Midnight Tank Tier List and Best Specs TL;DR
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Best Raid Tank: Guardian Druid (Strong defense, great for soaking damage and handling adds).
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Top Mythic+ Tanks: Brewmaster Monk and Vengeance Demon Hunter (Both excel in survivability and damage).
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Easiest to Play: Vengeance Demon Hunter (Great utility, mobility, and easy to execute).
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Mythic+ Tank Rankings
When it comes to Mythic+ content, I value specs’ AOE damage and utility the most. You usually spend most of the time in the dungeon clearing mobs, so it’s very important that you do your part and do respectable damage, on par or sometimes even better than your DPS. Various interrupts, stuns, and silences are all invaluable on higher key levels, where every uninterrupted mob cast can brick your key.
S-Tier
Brewmaster Monk
Brewmaster remains an S-tier choice in Mythic+ throughout the Midnight’s patches. Despite some minor recent nerfs, it’s still widely regarded by pro players as one of the most durable and high-performing tanks. The ability to maintain high uptime with Shadow Pan and its overall defensive strength make Brewmaster a favorite for dungeons - you just love to see this guy apply to your dungeon finder group. The nerfs to Master of Harmony have reduced its overall damage potential, but in Mythic+ dungeons sims, Brewmaster continues to perform extremely well, fairly better than other specs.
Vengeance Demon Hunter
Vengeance Demon Hunter has had some significant buffs that push it into the S-Tier for Mythic+. I’m not sure if it was warranted, but Vengeance is on a roll right now; in fact, all of the DH specs are performing nicely right now. These buffs have made it more competitive in both damage and survivability, making it an excellent choice for players who want a tank that can handle the incoming damage while contributing to the team’s damage output on par with DPS players.
The utility Vengeance brings, including Chaos Brand and Purge, has made it a valuable asset in all Mythic+ groups. Another thing I have to note is how easy the spec to execute properly, making it a fine choice for players new to the tank role. And even for the experienced players, whenever your spec is easy to perform, you can focus on comms and mechanics at all times, which I think is invaluable in pushing higher difficulty content.
A-Tier
Guardian Druid
Guardian Druid has always been a reliable choice for Mythic+ dungeons, and while the recent nerfs have dropped its damage output, it still remains one of the most durable tanks in the game - if you’re a fan of the playstyle, just stick to it - buffs will eventually come.
With its strong defensive toolkit, including Barkskin, Survival Instincts, and Ironfur, it can handle sustained damage and protect the party from all threats. Threat generation is great, too; the only thing that bothers me right now is how unfavorable shape weaving playstyle is. Additionally, the changes to Ersox’s Fury have affected its overall mitigation in certain situations, pushing it down a bit in comparison to Brewmaster and Vengeance in terms of defensives, and damage nerfs seem to be a bit over-tuned.
Protection Warrior
I think that Protection Warriors remain a solid choice for Mythic+ content, with a strong balance between dealing damage, enemy damage mitigation, and utility. The recent changes to Shield Slam have increased their damage potential, and their mobility through Charge and Intervene allows them to keep up with the pace in most dungeons. While it doesn’t have the same level of burst damage as some other tanks, its versatility, strong threat generation, and reliable utility (like Rallying Cry and Spell Reflection) keep it in the A-Tier - whenever I see guys playing this spec, run is usually a breeze.
B-Tier
Blood Death Knight
Blood Death Knights have always been known for their self-sustain and high survivability, but the lack of utility in Mythic+ content, such as lacking a strong AoE crowd control option, is keeping them from being top tier. They have an unique ability to pull in ranged mobs to cleave them down faster, and that’s about it when it comes to BDK M+ utility. Defensives seem to be lacking a bit, too, I saw multiple Reddit threads with people not being satisfied with the class’s current state.
The recent changes to Death Strike and other abilities haven’t provided the burst damage needed for faster-paced dungeons, making Blood DK a more niche pick for players who prefer the playstyle of the theme of the class. I’d want the spec to place higher, but even after the buffs, it doesn’t feel like it offers enough to justify choosing it over other options.
Protection Paladin
Protection Paladins are still absolutely capable of holding their own in Mythic+ dungeons, but they’ve been overshadowed by other tanks with stronger DPS numbers and damage mitigation. While their Lay on Hands and Hand of the Protector provide excellent emergency healing, the overall utility is not on the same level compared to Vengeance Demon Hunter’s or Protection Warrior’s kits.
