WoW Tier List: Best Classes in Midnight Season 2

This tier list ranks all 40 specializations of World of Warcraft for Midnight Season 2 in The Venomous Abyss raid and in Mythic+, with a shorter look at PvP. We updated it on November 2, 2026, following the October 27 tuning, so it already counts the Subtlety Rogue nerf and the buffs that Blizzard gave Restoration Druid, Marksmanship Hunter and a handful of damage specs.

How we rank the specs

We start from player data and only fall back on opinion where the data runs out. For Mythic+ we compare each spec’s Mythic+ score at the 95th percentile, taken from Blizzard’s leaderboards for keys +7 and higher over the last 14 days. For the raid we look at Warcraft Logs damage at the 95th percentile on Mythic Venomous Abyss and at which tanks Mythic guilds actually bring. When a spec has no readable log row, we place it by what the major class guides agree on.

The October 27 hotfix moves a spec only when it changed the spec’s whole damage or healing, such as a flat 5 % buff. When it changed a single spell, the spec keeps its place and gets a note in the table. Log sites average two weeks, so the first days after the tuning are still mixed with older runs, and specs inside the same tier are close enough to call equal.

S means a top pick that groups look for. A is a strong choice you can bring to any group. B clears all current content with good play, although you will work a little harder for the same result.

What changed on October 27

Blizzard announced the class tuning on October 23 and added it to the live hotfix log on October 27. These are the changes that matter for raids and Mythic+:

• Feral Druid and Fire Mage deal 5 % more damage in PvE.
• Affliction Warlock’s Unstable Affliction deals 20 % more, and Destruction Warlock’s Rain of Fire deals 20 % more, which mostly helps on packs.
• Marksmanship Hunter gets stronger ricochets from Trick Shots and 10 % more damage on Explosive Shot and Volley, so it hits harder on groups of enemies.
• Restoration Druid gets 60 % more healing from Verdancy, 10 % more from Regrowth and a bigger Swiftmend bonus. Blizzard aimed this at burst healing in dungeons.
• Subtlety Rogue loses 8 % ability damage, because Blizzard felt its earlier compensation buffs went too far.

No tank received a numeric change. The other October 27 lines only touch PvP, and we cover them in the PvP section.

Raid tier list: The Venomous Abyss

This list is for damage dealers in The Venomous Abyss and the one-boss raid The Unbinding of Kith’ix. Kith’ix has no separate spec ranking yet, so use the Venomous Abyss order there too.

Subtlety Rogue had the highest damage on Mythic before the nerf, thanks to strong single-target damage and burst cleave. The 8 % cut roughly closes its lead, so we expect it to sit level with Arms Warrior, Demonology Warlock and Retribution Paladin, which were already almost level with each other. Demonology keeps hitting the boss while it cleaves nearby adds, so it suits most fights in the raid.

Arcane Mage stays just behind the top group on Mythic. Unholy Death Knight is strong on priority targets and in execute, and Shadow Priest does well on council fights where several bosses share damage. Beast Mastery Hunter and Elemental Shaman post solid boss damage. Marksmanship got the October 27 AoE buff, so it should do better on pack-heavy bosses.

Affliction, Destruction, Fire and Feral all got buffs on October 27, so they may climb into A once two weeks of new logs are in. A raid still fills its class buffs first, because a missing buff costs the whole group more damage than one spec swap gains.

Mythic+ tier list: Season 2 dungeons

The Season 2 pool has eight dungeons: Altar of Fangs, Murder Row, Den of Nalorakk, The Blinding Vale, Voidscar Arena, Kings’ Rest, Temple of Sethraliss and Ruby Life Pools.

Arms Warrior, Elemental Shaman and Subtlety Rogue are only a few points apart, around a Mythic+ score of 4,000, and all three have timed +24 keys. Elemental also brings useful group tools. Subtlety lost some damage on October 27, so it may slip a little behind the other two.

