Mythic+ DPS Rankings: A Tier List for Dragonflight (Patch 10.2.6 / Season 4)

This tier list is NOT FINAL; it will change and will be updated as often as necessary prior and during Mythic+. There are often moments of tier set and class tuning, as well as talent changes and secondary stat scaling that will impact the placement of the specs.

I am Petko, a competitive Mythic+ player, known to be pushing the boundaries of High Mythic+ with several World first and Europe first rankings among past seasons on multiple classes. I have worked hard on preparing for Season 4 of Dragonflight, spending numerous hours per day examining each and every class and spec in a dungeon environment on PTR. This Tier list will continue to be updated as much as it requires over the course of Dragonflight and it will also focus on what the "meta" will look like as it stabilizes. Along the way, this Tier list will also be supported by various professional Mythic+ players with high credibility in the community, theorycrafters across all specializations, and my own empirical evidence.

To begin with, this Tier list will exclusively focus on the third Season of Mythic+ in Dragonflight. There will be no Warcraft Logs rankings added nor simulation data for the majority of the classes and specs. As a result, this Tier list will be solely based on empirical evidence of the current state of the classes' performance in Mythic+ from my own point of view and the point of view of the group of players testing those classes who are among the best representatives of the class in the community. Moreover, this Tier list will take into consideration every impactful class change and tier set tuning before and after the start of the season.

It is important to note that opinions might vary and that is completely okay, but remember to be respectful when providing feedback as the sole purpose of this tier list is to help the WoW community with their choice of main or alt each season.

This tier list was created based on the strength of each DPS specialization throughout the first half of Season 4. The rankings are determined by the toolkit and raw damage each class provides to Mythic+ groups. To fully understand the rankings, it's important to understand the difference between each damage profile and the significance/sync of each class's toolkit with other party members. Lastly, different dungeons require different sets of damage patterns; some require more single-target, while others require you to have much more focused AoE damage; all of this can bump some classes higher than others:

• Damage is the most important major factor to rank the DPS classes; mass AoE, burst AoE, sustain AoE, single-target, 2-target, 3-target, and spread-cleave damage are among the types of damage profiles we examine.
• Classes with unique party-wide buffs will always be rewarded. an example of such is Druid's Mark of the Wild.
• Classes with high survivability, self-sustain, or immunities will add an additional value to the rankings.
• Another feature worth mentioning is the importance of priority-target damage and funnel damage, often undervalued in Mythic+, which speeds up the whole dungeon if executed correctly. Specs can earn extra "points" by having such a damage profile.

• It is incredibly important to emphasize that just because a DPS specialization is low in the tier list; it does not mean that you should ignore it completely. Any class can perform well if you put the time to learn it, some just do it with less effort.
• For the vast majority of cases, you should choose to bring the better player, not the better specialization. That does not mean you never need to think about your Mythic+ group composition or disregard the meta, just that most of the time, player skill will be more important than the difference between classes
• Remember that this tier list is based on a +20 key level as the average; some specializations gain significantly more value on the higher-end bracket compared to the lower-end bracket because of their damage profile.
• This tier list, unlike many others, is not constant; some class's placements will go up or down depending on key level, group composition, affix combinations or dungeon differences. We will continue to update this tier list every time there is a change;

Below, you can find the full rankings for DPS slots in Season 4 of Dragonflight+. We encourage you to read further and understand why some classes are placed lower or higher than expected, with several factors taken into consideration, such as having a 4-piece tier-set active at all times.

1. Destruction Warlock (S-Tier)
2. Shadow Priest (S-Tier)
3. Augmentation Evoker (S-Tier)
4. Outlaw Rogue (A+Tier)
5. Demonology Warlock (A+Tier)
6. Retribution Paladin (A+Tier)
7. Balance Druid (A-Tier)
8. Fire Mage (A-Tier)
9. Devastation Evoker (A-Tier)
10. Unholy Death Knight (A-Tier)
11. Havoc Demon Hunter (B-Tier)
12. Windwalker Monk (B-Tier)
13. Frost Mage (B-Tier)
14. Arcane Mage (B-Tier)
15. Beast Mastery Hunter (B-Tier)
16. Subtlety Rogue (B-Tier)
17. Marksmanship Hunter (C-Tier)
18. Elemental Shaman (C-Tier)
19. Arms Warrior (C-Tier)
20. Feral Druid (D-Tier)
21. Enhancement Shaman (D-Tier)
22. Frost Death Knight (D-Tier)
23. Assassination Rogue (D-Tier)
24. Fury Warrior (D-Tier)
25. Survival Hunter (D-Tier)
26. Affliction Warlock (F-Tier)

Data-Driven (Season 3) Mythic+ Tier List

Get the latest data driven tier list for Patch 10.2

View Rankings

If you are interested in our other rankings for Mythic+ in Dragonflight, Season 4, please click the links below.

Below are displayed the DPS specs that have the highest potential to turn out to be a "meta" spec. Keep in mind, there are only 3 slots for a DPS in a group, so your choice will depend on your group needs, dungeon type, and Mythic+ level.

