by Hald Twinpack

September 25, 2023

Dragonflight Patch 10.2: Mythic+ Class Tier List

15 min read 4 comments 8 likes

Share

Patch 10.2 for World of Warcraft is closing in. While there is still time before its release, players have begun to wonder about its potential impact on the meta. So, why not take a look at the potential and effectiveness of classes in Mythic+ dungeons?

To assist you, we’ve put together a comprehensive Mythic+ Class Tier List for DPS, Healers, and Tanks for Dragonflight Patch 10.2. This tier list is made using log data from Patch 10.2 PTR and analyzing each class’s performance in the new Mythic+ dungeons.

Tier List Criteria

The following are the criteria used for creating the tier list in this article:

• Efficiency in M+: The basic things for each separate role. Those include the damage capabilities for DPS, the healing effectiveness for healers, and the durability to withstand damage and boss mechanics for tanks.
• Party-wide utilities: The overall value brought to the group because of some unique class abilities or effects.
• Clearing speed. Beating the timer is a highly important aspect of M+ runs. Mobility and AoE damage are some of the most valued elements contributing to this parameter.

Now you understand how the tier list is formed. Next is an explanation of the different tiers and what each of them represents.

• S-tier: The most efficient specializations within their respective role. They sit on the top of damage meters in Mythic+ and have no significant disadvantages. You will likely see the prevalence of these among M+ runners.
• A-tier: The specs here are slightly less effective than those of the S-tier and have minor minuses. They perform greatly in terms of every criterion described in the list above. The only thing is, the higher-tier specializations are just a little better.
• B-tier: Mid-range specs that lose to the higher ones in one or more criteria. They still have a high chance of finding a place in M+ parties. Yet the preference will most likely go to the higher tier specializations.

Dragonflight Patch 10.2: Mythic+ Class Tier List

Ranged DPS Tier List

S-Tier Ranged DPS Specs

Augmentation Evoker

As the newest specialization to the game, Augmentation Evoker has been tremendously effective in M+ since the spec’s introduction. It contributes to the party and empowers its members as no other spec ever did. The developers even had to nerf Augmentation Evoker in 10.2 to address its overpowering nature. Still, we predict that the spec will still keep its position in the S-tier since there has yet to be anyone to replace Augmentation and its uniqueness.

Devastation Evoker

Devastation Evoker is a relatively new spec to the game, yet it has proven itself to be extremely powerful. The only persisting problem is the spec’s significant level of reliance on external factors to play effectively. Those include the overvalue of the Dragonrage ability and the spec’s dependence on the current health of their targets. Patch 10.2 will fix these issues and improve Devastation’s overall damage output.

Beast Mastery Hunter

Beast Mastery Hunter is one of the most versatile DPS specs in the game. It excels at dealing substantial damage across a wide array of combat scenarios. The talent tree of Beast Mastery Hunter, along with some of the spec’s core abilities, will be redesigned in 10.2. The spec will thus be allowed to reallocate some extra talent points, improving its flexibility.

A-Tier Ranged DPS Specs

Balance Druid

Balance Druid inflicts decent AoE DPS, making it a viable choice for M+. However, it has been struggling to keep up with other specializations in Dragonflight, potentially making alternative choices more efficient. Additionally, mastering the effective rotation of the Balance Druid proves to be quite challenging, hindering many players from fully unlocking its DPS potential.

Elemental Shaman

Elemental Shaman provides great utility for the group and inflicts great AoE damage and burst damage. The spec is not receiving any major changes in Guardians of the Dream. Yet the upcoming tier set allows Elemental Shaman to hit multiple mobs with Lava Burst, the spec’s core ability. This will further increase its AoE potential, ensuring a solid A-tier position for Elemental Shaman in M+.

