Welcome to the ranking of classes in Project Ascension’s newest mode, Bronzebeard! Bronzebeard represents Ascension’s vision of what Classic should have been, introducing new areas and unique mechanics to the game. This list is useful for both veteran WoW players exploring this new approach and newcomers to World of Warcraft, seeking the ideal starting build. This comprehensive tier list will help you make an informed decision.
All Classes Ranked
The Classes of World of Warcraft Bronzebeard are similar to Classic WoW
Bronzebeard has the same 9 class lineup as WoW Classic Era, where the classes players can choose from are: Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Warlock, and Druid. We’ll rank them from worst to best, based on their general utility, damage, survivability, and overall usefulness in various scenarios, such as dungeons and raids.
Subclass specs will also be marked from S to C tiers, as all classes are valid choices, and so giving failing grades wouldn’t fit the theme of the rankings.
9Druid
Shapeshifters with an affinity for the plant and animal kingdoms.
Balance Druid performs at B-tier for ranged DPS, Feral sits at C-tier for melee damage and tanking, while Restoration dominates at S-tier for healing support.
Playable by Night Elves, Tauren, and Trolls
Restoration druids excel as top-tier raid healers with powerful healing over time effects and raid-wide healing capabilities. Their versatility allows them to adapt to various encounter mechanics while maintaining strong throughput. However, Feral druids struggle significantly with competitive damage output, falling behind other melee specs in both single-target and AoE situations. Balance druids show decent AoE potential but lack sufficient data on single-target performance to compete with top-tier casters. Tank druids face challenges balancing survivability and threat generation, often having to choose between defensive or offensive builds rather than excelling at both.
8Warlock
Warlocks deal Fire or Shadow magic to damage, drain, or curse their enemy.
Affliction dominates at S-tier with unmatched DoT damage, Demonology provides solid A-tier performance with pet synergy, and Destruction delivers B-tier burst damage potential.
Playable by Humans, Gnomes, Orcs, Undead, Trolls, and Blood Elves
Affliction warlocks dominate the damage meters with exceptional DoT management and scaling. Demonology performs impressively with strong pet synergy and burst potential that rivals top-tier specs. Destruction brings powerful AoE through Hellfire and competitive single-target damage. The main drawback is the relatively low player representation for Demonology and Destruction specs, potentially indicating higher skill requirements or gear dependencies that deter average players from reaching their full potential.
7Rogue
Rogues often serve as assassins or scouts, though many are lone wolves as well.
Subtlety delivers B-tier burst from stealth, Combat maintains steady B-tier sustained damage, while Assassination falls to C-tier due to positioning requirements.
Playable by Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes, Orcs, Undead, Trolls, and Blood Elves
Subtlety and Combat rogues deliver exceptional damage output, earning their place among top DPS specs with strong single-target burst and sustained damage. Their ability to control fights through stuns and crowd control adds valuable utility. Assassination rogues, while still viable for all content, fall behind their counterparts in overall damage potential. The skill gap between average and exceptional rogue players can be significant, particularly for Subtlety’s positional requirements.
6Priest
Priests are well-rounded healers with a variety of tools. However, they can also sacrifice their healing to deal damage with shadow magic.
Holy Priest shines at A-tier with versatile healing, Discipline Priest provides B-tier preventive support, and Shadow Priest sits at C-tier for damage dealing.
Playable by Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes, Draenei, Undead, Trolls, and Blood Elves
Discipline priests provide strong raid support through damage mitigation and solid healing throughput. Holy priests offer reliable healing with good raid utility, maintaining competitive performance in all content. Shadow priests, while completely viable for endgame content, consistently fall behind other DPS specs in overall damage output. They bring valuable utility through Vampiric Embrace but struggle to justify their raid spot purely on damage contribution.
5Shaman
Shamans use the power of the elements to enhance their weapon damage or spells. Shamans also summon totems in combat.
Enhancement tanking performs at A-tier with unique mitigation, Elemental delivers A-tier burst damage, while Enhancement DPS provides B-tier melee support.
