These 4 specs owned the Mythic+ meta in WoW Dragonflight season one

The first season of WoW Dragonflight is in the books, and the game’s dedicated Mythic+ players are ready to see a whole new slew of dungeons enter the pool tomorrow, May 9, when season two begins. 

Blizzard’s great experiment of resurrecting old dungeons and placing them into the current Mythic+ pool has paid great dividends as it’s opened the door for reinventions and expansions of strategy within the game’s meta. This season, the Mythic+ meta was incredibly varied, with strong options across all four of the game’s roles. Plus, with the gearing process being relatively simpler in Dragonflight, and the expansion as a whole being alt-friendlier than past versions of the game, it wasn’t hard for average players to roll new characters and diversify the game’s pool. 

Related: Dratnos has 4 invaluable tips and tricks for WoW Dragonflight season 2

Still, like any game, meta frontrunners emerged throughout the course of the expansion’s first season. And now that we can clearly look back on six months’ worth of data, it’s evident which specs stood head and shoulders above the field. 

Here are the top four Mythic+ specs from Dragonflight season one, sorted by the four roles in the game: tank, healer, ranged DPS, and melee DPS. 

Tank – Protection Paladin

Although Protection Warriors slightly eked out Paladins as the most popular tank of season one across all keystone levels, the power of the Protection Paladin cannot be overstated. This season, the spec singlehandedly redefined the meta at the highest level of Mythic+, allowing groups to circumvent the need for a healer thanks to the spec’s consistent off-healing. Between a high skill ceiling and a midseason meta twist, Protection Paladins became the choice of high-level tanks. At keystone levels 25 and higher this season, Protection Paladins were present in over 55 percent of runs, according to WoW stats site Raider.io. 

Healer – Restoration Druid

Restoration Druids weren’t just the most popular healer in season one, they were the most popular spec in the game altogether. More Mythic+ dungeons were run in season one with a Restoration Druid present than any other spec, clearing other top-tier options such as Preservation Evoker and Restoration Shaman. 

Melee DPS – Havoc Demon Hunter

Demon Hunters were the most popular melee DPS spec this season with a play rate of 13.9 percent in Mythic+ dungeons, according to Raider.io. Although other specs like Subtlety Rogue and Retribution Paladin—which had a late-season surge in popularity thanks to its rework in Patch 10.0.7—were both strong contenders in the meta, no spec was as popular or as effective as Havoc Demon Hunter this season. Across all levels of play, Havoc Demon Hunter was the most popular melee DPS spec in all eight of the dungeons in this season’s pool.

Related: World of Warcraft Dragonflight season 2 Mythic+ dungeon pool

Ranged DPS – Shadow Priest

Shadow Priests were among the most popular ranged DPS specs in Dragonflight season one since their reliable mix of AoE and single-target damage made them a valuable choice in any dungeon. While one could argue that Fire Mages are more deserving of being mentioned here, Shadow Priests were a far more reliable option for the average player base, with Fire only being viable in the hands of those who could get the most value out of it. Shadow Priest was the fourth-most popular Ranged DPS spec this season across all keystone levels, but at levels +25 and up, it drubbed all other options with a pick rate of 21.8 percent, according to Raider.io.