Blizzard’s new Hardcore servers will allow players who were already doing the “hardcore” challenge to have a special server that is dedicated to people who want to play the most extreme version of Classic. But, you need to be prepared and you need to know which classes are the best at killing the boars.
The rules of Hardcore are fairly simple: If you die in Hardcore, your death on the realm is permanent, and your character cannot be revived. This includes the use of Reincarnation and Soulstones.
So unlike other ways of playing Classic, the emphasis in Hardcore is just to move quickly but conservatively at the same time. Knowing your limits is essential to survival, and playing a class that can stay alive is also extraordinarily important. So with that in mind, let’s visit some of the best classes you can play in World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore.
Best classes to play in WoW Classic Hardcore
Hunter
Hunters are well known for being one of the best classes in WoW Classic for performing solo content. And in Hardcore, many of those same elements are especially impactful. With the ability to deal damage from range and use a pet, Hunters can deal damage while on the run. This allows them to avoid damage while having maximum effectiveness.
Related: The best and the worst classes for WoW Hardcore
Additionally, Hunters have easily the most overpowered ability in Hardcore—Feign Death. The ability is learnable at level 30 and can save players in a pinch by dropping aggro. The most common way to die in Classic is by getting overwhelmed because you’ve run into too many mobs. So what equates to a “get out of jail free” card is extraordinarily useful.
Remember, Hunters are at their best when they stay at range away from foes and when they don’t pull too much and take aggro from the pets.
Mage
The first person to reach level 60 in WoW Classic in 2019 played a Mage, and with a combination of AoE, crowd control, and movement abilities, this class will be a standout on Hardcore servers as well. But that’s not all because Mages have portals, can conjure both food and water and can kite for days.
From a pure leveling perspective, the frost and arcane abilities that Mages can use make them excellent at AoE farming large groups of mobs for experience. They won’t be able to do that as easily in instances because the restrictions that Blizzard set only allow players to do one instance of a dungeon every 24 hours, but there are numerous places where they’ll be able to AoE farm in the open world.
Warlock
Warlocks aren’t quite as strong as Hunters and Mages but their survivability and speed leveling capabilities still make them an S-tier Hardcore class. With pets like Voidwalkers that can tank and vampiric abilities like Life Tap, they can protect themselves. Meanwhile, Fear is a quick crowd-control mechanic that can give you a second to run away. It’s not as foolproof as Feign Death that Hunters have, but it’s still something. I have them ranked slightly below Mage and Hunter, but they’re still deserving of being a tier higher than any other Classic Hardcore class.
Priest
Until this point, our top three classes for Hardcore have been exclusively DPS. But as the main healing class in Classic, Priests deserve a little bit of love. While they’re not great when it comes to damage, their healing throughput makes them the strongest end-game healer in Hardcore. And if you plan on doing any level 60 content, you’d best make sure there’s a Priest in your group.
Priests can be powerful leveling partners for melee classes like Warriors or Rogues that can’t self-heal. They’re also excellent leveling partners for anyone who wants to push the envelope and might need that added layer of security a healer provides.
The top three classes might be strong at solo content, but once you hit level 60, you’ll want to have a healer for many of the game’s instances. The healing throughput of Priests will make you the safest that you can possibly be.
During the early leveling stages, it’s an absolute must to take the Wand Specialization talent and Spirit Tap to quickly defeat enemies without spending too much time drinking.
Druid, Shaman, and Paladin
These classes might not be the cream of the crop, but I’d give them a solid A as far as leveling and survivability is concerned. Each has the ability to heal themselves and tools in their kit that can help them escape sticky situations.
For Druids, cat form and Entangling Roots will help you kite. Paladins have some of the game’s most powerful protective spells, like Lay on Hands and Blessing of Protection. Meanwhile, Shamans can chain heal multiple teammates at once and their Frost Shock serves as crowd control. But, all these classes are oriented toward supporting and that’s why they are at their best when you pair them with a Warrior or Rogue.
Related: WoW Classic official Hardcore servers are coming sooner than we thought
Rogue and Warrior
Rogues and Warriors are the only two classes that strictly have melee DPS or tank specializations. For that reason, they’re not the best options when it comes to Hardcore.
Rogues are a solid B+ choice because of the survivability that’s ingrained in their kit. Stealth, Evasion, Vanish, Blind, and a plethora of stuns give Rogues a clear leg up on Warriors when it comes to surviving to level 60. But at the end of the day, you’re still a melee class with no ability to heal yourself outside of using bandages.
Warriors have some tanking abilities and they can try to get out of fights by kiting a mob using Hamstring, which is their most-used crowd control. But their power in Classic was always tied to being level 60 and benefiting from world buffs—something that you won’t be able to rely on in Hardcore. That drops Warriors to a C as far as Hardcore is concerned.
In the hands of someone who has played a Warrior across numerous Classic servers, I have no doubt that a Warrior will be able to fly through the leveling process. Their tanking capabilities could be critical to some end-game content, but they might need a Paladin, Priest, or Shaman pocketing them to get there.
