The role of a healer in Mythic+ has evolved far beyond simply refilling health bars. In the high-stakes environment of The War Within, healers are expected to be proactive playmakers who contribute significant damage, provide crucial utility, and manage their own survival. Because balance changes, tier sets, and seasonal mechanics constantly reshape the meta, these rankings are never static.
This Mythic+ healer tier list for Patch 11.2 breaks down the strongest specializations currently in the game.
What’s inside this guide:
- Tier Overview – S through D rankings for all Healer specializations.
- Meta Context – Key balance changes and influential factors this season.
- Spec Highlights – In-depth analysis of each specialization’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Seasonal Updates – How the meta shifts with each patch and tuning update.
This guide focuses exclusively on Mythic+ performance, which differs greatly from raiding demands. As of Patch 11.2, insights from extensive PTR testing are shaping the current healer meta.
You might want to check out the following guides from us as well:
How This Tier List is Ranked
The following criteria are weighed to determine the final placements for each healer.
- Healing Throughput & Profile (Most Important): This is the foundation of any healer. We analyze a spec’s ability to handle varied damage patterns, from sustained group-wide rot to heavy, unpredictable burst healing. This includes both proactive (HoTs, shields) and reactive (Healing Surge, Flash Heal) healing, and the efficiency of their core abilities.
- Damage Contribution: In high keys, the timer is the ultimate boss. A healer’s personal damage potential is a massive factor. Specs that can weave in strong damage between healing globals contribute significantly to a group’s success.
- Party Utility: What does a healer bring besides healing and damage? This includes unique buffs (Mark of the Wild), powerful external cooldowns that provide damage reduction (like Guardian Spirit), crowd control, interrupts, and encounter-altering abilities like Bloodlust, Divine Shield, or a battle resurrection.
- Survivability & Self-Sustain: A dead healer means a wiped group. A spec’s personal defensives, mobility, and overall self sustain are crucial. The ability to recover from mistakes or survive mechanics when you are the only healer being targeted can save a key.
- High-Key Representation: We analyze data from live servers to see which specs are successfully clearing the highest keys, providing a real-world check on their synergy and playability.
TL;DR Summary: The S-Tier includes Restoration Druid, Discipline Priest, and Restoration Shaman—the most dominant and sought-after specializations for pushing high-end content.
S-Tier Healer Rankings – The Best Specs in The War Within 11.2
S-Tier specializations define the meta this season. They offer an unparalleled combination of strong healing, high damage, and indispensable utility that sets them apart from the rest of the field.
Restoration Druid
The undisputed master of proactive healing, the Wildstalker Resto Druid sits comfortably at the top of this list. It excels at blanketing the group in heal-over-time effects, trivializing some of the most intense, sustained damage checks in Season 3.
- Strengths: Producing the highest HPS without major cooldowns is a massive advantage, driven by its tier set and Wildstalker talents. This spec also brings the invaluable Mark of the Wild buff, powerful external damage reduction with Ironbark, and a battle resurrection via Rebirth—a crucial piece of utility unique among healers. Top-class mobility allows it to maintain uptime while dodging mechanics.
- Weaknesses: The spec has a higher skill ceiling, requiring a deep understanding of fight timers to pre-HoT for incoming damage. Its reactive or priority healing can feel weaker than other specs if HoTs are not already rolling on a target that drops low suddenly.
- Season 3 Outlook: The Resto Druid is set to be a dominant force. Its healing profile is perfectly suited for the high, sustained damage prevalent in new dungeons, making it a top contender for the best healer of the season.
Discipline Priest
Despite some minor nerfs to its shielding capabilities, the Disc Priest remains a premier healer due to its unique damage-prevention playstyle. A well-played Disc Priest doesn’t just heal damage—it stops it from ever happening.
- Strengths: The value of its shields in preventing one-shots is still immense. A flexible toolkit includes double Pain Suppression for external damage reduction, the coveted Power Infusion buff, and Power Word: Fortitude. With Oracle Hero Talents providing incredible defensive utility, the Voidweaver build simultaneously offers some of the highest damage potential of any healer.
- Weaknesses: A Disc Priest can struggle if the group takes large, unscripted bursts of damage, as its reactive healing is less potent than its proactive atonement healing. It is also more susceptible to mana issues during prolonged, high-intensity encounters if not managed carefully.
- Meta Standing: This spec is a powerhouse in coordinated groups. Its ability to mitigate damage before it occurs makes it an elite choice for pushing the most challenging content The War Within has to offer.
