Find the nine classes in the current menu, compare starting spells with version context, and use a fair checklist before trusting a tier list.
Azeroth Survivors Guide editors · Checked
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There are nine class choices in the v0.120.4 character menu. Start by reading a class’s starting spell and spell pool, then compare it in the same zone and difficulty. A tier label alone cannot tell you whether its result depended on equipment, race or accumulated talents.
The class roster
The current menu confirms all nine names below. The starting-spell column comes from a dated October 21 menu record for v0.106.0; we independently confirmed Warrior’s Cleave in v0.120.4. Read Starts with in your client before relying on an older spell entry.
Class
Starting spell in the October 21 record
Warrior
Cleave
Paladin
Consecration
Hunter
Auto Shot
Rogue
Sinister Strike
Priest
Smite
Shaman
Lightning Bolt
Mage
Fireball
Warlock
Shadow Bolt
Druid
Wrath
This table is an identification aid, not a verified current damage ranking. All nine choices are present, but this guide has not run a controlled comparison of all nine.
What the current Warrior screen tells you
The fresh Human Warrior inspected on October 27 showed Cleave, 230 health, no worn gear, one of twelve zones open, and zero of fifty-one talent points allocated. The same screen lists racial bonuses separately from the class description. That separation matters: a displayed stat belongs to a character setup, not just a class name.
The class description emphasizes close combat and cleaving attacks. This makes Warrior a clear starting point for learning that style, but it does not establish that Warrior is the strongest or easiest class across all stages.
Compare one thing at a time
Use the following checklist when trying two classes:
Same zone and run difficulty: otherwise enemy conditions can explain the result.
Record race and equipment: both appear on the character screen and can change the setup.
Record talents: a fresh class and an invested class are not equivalent comparisons.
Read the offered choices: the starting spell is only the beginning of a run, not the whole build.
Repeat the attempt: a single unusually good or bad card selection is weak evidence for a universal ranking.
This is a method for your own comparison, not a claim that we have already performed those tests. If you mainly want to learn the controls, pick a class that interests you and use the first-run walkthrough.
A class page is not a build
A class tells you the starting kit and available choices. A build needs a specific combination, conditions and a current version. Advice copied from World of Warcraft does not automatically apply to this separate game, even when the names look familiar.
Before following any “best build,” check its version, required gear, talents, zone and difficulty. A recipe that omits those conditions may be unsuitable for a fresh character. We will not label a build optimal without that evidence.
Where progression changes the comparison
The live equipment panel says bosses drop permanent gear for your class. The save panel also describes zones opened by each class. If you switch classes, inspect the new class’s equipment and zone access instead of assuming they match the previous character. See progression and zone unlocks.
What is the best class for beginners?
We have not completed a controlled nine-class test. Choose a starting kit you understand, keep the initial difficulty consistent, and learn the first zone before relying on a tier label.
Why does my displayed health differ from this guide?
Our 230-health observation was a fresh Human Warrior without equipment. Check your race, gear, talents and game version before comparing the number.