Season 4 update: Destruction Warlock received both, positive and negative changes to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 1, which will be played in the next season. Destruction Warlock offers the best mass AoE damage profile, which can be a valuable addition to any Mythic+ group. As the current meta favors casters, they fit perfectly within it, allowing them to capitalize on the already-built advantage. Not only this but Warlock specs are known for being durable and having great party-wide utility, which is another reason why you must have this spec in your group. Overall, one of the strongest if not the strongest DPS choices, going forward to Season 4 so far.

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Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Create Healthstone	Helps your team to survive deadly pulls.
Core	Soulstone	Combat Resurrection.
Core	Demonic Gateway
Core	Curse of Tongues	Useful against caster targets. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Curse of Weakness	Useful against physical damage dealers. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Demon Summoning	Summon Imp can help you with Singe Magic dispel while Summon Felhunter can be useful with an extra interrupt - Spell Lock.
Optional	Banish	Useful on some boss encounters for an extra crowd-control effect.
Optional	Shadowfury	AoE Stun.
Optional	Mortal Coil	Sinel-Target disturb effect.

Season 4 update: Shadow Priest received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 2, which will be played in the next season. There are no major drawbacks Shadow Priest, as they will continue to dominate the DPS "meta" with one of the best damage profiles in Season 4 (priority-target damage while doing AoE is a bonus). Combined with a strong utility package, there are a lot of great "DPS-combos" you can run with that can utilize Power Infusion efficiently. Overall one of the best choices for a Range DPS, which can also fit within any group compositions.

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Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Power Infusion	You must always have Twins of the Sun Priestess talented.
Core	Power Word: Fortitude	A raid-wide 5% Stamina buff.
Core	Psychic Scream	AoE disturb effect.
Core	Mind Soothe	It reduces the range at which the target/s will attack you. Incredible useful for trash mob skips. It can be used on multiple enemies.
Core	Mass Dispel	Incredible useful where Mass Dispelling is needed.
Optional	Vampiric Embrace	Extra off-healing.
Optional	Leap of Faith	Helps with repositioning.
Optional	Dominate Mind	Mindcontrols an enemy, allowing you to simultaneously execute your rotation while having full control over them and their abilities.
Optional	Shackle Undead	Crowd-controls a undead target for 50 sec.
Optional	Purify Disease	On top of Dispel Magic you will be able to further bolster it by allowing the spell to remove 1 Disease on a friendly target.
Optional	Psychic Horror	A single-target 4 sec stun effect.

Season 4 update: Augmentation Evoker received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Augmentation Evoker is expected to remain one of the most valuable DPS options for Season 4, due to its incredibly powerful toolkit. It allows your team to deal more damage and enhances their survivability while making you one of the most formidable damage dealers in the game. On top of this, you can obtain once again, Nasz'uro, the Unbound Legacy, one of the most overpowered legendary options ever created, buffing your team with primary stat and speed for a short period. In short, there isn't much more to say except that if the current state of affairs remains the same, this specialization will undoubtedly be among the top-tier choices in Season 4.

While the positives are many on the higher-end keys, the popularity and the power of the specialization rapidly decreased throughout low to mid-level keys where the 3rd DPS spot is preferred to be a "regular" damage dealer rather than an evoker.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Blessing of the Bronze	-
Core	Ebon Might	-
Core	Chrono Ward	Extra Shielding effect triggered after Breath of Eons cast.
Core	Expunge	Removing all Poison effects from an ally.
Core	Upheaval	Extra knock-up effect.
Optional	Timelessness	Reduces the threat to 1 friendly target.
Optional	Oppressing Roar	Increasing the duration of all crowd-control effects on the affected enemies by 50%. You can further talent into Overawe, removing 1 Enrage effect from each enemy (AoE Enrage Removal).
Optional	Terror of the Skies	After using Breath of Eons, you will stun all enemies by 3 sec affected by your breath.
Core	Prescience	Can be further bolstered by the Fate Mirror talent.
Core	Tail Swipe	AoE disturb effect that knocks up enemies.
Core	Wing Buffet	AoE knockback effect.
Optional	Sleep Walk	Single-target crowd-control effect that forces the enemy to move towards you.
Optional	Bestow Weyrnstone	Enables one party/raid member to teleport to your location within 100 yards.
Optional	Blistering Scales	Increases the armor and gives damage to the selected member.
Optional	Spatial Paradox	It enables your Healer of choice to freely move while casting and increasing the range of most spells by 100% for 11 sec.
Optional	Source of Magic	Can be further bolstered by Potent Mana
Optional	Zephyr	Area-of-effect damage reduction (party only).
Optional	Cauterizing Flame	Bleed removal
Optional	Rescue	You can further bolster it with Twin Guardian talent for extra durability.

