Mythic+ DPS Rankings: PTR Tier List for Midnight (Patch 12.1 / Season 2)

Arcane Mage received a ton of changes leading up to Season 2, with some of the most notable being a rework on their Apex Talents, the complete redesign of Arcane Pulse, a large durability tuning pass, and much more. After a not-so favorable first season in midnight, the buffs to the spec are more than welcome and will hopefully elevate both their damage and defensive capabilities. On the current PTR the spec is much stronger in both single-target as well as AoE, and unlike before you're not dying whenever a boss looks at you funny either. This close to the Season 2 release, the spec is the strongest ranged spec on the PTR!

When it comes to changes for Arms Warrior in Season 2, the primary focus seems to be on the reworked Ravager as well as several reworked talents like Bloodletting and Broad Strokes. Of course there will also be a brand-new tier set. Overall the rotation will be quite similar to what you are already used to, with the tier-set being more AoE-focused this time around.

Looking at the current PTR performance, Arms Warrior's DPS output is extraordinary, making it one of the best melees so far. Unless there are further changes or big nerfs on the horizon we believe another good season is on the way for anyone playing Arms Warrior.

Outlaw Rogue received a handful of changes on the PTR thus far, which mostly aim to increase the build diversity by buffing underperforming talents and introducing a ton of quality-of-life changes. While the core rotation remains quite similar to what the spec played like in Season 1 already, Killing Spree is finally not just a vehicle for Trickster, and Hidden Opportunity builds might become more viable again as well.

The new tier-set will flatten out some of the previous Energy issues, which are hopefully mostly resolved with Season 2. The spec will continue to relying on great sustained damage and after their second consecutive buff, has been promoted to one of the better melee options for the start of Season 2.

Windwalker Monk in Season 2 is seeing some number adjustments, lowering some of their burst damage during Zenith towards more sustained damage, as well as adding some extra firepower to Spinning Crane Kick so it can unlock more frequent uses outside of the free procs. Overall, after several consecutive rounds of buffs, Windwalker's damage exploded, and so has their tierlist ranking. As one of the highest burst melee specs so far into the PTR, your rotational core will remain quite similar to the Season 1 iteration of the spec, although an attempt has been made to put some more emphasis on Spinning Crane Kick with the new tier set.

Lastly, this is definitely one of the squishiest specs out there, and if you can't survive higher keys you might get replaced by a less powerful but ultimately more durable DPS spec! The best Windwalkers will have to find a way to survive in high-end keys to be able to leverage their incredible DPS output to their fullest.

Elemental Shaman is looking to play familiar, yet different, for Season 2. Some of the most important changes are a shift of damage away from their Ascendance cooldown and towards their baseline spells, which will result in better sustained damage, and a nerf for the currently high-performing Stormbringer build.

The nerfs to the dominant hero talent open the door towards Farseer builds, which are currently performing much better on the PTR. You can expect Elemental Shaman to have a lot better rotational flow and better sustained damage. In addition, their utility remains one of the best in the game as well, which is a further indicator that Elementals are looking quite promising so far on the Season 2 PTR. This is one of the specs we had quite a lot of fun testing, so we're looking forward to playing it further!

Balance Druid is looking to receive its fair share of changes leading up to Midnight Season 2, with the most prominent change focusing around the distribution of damage, with fewer spenders and more generators. You can expect the core rotation to stay similar to what it was in S1 though. Moonfire & Sunfire, use cooldowns, and then blast - even if the spell distribution might be slightly different. Their utility toolkit remains mostly the same, and so will their defensive options. As always, Boomkin remains an incredible spec at mass AoE, while also offering a competitive single-target. And let's not forget that Druid's Mark of the Wild has always been one of the best party buffs to any group composition.

Frost Death Knight in Season 2 of Midnight is looking to have a lot of power shifted out of their cooldowns, and towards a more sustained damage profile instead. That being said, the spec's core rotation will remain similar to the version in Season 1, as most of the changes simply shift damage numbers around.

Although it is no longer a hyper-bursty spec, Frost DK will continue to excel at high burst damage, but now it also has quite solid sustained DPS as well. It still sports some of the highest burst so far on the PTR, and their performance has been outstanding across the board. We expect Frost DK to be one of the best melee choices going forward to Season 2, not just because of its DPS, but because it is also still incredibly tanky. Time's are looking better than ever to be a Frost DK!

Assassination Rogue received amazing changes leading up to the second season of Mythic+. Managing the Apex Talent is a lot smoother and less of a headache now, and the natural flow of the spec feels better as a result as well.

Assassination will retain its great damage profile with high burst and amazing funnel and priority-target damage, although an attempt has been made to nerf its burst DPS by moving damage out of its cooldowns, Deathmark and Kingsbane. The added nerfs are offset by bolstering some of the spec's core DPS abilities, which will result in a better sustained damage output. So far, from a playstyle point of view, the spec is great; The only question that remains is the actual DPS tuning. As of the latest update to the tier-list, their placement rose due to the large aura buffs the spec received.

