WoW Tank Tier List: Best Raid Tanks for Season 2 in The War Within (Patch 11.1)

As World of Warcraft enters Season 2 of The War Within, Patch 11.1 brings sweeping changes to tank balance, encounter design, and raid strategy.

Whether you’re the rock of your guild’s raid team or a raid leader aiming to master the new Liberation of Undermine, understanding current tank dynamics is essential.

With every tank spec receiving buffs and encounter mechanics increasingly emphasizing utility and DPS, picking the right tank has never been more pivotal.

This guide breaks down the top-performing tanks of Season 2, assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each specialization, and gives actionable advice for raid teams looking to optimize their frontline and secure the next big boss kill.

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Understanding Tank Roles in Season 2 Raids

Core Responsibilities and Meta Changes in Patch 11.1

In The War Within’s Season 2 raids—including the new Liberation of Undermine—tank responsibilities go far beyond just "not dying." As Blizzard continues to fine-tune class balance and encounter design, Patch 11.1 introduces major shifts:

• Survivability: Tanks must withstand spike damage and manage big-hitting mechanics, though outright tank-busters are less prevalent this tier.
• Positioning and Mobility: Smart boss positioning and add control are vital, especially on multi-add encounters with mechanics that encourage frequent movement.
• Group Utility: Cooldowns that reduce raid damage, provide healing, or remove debuffs are more valuable than ever.

Specs like Protection Paladin are coveted for their unique raid-saving abilities.

• Damage Output: Patch 11.1 delivered hefty buffs to tank DPS (15–20% depending on spec), putting newfound emphasis on tanks helping to meet encounter DPS checks and contributing more meaningfully during progression pushes.

Notable Patch 11.1 Changes Shaping the Meta

• Universal Tank Buffs: Every tank saw damage boosts—Paladin and Brewmaster Monk by 15%, others by 20%.

This closes the tank-to-DPS gap and raises tank value in all group content.

• Tier Set Evolution: All tanks now share a 2-piece set bonus, fostering parity, but 4-piece bonuses remain spec-unique.

Many boost uptime on active mitigation, healing, or damage buffs, affecting rotational priorities and strengths in specific encounters.

• Gear Power Creep: A 39-item-level increase across all content further enhances tank performance, making survivability and threat less of a bottleneck and letting tanks lean harder into their utility and DPS roles.
• Less Emphasis on "Tank-Busters": Many raid encounters have shifted challenge emphasis toward add management and utility rather than raw face-tanking survivability.

The New Tanking Paradigm

The result is a meta where all tanks are viable, but specs with the best raid utility, flexible cooldowns, and highest DPS see the most attention at the competitive level.

While you truly can bring your favorite tank spec, smart teams focus on complementary pairings and synergy to cover any encounter's demands.

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Tank Tier List Overview for Patch 11.1

Tank performance in Patch 11.1 is evaluated on four main axes:
Survivability, Utility/Raid Cooldowns, Raid Healing Requirements (Healer Load), and Personal DPS.

• Survivability: How well the tank mitigates/absorbs raid damage and survives boss mechanics.
• Utility: Unique cooldowns, healing, immunities, and debuffs brought to group.
• Healer Load: How much healing attention the tank demands during critical phases.
• DPS Contribution: Ability to help meet damage checks and speed up fights.

Tier List Snapshot (S to C)

*Note: All tanks can complete all raid content at a high level.

This tiering reflects raid-leading priorities for progression efficiency and healer comfort.*

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In-Depth Analysis: Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Tank

Protection Warrior

• Strengths:
  • Among the best at mitigating physical damage (Shield Block, Last Stand)
  • Powerful group cooldowns (Rallying Cry, Spell Reflection)
  • Buffed damage in Patch 11.1 closes earlier DPS gap
  • Simple but impactful toolkit—excellent for newer tank players
• Weaknesses:
  • Weaker on sustained magic damage and self-healing compared to DK/Paladin
  • Less utility than Paladin or Monk in raid-wide emergencies
• Best For:
  • Fights with heavy physical damage or when a high-reliability tank is needed

Protection Paladin

• Strengths:
  • Supreme utility (Blessing of Protection, Spellwarding, Lay on Hands, Combat Res)
  • Exceptional group-mitigation aura (Devotion Aura), party healing, and off-healing
  • High baseline survivability, consistent DPS after 4-piece set bonus
  • Notably low healer load due to self-healing and absorbs
• Weaknesses:
  • Skill floor higher due to rotational complexity and blessing management
  • Vulnerable to silence or heavy, unavoidable magic if not prepared
• Best For:
  • Utility-hungry fights, mixed damage profiles, progression pushes needing "clutch" saves

Blood Death Knight

• Strengths:
  • Legendary self-healing (Death Strike), strong anti-magic tools (Anti-Magic Zone)
  • Grip effects (Gorefiend's Grasp) can trivialize add phases
  • Good at surviving alone, clutch play potential in emergencies
• Weaknesses:
  • Struggles in movement-heavy fights; limited mobility
  • Weaker against heavy sustained physical damage compared to block tanks
  • High tank healing demand in certain burst phases
• Best For:
  • Fights with heavy spell damage, add-control phases, or when solo tank off-heals are limited

