WoW Classic's Season of Discovery has reached the third stage, presenting new challenges and raid performance dynamics. It is important to look at how different classes are doing now, given the changes that have been made as a result of balancing plus players experiences. This guide discusses a comprehensive tier list specifying high value DPS specs, who happens to be the current "King of DPS" in melee heavy meta.

 

• How We Judge
• The King of DPS
• S Tier DPS
• Wild Druids
• Shadow Priests
• Retribution Paladin
• Elemental Shaman
• Marksman Hunter
• Fire Mage
• Throwing Shade
• Combat Rogue
• Warlocks

Tier	Class
S	Shadow, Fury Warrior, Arms Warrior, Beast Mastery Hunter, Enhancement Shaman, Assassination Rogue, Protection Warrior Tank
A	Feral Druid, Marksmanship Hunter
B	Fire Mage, Retribution Paladin, Survival Hunter
C	Elemental Shaman, Destruction Warlock
D	Balance Druid, Frost Mage, Arcane, Combat Rogue

 

↖ How We Judge

To evaluate class performance during SoD Phase 3 there are several factors we consider. Even though the raid has recently been nerfed, players have had enough time to gauge class capabilities through several raid runs. Our tier list takes into account:

Raid Contributions	How well each class contributes towards successful raids.
Stat Weights	How different stats matter for various classes.
Gear Dependency	To what extent classes depend on gear to be at optimal level.
Role Versatility	The ability of a class to play multiple roles or adapt to diverse situations in the raids.
DPS Output	A class's capacity for causing raw damage per second.

 

↖ The King of DPS

In this particular part of WoW Classic SoD, one class outshines others when it comes down to pure dps output:

Warrior: Topping damage charts by far, warriors gain great advantage from phase three which is more focused on melee combat.

 

For example with abilities like Death Wish and Recklessness their potential for damage is unmatched. Even though some warriors do not yet have ideal items such as diamond flask, they already perform extremely well relative to others.

 

As gear improves and fight durations change warriors' dps will rise higher still. With switching seamlessly between damage and tanking measures, the class has a high versatility index.

 

↖ S Tier DPS

Warrior	Dominance: Warrior is always number one when it comes to single-target DPS. Consistency: Many different encounters see warriors dominating all the time.
Melee Hunter	Synergy Required: Melee hunters with trueshot hunter can be considered as S tier or have synergy with ranged hunters who provide trueshot aura. Pet Scaling: It increases pet's dps by 300 ranged attack power buff noting that significantly enhances DPS.
Rogue	Versatility: The usefulness and remarkable single-target DPS make rogues relevant again. Tier Set Bonus: These enhance damage output again making rogue an S Tier player class among others like the warrior.
Enhancement Shaman	Competitiveness: They are currently on par with rogues and they are expected to scale better towards the end of phase. Raid Utility: Shamans contribute to raid damage with abilities like Lightning Shield, enhancing overall group DPS.
Feral Druid	Utility vs. Personal DPS: Feral druids have to choose between focussing on their personal dps or giving a very high crit buff to their group members. Bleed Application: Feral druids remain competitive in the top tier although there are limitations in their bleed abilities.

 

Class Synergy and Considerations

• Hunters need Trueshot Aura in any group composition they form.
• Their T8 bonuses make Rogues stronger as well as Improved Expose Armor ability that makes it easier for them to apply armor penetration debuff, which allows all physical attacks made against that target by any character nearby him/her become more powerful through increased amount of armor ignored by those attacks.
• The way enhancement shamans scale varies but even so what gives them an edge is primarily due to their utility potential.
• Personal DPS versus Better Raid Performance must be chosen by feral druids.

 

↖ Wild Druids

Wild druids happen to be in the A-tier due to their remarkable damage input during specific raids. Meanwhile, they might not often lead the chart of DPS. However, feral druids may do well on different occasions which can result in incredible dps number achieved. It is versatile enough to play a support role when necessary and deal with damage otherwise.

 

Feral Druid Key Points:

• They can be top DPS in some fights.
• Can do up to 2k DPS.
• Fun rotation like Hunters.
• Physical Damage Phase - Huge contribution.

 

↖ Shadow Priests

When it comes to raiding, shadow priests are irreplaceable. Their single-target DPS may not always top the charts, but their overall impact cannot be overemphasized.

• Raid Utility: Moreover, besides doing decent damage output they cause major AoE leading damage as well as debuffs that aid and even some extra healing for a raid team. These debuffs minimize the time taken for multiple global cooldowns hence augmenting raid efficiency.
• Strategic Advantage: Also Shadow Vulnerability makes shadow priest crucial for optimizing raid DPS since they also contribute to off-healing that can make all the difference during challenging encounters.
• PvP Viability: In PVP scenarios, these are fearsome enemies who possess potent DoTs and survival skills making them doubly dangerous both in raid or PvP queues.

