Mythic+ Tank Guide for Midnight Season 2
Tanking Mythic+ in Midnight Season 2 comes down to two jobs: hold every mob and stay alive, while moving fast enough that the group never waits on you. The eight dungeons of the season reward a tank who knows where the hard hits are, from Hydrastrike at Rav'i in Altar of Fangs to Blade Combo at Dazar in Kings' Rest, and since Xal'atath's Guile makes every death cost 15 seconds at +12, a dead tank now loses keys faster than a slow one. Below you'll find how to pull and set the pace, how to plan a route with Mythic Dungeon Tools and Lindormi's Glow, when to press each defensive, and the tank busters to respect in every Season 2 dungeon.
What Does a Mythic+ Tank Do?
A Mythic+ tank leads the group through the dungeon: you choose the pulls, set the pace and take the hits so the healer and DPS can focus on their jobs. Everything else follows from two fundamentals.
- Hold aggro on everything. Before each pull, know which area ability tags every mob on the way in, such as Swipe for a Guardian Druid or Avenger's Shield for a Protection Paladin. When an extra pack joins, your first thought should be the button that grabs it, not how to survive it.
- Stay alive. A rotation mistake only lowers your damage. A defensive mistake kills you and, at +12 and higher, costs 15 seconds of timer. Spend your attention on defensives, not on the perfect filler button.
You'll die while learning, and that's normal. Nobody expects you to carry every failed key; a tank who learns the dangerous pulls and the route improves faster than one who chases damage meters.
How to Pull and Set the Pace
The pace of a key is set by the tank. Every second you spend gathering a pack is a second your DPS can't use, so a good pull is fast, clear and stacked.
- Treat movement speed as a defensive. A mob that can't reach you deals no damage. Use your movement abilities in a sensible order, tag casters from range and don't burn every charge before you reach the pack.
- Telegraph the pull. When you stop moving, your DPS press their cooldowns. If you stop and then run to add another pack, everyone has already used their burst and you risk losing threat.
- Tank on the priority target. Stand on the totem, the caster or the boss add that must die first. Cleave DPS follow your position, so the right spot speeds up the whole pull. Most tanks should strafe around a pack rather than run through it; Guardian Druid is the exception.
- Pixel-stack casters. Line casters around a corner, or pull them in with Death Grip, Ursol's Vortex or Typhoon, then make sure the far caster gets interrupted.
When to Chain Pull
Chain pulling saves time, but only when the group can handle it. New tanks should follow simple rules:
- Don't chain early in the key.
- Only chain mobs that move with you; never chain onto casters.
- Never chain onto mobs that have wiped your group before, such as the Spirit of Hunger in Den of Nalorakk.
- Never pull more than two dangerous mobs or several casters at once.
All eight Season 2 dungeons time comfortably without overpulling, so a clean medium pull beats a risky mega pull.
How to Plan a Mythic+ Route
A route is the list of pulls that reaches 100% enemy forces before the last boss. You don't need to memorise it on day one: Lindormi's Guidance shows the way on low keys, and Mythic Dungeon Tools does the planning for higher ones.
Lindormi's Guidance and Lindormi's Glow
From +2 to +5, Lindormi's Guidance highlights the non-boss enemies that complete the enemy forces count and weakens them by 5%, and deaths don't cost time. At +6 the affix goes away. Talk to Lindormi in Silvermoon City to get Lindormi's Glow, which keeps highlighting enemy forces without the weakening. The glow shows which mobs count, not the fastest route, so it doesn't replace a planned route at high keys.
Using Mythic Dungeon Tools
Mythic Dungeon Tools (MDT) is the addon tanks use to plan and share routes:
- Open it with /mdt, pick the dungeon and set the key level and affixes.
- Hover a mob to see its forces count, then click portraits to add them to a pull.
- Share the route with your party or export it as a string before the key starts.
If you're learning, write down a few checkpoints instead of the whole route, for example the forces percentage you need before a boss. Clearing 5% extra is always better than a dead tank.
Our Mythic+ routes guide and the route guides for each Season 2 dungeon, such as the Murder Row route, show the pulls and skips we recommend.
How to Use Defensive Cooldowns in Mythic+
Never gather a pack without a defensive running. Use a cheap, short cooldown while you collect the mobs and save the big one for when the whole pack is hitting you.
- Gather with a small defensive, stand in the pack with a big one. Blood Death Knights, for example, often start with Vampiric Blood and save Dancing Rune Weapon for the stacked pack.
- Time defensives late for debuff hits. Abilities that leave a damage-taken debuff or a damage over time effect are best covered at the end of the cast, so the defensive covers the hit and the debuff.
- Cover every hit of a channel. Multi-hit channels such as Blade Combo in Kings' Rest or Brutalize in Voidscar Arena need a defensive for the whole cast.
