Being a healer in World of Warcraft can be incredibly fast paced and stressful, but it’s also very rewarding - especially if you love seeing your screen full of bright green numbers. You are often the one person that determines whether your M+ group beats the timer or bricks the key, and in Raids you will work together with other healers to keep up to 30 people alive while also dodging ridiculous boss mechanics and trying not to stand in the fire.
Picking a healing class in The War Within means you will have to learn how to juggle an extensive kit of spells. If that sounds like something you would enjoy, let’s see how each healer class ranks against another in TWW’s patch 11.0.5. I’ll be focusing mostly on M+ dungeons here, since almost any healer can do well in a raid when working together with other healers. But in M+, you will be the only healer so carry a lot more responsibility in knowing your class.
S Tier
These two are pretty much the best healers for M+ in 11.0.5. They not only have powerful direct heals for both ST and AOE, but they also have good defensives to reduce incoming damage.
- Restoration Shaman
- Discipline Priest
A Tier
While not as good as the S tier, because of the lower usable range of your healing spells, you’ll still have a very good (and sometimes stressful!) time in M+ if you want to give an Evoker a try.
- Preservation Evoker
B Tier
Both of these classes do very well in raids and can easily help with DPS, but fall a bit short in M+ due to mobility cooldowns and the overall lack of big hitting major healing spells.
- Holy Paladin
- Mistweaver Monk
C Tier
Also popular in raids, both of these classes can be poor choices for average M+ in 11.0.5. They rely more on smaller HoTs and can’t do as much against tank-busters compared to others.
- Restoration Druid
- Holy Priest
Since we have all of the healers listed out in a tier list, let’s take a closer look at all seven so you can pick one that matches your playstyle or just sounds more useful.
1. Restoration Shaman (S Tier)
After receiving some buffs in 11.0.5, Resto Shaman feels much more efficient than they used to be when it comes to HPS and mana usage. You’ll be able to deliver some quick and large heals to top up health bars, while also dishing out a fair bit of DPS to help your group along. Spirit Link Totem can be dropped when things start going wrong, giving you a few vital seconds to get things under control. You have excellent mobility and group-wide utility, and Earth Shield can help your tank out as well.
Why Restoration Shaman is S-Tier
- Very strong major and minor heals with good mana efficiency
- A number of utility spells including Totems, Bloodlust, and Elementals
- Excellent mobility with Ghost Wolf and Wind Rush Totem
- Multiple CC like Hex, Capacitor Totem, Earthquake, and more
2. Discipline Priest (S Tier)
Discipline Priests are in a very good spot with 11.0.5 thanks to their recent Atonement buffs. Not only can you keep steady heals up on your group while dealing damage, but you are also the master of reducing incoming damage with bubbles and Pain Suppression. You’ll be able to keep smaller HoTs on your team, while also quickly refilling health bars with large fast-casting spells. While you will lack a spellcasting interrupt and you may feel a bit squishy at times, you are an excellent pick for M+!
Why Discipline Priest is S-Tier
- Multiple damage-reduction options for hard-hitting mechanics
- Several fast casting and large healing spells to keep everyone alive
- Recent buffs to Atonement allow you to DPS while healing
- Excellent mana usage and efficiency with very little downtime
3. Preservation Evoker (A Tier)
As the newest healing class in the game, the Evoker can deliver some seriously beastly HPS thanks to their alignment with the different Dragonflights, but they can fall a bit short if the group is full of ranged or is spread out. Their spells are cone-type frontals or AOE ground circles which means you’ll need to keep an eye on uncoordinated members of your team to throw them some individual heals. Your mobility is very good, though, which helps you avoid mechanics and reach that hunter standing off in left field.
Why Preservation Evoker is A-Tier
- Delivers seriously beastly HPS to keep multiple people alive
- Can deal some damage while keeping heals going, perfect for M+
- Very good mobility helps you avoid mechanics and reach stray teammates
- Spells are a bit limited in range, but melee-heavy groups are perfect for you
4. Holy Paladin (B Tier)
If you love healing, but also love doing damage, the Holy Paladin might be perfect for you. Not only can they use the Light to keep their team alive, but they do so by dealing damage to enemies in order to build Holy Power. This class has a higher DPS potential than previous tiers, but falls short in HPS. You’ll have a good number of different utility spells, defensives, and a full immunity bubble in case of oh-crap moments, though! Your mobility is also okay with Divine Steed, making it easy for you to avoid mechanics.
Why Holy Paladin is B-Tier
- Strong DPS potential while also keeping the team healed
- Can easily heal grouped up players or spread out teams
- Large number of utility spells, defensives, interrupts, and immunity
- Okay mobility with Divine Steed so you can avoid mechanics
5. Mistweaver Monk (B Tier)
As the only healing class that does not have a damage-reducing cooldown, Mistweaver Monk can be a bit difficult to use in some situations. Their utility is strong, and Ring of Peace can be very useful for crowd control - but most of their big heals are channeled which can be a blow to your mobility during chain pulls. You’ll make use of statues and visages to keep yourself and your team healed, but may need to stop casting entirely to avoid mechanics which can mean the difference in life or death for your team.
Why Mistweaver Monk is B-Tier
- Has big heals, but they are channeled and hinder your mobility
- Makes use of statues and visages to boost healing and cleansing
- Not as efficient with mana usage as previous tiers on this list
- Entirely lacks a damage-reducing cooldown
6. Restoration Druid (C Tier)
Don’t get me wrong, I love Druids, but they can be extremely complex to master which means new players may struggle to get the most out of them; especially if attempting Catweaving or Boomhealing. They deliver a majority of their heals as HoTs instead of large direct heals, so they work well with tanks that have self-heals. Their mobility is outstanding, and they have a huge utility belt to make use of - but they have the lowest overall healing output of all seven classes on this list in the current 11.0.5 update.
Why Restoration Druid is C-Tier
- Second-to-none mobility and huge number of utility spells
- Can help deal damage with Catweaving or Boomhealing
- Lacks in large direct heals and instead depends mostly on HoTs
- Can absolutely shine in very specific group compositions
7. Holy Priest (C Tier)
Holy Priests are a good choice for new players since they are relatively easy to pick up and learn, but they lack a bit in the utility needed to really excel in higher M+ keys. You’ll be able to keep your team alive with some decent heals, including multiple AOE options, but you end up with low mobility, poor crowd control, and no spell interrupts which can definitely be a problem if you’ve played other healing classes. Unfortunately, most Holy Priests are declined or ignored when attempting to PUG M+ keys.
Why Holy Priest is C-Tier
- Delivers powerful AOE heals, and looks very cool doing it
- Can provide a group purify to clear your team of ticking damage
- Easy to learn, and somewhat forgiving for complete beginners
- Lacks in mobility, crowd control, and spellcasting interrupts