Destruction Warlock received a bunch of changes leading up to Season 2, from the fairly recent damage buff, to a redesign of Conflagration of Chaos. For Season 2 you can expect great sustained AoE damage with strong burst windows every time your Summon Infernal is off cooldown. Although the AoE output is considered one of the best, Destruction lacks the single-target to compete with the majority of other specializations, so a buff in that direction would help a ton in making the spec rank higher!

Retribution Paladin received its fair share of changes leading up to the Midnight Season 2, with some increases to their sustain damage output, which come at the cost of some nerfs within their burst windows. In addition, Art of War now stacks to a maximum of 2 charges, and no longer activates from additional Skyfury attacks, making the spec less reliant on having a Shaman in the group.

Overall the spec plays quite similar to Season 1, although we predict some rotational changes due to their new 4pc tier-set being built around pressing Final Verdict in AoE, which has drawn quite a bit of criticism from the Ret community. Overall we are happy with the performance and playstyle of Retribution Paladin, and we're looking forward to how they will shape up by the end of the PTR cycle.

Unholy Death Knight's core rotation is looking to remain similar to the one they had last season. The only change is that Soul Reaper will no longer automatically trigger your Putrefy. Just like the spec's counterpart (Frost DK), an attempt has been made to shift the burst damage to a more "sustained damage" profile instead, and although there is a notable difference when comparing the PTR version of the spec to live server, Unholy will still retain its incredible burst/priority target damage. On top of this, their tier set is adding even more execute damage to the spec, which is always a very useful niche. Every single detail so far is making us believe that this spec is one of the best melee options so far on the Season 2 PTR. Time will tell if that will remain the case before the launch!

Havoc Demon Hunter received a few changes leading up to the second season of Midnight. Overall, you can expect Havoc to have a similar rotation to before, if playing Fel-Scarred, or you can also go for the alternative Aldrachi Reaver builds. Their current PTR performance is great, as both sustained and burst damage are looking far above average, which is one of the most important factors for our rankings. The most recent buffs on the PTR helped them climb the ladder, boosting their already good DPS output to an even higher level, making them a very competitive spec on the PTR right now.

Devourer Demon Hunter received a fair amount of changes both in recent weeks, as well as for the start of Season 2 and the launch of Patch 12.1. Unfortunately, none of them were positive. While the spec was an absolute powerhouse in Season 1, the version we got to play on the PTR looks nothing like its Season 1 cousin. The old Annihilator Hero Talent Build paired with Collapsing Star has been significantly nerfed. This leads to the rise of new builds such as a "Melee" Devourer DH, builds that don't play around Collapsing Star at all.

The spec's Mastery has been severely nerfed, and so has their damage during Void Metamorphosis, which is what every build of the spec was built around. That being said, it is still a bit early to judge all the changes. So far into the PTR, Devourer DH definitely feels weaker compared to Season 1 when playing the same build, but it is still a solid choice to play as a caster, and new findings on better builds might be discovered before the season starts.

Enhancement Shaman continues to play similar in Season 2 as it already did in Season 1, especially when playing the very strong Stormbringer build. Season 2 sports a slightly higher emphasis on Crash Lightning and Voltaic Blaze though, but the core rotation largely remains the same. Their damage output remains competitive as well, with great damage during their Ascendance windows, decent sustained DPS (albeit a bit dependent on Doom Winds procs), and one of the most fun playstyles among all melee DPS. It will be a solid contender, but if they want to get to the highest tiers, further damage adjustments are needed.

Demonology Warlock received no changes going to Season 2, with the only new feature added being their tier-set. Their core rotation will remain identical, meaning you can expect a consistent damage profile, with minor spikes built around your Summon Demonic Tyrant. Despite all of that, their current DPS output remains competitive in both single-target and AoE. Unfortunately, just like every Warlock spec, they lack high-impact group utility or buffs, other than health stones, curses, and the occasional gateway skip (which in this season there don't seem to be that many).

For Season 2, Shadow Priest is looking at a redesign for Ancient Madness & Improved Voidform, a brand-new talent Shadeburst (great design, love it), and a gameplay that is more focused on using Void Volley during cooldowns. The current playstyle of Shadow Priest is likely one of the most fun gameplay experiences of all the specs during this PTR cycle, especially when playing around the Archon & Misery combo. Their damage profile is quite similar to S1: You can still expect great priority-target damage while doing AoE, thanks to the ever-changing Psychic Link, while also sporting good on-demand burst during the Voidform & Power Infusion combo. So far, Shadow Priests are looking solid this PTR cycle!

Fire Mage, like many other specs, will see some reduction to their burst and cooldown-based damage from Combustion, towards a more sustained damage output. This is accomplished by a nerf to their Apex Talents, while buffing ome of the baseline spells like Pyroblast & Flamestrike, as well as the recent aura buffs.

Rotationally the specialization plays quite similar to Season 1, especially if you are used to the Pyroclasm playstyle,, which the new Season 2 tier-set is reinforcing as well. The overall performance still needs some love, and so does their defensive toolkit, but after the most recent buffs, they definitely do a lot better!

