Mythic+ Meta in April and in Season 2: What Moved
Snapshot of 12 October 2026 (Midnight 12.1, Season 2), the day before patch 12.1.5. This page replaces the April version, which described Season 1 and had no sources.
The April tier list was written after two weeks of Season 1 (which began on 17 March) and put Demonology Warlock, Restoration Druid, Brewmaster Monk and Unholy Death Knight at the top. Six months and one season later, the lists have rearranged: Blood Death Knight went from B to S for tanks, Windwalker Monk from C to S on Icy Veins, and Elemental Shaman, Arms Warrior and Arcane Mage climbed into the top tier. Brewmaster, Restoration Druid and Unholy Death Knight are still good but no longer first.
| Biggest movers | April | October (Icy Veins / Method) |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Death Knight (tank) | B | S / S |
| Windwalker Monk | C | S / A |
| Arms Warrior | A | S+ / S |
| Brewmaster Monk (tank) | S | A+ / B |
| Restoration Druid (healer) | S | A+ / B |
| Unholy Death Knight | S | A / A |
“April” in this page means what our own April page said, not an independently verified April list. The October columns come from Icy Veins, Method and wow.gg; for the full current tables use our Season 2 Mythic+ tier list.
DPS: April Placements Next to Season 2
The wow.gg column ranks all 27 DPS specs by the average damage of the top 100 players in Mythic+ (week 8, 10 October); it measures damage and who plays the spec, not group value.
| DPS spec | Our April page | Icy Veins (6 Oct) | Method (5 Oct) | wow.gg M+ damage rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demonology Warlock | S | A+ | B | 1 of 27 (393K) |
| Unholy Death Knight | S (flex) | A | A | 2 of 27 (375K) |
| Beast Mastery Hunter | A+ | A+ | A | 8 of 27 (362K) |
| Elemental Shaman | A+ | S+ | S | 5 of 27 (373K) |
| Balance Druid | A+ | A | B | 14 of 27 (331K) |
| Subtlety Rogue | A+ | A+ | A | 13 of 27 (336K) |
| Enhancement Shaman | A | A | B | 15 of 27 (331K) |
| Feral Druid | A | S | B | 12 of 27 (338K) |
| Arcane Mage | A | S+ | A | 4 of 27 (373K) |
| Shadow Priest | A | B | B | 19 of 27 (318K) |
| Arms Warrior | A | S+ | S | 9 of 27 (359K) |
| Outlaw Rogue | B | S | A | 17 of 27 (322K) |
| Affliction Warlock | B | B | C | 20 of 27 (314K) |
| Marksmanship Hunter | B | A | B | 22 of 27 (298K) |
| Fire Mage | C | B | C | 25 of 27 (290K) |
| Windwalker Monk | C | S | A | 6 of 27 (368K) |
| Devourer Demon Hunter (April page wrote “Devastation / Devourer”) | S | A+ | A | 11 of 27 (345K) |
Some specs stayed put: Beast Mastery Hunter (A+ then, A+ / A now) and Subtlety Rogue (A+ then, A+ / A now). Demonology Warlock is a good example of why the lists disagree: it is first by damage on wow.gg, A+ on Icy Veins, and B on Method.
Tanks and Healers: Who Took Over
| Spec | Our April page | Icy Veins (24 Sep) | Method (5 Oct) | wow.gg rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Death Knight | B | S | S | 1st of 6 tanks (234K) |
| Brewmaster Monk | S | A+ | B | 6th of 6 tanks (172K) |
| Vengeance Demon Hunter | A+ | A | A | 3rd of 6 tanks (195K) |
| Protection Paladin | A+ | A | B | 4th of 6 tanks (195K) |
| Restoration Druid | S | A+ | B | 2nd of 7 healers (189K) |
The tank change is the clearest. Icy Veins says Blood received a new tier set and large damage buffs for Season 2, and that it is now one of the most durable tanks with the highest damage of any tank. It is also the only tank without a unique party-wide buff. Brewmaster got absorb and Stagger buffs for Season 2 and a durability hotfix on 6 October, but Icy Veins calls durability its biggest problem.
