Mythic+ Tank Rankings: PTR Tier List for The War Within (Patch 11.1 / Season 2)

Protection Paladin is looking yet again incredibly strong, with them already being one of the most durable tanks on PTR, they will also retain their signature overpowered utility. Although their damage profile might not look as incredible as in Season 1, they will still have one of the highest outputs across all tanks. In addition, they have incredible mob control which is another reason why the spec is so highly desired. Overall, they are currently the best tank on PTR; only future tuning will show if they remain this way.

Vengeance Demon Hunter is entering Season 2 in a much better spot compared to the previous season. One of the biggest changes is the buff to the durability toolkit of the spec, allowing you to have less "kiting" tanking than before. The spec still possesses one of the best mob controls across any tanking spec in Mythic+, which will turn valuable for any team looking for a tank. Although their damage is great, their defensive profile must be further bolstered to be up to par with the rest of the tank specializations, we consider them a much better pick than last season.

Unfortunately, for Blood Death Knight there are not a lot of changes leading to the Season 2 of Mythic+. They are getting a new tier set supported by a hefty amount of RNG and arguably worse than what the Season 1 set had to offer. In addition, both defensively and offensively are at a disadvantage compared to the top-ranked tanks, which further pushes them down the list. Overall, it is still early to have a final estimate of how the spec will rank, but preliminary thoughts are not great.

Guardian Druid received a complete shuffle on the general talent tree, which will positively impact them. They have introduced some new cool talents (like Symbiotic Relationship and further addressing the Raze issues (bye Maul). Although their damage profile appears to be just fine, durability is still an issue for the spec as it fails to compete against the higher-rated tanks at this stage of PTR. In addition to this, they are often the tank that has quite an aggro issue and is still something that must be worked on. And although their utility is great in Mythic+ (especially if you are the sole bearer of Mark of the Wild), further durability buffs must be present to rank you higher.

Unfortunately for Brewmaster Monk, received no major changes leading up to Season 2. Unfortunately, a rather disappointing start to the PTR season for the spec as not only didn't they receive any significant changes, but it also appears their rotation has been stuck in a loop for years (same old same old). The usual issues yet remain to be solved: not enough self-sustain, leading to durability issues. On top of this, they are one of the most difficult tanks to master, further pushing the barrier of entry higher and higher (especially with that many buttons in your rotation). We expect further tuning to hit PTR and hopefully, we can revisit the rankings.

Protection Warrior has received negative changes leading to the next season, primarily nerfing their damage output and rage generation, which in turn further reduces their survivability. Gameplay wise, the class will play A LOT slower. Although compensation buffs has come, (% flat damage adjustments and stronger Ignore Pain are one of them) this does not make up for all the other nerfs. We expect further tuning for this spec to come in the following weeks, and hopefully resolve some of the core issues they have.