Affliction Warlock has seen barely any changes leading up to Season 2, with the only significant gameplay addition being their new Season 2 tier set. Compared to the launch version of the spec their gameplay on the PTR with the new set does feel way smoother, thanks to Seed of Corruption applying Unstable Affliction at 20% strength to your main target. The spec also has much better priority-target damage than in Season 1.

While the spec has great burst AoE and sustained AoE damage output, we are slightly concerned for their single-target performance, and a few buffs in that direction would be appreciated.

Feral Druid has received minor changes leading up to Season 2, with much of it focused on buffing various crucial talents on the spec tree, like Rip and Tear, while simultaneously applying some slight nerfs to the Apex Talents. Feral Druids will retain their great sustain, AoE damage, good priority-target DPS, and a great burst. Furthermore, Energy issues have mostly been resolved, especially if you play Soul of the Forest & Tireless Energy, which leaves fewer "dead" periods of the spec. Overall, despite any of the small changes, you can still expect Feral to have that nice bursty playstyle that fits the best physical comps.

Augmentation Evoker received quite a few changes leading up to Season 2, with the most significant being the nerf towards Scalecommander, which has been their strongest build for a while now. For Season 2 you can expect your core rotation to remain fairly similar; unfortunately, it will be a less powerful version than Season 1, with less Duplicate uptime. In addition, your Upheaval from Duplicate will no longer knock enemies into the air, which translates to fewer disrupts in each pack. It's still a bit too early to estimate the specs full power, but so far, they are definitely a lot weaker than the Season 1 version of the spec.

Frost Mage's primary change for Season 2 is a reduction of their burst, achieved by nerfing their Apex Talents, and increasing their sustain damage via a flat 4% aura buff. Unfortunately, not many things have changed for Frost Mage. While the power of the rest of the specs rises faster and higher, Frost mage only receives small and often inconsequential changes. We really hope to see some changes made to the spec before Season 2 arrives, because as of the latest update to the tier-list, they are one of the few specs with pretty scarce changes on the PTR so far.

Survival Hunter received similar changes to most other classes, with a shift of damage away from cooldowns, and instead pushing more damage into skills like Boomstick and Wildfire Bomb, rather than Raptor Strike and Raptor Swipe. Their core rotation will heavily focus on casting as many Wildfire Bomb as you can, as after their most recent buffs, the skill accounts for a great chunk of your damage in a dungeon environment. The overall performance has been average all around for Survival, which is sadly reflected in their tier list placement.

Marksmanship Hunter received a ton of changes for Midnight Season 2, with some of the most important being the re-introduction of the newly reworked Explosive Shot, a bunch of talents being redesigned & updated, and shifting the damage profile to a more sustain-oriented one (although it is still quite bursty). While the core rotation remains identical, Aimed Shot / Rapid Fire loop with consuming Precise Shots & Trick Shots and using Explosive Shot on cooldown, the spec also still offers one of the slowest and most frustrating playstyles, due to how long it takes to cast Aimed Shot. After the most recent nerfs, we sadly have to rate them pretty average as a DPS once more.

In Season 2, Subtlety Rogue is going to see a reduction to their burst damage capabilities, while having better sustained damage to make up for it. The rotation will play noticeably slower, with some talents likely becoming mandatory picks such as Goremaw's Bite and a newly reworked Lingering Shadow.

We believe the currently playable iteration on the PTR is a bit unfinished, and is likely to receive more changes in the future. Not only is the tuning off the mark, but Subtlety Rogue is also left with some large rotational flaws which we hope to be addressed in future PTR builds.

Fury Warrior's core rotation will remain quite similar to what players are used to from Season 1 already, but this time around the new tier-set is making Raging Blow a much bigger priority than before. You can expect a faster-paced playstyle, short offensive cooldowns, and good priority-target and single-target damage, with the only current weakness being mass AoE, where they fail to compete against the top performers. We hope to see some tuning targeted specifically at this mass-AoE issue, which has haunted them for years, so the spec can be placed higher on the tierlist.

Beast Mastery Hunter is looking to receive quite a lot of changes leading up to the second season of Midnight, with the most notable ones being nerfs to Kill Cleave & Piercing Fangs, several new talent reworks ( Razor Sharp and Blood Frenzy) and easier Beast Cleave management due to its duration being increased to 10 sec (while Wild Thrash cooldown is 8 sec). In addition, their 4-pc tier set will shift quite a lot of focus towards Cobra Shot, often playing talents that further bolster its damage, which contributes a decent chunk to their overall output, especially on Single-target. The spec will remain particularly welcoming for newcomers, while simultaneously offering min-max possibilities for those willing to push the spec to its limit.

Devastation Evoker is looking to receive only minor changes leading into Season 2. Outside of the new tier-set, the only other notable changes are the redesign of Rising Fury, and the most recent nerfs to Scalecommander tree. This leaves Devastation Evokers largely unchanged compared to Season 1, which is quite disappointing. That being said, their current on-demand burst is decent (both ST / AoE), but when major cooldowns are no longer present, they fall behind quite hard. Further tuning is needed for them to be placed higher; as of now, they are one of the least targeted specs for changes.