Tanks are an essential part of World of Warcraft, stepping into the line of fire to draw damage away from the group. We’ve jumped into each spec to see which is performing the best, before ranking them in our War Within tank tier list.
The War Within’s beta saw a lot of changes for every spec in WoW. Many of those who played during Dragonflight would have found their main to be markedly different, particularly with the addition of new Hero Talents. Now the expansion is live and the landscape has settled somewhat, we’ve got a clearer idea of which Tank specs are performing above their peers.
As far as this list goes, the order of prowess is relatively similar to the end of the last expansion, though many specs are playing in a very different way. With six specs to get to, this is our full breakdown of each Tank spec ahead of the release of The War Within.
WoW: The War Within Tank spec tier list
| Tier | Class/Spec |
| S | Guardian Druid |
| A | Vengeance Demon Hunter, Blood Death Knight, Protection Warrior |
| B | Protection Paladin, Brewmaster Monk |
The first few weeks have seen a few shifts in the Tanking meta as Blizzard continues to balance the game. Guardian Druid has separated itself from the rest of the pack, playing a major role in the Race to World First raid race in Nerub’ar Palace.
Elsewhere, some of the other key Tank specs have seen minor changes to their efficacy, though most have maintained their position from the initial launch of The War Within.
Our tiers explained
Our tier list follows a simple format where Tank specs of a similar ability appear on the same level. In this case, the tiers range from S-B, with those defined as follows:
- S-Tier: The best of the best in the Tank role
- A-Tier: Excellent Tanks with a wide-ranging toolkit, though one or two weaknesses do exist
- B-Tier: Very good Tanks who may be less widely prepared for the expansion, or less potent in their ability to draw threat, self-sustain or deal damage.
S-Tier
Guardian Druid
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Excellent damage reduction | Difficult to generate threat |
| Massive health pool | Minimal CC |
| Great damage | |
| Excellent raid utility |
The only spec in S-Tier is the Guardian Druid. Though there hasn’t been a massive overhaul of the spec, there are several changes that change how it plays, and it may be a bit of a culture shock to existing Bear players. Astral Influence now only works on spells, minorly reducing the spec’s ability to output damage and maintain threat as efficiently. In better news, it’s now easier to get abilities like Remove Corruption, thanks to changes in the class talent tree.
Otherwise, Guardian Druid remains fairly untouched, and it hasn’t had many issues maintaining its position as a reliable Tank during the first part of this expansion. The spec’s damage reduction capabilities are as pronounced as ever, and there are still lovely outgoing damage options.
Guardian Druid has access to the Druid of the Claw and Elune’s Chosen Hero Talent trees, with the latter being marginally stronger at the moment. Neither has a particularly drastic effect on the spec’s rotation, and Claw might have the higher ceiling, but the comfort offered by the Elune’s Chosen tree feels appropriate for the spec, improving it in subtle but noticeable ways.
A-Tier
Vengeance Demon Hunter
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Amazing mobility | Punishing for non-optimal play |
| Varied defensive toolkit | Utility options interrupt rotation |
| Solid AoE abilities for a Tank spec | Unhelpful Hero Talent trees |
| Unbelievable CC |
Vengeance Demon Hunter was a quality Tank throughout the last expansion, though some nerfs temporarily limited its efficacy. The changes brought in for the release of The War Within are largely positive, though nerfs to talents like Illuminated Sigils will be off-putting to some.
That said, there is still plenty to justify the spec’s inclusion in this second tier. Chaos Brand is going to remain in demand across the Mythic+ scene and in raids, while the new tier set provides a nice, consistent damage bonus. All of the usual Demon Hunter positives continue to apply here, in particular excellent mobility, and robust crowd control for both single-target and AoE encounters.
Aldrachi Reaver has proved to be a controversial Hero Talent tree, with many feeling that it alters the class in a way that doesn’t feel cohesive. Fortunately, Fel-Scarred is currently proving to be the better option both thematically and in its overall contribution to the spec’s output. It also leaves more room for build crafting and customization, with Reaver currently far more prescriptive in its offering.
Blood Death Knight
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| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Very high health pool | Cooldown management is tricky |
| Great selection of cooldowns | Sometimes resource-starved |
| Varied Utility options | Poor mobility |
| Cheat Death ability in Purgatory |
Sitting on the same level as the Demon Hunter is one of the more consistent specs from the last few expansions – Blood Death Knight. Oddly enough, Blood has undergone a lot of changes, with almost none of which have made a huge difference in their own right. Instead, those alterations, including some rearrangements in the talent tree, have served to improve the spec overall and bring formerly redundant abilities into the rotation.
