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There are six specs that are capable of Tanking inWorld of Warcraft: The War Within, and though each is perfectly capable of completing high-tier content, some areeasier to learn than others. When it comes to the overall best Tanks inWoWright now, though, two in particular shine: the Blood Death Knight, and the Guardian Druid.
Thisguide to the best Tank classesinThe War Withinis based primarily on the utility and ease of playing each class. Warcraftlogs statistics forNerub-ar PalaceandMythic Plus, using data pulled for each class since the launch of Season One, have also been taken into account for each spec in thisWoWTank tier list. But for Tanks, DPS output isn’t as important as managing Threat or your own defensive abilities.
S Tier Tank Classes In TWW
Blood Death Knight, Guardian Druid
Blood Death KnightsandGuardian Druidsare the best Tanks inWoW: The War WithinSeason One because they have the best defensive abilities, the best threat management, and the best self-sustain. Though the Warrior, Demon Hunter, Paladin, and Monk classes can do perfectly well in high-ranking Mythic Plus dungeons and high-difficulty Raids, Healers tend to have an easier time supporting the whole group with a Druid or a Death Knight leading the way.
Of the two, Guardian Druids could arguably be the best Tank class inThe War Withinfor all PvE content, and they are considered to be theeasiest Tank class to learn, too. But it ultimately comes down to your class knowledge and Tanking skill.
Most Tanks share a similar set of abilities, and understanding the fundamentals of Threat management and your own survivability is more important than going with the Tank meta and hoping it’s enough to carry you.
A Tier Tank Classes In TWW
Protection Warrior, Vengeance Demon Hunter
Though the differences between S Tier Tank classes inWoW: TWWand A Tier Tanks are mostly negligible, they do mean that Warriors and Vengeance Demon Hunters can tend to have a littlebit of a rougher time as Tanks. Blood and Guardian Tanks are extremely good at just about every facet of the role, but Warriors and DHs have some drawbacks.
Protection Warriorsmostly fall behind because they have a ton of abilities to maintain for an optimal rotation, and essentially have one movement ability in Heroic Leap. But when you do learn their rotation, and can react quickly to abilities that require you to move, you’ll quickly come to love how fun Tankins as a warrior can be – especially in solo content.
Vengeance Demon Hunterscan be a mixed bag, and it’s mostly because of problems that come with their positioning. Demon Hunters are far and away one of the most mobile classes inWoW, and they can deal damage and defend themself just as well as any of the other best Tanks inWoW: TWW.
But because they are so mobile,Healers can sometimes have troublein dire moments. And, their self-healing primarily comes from collecting Soul Fragments that scatter around the area, which can be tough to collect when under CC or Slow effects. But, when you learn how to work with these class quirks, it tends to perform extremely well in all PvE content.
B Tier Tank Classes In TWW
Protection Paladin, Brewmaster Monk
Protection Paladins and Brewmaster Monks are less popular than the Druid, Death Knight, Warrior, and Demon Hunter Tanking specs thanks to a few noticeable weaknesses. In low and mid-tier content you won’t have any trouble with these Tanks, but in high-tier Mythic Plus keys and high-levelRaiding in Nerub-ar Palace, these drawbacks can prove troublesome.
Protection Paladins, for example, are great at healing themselves, dealing damage, and have more flair in one holy Hammer throw than most other Tank classes' entire toolkit. But they have trouble managing threat because of their reliance on Consecration. Though this is mitigated somewhat with Hero Talents, they do tend to take more damage than other Plate-wearing classes, too.
Brewmaster Monks, on the other hand, are extremely good in all content, but have one of the most extreme learning curves of any Tank spec. Their ability to balance out incoming damage over time makes them some Healers' favorite Tank spec to doDungeons and difficult Raidswith, but because they wear Leather armor, they can be extremely squishy nonetheless. And unless you have your rotations down and have great environmental awareness, they can fall behind a little bit with Threat management and DPS output compared to other Tanks.
But don’t let that put you off of playing a Brewmaster. They are one of the most unique Tanks inWoWwith a very different playstyle compared to the other five available Tank specs. But, it’s not one of the best Tanks for beginners – it’s a good idea to get a handle on Tanking with another class first before trying to learn this complicated spec.
