Best Tank in WoW Forever: Warrior, Paladin or Bear for Leveling

The best tank in WoW Forever depends on how you want to level. Blizzard gave all three real tanks, Warrior, Paladin and Druid, a large threat buff in its November 2 development notes, because it removed Blessing of Salvation. This page compares them using Blizzard's own numbers, then covers the stand-in tanks: Enhancement Shaman, the Warlock's Voidwalker and Hunter pets. Blizzard publishes no tank tier list, and the beta stopped at level 30, so our picks below are an editorial call, not a measurement.

Quick answer

Tank	Our leveling verdict	Why
Protection Paladin	Best for dungeon pulls	Righteous Fury at level 10, Consecration baseline at 20, the biggest Holy-damage threat bonus
Protection Warrior	Best if you also quest as a tank	Defensive Stance threat raised to 80%, Charge usable in Defensive Stance with Vanguard, rage from blocks
Bear (Feral) Druid	Most flexible	Bear threat raised to 115%; swap to Cat Form for solo questing
Enhancement Shaman	Stand-in only	Blizzard calls it a "temporary tank in small group gameplay"

The detail behind each verdict is in our Prot Paladin guide, Prot Warrior guide and Druid guide.

What changed for tanks on November 2

Blizzard removed Salvation, Mass Salvation and Revoke, so damage dealers lost their threat-reduction blessing. To keep tanks ahead, the November 2 notes raised every tank's threat:

Change	Before	After (2 Nov)
Warrior Defensive Stance threat bonus	30%	80%
Warrior Defiance talent	5/10/15%	7/13/20%
Bear and Dire Bear Form threat bonus	50%	115%
Paladin Righteous Fury	90% extra threat from Holy damage (since 15 Oct)	plus 33% to all threat
Righteous Fury trainable at	level 16	level 10

Bear Form had already gone from 30% to 50% on 8 October, and Righteous Fury's Holy threat from 60% to 90% on 15 October. Blizzard said the level 10 Righteous Fury "mirrors the level that other Tanks gain access to their tanking stance".

Protection Paladin

Blizzard's Paladin deep dive built Protection around mana sustain and recovery tools:

• Consecration is baseline at level 20. It deals high damage and threat to the first four enemies and much less beyond that, which Blizzard says keeps Paladins at parity with Warriors on multi-target threat.
• Holy Strike at level 6 gives every Paladin an instant Holy attack on a 12-second cooldown; with Righteous Fury that Holy damage carries the extra 90% threat.
• Templar's Bulwark is an absorb shield based on maximum health. Since 2 November it sits on row 3 and is a dispellable Magic effect.
• Shieldsworn (new row 7 talent, 2 November) cuts Holy Strike's cooldown by 4 seconds and makes it strike with your shield, triggering your block talents.
• Swift Judgement now instantly unleashes your Seal and doesn't share Judgement's cooldown.

Why it suits leveling: you get your tank toolkit early and Consecration handles four-mob pulls. Watch out for: mana. Improved Seal of Fury was removed on 2 November; Shield Specialization still returns mana on blocks.

Protection Warrior

From the Priest and Warrior deep dive:

• Shield Specialization now gives 5 rage on a block instead of 1, and Master of Defense adds a chance for 5 rage when you dodge or parry with a shield.
• Vanguard (16-point milestone) lets you Charge in Defensive Stance.
• Focused Rage lowers the rage cost of offensive abilities; Bastion raises all damage while you wear a shield.
• Improved Shield Block and Improved Taunt are baseline now.
• Defiance needs a shield equipped to raise threat in Defensive Stance.

The October 1 notes also gave every player 75% more rage from critical basic attacks. Why it suits leveling: rage from blocks keeps you going between pulls, and our Prot Warrior guide explains why Protection works for solo questing from level 16. Watch out for: Warriors still have few self-heals; Blizzard says they "lack the tools to easily recover from taking too much damage".