Vestigial Shell, found in the tenth talent row, is a real boon, providing massive resistance to magical damage and extending Anti-Magic Shell out to other party members. Silences and other utilities also elevate Blood DKs further, with a particularly wide toolkit that usually means the spec isn’t found wanting in dungeons with a wide array of threats.
In all likelihood, most Blood DKs will run the San’layn Hero Talent tree thanks to the immense amounts of extra utility that it offers. Don’t sleep on Deathbringer, though, particularly with how effective Reaper’s Mark is currently proving to be (it also procs regularly as a passive, so there isn’t a lot extra to incorporate into the rotation).
Protection Warrior
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Great Physical damage resist | Average DPS output |
| Impressive mobility for a Tank | Tough for newer players |
| Solid raid and dungeon Utility | Poor against Spell damage |
| Very high armor value potential |
Appearing in the A-Tier, there is plenty to like about Protection Warrior in this first season of The War Within. The big win is the relevance of Spell Reflection, with plenty of Magic damage threats to watch out for. Again, the spec hasn’t undergone a vast transformation, but the talent tree for Prot Warrior has been moved around significantly, and it has broadly worked out as a net positive.
The traditional drawbacks of the spec do still hold true, however, but they are inconsequential enough to keep it out of the lowest tier. The first is that succeeding as a Prot Warrior relies on a set of defensive cooldowns that are difficult to get right. Even if you do, a lack of personal healing and a lack of contingency against unblockable attacks could still spell the end. That said, it’s still a solid operator in the Tank role, and it should see plenty of play outside of the pinnacle of competitive dungeon completions and raiding.
Protection Warrior has some excellent Hero Talent options in Colossus and Mountain Thane, both of which bring different benefits to the spec. Colossus offers an immense boost to bursty damage though, for obvious reasons, this isn’t the priority here, and Mountain Thane is the pick to go for. A big reason for this is the Storm Shield utility which operates as a full damage absorb, as well as dealing significant nature damage.
B-Tier
Protection Paladin
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Brilliant mitigation | Consecration makes high-movement fights difficult |
| Best Tank emergency cooldowns | Limited mobility options |
| Great healing options | Very tight rotationally |
| Important cleanses |
Protection Paladins continue to bring a vast array of exciting tools to the table. Their immense ability to deal with Magic damage does make them a worthwhile inclusion in any party. Their CC and cleanses are A-Tier, with abilities like Hammer of Justice, Repentance, and Blinding Light all bringing different things to the proverbial party.
Despite all of the obvious benefits, there are some other weaknesses that players should be aware of that prevent it from appearing higher up in this list. The first is the limited health pool, which is one of the weakest of all of the game’s tanking options. Additionally, the limited mobility and movement options can prove tricky in certain Mythic+ encounters.
In terms of Hero Talents, Lightsmith is still struggling to find its own identity, leaving Templar as the only viable option for Prot Paladins. As well as being one of the better Hero Talent trees, thematically speaking, Templar makes some nice additions to the toolkit for the spec, much of which is centered around the damage dealing and resistance buffing Eye of Tyr.
Brewmaster Monk
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Great raid options | Very squishy |
| Excellent mobility | Tough to play with a ton of keybinds |
| Strong Utility options for Mythic+ | No self-sustain |
| Mystic Touch for group-wide damage buff | Damage is often poor |
The changes to the Monk tree are far more groundbreaking than anything for Brewmaster specifically, but both are currently synergizing well to create a compelling spec. Buffs to talents more generally have also been positive, with some adding extra utility (like the Enrage dispel for Paralysis), while others, like Touch of Death, simply buffing damage.
Stagger has continued to make the job of the Healer a lot easier, alongside the buff provided by Shuffle and the heal from Celestial Fortune. Aside from the Demon Hunter, they also have the best mobility of any Tank, but some significant drawbacks let down the spec. As all of Brewmaster’s self-sustain comes from a handful of abilities, it can be a tough world without an efficient healer. This is compounded by the very small health pool and punishing curve for those who don’t hit their rotations.
Master of Harmony is looking like the much more cohesive Hero Talent option, ahead of Shado-Pan at the moment. The former brings a second charge to the Celestial Brew/Purifying Brew party, and the additional damage and cleave that the tree builds into is impossible to turn down. While there are some appealing features to Shado-Pan, the whole thing feels confusing and lacks a clear direction.That’s the complete tier list.
That’s the complete tier list. Don’t fret if you don’t feel like playing Tank now you’ve seen the options, as we’ve got a full breakdown for both Healers and DPS as well. Make sure to check out our full guide to The War Within for everything you need to know about the expansion.