Season 4: Outlaw Rogue received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Outlaw Rogue performs exceptionally well in both single-target and AOE situations, making it a versatile and dominant spec in Mythic+. The class boasts high utility, several defensive abilities, magical immunity, and excellent mobility. Now keep in mind that their AoE is capped, which puts them significantly behind when you pull larger (more than 8 mobs), which is the main drawback of the spec. Overall, it's difficult to find any other spec that matches the effectiveness and efficiency of Outlaw Rogue in the current state of the game.

Overall, Outlaw's strong damage profile paired with incredible group-wide will cement their current rankings. Lastly, don't forget that this spec will still struggle in heavy AoE scenarios (8+ mobs), which rarely happens in pug keys (but still to be mentioned).

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Weapon Poisons	Numbing Poison, Atrophic Poison, Crippling Poison, Wound Poison or Instant Poison
Core	Gouge / Airborne Irritant	You have the choice between AoE stop or powerful short cooldown single-target stop.
Core	Blind	Disturb effect, useful for crowd-control.
Core	Kidney Shot	Single-target stun effect.
Core	Sap	Non-combat crowd-control.
Core	Cheap Shot	Single-target stun effect.
Core	Shiv	Enrage-effect dispel.
Core	Shroud of Concealment	Mass-invisibility effect.
Core	Tricks of the Trade	Redirects all threat you cause to a selected party member lasting 6 sec.
Core	Distract	When used, it stops any creatures from moving. Incredible useful when stopping patrol targets from repositioning.

Season 4 update: received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Demonology Warlock specialization is performing excellently, with their great consistent/burst AoE damage, paired with a strong single-target. Apart from that, the Warlock class has a well-rounded Mythic+ utility package and great durability. To conclude, we believe Demonology Warlock will be one of the best-performing ranged options in Season 4.

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Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Create Healthstone	Helps your team to survive deadly pulls.
Core	Soulstone	Combat Resurrection.
Core	Demonic Gateway
Core	Curse of Tongues	Useful against caster targets. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Curse of Weakness	Useful against physical damage dealers. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Demon Summoning	Summon Imp can help you with Singe Magic dispel while Summon Felhunter can be useful with an extra interrupt - Spell Lock.
Optional	Banish	Useful on some boss encounters for an extra crowd-control effect.
Optional	Shadowfury	AoE Stun.
Optional	Mortal Coil	Single-Target disturb effect.

Season 4 update: Retribution Paladin received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. The overall performance from Retribution Paladin will remain a reliable choice, regardless of your party composition, in Season 4. With one of the best group-wide DPS utilities, it is an invaluable asset for anyone who wants to play this spec. Additionally, it offers excellent defensive options in case of danger and a great damage output. Speaking of damage, you don't have to worry, as it still has impressive burst windows that can help you take down any quantity of mobs and decent sustain damage. Overall, Retribution Paladin is excellent and is one of the top melee choices for the next season.

It is still a significant concern that the spec lack diversification, which leads to severe limitations in capabilities. Although, no relevant hybrid options are available, which adversely affects their Mythic+ performance, the most recent buffs make the situation much better.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Devotion Aura	Permanent 3% group/raid-wide damage reduction aura.
Core	Retribution Aura	In case you already have Devotion Aura from another Paladin, you can choose the Retribution Aura to help your party/raid do more Damage and Healing.
Core	Hammer of Justice	A powerful single-target 6 sec stun effect.
Core	Lay on Hands	Heals a member of your party/raid to full health.
Core	Intercession	Combat-resurrection
Optional	Blessing of Sacrifice	Helps a single member of your raid in a critical situation. Can be further improved by talenting Sacrifice of the Just.
Optional	Blessing of Protection	Physical immunity, which can help you with some boss encounters.
Optional	Blessing of Freedom	Immunity to movement impairing effects.
Optional	Repentance / Blinding Light	You have the option between single-target crowd-control effect or a powerful mass AoE stop.
Optional	Cleanse Toxins	Removes all Poison and Disease effects from the target.
Optional	Turn Evil	Be able to fear any Undead, Aberration or Demon, which is an additional form of crowd-control.

Season 4 update: Balance Druid received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 1, which will be played in the next season. Although Balance Druid may not appear impressive in lower-end keys, it becomes increasingly formidable as the key level increases. If you use your cooldowns effectively in Mythic+, you can achieve exceptionally high damage, both in AoE and single-target scenarios. Moreover, we all know how valuable the Druid utility is, one of the best any specialization can offer to your group. All of this combine will cement their placement on the upper echelon of DPS specs on the tier list, with a much more focus on tackling higher keys, rather than lower-end keys.

