Mogu'shan Vaults Raid Overview
Blizzard has been very active in providing an MoP with changes experience, which is refreshing, as the last patch balancing would limit the viability of a lot of classes. That being said, even with a hands-on approach, there are still outliers when it comes to dealing damage, tanking, and healing in a raiding environment.
It should be clear that any class can clear all the raid content on heroic without being a burden to the rest of the raid. In previous expansions, like Cataclysm, it was true that yes, even a Protection Warrior main tank could clear the raids, but not bringing a Blood Death Knight main tank would hamstring your raid greatly. This is NOT the case in Mists of Pandaria with any role.
The following rankings are based on data found on the beta while looking at public and private logs of some of the top-performing raiding guilds in the world. Some of the classes on this list have a high skill ceiling, meaning they may have A-tier potential, but lag behind the other options if misplayed.
DPS Rankings Healer Rankings Tank Rankings
These lists should be taken with a grain of salt, as even though they were gathered with the best possible information available, the sample size is still small and may or may not change as we get more data. Referring back to the rankings throughout the phase will be advised if you're looking to have the most up-to-date information regarding the relative power levels.
DPS Tier List Rankings
When making the DPS tier list, throughput is, of course, one of the primary factors as it directly correlates to the stackability of the class. That said, classes such as Arms Warriors and Shamans primarily gain their high ranking not due to their throughput, but through the great offensive and defensive utility they bring to the raid.
Phase 1 DPS Rankings
Further, some specs like Arcane Mage and Marksmanship Hunters will perform very well in pure single-target encounters, but fall behind in environments where AoE throughput is valued. The context of the encounter is always important when analysing the relative power level of the specs.
In the DPS Tier List for Mists of Pandaria Classic, more information regarding rationale and reasoning for the individual rankings is provided.
S
A
B
C
Healer Tier List Rankings
Despite nerfs to both Resto Shamans and Discipline Priests, they still occupy the S-tier in Phase 1 of Mists of Pandaria. The healing throughput, fantastic defensive cooldowns, and incredible offensive throughput (in the case of Shamans, offensive output through Stormlash Totem) make it tough for the other healers to compete.
Phase 1 Healer Rankings
That said, the balancing changes have brought all the healing classes way more in line with one another, and even in cases where you bring one of every spec into your healing roster, you'd be pretty happy with your healing composition overall. Despite the rest of the healers being in the A-tier, Mistweaver Monk stands out as an A+ spec due to their incredible offensive throughput and ability to essentially solo heal fights when there's damage amplification on bosses, as is the case on many bosses in Heart of Fear.
In the Healer Tier List for Mists of Pandaria Classic, more information regarding rationale and reasoning for the individual rankings is provided.
S
A
Tank Tier List Rankings
All tanks are relatively close in power levels in Mists of Pandaria Classic, but the Brewmaster Monk stands out as having great defensive and raid-wide utility while still having strong offensive throughput.
Phase 1 Tank Rankings
Protection Warrior stands out as an A+ spec due to their great offensive raid utility through Skull Banner while still being incredibly strong defensively due to the strong Attack Power scaling of Shield Barrier. That said, they do lag behind the other tanks in a 10-man environment as they lack any form of self-sustain, bar small healing cooldowns. Their raid utility also carries more weight in 25-man compared to 10-man.
All the other tanks are competitive, with Protection Paladin being a great all-around pick and Blood Death Knight being a very strong 10-man pick. Guardian Druids don't have a particular niche, but perform rather well all around, especially after receiving a 15% damage buff in Mists of Pandaria Classic.
In the Tank Tier List for Mists of Pandaria Classic, more information regarding rationale and reasoning for the individual rankings is provided.
S
A
B
What Specialization do you plan on playing during Phase 1 of Mists of Pandaria Classic? Do you think your Specialization was appropriately ranked? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
