Role Tier Lists for Phase 1 of Cataclysm Classic
With the release of Cataclysm Classic now imminent, we've put together tier lists for all 3 roles in the first phase of the expansion, focusing on their performance throughout Tier 11. We've also provided simple and easy-to-follow breakdowns of the strengths and weaknesses of each specialization, along with major utility, buffs, and debuffs they will bring to raids.
If you want to check them out, you can do so below, and it's worth noting that we are always open to feedback around our rankings.
While we have tried to keep things fair in our evaluation, tier lists are, by nature, a very volatile topic, simply because a single outlier of someone «overperforming» as a certain specialization can spark a whole chain of discussions.
Tank PvE Tier List Healer PvE Tier List DPS PvE Tier List
With that being said, these tier lists will evolve as more testing is done throughout Phase 1, especially since we will be playing with a completely different patch than we initially had in Cataclysm. For those of you who don't know, Cataclysm Classic is launching with almost all of the changes classes saw throughout the expansion, up to and including Patch 4.3, which means we will have completely different versions of specializations like Restoration Shaman and Holy Paladin than were originally raiding in Tier 11.
While raid testing has been ongoing, as more testing is done post-release, we will likely see changes to some of the rankings in the tier lists, so we recommend checking back occasionally to see if your main has moved up or down the ranks!
We mention it on each of the tier lists but it's worth reiterating that all specializations can clear all of the content in Phase 1. However, it may be slightly more difficult to do so when comparing the extreme ends of the performance scale, along with potential issues when trying to find a group.
