WoW Shadowlands has been an exciting expansion so far - but when persistent issue has been class balance.
Blizzard have tried to control class balance by pushing near daily hotfix updates for the first two weeks after Shadowlands launched - but since then, little has been done.
And despite a lack of patches, players' complaints about classes like Mage, Hunter, Rogue, Paladin, and Death Knight have only gotten louder.
So which Shadowlands class will be nerfed next?
Shadowlands Class Balance
WoW Shadowlands has gone through many different class balance changes to try to keep things competitive between specs and classes.
Some balance changes were massive hits, like the early nerfs to Marksmanship Hunter with massive Aimed Shot damage reductions in and out of PVP.
But despite these individual wins, there are some still some huge general class balance issues, and players are getting restless waiting for them.
These include changes for classes clearly a mark above others in PVE settings, but more directly, some classes have absolutely taken over in PVP - and it's been weeks without a single balance change to deal with them.
So which Shadowlands class will be the next to get nerfed?
Shadowlands Nerfs
When watching videos like the montage below, it's hard to say that Fire Mage is in a reasonable spot in PVP settings - regularly one-shotting players of all skill levels and ending games before they begin.
But Fire Mage isn't the only burst damage DPS class and spec combo players are complaining about.
Others include Subtlety Rogues and Retribution Paladins.
While these classes aren't terribly powerful in PVE settings, their PVP presence will certainly nudge Blizzard toward future nerfs.
On the PVE side, at the very top end, there are classes that are dominant in Castle Nathria or Mythic+ Keystones - which could also invite nerfs.
These include Fire Mage, Outlaw Rogue, and Balance Druid for Mythic+ Dungeons, and Balance Druid, Windwalker Monk, and Affliction Warlock in Castle Nathria.
Which Class is Getting the Next Nerf?
Taking all of the data into account, it's very possible that the next class/spec combo to get a nerf across the board is Fire Mage.
Fire Mage are showing up well in PVE settings, but more importantly are absolute machines in PVP settings - and RMP is becoming more deadly than ever in 3v3 Arena.
If Mages evade the next nerf, our predictions are either Retribution Paladin (for their dominance in 2v2 Arena) or Balance Druid (for their dominance in PVE settings).