Vengeance Demon Hunter

• Strengths:
  • Top-tier AoE mob control (Sigils, AoE silence/taunt)
  • Outstanding self-sustain and mobility
  • High personal DPS (best-in-class) after 11.1 buffs
  • Reduces incoming magic damage for the whole group (Demonic Wards, utility auras)
• Weaknesses:
  • Lacks raid-wide DR or big emergency cooldowns compared to Warrior/Paladin
  • Requires skillful positioning to maximize mitigation
• Best For:
  • Add-focused encounters, magic-heavy bosses, or if group lacks control/interrupts

Brewmaster Monk

• Strengths:
  • Unique stagger mechanic splits up big hits, offering smooth effective health
  • Mystic Touch debuff (+5% physical taken) benefits melee-heavy comps
  • Exceptional mobility and crowd control (Ring of Peace, Leg Sweep)
  • Good DPS after 11.1 buff
• Weaknesses:
  • Lower passive self-sustain—needs attentive healers
  • High skill ceiling; punishing to play at top level in progression
• Best For:
  • Advanced players, fights requiring heavy CC or when physical DPS needs a boost

Guardian Druid

• Strengths:
  • High base HP and physical mitigation (Ironfur)
  • Talent revamps increase flexibility (Symbiotic Relationship)
  • Strong add control tools (Mass Entanglement, Ursoc's Vortex)
  • Good mobility and can help kite
• Weaknesses:
  • Durability lags behind S/A-tiers in progression; struggles in spike-heavy mechanics
  • Lacks robust raid CDs; self-sustain is average
  • Less competitive damage compared to others, though improved over previous tiers
• Best For:
  • Add-heavy fights, utility-kiting, groups needing off-healer/utility from their tank

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Choosing the Best Tank for Your Raid Team

The best tank for your raid is about more than numbers—it’s about synergy, encounter demands, and the comfort of your raiders.

Here’s how to optimize your frontline for Season 2 raiding:

1. Group Composition & Tank Synergy

• Pair tanks with complementary strengths—self-sustaining specs (Blood DK) with high-utility specs (Paladin) lessen healer stress and cover more encounter mechanics.
• For fights with heavy add waves, Vengeance Demon Hunter excels in control and AoE.
• Don’t sleep on raid-wide buffs: Monk’s Mystic Touch and DH’s Chaos Brand boost group damage significantly for the right compositions.

2. Analyzing Encounter Mechanics

• Tank-buster fights lean toward Protection Warrior or Paladin (strong DR cooldowns, immunities).
• Magic-heavy boss phases go to Blood DK (Anti-Magic Zone) or Paladin (Spellwarding).
• When add control is vital, DH, Monk, and Druid offer the best AoE grip, crowd control, and repositioning.

3. Utility and Raid Coverage

• Value tanks with raid-saving utility (Paladin’s Blessings, Warrior’s Rallying Cry) and those able to cover unique buffs/debuffs for your group.
• Ensure all major dispels, immunity tools, and group-wide mitigation auras are represented.

4. Flexibility for Progression

• Top raid teams keep backup tanks cross-trained on multiple specs, allowing swaps for specific bosses or problem mechanics.
• Encourage tanks to maintain off-spec DPS options for tight comps or farm runs.

5. What the Experts Say

• S-tier: Vengeance Demon Hunter ("warrants S-tier" for control and self-healing—Icy Veins)
• A+/A-tier: Protection Paladin ("in contention for top spot... current #1 ranked player is a Paladin"—SI.com), followed by Warrior.
• Blood DK, Druid, and Monk—viable but better suited for specialized encounters or groups that value their utility/unique abilities.

6. Strategic Advice

• Adapt your tanks to the fight’s mechanics and raid comps—the static meta is dead.

For progression, maximize coverage of utility, debuffs, and off-heals as much as possible.

Sample Use Cases:

• Multi-phase add control fight? DH + Druid or Monk is gold.
• Burst magic AoE boss? Paladin + DK offer redundant but powerful immunities and healing.
• Melee DPS stacked group? Consider Monk for the Mystic Touch buff, but ensure the healing roster can compensate.

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Conclusion

With the sweeping buffs and encounter changes of The War Within’s Season 2, tanks stand on nearly even footing—yet the margin between a mythic kill and a progression wipe often comes down to tank utility, synergy, and adaptability.

Use this guide as your foundation for raid success:

• Evaluate your group’s needs and synergy.
• Flex your tanks as bosses and compositions demand.
• Prioritize utility and coverage just as much as pure mitigation.

Above all: player skill, coordination, and the willingness to adapt are as vital as any spec’s strengths or tier list rank.

Aim high, lead well, and may your path through Liberation of Undermine be paved with loot—and not repair bills!

Good luck, tanks.

Your team’s success starts—and ends—at your feet.

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Sources: Icy Veins, SI.com, Wowhead, Maxroll, lukebott.com.