Tweet
TBC Arena season is in full swing, so now is the perfect time to see if your class can keep up with the rest.
The first season of PvP has started at TBC Classic, so there's no better time than now to see which classes will be popular in Season 1. Below we will focus on the DPS classes for PvP Season 1, with the classes largely based on the class skills to allow for a wide range of combinations.
Ranking
S rank.
Villain
Sorcerer
magician
Step 1.
warrior
Hunter
Level B.
Shadow priest
shaman
paladin
Druid
How to play a villain
If you get used to seeing a lot of villains in PvP, well, ironically, you won't see them very often, and that's part of the problem. With amazing burst damage, survivability, and interruption, the thief will be a dominant force in all three arena classes. As a thief, you need to be careful with your cooldowns, but if you use them incorrectly you can turn off your team's kill threat and waste your time killing opposing teams.
How to fight villains
With thieves being such a common arena class, countering them before fighting with hunters can be an effective strategy. Giving up talent or hitting a hidden line can turn the tide in the early game, which should give you the upper hand. Another strategy is to bring your own villain to counter the opposing villain. This way you can counter their aggression against the opposing team as soon as their thieves are busy. Finally, you can take advantage of their long cooldowns by defending yourself when they attack you, effectively reducing their main damage.
Blood Elf Paladin and Draenei Mage meet in the Cursed Lands
How to play warlock
Warlocks excel at crowd control and shared damage, which makes them ideal for 3v3 or 5v5 arena modes. Agony will do most of the damage in the arena as they take constant damage over lengthy fights. With a total of five points, sorcerers can put the healers of the opposing team under pressure, especially since the instability of "pain" makes the healer a nightmare.
How to Counter Warlocks
Her mana pool is one of her greatest weaknesses. If you can take it off with a hunter or priest, warlocks quickly get into a mess as they need to quickly restore their mana through life diversions. Warlocks aren't as defensive as some other specs either, especially when it comes to mobility, which makes them a good target for early bursting and relegates them to the second row.
How to play a mages
Despite a decline on the DPS charts in TBC, magicians are still a dominant force in the arena. They have excellent control, survivability, and damage abilities, making them one of the most common classes in 2v2 or 3v3 arenas. Mages are also the backbone of what are probably the two most dominant combinations: thief, magician and thief, magician, priest. These two setups dominate the arena and have been since TBC season 1. This is also a profession that need a lot of TBC Classic gold in game to gear up1
How to fight magicians
Unlike other specializations, defeating mages is a lengthy game as they have many levels of survivability. In fact, most people will focus on other members of the mage rather than trying to CC the mage. Try to get rid of one magician ice (plus a second with cold stap) then you can probably focus them. Ultimately, Mage is a tricky client with a huge bag of tricks at your disposal. Be careful what they are using and try to counter their exposure by forcing them to use defensive options.
Quick tips and counters
Warrior.
Tip: Wolfsbane Specialization and Lethal Strike are key, focus on key targets for healers or bursts.
Counterattack: Use slow and fear to incapacitate the fighter for as long as possible
Hunter.
Tip: Try arcane shots at key targets and keep aimed shots at primary healing targets
Counterattack: watch out for burst damage due to the low resilience. Hunters can go from 100 to 0 per target very quickly. Hopefully, you'll get into their melee range to reduce this.
Shadow priest.
TIP: Use banishing magic on important targets, especially to remove cooldowns from larger enemies.
Counterattack: Abuse a class that lacks survivability and needs to leave shadow form to heal. Clerics also require high skill levels to play well.
The first season of PvP has started at TBC Classic, so there's no better time than now to see which classes will be popular in Season 1. Below we will focus on the DPS classes for PvP Season 1, with the classes largely based on the class skills to allow for a wide range of combinations.
Ranking
S rank.
Villain
Sorcerer
magician
Step 1.
warrior
Hunter
Level B.
Shadow priest
shaman
paladin
Druid
How to play a villain
If you get used to seeing a lot of villains in PvP, well, ironically, you won't see them very often, and that's part of the problem. With amazing burst damage, survivability, and interruption, the thief will be a dominant force in all three arena classes. As a thief, you need to be careful with your cooldowns, but if you use them incorrectly you can turn off your team's kill threat and waste your time killing opposing teams.
How to fight villains
With thieves being such a common arena class, countering them before fighting with hunters can be an effective strategy. Giving up talent or hitting a hidden line can turn the tide in the early game, which should give you the upper hand. Another strategy is to bring your own villain to counter the opposing villain. This way you can counter their aggression against the opposing team as soon as their thieves are busy. Finally, you can take advantage of their long cooldowns by defending yourself when they attack you, effectively reducing their main damage.
Blood Elf Paladin and Draenei Mage meet in the Cursed Lands
How to play warlock
Warlocks excel at crowd control and shared damage, which makes them ideal for 3v3 or 5v5 arena modes. Agony will do most of the damage in the arena as they take constant damage over lengthy fights. With a total of five points, sorcerers can put the healers of the opposing team under pressure, especially since the instability of "pain" makes the healer a nightmare.
How to Counter Warlocks
Her mana pool is one of her greatest weaknesses. If you can take it off with a hunter or priest, warlocks quickly get into a mess as they need to quickly restore their mana through life diversions. Warlocks aren't as defensive as some other specs either, especially when it comes to mobility, which makes them a good target for early bursting and relegates them to the second row.
How to play a mages
Despite a decline on the DPS charts in TBC, magicians are still a dominant force in the arena. They have excellent control, survivability, and damage abilities, making them one of the most common classes in 2v2 or 3v3 arenas. Mages are also the backbone of what are probably the two most dominant combinations: thief, magician and thief, magician, priest. These two setups dominate the arena and have been since TBC season 1. This is also a profession that need a lot of TBC Classic gold in game to gear up1
How to fight magicians
Unlike other specializations, defeating mages is a lengthy game as they have many levels of survivability. In fact, most people will focus on other members of the mage rather than trying to CC the mage. Try to get rid of one magician ice (plus a second with cold stap) then you can probably focus them. Ultimately, Mage is a tricky client with a huge bag of tricks at your disposal. Be careful what they are using and try to counter their exposure by forcing them to use defensive options.
Quick tips and counters
Warrior.
Tip: Wolfsbane Specialization and Lethal Strike are key, focus on key targets for healers or bursts.
Counterattack: Use slow and fear to incapacitate the fighter for as long as possible
Hunter.
Tip: Try arcane shots at key targets and keep aimed shots at primary healing targets
Counterattack: watch out for burst damage due to the low resilience. Hunters can go from 100 to 0 per target very quickly. Hopefully, you'll get into their melee range to reduce this.
Shadow priest.
TIP: Use banishing magic on important targets, especially to remove cooldowns from larger enemies.
Counterattack: Abuse a class that lacks survivability and needs to leave shadow form to heal. Clerics also require high skill levels to play well.