Moreover, in highly coordinated teams pushing the hardest keys, there is simply no need for an emergency button; everyone knows their job. Paladin still offers great survivability and threat generation thanks to Concentrate, but needs some more buffs to climb the meta.
Raid Tank Rankings
Raid encounters require tanks to have both strong survivability buttons to withstand boss mechanics and the ability to quickly reposition whenever the combat dictates it. While Mythic+ tanks are required to perform in terms of CC, AOE, and utility, raid encounters focus more on how well a tank can withstand prolonged damage, control adds, contribute to the team’s overall success, and personal solo-target damage is just as important there.
S-Tier
Guardian Druid
Guardian Druid remains a top choice for raid encounters, despite the recent damage nerfs. I value the spec highly due to its strong defensive toolkit, including Survival Instincts and Barkskin, which makes it an excellent choice for soaking massive amounts of instant damage. Guardian Druids excel at handling adds and staying alive through intense encounters. The main problem with the spec right now is that many guilds prefer their Druids to play as healers or DPSes due to how good they are right now - you can check out our raid DPS tier list for more info.
Brewmaster Monk
Brewmaster takes the S-Tier slot in raids due to how both defensively capable the spec is and how much DPS its Master of Harmony provides. Despite the nerfs, it remains one of the best single-target damage dealers among tanks, making it highly valuable for raids that demand sustained damage while taking huge incoming hits.
A-Tier
Protection Warrior
Protection Warriors have risen to the A-Tier in raid encounters, where they excel in dealing respectable solo-target damage. They don’t offer the same level of defense as Guardian or Brewmaster, but their ability to deal decent damage, generate threat, and soak damage when necessary makes them an ideal choice for raid tanks.
Protection Paladin
Protection Paladins sit comfortably in the A-Tier due to their solid defensive abilities and utility. Their Avenging Wrath provides them with excellent survivability, and Divine Shield can be a lifesaver during intense moments.
While they may not be the top damage dealers, their ability to support the raid with defensive cooldowns and utility abilities secures them a solid spot in A-Tier. Where spec struggles is solo-target, it truly feels like the whole kit is centered around AOE.
B-Tier
Blood Death Knight
I’ve decided to relegate Blood Death Knights to B-Tier in raid encounters. While they remain durable with their usual Vampiric Blood and Death Strike, their general lack of burst damage and meaningful raid utility has seen them pushed down in comparison to the other tanks.
Blood DKs are still good in raid fights that require heavy sustained damage absorption, but they aren’t the go-to choice for most cutting-edge raid groups - you’d be better off spacing to DPS specs if possible. Their primary strength lies in pure tanking, which makes them viable, sure, but not the best choice of the bunch.
Vengeance Demon Hunter
While Vengeance Demon Hunter continues to be an excellent choice for Mythic+, their raid viability has diminished slightly with the increasing solo-target performance of other tanks. Many of their buttons become completely useless in raid fights, too, so their M+ strength gets kind of turned around.
Despite this, Vengeance remains a viable option for certain raid encounters, especially with the recent buffs to Aldraki Reaver. However, its performance in raids is generally overshadowed by the more defensively proficient tanks like Guardian and Brewmaster, which offer better long-term survival and utility. Still, completely viable and capable of clearing any content, I’m super fine with Vengeance tanking in my groups.
Best Tank Specs For Beginners
If you’re a newer player looking to dip your toes in tanking, there are several spec choices that are easier to execute mechanically and will allow you to focus on the actual encounter mechanics more:
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Vengeance Demon Hunter - easiest tank spec to play in my opinion, and it looks badass. Mobility is off the charts, too; you’ll be able to easily execute any and all raid and dungeon mechanics with ease.
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Guardian Druid: Actually might be first place, too. What’s not to love - you’re literally a bear tanking tons of damage, your arsenal is wide and filled with druid’s signature abilities mixed up with bear form’s exclusive. Rotations are fairly simple once you get the hang of them, and you’ll always have an option to swap to DPS or a Healer.
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Blood Death Knight: Self-sustain king, you’re literally unkillable with decent gear and a grasp of how your spec works. Might not be the easiest choice in terms of buttons that need to be pressed, but being able to live out the vampiric fantasy is well worth it.
Check out our other WoW Midnight articles:
