Blackfathom Deeps DPS Rankings: Season of Discovery

Season of Discovery: Preparing for the New Raid

Welcome again! As we eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Season of Discovery, a critical task lies ahead of us. Our objective is to discern which DPS classes will dominate in the PVE scene, particularly in the Blackfathom Deeps raid, tailored for level 25.

In this comprehensive analysis, I aim to construct and present a meticulously thought-out tier list. This list will encapsulate our predictions and insights on the premier DPS classes for level 25 during the initial phase of Season of Discovery.

Let’s embark on this insightful journey!

Warrior Analysis: Runes and Talents

Leading the discussion is the Warrior class. Our analysis includes a structured tier list on one side and the comprehensive Wowhead Talent calculator on the other, focusing on the strategic placement of runes.

Initially, we’ll allocate runes to the chest, hand, and leg gear, forming the foundation of our talent strategy. This approach is crucial, especially for level 25, Phase 1 DPS rankings.

Each class in this season appears to have received enhancements that significantly bolster their performance in both PVE and PVP environments. Notably, the choice of runes is pivotal, as they play a decisive role in shaping our overall talent builds.

Chest Rune for Warrior: Making the Right Choice

Beginning with the Warrior’s chest rune, we are presented with choices such as Blood Frenzy, Flagellation, and Raging Blow. Blood Frenzy offers three rage points with each bleed damage instance.

Yet, this may not be highly effective at level 25 due to the limited availability of rage-consuming abilities like Mortal Strike or Whirlwind. Alternatively, Flagellation, providing a significant 25% increase in physical damage for 12 seconds post-activation of Blood Rage or Berserker Rage, emerges as a more viable option for maximizing DPS.

Weighing these options, Flagellation stands out as the more strategically sound rune, and thus, it will be the chosen enhancement for our Warrior’s build.

Enhancing Physical Damage: Key Tactics

Indeed, the impact of a 25% increase in physical damage cannot be overstated. Moving on to hand gear options, we encounter choices like Endless Rage, which enhances rage generation by 25% from all damage inflicted. Additionally, there’s Quick Strike, a bold and immediate melee strike with a two-handed weapon causing significant damage. This skill synergizes with enhancements affecting Heroic Strike.

However, it’s Single-Minded Fury that truly stands out, especially for dual-wielding Warriors. This skill not only boosts physical damage but also augments movement speed by 10%. From a strategic standpoint, Single-Minded Fury appears to be the most potent option for a substantial DPS boost. Opting for dual wielding maximizes damage output, irrespective of whether one is fully specced into Fury or not.

The perpetual 10% increase in damage and movement speed offered by Single-Minded Fury while dual wielding is a game-changer and thus becomes our choice for enhancing the Warrior’s combat capabilities.

Legs Gear Selection: Consumed by Rage

For the leg gear, the choice of Consumed by Rage stands out prominently. This rune activates an enraged state, providing a substantial 25% melee damage boost for 12 seconds or up to 12 swings once the warrior surpasses 80 rage. This option seems highly suitable for our build.

Alternatives like Furious Thunder, primarily utilized in tanking roles, and Frenzy to Assault, more aligned with two-hander builds, also offer their unique advantages. However, aligning with our chosen path of Single-Minded Fury, Consumed by Rage becomes the optimal pick, enhancing damage output significantly.

Additionally, coupling this with Blood Rage elevates the damage bonus to 50%, along with a 10% boost in attack speed. Cumulatively, these runes collectively offer an impressive 60% increase in physical damage, underlining the warrior’s formidable prowess in combat.

Building the Ideal Warrior Build

• Considering an alternative two-hander warrior build, we would lean towards Frenzy to Assault for a notable 20% boost in attack speed with two-handed weapons.
• Additionally, Endless Rage becomes an attractive choice due to its ability to compensate for the slower rage generation typical of two-hander playstyles.
• However, for the context of this discussion, let’s focus on the dual wielding approach, a strategy that has proven its mettle in hardcore gaming scenarios.

Sure, let’s break down this detailed analysis of the warrior class talent allocation into easy-to-read paragraphs.

Maximizing Warrior Efficiency: A Strategic Guide to Dual Wielding and Talent Allocation

In this dual wielding configuration, the optimal talent allocation includes Improved Rend and a strategic investment of two points into Heroic Strike, thereby reducing the rage cost of this key ability. Further enhancement comes from allocating two points into Improved Charge and Tactical Mastery, followed by three points in Deep Wounds to augment bleed damage. A critical component of this build is Improved Overpower, an ability that significantly elevates the warrior’s combat efficiency.

When dual wielding arms, the presence of Improved Overpower becomes a game-changer, particularly in the early stages of the game. It greatly increases the frequency and impact of critical strikes, contributing to a substantial 60% increase in physical damage output. Given the higher likelihood of misses at lower levels, the relevance and effectiveness of Overpower in such scenarios are unparalleled, making it an indispensable part of the warrior’s arsenal.

Optimizing Warrior Leveling: Dual Wield Arms Strategy

Delving into the optimal leveling strategy for my Warrior between levels 20 to 32, especially in hardcore settings, provides insightful reflections.

• The choice of Improved Overpower plays a pivotal role, enhancing the warrior’s combat capabilities.
• With one talent point remaining, the logical choice is Impale, amplifying the Critical Strike damage bonus of all abilities by a noteworthy 10%.
• This selection forms the crux of my proposed build, aimed at maximizing damage output at level 25.

It’s important to acknowledge the potential of alternative paths, such as the Fury talent tree. Options like Improved Cleave and Improved Battle Shout, complemented by a point or two in Enrage, might offer competitive advantages.

However, based on my experience and analysis, the build centered around Improved Overpower and Impale seems to be the most effective for achieving peak DPS at this particular level. This approach, though subject to further debate and testing, currently stands as my recommended strategy for warriors embarking on their journey through the challenging terrain of hardcore gameplay.

Warrior Build Analysis: Damage Output and Sustain

Reflecting on my extensive experience with the Warrior class, I have rigorously experimented with both the dual-wield arms strategy and the two-hander approach from levels 20 to 30.

• This insight comes not only from my personal experimentation but also from recommendations shared by fellow seasoned players.
• My recent playthrough with a hardcore Warrior utilizing this strategy yielded impressive results, reinforcing my belief in its effectiveness.
• The dual-wield arms build, in my assessment, offers the most robust damage output for a Warrior at these levels. It delivers consistent, sustained damage, a key factor in both solo and group play.

Flexibility remains a hallmark of this build, allowing for seamless transitions between arms and dual-wield setups. Interestingly, for some players, the augmented 20% attack speed of a two-hander might surpass the benefits of Single-Minded Fury, presenting a compelling alternative in specific combat scenarios. Such versatility in build options not only caters to varying playstyles but also ensures that Warriors can adapt and excel in diverse combat environments.

Building a Versatile Warrior

This particular build demonstrates remarkable versatility, being equally effective for both dual-wielding and two-handed styles. To adapt it for a two-hander, one would simply replace Single-Minded Fury with either Endless Rage or Quick Strike, then incorporate Frenzy to Salt for additional effectiveness. This flexibility is a significant strength of the build, allowing warriors to tailor their approach based on personal preference or the demands of specific combat situations.

In my experience and judgment, this build positions Warriors to achieve exceptional damage output at this level. They’re slated for a high ranking in the tier list, primarily due to their robust damage potential. The only factor preventing them from reaching the coveted S tier is their relative lack of area-of-effect (AOE) capabilities compared to other classes. At this stage, Warriors primarily rely on Cleave, lacking more expansive AOE abilities like Whirlwind.

Therefore, in the context of overall utility and versatility, I place Warriors solidly in the A tier, recognizing their substantial contributions in focused combat scenarios, albeit with some limitations in wider AOE engagements.

