As Season 2 gets underway, the Mythic+ dungeon environment presents new challenges for healers. Between baseline tuning adjustments, rebalanced Tier Set bonuses, and dungeon encounters that feature heavy rot damage, sharp tank spikes, and strict dispel requirements, choosing the right healing specialization is essential. This tier list ranks all healing specializations based on their real-world effectiveness in High Mythic+ environments, helping you pick the ideal healer for high-key progression and pugging success.
Tier Breakdown
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S Tier: Meta-defining powerhouses. Complete packages featuring unmatched emergency spot-healing, high passive damage output, and game-changing party mitigation.
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A Tier: Extremely lethal and reliable healers. High output and strong utility that easily clear high-level keys, trailing S Tier only by minor gaps in damage contribution or defensive versatility.
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B Tier: Solid, capable specializations. Fully viable for clearing weekly keystones, but held back by GCD-heavy setups, mana management friction, or stricter positioning requirements.
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C Tier: Niche or tuning-challenged specs. Capable of succeeding with coordinated teams, but require extra effort to manage heavy party-wide damage spikes or lack top-tier damage output.
S Tier Classes
Holy Paladin
Season 2 Changes & Standing: Sits undisputed at the top of the Season 2 healer meta following substantial baseline tuning buffs and Tier Set synergies that streamline Holy Power generation. Its melee-oriented profile, top-tier external defenses, passive Devotion Aura, and incredible spot-healing make it the ultimate anchor for high-keystone groups.
Core Rotation: Keep Beacon of Light on your primary target. Generate Holy Power with Holy Shock, Judgment, and Crusader Strike, spending it on Word of Glory for emergency spot-healing or Light of Dawn for group damage. Weave Hammer of Wrath on cooldown during Avenging Wrath windows while maintaining melee damage pressure.
A Tier Classes
Restoration Shaman
Season 2 Changes & Standing: Remains a dominant A-tier choice thanks to its unmatched dungeon utility toolkit (Bloodlust, Wind Shear, Capacitor Totem, Poison Cleansing Totem). Tuning updates have smoothed out its single-target healing, making it one of the most reliable healers for pugging high keys.
Core Rotation: Keep Riptide active across party members to trigger Tidal Waves. Cast Healing Surge for fast spot-healing or Chain Heal during heavy group damage. Maintain Flame Shock and spam Lava Burst (leveraging Lava Surge procs) alongside Chain Lightning to contribute massive passive DPS.
B Tier Classes
Preservation Evoker
Season 2 Changes & Standing: Suffered minor range and cooldown scaling tweaks entering Season 2, but retains top-tier burst healing profiles. While its short casting range (30 yards) can be tricky in spread-out pulls, its positional burst output and group mobility remain outstanding.
Core Rotation: Empower party healing by applying Reversion and casting Echo to duplicate high-value spells. Channel Emerald Blossom or cast Spiritbloom for heavy group stabilization, using Essence Burst procs on Living Flame. Contribute damage via Fire Breath and Disintegrate.
Mistweaver Monk
Season 2 Changes & Standing: Benefited from targeted damage-to-healing conversions on its melee kick rotation. It brings elite physical damage buffing via Mystic Touch and strong party wide throughput, though high mana consumption during extended rot damage fights keeps it in B Tier.
Core Rotation: Maintain Renewing Mist across the party. Execute your melee damage combo using Tiger Palm, Blackout Kick, and Rising Sun Kick to generate healing via Ancient Teachings. Channel Soothing Mist combined with Enveloping Mist or Vivify when rapid single-target stabilization is required.
C Tier Classes
Restoration Druid
Season 2 Changes & Standing: Took slight nerfs to its proactive HoT (Heal over Time) throughput, leaving it more vulnerable to sharp, bursty group damage spikes in higher Season 2 keys. Despite this, it still brings unmatched group utility with Mark of the Wild, Battle Res, Ursol's Vortex, and Typhoon.
Core Rotation: Maintain Lifebloom on the tank and yourself alongside Efflorescence under the pack. Pre-apply Rejuvenation and Regrowth before damage phases hit, executing Swiftmend to trigger Soul of the Forest for empowered Wild Growth casts. Shift to Cat Form to spread Rake and Rip during downtime.
Holy Priest
Season 2 Changes & Standing: Received baseline throughput buffs to its direct healing spells, but continues to struggle with high-key mobility and personal survivability. It offers direct, intuitive reactive healing, but lacks the passive damage contribution and mitigation tools of higher-tier healers.
Core Rotation: Apply Renew and cast Prayer of Mending on cooldown. Use Flash Heal and Heal to reduce the cooldown of Holy Word: Serenity for single-target spikes, and cast Prayer of Healing to reduce Holy Word: Sanctify for group stabilization. Weave Holy Fire and Smite for filler DPS.
Discipline Priest
Season 2 Changes & Standing: Affected by recent cooldown adjustments to Atonement damage conversions. It delivers high offensive pressure and excellent proactive shielding (Power Word: Shield, Rapture), but punishes mistakes heavily if mechanics hit before Atonement ramps are set up properly.
Core Rotation: Apply Purify the Soul / Shadow Word: Pain and spread Atonement using Power Word: Radiant or Power Word: Shield. Deal damage via Mind Blast, Penance, and Smite to convert damage directly into party wide healing. Use Pain Suppression to cover large tank or DPS damage spikes.