Affliction Warlock

Affliction Warlock has been a wildly efficient DPS spec through the course of the Dragonflight expansion. The spec is not receiving any major changes in 10.2, so Affliction Warlock will likely keep its position on the list. However, the new tier set from the Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope raid, will allow Affliction Warlock to extend the duration of their DoTs. Such effects have always impacted Affliction’s gameplay positively.

Fire Mage

Fire Mage performs greatly on most criteria, but the damage output is not that impressive. In terms of damage numbers, Fire Mages often fall behind and exhibit a significant dependency on external factors. Those include the convenience of a combat situation, various procs, and whether the gear used is appropriate.

Frost Mage

Frost Mage is a highly mobile and flexible spec with many different builds to use. However, the utility Frost Mage brings to the group is not that great. The spec also loses in damage to many others. In addition, Frost Mage can’t sustain any significant AoE damage, which is a deal-breaker for Mythic+ runs.

B-Tier Ranged DPS Specs

Destruction Warlock

Destruction Warlock can inflict decent damage in both AoE and single-target combat situations. Yet, the spec lacks mobility and flexibility. Destruction Warlock does not have that many options other than empowering their Chaos Bolt and Rain of Fire. The upcoming changes of Patch 10.2 further improve these two spells, leaving the flexibility issue to remain.

Arcane Mage

Arcane Mage is one of the strongest ranged DPS in the current expansion. The spec has tons of defensive abilities, making it self-sufficient enough to not rely on party members in specific situations. Thus, boosting its utility for the group. And while the dungeons of the current expansion can be demanding in terms of mobility, Arcane Mage has lots of flexible talents and abilities to deal with that issue. So, why exactly is Arcane Mage in B-Tier? It’s because not everyone can master this spec. It’s one of the most punishing specs to play, and learning it is more than challenging. Failure to utilize cooldowns effectively or maintain a proper rotation can result in your character being at the bottom of the DPS charts.

Shadow Priest

Blizzard has been struggling to bring balance to Shadow Priest for years. Some minor improvements are coming up, as always. Yet the Shadow Priest still has limited mobility, lacks group utility, and the new set bonuses do not look very promising.

Demonology Warlock

The latest issue of Demonology Warlock concerns the spec’s dependence on its cooldowns and low baseline damage. You can tell that’s the truth by looking at the spec’s core abilities’ improvements in 10.2 in the screenshot below.

Though the developers are addressing both of these issues, it feels like Demonology Warlock will still depend on one strong cooldown or another.

Marksmanship Hunter

This spec has been struggling with their damage potential for quite some time now. Unlike Beast Mastery Hunter and Survival Hunter, Marksmanship Hunter is not that adaptable in combat. Still, this spec has its AoE and single-target damage balanced out quite well.

Melee DPS Tier List

S-Tier Melee DPS Specs

Outlaw Rogue

The Outlaw Rogue excels in both single-target and AOE scenarios, showcasing versatility and dominance in Mythic+. With its high utility, numerous defensive skills, magical immunity, and exceptional mobility, it stands out as a top choice. In the current game state, it’s hard to find another melee specialization that rivals the Outlaw Rogue’s effectiveness and efficiency. They also receive strong tier piece bonuses that improve their overall damage and negate help to deal with the element of randomness, which caused some problems and inconsistencies in previous patches.

Havoc Demon Hunter

The Havoc Demon Hunter continues to uphold its reputation as one of the most agile melee DPS specializations. Boasting exceptional versatility, it consistently delivers respectable damage across a variety of combat scenarios. There are changes coming for this spec in 10.2. However, they are mostly related to the gameplay convenience.

Enhancement Shaman

Enhancement Shaman is one of the most flexible specs in the game that can adjust to most combat mechanics easily without losing much DPS. Shamans’ general talent tree is very well-designed, and Enhancement Shamans can utilize that for their own gain. The talent flexibility of Enhancement Shamans also contributes to their adaptive ability to different situations.

Unholy Death Knight

Unholy Death Knight has a great burst damage which allows the spec to deal with M+ bosses easily. However, Unholy Death Knight is also highly dependent on Gargoyle burst window. This makes the spec slightly less efficient in M+ when clearing mob packs, but the devs are addressing that in 10.2.

