Tarisland class tier list for PvE & PvP at launch

✓ Tier List Summary

• Tier list broken into various sections for raids, dungeons, arena, and battlegrounds
• We summarize each class and why we rank them the way in separate class headings.
• Bard, and Ranger, are currently the top picks for damage numbers, closely followed by Mages.
• Priests are the easiest class to pick up and play for healing. Bard and Necro healers are slightly harder but perform better.
• All tanks are good, either for main tanking or off-tanking. Each one has a different style so check out our class headings for more info

Tarisland is a new MMO with 18 different specializations to choose from for a variety of damage, tanking and healing playstyles. With the launch of the new game, we intended to give those looking for a summary of what to expect with a Tarisland Tier List. In this guide, you’ll find quick-fire assessments of how each class performs for PvE and PvP modes, alongside a ranking to give you an idea. Further down the page, we’ll have some beefier statements to give you an idea of why that’s the case if you’re so inclined to read further.

Tarisland class tier list – launch patch

Class	Role	Dungeon	Raid	Arenas	Battlegrounds
Barbarian (Frozen)	Tank	A	A	B	B
Barbarian (Thunder)	DPS	S	S	A	A
Bard (Harmony)	Healer	A	S+	S+	A
Bard (Solo)	DPS	S+	S+	S+	A
Mage (Flame)	DPS	S	S	A	A
Mage (Frost)	DPS	A	S	S+	S+
Paladin (Guard)	Tank	S+	S+	B	B
Paladin (Justice)	DPS	A	A	A	A
Phantom Necro (Soul Healing)	Healer	S	S+	S+	A
Phantom Necro (Soul Snatch)	DPS	B	B	B	B
Priest (Faith)	DPS	B	B	B	B
Priest (Pray)	Healer	S+	S	C	S
Ranger (Hunting)	DPS	S+	S+	B	A
Ranger (Tamed Beast)	DPS	S	S	A	S
Shadow Swordsman (Cunning)	DPS	A	S	A	A
Shadow Swordsman (Duel)	DPS	A+	A	S+	S+
Warrior (Rage)	DPS	A	S	A	A+
Warrior (War Shield)	Tank	S+	S+	B	S

Barbarian

Pros

• Strong tanking damage
• DPS spec does great AOE and single target damage
• DPS raid buff

Cons

• Kitable in PvP
• Tanking self-mitigation can take a while to ramp

Barbarians are an interesting class for all content. The class comes with a decent party and raid buff, making them solid melee support DPS for raids. Moreso, lots of their skills do good cleave and boss damage too, making them fairly strong for dungeon, raid, and all PvP content. If you want a tank class with a great DPS off-spec, or vice versa, Barbarian is likely the option for you. Read more on our Barbarian Thunder DPS build.

The only downside is its tanking spec, Frozen. It is the weakest tank for damage mitigation, making it more of an offensive tank for off-tanking type roles, with its requiring build-up from its frozen skills to make it tanky. It’s why it is better suited for off-tanking roles It also means it has decent damage for PvP tanking too, but don’t expect to live as long as other tanks.

Bard

Pros

• Very high Burst DPS
• High Burst Healing
• Lots of buffs
• Great AOE Healing too

Cons

• Probably due a nerf

Bards are honestly broken. The DPS spec red talents make it an incredibly strong crit burst damage as evident in the live Chinese servers at launch. At the end-game, you’ll find lots of red-build bards topping DPS meters in dungeons and raids. It’s the only build keeping up with Rangers in that regard. They also throw out lots of buffs, further increasing their value. The blue and purple builds offer more support DPS if you want that though, so, if red gets nerfed, you have many other playstyles for DPS Bards. We have a link to a Bard DPS Build if you’re interested.

The other spec for Bards is also incredibly good for healing roles. Once again you get more buffs, have really great burst single-target healing, and can do slightly worse AOE healing than Priests. The general effectiveness of Bard healers makes them the best overall healer in the game.

Mage

Pros

• Frost has fantastic kiting for PvE mechanics
• Flame Crits are very strong
• Frost has fantastic CC skills making them great for PVP
• Solid mixture of high AOE and single target damage

Cons

• Squishy
• Gear Reliant

Mages are a DPS-only class, with the Frost and Flame spec. It is important to note that Flame got nerfed in China’s live version, aka the patch launching on the Western version. So, crit-hungry fire mages won’t be as strong as some of the numbers we’ve seen leading to the western launch of the game. Expect a lot of investment for a return on lots of damage for end-game PVE before you start seeing Flame Mages blast foes.

Meanwhile, Frost doesn’t have the same ceiling as Flame, but it does great consistent damage and some incredibly high burst damage with the right build. It also offers lots of CC and is fairly simple to play. You can also move a lot more freely without sacrificing damage too. It is why it is great for mechanics in raids and good in PvP. You’ll find it does what it needs to do for every mode, making it a safe and reliable caster for any content you want to do. If you’re interested, check out our Frost Mage build to learn more.

Paladin

Pros

• Best Tank Spec
• Decent DPS Spec
• Amazing AOE burst

Cons

• No Raid Buff via builds

Paladins are an interesting class for two reasons. One is that its tanking spec is insanely strong. It has the best shielding of the tanks, and an incredibly strong self-heal for when things go wrong in parties or raids. Paladin tank builds are fantastic clutch factors for those looking for an easy tanking experience.

Sadly the DPS spec isn’t as great. It does solid single and AOE damage, making it fine to bring to all content. However, it doesn’t really offer buffs like Barb or Warrior, nor will it do as much damage as Shadow Swordsman. Where the Pally doe shine doerr DPS in AOE, thanks o its fourth skill and AOE spam. They are perfect for add-cleave fights, like the Centaur and Harpy phases in Shadow Witch, for example. As for PvP, the Paladin does get kited, so it will require more skill than other PvP melee classes to properly execute well. Yet, Pally DPS can do some incredible bursty thanks to their class mechanic and crit strike chances.

