10.2.5 Melee Tier List in M+

You might not actually believe it when you see the current meta for melee in Mythic Plus. It’s a new week, kind of a new week, with new axes, and things tend to change up a bit. However, this time around, when it comes to damage, key level, and survivability, things have changed quite a bit since the last time.

Mythic Plus Melee Meta Overview

It’s looking like one of the best metas we’ve ever had for Mythic Plus when it comes to melee DPS. So, let’s see why, and we can start with our Arms Warrior, which is probably one of the biggest up-and-coming specs we’ve had to date.

Arms Warrior Ascension

Arms Warriors are giga good right now. They received a bunch of buffs a couple of weeks ago, and maybe they’re just showing up now. However, Arms has always performed really well, maybe struggling the most in single target. But right now, even with everything considered, Arms is doing exceptionally well.

You can even look at a particular log of, I think it was a 28 Everbloom, and Arms is doing pretty well. This player essentially got a 100 percentile parse. It’s still a bit behind Havoc, but the damage and tankiness are really good. Not as much as Fury, but we’ll get to that in a second. However, if you pick up Arms right now, it’s great. I actually played Arms as well and was surprised by how much damage I was doing with Arms. It was a learning process for sure, something I was able to get through easier.

Assassination Rogue’s Climb

Assassination has had a rougher climb than most other specs. However, that’s not going to hold it back because Assassination is in B tier now. You might think that “nah, Assassination B tier, that’s still pretty low.” Well, listen, I think the top Assassination player is also clearing plus 30 as of now. Not every Assassination Rogue is crushing it, of course. Probably the best Rogues in the world are still playing Outlaw. We will see in a second why, but Assassination is actually doing insane damage and clearing very high keys, just a slight bit below if you look at the top 10 Assassination, a slight bit below Arms from what Arms are doing, and obviously the other specs in A tier.

Assassination Rogue’s Priority Damage

Assassination is my main and a spec that has incredible priority damage. Pretty much its entire damage profile is priority damage, which probably becomes more and more relevant the higher you go into keys. Although I cannot speak for all the Assassination Rogues that are pushing 29s, 30s, 31s, Assassination ends up being one of the squishier Rogue specs. You are running Elusiveness, or you are advised to run Elusiveness, turning Fate into a much bigger defensive cooldown, potentially increasing the tankiness of the spec as well, with the sacrifice of Cheat Death, of course.

Now, I don’t know if that’s what’s keeping Assassination Rogues alive in the 29s and 30s, but they are alive and clearing keys. We’re likely going to see bigger and bigger keys as we go to the end of the season with Assassination, while Outlaw retains its king spot.

Outlaw’s Dominance

Outlaw is the absolute best melee spec in the game, depending on what you look at, by quite a bit. To be fair, it is pretty close with the other S tier specs as well. However, if you look at platforms like Warcraft Logs, you see Outlaw is pretty much ahead. I try not to base these tier lists on Warcraft Logs since those can be sketchy. Pretty much at the end of the day, anything can be a little bit sketchy when it comes to ranking specs. But when you look at, for instance, Raider.io at the top Outlaw specs, you can see them clearing the highest keys in the game.

Survival Hunter’s Challenge

Survival is not doing too shabby either and is still considered a B tier spec. It is clearing a decent amount of decently high keys, indicating a solid performance in the current meta. I suspect that the biggest issue Survival Hunters will face is, ironically, surviving the incoming damage. This is a common challenge across many specs, but it is particularly pronounced for Hunters, known for their relative fragility in high-intensity scenarios.

Looking at some of the best keys cleared by top players in their respective specs, we see that damage output is generally very high and competitive. This suggests that, at least for now, dealing damage is not the primary concern for Survival Hunters.

However, as content continues to scale infinitely, survivability becomes an increasingly critical factor. This is especially true in high-level keys, where the ability to withstand damage often determines success. Unfortunately, Hunters, including those specializing in Survival, are among the squishiest classes in the game, which could limit their potential in the most challenging content.

Enhancement Shaman’s Position

Moving into Enhancement, still a really good spec, surprisingly not A tier anymore but B tier. This is probably for the same reason as I mentioned for Survival. Shaman is also one of the squishier specs in the game right now, which is probably the biggest reason why Enhancement doesn’t see any S tier play. If you’re not running a Mage and you’re not running an augmentation, it becomes a bit more challenging.