A-Tier Melee DPS Specs

Feral Druid

Feral Druid is exceptional at inflicting both single-target and AoE damage. Their mobility has always been second to none. The utility value that Feral Druid can bring to the group is also unquestionable. And to add, they can even provide off-healing. The 10.2 changes affect the Apex Predator ability, evening out the single-target and AoE effectiveness of Feral Druid.

Retribution Paladin

Retribution Paladin has considerable AoE potential and group utility. Yet the spec falls behind in terms of mobility and single-target damage. The 10.2 updates for Retribution Paladin do not appear game-changing as well. Nevertheless, this spec is a safe choice for those who want to play a balanced melee specialization with an easy rotation and decent damage.

Assassination Rogue

Though this DPS specialization excels in single-target damage, the AoE capabilities of Assassination Rogue have not been that great recently. The developers are addressing this in 10.2. The upcoming changes concern a lot, including talent’s positioning on the talent tree and the introduction of completely new talents for Assassination Rogue. The absence of game-changing nerfs, and lots of considerable improvements like the new Path of Blood talent are the reasons why Assassination Rogue takes an A-tier position for 10.2.

Survival Hunter

In the 10.2 PTR, the Survival Hunter specialization demonstrates outstanding performance. It excels in front-loaded burst damage and enhanced single-target capabilities. Survival Hunter has undergone significant improvements since the last season, potentially making it the best it has ever been since the expansion’s launch. However, the spec’s squishiness remains a notable drawback. While it might not securely hold a spot in the “meta,” its performance is commendable, especially in low to mid-level keys.

B-Tier Melee DPS Specs

Fury Warrior and Arms Warrior

DPS specs of this class are not in their best shape. Both Fury Warrior and Arms Warrior lack group utility. They can still deal damage decently, but their DPS flexibility is rather limited. The damage output is fine, but it may also be demanding to the party setup, combat situation, etc.

Frost Death Knight

Frost DK is not receiving any major updates in 10.2. The spec’s overall damage is not that impressive compared to the higher-tier specializations. Still, a lot of decent AoE options on the talent tree make up for that, making Frost Death Knight a great supplement to any M+ group.

Windwalker Monk

Windwalker Monk is not a target of significant changes in the upcoming patch as well. Yet the devs have already announced some improvements to the upcoming tier set. Windwalker Monk has been performing greatly in M+: the spec takes mid-to-high positions in damage meters and has exceptional mobility. Some players, however, may find the effective rotation of Windwalker Monk slightly more difficult compared to other DPS specs.

Healer Tier List

S-Tier Healer Specs

Restoration Druid

Though the spec is a little dependent on the Grove Guardians, it is still one of the best healers in M+. Besides, Restoration Druid can assist their party members by doing some extra AoE damage with Master Shapeshifter without struggling with mana issues. And don’t forget the combat resurrection, of course. The spec has some of the best party-wide utilities in the game.

Mistweaver Monk

In Dragonflight’s reality, Mistweaver Monk is somewhat of a melee healer. That presents challenges in positioning, vulnerability to interrupts, limited mobility, accidental healing, and threat management, requiring precise tactical awareness and adaptability. Still, the healing potential of Mistweaver Monk in Mythic+ is still one of the highest out there. Also, the spec receives a huge increase in plain healing for many of its core abilities in 10.2.

A-Tier Healer Specs

Preservation Evoker

Preservation Evoker has proven to be a spec with some impressive healing capabilities. The class utility spells are also a great complement for any group. Yet Preservation Evoker cannot compete with the S-tier specs in terms of pure HPS. The range limitation issues are still evident in some particular instances and combat situations.

