Midnight Season 1 is shaping up to be one of the most volatile DPS metas World of Warcraft has seen in a long time. This Midnight Season 1 DPS tier list is built around real performance, not sims and not nostalgia. It weighs single-target damage, priority funnel, AoE scaling, survivability, and Mythic+ utility—because blasting meters doesn’t matter if your spec falls over or can’t help the group finish the pull.

Midnight Season 1 DPS Tier List - Ranking Best DPS in Midnight S1

A good DPS in Midnight Season 1 isn’t about ego or meters — it’s about clearing keys consistently, surviving mistakes, and keeping groups stable while tuning is still wild.Keep in mind: this is a Season 1 snapshot. Blizzard tuning is still in motion, hero talents are settling, and several specs are one hotfix away from moving up or down a tier. This list reflects how specs perform right now, in real keys, with real pulls, and real mistakes.

If you’re deciding what to main, what to reroll, or what to bring into high keys, this Midnight Season 1 DPS ranking breakdown will show you who’s broken, who’s safe, and who desperately needs help.

S Tier

Arcane Mage

Blizzard’s golden child. End of discussion. Best single target, AoE, and priority damage in the game. Much squishier now. Alter Time skill check separates good mages from dead ones. S+ tier Midnight WoW Season 1 best DPS. Outlier spec. Probably getting nerfed, but broken right now.

Demonology Warlock

The complete package. Excellent single target. Excellent cleave. Excellent AoE. Tyrant on a 1-minute cooldown is massive for M+. Hero talents (Apex / Diablo) are doing insane work. Tanky by default (Warlock things). Same strong Warlock baseline. 

Unholy Death Knight

Unholy is gigabusted right now.  Insane single target (Dread Plague + Pestilence is absolutely pumping). Still one of the tankiest DPS specs in the WOW Midnight Season 1 DPS tier list. Hard S tier. One of the best specs in the game going into Midnight Season 1.

A+ Tier

Devourer Demon Hunter

This spec is strong now and smells like future meta. High overall damage. Great AoE, good single target (not S-tier level). Very tanky for a DPS. Leech in meta + double Blur is huge. Very strong, very safe, and likely to creep higher with tuning.

Survival Hunter

This spec is pumping hard. Boomstick is a monster (frequent, massive burst). Great AoE, strong priority damage, solid single target. One of the tankiest DPS specs post-pruning. Gained AoE Intimidation + improved Binding Shot options. Can hang with S-tier best WoW Midnight Season 1 dps and absolutely dominates keys right now.

Augmentation Evoker

Aug is absolutely cracked, but conditionally. Scales directly off how strong your teammates are. Looks god-tier when paired with Unholy DK / Arcane Mage. Surprisingly tanky. Has a cheat death, which is massive in high keys. A+ tier. Insane in coordinated/high keys, strong but not auto-S until tuning settles.

Devastation Evoker

This spec is just straight-up blasting. One of the burstiest AoE specs in the game. Absurd opener damage (2M DPS pulls are real). But very poor priority damage. Double Obsidian Scales + baked-in healing. Better in pugs / average keys. Slightly worse than Aug in coordinated high keys.

Affliction Warlock

The AoE machine. Dark Harvest nerf (-30%) hurts, but doesn’t kill it. Seed spam is still ridiculous. Soul Shard generation is out of control. Single target & priority are the usual Affliction weakness. Not meta-defining, but absurd AoE keeps it near the top

Marksmanship Hunter

MM is cooking right now. One of the burstiest AoE DPS in Mythic+. Aim Shot makes up a massive portion of overall damage. Great AoE. Respectable priority damage. Surprisingly decent single target. A+ tier. A true Mythic+ banger going into Midnight.

A Tier

Elemental Shaman

Elemental is very good, just not meta-breaking. Single target is still respectable, but clearly weaker after the 5% flat nerf + 10% Lightning Bolt nerf. Still cooldown-focused, but much less punishing than War Within. Damage is there, utility is good, but it needs babysitting. 