Warlock Rune Analysis: Maximizing Damage

Moving on to the Warlock, it’s time to delve into the strategic selection of runes. Among the available options, Demonic Tactics stands out, offering a significant boost by increasing the critical strike chance for both the Warlock and their pet by 10%. This enhancement is not to be underestimated, as a 10% increase in critical strike chance can substantially elevate the overall damage output.

Additionally, Rain of Fire introduces a compelling dynamic with the Lake of Fire effect. This rune not only enhances the visual spectacle of combat but also amplifies all fire damage inflicted by the Warlock and their demon pet by a staggering 40% for 15 seconds. Such an increase is formidable, making it an attractive choice for any fire-damage-centric build.

Many options for it

Given these options, the choice leans towards Lake of Fire, primarily due to its significant 40% damage increase. This rune, particularly when paired with an imp casting Firebolts, can lead to a considerable escalation in overall damage. Making it an essential element of the Warlock’s arsenal in this phase. The potential for increased damage output with Lake of Fire positions the Warlock as a formidable force in any combat scenario.

Capable of delivering devastating blows to their adversaries.

Choosing the Right Hands Gear for Warlocks

Next in our Warlock gear analysis, we focus on the hand slot. Here, the standout choice is undoubtedly Chaos Bolt. This formidable ability unleashes a surge of chaotic fire towards the enemy, inflicting a substantial amount of fire damage, typically ranging from 225 to 286.

A key aspect of Chaos Bolt is its unerring accuracy and the inability of enemies to resist its impact. Moreover, it possesses a unique characteristic that enhances the effectiveness of all fire spells by allowing them to penetrate through absorption effects.

This attribute not only strengthens the Warlock’s damage output but also ensures that their fiery assaults reliably reach their intended target, thereby maximizing their destructive potential in combat scenarios.

Maximizing Warlock Damage with Lake of Fire

Aligning with the Lake of Fire rune, Chaos Bolt becomes even more formidable. This synergy results in an impressive 40% increase in damage output for Chaos Bolt, a boost that is simultaneously mirrored by your imp’s attacks. The convergence of these two powerful effects – the Lake of Fire and Chaos Bolt – creates a potent combination, significantly amplifying the Warlock’s damage capabilities.

This enhanced output is not just notable; it’s a game-changer in terms of the Warlock’s overall combat effectiveness, making them a force to be reckoned with in any encounter.

Legs Gear: Choosing Incinerate

For the leg equipment of the Warlock, the choice leans towards Incinerate, which emerges as a more impactful option compared to Demonic Pact for this specific build.

• The strategic use of Incinerate plays a crucial role in our damage-dealing sequence. By initially deploying Rain of Fire to activate our Lake of Fire effect, followed by timely usage of Chaos Bolt and frequent casting of Incinerate, we create a powerful synergy.
• This combination not only enhances the fire damage dealt by 25% for the subsequent 15 seconds but also significantly boosts the potency of Chaos Bolt.
• Imagine engaging a group of mobs in Blackfathom Deeps (BFD): a well-placed Rain of Fire sets the stage.

Then comes an Incinerate, ramping up the damage of the next Chaos Bolt by an additional 25%. Combine this with the 40% damage amplification from Lake of Fire, and you have a Chaos Bolt that’s bolstered by an overwhelming 65%. This level of damage escalation is not just significant; it’s a game-changing advantage, making the Warlock’s arsenal notably more lethal in the heat of battle.

Destruction Tree Strategy

Clearly, the choice here is to delve into the Destruction tree. We’re not taking Improved Shadow Bolt because it looks like we’re going for a Fire Destruction build. We’ll do five points into Cataclysm to reduce our Mana cost by 5%. Then, we take Bane, which decreases the cast time of our spells, to reduce our wait.

I’m not sure if Bane affects Incinerate, but even if it doesn’t, it’s still the best choice here because we are also going to be putting Immolate up on the target. So, Bane is hands down the best choice. We don’t need Daze or Improved Shadow Bolt. Then, we’ll take Devastation for a 5% chance to crit.