Discipline Priest

Discipline will remain one of the best Mythic+ healers in Guardians of the Dream. The Power Word: Shield and Atonement abilities will not let your teammates die in dangerous situations. Similarly to Restoration Druid, the spec can keep the party members up effectively while inflicting some extra damage. That covers both mob packs and boss fights, making Discipline Priest a great M+ healer choice in terms of utility. Unfortunately, this spec struggles with a lack of burst healing and mobility.

Holy Paladin

The most meta healer there has ever been in the history of WoW. Though there are specs that outperform Holy Pally in M+ today, it is still very tanky and self-sufficient and has great utility. One more thing is that the specialization highly depends on the correctness of building up and spending Holy Power. People who are new to the spec may struggle with playing it effectively at the beginning.

B-Tier Healer Specs

Holy Priest

Holy Priest is a healer specialization with a pretty simple gameplay so far. You see someone take damage, you heal them. It’s quite easy to perform effectively as a Holy Priest in M+. However, the spec is a little RNG-based, which may turn the tides of battle from time to time. The issue is not really being fixed in 10.2 since the upcoming tier set brings new RNG-based effects to the gameplay.

Restoration Shaman

This specialization currently lacks building flexibility. For instance, the Riptide build is much more appealing than the Chain Heal build. In terms of other criteria, the spec is doing fine so far. The healing numbers are decent, the utility is still there, etc. Yet the 10.2 changes are nerfing Riptide builds instead of empowering the other ones. Restoration Shaman will likely fall behind other healer options in the upcoming patch.

Tank Tier List

S-Tier Tank Specs

Protection Paladin

Protection Paladin is another specialization that has avoided any considerable changes in 10.2 so far. They are self-sufficient and bring immense value to the group, especially when dealing with caster mobs, thanks to Avenger’s Shield. And Protection’s defensives are hard to count. Paladins also have a ton of off healing, that can ease the job for healers.

Vengeance Demon Hunter

Vengeance Demon Hunter performs amazingly in Mythic+ as well. One of the primary reasons is the efficient Soul Fragment generation. The devs also promise to fix some issues to make some underused talents and builds more viable, thus improving the flexibility of this specialization. Though Vengeance may lack some strong defensive cooldowns, the Metamorphosis cooldown reduction will likely make up for that in 10.2.

A-Tier Tank Specs

Protection Warrior

Aside from the new tier set, Protection Warriors are not getting any changes in Guardians of the Dream. The spec is very mobile and can maintain a very efficient defensive state since the Shield Block’s uptime is closing in to 100% today. However, the spec has very restricted self-healing options.

Blood Death Knight

Blood Death Knight is neither being nerfed nor empowered in the upcoming patch. The spec shows impressive performance in both AoE and single-target scenarios. Yet Blood DK lacks utility and is not as mobile as the specializations from higher tiers. These factors are considerable for M+, even though no other spec can compete with Blood’s survivability.

B-Tier Tank Specs

Guardian Druid

Guardian Druid didn’t receive major updates in patch 10.2. Guardian Druid might face challenges in managing their limited crowd control abilities and lower damage output compared to higher-tier tank classes, impacting their overall versatility in various encounters.

Brewmaster Monk

This specialization is not receiving any major updates in Guardians of the Dream. To this day, it demonstrates great performance and plays smoothly in Mythic+. The 10.2 tier set bonuses look juicy since they empower the spec in many different ways. Those include the damage output, self-healing capabilities, and durability as well. However, this spec struggles with consistent active mitigation, making them susceptible to spikey damage. Additionally, their complex resource management and the need for precise timing in utilizing defensive abilities could pose challenges for players, impacting their overall effectiveness in high-stress situations.

Conclusion

These are our predictions on what the meta will look like in Guardians of the Dream based on log data from Patch 10.2 PTR and analyzing each class’s performance in the new Mythic+ dungeons. As always, definitive conclusions are hard to make before the Patch actually arrives. World of Warcraft has almost 40 specializations now. This is a lot, and it must be tremendously challenging to balance them all out, especially when the new content arrives that often.