Best class to play solo in WoW Forever

The short answer

Hunter, Paladin and Warlock are the three best solo classes in WoW Forever, and they are the top of our leveling tier list. Each solves the two problems of playing alone in a different way: who takes the hits, and how much time you lose between fights.

The Hunter and the Warlock let a pet take the hits while they deal damage from range. The Paladin takes the hits itself, heals itself and, in WoW Forever, finally has the damage to kill things quickly. All three get through the world faster and with fewer deaths than the rest.

What makes a class good solo

Someone else tanks. A pet that holds the mob means you take almost no damage, so you can fight the next mob straight away.

Little downtime. Every minute spent eating or drinking is a minute you are not playing. Classes that recover health or mana while fighting (drains, Life Tap, self-heals, Spirit) level much faster.

A way out. Pulling one mob too many happens to everyone. Feign Death, Divine Shield, Fear, Vanish or a fast travel form turn a death into a short delay.

Speed between fights. Before your first mount, movement speed is time. Cat Form, Aspect of the Cheetah, Ghost Wolf and the Tauren and Windshaper Skyborne racials all add up over 60 levels.

Hunter: the easiest solo class

The pet holds the mob while you shoot, traps and Concussive Shot keep runners away, and Feign Death drops combat when something goes wrong. No class makes playing alone as forgiving.

Level as Beast Mastery: the first points make the pet stronger and tougher, which is what keeps you from stopping between fights. At 60 you can stay Beast Mastery or play Marksmanship without a pet. Both builds are on the Hunter page.

Race: Orc on the Horde for pet damage and Blood Fury; Dwarf or High Order Skyborne on the Alliance.

Paladin: the one that gained the most

The classic Paladin was safe but slow. WoW Forever gives it real damage, area damage included, and keeps everything that made it hard to kill: heals, Divine Shield and Lay on Hands. You also get a free mount at level 40.

Level as Retribution with a two-handed weapon. The new Unsealed Wrath talent stores copies of your Seal and releases them all when you switch Seals. If you later want to group, the same class can tank or heal dungeons. See the Paladin builds.

Race: Human or Dwarf on the Alliance. On the Horde, Undead is the only Paladin.

Warlock: almost no downtime

The Voidwalker holds the mob, your DoTs kill it, Drain Life keeps you topped up and Life Tap turns health back into mana. A good Warlock moves from mob to mob without stopping. Fear and a Healthstone cover the bad pulls, and you also get a free mount at 40.

Level as Affliction: instant Corruption and stronger Bane of Agony early, then dot several mobs at once. At 60 our build mixes Affliction and Destruction, because Shadow Bolt with Ruin hits harder than the deepest Affliction talent. Details on the Warlock page.

Race: Orc on the Horde for pet damage; Gnome or Human on the Alliance.

The other classes on their own

Druid: weak until level 20, then one of the fastest. Cat Form, stealth, self-heals and Travel Form make it very hard to kill and very quick to get around, and it is excellent for gathering.

Mage: the best area damage in the game, but WoW Forever toned down mass farming. Frost is safe and simple, and portals and conjured food save time and gold.

Shaman: versatile and steady. Enhancement hits hard with a two-handed weapon, and Ghost Wolf at level 20 helps a lot before your first mount.

Priest: very safe thanks to Power Word: Shield and Psychic Scream, with almost no downtime as Shadow. Slower to kill things than the top three.

Rogue: strong single-target damage and full control of every fight, but it has to recover health after each one. It shines at 60 for gold (see below).

Warrior: the slowest solo leveler. It depends heavily on gear and on not being interrupted. It is a great class for groups and raids, but a hard one if you only want to play alone.

Solo at level 60: elites and gold

At 60 the question changes from leveling speed to what you can kill and sell on your own. Hunters and Warlocks handle elites and hard mobs best, because the pet takes the hits and they can kite.

For gold, the Rogue has more ways to earn than any other class: Pick Pocket, opening lockboxes, and stealth to reach nodes and chests without fighting. The Druid is the best gatherer, with Travel Form and stealth. The Mage can still kill groups of weak mobs where the terrain allows it.

Whatever your class, a gathering profession pays from day one. Our professions guide explains which pairs work best.

Which race for playing alone

For leveling solo, look at speed and downtime. Tauren and Windshaper Skyborne move faster before you have a mount. High Order Skyborne, Troll and Undead recover health or mana faster between fights. For Hunters and Warlocks, the Orc adds pet damage.

The difference in hours to 60 is small, so if you love a race, play it. All the racial numbers are in our race guide.

Our pick for each type of player

First time playing WoW: Hunter. It forgives mistakes and teaches you the game.

You want to play alone now and group later: Paladin. It levels fast solo and can tank or heal when you are ready.

You like pets and DoTs and hate downtime: Warlock.

You mainly want gold at 60: Rogue, or a Druid with two gathering professions.