If you’re just starting with World of Warcraft, classic or retail, the task of choosing the right class and specialization for you is probably daunting as hell.
You’re sitting there confused, clicking between Paladin, Warlock, Death Knight, and Hunter, not having the slightest idea what their playstyles look like and whether you are going to like them.
This is an understandable problem because WoW is nearly 20 years old. Over the years, many classes and specs have been added which has made the game way more complex.
But also, each class and spec offer has a different difficulty level and “specialty” towards a particular type of content.
However, I’m not here to overwhelm you with a ridiculous amount of information you probably don’t need right now.
Simply put – I’m going to list the easiest classes and specs you should choose from as a new player in World of Warcraft, both for melee enthusiasts and ranged enjoyers.
That said, let’s dive deeper!
Choosing Between Melee and Ranged Playstyle
As in every other video game, the two main styles of combat are ranged and melee.
Ranged classes specialize in dealing damage or healing their teammates from afar, utilizing many different types of spells.
And melee classes focus on being close to their targets, weaving repeated attacks.
Of course, since every spec in WoW is inherently unique, some ranged classes have melee spells and many melee classes have long-ranged attacks as well.
But the key question is this:
Do you prefer to fight from range (like a Mage) or do you like to fight up close (like a Warrior)?
If you’re a gamer and have a history of anything except FPS games, you’ll probably know the answer to this question. It all comes down to what you personally enjoy more and you should base your choice on that!
Here’s an easy table to help you understand which classes and specs are melee or ranged in World of Warcraft:
Melee | Ranged |
Warrior | Priest |
Paladin | Mage |
Death Knight | Warlock |
Rouge | Evoker |
Monk | Balance Druid |
Demon Hunter | Restoration Druid |
Enhancement Shaman | Elemental Shaman |
Survival Hunter | Restoration Shaman |
Feral Druid | Beast Mastery Hunter |
Guardian Druid | Marksmanship Hunter |
Note that the classes where the spec isn’t mentioned are entirely melee or ranged.
And, of course, each class comes with a specific set of strengths and weaknesses. So even though they might be in the same category, their playstyles differ dramatically.
Read Also: All Classes with Knock Back Spells in WoW
The Best Melee Class for Beginners
Demon Hunter
Demon Hunter is arguably the easiest class to play in World of Warcraft. Ever since they were added back in Legion, the DH’s ability kit has been small but effective.
It’s not uncommon to see Demon Hunters top the DPS charts in both PvE and PvP by weaving 3 to 4 spells back to back. All of their attacks are flashy and powerful and their damage is heavily AoE oriented.
Demon Hunter is a highly mobile class. The DPS spec, Havoc, has two dashes and a big leap with Metamorphosis. While the tank spec, Vengeance, has only two jumps but on a relatively small cooldown.
But all Demon Hunters can double-jump (the only class that can do that) and Glide when falling down. And this gives you the opportunity to enjoy one of the most stunning views in Azeroth.
With a Demon Hunter, you won’t have any problem soloing each aspect of the game. While leveling, slaying enemies will allow you to pick up their souls and heal yourself. This makes it easy for you to keep fighting and not spend any time resting.
In the end game, almost every raid or mythic plus group can benefit from having a DH. This is due to their racial debuffs and the amount of raw AoE damage they bring to the table.
Depending on how often you switch up your talents, the DH playstyle can become a bit repetitive. I’m personally a Demon Hunter main from Legion and even I get tired of pressing the same few buttons over and over again. So this is the main drawback of choosing a DH.
But in any case, playing DH is extremely fun at the beginning and helps you complete every aspect of the game without a problem while also allowing you to explore parts of the world most classes can’t even get to.
Alternatives:
- Retribution Paladin
- Fury Warrior
The Best Ranged DPS Class for Beginners
Balance Druid
Balance Druid has been one of my mains for years now. There are so many advantages to playing Moonkin as a ranged beginner and I’m going to do my best to summarize them here.
First of all, Balance Druid is a ridiculously easy spec to play.
Seriously, you have 6 main abilities, two of which are DoTs (damage-over-time spells), two simple bolts that fuel your Astral Power, and strong spells that you use to spend your Astral Power (one single-target, one AoE).
So your job as a Balance Druid is to apply your DoTs on as many targets as you can, get your Astral Power up a bit, and unleash a strong attack. Despite this being the bread and butter for Boomkins, they’re one of the highest DPS specs in the entire game!
Next, Balance Druids have lots of utility spells in their kits. From being able to root and silence enemies from afar to having access to an array of different healing spells. Balance Druids can alternate between bursting down enemies to supporting their allies which is honestly extremely fun!
But the cool thing about Balance Druids is that you also get access to all animal forms from the other specs. For example, you can turn into a feral cat and enter stealth to sneak around and reposition. And you can also turn into a bear to absorb more damage from your enemies.
Changing multiple forms may seem overwhelming at the beginning. But once you realize that that’s situational and most of your gameplay as Balance Druid will be in a Moonkin form, you’ll see how easy it is to dominate with this class.
Alternatives:
- Beast Mastery Hunter
- Frost Mage
Read Also: The Best Support Class in World of Warcraft
The Best Healer Class for Beginners in WoW
Holy Priest
Healers, I did not forget you! And if you want an easy spec that will always be sought-after and perform well no matter what, go for Holy Priest!
Holy Priests are a traditional healer class. And if you’re coming from another MMORPG or simply another game where you played as a support, you immediately know what to do on your Holy Priests.
As a Holy Priest, you’ll primarily be casting single-target and AoE heals to keep your teammates alive during combat. You’ll have a big arsenal of utility spells, each of which is useful in different scenarios.
The good news here is that, unlike Mistweaver Monk for example, you won’t need to dash around and perform a crazy amount of stuns to keep up your healing. Instead, you can sit back, relax, and cast a few heals that are beneficial to your entire raid.
Alternatives:
- Restoration Shaman
Conclusion
I purposefully left out tank players and there’s really one major reason – I don’t advise you to play tank as a beginner WoW. Let me explain.
The tank role in World of Warcraft carries the most responsibilities. In a raid, one mistake from the tank can cause a wipe. So even though playing tank for soloing is great, in group settings it requires a lot of skill and knowledge.
But if you’re 100% that tank is what you want to play in this game, I can honestly recommend you Protection Warrior. It’s an extremely defensive spec, almost always in the meta, and with a fun and dynamic playstyles overall.
That said, I hope this guide helped you figure out what class you should choose as a new player in World of Warcraft.