Playable by Dwarves, Draenei, Orcs, Tauren, and Trolls
Enhancement shamans excel as tanks with unique mitigation abilities that rival traditional tank classes. Both Enhancement DPS and Elemental shamans deliver massive damage potential with strong burst windows. Restoration shamans rank among the best healers with chain heal efficiency and totem utility. The main limitation is gear competition between specs and the need to maintain different sets for various roles.
4Warrior
Warriors are plate-wearing fighters who strive for perfection in armed combat.
Protection Warriors dominate at S-tier for tanking, Arms Warriors deliver S-tier burst damage, while Fury Warriors maintain B-tier sustained DPS.
Playable by all races
Protection warriors remain the gold standard for tanking with excellent threat generation and mitigation in both raids and dungeons. Arms warriors excel with top-tier damage output, particularly with proper gear and the “face-roll” ease of rotation. Fury warriors, while still performing well, don’t quite match the burst potential of Arms or other S-tier melee specs. Warriors remain highly gear-dependent, with performance varying significantly based on equipment quality.
3Paladin
Paladins are heavily armored fighters and defenders who use Holy Magic to heal wounds and combat evil.
Protection Paladins excel at S-tier for AoE tanking, Retribution Paladins burst at S-tier damage levels, while Holy Paladins provide B-tier tank healing.
Playable by Humans, Dwarves, Draenei, Undead, Tauren, and Blood Elves
Protection paladins excel in both raid and dungeon environments with strong AoE threat and mitigation. Retribution paladins earned their reputation as a “handicapped class” due to their simple rotation yet exceptional damage output. Holy paladins provide reliable tank healing and raid utility through blessings. The main limitation is their struggle to match the raw healing output of restoration druids and shamans in raid-wide healing scenarios.
2Mage
Mages are the iconic magic-users of Azeroth, and learn their craft through intense research and study.
Frost Mages freeze enemies at S-tier effectiveness, Arcane Mages burst at S-tier levels, while Fire Mages maintain B-tier consistent damage with less utility.
Playable by all races except Taurens
Frost mages dominate with exceptional AoE damage and competitive single-target performance worthy of S-tier placement. Arcane mages excel in single-target encounters with Touch of the Magi providing significant raid utility and strong personal damage. Fire mages suffer from the difficulty of obtaining sufficient critical strike gear at level 60, requiring extensive preparation to reach their potential. This gear dependency places Fire behind other mage specs despite having strong theoretical damage.
1Hunter
Hunters are at home in the wilderness and have a special affinity for beasts. They use ranged weapons such as guns or bows.
Survival Hunter S – Marksman Hunter S – Beast master Hunter C
Playable by all races except Gnomes
Survival and Marksmanship hunters both deliver exceptional damage, earning their place in S-tier with different strengths – Survival excelling in melee-range trap weaving while Marksmanship dominates at range. Their consistent physical damage ignores resistances that affect casters. Beast Mastery hunters, while performing well and remaining viable for all content, consistently fall behind the other hunter specs and most other classes in overall damage contribution. Pet pathing and management issues can occasionally impact all hunter specs’ performance.
Conclusion
The Bronze Beard Classic+ meta showcases remarkable class balance, with every spec remaining viable for endgame content despite tier differences. S-tier dominance from specs like Frost/Arcane Mage, Retribution Paladin, Arms Warrior, and Survival/Marksmanship Hunter reflects exceptional performance, yet even C-tier specs like Feral Druid and Beast Mastery Hunter can successfully complete the hardest content with proper gear and skill. Tank diversity thrives with Enhancement Shamans joining Protection Warriors and Paladins at the top, while Restoration Druids and Shamans lead healing without completely overshadowing other healing specs.
The key takeaway for Bronze Beard players is that personal preference and playstyle should take precedence over tier rankings. While these rankings provide valuable guidance for progression-focused guilds, the tight balance means mastering any class yields better results than playing a “meta” spec poorly. Whether you’re drawn to Retribution Paladin’s simplicity, Subtlety Rogue’s complexity, or Enhancement Shaman’s unique tanking, Bronze Beard ensures your choice remains competitive – creating a healthier environment where player dedication matters more than strict meta adherence, making it ideal for both WoW veterans and newcomers exploring Ascension’s vision of Classic+.