Frost Mage

Still very strong, just no longer absurd. AoE nerfed (Frozen Orb hit hard). Still excellent cleave & priority damage. Tankiest mage spec. Extra barrier + extra Ice Block / Ice Cold. Top of A tier. Could move back into A+ with more testing.

Fury Warrior 

Low-key one of the better melee right now. Excellent single target → strong priority. Reap the Storm carries AoE. Recent buffs (Bloodthirst, general tuning) helped a lot. Damage is legit, but comp-dependent utility keeps it out of S.

Subtlety Rogue

High A (top A, best rogue). Massive overall AoE (Black Powder goes crazy). Lost its funnel/priority king identity. Looks better on meters than it actually is. Took an 8% nerf and still pumps. Still the best rogue spec, but no longer the god-tier funnel monster it used to be. 

Outlaw Rogue

Still very strong single target + priority. AoE is fine for Season 1 dungeon design (few giga pulls). Blade Flurry + Blade Rush still carry. Mass AoE isn’t great, but Season 1 doesn’t punish this much. Still a strong A tier pick, just no longer the golden child.

Feral Druid

Probably the strongest Druid DPS option. Excellent AoE. Strong funnel & priority damage via Ferocious Bite. Single target still a weakness.Top of A tier. Reliable, consistent, and very strong in keys.

Shadow Priest

Survived the 15% flat nerf really well thanks to targeted buffs. Psychic Link is doing huge work now — big part of overall damage. Shadow is stable, reliable, and strong, but not an outlier. It’s safely A tier, middle of the pack for now, with potential to creep up depending on tuning and Archon performance.

Enhancement Shaman

High highs, real lows. Mass AoE is cracked, especially Totemic (Flametongue doing wild things). Stormbringer still solid. Amazing AoE niche, but single target + survivability hold it back.

Frost Death Knight

Frost is… fine. Respectable, but overshadowed. Strong AoE carries the spec. Single target is weak, even after Deathbringer buffs. Bottom A tier. Good, safe pick—but Unholy just does everything better.

Destruction Warlock

Great AoE, questionable focus damage. Mass AoE is still fantastic. Infernal at 1.5 min CD pumps. Rain of Fire spam still farms meters. Single target / priority damage holds it back. Mid A tier. Great dungeon blaster, not a priority-kill spec.

Balance Druid

Buffs saved it—but didn’t elevate it to elite. Massive AoE padding. Bursty with damage amps. Single target still lacking. AoE silence + stops are valuable post-CC pruning. Bottom A tier. Competitive, sleeper-good, but not meta-defining.

B Tier

Arms Warrior

Feels like a victim of tuning. Big single target nerfs. Dreadnaught hit hurts Overpower damage. AoE cleave and Bladestorm still strong. Can pump, but missing the damage profile needed for higher tiers.

Assassination Rogue

Rampy, weaker single target. Rampy, weaker single target. Priority damage still respectable (Envenom + Kingsbane). Just doesn’t hit hard enough compared to other options. Not bad, just overshadowed. Low pressure, safe B tier.

C Tier

Fire Mage

The fire is… not burning. Wet noodle without Combustion. Ignite padding doesn’t save it. Slightly tankier than Arcane due to cheat death. C tier. Playable, but badly underperforming overall.

Beast Mastery Hunter

BM got absolutely kneecapped. 12% flat nerf + extra tuning on top. Dark Hound does decent damage… but can’t save the spec. C tier. Possibly bottom of B at best, but currently underwhelming across the board.

Restribution Paladin

Tanky. Useful. Hits like a pillow. AoE padding, weak priority damage. Single target “not awful” but still underwhelming. Overall DPS is just not there. Bottom of C tier. Damage is the only thing holding it back — unfortunately, that’s kind of important.

D Tier

Havoc Demon Hunter

This one hurts. Needs buffs badly. High effort, low reward right now.

Windwalker Monk

Single target exists. AoE does not.Good single target. AoE is atrocious, especially mass pulls. Spinning Crane Kick desperately needs buffs. D tier. Worse than Havoc. Damage profile just doesn’t cut it.