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TBC Classic Raid Composition Guide

Start from the balanced five-group template, then switch to a farm-speed, caster-heavy, or melee-heavy setup. These are suggested 25-player starting points; each party shows what it gains and what you may need to change.

Balanced

General starting point · survival-focused tank party

Tanks
2
Healers
5
DPS
18

The Feral counts as DPS here; plan its tank gear and talents before using it as a third tank.

Tank core

1
Protection Paladin
Protection Warrior
Holy Paladin
Restoration Druid
Holy Priest

Tree of Life supports healing received by the tanks. For threat, swap the Protection Warrior with the Group 2 Rogue or the Protection Paladin with a Group 4 Destruction Warlock; either tank then loses the Tree aura.

Melee core

2
Enhancement Shaman
Arms Warrior
Fury Warrior
Combat Rogue
Retribution Paladin

Windfury Totem and Improved Sanctity Aura support the weapon users. The Warrior supplies Battle Shout; the Feral in Group 3 does not receive it.

Physical support

3
Restoration Shaman
Survival Hunter
Beast Mastery Hunter
Beast Mastery Hunter
Feral Druid

Leader of the Pack benefits the Hunters. Favor Grace of Air Totem here; Windfury Totem does not add ranged attacks or attacks in cat or bear form.

Caster core

4
Elemental Shaman
Balance Druid
Affliction Warlock
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock

Totem of Wrath and Moonkin Aura support spell damage. Keep these casters within totem and aura range.

Mana group

5
Restoration Shaman
Shadow Priest
Arcane Mage
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock

Vampiric Touch, Mana Spring Totem, and Mana Tide Totem support the Arcane Mage. Move another mana-limited caster here if fight length demands it.

4-Heal Speed

Short, repeatable farm kills only · Dreamstate healer

Tanks
2
Healers
4
DPS
19

Four healers is a farm choice, not the default for progression. This hybrid Druid needs an explicit talent build: Dreamstate does not imply Tree of Life, Moonkin Aura, or Improved Faerie Fire coverage.

Farm tank core

1
Protection Paladin
Protection Warrior
Holy Paladin
Holy Priest
Dreamstate Druid

The Dreamstate Druid is a healer here, not a Tree healer. This tank party has no Shaman; review tank threat before dropping to four healers.

Farm melee core

2
Enhancement Shaman
Arms Warrior
Fury Warrior
Combat Rogue
Retribution Paladin

Keep Windfury Totem with the Warriors, Rogue, and Retribution Paladin. Do not rotate Shamans between parties for Bloodlust on Anniversary.

Farm physical support

3
Restoration Shaman
Survival Hunter
Beast Mastery Hunter
Beast Mastery Hunter
Feral Druid

Grace of Air Totem and Leader of the Pack support the Hunters. Moving this Shaman to Group 5 trades hunter totem support for Arcane mana.

Farm caster stack

4
Elemental Shaman
Affliction Warlock
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock

Totem of Wrath supports the Warlocks. There is no dedicated Balance Druid in this roster, so confirm the hybrid build before relying on Improved Faerie Fire.

Farm mana group

5
Shadow Priest
Arcane Mage
Arcane Mage
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock

Both Arcane Mages receive Vampiric Touch, but have no Shaman totems or Mana Tide Totem. If mana limits damage, swap a Destruction Warlock with the Group 3 Shaman.

Caster-Heavy

Two mana groups · caster stack

Tanks
2
Healers
5
DPS
18

Start here when your strongest players are casters. Two Shadow Priests provide separate mana parties; tank count, healing, and required encounter jobs still take priority.

Caster tank core

1
Protection Paladin
Protection Warrior
Holy Paladin
Restoration Druid
Holy Priest

Tree of Life favors tank survival. For more Paladin threat, swap the tank with a Group 3 Destruction Warlock, trading the Tree aura for caster support.

Physical debuffs

2
Enhancement Shaman
Arms Warrior
Retribution Paladin
Survival Hunter
Feral Druid

The Hunter and Feral benefit from Grace of Air Totem; the Arms Warrior and Retribution Paladin want Windfury Totem. Agree on air-totem priority or twisting.

Spell-crit group

3
Elemental Shaman
Balance Druid
Affliction Warlock
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock

Moonkin Aura and Totem of Wrath go to the Warlock group. Their critical-strike support does not reach the Mages in Group 4.

Arcane group

4
Restoration Shaman
Shadow Priest
Arcane Mage
Arcane Mage
Arcane Mage

All three Arcane Mages share Vampiric Touch and the Restoration Shaman’s mana totems. Keep this party together when mana is the limiting factor.

Shadow group

5
Restoration Shaman
Shadow Priest
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock
Destruction Warlock

The second Shadow Priest supplies a separate Vampiric Touch mana return to this party. Misery does not double just because there are two Shadow Priests.

Melee-Heavy

Two melee parties · physical damage stack

Tanks
2
Healers
5
DPS
18

One Warlock cannot maintain Curse of the Elements and Curse of Recklessness on the same target. Assign the curse for the fight, or replace a DPS slot with a second Warlock when you need both.

Melee tank core

1
Protection Paladin
Protection Warrior
Holy Paladin
Restoration Druid
Holy Priest

Tree of Life favors tank survival; this is not a threat-buffed tank party. Swap the Protection Warrior with a Group 2 Rogue when Windfury Totem matters more.

Windfury group one

2
Enhancement Shaman
Arms Warrior
Fury Warrior
Fury Warrior
Combat Rogue

Windfury Totem supports both Fury Warriors and the Rogue. Blood Frenzy works through the target, so the Arms Warrior also supports physical attackers in other parties.

Windfury group two

3
Enhancement Shaman
Combat Rogue
Combat Rogue
Retribution Paladin
Feral Druid

Leader of the Pack and Improved Sanctity Aura benefit this party. The Feral does not gain Windfury attacks and has no Warrior for Battle Shout.

Hunter group

4
Restoration Shaman
Survival Hunter
Beast Mastery Hunter
Beast Mastery Hunter
Beast Mastery Hunter

Favor Grace of Air Totem for the Hunters. The Feral aura remains in Group 3, so these Hunters do not receive Leader of the Pack.

Magic support

5
Restoration Shaman
Shadow Priest
Balance Druid
Affliction Warlock
Arcane Mage

Vampiric Touch supports the Arcane Mage. Moonkin Aura stays in this party; Improved Faerie Fire and Misery help attackers outside it.

There’s no “perfect” setup where all 25 raiders get every buff they want. You’ll always be making tradeoffs. Move party buffs around to suit the raid you’ve got: who’s doing the damage, who’s running out of mana, and whether your tanks can hold threat. Gear, player skill, and the fight itself all change who gets the most out of a buff. Start with these comps, then adjust between pulls based on what your logs and raiders are telling you.

What makes the comp work

  1. Jobs first Set tanks, healers, interrupts, dispels, and battle res before adding damage. Two listed tanks are a starting count; arrange extra tanking, resistance gear, and specialist jobs for each encounter.
  2. One-of coverage Confirm talents and assignments for Blood Frenzy, Expose Weakness, Improved Faerie Fire, Misery, curses, and Judgements. A spec label alone does not guarantee the required build.
  3. Build each party Totems and auras remain party-sensitive; Anniversary Bloodlust is raid-wide. Air totems share a slot: choose the right one or plan twisting. Check range and actual racial bonuses.
  4. Stack last Fill open slots around your fights, threat ceiling, strongest players, and available loot.