Tank Rankings / Tier List for WoW Classic Season of Discovery

September 22 update:Updated to reflect the expected phase 5 rankings.

Below is a quick summary of the full rankings that we have detailed on this page. While this gives a good outline of the standings of specializations in comparison to one another, we recommend reading the full rankings to understand why certain specializations are ranked as they are.

1. Paladin (S-Tier)
2. Warrior (S-Tier)
3. Warlock (A-Tier)
4. Shaman (B-Tier)
5. Druid (B-Tier)
6. Rogue (B-Tier)

If you are interested in our other rankings for WoW Classic's Season of Discovery, please click the links below.

Protection Paladins are currently the most popular and the most effective tanks in Season of Discovery. With the right combination of consistent AoE threat, cooldowns, sustainability, and raid buffs, Paladins are able to handle everything on their own when it comes to tanking. The lack of any real downside is what even results in Paladins solo tanking a large amount of content right now, which is poised to continue at 60. This is even further exacerbated due to how weak Paladins are in other roles comparatively, making them even more valuable in the tank spot due to the need for raid buffs.

For the entirety of WoW Classic, Warriors are one of the best tanks, without question. For leveling and early dungeons, Warriors can tank in their DPS specializations to do high DPS while holding threat and not dying, or can go Protection to ensure that they take little damage. Even before runes, Warriors baseline ability to mitigate damage while holding threat in any situation is simply unparalleled to any other tank. They also bring incredibly important debuffs with Sunder Armor, Thunder Clap, and Demoralizing Shout.

As we scale into level 60, this only continues. Warrior's greatest strength is its damage. No other tank comes even close to the damage potential of Warrior, both on single target and cleave. Warrior lacks the tools for snap AOE threat that some other tanks do, but outside of mass AoE Warrior's offensive power is unparalleled. They are still weaker than Paladins in other areas, but for groups that want to be as competitive as possible, Warriors are an excellent choice.

Warlocks make a compelling case as AoE tanks and off-tanks. The combination of Warlock-level damage along with huge AoE burst to gather enemies with is incredibly powerful. The ability to tank in Demonology Meta form is something that has been highly sought after for years, and Warlocks are now getting their moment to shine. However, their single target damage and threat is a bit behind the above tanks on this list, and their overall durability is just not the same in raids as other tanks. Ultimately for Horde players, Warlocks are going to be the best tanking option for AoE snap threat and as off-tanks in raids without access to Paladins.

Shaman tanks are another exciting new addition to the tanking roster in Season of Discovery. This has been something that players have asked for, and Shaman tanks have really delivered on the fantasy and strength that they bring. Shamans have some of the best AoE burst and snap threat of any tank, making them a strong choice for large trash pulls. Their ability to consistently generate mana during AoE fights thanks to a large number of blocks solves their mana issues as well, allowing them to spam abilities freely. However, Shamans are far weaker on sustained encounters and on bosses than most other tanks, specifically in regards to damage output. Their extremely low damage is ultimately what keeps them in B-tier, even with exceptional raid buffs and utility.

Druids are not Warriors, but have some strengths that make them viable and even useful in some raids. While every guild will have multiple Warrior tanks, some guilds may choose to have a single Feral Druid who will usually switch between tanking and DPS depending on the fight. In Season of Discovery, Ferals are getting two important buffs early on that make them a solid choice. Ultimately though, even with critical buffs, Feral Tanks are currently one of the weakest options in terms of tank damage dealt, both for AoE and single target. In SoD where damage is already out of control, a tank's ability to hold threat is incredibly important, where Druids are struggling. Druids lack the tools needed to keep up with the crazy scaling that SoD's melee bring.

Rogues are a new, underwhelming tank option in Season of Discovery. While they will still be viable, there are a couple of key factors that keep them out of the meta. First, Rogues do not have the ability to deal snap threat in the same way as other tanks, specifically on AoE. Second, Rogues will be relying heavily on very powerful, but long defensive cooldowns that will make it hard for them to sustain over long periods. For short bursts of intensive tanking Rogues will be quite strong, but damage intake is just not an issue for the current content. Rogues are the worst tanks for AoE threat, which makes them the worst option in the current meta.