With just under a week to go, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is releasing very soon. The eighth expansion for the MMORPG brings about a lot of changes, including class changes that will alter how certain classes in World of Warcraft are played. So, what are the best tank classes for players to use in Shadowlands?
Many of these World of Warcraft tank class rankings are based on gear changes and Covenants in Shadowlands. While Covenants will be especially important in World of Warcraft's new endgame, they will also affect class performance. Shadowlands is already bringing a lot of changes to World of Warcraft, most notably a level squish that makes leveling much faster. Through this level squish, some classes now learn abilities sooner, so it can affect which tanks in World of Warcraft are better to use early on.
Ultimately, players who prefer tanking will need to decide which class offers the most balance in the latest World of Warcraft expansion. The endgame gear available in Shadowlands and through the Castle Nathria raid will also play an important role. Gear and removed abilities are a major reason why World of Warcraft's tank classes like the Blood Death Knight have gone from the top tanking spot to somewhere more mid-tier - Ossuary, for example, was seemingly removed due to scaling issues. It also explains why other World of Warcraft classes have moved a little higher up on the rankings.
The Best (& Worst) Tank Classes For WoW: Shadowlands
The best tank class for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is the Protection Paladin. This class has AoE damage, which other tank classes are missing for now, and it has become an especially overpowered class in World of Warcraft thanks to higher-level gear and abilities. Protection Warrior is also great and makes an incredibly powerful tank in Shadowlands, but it appears players still favor Protection Paladin a bit more in the latest World of Warcraft expansion.
The worst tank in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is probably the Vengeance Demon Hunter. Like the Blood Death Knight, the Vengeance Demon Hunter had balancing issues and was altered in the pre-patch. This has resulted in the tank class's damage output being far less than it used to be, making it a less-than-ideal class for Shadowlands.
Of course, the introduction of Covenants will also affect how these tanks are used. Special Covenant abilities will depend on which faction players choose, so that could factor into how certain classes in World of Warcraft operate. More class changes and additional scaling is also likely once World of Warcraft: Shadowlands releases, so tank rankings may change in the future. Because of the new level squish, though, it's a great time to experiment with classes.
