World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Patch 9.2.7 has arrived, and with it, the game’s PvE meta is being altered substantially. With the introduction of fated raids, new Mythic+ dungeon pools, and minor balance changes, the answers to questions of “what’s good and what’s not” are not drastically different than they were during Patch 9.2.5 or earlier.
Differentiating between classes isn’t going to be nearly as stark as it was in the past, as nearly every spec in the game is viable to some extent. There will, of course, be options that are better than others—that’s simply the nature of competitive video games.
Although Patch 9.2.7 didn’t bring about fresh content, with fated raids, reshuffled mythic+ pool, Feat of Strength achievements, Jigglesworth Sr. mount, the “Hero of Fate” title, PvE in WoW has never been more challenging and enjoyable. On top of that, the tier sets, which made their grand reentrance in Patch 9.2, still have an immense effect on the current meta and play a huge role in gearing.
With that in mind, we stacked all of WoW’s DPS specs against one another to see which one is doing the best. Here is our latest Shadowlands PvE tier list for Patch 9.2.7.
S tier
- Demonology Warlock
- Frost Death Knight
- Destruction Warlock
- Survival Hunter
The four strongest PvE specs in Patch 9.2.7 are Demonology Warlock, Frost Death Knight, Destruction Warlock, and Survival Hunter. While Frost Death Knight and Demonology Warlock have already been in a strong spot, Demonology Warlock and Survival Hunter have, with Patch 9.2.7, seen significant buffs that skyrocketed the classes to the very top. So, from pumping out damage in lengthy raid encounters to carrying your Mythic+ team through Tyrannical weeks, Demonology, Destruction, Survival, and Frost are four of the best options to bring into any instance in Patch 9.2. Beyond their intense damage outputs, these four specs also have plenty of utility and survivability tools that they can bring to the table, allowing them to relieve burdens from healers while pumping out more-than-respectable numbers.
A tier
- Outlaw Rogue
- Retribution Paladin
- Marksmen Hunter
- Windwalker Monk
- Unholy Death Knight
- Arms Warrior
This tier is where you’ll find the best ranged DPS specs in Patch 9.2.7, in addition to more viable and diverse options outside of the top four. While these six specs won’t be as wildly strong as those in the highest tier, they’ll still have a leg up on essentially every other DPS option on the board in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons. Keep an eye on Windwalker Monk in particular as the patch rolls on, and players start to get more gear.
B tier
- Elemental Shaman
- Fury Warrior
- Fire Mage
- Enhancement Shaman
- Subtlety Rogue
- Assassination Rogue
- Shadow Priest
While playing these specs in Patch 9.2.7, you won’t have as easy of a time as you would the ones up in S-tier or A-tier, but you’ll still feel strong enough to make an impact on the DPS charts, especially if you’re well-geared. These DPS specs are viable to a certain extent, and in the hands of an experienced player, have the potential to be on the same level as some of this patch’s best options.
In this patch, all three Rogue specs are playable, with Outlaw earning the edge thanks to their raw strength in Mythic+ and flexibility in raid groups. Rogue players will also essentially be plug-and-play options for any group looking for reliable DPS, just as will Shaman players. Additionally, this tier is where you’ll find lesser specs for Warrior and Priest.
C tier
- Feral Druid
- Frost Mage
- Havoc Demon Hunter
- Beast Mastery Hunter
- Affliction Warlock
- Balance Druid
- Arcane Mage
The bottom of the barrel remains populated by some familiar faces from previous patches, with Feral Druid once again finding itself in the below-average tier of DPS specs, just as they have throughout the majority of the expansion. If you’re playing any of the specs in this tier, you’ll have to get yourself extremely ahead of the curve when it comes to gear in order to keep up with some of the classes in the higher tiers. Still, that’s not to say that experienced players piloting a class they’re comfortable with won’t be able to out-DPS first-timers jumping into whatever classes are at the top of the meta.