Healers: Holy Paladin is now S on both lists and Restoration Shaman is S on Icy Veins, while Holy Priest has the highest healing numbers but sits at B. For role details see Midnight Best Tank and Midnight Best Healers.
What Happened Between April and October
| Date (2026) | Event |
|---|---|
| 17 March | Season 1 starts. Mythic+ pool: Magisters’ Terrace, Maisara Caverns, Nexus-Point Xenas, Windrunner Spire, Algeth’ar Academy, Seat of the Triumvirate, Skyreach and Pit of Saron |
| 21 April | Patch 12.0.5 opens the Voidforge’s rewards: Nebulous Voidcores as a bonus-roll currency, plus the Ascendant Nilhammer, whose Ascendant Voidcores lift fully upgraded Hero and Myth weapons and trinkets. The quests that build the forge were already running before the patch (the Warcraft Wiki files them under 12.0.1) |
| 11 August | Patch 12.1 ends Season 1 |
| 18 August | Season 2 opens with eight dungeons: Altar of Fangs (new in 12.1), Kings’ Rest, Temple of Sethraliss, Ruby Life Pools, Voidscar Arena, Den of Nalorakk, Murder Row and The Blinding Vale |
| 24 August | Icy Veins, after week 1: Warlocks and Retribution Paladins surge after buffs, Windwalker “a surprising disappointment”, Fire Mage and Augmentation fall to C |
| 10 September | Icy Veins week 3 report: a meta begins to form; Windwalker among the risers; the first +21 keys |
| 6 October | Hotfixes: Unholy Blightfall nerf, Devourer +8% to +10%, Brewmaster durability, Mistweaver raid healing |
| 13 October | Patch 12.1.5: Keystone Myth returns with dungeon tuning |
Two reasons the meta moved so much: none of the eight Season 1 dungeons is in the Season 2 pool, and Season 2 brought new tier sets. Icy Veins noted in week 1 that most players did not have their 4-piece yet and that the sample was small, so the earliest Season 2 lists were provisional.
What Held Up From the April Page
The April page argued that survival and group value matter more than raw damage at higher keys. That part still matches how the main lists are built: Icy Veins grades tanks on durability, group synergy, mobility, damage profile, self-sustain and external cooldowns, and grades DPS on strength together with utility, survivability and mobility. It also explains why Demonology Warlock can lead on damage and still be A+ or B.
The April page called Arcane Mage fragile. In October Arcane is S+ on Icy Veins and the most played spec in Icy Veins’ week 3 Raider.IO report, so fragility has not kept players away. The April advice that tier lists matter less at lower keys also lines up with Method’s own statement that the best player usually beats a more “meta” spec.
What did not hold up is every specific tier above: the lists are a snapshot of one balance pass in one season.
How to Use This Page
- Do not copy April advice. Anything that called Brewmaster or Unholy the safe default is dated; the current default tank is Blood.
- Check which source you are reading. A spec can be first by damage and B on a grading list, as Demonology Warlock is.
- Check the date. Icy Veins’ tank and healer lists are from 24 September; the 6 October hotfixes came after.
- For a short pick list see our DPS tier list and Midnight Best DPS.
Mythic+ Meta FAQ
Has the Mythic+ meta changed since April?
Yes. Season 1 ended on 11 August and Season 2 has a new dungeon pool and new tier sets. Blood Death Knight, Windwalker Monk, Elemental Shaman and Arms Warrior rose; Brewmaster, Restoration Druid and Unholy Death Knight fell from the top.
Is Brewmaster still the best Mythic+ tank?
No. It is A+ on Icy Veins, B on Method and last of the six tanks by damage on wow.gg. Blood is S on both lists.
Is Windwalker Monk still bad?
No. Windwalker is S on Icy Veins and A on Method in October, though Icy Veins calls it the hardest spec to play.
Will the lists change again?
Almost certainly. Icy Veins updates weekly, and patch 12.1.5 changes Protection Warrior, Devourer, Marksmanship, Outlaw and Subtlety.