Bear (Feral) Druid

From the Hunter and Druid deep dive and later notes:

• Thick Hide now adds armor based on Defense skill from gear and buffs, so Bear tanks benefit from Defense items like other tanks.
• Lacerate became a 1-point Feral talent on row 4 on 2 November, with two new ranks.
• Feral now has two 31-point talents, one aimed at Bear play and one at Cat play (Blizzard, 2 November).
• Faerie Fire generates threat in Bear and Dire Bear Form since 15 October.
• Bear and Dire Bear Form generate 75% more rage on critical strikes (1 October).

Why it suits leveling: you can quest in Cat Form and tank dungeons in Bear Form with one spec. Watch out for: Druids have no interrupt or snare, and the Druid deep dive lists weaker crowd control than other classes.

Stand-in tanks: Shaman, Warlock and Hunter pets

• Enhancement Shaman. The reworked Spirit Weapons talent lowers your threat normally but raises it while Rockbiter Weapon is active. Blizzard says this keeps Enhancement's "unique ability to generate high threat and serve as a temporary tank in small group gameplay" (Mage and Shaman deep dive). Fine for a duo or a short dungeon; it is not pitched as a main tank.
• Warlock Voidwalker. Blizzard tuned Demonic Brand so that a tanking-oriented pet like the Voidwalker gains extra threat, while the Imp does not (Rogue and Warlock deep dive). Note the 2 November nerf: pets now get 2 health per point of your Stamina, down from 7.5. See our Warlock guide.
• Hunter pets. Blizzard notes Hunters can use their pet as a tank in solo and small-group play. Our hunter pets guide covers which ones to tame.

Tanking Forever dungeons

Blizzard wants dungeons to stay "tactical": crowd control is the answer when there are more enemies than a tank can safely hold (Deep Dive recap). Rogue Sap no longer breaks Stealth for exactly this reason. In practice, mark crowd-control targets on big pulls rather than relying on threat alone. Our dungeon vs questing guide explains when a dungeon-heavy route makes sense for a tank, and the dungeon quests list tells you what to pick up first.

What isn't confirmed yet

• How each tank performs above level 30, where the beta stopped.
• Whether Blizzard retunes threat again after launch. Blizzard said it does not plan big tuning changes before the raids open, except for bugs and serious outliers.

Where RestedXP fits

Tanks get groups fast, so the time sink is deciding which dungeon to run next and which quests to grab first. RestedXP's Dungeon Leveling Guide was restructured on 3 November and its Forever routes cover levels 1–35 now. Read the RestedXP dungeon guide review and get 10% off with our discount code page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best tank in WoW Forever?

There is no official ranking, and the beta stopped at level 30. Our pick for leveling is Protection Paladin for multi-target dungeon pulls (Consecration at 20, Righteous Fury at 10) and Protection Warrior if you also want to quest solo as a tank. Bear Druid is the most flexible because you can swap to Cat Form for questing.

Which classes can tank in WoW Forever?

Warrior, Paladin and Druid are the full tanks. Blizzard describes Enhancement Shaman as able to serve as a temporary tank in small groups, and Warlock Voidwalkers and Hunter pets tank for their owner in solo play.

Why was tank threat buffed on November 2?

Blizzard removed Blessing of Salvation, Mass Salvation and Revoke. To compensate, Defensive Stance threat went from 30% to 80%, Bear and Dire Bear Form from 50% to 115%, and Righteous Fury now gives 33% more threat plus 90% extra threat from Holy damage.

At what level can you tank in WoW Forever?

Blizzard moved Righteous Fury to level 10 on November 2 and said this mirrors the level at which other tanks get their tanking stance. Paladins get Consecration baseline at 20.

Can a Shaman tank in WoW Forever?

Only as a stand-in. Blizzard's deep dive says the reworked Spirit Weapons talent raises threat while Rockbiter Weapon is active, so Enhancement can serve as a temporary tank in small groups. It is not presented as a full dungeon tank.