Final Talent Point Allocation

We have one more Talent point to spend. I would argue that the best choice here would be to go with Improved Firebolt for your imp. With this build, that’s clearly going to be the pet you’re using. At level 25, this is going to do the most damage. These mobs die fairly quickly, and you want upfront damage. There are some really good runes that we can use for a nice Affliction spec.

Warlock Strategy: Fire Destruction Build

But I don’t think that Affliction is going to do more damage than Destruction early on, especially with this Fire Destruction build. So, we’re going to go with this for Warlocks.

We’re going to go with a Fire Destruction build, and I think this is actually going to be S tier. This is going to be a lot of damage. You have cleave and AOE with Lake of Fire, Chaos Bolt and Incinerate for just insane amounts of single-target damage, and Improved Firebolt for your imp to just sit there and blast.

Hunter Strategy: Chest Runes and DPS Optimization

Okay, so for Hunter, we’re going to go with chest runes. We have options like Cobra Strikes, Expose Weakness, Lone Wolf, and Master Marksman.

I think the clear winner here is going to be Expose Weakness for level 25 raiding. This is going to be pretty big. When you crit, you’re gaining 40% of your current agility as attack power.

You could argue that maybe Lone Wolf would be better, but we’d have to do some testing because your pet does quite a bit of damage in vanilla. So, I would lean towards choosing Expose Weakness.

Hunter Hands and Legs Gear: Maximizing Raid Efficiency

And then for hands, we have Beast Mastery, Carve, Chimera Shot, and Explosive Shot. Obviously, I think the clear winner here for PVE DPS is going to be Explosive Shot. Then for legs, we have Kill Command, Serpent Spread, Sniper Training. Depending on how the raid goes, if you can stand still for six seconds, Sniper Training might be very useful.

But I really do think that Serpent Spread is going to be the way to go. Targets hit by your Multi-Shot are also affected by your Serpent Sting. When you’re clearing trash in a raid, just being able to Multi-Shot and instantly have three or four Serpent Stings up is pretty huge.

Building the Marksman Tree for Hunters

Obviously, for this build, we’re going to be going into the Marksman tree. We’re going to take Efficiency to reduce the mana cost of all of our shots and stings by 10%. We’re going to take Lethal Shots for another 5% chance to crit. Then, we are going to take Aimed Shot.

Let’s think about our rotation here. I mean, we’re not sure if we’ll be using Arcane Shot, but if we are, we would want to throw four points into that and then take one point into Mortal Shots. Or we can put four points into Improved Hunter’s Mark and then one point into Mortal Shots. It depends on how much we’re using Arcane Shot.

Cooldown & other details

If we’re using it a lot, it’s worth it to put four points in there to reduce the cooldown by 8 seconds and then one point in Mortal Shot. If we’re not using it, you put four points into Improved Hunter’s Mark and then take Mortal Shots. But for the purposes of this article, let’s just say we are using Arcane Shot.

This would be the level 25 Hunter B build, and I think this is going to do ridiculous amounts of damage. So, I’m going to put Hunters in S tier.

Rogue Strategy: Rune Analysis

So next up, we have Rogue. Let’s look at the Rogue’s runes. We have Deadly Brew, when you inflict any other poison on a target, you also inflict Deadly Poison. Quick Draw allows you to draw your ranged weapon and fire a quick shot at the enemy. This is more of a PVP type ability, like a hamstring.

Slaughter from the Shadows reduces your energy cost of your Backstab, Ambush by 20%, but does not apply to Mutilate.

Rogue Strategy: Choosing the Right Build

So, what I think the best build here for a Rogue is going to be Deadly Brew. Then, for our hand engraving, we have options like Mutilate, Main Gauche, and Saber Slash. Mutilate, paired with Deadly Brew, is going to be the clear winner here. It’s a powerful combination. Then, for legs, we’re obviously going to take Envenom, as this all plays together seamlessly.

Rogue Talent Tree Analysis: Assassination vs. Combat

This is going to be a tricky one for Rogue. Mutilate benefits from all talents and effects that trigger from or modify Backstab, unless otherwise specified. That’s a significant advantage.

