WoW Weapons, Classes, and Combat Roles
Weapon Types
WoW weapons are divided into melee and ranged categories. Each weapon type has an associated combat skill (removed in patch 4.0.1 but still relevant for class restrictions).
Melee Weapons
| Weapon Type |
Handed |
Notes |
| Axe |
1H or 2H |
Common for Warriors, Paladins, Shamans, Hunters, Death Knights |
| Mace |
1H or 2H |
Warriors, Paladins, Shamans, Druids, Death Knights, Priests |
| Sword |
1H or 2H |
Warriors, Paladins, Rogues, Death Knights, Hunters |
| Dagger |
1H only |
Rogues, Mages, Priests, Warlocks, Druids, Hunters, Shamans |
| Fist Weapon |
1H only |
Monks, Shamans, Druids, Rogues, Hunters |
| Polearm |
2H only |
Warriors, Paladins, Druids, Death Knights, Hunters |
| Staff |
2H only |
Mages, Priests, Warlocks, Druids, Shamans, Hunters, Monks |
| Warglaive |
1H pair |
Demon Hunter only (artifact-specific) |
Ranged Weapons
| Weapon Type |
Notes |
| Bow |
Hunter primary; requires ammo (removed 4.0.1) |
| Crossbow |
Hunter primary; requires ammo (removed 4.0.1) |
| Gun |
Hunter primary; requires ammo (removed 4.0.1) |
| Wand |
Mage, Priest, Warlock; deals magical damage only; no mana cost |
Removed Weapon Types
| Type |
Removed In |
Notes |
| Thrown |
Patch 7.0.3 (Legion) |
Was available to Rogues, Warriors, Hunters |
| Ammo (Arrows/Bullets) |
Patch 4.0.3 (Cataclysm) |
Ranged weapons no longer require ammunition |
| Relics (Idol/Libram/Sigil/Totem) |
Patch 7.0.3 (Legion) |
Replaced by Artifact weapons |
Weapon Properties
| Property |
Description |
| Damage range |
Min-max damage per swing |
| Speed |
Attack speed in seconds (lower = faster) |
| DPS |
Damage per second (average damage / speed) |
| Weapon damage type |
Physical, or magical for wands |
| Item level (ilvl) |
Overall power rating |
| Quality |
Common (white), Uncommon (green), Rare (blue), Epic (purple), Legendary (orange), Heirloom (yellow) |
| Stat bonuses |
Primary stats (STR/AGI/INT), secondary stats (Crit, Haste, Mastery, Versatility) |
| Enchantments |
Bonus effects applied via Enchanting |
| Socket bonus |
Gems can be inserted for additional stats |
Weapon Buffs
- Melee weapons of Uncommon quality or better have stat bonuses.
- Two-handed weapons have roughly double the bonuses of comparable one-handed weapons.
- Weapons are generally chosen for their stat bonuses and effects, not raw damage.
Runtime server data
The initial WoW game module now consumes AzerothCore weapon damage data from
games/world-of-warcraft/serverdata/weapons.csv. Entry 37 (Worn Axe) is the
current player starter weapon; melee damage is rolled from its imported
1–3 damage range instead of using a hard-coded value. The table also retains
the starter shortsword, mace, and staff rows for the next equipment pass.
Class Weapon Proficiencies
Each class can use specific weapon types. Warriors are the most versatile (all except Wands).
| Class |
Melee Weapons |
Ranged Weapons |
| Warrior |
Axes, Maces, Swords, Daggers, Polearms, Staves, Fist Weapons, Two-Handed variants |
Bows, Crossbows, Guns |
| Paladin |
Axes, Maces, Swords, Polearms |
None |
| Hunter |
Axes, Maces, Swords, Daggers, Polearms, Staves, Fist Weapons |
Bows, Crossbows, Guns |
| Rogue |
Axes, Maces, Swords, Daggers, Fist Weapons |
None (was Thrown) |
| Priest |
Maces, Daggers, Staves |
Wands |
| Death Knight |
Axes, Maces, Swords, Polearms |
None |
| Shaman |
Axes, Maces, Daggers, Staves, Fist Weapons |
None |
| Mage |
Daggers, Staves, Swords |
Wands |
| Warlock |
Daggers, Staves, Swords |
Wands |
| Druid |
Maces, Daggers, Polearms, Staves, Fist Weapons |
None |
| Monk |
Axes, Maces, Swords, Daggers, Staves, Fist Weapons |
None |
| Demon Hunter |
Warglaives, Swords, Daggers, Fist Weapons |
None |
| Evoker |
Staff, Daggers |
None |
Combat Roles
WoW has three primary combat roles:
Tank
Tanks absorb damage and hold enemy attention. They use high armor, active mitigation, and threat generation.
| Tank Spec |
Class |
Key Mechanics |
| Protection Warrior |
Warrior |
Shield Block, Shield Slam, Ignore Pain, high mobility with Charge/Leap |
| Protection Paladin |
Paladin |
Shield of the Righteous, Avenger's Shield, Divine Shield, strong group utility |
| Guardian Druid |
Druid |
Bear Form, Ironfur, high HP pool, Frenzied Regeneration |
| Brewmaster Monk |
Monk |
Stagger mechanic (delays damage), Breath of Fire, high mobility |
| Blood Death Knight |
Death Knight |
Death Strike self-healing, Bone Shield, Vampiric Blood, Mass Grip |
| Vengeance Demon Hunter |
Demon Hunter |
High mobility, Soul Cleave self-healing, Sigils for CC, Metamorphosis |
Healer
Healers restore ally health and provide defensive utility.
| Healer Spec |
Class |
Key Mechanics |
| Holy Paladin |
Paladin |
Beacon of Light, strong single-target healing, Divine Shield |
| Holy Priest |
Priest |
Direct healing, flexible toolkit, Divine Hymn raid cooldown |
| Discipline Priest |
Priest |
Atonement (heals through damage), Power Word: Shield, absorbs |
| Restoration Druid |
Druid |
HoTs (Rejuvenation, Lifebloom), Tranquility, high mobility |
| Restoration Shaman |
Shaman |
Chain Heal, Spirit Link Totem, Healing Tide Totem, Bloodlust |
| Mistweaver Monk |
Monk |
Fistweaving (heals through melee), Soothing Mist, high mobility |
| Preservation Evoker |
Evoker |
Empowered spells, Echo healing, high mobility, short range |
Damage Dealer (DPS)
DPS classes deal damage to kill enemies. They come in melee and ranged variants.