It takes some time for the spec to ramp up before it can cause significant damage. This means that the performance of the Balance Druid will improve as the mobs live longer. In addition, the damage output of the spec without major cooldowns is at most average, making it essential to carefully manage and use your cooldowns to their fullest potential.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Mark of the Wild	Increasing the Versatility of your raid/party by 3%.
Core	Solar Beam	8 sec AoE silence.
Core	Entangling Roots	Single-target root effect.
Optional	Nature's Vigil	Extra off-healing.
Optional	Innervate	Allowing 1 friendly healer to cast spells without spending mana for 8 sec.
Optional	Stampeding Roar	Increasing the movement speed to all raid members by 60% for 8 sec.
Optional	Remove Corruption	Removes all Curse and Poison effects from a friendly target.
Optional	Soothe	Dispelling all Enrage Effects from an enemy target.
Optional	Hibernate	Single-target crowd-control effects against beasts and dragonkins. It also works on Incorporeal.
Optional	Incapacitating Roar / Mighty Bash	You have the choice between AoE disturb effect or a single-target stun.
Optional	Typhoon	Aoe knockback.
Optional	Mass Entanglement / Ursol's Vortex	You have the choice between AoE root effect or AoE wind-of-vortex, pulling all the mobs to one location.

Season 4 update: Fire Mage received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 2, which will be played in the next season. Fire Mage is a specialization that excels in mid to high-end keys where mobs live longer, and there are longer gaps between pulls. This spec offers consistent damage (both AoE and ST), priority-target damage and high on-demand bursts. Moreover, Fire Mage is one of the most durable specs in the game, having not only several defensive options but also a cheat death - Cauterize. It also provides high group-wide utility, paired with incredible mobility. As we have previously predicted, the only thing stopping Fire Mage from being once again the "king" of all DPS specializations are further damage buffs, and we still believe played in the right group and on the higher key level, this spec is ranked MUCH HIGHER THAN THIS PLACMEMENT.

Its output is significantly lower when mobs die quicker (in other words, lower key levels), especially if you are opting in on an Mastery: Ignite build.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Arcane Intellect	5% extra Intellect to the whole raid/party.
Core	Time Warp	Alternative of Bloodlust.
Core	Polymorph	Single-target crowd-control effect.
Optional	Mass Barrier / Mass Invisibility	Gives a shield that absorbs damage or mass invisibility to the entire party.
Optional	Spellsteal	Steals a beneficial magic effect from the target.
Optional	Remove Curse	Removes all Curses from a friendly target.
Optional	Ring of Frost	AoE disturb effect.
Optional	Ice Nova	AoE Immobilize effect. This can be cast separate from Frost Nova.
Optional	Blast Wave	AoE knockback.
Optional	Dragon's Breath	AoE disturb effect.

Season 4 update: Devastation Evoker received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 2, which will be played in the next season. Devastation Evoker are looking so far fantastic going forward to Season 4 as they will be getting their much preferred Season 2 tierset is back in action. They will retain their bursty side, while significantly increasing their sustained damage (both AoE and ST). They already have amazing group-wide utility, several sets of defensiveness and are quite a mobile caster option. On top of this, you can obtain once again, Nasz'uro, the Unbound Legacy, one of the most overpowered legendary options ever created, buffing your team with primary stat and speed for a short period. To conclude, one of the best-ranged options so far.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Devastation Evoker is having several offensive abilities being tied to a 25 yard ranged, compared to the standard 40 yard range option for Ranged specializations. This can create some difficulties in maintaining perfect rotation upon combat.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Blessing of the Bronze	-
Core	Tail Swipe	AoE disturb effect that knocks up enemies.
Core	Wing Buffet	AoE knockback effect.
Core	Expunge	Removing all Poison effects from an ally.
Optional	Sleep Walk	Single-target crowd-control effect that forces the enemy to move towards you.
Optional	Source of Magic	Can be further bolstered by Potent Mana
Optional	Oppressing Roar	Increasing the duration of all crowd-control effects on the affected enemies by 50%. You can further talent into Overawe, removing 1 Enrage effect from each enemy (AoE Enrage Removal).
Optional	Terror of the Skies	After using Breath of Eons, you will stun all enemies by 3 sec affected by your breath.
Optional	Zephyr	Area-of-effect damage reduction (party only).
Optional	Cauterizing Flame	Bleed removal
Optional	Rescue	You can further bolster it with Twin Guardian talent for extra durability.

Season 4 update: Unholy Death Knight received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Despite some power of Unholy Death Knight's has been taken away their burst, they will continue to be a burst powerhouse in Season 4, with significantly improved sustained damage. It is important to note that, Unholy is one of the few specs that has an access to amazing single-target and AoE damage profile, great durability and good party-wide utility. Overall, we are happy with the performance of this spec and looking forward to see who it will play out until the end.

Not a drawback but, you can only fully unleash your maximum potential by managing your major cooldowns well, which is much easier when playing with a pre-made group rather than a pug group.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Anti-Magic Zone	Provides extra durability against heavy magical damage.
Core	Death Grip	Repositions an enemy of your choice.
Core	Raise Ally	Combat-resurrection.
Core	Gnaw	Having an extra stun effect for 1 sec from your Ghoul pet.
Optional	Blinding Sleet	AoE disturb effect.
Optional	Blinding Sleet	AoE disturb effect.
Optional	Abomination Limb	Every 1 sec an enemy is pulled close to you.
Optional	Insidious Chill	Reduces auto-attack speed of your target by 5% stacking up 4 times.
Optional	Asphyxiate	5 sec single-target stun.