Restoration Shaman
The Resto Shaman is in an excellent position this season, offering two powerful and distinct playstyles through its Hero Talents. It is the king of stacked-group healing and brings a treasure trove of utility.
- Strengths: The Farseer build creates massive healing and damage windows, perfect for coordinated pushes. Key abilities like Healing Rain and Chain Heal provide unmatched output in melee-heavy compositions. For reactive spot healing, Healing Surge offers excellent burst healing. Rounding out its kit, the Resto Shaman brings an interrupt, crowd control, Bloodlust, and Skyfury Totem—arguably the most complete utility package of any healer.
- Weaknesses: Healing spread groups can be difficult, as the effectiveness of Healing Rain and Chain Heal diminishes significantly. While mobile, it lacks the passive tankiness of some other healers.
- Current Performance: The sheer amount of utility a Resto Shaman brings, combined with its strong healing and strong damage, makes it a top-tier pick for almost any group composition.
A-Tier Healer Rankings – Strong Contenders for TWW Season 3
Healers in this tier are powerful and fully capable of timing the highest keys. They may be more situational or require more effort to match the raw output and utility of the S-Tier specializations.
Holy Paladin
After a rocky start during PTR testing, Holy Paladin has emerged much stronger thanks to recent buffs. The Herald of the Sun build has created a more impactful and proactive healing profile.
- Strengths: Its defensive group utility is unmatched. Devotion Aura provides passive damage reduction, while Blessing of Sacrifice is a fantastic external cooldown. The iconic Divine Shield allows a Paladin to cheese mechanics or survive fatal damage, which helps quite a bit. Strong priority healing makes it great for saving single targets.
- Weaknesses: Concerns remain about its sustained group-wide throughput in long, difficult pulls. It can feel like it’s falling behind when dealing with heavy, unavoidable rot damage compared to S-Tier healers.
- Season 3 Outlook: A fantastic choice for groups that can leverage its powerful defensive cooldowns. Its improved healing profile makes it a reliable and sturdy healer for the current season.
Preservation Evoker
The Preservation Evoker is a high-skill, high-reward specialization that has been elevated into the A-tier. Its unique abilities and high mobility make it a dynamic and powerful healer.
- Strengths: Damage potential is among the highest for any healer. Recent buffs to Temporal Anomaly have also given the spec a respectable shielding buffer. Mobility is second to none, and cooldowns like Rewind are game-changing in the right situation.
- Weaknesses: Its 25-yard range is a significant weakness that can be difficult to manage. It also notably lacks a conventional battle resurrection, creating a utility gap if not covered by another class. Healing must be meticulously planned, creating a very high-effort playstyle.
- Meta Standing: In the hands of a skilled player, Preservation Evoker is a force to be reckoned with. Its blend of damage and unique healing cooldowns secures its spot as a strong contender this season.
B-Tier Healer Rankings of TWW 11.2 – Capable Specs with Nuances
These specializations are viable but are currently overshadowed by higher tiers in the current meta. They may feel more at home in raid encounters or require significant optimization to push the highest key levels.
Mistweaver Monk
The Mistweaver Monk finds itself in a precarious position. While its healing efficiency and mobility are high, it has been somewhat left behind as other healers received more impactful buffs and Hero Talent designs.
- Strengths: Provides the valuable Mystic Touch physical damage buff. Its mobility is excellent, and it has strong cooldowns for dealing with intense healing phases.
- Weaknesses: The spec was hit with direct nerfs in Patch 11.2, particularly to powerful talents like Chi Harmony, which significantly impacted its healing output. Additionally, it lacks the broad utility and passive group defensives of the top-tier healers and can face mana issues on long, grueling fights.
- Current Outlook: A capable healer that can certainly perform well, but the recent nerfs and a lack of a strong niche make it a less preferred pick over the higher-tiered specs.
C-Tier Healer Rankings for TWW Season 3 – Specs Facing Significant Challenges
A spec in the C Tier struggles with fundamental aspects of Mythic+ this season, such as survivability, mana, or handling key damage patterns. While playable, they require significantly more effort to achieve the same results as higher-tiered specs.
Holy Priest
Holy Priest currently sits in the C Tier. While the Oracle hero build and talents like Answered Prayers are fun and effective, the spec’s underlying weaknesses are pronounced in high keys.
- Strengths: When cooldowns like Apotheosis are active, it can produce immense burst healing. Guardian Spirit is a powerful external save. The tier set bonus synergizing with Answered Prayers feels good in situations with predictable damage, and its simple, intuitive healing style is based on powerful direct heals like Flash Heal.