- Use dispels and racials as defensives. A poison or magic dispel from your healer, or a racial that removes bleeds and debuffs, often saves a cooldown.
- Don't press everything at once. Spreading defensives across a pull keeps you covered when the second dangerous cast comes.
Affixes That Change How You Tank
Season 2 affixes change which part of a dungeon is dangerous, so adjust your cooldown plan each week:
- Fortified from +7 on its week gives non-boss enemies 20% more health and up to 20% more damage. Trash pulls become the danger; use more crowd control and smaller pulls.
- Tyrannical from +7 on its week gives bosses 25% more health and up to 15% more damage. Save big defensives for tank busters.
- From +10, both are active every week.
- Xal'atath's Bargain from +5 to +11 adds a weekly mechanic. Missing it often makes enemies stronger for a short window, so don't start a big pull while that buff is up.
- Xal'atath's Guile from +12 adds 90 seconds to the timer but makes every death cost 15 seconds. Survive first, speed second.
Our Mythic+ affixes guide covers each affix in detail.
Tank Busters in Every Season 2 Dungeon
Every Season 2 dungeon has a few moments that kill tanks who don't expect them. Plan a defensive for each of these before you reach them.
| Dungeon | Danger | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Altar of Fangs | Ravenous Descendant gains attack speed with every hit; Rav'i's Hydrastrike; The Writhing Coil's Tail Scythe; Zul'jan's Chop Down hits twice | Kite or stun the Descendant for 2 seconds to reset its stacks; defensive on each boss hit |
| Den of Nalorakk | Spirit of Hunger packs; Nalorakk's Overwhelming Onslaught and Forceful Slam | Pull Spirits of Hunger one at a time; stand in Defensive Stance to reduce Onslaught |
| Murder Row | Zaen Bladesorrow's poison Envenom; Xathuux's Legion Strike and Demonic Rage | Ask for a poison dispel; point Legion Strike at the arena edge and use a defensive during Demonic Rage |
| The Blinding Vale | Lightgorged Lasher magic damage over time; Lightblossom Trinity's Bedrock Slam; Ziekket's frontal beam | Get the Lasher debuff dispelled; defensive for Bedrock Slam; aim Ziekket's beam at the Lashers |
| Voidscar Arena | Atroxus's Hulking Claw and the Toxic Creeper's Sickening Bite; Devouring Brutalizer channel; Charonus's Dark Waves | Never let the Creeper reach you; defensive for each Brutalize; aim Dark Waves away from the group |
| Ruby Life Pools | Melidrussa's Frigid Shard; Kokia's Searing Blows; Erkhart's Stormslam | Keep a kick for Frigid Shard; defensive on Searing Blows; get Stormslam dispelled |
| Temple of Sethraliss | Adderis's Overload; Merektha's Lightning Bite; the Galvanized debuff at Galvazzt | Defensive during Overload; spell reflect or immunity for Lightning Bite; defensive before soaking a spire |
| Kings' Rest | The Golden Serpent's Tail Thrash; the Council's Debilitating Backhand; Dazar's Blade Combo | Defensive on each; cover every hit of Blade Combo |
Your healer has the matching list of dispels in our Mythic+ healer guide, and the best Mythic+ comps guide shows which specs bring poison dispels and soothes for these dungeons.
Which Tank to Play in Season 2
Tank balance is close this season, so play the spec you enjoy. Blood Death Knight is the most played and the most self-sufficient, with two charges of Death Grip that pay off in this dungeon pool. Guardian Druid is the easiest to learn, brings a strong poison dispel and leads the highest keys. Vengeance Demon Hunter deals the most damage of the tanks, while Brewmaster Monk, Protection Paladin and Protection Warrior are solid picks with more to learn.
The full ranking is in our Mythic+ tank tier list.
More Guides for Season 2 Tanks
Compare every tank in the tier list, build your group with the best comps, and learn each dungeon's pulls in the routes guide.
Mythic+ Tank FAQ
These are the questions new and returning tanks ask most in Season 2.
No. From +2 to +5, Lindormi's Guidance highlights the mobs that complete enemy forces, and deaths don't cost time. Learn the route while you move up.
The affix goes away, but you can talk to Lindormi in Silvermoon City for Lindormi's Glow, which keeps highlighting the mobs that count.
As big as your group can kill safely. Every Season 2 dungeon times without overpulling, so start with single packs and add more as your group's damage and your defensives allow.
Not for low keys, but it's the standard way to plan and share routes for higher keys, and most groups expect the tank to have one.
Yes. Tanks often have the best interrupt position, and some tank hits, such as Frigid Shard in Ruby Life Pools, can be interrupted.
Guardian Druid is widely seen as the most forgiving, and Blood Death Knight is the most self-sufficient.
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