Melee DPS
| Spec |
Class |
Key Mechanics |
| Arms Warrior |
Warrior |
Two-handed weapon, cleave, Colossus Smash |
| Fury Warrior |
Warrior |
Dual-wield, fast attacks, Enrage mechanic |
| Retribution Paladin |
Paladin |
Holy power builder/spender, burst windows |
| Assassination Rogue |
Rogue |
Poisons, bleeds, sustained single-target |
| Outlaw Rogue |
Rogue |
Fast-paced, Roll the Bones, brawling |
| Subtlety Rogue |
Rogue |
Stealth-based, burst from shadows |
| Feral Druid |
Druid |
Combo points, bleeds (Rip, Rake), Cat Form |
| Enhancement Shaman |
Shaman |
Stormstrike, dual-wield, Flame Tongue/Earthliving weapons |
| Windwalker Monk |
Monk |
Combo points, Rising Sun Kick, Fists of Fury |
| Havoc Demon Hunter |
Demon Hunter |
Chaos damage, high mobility, Eye Beam |
| Unholy Death Knight |
Death Knight |
Diseases, gargoyle, pet, sustained damage |
| Frost Death Knight |
Death Knight |
Dual-wield or two-handed, Howling Blast, burst |
Ranged DPS
| Spec |
Class |
Key Mechanics |
| Arcane Mage |
Mage |
Arcane Charges, burst damage, mana management |
| Fire Mage |
Mage |
Combustion, critical strikes, Fireball/Ignite |
| Frost Mage |
Mage |
Frostbolt, Freeze mechanic, crowd control |
| Affliction Warlock |
Warlock |
DoTs (Corruption, Agony, Unstable Affliction), Soul Shards |
| Demonology Warlock |
Warlock |
Summon demons, Grimoire of Synergy, demon army |
| Destruction Warlock |
Warlock |
Chaos Bolt, Incinerate, Havoc for cleave |
| Shadow Priest |
Priest |
Voidform, Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay, insanity resource |
| Balance Druid |
Druid |
Eclipse mechanic, Starfire/Wrath, Moonkin Form |
| Elemental Shaman |
Shaman |
Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Lava Burst, Maelstrom |
| Marksmanship Hunter |
Hunter |
Aimed Shot, steady damage, careful positioning |
| Beast Mastery Hunter |
Hunter |
Pet-focused, Kill Command, Can Move While Casting |
| Survival Hunter |
Hunter |
Melee/ranged hybrid, Explosive Shot, traps |
| Devastation Evoker |
Evoker |
Fire/Breath spells, empowered casts, mid-range |
Support/Damage Hybrid
| Spec |
Class |
Key Mechanics |
| Augmentation Evoker |
Evoker |
Buffs allies' damage (Ebon Might), Bronze Dragonflight magic |
Damage Type by Class
| Class |
Primary Damage Types |
| Warrior |
Physical |
| Paladin |
Holy, Physical (Holystrike) |
| Hunter |
Physical, Nature, some Arcane/Shadow |
| Rogue |
Physical, some Nature (poisons) |
| Priest |
Shadow, Holy (Twilight) |
| Death Knight |
Physical, Shadow, Frost, Nature (Plague) |
| Shaman |
Nature, Fire, Frost, Physical (Elemental/Flamestrike/Stormstrike) |
| Mage |
Fire, Frost, Arcane (Frostfire) |
| Warlock |
Shadow, Fire (Shadowflame), Chaos |
| Druid |
Nature, Arcane (Astral), Physical (Feral) |
| Monk |
Physical, Nature |
| Demon Hunter |
Chaos, Physical |
| Evoker |
Fire, Frost, Nature, Arcane (Spellfrost/Volcanic) |
Primary Stats
| Stat |
Increases |
Primary For |
| Strength (STR) |
Attack power, spell power (for some) |
Warrior, Paladin, Death Knight |
| Agility (AGI) |
Attack power, crit chance, dodge |
Hunter, Rogue, Monk, Druid, Shaman, Demon Hunter |
| Intellect (INT) |
Spell power, mana pool |
Mage, Priest, Warlock, Evoker |
| Stamina (STA) |
Health pool |
All classes |
| Spirit (SPI) |
Mana regeneration |
Healers (removed in later expansions) |
Secondary Stats
| Stat |
Effect |
| Critical Strike |
Chance for abilities to deal double damage/healing |
| Haste |
Increases attack speed, cast speed, and DoT/HoT tick rate |
| Mastery |
Spec-dependent bonus (varies per specialization) |
| Versatility |
Increases damage/healing dealt and reduces damage taken |
References
- Warcraft Wiki — Weapon: https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Weapon
- Warcraft Wiki — Class role: https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Class_role
- Warcraft Wiki — Magic schools: https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Magic_schools
- Maxroll — Stats and Attributes: https://maxroll.gg/wow/resources/stats-and-attributes
- Wowhead — Classes: https://www.wowhead.com/guides/classes