Season 4 update: Havoc Demon Hunter received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Havoc Demon Hunter will continue to be a great choice in Season 4 of Mythic+ so far. They have an amazing damage profile, which consists of good output off and on cooldowns and a competitive single-target. Their group-wide utility and mobility are among the best across all melee DPS specs, which makes it a lucrative option for the current caster-heavy orientated meta (thanks Chaos Brand :) ). Overall, a strong DPS choice.

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Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Chaos Brand	5% extra Magical damage
Core	Darkness	% chance to avoid all damage from an attack.
Core	Fel Eruption	Single-target stun.
Optional	Chaos Nova	AoE stun effect.
Optional	Imprison	Single-target out of combat crowd-control.
Optional	Consume Magic	Remove 1 beneficial Magic effect.
Optional	Sigil of Misery	AoE disturb effect.

Season 4 update: Windwalker Monk received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 1, which will be played in the next season. Windwalker Monk still has a power burst (both AoE and ST) that fits perfectly for the level of keys on which this tier list is based on. Moreover, their sustained damage is quite competitive. It's important to note that the utility package of this specialization is among the best in Mythic+, and it has one of the highest survivability rates. Overall, a solid pickup that best plays with a full physical damage-orientated squad due to its Mystic Touch, but can adapt if otherwise put in a different group composition.

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Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Mystic Touch	5% extra Physical damage for your raid.
Core	Generous Pour	Extra damage reduction against area-of-effect damage.
Core	Close to Heart	Increased healing from all sources for all allies within 10 yards.
Core	Leg Sweep	3 sec stun effect.
Optional	Tiger's Lust	Removes all roots and snares.
Optional	Ring of Peace	It can be used to help your tank kite and as a AoE disturb effect.
Optional	Detox	Removes all Poison and Disease effects from the target.
Optional	Paralysis	Single-target disturb effect.

Season 4 update: Frost Mage received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Frost Mage's gameplay revolves around Glacial Spike, and the tier-set favors AoE over single-target damage; although powerful, it can be quite monotomous rotation-wise. It's important to note that Frost Mages, like any other Mage spec, have excellent group-wide utility, one of the best defensives in the game, high mobility, and Frost-exclusive permanent slow attached to most of their spells. Overall, one of the most solid Ranged specs for any range of keys.

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Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Arcane Intellect	5% extra Intellect to the whole raid/party.
Core	Time Warp	Alternative of Bloodlust.
Core	Polymorph	Single-target crowd-control effect.
Core	Permanent slow effects.	-
Optional	Mass Barrier / Mass Invisibility	Gives a shield that absorbs damage or mass invisibility to the entire party.
Optional	Spellsteal	Steals a beneficial magic effect from the target.
Optional	Remove Curse	Removes all Curses from a friendly target.
Optional	Ring of Frost	AoE disturb effect.
Optional	Ice Nova	AoE Immobilize effect. This can be cast separate from Frost Nova.
Optional	Blast Wave	AoE knockback.
Optional	Dragon's Breath	AoE disturb effect.

Season 4 update: Arcane Mage received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Arcane Mage is known for having one of the best burst-damage playstyles in Mythic+ dungeons, making it a valuable option for taking down high-danger non-boss packs and important bosses. With incredible utility and survivability, it is a solid Ranged option for the upcoming Season 4. However, it's important to note that Arcane Mage performs best on mid-high level keys where mobs can withstand the full burst. Additionally, this spec is considered one of the most difficult to play, so inexperienced players with limited dungeon knowledge may not benefit from its potential.

To fully utilize this specialization, a high level of skill is required, which can make it difficult for new players to get the most out of it. Additionally, this specialization is considered a "niche". It is more valuable in higher-level gameplay, while its effectiveness may be reduced in lower-level gameplay.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Arcane Intellect	5% extra Intellect to the whole raid/party.
Core	Time Warp	Alternative of Bloodlust.
Core	Polymorph	Single-target crowd-control effect.
Optional	Mass Barrier / Mass Invisibility	Gives a shield that absorbs damage or mass invisibility to the entire party.
Optional	Spellsteal	Steals a beneficial magic effect from the target.
Optional	Remove Curse	Removes all Curses from a friendly target.
Optional	Ring of Frost	AoE disturb effect.
Optional	Ice Nova	AoE Immobilize effect. This can be cast separate from Frost Nova.
Optional	Blast Wave	AoE knockback.
Optional	Dragon's Breath	AoE disturb effect.

Season 4 update: Beast Mastery Hunter received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Beast Mastery Hunter is performing exceptionally well, and it is likely the strongest it has been since the start of the expansion. Their single-target and AoE damage (both burst and sustained) are in amazing shape, and when combined with their unbeatable mobility, they become a hidden gem in the game. On top of this, they will get back their unique bow - Neltharax, Enemy of the Sky, which will further bolster their already strong damage profile. Overall, a solid pick for the upcoming new season.

