WoW Retail - Best Tank in TWW Season 2
In the second season of The War Within, the choice of tank class becomes crucial. Each specialization offers a variety of unique abilities, from powerful damage mitigations to versatile utility and crowd control tools. In high-level competitive PvE content, the ability to maintain threat and survive enemy attacks is just the beginning. Beyond pure survivability, factors such as the buffs each class brings to the raid, synergy with the team composition, utility in critical situations, and adaptation to specific encounter mechanics are decisive.
This analysis will guide you through the strengths and weaknesses of each tank class, revealing which ones stand out as the most coveted options in this new chapter of World of Warcraft: The War Within.
Protection Paladin
The dust is settling on the patch notes for The War Within's second season, and Protection Paladins are facing some notable adjustments. While the nerfs might seem daunting at first glance, let's delve into why these stalwart defenders remain a formidable force on the battlefield.
Firstly, the changes to the Protection Paladin's tier set will undoubtedly impact their damage output. The reduced damage contribution, coupled with the significant nerf to Refining Fire, will require players to adapt their rotations and strategies. Uther's Counsel, a cornerstone of cooldown reduction, has also been halved, shifting from a 30% reduction to a 15%. These adjustments collectively paint a picture of a class being brought more in line with its peers, rather than a complete overhaul.
However, it's crucial to remember that Protection Paladins offer far more than just damage. Their core strengths lie in their exceptional survivability and unmatched utility. Despite the nerfs, they retain access to a suite of powerful defensive abilities. Blessing of Spellwarding, Blessing of Protection, and the life-saving Lay on Hands remain invaluable tools in any raid or dungeon. The 1-minute cooldown on Blessing of Sacrifice provides consistent raid support, absorbing significant damage and mitigating threats.
Furthermore, their ability to interrupt frequently with Avenger's Shield remains a critical asset, especially in encounters that demand precise control. This constant disruption capability, coupled with their robust defensive toolkit, ensures that Protection Paladins remain highly desirable in competitive PvE content.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Their strengths shine in predictable encounters, where their active mitigation and cooldowns excel. Blessings and Auras offer unique raid-wide damage reduction, while potent burst capabilities ensure strong threat generation. When disaster strikes, Lay on Hands and Divine Shield provide invaluable emergency options. Word of Glory and Lay on Hands also offer solid self and group healing.
However, the Light's protectors aren't without weaknesses. Starting combat can be perilous, as Shield of the Righteous requires several GCDs to ramp up. While cooldowns like Ardent Defender can mitigate this, it's a vulnerability. Staying within Consecration is vital for damage reduction, limiting mobility. Divine Steed offers some relief, but overall, their mobility is restricted. Rotation mistakes are severely punished, demanding precise execution. Finally, while Cleanse Toxins is useful, it's their primary method of dealing with poisons and diseases, offering limited utility compared to other classes.
Blood Death Knight
Blood Death Knights stand as titans of self-sustain, making them a compelling choice for those who prefer a more independent tanking experience. Their ability to weather nearly any storm is unparalleled, essentially becoming a self-sufficient fortress on the battlefield. This autonomy is particularly appealing for players who value consistent survivability without relying heavily on healers.
However, this self-reliance comes with a steep learning curve. The Blood Death Knight is a high-risk, high-reward class. When played optimally, they excel, but missteps can be devastating. A lapse in defensive cooldown management or improper Rune Power utilization can quickly lead to a fatal outcome, or at best, trigger Purgatory, a last-ditch survival mechanic. The very trait that makes them so robust their ability to largely ignore healing also means that healers have limited capacity to bail them out in moments of crisis.
Season 2 of The War Within shifts the focus towards group survivability challenges, rather than solely tank-centric tests. While this might seem to diminish the Blood Death Knight's inherent strength, their utility remains vital. Their short cooldown on Anti-Magic Zone provides excellent raid-wide magic damage mitigation, and Anti-Magic Shell allows them to completely negate specific magical abilities.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Blood Death Knights boast a remarkable arsenal of cooldowns, from Anti-Magic Shell to Vampiric Blood, ensuring adaptability in any encounter. Their immunities, including stun, knockback, and charm/fear, provide exceptional control. Utility shines with ranged interrupts, a crippling snare, combat resurrection, and magic debuff immunity. Purgatory acts as a vital safety net.
The rotation is straightforward, yet skilled players can unlock its full potential. Reactive self-healing, scaling with damage taken, solidifies their survivability.
However, Blood Death Knights are designed to absorb significant initial damage, relying on healing to recover. Effective cooldown management is paramount; missteps can be catastrophic, though the consequences aren't always immediately apparent. Mastering this class demands foresight and precision, but the reward is unparalleled resilience.
Protection Warrior
Protection Warriors are entering Season 2 with a notable shift in their resource management. Rage generation has been tweaked, demanding more deliberate play, but the payoff comes in the form of more potent rage spenders. This adjustment aims to refine the Warrior's core gameplay, emphasizing strategic resource allocation.
Despite these changes, the Protection Warrior's damage and survivability remain strong pillars of their identity. Their proficiency in mitigating physical damage, especially against smaller enemy groups, is exceptional. Shield Wall continues to be a crucial defensive tool, allowing Warriors to withstand immense pressure. The ability to block and reflect incoming attacks further solidifies their role as formidable front-line defenders.
