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Table of Contents
Introduction
This guide was made in collaboration with multiple current Rank 1 Gladiators, but is designed to represent the entire arena ladder.
To help understand how these rankings work, we assume the following:
S tier specs are what currently defines the meta. These represent the absolute best in each category.
A tier specs are incredibly strong, but not one of the best. These are still highly competitive, but have a chance at getting slightly unfavorable lobbies.
B tier specs represent the “average” spec, and have an even distribution of good and bad lobbies, which can make them feel less consistent.
C tier specs are generally weak into the meta and are expected to have unfavorable lobbies the majority of the time.
Other important notes:
This list is an ongoing project and will be updated periodically
Melee
S Tier
Retribution Paladin
Ret has remained strong despite multiple nerfs. Due to the utility that retribution paladins provide and the high damage output it has proven to be one of the best melee dps in solo shuffle.
A+ Tier
Subtlety Rogue
After the redesign to Ret Paladins, Sub Rogues suffered the most, as the meta quickly shifted to an abundance of Ret Paladins, Arms Warriors, and Demo Warlocks, which are all quite formidable counters to Rogue. However, in 10.1 sub rogues have rebounded with many tuning changes.
Windwalker Monk
Of all the melee doing well in Solo Shuffle, Windwalker is potentially the most lowkey. On paper, it would seem like the spec would be a glass cannon, but in the right hands, this is far from the truth. One of the core strengths of Windwalker Monk is not just its explosive damage toolkit, but instead its wide array of defensive options. Touch of Karma, Dampen Harm, and Diffuse Magic give Windwalker Monks three unique defensive cooldowns to rotate through each round, which can make experienced Monks quite difficult to kill.
Feral Druid
Despite the early season nerfs that clearly set Feral Druids a bit behind, but despite this, we think the spec is still good enough to remain on the A+ tier especially after recent damage buffs.
Survival Hunter
Survival continues to be an appealing option for melee DPS in Solo Shuffle, thanks primarily to their expansive damage and CC toolkit.
All Hunter specs received a flat 5% damage increase in recent hotfixes, which might not seem like a big deal until you combine it with other damage modifiers. Defensively, Mending Bandage is a crucial and underrated part of their kit, which acts as a soft counter to Assassination Rogues and Feral Druids. Due to how popular those two classes might be in Solo Shuffle, this continues to add value to Survival Hunter.
Unholy Death Knight
Unholy DKs have spiked in popularity due to recent damage buffs. Due to the high dampening in solo shuffle, Unholy Death Knights are able to take down their opponents quickly.
Arms Warrior
The Warrior class has been shuffled around quite a bit since the early expansion. After the redesign to Warrior trees in 10.0.5, Arms picked up Ignore Pain again, which was a minor help to its defensive kit in the bracket. In 10.1.7 Arms is in a great place and can fit in most lobbies.
Havoc Demon Hunter
Despite multiple nerfs since the launch of the expansion, Demon Hunter continues to be one of the most versatile classes for Solo Shuffle.
Of course, their sustained damage and unrivaled mobility help with their performance in this bracket, but one of their biggest strengths is actually control.
With the addition of Sigil of Misery, Demon Hunters have a reliable instant-cast ranged CC chain for any healer when combined with Imprison. When you add to that their sustained damage, they can essentially win games by themselves, which is a huge advantage for any class in Solo Shuffle.
A Tier
Fury Warrior
As we previously mentioned, Arms has clearly pulled ahead as the primary PvP spec for Warriors in Dragonflight. Slaughterhouse has been the backbone to Fury Warrior since mid Shadowlands, and saw multiple redesigns throughout Dragonflight. Even though its total healing reduction is substantial, it is still less consistent than Mortal Strike and Sharpen Blade, which currently help elevate Arms in the solo bracket.
Enhancement Shaman
Enhancement Shaman saw some key buffs in the middle of Season 1 that helped rebalance its damage profile. Despite this, as one of the few melee DPS without an MS effect, the spec struggles to add value to many lobbies, where it is more or less a sitting duck for the enemy team. Enhance also relies heavily on its healing toolkit as its primary utility. This becomes less effective with high MS effects and even higher amounts of dampening.
Assassination Rogue
Recent nerfs to Assa have finally dethroned it as the best overall melee in Solo Shuffle. It has high damage but the consistent nerfs and weaker defensives has put it below the other melee.
Frost Death Knight
Both DK specs have similar toolkits, but Unholy seems to provide slightly more utility and control, which puts it above Frost for now. In any case, Frost has a very explosive damage profile and is able to deal massive burst every minute with a combination of Pillar of Frost and Chill Streak.
B Tier
Outlaw Rogue
Right now, Outlaw clearly seems to be the worst Rogue spec. Even though it offers some of the same tech as it did in Shadowlands, including a lower cooldown on Blind and Evasion, Outlaw can’t really compete with the pressure offered by the other two Rogue specs. Assassination and Sub have considerably better offensive options for the bracket, and ironically it seems like Sub has actually pulled ahead as the “tanky” Rogue spec for now thanks to its incredible control and self-healing.