• Let’s test something out. If we go Assassination, we would choose Malice for a 5% crit, Ruthlessness, two points in Murder, and five points in Lethality for the extra Critical Strike damage bonus. With one point left, we’d throw it into Vile Poisons for that extra damage.
• Alternatively, if we go Combat, we won’t be using Sinister Strike with Mutilate. Combat offers a 5% hit, which is significant, and Improved Backstab, which Mutilate benefits from, giving it a 30% chance to crit. Then we have three points left to use.

Early on, Combat might change later on, but definitely, the best way to do this is going to be Assassination for this build to do a ton of damage.

Final Thoughts on Rogue Build and Tier Ranking

Remember, these builds are just speculation from me, based on all the runes that are available at level 25. This would be the build I’d go with as a Rogue. Your single-target damage is going to be unbeatable. I would put Rogue at the top of S tier, maybe right under Warriors, because they don’t have a cleave. That’s the only thing holding them back. Their single-target damage would be absolutely insane, but they just don’t have any cleave.

From watching the playtest at BlizzCon, it does look like there is a lot of trash in the BFD raid. So, I would keep Rogues in a solid A-tier. Now, let’s move on to Mage.

Mage Strategy: Choosing Between Frost and Fire

For the chest, we have options like Burnout, which increases your spell Critical Strike chance with all spells by 15%. However, there’s a trade-off: your non-periodic Spell critical strikes now have an additional Mana cost of 1% of your base Mana. The main focus here is likely going to be Fingers of Frost, due to the significant damage increase it offers.

For hands, you could approach this in two ways. If you play Frost, you can deal a lot of damage with a combination of Ice Lance, Fingers of Frost, and Icy Veins.

Mage Talent Tree Analysis: Frost vs. Fire Build

We could go down the tree like this. We could take Cold Snap for Icy Veins. This would be a good Frost DPS build for Fingers of Frost, which provides just a ton of extra damage. Ice Lance and Icy Veins, combined with Cold Snap, would result in crazy amounts of damage.

Alternatively, we could play it with Burnout, take Living Bomb, and still take Icy Veins for a Fire build. We would obviously take Ignite, probably wouldn’t cast Pyroblast much outside of the opener, so we would take Incinerate for that extra crit chance. Improved Flame Strike for more AOE, and then we would probably put one point in Master of Elements to get some Mana back, as Burnout is going to be draining our Mana. But you’d have a ton of damage in either one of these specs.

Mage is going to be absolutely S-tier; they just have too much damage. Having Living Bomb at level 25, Icy Veins, and if you’re Frost, Cold Snap to use Icy Veins twice, plus Burnout, means Mages are going to be doing insane amounts of damage.

Shaman Strategy: Elemental vs. Enhancement

Up next, we have Shaman. Again, you could play Elemental or Enhancement here. Let’s go with the chest runes for Enhancement. We obviously take dual-wielding, which also gives us a 5% hit chance right off the bat, which is huge.

However, we do not have Storm Strike until level 40. For hands, we would obviously take Lava Lash. You charge your offhand weapon with lava, instantly dealing 100% offhand weapon damage. The damage is increased by 20% if your offhand is enchanted with Flametongue. This would be our Enhancement build.

Shaman Talent Tree Analysis: Enhancement Focus

Then we take Shamanistic Rage, which reduces all damage you take by 20% and regenerates Mana every second for 15 seconds. Mana regenerated per second is equal to 15% of your attack power, 10% of your spell power, or 6% of your healing power, whichever value is greatest.

So, we take Shamanistic Rage and then go down into the Enhancement tree. We take probably Ancestral Knowledge for some extra Mana and Thundering Strikes for a 5% crit chance.

Shaman Build and Tier Ranking

Shaman players have some interesting choices. While you could explore various builds, we’re likely going to focus on enhancing totems, perhaps taking Improved Lightning Shield, which seems beneficial.