Hunter's survivability has been a red flag for some time now. While several attempts have been made to improve it, and it is better than in previous expansions, it remains a concern. Lastly, pet interaction can still be problematic. Given the fact that almost all of your damage comes from pet attacks, it is something that should be permanently fixed. For instance, pets randomly dying from frontals/bleeds or glitching up and being unable to reach specific places.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Primal Rage	Although not unique, it can help in some rare cases.
Core	Hunter's Mark	Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%.
Core	Tar Trap	AoE Slow.
Core	Tranquilizing Shot	Removes 1 Enrage and Magic effect from an enemy target.
Core	Intimidation	A powerful 5 sec single-target stun.
Core	Scatter Shot / Binding Shot	You have the option between single-target disturb effect and a wonky "AoE Stun".
Core	Freezing Trap	A powerful single-target crowd-control effect.

Season 4: Subtlety Rogue received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Apart from the impressive Rogue's utility package, Subtlety Rogue also delivers consistent damage with great on-demand burst. The spec has no shortcomings apart from the fact that it doesn't compete with the best-performing classes regarding raw damage output. Watch out for Subtlety Rogue, as any rogue spec can become an S-tier candidate if properly fine-tuned!

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Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Weapon Poisons	Numbing Poison, Atrophic Poison, Crippling Poison, Wound Poison or Instant Poison
Core	Gouge / Airborne Irritant	You have the choice between AoE stop or powerful short cooldown single-target stop.
Core	Blind	Disturb effect, useful for crowd-control.
Core	Kidney Shot	Single-target stun effect.
Core	Sap	Non-combat crowd-control.
Core	Cheap Shot	Single-target stun effect.
Core	Shiv	Enrage-effect dispel.
Core	Shroud of Concealment	Mass-invisibility effect.
Core	Tricks of the Trade	Redirects all threat you cause to a selected party member lasting 6 sec.
Core	Distract	When used, it stops any creatures from moving. Incredible useful when stopping patrol targets from repositioning.

Season 4 update: Marksmanship Hunter received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Although Marksmanship Hunter have one of the strongest bursts in Mythic+, both in AoE and single-target, their consistent damage off-major cooldowns is lackluster. The specialization has come a long way, as it was previously one of the lowest-performing DPS options on our tier list. On top of this, they will get back their unique bow - Neltharax, Enemy of the Sky, which will further bolster their already strong damage profile. If you love the fantasy of Marksmanship Hunter and the playstyle, remember that the spec does much better on the lower-mid level keys where burst can put you ahead of your party members. Still, its powers significantly diminish on the higher-end keys.

One of the major cons of the spec is the weak defensives and lack of strong damage profile (AoE and single-target) outside of their cooldowns. To add on top of that, some of their AoE damage is still capped, which doesn't help them either.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Primal Rage	Although not unique, it can help in some rare cases.
Core	Hunter's Mark	Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%.
Core	Tar Trap	AoE Slow.
Core	Tranquilizing Shot	Removes 1 Enrage and Magic effect from an enemy target.
Core	Scatter Shot / Binding Shot	You have the option between single-target disturb effect and a wonky "AoE Stun".
Core	Freezing Trap	A powerful single-target crowd-control effect.
Optional	Misdirection	Helpful in cases where there are spread non-boss-enemies and your tanks needs help with collecting the aggro.

Season 4 update: Elemental Shaman received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Elemental Shaman's damage profile is quite competitive, especially on low target count or single-target (good at funnel too!). However, their mass AoE damage/burst is one of the weakest compared to the rest of the DPS specialization, if the pull lasts long enough, eventually, they can catch up. In addition, the lack of a defensive profile significantly punishes the class. Overall, one of the most fun specs to play in Mythic+, with a slight touch on their spender abilities and adjustments on behalf of their durability, can enable Elemental Shaman much higher.

Elemental Shaman is still one of the squishiest DPS specs in the game, which needs to be addressed. Also, it is disappointing that this specialization is the only one that doesn't bring any unique buffs to the party/raid. Moreover, the mass AoE of Elemental Shaman is problematic, especially in the lower-end keys where it doesn't have enough time to ramp up.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Bloodlust	-
Core	Earth Elemental	A powerful elemental summon that helps you survive.
Core	Earthquake	Has a chance for a knockdown effect.
Optional	Wind Rush Totem / Earthgrab Totem	A choice between on-demand extra movement speed or AoE root effect similar to Mass Entanglement.
Optional	Ancestral Guidance	Provides extra off-healing to your party.
Optional	Capacitor Totem	3 sec AoE stun.
Optional	Hex	Single-target crowd-control ability.
Optional	Cleanse Spirit	Removes all Curse effects from a friendly target.
Optional	Purge	Removing 1 beneficial Magic effect from an enemy.
Optional	Thunderstorm	AoE disturb effect that can either knock away or knock up ( Thundershock).
Optional	Poison Cleansing Totem	Removes all poison effects on a nearby party member each 1.5 sec for 6 sec.
Optional	Stoneskin Totem	10% physical damage reduction

Season 4 update: Arms Warrior received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 1, which will be played in the next season. Arms Warrior will remain a decent melee DPS choice for the following season, which unfortunately is not good enough to place them among the top contenders. While the damage profile remains average, their utility is one of the weakest in Mythic+. Overall, if any class changes are targeting their damage contribution, we believe Arms will be placed much higher on the tier list.

