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3v3 Arena Composition Tier List / Guide for TBC Classic

Last updated on May 06, 2021 at 00:21 by Seksixeny 1 comment

With TBC, comes the introduction of the Arena, inside which 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5 matches occur. Doing well in the arena will increase your team's rating, and the higher you go, the more points will be gained upon the weekly reset. These points can then be used to buy arena gear, which mirrors PvE gear in item level but with some item budget allocated to Resilience and PvP-oriented set bonuses.

We will be listing and ranking some of the best arena compositions for the 3v3 arena bracket in this guide. These compositions rely on having a synergistic combination of abilities that can put pressure on opponents and deflect incoming aggression successfully, and we will be offering a brief explanation on each.

Feel free to also consult the 2v2 bracket and 5v5 bracket tier lists, as well as our PvP DPS and PvP Healer rankings in order to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of each class and specialization when individually assessed.

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE
1.

Introduction

In this guide, we will be presenting the compositions that form "the meta" of TBC Arena in the 3v3 bracket.

The meta changes over time, but it will naturally change less and more slowly in a game as well understood as TBC Classic, with most of the changes coming in the form of better gear for classes that scale well as we progress in tiers. To give a practical example, while Rogues are extremely strong right from the start, once they can obtain Tier 6 gear and Glaives they become the meta-defining class and as such will be strongest in the final seasons.

While most compositions have a favored healer, alternative healers can often be employed to some degree of success. This is especially true for Priest and Druid healers, who can successfully heal most compositions, even if they are not listed. Also, note that within each tier the compositions are not listed in order of power.

2.

TBC 3v3 Arena Tier List

3v3 is the most balanced Arena bracket, with more viable compositions and classes than the 2v2 bracket, while avoiding the craziness and one-shot meta of the 5v5 bracket.

2.1.

Best TBC Arena Compositions for 3v3

The best 3v3 team compositions bring a lot of offensive and defensive abilities, as well as diverse crowd control (CC) on separate diminishing return (DR) categories or overwhelming damage. This allows them to set up prolonged crowd control chains or pressure the enemy team into making mistakes, often leading to a kill.

This list will be adjusted over time as teams match against each other in TBC Classic.

Composition Strengths Weaknesses
RMP: Alternative healer:
  • Strong burst damage, especially with offensive cooldowns;
  • Wide array of CC, including stuns and interrupts;
  • Great swap potential, hard to predict burst target until the final moment.
  • Mana runs out quickly in a prolonged fight;
  • Mistakes are easily fatal due to the long cooldowns on critical abilities;
  • Requires the most coordination out of any team due to damage being setup-dependent.
RLP/D: Alternative healer:
  • Well-rounded damage, with plenty of interrupts;
  • Choice between dispel flexibility with Priest or extra CC with Druid.
  • Weak against melee cleaves, especially if using Priest;
  • Will either lack CC or a powerful dispel.
WLD:
  • Very durable comp;
  • Able to do strong swaps quickly.
  • Druid relies on frequent drinking to keep up on long fights;
  • Limited dispel from Devour Magic IconDevour Magic.
Shadowplay:
  • Best spread and overall damage, plus Bloodlust IconBloodlust;
  • Multiple ranged interrupts and silences;
  • Multiple offensive and defensive dispels.
  • Low mobility;
  • Low burst damage for a top 3v3 comp;
  • Limited CC, mostly composed of fear effects.
Ret Cleave:
  • Massive burst damage, with Windfury Totem IconWindfury Totem's full potential realized;
  • Offensive and defensive dispel;
  • Many tools to keep the Warrior and Paladin mobile.
  • Low amount of CC;
  • Burst damage is very reliant on RNG;
  • Vulnerable to being heavily crowd controlled and / or kited by the top comps.
2-healer Warrior Alternative healers:
  • Strong, consistent damage supported by Mortal Strike IconMortal Strike, totems, and offensive dispel;
  • Huge healing potential, supported by defensive dispel.
  • Damage is completely reliant on the Warrior;
  • Vulnerable to curses, especially Curse of Tongues IconCurse of Tongues.
2-healer Hunter
  • Mana Burn IconMana Burn and Viper Sting IconViper Sting enable no-dps wins;
  • Huge healing potential which can just as quickly be diverted into Mana Burn IconMana Burning and CC'ing when healing is not required.
  • Very low damage potential;
  • Can be difficult to burn Druids and melee comps.
3.

Other TBC Arena Compositions for 3v3

While the teams listed above are, arguably, the best ones in the current meta, there are plenty of other strong options as well which we will list below. If your desired composition is not on this list, it is likely because it lags further behind the current state of the meta.

This list will be adjusted over time as teams match against each other in TBC Classic.

Composition Strengths Weaknesses
Shatterplay: Alternative healer:
  • Multiple ranged interrupts and silences;
  • Multiple offensive and defensive dispels.
  • Low mobility;
  • Lacks DoT dispel protection for the Priest;
  • All members are weak when pressured.
Warrior Turbo: Alternative healers:
  • Very high burst damage potential, with Bloodlust IconBloodlust and totems;
  • Mortal Strike IconMortal Strike makes it hard for the enemy healer to keep up.
  • Gear-dependent composition;
  • Vulnerable to being kited and rooted;
  • Needs to pick between CC and defensive dispel.
Hunter Turbo: Alternative healers:
  • High burst damage potential, with Bloodlust IconBloodlust and totems;
  • Strong at racing down the opposing team's Mana.
  • Gear-dependent composition;
  • Weak defensive abilities;
  • Needs to pick between CC and defensive dispel.
Draincomp Alternative healer:
  • Low damage potential;
  • Can be difficult to burn Druids and to keep the Hunter alive.
WMS:
  • Brings raid specs into the 3v3 arena (SL/SL and Frost also works);
  • Extreme burst damage if casts go through.
  • Low mobility;
  • Long casts are required for burst damage;
  • All members are weak when pressured.
PSP:
  • Huge burst damage potential with Power Infusion IconPower Infusion and Bloodlust IconBloodlust;
  • Strong defensive cooldowns to carry during the burst phase.
  • Low CC and next to no slowing effects;
  • Vulnerable to being kited around a pillar during cooldowns;
  • Mana is a major issue if the team fails to quickly secure a kill.
4.

Conclusion

No matter what class or specialization you play, there is always a strong team composition you can utilize. Every team has a weakness and it is important to know them. Teams and their weaknesses can change frequently throughout a season. If there is a team comp that is missing, please let us know in the comments so we can add it to the list.

Feel free to check out our 2v2 and 5v5 arena tier list / comp guides as well if you are interested in those brackets:

2v2 Arena Tier List 5v5 Arena Tier List
5.

Changelog

  • 06 May 2022: Reviewed for Phase 5.
  • 14 Sep. 2021: Guide added.
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