Delves are one of the newest additions to World of Warcraft, and were added in The War Within expansion. These fun little zones are similar to dungeons, but can be done by 1-5 players and don’t require a specific composition of tanks, dps, and healers. Most classes are able to enjoy them and reap the many rewards that come from completing the related delve achievements.
While delves can be done with 2, 3, 4, or 5 players - if you’re anything like me, soloing current content and climbing the difficulty ladder just to see how far you can push your character is extremely fun! This article will take a look at a tier list of all classes and their relevant specs to get a better idea of which ones are perfect for soloing delve content in TWW.
S Tier
The DPS and Tanks in the S tier are some of the best options for soloing delves. These classes will help you get all of the delve achievements obtained, even if slightly undergeared.
- Blood Death Knight
- Beast Mastery Hunter
- Demonology Warlock
- Protection Paladin
- Guardian Druid
A Tier
While not as strong as the S tier, the classes in the A tier can still do delves relatively easily, but some bosses or larger pulls might take a bit of strategy on your part.
- Vengeance Demon Hunter
- Frost Death Knight
- Retribution Paladin
- Enhancement Shaman
- Elemental Shaman
B Tier
Classes in the B tier can solo delves, but may do better in some delves over others. They might also need a higher leveled Brann with different perks to help with healing and crowd control.
- Unholy Death Knight
- Marksmanship Hunter
- Frost Mage
- Destruction Warlock
- Survival Hunter
- Fury Warrior
- Havoc Demon Hunter
- Arms Warrior
- Protection Warrior
- Brewmaster Monk
C Tier
This tier might need some high level gear or a slower and smaller approach to certain pulls in most delves. While they can complete them, it might be a bit of a struggle.
- Feral Druid
- Balance Druid
- Arcane Mage
- Fire Mage
- Affliction Warlock
- Shadow Priest
- Windwalker Monk
D Tier
Classes in this tier are not really cut out for soloing delves. While it’s possible, it is mostly a lesson in patience and you will very likely struggle on rares, bosses, and larger pulls.
- Combat Rogue
- Assassination Rogue
- Subtlety Rogue
- Augmentation Evoker
- Devastation Evoker
Now that we have the tier list out of the way, let’s break down the top 10 classes and see why I think they are the best ones to consider for soloing delves in The War Within.
1. Blood Death Knight (S Tier)
If you want to feel like a truly unstoppable force, the Blood DK might be the class for you. They’re tanky, they have incredible survivability, you’ll get self heals, and can dish out constant damage to both single targets and groups. If you love rounding up dozens of enemies and blasting them all down together, look no further than this plate-wearing beast! While they are a bit slow in the movement speed department, they more than make up for it with survivability and damage output.
Why Blood Death Knight is S-Tier
- High level of survivability with defensives and self heals
- Outstanding crowd control and ways to group up enemies
- Can sustain high damage output on single or multiple targets
- Not as heavily dependent on gearing as other classes
2. Beast Mastery Hunter (S Tier)
As the most well known pet class in the game, Beast Mastery Hunters are absolutely able to solo delves up to rank 11, even if slightly undergeared. Making use of the No Hard Feelings talent is a real game changer since it reduces the damage done to your pet by 50% for 5 seconds on a 30 second cooldown. You’re also going to be the most mobile class in the game, able to deal the full amount of your damage while constantly moving, making you a master at kiting large groups and avoiding boss mechanics.
Why Beast Mastery Hunter is S-Tier
- Deals damage while pets can act as tank, or as heals with Spirit Mend
- Excellent mobility for quick retreat, speed runs, or kiting groups
- High amount of stuns and crowd control with traps and Binding Shot
- Can sustain full damage output while constantly moving
3. Demonology Warlock (S Tier)
As another pet-focused class, Demonology Warlocks are not only powerful, but they can be very fun to learn and play. You’ll make use of several permanently enslaved demons that can tank or deal damage, while you will be dealing your own damage and summoning more temporary demons in the form of Gloomhound, Vilefiend, Tyrant, Dreadstalkers, and more! Crowd control and stuns are also something you will excel at, while being able to reduce damage done to yourself with Unending Resolve.
Why Demonology Warlock is S-Tier
- Pet can serve as tank or dps, or help with crowd control
- Has decent self heal with Drain Life at the expense of DPS
- Very good single target DPS for boss fights and rare spawns
- Very good amount of crowd control, stuns, and interrupts
4. Protection Paladin (S Tier)
If you love rounding up large groups of enemies at once but just aren’t enjoying the Blood DK playstyle, you should give Protection Paladin a try. This class can put you in control of a good movement boost with Divine Steed, they have a large number of defensives and self heals, and can even pop a full immunity just in case things really get out of control. They are extremely strong with single target damage, and have very good AOE damage, especially once you drop Consecration and get your hammers spinning.
