Only 2 healers are truly relevant in high Mythic+ keys to start WoW Dragonflight

The first competitive season of World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has been out long enough for us to make definitive claims on the game’s meta, and in Mythic+ dungeons, two classes have a firm stranglehold on the healer position. 

About a month into the first Mythic+ season of Dragonflight, it’s clear that only two healer specs—Restoration Druid and Preservation Evoker—are truly competitive at the highest level of play. The game’s five other healer options pale in comparison to Druid and Evoker when it comes to general play rate and overall success in high keys. 

According to WoW stats site Raider.io, either a Resto Druid or Preservation Evoker has been present in 99 of the top 100 Mythic+ runs this season. The only healer class to serve as an outlier was Restoration Shaman. Additionally, Druid and Evoker are easily the most popular options for healers, with 29 percent of healer players playing Resto Druid, and another 22 percent playing Preservation Evoker. For reference, no other healer spec makes up more than 15 percent of the position’s population, according to Raider.io. 

Related: WoW Dragonflight healer tier list

WoW’s next major update will come on Jan. 23, when Patch 10.0.5 releases on live servers. Traditionally, balance changes don’t always have to come alongside a major patch, although buffs and nerfs to healers should be expected. WoW coverage site Wowhead has discovered a datamined version of the balance changes coming with the update, which includes buffs to struggling healers such as Mistweaver Monk and Holy Paladin. Keep in mind that datamined updates are always subject to change. 

The current state of healers in Mythic+ dungeons is tight-windowed, and changes to make the meta more open should come as the expansion evolves. For players pushing extremely high keys, though (+24 keystone levels and higher), playing anything other than a Restoration Druid or Preservation Evoker right now places your group at a bit of a disadvantage. If you’re an everyday player who’s looking to grab Keystone Master and call it a day, though, you can still probably achieve your goals with any class of your choosing, as long as you have the skill to back it up. 

Related: Best sites to look up your World of Warcraft character

On the strictly competitive side of things, the first season of the WoW Mythic Dungeon International will begin on Feb. 1. Open sign-ups for the tournament are currently available to all players.