Phantom Necro

Pros

• Best Single Target healing
• Can spec for raid healing if needed
• Best PvP Healer

Cons

• Hard to play
• Weak DPS spec

Phantom Necro is the hardest class to play for a few reasons. The first is its DPS spec competes with Bards and Mages for ranged buffs. The other is that it doesn’t do as much damage as the pure DPS casters, and the third is that Soul Healing is the hardest healer to play. We generally advise staying away from the Necro DPS spec unless you’re open-world questing and levelling. 

However, if you’re a competitive healer, then Necro is fantastic. Necro is all about learning mechanics and pre-mitigating damage by building your class passive up for strong heals with Blossoms, and then spirit linking to better manage party damage. You can also create builds for single target and party healing, depending on how you want to spec for your raid or dungeon group. Throw in that it has a stun and silence for PvP, and it’s the best Arena healer in the game. If you want the higher skill gap and creative healer, then Necro is the class for you.

Priest

Pros

• Easy to play
• Strong AOE Healing for raids and abattlegrounds
• Good buffs
• Okay DPS leveling spec
• DPS Spec can do lots of damage in certain situations

Cons

• Limited raid spots for its DPS spec
• Weaker single target healing
• Easily killed in PvP compared to other healers

Priest is a fantastic healer for party play. You do simple and effective group healing at the touch of buttons. The only downside is that the Priest’s healing is slightly lower for on-the-spot healing. This is definitely where pairing with Bard and Necro healers helps in a raid competition.

As for Priest DPS specs, we have a few things to note. The first is that Priest damage can be quite high with gear, skill, and depending on party comp. If you start focused on a large health target for awhile is where Priest DPS shines. Yet, the average player will never reach those heights. The other thing to note is that DPS priests can give buffs competing with Mage and Bards. So, if you’re pugging or in raid comps missing then Priests can get spots. Priests have the opportunity to climb on the tier list for PvE DPS, but be advised it is not that realistic right now.

As for PvP, Priests should remain battleground DPS or healers. They suffer a lot in Arena regardless of spec, unless you’re using certain compositions. They are not bad in battlegrounds for the group DPS playstyle, or for its AOE healing in the big team fights.

Ranger

Pros

• Strongest single target in the game
• Benefits the most from buffs
• Unique buff no one else brings
• Extremely mobile for mechanics and exploring

Cons

• Popular Class
• DPS only

Rangers are perhaps the strongest pure DPS spec in the game. The class ultimates (utility skills) are fantastic for movement, making them great for dodging or doing mechanics. Library of Chaos boss mechanics spring to mind as a good example. In addition, the Beast Tamer build‘s 4th skill is a huge attack power buff, which only they have.

Meanwhile, the Hunting build has some of the highest single-target damage ceilings of all classes with its execute windows talents, and bonus damage on targets above 70% HP. Throw in all the class buffs in raids, and Hunting Rangers do have the highest damage window. The only things close to it are DPS Bards, and to some extent Cunning Rogues and Flame mages.

In PvP both Ranger specs are great. Hunting is all about sitting in the back line, bursting targets while maintaining their steady focus mechanic. Their AOE Scatter Shot is also great for battlegrounds and arena cleaving. On the other hand, Beast Tamer is much more mobile and is much better for kiting and doing damage. So, there’s always a playstyle for you to master and perform on in PvP.

Simply put the Ranger is an amazing class for all content. The only downside is there’s likely to be a lot of Rangers, and space for the one or two dedicated Ranger spots may be very competitive.

Shadow Swordsman

Pros

• Strong single target uptime
• Powerful burst with duel spec
• Unique Stealth mechanic

Cons

• DPS only
• Weakest of the pure single target DPS classes in PvE

SS, aka the Rogue, is a very strong class. There are two main playstyles. The first is Cunning, which is all about building poisons on targets and dealing big damage over periods. The other is Duel, which is a more burst-orientated playstyle with its planning Weakness core mechanic and improving the damage of skills. Essentially, you’re playing Cunning in raids to deal big boss damage consistently to the target. Or, you can play Duel for dungeons or add cleave roles in fights.  Duel can work in raids, but if there are plenty of mechanics, its potential does fall down. Check each raid to see how viable of playstyle Duel can be. See more in our Duel build and Cunning build if you’re curious.

In PvP, the Rogue has the unique advantage of a stealth skill for ten seconds. It is huge for getting around the battleground or escaping death in Arena. The Duel spec is also the burstiest spec in the game, making it perfect for Arena, followed by its stuns and other ultimate usage. Cunning also work in PvP for the consistent pressure it applies on ranged damage dealers, which is nice to pair with other classes for high pace threats. All in all, the Shadow Swordsmen is a safe pick for damage-only players for any game mode. 

Warrior

Pros

• Strong burst
• Okay consistent damage
• Strong tanks spec
• Good party buff

Cons

• Kitable in PvP
• Raid spots tend to go to tanks

The Warrior is a fantastic class for those wanting to tank or deal damage. For the most part, the Rage Warrior indeed a bit of tempo to get its rage mechanic going for bonus damage. This means that Warrior DPS are much better on boss fights or for nuking AOE damage every other pack.  In PvP, they are also very bursty, making them decent melee DPS too.

As for their tanks spec, this is where they shine. Shield spec Warriors have very high shielding and plenty of health regen tools. They also do okay damage too for a tank. So, they are a solid choice of off-tanking, amin tanking, or even sitting on objectives on PvP battlegrounds being an unkillable wall of meat.