Content:
Midnight Season 2 DPS Tier List at a Glance
The lists on this page were read between 24 September and 10 October 2026, in the last days before patch 12.1.5 (13 October). Season 2 is the current season of patch 12.1, and several placements will move once the first post-patch tuning lands. We re-check the page then.
Midnight has no single DPS tier list. The public lists we compared in the first week of October put some specs a full tier or more apart. Elemental Shaman, Arcane Mage and Arms Warrior sit near the top of Icy Veins’ and Method’s Mythic+ lists alike, while Demonology Warlock posts the highest raw Mythic+ damage on wow.gg yet only a B on Method. Below, the sources sit side by side with the reasons they split, followed by the tuning that has moved specs since spring.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Season | Midnight Season 2, which began with patch 12.1 “Curse of Ula’tek” on 11 August 2026; Mythic+ opened on 18 August |
| Raid | The Venomous Abyss: 8 bosses, with Ula’tek last |
| Most recent class tuning | The 6 October hotfixes (Unholy, Devourer, Enhancement, Subtlety and others, listed below) |
| Next patch | 12.1.5 on 13 October; Blizzard’s announcement names no class changes, although its PTR notes did |
| Data behind the tables | Icy Veins Mythic+ (6 Oct) and raid (24 Sep), Method Mythic+ (5 Oct), wow.gg Mythic+ and Heroic raid logs (10 Oct) |
Mythic+ DPS Rankings From Three Sources
Icy Veins grades specs from C up to S+ and weighs damage together with utility, survivability and mobility. Method uses four tiers (S to C) and says the top tier is for specs with the highest throughput plus tools that matter in this season’s dungeon pool. wow.gg does not grade by opinion: it ranks specs by the average damage of the top 100 players by Mythic+ rating, pooled across dungeons and all key levels. That makes it a measure of what strong players actually get, mixed with how skilled and numerous each spec’s players are.
| Icy Veins tier (6 Oct) | Spec | Method tier (5 Oct) | wow.gg average damage and rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| S+ | Elemental Shaman | S | 373K, ranked 5 |
| S+ | Arms Warrior | S | 359K, ranked 9 |
| S+ | Assassination Rogue | A | 375K, ranked 3 |
| S+ | Arcane Mage | A | 373K, ranked 4 |
| S | Windwalker Monk | A | 368K, ranked 6 |
| S | Retribution Paladin | A | 366K, ranked 7 |
| S | Outlaw Rogue | A | 322K, ranked 17 |
| S | Feral Druid | B | 338K, ranked 12 |
| A+ | Beast Mastery Hunter | A | 362K, ranked 8 |
| A+ | Frost Death Knight | A | 348K, ranked 10 |
| A+ | Devourer Demon Hunter | A | 345K, ranked 11 |
| A+ | Subtlety Rogue | A | 336K, ranked 13 |
| A+ | Demonology Warlock | B | 393K, ranked 1 |
| A | Unholy Death Knight | A | 375K, ranked 2 |
| A | Balance Druid | B | 331K, ranked 14 |
| A | Enhancement Shaman | B | 331K, ranked 15 |
| A | Havoc Demon Hunter | B | 330K, ranked 16 |
| A | Fury Warrior | B | 318K, ranked 18 |
| A | Marksmanship Hunter | B | 298K, ranked 22 |
| A | Survival Hunter | B | 297K, ranked 23 |
| B | Shadow Priest | B | 318K, ranked 19 |
| B | Destruction Warlock | B | 297K, ranked 24 |
| B | Frost Mage | B | 282K, ranked 26 |
| B | Affliction Warlock | C | 314K, ranked 20 |
| B | Devastation Evoker | C | 313K, ranked 21 |
| B | Fire Mage | C | 290K, ranked 25 |
| C | Augmentation Evoker | C | 257K, ranked 27 |
Sources: Icy Veins Mythic+ DPS, Method Mythic+ tier list, wow.gg Mythic+ DPS (week 8). The wow.gg week started with the same weekly reset as the 6 October hotfixes.
Where the Sources Agree
Four specs are at or near the top in all three Mythic+ views:
- Elemental Shaman: S+ on Icy Veins, S on Method, fifth by average damage.
- Arcane Mage: S+ on Icy Veins, A on Method, fourth by damage, and third in the Heroic raid logs.
- Assassination Rogue: S+ on Icy Veins, A on Method, third by damage.