We won’t be able to use Ghost Wolf in there, but we can put our last point in Flurry to get that Flurry proc. I think Shaman will do a ton of damage as well. The only difference is they don’t have a lot of AOE, but they will be dealing serious damage. So, I’m going to put Shaman up in A-tier, right next to Rogues.

Priest Strategy: Maximizing Damage with Void Plague and Twisted Faith

Next up on the list, we have Priest. Priests have some pretty cool stuff. For the chest glyph, we’re going to be choosing between Void Plague or Twisted Faith. Mind Flay and Mind Blast deal 20% increased damage to targets afflicted with your Shadow Word: Pain. I think that Void Plague is good as another DOT, but Twisted Faith is going to be way better at level 25, and I’ll show you why.

Priest Talent Tree Analysis: Enhancing AOE and Sustained Damage

For hands, the next thing we want is obviously Mind Sear, which causes an explosion of Shadow Magic around the target enemy, dealing Shadow damage every second for 5 seconds to all enemies within 10 yards around the target. We take Mind Sear for our nice AOE.

Then, for legs, we’re going to take Shared Pain. Your Shadow Word: Pain now afflicts up to two additional nearby targets within 15 yards. This is going to give you a nice shadow cleave from Shadow Word: Pain and play off Twisted Faith.

So, you’re going to put Shadow Word: Pain up, it’s going to hit three targets, Twisted Faith will do more damage because your targets are afflicted with Shadow Word: Pain, and then Mind Sear on those trash AOE pulls.

Shadow Priest Spec: Focusing on Mana Regeneration and Threat Management

In the Shadow tree, we could take Spirit Tap, which gives you a 100% chance to gain a bonus to your spirit after killing a target that yields experience or honor. This would provide good Mana regen.

• Alternatively, we could take Blackout, but I would go with Spirit Tap for PVE. It increases the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain.

I might want to go with Shadow Affinity, actually. I don’t think tanks are going to have a problem holding threat at all in the Season of Discovery. They have many talents that boost their threat generation by over 80%, so for this, I would honestly go with two into Improved Shadow Word: Pain, three into Shadow Focus, and then we have six points left to spend.

Shadow Priest Build for Blackfathom Deeps

If I were playing a Shadow Priest at level 25 for Blackfathom Deeps, this would be my build. It’s going to do an absolute megaton of damage and be a lot of fun to play. You could probably play this in a couple of different ways. I’m not a priest main, but this is how I would build my damaging priest.

Priest Talent Tree Allocation

I guess we would put five points into Mind Blast and then either one point in Shadow Weaving. Mind Flay (MF) is pretty significant, so I say we do four points into Improved Mind Blast and then one point in Shadow Weaving. It’s only a 3% increase, so I think that the extra 0.5-second cooldown reduction on Mind Blast is actually just bigger.

Druid Strategy: Exploring Feral Build Options

Next up on our list, we have Druids. We could play Balance or Feral, so let’s go with a Feral build first. Wild Strikes, which is similar to Windfury, is a must-take as it increases our damage by a ton and boosts the entire raid’s and party’s damage.

Druid Talent Choices for Feral Build

Each melee attack has a 20% chance of granting the attacker an extra attack with 20% additional attack power, which is enormous. We’ve got to take Wild Strikes. We have to take Mangle, which mangles the target for 160% normal damage and causes the target to take 30% additional damage from bleed effects and Shred for one minute.

For legs, obviously, we take Savage Roar. Skull Bash would not be used for PVE. We would rely on other classes to do the interrupts, but I’m not sure how many there are in the Blackfathom Deeps raid. Savage Roar is just too significant, increasing physical damage done by 30% while in cat form.

Feral Druid Talent Tree Analysis

So, let’s say we go with that, and then we go down the Feral tree. We’re going to probably go with Ferocity, reducing the rage cost for us to cast Rake, which would be really nice.

We’ll go down a bit more. It’s kind of a waste to take Feral Aggression this early because we don’t have Ferocious Bite yet. Thick Hide is kind of a waste, I guess. We would take Brutal Impact, then three points into Feral Instinct, and obviously here, we want Sharpened Claws.

