This Mists of Pandaria Classic Phase 1 PvE Tank Tier List will go over each Tanking specialization in MoP Classic and give you a general understanding of the power level of each one in PvE content.
Table of content:
If you want to know what should be the strongest Tank Class and Spec in Mists of Pandaria Classic Phase 1, this tier list should help you understand where your specialization lands in terms of power.
Tier List Disclaimers
As this tier list tries its best to evaluate the power level of each class in Mists of Pandaria Classic, there are a few things you should keep in mind before reading it.
- First, it’s based on the overall performance we witnessed in the original release and during PTR, but Mists of Pandaria Classic will release on the latest patch of MoP and with extra changes from PTR. This can and most likely will change.
- This tier list doesn’t take into account leveling speed, and only considers phase 1. Some specs can be a bit rough early on but scale very well, and you might miss this information if you only look at the actual tier list, but we will do our best to mention the scaling elements in the deep dive part of the guide.
- Mists of Pandaria Classic is a solved expansion, which means everything can be done with every spec. Player skill difference is always more important than balance: if someone plays well, they will perform, no matter the specialization.
Tank PvE Tier List for MoP Classic (Phase 1)
Note: Order matters within each row.
MoP Classic Tank Tier List Explanations & Ranking Details
Tier List Explanation
S Tier: This Tier is reserved for the best specialization in the first phase of MoP Classic. They are the ones with the highest potential or/and best utility. They might not be always first at everything, but you should see one or multiple of them in every raid group.
A Tier: A Tier specs are very good, and you should always see one of these in raid groups. They aren’t as dominant as S Tier specializations, but are in a very comfortable spot: strong, but not broken. The best state a class can be.
B Tier: These specializations could have great performance… but only in the right hands. With fewer tools to dominate the damage or healing meters, they are still reliable and good enough to be considered viable, but to actually perform they need a bit more than A or S Tier specializations.
C Tier: C Tier specializations aren’t bad per se, they just often compete with way stronger alternatives in their own classes. Combining this fact with a tendency to ask a lot of effort to match B and A tier classes, and you have weaker specs that tend to see less representation.
D Tier: This tier should include only a few Specs. These specializations are accumulating a few core issues that Blizzard would need to address for them to be viable this phase, or specs that need to wait for a later phase to shine.
Ranking Discussion
S Tier: Brewmaster Monk
Brewmasters are the new tanks of Mists of Pandaria. And whilst the other two monk specs are chilling in the A tier of their respective roles, Brewmaster is the best tank in the first phase of Mists of Pandaria. In raids, they are pretty much unkillable due to how Stagger works. Taking a large hit will never kill them, and healers can turn their attention to the raid. They also have a lot of defensive buffs, good debuffs, great DPS and unrivaled mobility for a tank. They basically have everything and can’t die, what more could you want as a tank?
A Tier: Protection Paladin
In MoP Classic, the modern identity of Protection Paladin is starting to set in as the damage dealing tank. With more ways to generate Holy Power, Protection Paladin is way more versatile and offers its best gameplay compared to older expansions: fluid, versatile, strong, while retaining all the utility the specialization had before. Mists of Pandaria is a true golden age for Protection Paladin, and even if it can be squishier than Blood Death Knights or Brewmaster Monks, it’s a very safe and fun pick for the first phase of MoP Classic.
A Tier: Blood Death Knight
Protection Paladin and Blood Death Knight could both be bumped to S tier, but we wanted to really show how strong Brewmasters are. Blood Death Knights might lack some of the utility Protection Paladin have, but they are essentially unkillable. They just have too much sustainability as a tank, and nothing can really kill them if they are able to constantly hit their target. The lack of mobility and their very niche utility makes them a bit weaker than Brewmasters, but they are still very, very good.
A Tier: Protection Warrior
Protection Warriors are a bit behind the three first specs we discussed, but not a full tier behind. The biggest problem they face is their lack of mitigation against magical damage, which is not as bad as it once was in Mists of Pandaria. So the main Warrior flaw is still there, but way less problematic, making them more reliable and stronger than they were in Cataclysm Classic. They also bring a nice amount of damage and the utility package they can provide with the addition of banners and talents, Warriors are a great pick.
B Tier: Guardian Druid
No Tank in MoP Classic are truly bad. Every tank is viable, and even though Guardian Druid lags a bit behind, they do the job: they don’t die. What they miss to reach A+ tier is a bit of damage and some utility tools. But as they are the “easy to learn” tank, it does seem fair that they aren’t the best. A Guardian Druid will always do the job, it will not be the best, but it won’t die randomly for no reason. Trust your bears, even though they lack a bit of damage and utility compared to other tanks.