- Arms Warrior: S+ on Icy Veins, S on Method, ninth by damage, and A+ on Icy Veins’ raid list.
At the other end, Augmentation Evoker is C tier on both lists and last of 27 by damage. Fire Mage is C on Method, B on Icy Veins and 25th by damage. Frost Mage is B on both lists and 26th by damage. If you are choosing a main for pushing keys, those three are the specs all sources rank lowest.
Where the Lists Disagree and Why
The biggest gaps tell you which questions each list answers.
| Spec | Icy Veins | Method | wow.gg | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demonology Warlock | A+ (raid S) | B | #1 (393K) | Highest damage of any DPS, but the two grading lists do not put it in their top tier. Treat it as a damage pick whose utility is debated. |
| Feral Druid | S | B | #12 | Icy Veins counts it in a “physical comp” with Restoration Shaman, Arms, Windwalker, Outlaw and Retribution; Method does not rate it that high. |
| Windwalker Monk | S | A | #6 | Icy Veins called its season start a disappointment and held it at “TBD” in August; its 6 October list has it at S. |
| Fury Warrior | A | B | #18 | Weak in raid: C tier on Icy Veins, 25th of 27 in Heroic logs. |
One caveat from the sources themselves: Method says the best player usually beats the more “meta” spec and that every spec can reach top Mythic+ titles. Icy Veins’ raid page says the same about bringing the better player. wow.gg’s note on its own method is that S tier means within 3% of the best spec’s average, not a mandatory pick. The wow.gg figures also do not tell you why a spec leads. Group buffs, cleave and survivability are not part of an average-damage number.
Raid DPS: The Venomous Abyss
Raid rankings differ from Mythic+ ones, and a few specs flip completely. Marksmanship Hunter is 22nd in Mythic+ damage but first in the Heroic raid logs. Beast Mastery is A+ in Mythic+ on Icy Veins and C tier for raid. Shadow Priest and Devastation Evoker are B in Mythic+ on Icy Veins but A+ for raid.
| Spec | Icy Veins raid tier (24 Sep) | wow.gg Heroic rank (avg DPS) |
|---|---|---|
| Marksmanship Hunter | A+ | 1 (295K) |
| Demonology Warlock | S | 2 (292K) |
| Arcane Mage | A+ | 3 (292K) |
| Arms Warrior | A+ | 4 (292K) |
| Unholy Death Knight | S | 5 (290K) |
| Retribution Paladin | A+ | 6 (288K) |
| Frost Death Knight | A | 7 (284K) |
| Balance Druid | A+ | 8 (282K) |
| Windwalker Monk | A | 9 (279K) |
| Shadow Priest | A+ | 10 (274K) |
| Assassination Rogue | A+ | 11 (274K) |
| Devastation Evoker | A+ | 12 (273K) |
| Havoc Demon Hunter | B | 13 (272K) |
| Elemental Shaman | A | 14 (270K) |
| Devourer Demon Hunter | B | 15 (267K) |
| Augmentation Evoker | B | 16 (262K) |
| Subtlety Rogue | A | 17 (260K) |
| Frost Mage | A | 18 (259K) |
| Enhancement Shaman | B | 19 (259K) |
| Beast Mastery Hunter | C | 20 (255K) |
| Destruction Warlock | A | 21 (255K) |
| Affliction Warlock | A | 22 (250K) |
| Outlaw Rogue | B | 23 (248K) |
| Feral Druid | B | 24 (244K) |
| Fury Warrior | C | 25 (241K) |
| Survival Hunter | B | 26 (238K) |
| Fire Mage | B | 27 (221K) |
Sources: Icy Veins raid DPS tier list (last updated 24 September, before the 6 October tuning) and wow.gg raid DPS (Heroic, all bosses, week 8). Method’s raid list was last updated on 10 August from PTR testing, before the raid opened, so we do not use it.
What the logs show on specific fights
- In Icy Veins’ week 3 log review (Heroic), Arcane Mage had over 100,000 more players than the next spec, and Marksmanship Hunter moved to the top of the 95th percentile damage chart.
- The Twin Fangs is described as cleave-heavy and favours Arms Warrior. On Ula’tek, Assassination Rogue led, helped by the amplified damage in the heart phases.
- Mythic data was thin: about 14,000 logs for the most-played spec against over 300,000 in Heroic. In that sample Demonology led overall damage, with Balance Druid second and Frost Mage in the top three.