Why Protection Paladin is S-Tier
- Incredible amount of self heals and defensive abilities
- Can deliver good multi target damage, and strong boss damage
- Able to easily round up large groups of mobs for Consecration
- Has very good mobility on a short cooldown with Divine Steed
5. Guardian Druid (S Tier)
For anyone that loves running around as a burly bear, Guardian Druid is the class for you! These bears might look huggable, but they can deliver some incredibly strong AOE damage, while also holding their own in the single target damage department. If that wasn't enough, you’ll also get a variety of different defensives, self heals, passive heals, stuns, snares, and slows to make use of. While they can be a bit more complex to master, they can be a lot of fun to learn and make use of in delves.
Why Guardian Druid is S-Tier
- Huge amount of self heals, passive heals, damage reduction, and defensives
- Very good mobility and snare breakout using shapeshift abilities
- Can be extremely hard to kill even with massive pulls
- Lacks a bit on single target damage, but shines with AOE damage
6. Vengeance Demon Hunter (A Tier)
If you’re looking for a class that’s fun to play, has good mobility, and a relatively simple rotation, the Vengeance Demon Hunter is your ticket! This class can feel almost invincible when you pop Metamorphosis once every 3 minutes, and you’ll deliver some seriously good damage on both single targets and large groups. While they fall a bit short in comparison to the Guardian Druid spell kit, this class arguably looks cooler - especially if you like the dark demonic style for your characters!
Why Vengeance Demon Hunter is A-Tier
- Has some good mobility for quick escapes
- When Metamorphosis is used, can be nearly impossible to kill
- Makes use of Soul Fragments for a decent self-healing ability
- Can be a very fun class to play once you get the hang of it
7. Frost Death Knight (A Tier)
As a Frost DK, you’ll be one of the slower moving classes on this top 10 list, but you’ll make up for it with some pretty good damage and a pretty decent level of survivability. While you won’t be the beast that is the Blood DK, you will still be able to round up and deal damage to a single boss target or a large number of smaller mobs. Frost Death Knights have a few strong defensives and a self heal with Death Strike, which is a nice addition to their general sturdiness of wearing plate armor.
Why Frost Death Knight is A-Tier
- Lacks a bit in defensives, but can use Death Strike to heal themselves
- Slower than other classes on the list, but makes up for it in good damage
- Has strong damage output for both single target and multiple targets
- Generally more durable since they wear plate armor with higher base stamina
8. Retribution Paladin (A Tier)
While the Protection Paladin sits up in the S tier, the Retribution Paladin has fallen down to the A tier in patch 11.0.5. This is because some unintended bugs with the class in 11.0 that allowed extremely high hammer-spam damage output with no cooldowns inaccurately inflated their ranking. Now, Ret Pallies are still perfectly able to solo delves, but they fall a bit short in comparison to Prot Pallies. You’ll still go into the fight with a fair amount of self heals, defensives, and stuns while also being able to deal sustained damage.
Why Retribution Paladin is A-Tier
- Very good self heals, but lacks a bit in defensives and immunities
- Does excellent AOE damage, but can struggle with some boss mechanics
- Has okay movement speed using Divine Steed on a 45 second cooldown
- Not as durable as Protection Paladin, but can still hold their own
9. Enhancement Shaman (A Tier)
Enhancement Shamans are a fun-to-play melee option that feels like a lightning-infused rogue, but has a much higher range of self-heals and crowd control. If you decide to pick up this class, you’ll be a damage dealer that does very well with multiple targets, and can interrupt enemy spellcasters while also rooting groups when kiting. You’ll have very good mobility with Ghost Wolf and Feral Lunge, and can also pop an Earth Elemental when things get a bit too real and you need a quick emergency exit.
Why Enhancement Shaman is A-Tier
- Very good mobility with shapeshift Ghost Wolf ability
- Has a fair bit of self heal ability, but can be squishy in some cases
- Able to crowd control or interrupt with Windshear and totem use
- Has an emergency backup aggro sponge with Earth Elemental
10. Elemental Shaman (A Tier)
Similar to Enhancement, Elemental Shamans share the same movement abilities and can feel a bit squishy with larger pulls or hard-hitting bosses. While their Enhancement brother does well with AOE damage, as an Elemental Shaman you will be blasting bosses and rare spawns with your very high sustained single target damage output. You’ll also be making use of various Elementals depending on your chosen talents including a Fire Elemental, Storm Elemental, and Earth Elemental.
Why Elemental Shaman is A-Tier
- Excels at single target damage, but falls short in sustained AOE damage
- Has the same self heals, defenses, and crowd control as Enhancement
- Can make use of multiple Elementals for dealing damage
- Looks very cool when casting lightning spells or using Ascension