We can get Feline Swiftness two points, and we have one more point to spend. I think we would most likely spend that in Blood Frenzy, as Predatory Strikes increase your melee attack power in cat, bear, and dire bear forms by 50% of your level. That’s like 12.5; it’s not going to be that good, so we’re going to or do we take a six reduced cost to Shred? I don’t think we do.

Feral Druid Cat Build: Enhancing Critical Strikes

I think Blood Frenzy is the way to go for our Feral Cat build because you’re going to be critting a lot. Blood Frenzy seems to still be a DPS increase. We’d have to play around with this and figure it out, but that would be our Feral Cat build.

Balance Druid Build: A Hybrid of Damage and Healing

Next, let’s go back and do a Balance Druid build. We would take Fury of Stormrage, which reduces the Mana cost of Wrath by 100% and gives a 12% chance for your next Healing Touch within 15 seconds to be instant after dealing damage with Wrath. This skill would be kind of like a high damage healer ability. We would obviously take Sunfire, which burns the enemy for nature damage and then additional damage over time.

Balance Druid Talent Tree Analysis

For Balance Druid, we would take Star Surge, launching surging stellar energies that cause Arcane damage. This benefits from all effects that affect Wrath or Starfire.

In the balance tree, we would go with Improved Wrath. Sunfire does get affected by the Moonfire talent, so we would take Improved Moonfire. We would probably take Nature’s Reach and then Improved Thorns to help our tanks hold threat.

For our last point, we would go with Vengeance. This would be a good solid Boomkin build.

Druid’s Damage Potential and Tier Placement

I do think Druids are going to do a bunch of damage, but they lack in cleave. They don’t have much AOE early on, so Druids for me are going to be A-tier.

Paladin DPS Build for Blackfathom Deeps Raid

Next up, last but certainly not least, we have Paladins. Paladins got a lot of nice stuff for DPS in the Blackfathom Deeps raid. We’re obviously going to go with the chest engraving for Divine Storm, an instant weapon attack that damages up to four enemies and heals party or raid members for a portion of the damage caused. Divine Storm is a no-brainer.

Paladin Talent Choices for Optimal Damage

For hands, we obviously take Crusader Strike, giving us a button to press on a Retribution Paladin, dealing damage and helping us regenerate Mana. For legs, we are probably going to take Exorcism, which can now be cast on any target and has a 100% chance to critically strike against Undead and demons.

Paladin Rotation and Mana Management

The rotation is going to be very similar to the Wrath-era Retribution Paladin. You’re going to have Crusader Strike, Divine Storm, Exorcism, and Seal of Command. Paladins are going to do a lot of damage. For our build, we’re going to be getting Mana back with Crusader Strike, so I don’t think we need Benediction.

Retribution Paladin Build for Level 25 Raiding

For the Retribution Paladin build at level 25, I think we should go with Improved Blessing of Might and then Improved Judgment to decrease the cooldown, followed by Improved Seal of the Crusader. Obviously, we take Seal of Command as our main damaging ability. We take five points in Conviction for that extra 5% Critical Strike chance. This is going to be our Ret Paladin build. Ret Paladins are absolutely going to be dominant in this bracket.

Paladin Talent Allocation and Raid Performance

At least in this bracket, Ret Paladins are going to be the best DPS at level 25. I think they will be untouchable in the raid. Next bracket, when the level cap gets raised to 40 in Phase 2, there’s going to be some serious changes. Maybe Rogues get a Fan of Knives glyph, maybe Druids get a Swipe glyph for cat form, and Warriors will have Whirlwind and other glyphs.

DPS Class Ratings and Future Content Plans

For me, Ret Paladins are going to be the top DPS at level 25. Warlocks might be a little bit behind Hunters, maybe even behind Mages. I think Mages are going to do a little more damage than Warlocks. Shadow Priests and Warlocks are going to be on par. This is how I would rate each DPS class for PVE at level 25, Phase 1, Season of Discovery. I will also be making a tier list for PVP, so stay tuned for that.

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