- Blizzard reduced Ula’tek’s damage and mechanics on 6 October (for example Circling Prey raid damage −30% on Heroic and Mythic). Logs from before that date, including the week 3 review, were taken on the older tuning.
What Changed Since the March 24 Tuning
This URL dates from the 24 March tuning pass in Season 1, which started on 17 March. The game has since moved through 12.0.5 (21 April), 12.1 with Season 2 (11 August) and many weekly passes, so none of those placements apply. Blizzard’s latest class changes before 12.1.5 arrived with the 6 October hotfixes:
| Spec | Change (6 October) |
|---|---|
| Unholy Death Knight | Blightfall now deals 100% of the remaining plague damage (was 200%). Blizzard said a bug fix had made it hit harder than intended |
| Devourer Demon Hunter | Consume/Devour, Reap/Cull, Eradicate and Collapsing Star primary-target damage +8%; The Hunt and Voidblade +10% |
| Enhancement Shaman | All ability and auto-attack damage +4%; Lava Lash damage +35% |
| Subtlety Rogue (Trickster) | Fazed now 7% more damage taken (was 5%); Unseen Blade +15%; Coup de Grace +10% |
These are PvE numbers and, for most lines, do not apply in PvP. Icy Veins’ Mythic+ DPS list was updated on 6 October for the same changes, so its Unholy and Enhancement placements already reflect them. Its raid list is older.
Patch 12.1.5 on 13 October: What to Expect
Blizzard’s announcement for 12.1.5 lists a single-boss raid, The Unbinding of Kith’ix (Mythic is flexible, 15 to 25 players), the Labyrinth of Kindo’jan, Aqir Invasions and Ascendant Venomstones, which start dropping in the week of 20 October. It also says Keystone Myth returns with targeted Mythic+ dungeon tuning. The announcement does not mention class changes.
Class changes are in the PTR notes. Icy Veins’ summaries mention Devourer talent moves on 15 September and tuning aimed mostly at Evokers and Hunters on 29 September. We do not rank specs on PTR numbers. When the three lists above are updated after 13 October we will move the tables here, and only then change any recommendation.
How to Choose a DPS Spec From These Lists
- Pushing Mythic+ keys: Elemental Shaman, Arcane Mage, Arms Warrior and Assassination Rogue are the specs all three sources agree on. Demonology Warlock is the pick if raw damage matters most to you.
- Raid and Mythic+ with one spec: Arcane Mage, Arms Warrior and Retribution Paladin are A+ on Icy Veins’ raid list, S or A in Mythic+, and sit in the top six of the Heroic raid logs.
- Raid only: Marksmanship Hunter leads the Heroic logs and is A+ on Icy Veins’ raid list. It is a weaker Mythic+ pick.
- Specs the sources rank low: Augmentation Evoker, Fire Mage and Frost Mage for Mythic+; Fury Warrior and Beast Mastery for raid.
If the spec you enjoy is not on the list above, the sources agree that the gap is small compared to player skill. For role-specific lists see our Midnight Best DPS guide and the Season 2 preparation guide. Moving to a new main takes time, and our Mythic+ 3+1 Bundle (four keys from +10 to +21) is one way to gear up.
DPS Tier List FAQ
What is the best DPS spec in Midnight Season 2?
It depends on the content and the source. For Mythic+, Elemental Shaman, Arcane Mage, Arms Warrior and Assassination Rogue are S+ on Icy Veins, and Demonology Warlock has the highest average damage on wow.gg.
What is the best DPS for the Venomous Abyss raid?
Icy Veins’ raid list (24 September) puts Demonology Warlock and Unholy Death Knight in S. In wow.gg’s Heroic logs Marksmanship Hunter is first, ahead of Demonology, Arcane and Arms.
Is Demonology Warlock S tier?
Only on Icy Veins’ raid list. It is A+ in Icy Veins’ Mythic+ list and B on Method’s.
Is Devourer Demon Hunter good in Season 2?
Devourer is A+ in Icy Veins’ Mythic+ list, A on Method’s, and B for raid. Its single-target damage was raised by 8 to 10% on 6 October.
Is Augmentation Evoker worth playing?
Not for pushing. Both Mythic+ lists place it in C tier, and it is last of 27 by average damage on wow.gg.
How often do these rankings change?
Blizzard tunes classes with weekly resets and hotfixes. Icy Veins and Method update their lists after each pass, and wow.gg takes a new weekly snapshot. Patch 12.1.5 on 13 October will change several placements.