However, the Warrior's reliance on physical mitigation means they can struggle against encounters that bypass these defenses. Unblockable or unreflectable attacks, as well as mechanics that necessitate strong self-healing, can pose significant challenges. While Shield Wall can alleviate some of this pressure, certain encounters demand a level of self-sustain or immunities that the Warrior may find difficult to provide.
This creates a dynamic where Protection Warriors excel in specific scenarios, but require careful consideration in others. Their ability to manage rage effectively and adapt to varying encounter mechanics will be key to their success in Season 2. While they may not be the universal answer to every tanking challenge, their robust defensive capabilities and potent damage output ensure they remain a viable and powerful option.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Protection Warriors are masters of physical mitigation, thriving against blockable damage. Their high armor and diverse defensives ensure smooth damage intake. Mobility is a key strength, with Charge, Intervene, and Heroic Leap providing exceptional maneuverability. Raid utility is vast, including Rallying Cry, Battle Shout, and crucial crowd control via Shockwave and Intimidating Shout. Spell Reflection adds tactical depth. Warriors can tailor their builds for heavy AoE, single-target damage, or pure defense, and their Execute phase is devastating.
However, Warriors are less forgiving of errors than other tanks. Self-sustain is weaker, posing challenges in specific scenarios. Bleeds, DoTs, and unblockable damage are problematic. Shield Block, Spell Block, and Spell Reflection can be inconsistent, demanding precise timing. Despite these weaknesses, their adaptability and robust toolkit make them a powerful force.
Vengeance Demon Hunter
Vengeance Demon Hunters are poised to dominate Season 2, riding a wave of substantial buffs. These changes have significantly enhanced their survivability, damage output, and overall versatility, making them a formidable force on the battlefield.
One of the most impactful adjustments is the extension of Demon Spikes' duration by two seconds. This baseline increase provides a significant boost to their active mitigation, ensuring greater consistency in damage reduction. Cycle of Binding has been reworked, now offering a five-second cooldown reduction per Sigil of Flame activation, streamlining their resource management and enhancing burst potential. The reduced talent point cost of Feed the Demon allows for more flexible builds, enabling access to all three capstone talents, including the crucial Last Resort.
The Aldrachi playstyle has also received a massive boost with the change to Wounded Quarry. In PTR testing, Vengeance Demon Hunters frequently rivaled DPS classes in priority target damage, highlighting their exceptional offensive capabilities. Coupled with their inherent self-sustain, this makes them a true powerhouse.
Furthermore, they continue to provide the invaluable Chaos Brand debuff, enhancing raid damage. Their incredible self-sustain, already a hallmark of the class, has been further amplified, solidifying their position as the premier tank for survivability. This combination of robust defenses, potent damage, and exceptional self-healing makes Vengeance Demon Hunters the undisputed kings of the tanking landscape in Season 2.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Vengeance Demon Hunters excel with a vast defensive toolkit, maintaining offensive power. Their Hero trees, Aldrachi Reaver and Fel-Scarred, offer distinct Mythic+ damage profiles. Exceptional crowd control and unmatched mobility strengthen their dungeon presence. Chaos Brand further boosts group damage.
However, they’re vulnerable at combat's start. Some utility comes at a defensive or offensive trade-off. Raid single-target damage is mediocre, and raid utility is limited. Rotational errors, particularly as Aldrachi Reaver, severely impact damage and healing. They balance immense flexibility with potential vulnerabilities.
Guardian Druid
Guardian Druids are facing a period of adjustment in Season 2, marked by significant talent tree changes that impact their core gameplay. The removal of Layered Mane and the introduction of the niche Ursol's Warding, coupled with alterations to Reinvigoration, have collectively altered the Druid's defensive toolkit.
Most notably, these changes have resulted in a higher cooldown for Frenzied Regeneration, a crucial self-healing ability. This shift leaves Guardian Druids with a noticeable reduction in their self-sustain, a key component of their previous tanking prowess. Furthermore, the limited utility of Ursol's Warding encourages players to deviate from that talent path. This often necessitates sacrificing damage-enhancing talents to compensate for the lengthened Frenzied Regeneration cooldown, leading to potentially lower damage builds.
Consequently, Guardian Druids utilizing standard Mythic+ builds are currently experiencing some of the lowest damage profiles among tank classes. This represents a significant change for a class previously known for its balanced offensive and defensive capabilities.
Despite these challenges, Guardian Druids still offer valuable raid utility through Mark of the Wild. The change to Raze also presents potential for higher damage builds, though its viability in high-level Mythic+ keys remains uncertain. Their versatility and raid utility still make them a valuable asset, but the shift in their self-healing and damage output necessitates a careful reassessment of build strategies. The shifting tides of Season 2 will require Guardians to adapt and innovate to maintain their place in the meta.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Their large health pool and short cooldowns ensure stable damage intake, while Ironfur provides stackable, no-cooldown active mitigation. They offer flexible hybrid healing through Resto spells, After the Wildfire, and Dream of Cenarius, enhancing their survivability. Raid utility is strong, with Rebirth, Stampeding Roar, and Mark of the Wild.
However, their initial threat output is relatively low, relying heavily on DoTs. Accessible crowd control options are lacking, and the talent tree offers limited flexibility. Notably, Guardian Druids lack unique tank utility, setting them apart from other classes that offer more specialized raid or dungeon support. They excel in damage and survivability, but their utility is more general than specialized.