Introduction to Theorycrafting Part 2: The best theory crafting websites

Websites to help you twink your raiding character to the max, regardless of class.

WoW tooltips are very helpful in theorycrafting

There are a lot of World of Warcraft theorycrafting websites out there to help you get started twinking your character to the max. Some of them are great, but most of the others try to take the information from the great sites and build their own site from it with varying success. You don’t really need to know how to follow the math, but you do need to know how to spot reliable information. Evaluate your resources and you’ll be fine. Here are a few to get you started!

These are ARAC or All Race, All Class websites. They deal with all WoW’s classes separately, but they do have information for every class.

Elitist Jerks – the #1 theory crafting website for World of Warcraft. This site is not novice friendly, but it is the wellspring from which all knowledge flows. All the top theory crafters gather in the forums to discuss. We mere mortals are allowed to observe and sometimes even ask questions. Beware, don’t hop in and start asking questions before you have read through the material and tried to find your own answers. They have a zero tolerance policy towards lazy noobs.

WoW.com – this isn’t a true theory crafting site, but it is very beginner friendly and offers information on all aspects of playing World of Warcraft. They have class specific sections and a lot of articles that provide a gentle introduction to the hows and whys of theory crafting. Beware, the information may be outdated; pay attention to the patch for which the article was intended.

MaxDPS.com – This is an extremely popular World of Warcraft theorycrafting site among novices because of its ease of use. It’s one of those sites that pulls its info from the wellspring of knowledge and tries to disseminate it rather than being a source of knowledge itself. I am very leery of any webmaster who professes to be an expert on all specs of all classes, but that’s just me. It may be outdated, but even outdated information is better than being utterly clueless.

Twink Info – this is one of the best (and few) PvP and twink specific theory crafting sites out there for World of Warcraft players.

Theorycrafting websites and articles for specific World of Warcraft classes

Unlike the sites above, these sites deal only with specific classes and/or specs of a class. A lot of good WoW players blog about their experiences. If you can find one of these blogs that discusses theorycrafting, you may be able to actually comment on issues you aren't clear on and have a discussion with the author that will help you understand what they're trying to teach.

Death Knight

Me and My Ghoul – a nice little blog that discusses all aspects of Death Knights but mostly unholy DPS and tanking

Druid

Moonkin PvE DPS – the Elitist Jerks think tank article on balance druid theory crafting

Gray Matter – aimed primarily at balance Druids

The Daily Druid – druid theory crafting and discussion for all specs

Boomkins and You – Playing a caster druid in World of Warcraft

Hunter

Hunter PvE DPS – Elitist Jerks think tank article covering everything from weapon choices to pet specs

Zeherah’s Hunter DPS Analyzer – This site is a web based version of Shandara's Hunter DPS Spreadsheet

Warcraft Hunter’s Union – touted as a "gathering place for hunters who have paid their dues"

Mage

Mage PVE DPS in Wrath – the Elitist Jerks think tank article on mage DPS

Paladin

World of Warcraft Character Guide – Protection Paladin: World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King Protection Paladin Talents

Retribution Paladin PvE DPS – the EJ Think Tank article for retribution paladins in World of Warcraft

MainTankadin – a tank-specific paladin site, although there is more here than just WoW theory crafting.

Priest

The Shadow Priests' Guide: Theorycrafting – an article about theory crafting aimed specifically at shadow priests

Rogue

Rogue PvE DPS – Elitist Jerks think tank compendium on all things relating to rogue PvE theory crafting

Shadow Panther – a fairly serious theory crafting site that includes charts, guides and more for rogues in World of Warcraft

Rogue Spot – an excellent stockpile of information for the serious rogue (uses a lot of the Shadow Panther charts)

Shaman

Elitist Jerks Enhancement Shaman Think Tank – a distillation of the shaman compendium at the honored EJ forums

Elitist Jerks Restoration Shaman Think Tank – the same as above, but for resto shaman instead

Warlock

Warlock: Affliction – Elitist Jerks think tank article covering the affliction warlock from start to finish

Warlock: Demonology – EJ's primer on demo warlock perfection

Warrior

Warrior: Arms – Elitist Jerks think tank article covering arms warrior theory crafting

WoW sites for Tanks and Healers

There aren’t many of these sites, which is a pity. There’s a lot to be learned from observing how different classes do the same job.

Plus Heal – covers healing for World of Warcraft druids, shaman, priests, and paladins

Tank Spot – addresses not only tanking but is also an excellent source of all kinds of information on World of Warcraft raiding strategies, videos and a lot of how-to information.

Tank Hard! – another tank specific website, although this one shows a lot of Death Knight love

Part 3 of the Introduction to Theorycrafting series is going to discuss different World of Warcraft addons and tools that are designed to make theorycrafting easier.Whether you want to try on different pieces of gear to see how they would affect your damage or you just need a quick indicator to help you determine whether a piece of gear is an upgrade or a side grade, there’s piece of software to help.

This post is part of the series: Introduction to theorycrafting

This article introduces theorycrafting and who should use it as well as listing the top theorycrafting websites, programs, spreadsheets and add-ons to help you make your World of Warcraft character the best it can be.