For WoW players preparing for Midnight Patch 12.1 Season 2, understanding the evolving DPS meta will be critical for maximizing raid progression and Mythic+ performance. In this WoW Midnight DPS tier list, we ranked the best DPS for raid and Mythic+.
Midnight Season 2 DPS Tier List - WoW Midnight 12.1 Raid & M+ DPS Ranking
Blizzard's latest PTR updates have introduced significant class tuning, tier set reworks, and talent changes that are reshaping the rankings across both forms of endgame content. While some specs have surged to the top thanks to powerful new synergies and redesigned mechanics, others have fallen behind due to nerfs, weaker scaling, or unfavorable dungeon and raid damage profiles. We'll break down the latest Midnight 12.1 Raid and Mythic+ DPS Tier Lists, highlight the biggest winners and losers of the patch, and explain why specs like Frost Death Knight, Unholy Death Knight, Beast Mastery Hunter, and Retribution Paladin are emerging as some of the strongest choices for Season 2. Whether you're planning your main character, optimizing your raid roster, or pushing high Mythic+ keys, these rankings provide a clear look at the current PTR meta and what to expect before launch.
Midnight 12.1 Raid DPS Tier List
Based on the latest WoW Midnight 12.1 PTR testing, raid logs, and tier set interactions, the Season 2 DPS meta is shaping up around Blizzard's new balancing philosophy: nerf major cooldowns while dramatically buffing baseline and filler abilities. This has created several surprise winners and completely reshaped some specs.
S-Tier: Frost Death Knight
Frost DK is currently the biggest winner of Patch 12.1. While iconic abilities like Breath of Sindragosa, Obliterate, and Frostbane were nerfed, Blizzard massively buffed Howling Blast, Remorseless Winter, and Icy Death Torrent by up to 100%. The new tier set heavily empowers Remorseless Winter and Icy Death Torrent, turning previously insignificant auto-proc effects into major damage contributors. Even more surprising, Howling Blast now rivals or surpasses Obliterate on single-target encounters while scaling exceptionally well in cleave and AoE situations. Frost DK delivers elite damage with minimal rotational complexity, making it arguably the strongest overall raid DPS entering Season 2.
A-Tier: Unholy Death Knight
Unholy remains one of the strongest raid specs thanks to the new Lord of the Dead interactions. The playstyle hasn't changed dramatically, but Putrify and Soul Reaper now generate significantly more Lesser Ghouls, which translates into more Magus summons and much higher Lord of the Dead damage. The spec effectively functions like an auto-battler, with armies of pets generating damage passively while the player maintains the standard rotation. Unholy excels on multi-target encounters and sustained raid fights, comfortably securing a top-tier position.
A-Tier: Beast Mastery Hunter
Beast Mastery may currently have the strongest filler ability in the entire game. Cobra Shot has received substantial tuning buffs and now benefits enormously from the new tier set. Barbed Shot generates free Stomps, which in turn massively increase Cobra Shot's damage, allowing a traditionally low-priority filler spell to hit nearly as hard as major spenders. Single-target performance is exceptional, though many PTR testers expect further nerfs before launch because Cobra Shot's current damage profile appears overtuned.
A-Tier: Shadow Priest
Shadow Priest is one of the biggest success stories of 12.1. The complete rework of Void Volley solves many long-standing rotational frustrations by replacing cooldown management with a charge-based system. Players can now bank charges for burst windows, creating far more strategic gameplay. Shadow excels on encounters featuring multiple long-lived targets where DoTs can fully ramp. While pure single-target performance remains average, the spec is finally competitive and significantly more enjoyable than previous seasons. The only major concern is Shade Burst, which currently has excellent design but underwhelming damage tuning.
B-Tier: Frost Mage
Frost Mage remains strong but largely unchanged. The spec received only minor numerical adjustments and a tier set that slightly increases Glacial Spike frequency. Damage remains competitive, especially in raid environments, but Frost Mage lacks the dramatic improvements seen in Frost DK or Shadow Priest. Players who enjoyed Frost Mage previously will find a familiar, reliable playstyle that continues to perform well without requiring major adaptation.