Enhancement Shaman’s Role

For some reason, if you’re looking for alternatives to Mage Shamans, Enhancement Shaman can be a viable source of Blood Lust. This spec could be the melee Blood Lust option you’ve been searching for, offering impressive damage outputs that have led some to consider it the king of funnel and priority damage.

This capability is particularly valuable given the current dungeon pool, especially in challenging dungeons like Rise or Everbloom. In these settings, where tough enemies like Abominations are prevalent, Enhancement’s damage efficiency shines, despite its relative squishiness.

Interestingly, Enhancement isn’t as fragile as the Arms Warrior, which adds to its appeal for higher-level content. Its superior damage and priority targeting capabilities likely contribute to this advantage. Moreover, the utility Enhancement Shaman brings to a group far surpasses that of a Warrior, addressing a significant gap in the latter’s contributions to team dynamics.

Feral Druid’s Position

Feral Druid presents a unique case when it comes to the utility it brings to a class. Currently, Feral sits in the B tier, a level where players are clearing keys in the range of 29s, 28s, and occasionally, a 30.

Despite its potential, Feral is often viewed as the least powerful melee option available. Its standing might evolve as we progress through the current tier list. With the upcoming NDI (Mythic Dungeon International), there’s speculation that Feral Druids might emerge as a more favorable choice due to their specific strengths in a competitive setting.

It’s important to note that the NDI environment differs significantly from typical high-key pushing. In the NDI, the keys are generally lower, which might not showcase Feral’s capabilities as effectively as in regular dungeon runs. While Feral Druids might not be the most fragile melee class, their survivability and damage output are still areas of concern, especially when compared to other melee classes in high-level content.

Frost DK’s Surprise Performance

A big surprise has actually been Frost DK. I fully expected to see Frost DK at the bottom of the tier, but it’s actually leading the B tier, probably close to A tier. Like, I think the rank one Frost DK right now has cleared a 30, if I’m not mistaken, and it’s probably even higher by the time you watch this or as the weeks go on, which is very surprising.

Frost DK’s Breakthrough

Frost DK stands out as the only spec in B tier to have cleared level 30 dungeons. This is significant progress, especially since Frost has lingered at the lower end of the tier list alongside Assassination for a considerable duration, almost throughout the entirety of the Dragonfly season. This shift marks a positive trend for specs that are gaining momentum.

Frost DKs, in particular, serve as a prime example of how a spec previously considered lower-tier can rise to B tier status. B tier is designated for specs that are successfully clearing high-level keys, typically in the range of 28s and 29s, with some variations.

Death Knights have always been recognized for their robust defensive capabilities, contributing to their overall survivability in challenging content. This trait has made DKs a reliable choice for key runs, with their tankiness often providing a significant advantage in maintaining consistency across various dungeon encounters.

Fury Warrior’s Position

Fury Warrior is notably tanky, potentially rivalling Rogues in terms of resilience. This characteristic makes its classification challenging, as top Fury Warriors perform at levels comparable to Outlaw Rogues, albeit less consistently. While there’s a temptation to rank Fury in the S tier, the more prudent classification would be A tier.

Despite this, rankings on platforms like Subcreation place Fury Warrior slightly below the top-tier specs, assigning it to B tier. This differs from its performance on Warcraft Logs, where it surprisingly ranks lower than Arms Warriors, possibly due to recent trends favoring Arms.

Fury excels in defensive capabilities within the Warrior class and offers comparable utility to Arms, except for the unique “Die by the Sword” taunt exclusive to Arms. As a DPS spec, Fury demonstrates considerable prowess, albeit with limitations in AOE. Nonetheless, it maintains consistent performance in boss encounters, solidifying its status as a robust choice for players.

Havoc Demon Hunter’s S Tier Status

Havoc Demon Hunter is definitely another S tier spec now. Once again, depending on who you ask, Havoc is going to be better or worse than Outlaw, or quite a bit distant from Outlaw, at least when it comes to Warcraft Logs, which is once again why I don’t particularly like to use those.

Havoc Demon Hunter’s Role

Havoc Demon Hunters are renowned for their substantial damage output, which is consistent across various contexts and discussions. Their contribution to a party’s utility is also distinct, offering unique advantages, particularly in groups lacking a Vengeance Demon Hunter.

In high-key content, teams often lean towards Vengeance Demon Hunters or Protection Paladins for tanking roles, with Vengeance being the preferred choice for many. Nonetheless, Protection Paladins are becoming competitive, thanks to their AOE silence among other capabilities.

