Patch 12.1 is right around the corner, and with it, Midnight Season 2. We’ve started preparing our coverage of the new season by analysing the current Mythic+ balance based on PTR testing.
Starting this week, we will be looking at the Season 2 meta and following any changes or improvements happening with every build. You can read more about how these lists are built in the Criteria section at the bottom of the post.
Midnight Season 2 PTR Mythic+ Tier List
Biggest Changes from Season 1
Let’s look at what is currently changing from Season 1 to Season 2, assuming it started today. Below, you can read a quick recap of what to expect, but you can read our full analysis in our dedicated pages below. The pages present detail for each of the 40 specs, giving reason to each ranking choice.
You can also see the tier list explained below in video format:
DPS Changes
For DPS, the biggest change is Arcane Mage. After a weak Season 1, Arcane is receiving a ton of changes in Patch 12.1, the most notable being the rework of the Apex talent and the complete redesign of 
Arcane Pulse. Mages are also receiving some love in the defensive department.
With those, Arcane is shaping up to be a serious contender in the Season 2 meta scene, with high single-target and AoE damage, plus not dying when a boss looks at you funny.
After a meek Season 1, Balance Druids and Frost Death Knights are looking really strong on the PTR right now, joining the top-cut contender group. A lot of the changes coming with 12.1 change both specs to favor more sustained damage profiles, especially Frost, which still has high burst damage but now has solid sustained damage as well.
Healer Changes
For healers, Mistweaver stays incredibly strong going into Season 2, but it will likely see playstyle changes due to nerfs to Way of the Crane. However, Mistweaver has a new challenger for the top spot, which is Discipline.
Disc is receiving a minor facelift for Season 2, with 
Mind Blast being available more frequently, albeit weaker. Patch 12.1 also adds more build variety, with both Voidweaver and Oracle being close throughput-wise. These changes led to incredible DPS numbers coming from Disc priests in keys, way ahead of the competition. However, it seems to be a very mana-hungry spec right now, which might be the price to pay for its new performance.
Close to the top, we also see Preservation, which is receiving a lot of changes going into Patch 12.1, with the main highlights being 
Merithra’s Blessing and 
Dream Breath, both helping tremendously in rot situations. Overall, Preservation is looking really strong for Season 2. Its final placement honestly depends on the results of Augmentation. If Augmentation ends up being a meta spec again, this will lead groups to prefer other healers over poor Preservation.
Tank Changes
Last, but not least, tanks! After a season dominated by bears, Guardian is currently looking like the worst spec going into Season 2. This is being caused by a complete revamp of their Apex talent, causing bears to be more careful when spending their rage. While this doesn’t impact their survivability, it completely dampens their damage output.
With bears running out of favor, the door opens to the new top dog, Protection Paladin. Going into Season 2, Protection has received the biggest set of changes among tanks, with a lot of talents being shuffled around, besides raw number tuning.
Joining Paladins, we also have Protection Warriors looking really strong, both in terms of survival and in terms of damage output; they are strong contenders for that top spot. For groups with a lot of physical DPSers, having access to 
Battle Shout is just the cherry on top.
Criteria of the Tier List
This tier list is based on the strength of each DPS specialization during recent PTR testing for the Midnight Season 2. The placement takes both the raw throughput and the utility kit into consideration. Damage profile for Season 2 dungeons also plays a role in deciding positioning.
You can read the full disclosure about the criteria on the PTR Tier List hub. Ultimately, Tier Lists are an opinion, which you may disagree with. However, this is our current opinion as tuning stands. The list will change week over week, and we will cover future changes as the meta progresses. It will also likely change as Season 2 starts, tuning happens, and meta develops. Stay tuned for updates.