 

↖ Retribution Paladin

The performance of Retribution Paladins varies significantly depending on the encounter in SoD Phase 3.While they have high burst potential under certain conditions, generally they will not compete with those that sit at the highest echelons of sustained damage dealing.

• Performance Per Encounter: A Ret Pally would do very well on fights where short controlled bursts are most effective against enemies like Patchwerk boss because this class has been recorded to deal more than 1400k dps at times . However for longer or more intricate fights their result tends to be behind warriors and other melee classes. 
• Comparison: Ret Paladins sit roughly 800 DPS below Warriors on some encounters with mixed mechanics. They are a great choice for undead targets where they possess increased critical strike capability.
• Tier placement: Ret paladins are put in the B Tier due to their high variance in performance. This tier covers many viable classes that are generally welcome in group content, but not really at the high-end of the spectrum.

 

↖ Elemental Shaman

There is room for both high and low output from elemental shamans during SoD Phase 3, making it an interesting case overall. Their performance fluctuates depending on certain conditions and types of encounters.

• Damage Speaks: Ele Shammies have opportunities to do massive cumulative damage across all their spells but this possibility is not always available in all situations. It’s worth emphasizing that they are only as strong as their specialization, hence its effectiveness can be hindered by specific builds or fight mechanics which do not align with them.
• Level analysis: Many a time you find ele shammy below ret pallys but far away from t1 melees if compared with other dps class players.
• Tier Rating: As a result of variable damage output achieved by Elemental shaman, they belong to C Tier; meaning, they can be good sometimes while being inconsistent unlike higher-tiered classes.

 

↖ Marksman Hunter

The MM Hunter class has seen a lot of love in Phase 3 with the most notable being their True Shot Aura which catapults them to the high ranks on the tier list. As a result, they have become an essential support spec that enhances their viability as a ranged class.

 

Strengths:

• True Shot Aura: Acts as a major boon for the party, making MM Hunters valuable support classes to have.
• Rotation: Contains a fun and slightly great rotation with some space for betterment.
• Utility: They positively contribute to group dynamics by giving buffs and maintaining consistent damage output.

 

Challenges:

• Global Cooldowns (GCDs): There can be downtimes in the rotation where abilities are not ready yet.
• Steady Shot: Due to its limited usefulness within current rotations, this ability is underused.

 

↖ Fire Mage

Although Fire Mages have possibilities in Phase 3, there are certain limitations preventing them from rising higher up on tier lists. They can compete at times with melee classes and playing on Horde side minimizes mana issues due to Shaman synergies.

 

Strengths:

• Damage Output: Can deliver powerful DPS during short fights.
• Mana Management: Shaman support helps cope with mana issues for horde fire Mages.

 

Challenges:

• Mana Issues on Alliance: Alliace Fire Mages may find it challenging to keep their mana levels constant over time.
• Simplistic Rotation: Players who choose this specialization may experience less thrilling gameplay because of simplified rotation.

 

↖ Throwing Shade

• Curse Management: Proper uses of curses such as Curse of Weakness (CoW) and Curse of Recklessness (CoR) will determine one's performance. The importance of maximizing CoR uptime was also noted, with an optimal uptime value of 82% recorded here, implying its role in enhancing damage output potential..
• Support Coordination: There should be synergy between different classes example Homunculus needs continuous healing to be alive. The uptime of 51% in the posts suggests that it is possible for better performance.
• Damage Output: Debuffs like Sunder Armor significantly reduce DPS. This particular case could have resulted in a DPS loss of 150, which demonstrates the significance of debuff management.

 

↖ Combat Rogue

• Class Selection: Combat Rogues are less popular than Assassination Rogues at the moment because they produce more damage. In terms of priority, go for assassination and leave out combat when looking to get maximum results.
• Role Viability: Combat Rogues may not always fall into the D-tier category yet they cannot be considered as a top choice either. Take on specialization that is most effective for your role.

 

↖ Warlocks

• Debuff Prioritization: It's crucial to start with casting Curse of Recklessness (CoR) as your very first global action; otherwise, raid DPS will drop considerably.
• Curse Selection: Curses such as Curse of Agony instead of damage curses are a better strategic move that raises overall raid performance level around.
• Class Utility: Though their efficiency was modified due to game mechanic adjustments, warlocks remain important by virtue of their debuffing abilities.
• Damage Comparison: Warlock DPS lags behind other classes if debuff mechanics are not fully leveraged upon.

 

To excel in WoW Classic SoD Phase 3, players should understand the importance of debuffs, curse management and class selection. When forming raid groups and strategizing for optimal raid performance, it is important that these are taken into account by players. Also note that gear optimization as well as player skill will further affect these rankings as the phase progresses.