DPS mains in World of Warcraft Classic have a few different choices if they're looking for top tier damage. The re-release of The Burning Crusade will bring some of the previously underrepresented damage classes to the top. These new top classes will shake up meta raid compositions, and will make the more difficult Burning Crusade content easier.
Raiders looking for top tier damage in The Burning Crusade Classic had very few options. Only four of the original nine World of Warcraft classes were considered to have high power DPS specs. Warriors sat at the top of the damage meters thanks to the massive burst windows of Death Wish and Recklessness. Mages and warlocks were the top ranged classes because of good spell power scaling and strong AOE abilities. Rogues rounded out the top four WoW DPS classes, with their potent single-target damage that skyrocketed in longer encounters.
The Burning Crusade changed things up by heavily nerfing warriors and rogues, something which may stop some players from progressing over to The Burning Crusade Classic. These previously best-in-slot classes see themselves falling to the middle of the pack in favor of those with arcane and nature-based prowess. The best classes in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Classic are ranged, and will make up the vast majority of teams looking to push for maximum damage.
Best TBC DPS Class: Warlock
Warlocks will easily find themselves topping DPS charts in Burning Crusade Classic. Destruction warlocks, in particular, will be fighting only with beast mastery hunters for the top DPS numbers. Destruction warlocks have simple single-target and AOE rotations that will post some pretty big numbers due to shadowbolt crits. Stationary DPS phases revolve around keeping immolate's DOT effects up on targets while pelting them with shadowbolts. Demonology will also be a strong spec in the early raid tiers due to the inherent strength of the felguard and succubus pets.
Best TBC DPS Class: Hunter
Hunters will be competing neck and neck with warlocks due to some of their changes in The Burning Crusade. The number one DPS slot will switch back and forth between beast master hunters and destruction warlocks on different raiding tiers. Beast master hunters focus on their pets for maximum damage, but can also dish out quite a bit themselves. Keeping up Hunter's Mark, popping Bestial Wrath, and using Kill Command will keep hunter mains on their toes during encounters. Hunter has an arguably more dynamic playstyle than destrolock due to the nature of the haste stat, and how it can change a hunter's rotation priority.
Best TBC DPS: Mage
Masters of arcane, fire, and frost aren't as strong as they were in World of Warcraft Classic, but will still be one of the Burning Crusade's strongest dungeon and raid classes. All three specs are neck and neck for the top spot in the mage class. Arcane mages are fun for those who look for peak optimization above all due to their focus on having as little downtime and mana as possible. Fire mages excel in the tail end of fights due to Molten Fury, a talent that increases damage by 20% against targets with less than 20% health. Frost mage is considered the PVP spec, but can still put up respectable damage with the critical hits of winter's chill.
Every class has its place in a raid group in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Classic. Raid composition doesn't fully revolve around who has the highest numbers; utility and buffs are instrumental to a successful group. Playing a class well is much more important than playing a class that is inherently good.