Arcane Mage and Devourer Demon Hunter come next. Devourer is the new Void caster spec of Midnight, and only about 3 % of players run it in keys, but those who do score as high as Arcane players. Frost Death Knight and Windwalker Monk are close behind, and Havoc Demon Hunter, Beast Mastery Hunter and Assassination Rogue are favourites of the class guides for this dungeon pool. Marksmanship got its AoE buff for exactly this kind of content, so it may climb over the next weeks.

If you want the Season 2 rewards without pushing keys yourself, our Mythic+ dungeon boost covers every dungeon of the pool.

Tank tier list

Raid tanks

Mythic+ tanks

Blood Death Knight is the tank of the season. Almost half of the tanks in Mythic Venomous Abyss logs play it, and it has the highest Mythic+ score of all tanks, because Death Grip, Anti-Magic Zone and a battle resurrection solve problems the rest of the group would otherwise have to handle. Guardian Druid is a close second in keys, since it is forgiving and brings Mark of the Wild. Protection Paladin is the second raid tank thanks to its external cooldowns. The other four tanks are within 50 score points of each other in Mythic+, so any of them works with a good route. Our guide to the best tanks in WoW compares all six.

Healer tier list

Raid healers

Mythic+ healers

Holy Paladin leads Mythic+ by a clear margin. About 30 % of key healers play it, and it has the top score in both regular and high keys, because its Season 2 set bonus and Beacon of Virtue answer the burst damage of this dungeon pool. Restoration Shaman is a solid second and easy to learn. Restoration Druid sits lowest in keys right now, although its October 27 buffs were made for dungeons, so it should move up.

Raid healing has no clean log ranking yet, and the class guides split between Restoration Druid, Holy Priest and Discipline Priest on one side and Preservation Evoker on the other. We put Druid, Holy Priest and Preservation on top. Blizzard itself called Druid’s raid healing good before the October 27 buffs, which were meant for dungeons. The guide to the best healers in WoW explains what each healer brings.

PvP: a quick look

PvP data refreshes every few hours, so the picture below already shows the game after the tuning. On November 2 the leading damage specs in 3v3 arena were Subtlety Rogue, Unholy Death Knight, Fire Mage, Havoc Demon Hunter and Balance Druid. In Solo Shuffle Retribution Paladin leads, followed by Unholy, Havoc, Fire and Balance. Preservation Evoker, Restoration Druid and Mistweaver Monk are the top three healers in both modes.

The October 27 PvP changes lowered Unholy’s Vampiric Strike by 20 % and Fire Mage damage by 5 %, while Devourer’s Collapsing Star got 20 % more. Several healers got targeted PvP buffs, among them Holy Paladin, Restoration Shaman and Mistweaver Monk.

Best class for beginners

Beast Mastery Hunter is the easiest way into damage dealing, because you attack from range while your pet holds attention, and it is strong in keys. Guardian Druid is the most forgiving tank and second in Mythic+. Restoration Shaman is one of the easiest healers and second in keys, while Holy Priest is the simple choice for raid healing and sits in our top raid tier.

So which class should you play?

Death Knight and Paladin are the safest picks this season, because each has a top spec in two roles. Blood leads both tank lists, and Unholy is strong in raids and sits second in both arena brackets. Paladin has the best Mythic+ healer, a top raid damage spec and the second raid tank. For a pure damage dealer, Subtlety Rogue and Arms Warrior rank high in both raids and keys. Pick the role you enjoy first. Any spec from S or A in that role will carry you through the season.

For more detail on one role, read our guides to the best DPS specs, the best healers and the best tanks. When time is short, a Venomous Abyss raid boost or a Mythic+ boost gets your new main its Season 2 gear.

Frequently asked questions

Change Log

• November 2, 2026: new tier list for Midnight Season 2 following the October 27 tuning, with separate raid, Mythic+ and PvP rankings for all 40 specializations.
• September 27, 2026: updated for Midnight Season 2.
• March 28, 2025: Best Classes in WoW published.