WoW Classic: Best tank classes to use for dungeons and raids

Kamil Malinowski

World of Warcraft Classic classes can be split into three roles, tank, healer, and damage dealer. Different classes excel at different roles, but which class is the best tank?

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Tanks are a vital part of any WoW Classic dungeon or raid group, they absorb damage for the party and keep enemies focused on themselves to allow other team members to do their roles with ease.

Without them a group cannot function and generally the better the tank, the smoother things go. So, to help you on your journey, here is our list of the best tanks in WoW Classic.

1. Protection Warrior

Blizzard EntertainmentA protection Warrior in action.
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Protection Warriors are by far the best tank in WoW Classic, and some players even consider them to be the only real tank as they are the only class able to reduce the damage they take.

A tank’s role is to keep enemies attacking them and to stay alive. Out of all three tank classes, Warriors are the best at this due to a large arsenal of abilities such as Shield Wall, Last Stand, and Taunt.

Warriors are able to keep themselves alive and keep enemies attacking them far longer than other classes, thus earning the #1 spot for tanks in Classic.

2. Feral Druid

Blizzard entertainmentFeral Druids turn into mighty bears when tanking.
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Feral Druids are the second-best tanks in the game. This is because they lack the on demand damage reduction of a Warrior, but are still able to keep enemies attacking them, and reduce a fair amount of damage taken due to having large amounts of armor.

They also provide a lot of useful utility as they can reduce an enemy’s armor through Faerie Fire and can increase allies critical strike chance thanks to their talents.

Druids are often used in raid groups as an ‘off tank’ – a secondary tank that takes pressure off of the ‘main tank’ which is usually a Warrior that is focusing the biggest threat.

3. Protection Paladin

Protection Paladins use holy magic to tank.
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Protection Paladins are the final and worst tank on the list. They aren’t generally used for tanking as they lack both consistent damage reduction and a way to force monsters to attack them like the Druid’s and Warrior’s Taunt, which is almost essential for tanking.

They can be used for tanking dungeons as they have a good way to control groups of monsters and provide useful utility through their blessings, but require a lot of experience and skill to pull off, and just one mistake could mean death for the whole group.

Meanwhile, Warriors and Druids are a lot more forgiving and have the tools to salvage a botched fight.

These are the best tanks for WoW Classic. Warriors are your best bet for all group content, meanwhile, Druids and Paladins can be good alternatives, especially in five-man dungeons. If you want to take on the toughest raids like Molten Core and Onyxia’s lair, you’re best off bringing a Warrior tank. 

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About The Author

Kamil is a former Dexerto writer, gaming and esports journalist, with particular expertise in CSGO and League of Legends. He covers the breaking news, guides for the latest games and the biggest moves and tournaments in esports. He has experience in covering big events, and a wide knowledge of the esports landscape.