout" and "Sunder" are important buffs whereas "Rallying Cry" serves as a key raid wide survival cooldown. 
• Verdict: Warriors are overpowered and break S Tier expectations. You should always have them in raid for best performance.

 

Consideration should be given towards these classes when planning out what groups will make up your team for raids because not only do they bring substantial amounts of damage but also have useful skills which can help with success rate.

 

As time passes by or different tactics get discovered sometimes things change so keep up-to-date on this information so you can adjust accordingly!