Average damage profile and poor Mythic+ utility.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Rallying Cry	Temporary increasing the health of your raid/party.
Core	Battle Shout	Extra 5% attack power.
Optional	Spell Reflection	Usable in niche situations.
Optional	Intimidating Shout	AoE disturb effect capped at 5 targets.
Optional	Storm Bolt	4 sec single-target stun.
Optional	Shockwave	AoE Stun

Season 4 update: Feral Druid received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Feral Druid is currently in a decent spot, providing an average output, both on single-target and on AoE. You arguably have one of the best utility packages among all DPS specs, which can make a lucrative option for any group composition. On top of this, we all know how "tanky" and mobile this spec is. In short, Feral is a solid choice of melee specs coming into the new season, but we would like to see some positive damage adjustments.

Further damage buffs are needed to secure a higher placement on the tierlist.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Mark of the Wild	Increasing the Versatility of your raid/party by 3%.
Core	Entangling Roots	Single-target root effect.
Optional	Innervate	Allowing 1 friendly healer to cast spells without spending mana for 8 sec.
Optional	Nature's Vigil	Extra off-healing.
Optional	Stampeding Roar	Increasing the movement speed to all raid members by 60% for 8 sec.
Optional	Remove Corruption	Removes all Curse and Poison effects from a friendly target.
Optional	Soothe	Dispelling all Enrage Effects from an enemy target.
Optional	Hibernate	Single-target crowd-control effects against beasts and dragonkins. It also works on Incorporeal.
Optional	Incapacitating Roar / Mighty Bash	You have the choice between AoE disturb effect or a single-target stun.
Optional	Typhoon	Aoe knockback.
Optional	Mass Entanglement / Ursol's Vortex	You have the choice between AoE root effect or AoE wind-of-vortex, pulling all the mobs to one location.

Season 4 update: Enhancement Shaman received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Enhancement Shaman will enter next season's place on the lower end of the bracken on our tierlist. Although they have great burst and sustained damage on a low count target, their mass AoE is among the weakest compared to the rest of the DPS specialization. This can cause a massive issue for your team if you decide to pull multiple packs together. To add on top of this, although they have a great utility build for Mythic+, their defensives are also among the weakest across all melee specs. To conclude, Enhancement Shaman benefits low-target pulls, in which case they will do fantastic, the moment you decide to pull larger, you will run into an issue as most of their offensive spells are still target-capped.

One of the major concerns with playing as an Enhancement Shaman is how vulnerable they can be. Similarly to its counterpart, the Elemental Shaman, this class can feel incredibly fragile once their only defensive cooldown, Astral Shift is unavailable. In addition, their mass AoE damage is still an issue going forward to Season 4.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Bloodlust	-
Core	Sundering	Additional AoE stop.
Core	Earth Elemental	A powerful elemental summon that helps you survive.
Optional	Windfury Totem	-
Optional	Wind Rush Totem / Earthgrab Totem	A choice between on-demand extra movement speed or AoE root effect similar to Mass Entanglement.
Optional	Ancestral Guidance	Provides extra off-healing to your party.
Optional	Capacitor Totem	3 sec AoE stun.
Optional	Hex	Single-target crowd-control ability.
Optional	Cleanse Spirit	Removes all Curse effects from a friendly target.
Optional	Purge	Removing 1 beneficial Magic effect from an enemy.
Optional	Thunderstorm	AoE disturb effect that can either knock away or knock up ( Thundershock).
Optional	Poison Cleansing Totem	Removes all poison effects on a nearby party member each 1.5 sec for 6 sec.
Optional	Stoneskin Totem	10% physical damage reduction

Season 4 update: Frost Death Knight received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 2, which will be played in the next season. Frost Death Knight will remain a powerful burst machine in Season 4, but it still has the same issue of lower sustain damage without cooldowns. Another problem that needs addressing is aggro issues, especially at the start of any given pull with a larger mob count. To justify a higher placement, the spec needs to be improved, specifically in the damage and utility department.

Lack of sustained damage, heavily relient of cooldowns.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Anti-Magic Zone	Provides extra durability against heavy magical damage.
Core	Death Grip	Repositions an enemy of your choice.
Core	Raise Ally	Combat-resurrection.
Optional	Abomination Limb	Every 1 sec an enemy is pulled close to you.
Optional	Blinding Sleet	AoE disturb effect.
Optional	Insidious Chill	Reduces auto-attack speed of your target by 5% stacking up 4 times.
Optional	Control Undead	Mind-control an undead enemy to fight on your side. This ability can also Mind-control Incorporeal (similar to Priest's Dominate Mind) to gain the full benefit of the affix.
Optional	Asphyxiate	5 sec single-target stun.