- Weaknesses: Its two biggest flaws are poor personal survivability and struggles with extremely high levels of group-wide burst healing outside of major cooldowns. An over-reliance on direct casting and Flash Heal can lead to significant mana issues. A lack of mobility and robust self sustain make it a difficult choice for the punishing mechanics of the current meta.
- Season 3 Performance: The spec is simply outclassed in almost every metric by the top performers. It can clear keys, but it is a much more challenging path this season.
D-Tier – Not Recommended for The War Within Season 3
Currently, no specialization is in the D Tier. A spec would land here if its healing or damage output was so low it couldn’t meet basic checks, or if it had a critical design flaw making it a liability. Fortunately, the current balance ensures all healer specializations are viable to some extent, even if they aren’t the absolute best healer for every situation in the current meta.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the official Tier List 11.2 Mythic+ healers ranking in WoW The War Within?
The official Tier List 11.2 ranks Restoration Druid, Discipline Priest, and Restoration Shaman at the top (S-Tier) for their unmatched healing throughput, group utility, and strong damage contribution. Holy Paladin and Preservation Evoker sit just below in A-Tier as reliable and impactful choices, though slightly more situational. Mistweaver Monk has fallen to B-Tier after recent nerfs, while Holy Priest lingers in C-Tier due to survivability and utility shortcomings.
Why are Restoration Druids considered the best healer class in Patch 11.2 Mythic+?
Restoration Druids stand out in Patch 11.2 because of their ability to preemptively blanket groups with heal-over-time spells, making them incredibly efficient at handling sustained dungeon-wide damage. Their Wildstalker Hero Talents and powerful tier set provide additional throughput, while key utilities like Mark of the Wild, Ironbark, and Rebirth add layers of group support. This combination of proactive healing and utility makes Druids the safest and most versatile healer class this season.
How strong is Healing Surge for Restoration Shamans in Season 3?
Healing Surge is one of the Shaman’s best emergency tools, offering fast, high-output healing for sudden damage spikes. In Patch 11.2, Shamans are thriving because Healing Surge complements their core AoE spells like Healing Rain and Chain Heal, ensuring both spread and burst scenarios are manageable. When paired with unique utility such as Bloodlust, interrupts, and Skyfury Totem, Healing Surge makes Restoration Shamans not only versatile healers but also valuable playmakers in Mythic+ runs.
Did Discipline Priests receive nerfs in WoW 11.2 Mythic+?
Discipline Priests did see minor nerfs in Patch 11.2, primarily to their shielding strength, but these adjustments haven’t knocked them out of the meta. Thanks to Atonement healing, they prevent damage before it occurs, reducing the need for constant reactive healing. Their toolkit remains top-tier with double Pain Suppression, Power Infusion, and Power Word: Fortitude, plus strong damage potential through Voidweaver talents. Despite the nerfs, Disc Priests remain one of the most impactful healer classes in Season 3.
How does Chi Harmony affect Mistweaver Monk performance in 11.2?
Chi Harmony was heavily nerfed in Patch 11.2, significantly lowering Mistweaver Monk’s healing potential. This talent previously gave Monks powerful burst throughput, but its reduced strength leaves them behind other healers in sustained dungeon damage. While Mistweavers still contribute Mystic Touch for group DPS, solid mobility, and strong cooldowns like Revival, the nerf to Chi Harmony means they require far more effort to match the effectiveness of top-tier specs.
Is Divine Shield still a major strength for Holy Paladin in Season 3?
Yes. Divine Shield remains one of the strongest survivability tools in the game. It allows Holy Paladins to ignore lethal mechanics, continue healing while immune to damage, and stabilize groups during chaotic pulls. This ability often buys time to reset cooldowns or push through encounters where other healers might die. In combination with Devotion Aura and Blessing of Sacrifice, Divine Shield makes Paladins one of the most reliable “safety net” healers this season.
How important is Power Infusion in the 11.2 Mythic+ meta?
Power Infusion is still highly coveted in Mythic+ groups because it boosts both personal throughput and the damage of key allies like mages or warlocks. Discipline Priests remain the only healers who provide this buff, making them a priority choice in competitive environments. In Season 3, where high DPS checks can make or break key timing, the presence of Power Infusion often gives groups an edge while also reinforcing Disc Priest’s already strong support role.
Are Preservation Evokers viable in Mythic+ Season 3?