For groups with a Protection Paladin or without a Vengeance Demon Hunter, including a Havoc Demon Hunter becomes highly beneficial. The buffs provided by Havoc, alongside abilities like Darkness and Incap, offer significant utility. Their inherent tankiness further bolsters their viability, making them a strong contender for S tier positioning in the current meta.

Retribution Paladin’s Rise

Now, we will go to Ret Paladin. Arms or Frost DK, or both, have previously been considered underdogs but have recently shown remarkable improvement in their performance. With the significant buffs that Ret has received, it has ascended all the way to S tier. It’s been a long while since Ret Paladin held such a prestigious position in Mythic Plus. The spec showed promise right after a major rework but never consistently hit the S tier mark, except perhaps briefly before the community fully adapted to the changes.

Currently, Ret is performing exceptionally well, pushing keys as high as 31s and 30s. This is particularly notable in groups without a Protection Paladin. In such situations, the utility of Ret, including Blessing of Protection for mitigating dangerous effects and its effective off-heals, becomes invaluable. The spec’s resilience, or “tankiness,” combined with its improved damage output, has significantly contributed to its rise.

Ret Paladins have long awaited this moment of recognition, often feeling overshadowed and underappreciated. The sentiment that Ret is now “too powerful” or “too easy” ignores the years of mediocrity the spec endured. This resurgence is a well-deserved victory for Ret Paladins, who have proven their mettle and are now enjoying their moment in the spotlight.

Subtlety Rogue’s Surprising Performance

Subtlety Rogue has achieved A tier status, marking a significant improvement as it begins to clear level 30 dungeons. Notably, a top Subtlety Rogue known as Cushio has managed to clear one or two level 30s. While it’s unlikely that Subtlety will surpass Outlaw in popularity or performance, it has definitely exceeded expectations, similar to the journey of Frost DK from being considered lower-tier to achieving notable success.

This demonstrates that Subtlety Rogue might not have been given a fair opportunity in the past to prove its potential. The spec’s ascension from potentially C or D tier to nearing S tier, especially given the high-level keys it’s now completing, is both surprising and commendable. Congratulations to all Subtlety Rogues out there; your patience and dedication to the spec are now paying off, making this a moment of celebration.

Unholy DK’s Unexpected Rise

Unholy Death Knights are causing quite the stir with their recent performances, achieving scores in the 30s and 31s, which is an impressive feat that could justify an A tier ranking. This level of achievement is, however, limited to a select few Unholy players, indicating that while the spec may not consistently reach the heights of Outlaw, Ret, and Havoc, it’s certainly proving to be a strong contender for A tier.

The spec has been underwhelming in past seasons, often described as “meh” by the community. The current surge in performance raises questions about what has changed. It’s unclear whether new legendary items or other factors are contributing to this unexpected success, but it’s refreshing to see Unholy DKs making a significant impact once again and securing a place in A tier.

The potential of Unholy in Mythic Plus has always been there, particularly due to its AOE capabilities, which might have been hindered by its ramp-up time in previous evaluations. Despite these challenges and the self-deprecating humor about the “average Marcaline performance,” Unholy DKs are now showcasing their true damage-dealing abilities, marking a turning point for the spec’s reputation and positioning within the meta.

Windwalker Monk’s Rising Performance

Windwalker Monk has received buffs a little before the rise of other underdog specs, maintaining its strong position in the meta. It’s not S tier, but solidly A tier, and has become one of the best single-target melee specs in the game. The question arises: is the meme about Windwalkers being subpar in single target finally debunked? Their performance on the meters and overall effectiveness in various content suggest so. Windwalkers have shown surprising resilience in high-level play, challenging the notion that they lack tankiness.

Utility and Synergy

Beyond their newfound tankiness, Windwalkers bring valuable utility to a group. Despite Brewmaster’s popularity dip and the mixed reception of Mistweavers in the highest keys, Windwalkers are often the preferred Monk spec for their physical damage debuff and other class benefits. With Outlaw Rogues dominating the meta, pairing them with Windwalkers to maximize physical damage output has become a common strategy, enhancing both specs’ effectiveness in group content.

Meta Balance and Future Prospects

The current tier list showcases an unprecedented balance among specs, with none falling into C or D tiers. This closeness in performance, while challenging for tier list diversity, highlights the overall balance in the game. Although Outlaw stands out, the gap between key levels across specs is narrow, partly due to recent favorable conditions for key pushing. The upcoming MDI may further shift these dynamics, but for now, players of top-tier specs, especially Outlaw, enjoy a favorable position in the meta.

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