Season 4: Assassination Rogue received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Assassination Rogue is continuing Season 4 as the best version of the spec seen since the beginning of the expansion. The class now has a much better damage profile, regardless of the number of enemies being fought. This has been a significant concern for a long time, as the spec already has an excellent overall toolkit, mobility, and survivability. Although they have improved in the damage department, they still struggle in the low-to mid-level keys where mobs die too quickly before they ramp up their damage, hence why such a spec can benefit better on the higher key levels.

We believe that Assassination Rogues will perform a lot better on the higher-end keys compared to the lower keys, simply because the higher health targets allow you to fully utilize your whole burst. This, however, is a massive disadvantage for the specialization and one of the reasons why people prefer their sibling specs.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Iron Wire	Enables Garrote to silence for 6 sec when used from Stealth and enemies that are silenced by Garrote deal 15% reduced damage for 8 sec.
Core	Weapon Poisons	Numbing Poison, Atrophic Poison, Crippling Poison, Wound Poison, Instant Poison, Amplifying Poison and Deadly Poison
Core	Gouge / Airborne Irritant	You have the choice between AoE stop or powerful short cooldown single-target stop.
Core	Blind	Disturb effect, useful for crowd-control.
Core	Kidney Shot	Single-target stun effect.
Core	Sap	Non-combat crowd-control.
Core	Cheap Shot	Single-target stun effect.
Core	Shiv	Enrage-effect dispel.
Core	Shroud of Concealment	Mass-invisibility effect.
Core	Tricks of the Trade	Redirects all threat you cause to a selected party member lasting 6 sec.
Core	Distract	When used, it stops any creatures from moving. Incredible useful when stopping patrol targets from repositioning.

Season 4 update: Fury Warrior received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 2, which will be played in the next season. Fury Warrior's main advantage - their burst/consistent damage is completely lackluster. To add to that, they have one of the weakest party-wide utility for Mythic+. Perhaps, Battle Shout can be integrated into the mix, if there were a melee meta, which can make them more desirable to have either of the Warrior specs present, however, since casters are a lot stronger, that can't be taken into consideration. Overall, we are quite disappointed with the performance of this spec and we are looking forward to future tunings.

Currently, the main challenge for Fury is their lack of meaningful party-wide utility and a strong damage profile.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Rallying Cry	Temporary increasing the health of your raid/party.
Core	Battle Shout	Extra 5% attack power.
Optional	Spell Reflection	Usable in niche situations.
Optional	Intimidating Shout	AoE disturb effect capped at 5 targets.
Optional	Storm Bolt	4 sec single-target stun.
Optional	Shockwave	AoE Stun

Season 4 update: Survival Hunter received a buff to their "old-new" tier-set, from Season 1, which will be played in the next season. Survival Hunter spec appears to be once again, in an underperforming state, as their damage output is among the lowest across all damage dealers. On top of this, their limited utility and survivability puts them further behind the list. To place this spec higher, we would like to see further positive adjustments on behalf of their damage profile, specifically sustained and burst AoE.

Low overall damage, limited mob-control options for your team and still relatively squishy.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Primal Rage	Although not unique, it can help in some rare cases.
Core	Hunter's Mark	Increases all damage dealt to targets above 80% health by 5%.
Core	Tar Trap	AoE Slow.
Core	Tranquilizing Shot	Removes 1 Enrage and Magic effect from an enemy target.
Core	Intimidation	A powerful 5 sec single-target stun.
Core	Scatter Shot / Binding Shot	You have the option between single-target disturb effect and a wonky "AoE Stun".
Core	Freezing Trap	A powerful single-target crowd-control effect.
Optional	Misdirection	Helpful in cases where there are spread non-boss-enemies and your tanks needs help with collecting the aggro.

Season 4 update: Affliction Warlock received no changes in Season 4, as well as, keeping their tier-set unchanged. Although Affliction Warlock's burst damage is great their sustain damage (both AoE and ST) is one of the weakest across all DPS specializations in Mythic+. This is the main reason why we believe the spec will not perform well in the following season of Mythic+. Yes, they have all the tools to climb higher, from having a great defensive toolkit to an amazing party-wide utility, but further positive adjustments are needed to warrant a higher placement on the tier list.

The full potential of Affliction Warlock can be utilized only on the mid to high-key level and still is quite behind on the lower keys. In addition, their sustain damage across all damage profiles is quite weak. Given that both Destruction Warlock and Demonology Warlock are in a better spot than you, I doubt you will see much volume coming from Affliction.

Functionality	Spells	Notes
Core	Create Healthstone	Helps your team to survive deadly pulls.
Core	Soulstone	Combat Resurrection.
Core	Demonic Gateway
Core	Curse of Tongues	Useful against caster targets. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Curse of Weakness	Useful against physical damage dealers. It can be further bolstered by Amplify Curse talent.
Core	Demon Summoning	Summon Imp can help you with Singe Magic dispel while Summon Felhunter can be useful with an extra interrupt - Spell Lock.
Optional	Banish	Useful on some boss encounters for an extra crowd-control effect.
Optional	Shadowfury	AoE Stun.
Optional	Mortal Coil	Single-Target disturb effect.