Ranged
S Tier
Marksmanship Hunter
Marks Hunter a newcomer to the A+ tier. The removal of Double Tap in 10.0.5 might have initially stung, but a series of damage buffs would soon follow. We think these are enough to elevate MM Hunter up S tier for now.
Elemental Shaman
Elemental continues to be one of the most flexible ranged DPS, and despite being the target of many melee lobbies, it is still able to dish out incredible AoE damage.
A+ Tier
Frost Mage
Frost‘s relative ease to play has recently made it the better performing spec, putting it ahead of Arcane and Fire. Its AoE damage output is quite strong, it has great single target burst potential and it is a slippery target for melee lobbies.
Beast Mastery Hunter
Unlike every other Hunter spec, BM is able to consistently deal damage while on the move and doesn’t rely heavily on big damage cooldowns to deal maximum pressure. Right now, it is easily one of the best specs in the game for the endless amount of pressure it is able to deal for the entire game
Balance Druid
Balance saw a huge redesign in 10.0.5, with multiple changes aimed at buffing both sustained and burst damage. Pairing this with its 4 set tier piece bonus has seen a recent spike in the performance of the spec, earning it a spot in our A+ tier.
Fire Mage
While Arcane and Frost have gotten most of the attention so far this season, Fire might be slowly making its way up as a potential sleeper OP spec. On paper, it has really high damage output, since it does not require much hardcasting, which is a convenient feature in chaotic solo shuffle lobbies.
Arcane Mage
Every Mage spec seems strong right now in Solo Shuffle, with Arcane being the hardest to play. The combination of its steep learning curve and the relative strength of Frost sees Arcane being placed in the A tier.
A Tier
Affliction Warlock
Affliction is another spec that has undergone massive changes since release. While its damage output might seem high at times, it gets easily shut down by melee heavy lobbies, which hurts its overall ranking on our tier list.
Demonology Warlock
Demo is likely the best overall Warlock spec, even after multiple nerfs. As the only caster DPS with healing reduction with Legion Strike, Demo is able to conveniently slot into any lobby, and has enough peeling tools to fend for itself and for its teammates.
Destruction Warlock
Destro is quite strong in the current meta. Right now, its main strength is in its ability to deal tons of damage without needing to hard cast.
Shadow Priest
Even though it is one of the most represented specs in Solo Shuffle, it remains strong especially after seeing damage buffs that came with a recent tuning pass.
B Tier
Devastation Evoker
As a true glass cannon spec, Devastation Evoker is incredibly tough to rank. During its small burst windows, it is an S+ tier spec. Once those windows are over, it seems mid tier at best. This is due to its relatively weak defensive CDs combined with poor passive damage mitigation. Due to its inconsistency, we think Devastation is a true B tier.
Healers
S Tier
Holy Paladin
Holy Paladin received a significant redesign. It has healing, defensives, damage and CC that are unmatched and has a near infinite mana pool even with the mana nerfs that Holy Paladins saw post 10.1.5.
Restoration Druid
Resto Druid has moved up a tier due to recent healing buffs. With these buffs thee healing output is strong enough to overcome the huge amount of consistent damage in the bracket, especially from the meta DPS specs.
A+ Tier
Mistweaver Monk
Mistweaver Monk in its “fistweaver” form has quickly become one of the most dominant healers in every bracket. The spec is able to maintain high HPS without running out of mana.
Holy Priest
Holy Priest can contribute offensively, but it struggles with high AoE damage output at a certain point. With increased levels of damage and higher dampening, they can also outright lose while spam-healing, which means a single interrupt is enough to end the game. With continued healing buffs, they move up a tier but may struggle compared to more meta healers.
A Tier
Restoration Shaman
Resto Shamans has seen overall buffs to their healing output. This helped round out their key weakness and has made them one of the most competitive healers. However, shaman falls behind the more meta healers in terms of mana and throughput.
Preservation Evoker
Preservation Evoker is arguably the most well rounded healer. Not only do they have consistently high HPS and a wide array of defensive cooldowns, but Preservation also possesses multiple ways of contributing to kills. This gives them huge value in Solo Shuffle, where they are able to fit into almost any lobby while being one of the few healers that can actually solo carry games.
B Tier
Mistweaver Monk in its “caster” form has strong healing but has fallen out of favor due to the strengthen of fistweaver and its susceptibility to kicks and dying compared to other healers.
C Tier
Discipline Priest
Discipline saw a decline in our tierlist after a significant nerf to Power Word: Shield and has remained one of the weaker healers in the meta.
Final Thoughts
Same as with all the other tier lists we’ve done, you have to realize that being lower on the list doesn’t make your class bad. There are a lot of things that go into making classes better than others. In Solo Shuffle specifically, lack of coordination is a big factor, but the level of chaos will change depending on your rating. The classes higher on the list will be easier to navigate due to their versatility and carry potential, and will be a safe choice going into Season 1 of Dragonflight.