Easiest and Best WOTLK Classic Ranged DPS

WOTLK Classic comes to World of Warcraft in a few months, and players are excited to sink their teeth into the new/old content. This guide will go over a few of the easiest and best ranged DPS in WOTLK classic so that you can experience the content how you want to and still deal massive damage.

In WoW, you may or may not have seen someone shouting, “need one more Rdps for x dungeon.” What they’re asking for is a Ranged DPS for a dungeon run. You may be asking, ‘why would players be asking specifically for ranged DPS instead of just DPS?’ There is a specific reason for this, as Ranged DPS means that players can stand in various locations while still dealing significant damage to bosses. Certain bosses in raids and dungeons will require you to move away from the boss, or the party/raid will wipe; when this happens, you will want ranged DPS to keep up damage on the boss. Also, ranged DPS can pull mobs for faster dungeon runs and (usually) deal great AoE damage for faster clearing.

This guide will show you the easiest classes to learn the rotations of, along with the top ranged DPS classes; stick around and check out a class that may be for you.

Everyone is speculating since the official game has yet to be released, but the below list is usually the top-ranked ranged DPS for WOTLK Classic:

1.Mage

2.Warlock

3.Druid

4.Shaman

5.Hunter

Don’t worry; we will explain why we chose these classes and why they earn themselves the numbers they have.

The mage takes the number one spot for being the most overwhelmingly strong class to run any dungeon or raid. The mage’s versatility with high burst single target damage and great AoE clearing with some of the greatest Crowd Controlling abilities earns itself the number 1 slot for Top Ranged DPS. The graphs don’t lie, and it’s true when players state that “Mage is Blizzard’s baby,” meaning it’s always being looked after and, most if not always, is number 1 on DPS.

The number 1 Mage build is the Fire Mage, but this is only for the late game as this build requires a minimum of 30% crit to get into early game raids. Until Fire Mage is used, most players will run Arcane Mage as their damage can be controlled without the need for Critical Hit Rate.

Warlock has it a little tougher than a mage, as their damage comes from DOTS (Damage Over Time Abilities.) In terms of Damage, Warlock can shine in raid content as bosses will have the health pool to allow Warlocks to show their true potential, but in dungeons, when your group is geared, most bosses and additional spawns die in a matter of seconds.

The most favored Warlock build is Affliction, which has the highest DOTS and pumps out serious amounts of damage in raids and low-geared dungeon groups.

If you’re new to the game, Druid can play as a melee DPS, Tank, Ranged DPS, and Healing Tree. The Build is the only ranged DPS available, the Balance Druid. The Balance druid deals AoE damage and can walk while casting a few abilities. Most players will look for ‘Boomies’ to run low-geared players through dungeons for faster clear rates.

Shaman is a dark horse for WoW. Blizzard cannot balance the class properly as it will either be the top DPS or the Lowest DPS depending on your build; this is why Shaman earns itself a place at 4th for the top ranged DPS. The ranged shaman build is elemental, which features mage-like abilities while harnessing spells matching the elements. Elemental Shaman isn’t the most difficult class to play and can provide great utility during raids/dungeons.

Hunter, during WOTLK, was average in terms of DPS. During each patch, the hunter got a bit stronger and eventually, at patch 3.3.5, stood amongst the titans of DPS. Hunters can pump out some of the greatest single target damage in WoW but require precision from trap placement and high RNG for both resets and critical hits. Hunter is the best leveling champion and sets world first records every expansion due to its overwhelming power from the pet and survivability. If you want to level fast, choose a hunter and check out our guide on the fastest way to level in WOTLK Classic.

We understand that complicated classes and raids' complicated mechanics don’t gel well. If you’re new or struggle with having thousands of macros and don’t understand rotations, we have a list of classes that will be easy while still pumping out serious damage.

This guide will go over our easiest to play, starting with 1 being the easiest ranged DPS to 6 being the hardest.

Easiest Ranged Classes

1.Mage

2.Shadow Priest

3.Boomkin

4.Hunter

5.Shaman

6.Warlock

The above list may make players argue, but we believe this list accurately portrays each class's responsibilities during a raid/dungeon. Mage takes the number one spot because their abilities are straightforward: you deal damage and conjure food for the raid. The rotation is also simple, not requiring much thought or precision to use.

Shadow Priest is the same; apply 3 DoTS and act as a mana battery for your raid. Nothing complicated there.

Boomkin requires more precision as many of their AoE have a greater range than anticipated and may accidentally pull rooms in un-intended raids. Their rotation is a four-button-press rotation, but due to the added concern of AoE, boomies pull out ahead of mage and Shadow Priest.

Hunter requires precision of trap placements, along with timing those traps. Hunters are also concerned about pulling additional aggro without properly controlling their pets. As a result, their rotation may be simple but earns a higher spot on the list for raid encounters.

Shaman has an ability called Bloodlust (Horde) and Heroism (Alliance), increasing the casting and attack speed of all raid memebers. Sounds great? Well, you're right, but the problem is casting that at the wrong time can cause major downtime in a raid (10 Min cooldown). On top of that, you have to choose each totem individually for each boss fight; this can cause serious issues if you don't place the right totem or conflict with another Shaman’s totems. Shaman earns its place as 5th on our list for that.

Warlock is interesting, as they are also concerned about pulling additional aggro with their pets like the hunter class. Warlocks are also required to summon and give the appropriate soulstone to the correct player, and their rotation has way more complications than the other classes. Warlock earns its spot as the hardest Ranged DPS for this list.

We hope you enjoyed this list of top ranged DPS and easiest ranged DPS. Suppose you did; check out our store to find WotLK Classic gold that will help you in raids and even heroic dungeons. To learn more about WOTLK Classic, check out our news section on useful tips and guides! As always, happy casting!