C-Tier: Devour Demon Hunter
Devour DH sits near the bottom of current PTR rankings despite receiving one of the most improved rotational designs. Blizzard significantly nerfed Void Meta scaling, Mastery effectiveness, Void Ray damage, and cooldown burst potential. In exchange, baseline damage was increased and the new tier set creates engaging Reap → Consume → Void Ray combo loops that feel far smoother to play. The issue isn't gameplay—it's numbers. Current estimates place the spec roughly 10% behind competitors, making it highly likely to receive additional tuning before Season 2 launches.
Midnight 12.1 M+ DPS Tier List
The WoW Midnight 12.1 Mythic+ DPS Tier List looks very different from the Raid Tier List because Mythic+ rewards burst AoE, mobility, utility, survivability, and damage profile flexibility rather than pure boss damage. Some specs that dominate raids struggle in dungeons, while others become absolute monsters when fighting large packs every few seconds.
S-Tier
Unholy Death Knight: Unholy is arguably the strongest all-around Mythic+ spec. The new Lord of the Dead interactions create enormous AoE pressure while maintaining excellent priority-target damage. Every pull becomes a mini-army showcase, and the spec scales exceptionally well with large trash packs.
Retribution Paladin: Ret Paladin continues its tradition of dominating keys with incredible burst AoE, survivability, off-healing, blessings, and strong boss damage. Few specs bring as much overall value to a dungeon group.
Demonology Warlock: Demonology benefits heavily from dungeon pacing. Its army of demons provides consistent damage across both trash and bosses, while utility such as healthstones and gateways makes it highly desirable.
Devourer Demon Hunter: While Devour DH is weaker in raids, Mythic+ is a different story. The new tier set creates powerful chain reactions during large pulls, and its mobility allows players to maximize damage throughout dungeon routes.
Frost Mage: Frost Mage remains one of the safest and strongest dungeon specs due to unmatched crowd control, slows, roots, survivability, and consistent AoE damage. Even without major redesigns, its toolkit is perfectly suited for Mythic+.
Beast Mastery Hunter: BM Hunter combines top-tier single-target damage with exceptional mobility. Being able to deal full damage while moving is a huge advantage in modern dungeon mechanics, and the Cobra Shot buffs only make it stronger.
Augmentation Evoker: Augmentation remains the most valuable support DPS in Mythic+. Its ability to amplify the damage of already-powerful S-tier specs makes it a staple in high-key compositions.
A-Tier
Elemental Shaman: Elemental delivers excellent burst AoE, utility, interrupts, and strong scaling. It narrowly misses S-tier but remains one of the safest picks.
Fury Warrior: Fury excels at sustained cleave and rapid target switching. Its mobility and durability make it particularly effective in high-key environments.
B-Tier
These specs can easily complete high keys but lack the raw efficiency of S-tier classes:
• Enhancement Shaman
• Survival Hunter
• Havoc Demon Hunter
• Affliction Warlock
• Arms Warrior
• Shadow Priest
• Balance Druid
• Subtlety Rogue
Most of these specs suffer from either slower ramp-up, lower burst AoE, or less utility compared to the top-tier options.
C-Tier
Frost Death Knight: Interestingly, Frost DK is S-tier in raids but only C-tier in Mythic+. The reason is simple: much of its new power comes from passive single-target damage and auto-procs rather than explosive dungeon AoE.
Feral Druid: Feral continues to struggle with ramp-up time and competing against specs with more immediate damage.
Marksmanship Hunter: Strong burst windows remain, but overall consistency and utility fall behind BM Hunter.
Windwalker Monk: Still capable of good damage, but lacks the overwhelming strengths that once made it a Mythic+ staple.
D-Tier
• Fire Mage
• Arcane Mage
• Assassination Rogue
• Outlaw Rogue
• Devastation Evoker
• Destruction Warlock
These specs currently struggle with either poor scaling, weak AoE profiles, excessive ramp-up, or tuning issues compared to the dominant dungeon classes.