Preservation Evokers are more than viable in Season 3 — they are considered solid A-Tier picks. Their healing kit excels in burst scenarios with cooldowns like Rewind, while their personal damage output is among the highest of all healers. High mobility lets them avoid mechanics while still healing, which is especially valuable in Mythic+. Their drawbacks are real, though: the limited 25-yard healing range and the lack of a battle resurrection can restrict group composition flexibility.
Which healer class has the strongest short cooldowns in WoW 11.2?
Holy Paladin and Restoration Shaman stand out for short, impactful cooldowns. Paladins rely on Word of Glory and Holy Shock for frequent, efficient bursts of healing, while Shamans can chain Healing Surge and totem abilities for fast responses to spikes. These tools make both classes capable of stabilizing a group without burning major cooldowns, giving them resilience in longer pulls or unexpected emergencies.
Why is Holy Priest ranked so low in Patch 11.2 Mythic+ healer tier lists?
Holy Priest’s biggest issues are survivability and utility. While it can deliver big burst healing with Apotheosis and single-target saves with Guardian Spirit, it lacks strong defensives, mobility, and group mitigation abilities. Compared to Discipline Priests or Druids, Holy Priests run out of mana faster and rely too much on casting Flash Heal chains, which is punishing in high keys. These limitations explain why Holy Priest lags behind on tier lists despite having straightforward and powerful healing spells.
What makes a healer class strong in Mythic+ dungeons?
A strong healer class excels across multiple categories: raw healing throughput to stabilize groups, reliable personal survivability, DPS contribution to beat timers, and unique utility such as raid buffs or crowd control. Healers who balance these roles well, like Restoration Druid or Discipline Priest, stand out as top-tier picks.
How important is damage contribution from healers in Mythic+?
Damage contribution is critical in Mythic+. Since every second counts against the timer, a healer who can weave DPS between heals directly impacts whether the group can finish in time. Disc Priests, Resto Shamans, and Preservation Evokers are valued highly because they deal meaningful damage without sacrificing effective healing.
What healing tools are most valuable in Mythic+ dungeons?
The most valuable healing tools are those that reduce group damage or save lives outright. Examples include Ironbark, Guardian Spirit, Devotion Aura, and Bloodlust. Crowd control, interrupts, and abilities that reset or prevent lethal damage also qualify as critical healing tools, since they directly influence whether a pull succeeds or fails.
Which healer class provides the best raid buffs in Mythic+?
Several healers bring unique raid buffs. Druids offer Mark of the Wild (versatility), Priests provide Power Word: Fortitude and Power Infusion, Shamans bring Bloodlust and utility totems, and Paladins provide Devotion Aura for group-wide damage reduction. These buffs make certain healer classes more attractive depending on the group’s composition and strategy.
Why is survivability important for healers in Mythic+?
A healer’s death usually results in a wipe, making survivability one of the most important factors in key success. Abilities like Divine Shield, mobility tools such as Roll or Dash, and self-sustain spells like Healing Elixirs or Renew ensure healers can survive long enough to keep others alive. Survivability isn’t just personal—it’s group insurance.
Can all healer classes time high Mythic+ keys?
Yes. While tier lists highlight which healers are strongest in the meta, every specialization can time high keys when played well. Some specs may require more effort, coordination, or specific group comps, but player skill, strategy, and preparation ultimately matter more than spec choice alone.
How does Guardian Spirit work in Mythic+?
Guardian Spirit, the Holy Priest external cooldown, prevents a targeted ally from dying once during its duration. Instead of dying, the ally heals for a large percentage of health. This ability is especially valuable in dungeons with unavoidable one-shots or tank-busting abilities, though its long cooldown limits how often it can be used.
What role does Devotion Aura play in Mythic+ dungeons?
Devotion Aura reduces all incoming damage for the group while the Paladin channels it, providing constant passive protection. This is particularly useful in dungeons with frequent unavoidable AoE damage, as it lessens the healing burden and gives the entire group more breathing room in tough encounters.
Why is effective healing efficiency critical in Mythic+?
Efficient healing means doing more with less — keeping the group alive without going out of mana. Classes like Restoration Druids excel at effective healing because their HoTs constantly work in the background, smoothing damage over time. Inefficient healing often leads to wasted globals, overhealing, or mana shortages that snowball into wipes during long pulls.
What short cooldowns do healers rely on in high Mythic+ keys?
Short cooldowns allow healers to quickly respond to sudden group damage without blowing their big defensive abilities. Examples include Swiftmend for Druids, Holy Shock for Paladins, Healing Surge for Shamans, and Penance for Discipline Priests. These instant or fast-cast abilities ensure a healer can stabilize the group consistently throughout a dungeon.
