Tank Comparison – External Healing Requirements (Cinderbrew +16)
I created this post to spark a discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of each tank spec, and to encourage open brainstorming with the community.
My hope is that multiple tanks can compete for the top spot, rather than seeing a single dominant class every season.
This analysis was conducted using Warcraft Logs, with a focus on External Healing Required (EHRPS) to assess how much support each tank needs from healers during a Mythic+ run.
I originally intended to use Cinderbrew +17 logs, but due to limited availability (especially for Blood DKs), I used +16 logs instead to allow for a complete comparison across all six tank specs.
English is not my first language, so I used ChatGPT to translate this post in order to reach a wider audience and open the conversation to more people.
EHRPS Rankings (Raw Values Only)
| Rank | Tank Class | Specialization | EHRPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Monk | Brewmaster | 688,375.9 |
 |
Paladin | Protection | 603,428.2 |
 |
Druid | Guardian | 587,944.3 |
 |
Warrior | Protection | 504,139.8 |
 |
Death Knight | Blood | 355,166.1 |
 |
Demon Hunter | Vengeance | 311,459.3 |
Tank-by-Tank Breakdown
Brewmaster Monk — 688k EHRPS
- Required more than twice the external healing of the Vengeance DH.
- Despite similar HP volatility, monk tanks do not feel smooth to heal.
- The Stagger mechanic, while theoretically helpful, does not translate into ease of healing in high-stress pulls.
Protection Paladin — 603k EHRPS
- Can run out of mana from excessive self-healing, especially on long fights.
- Needs to pre-heal to maintain the 30% block bonus, adding to healer pressure and making mitigation uptime harder to manage during heavy damage windows.
Guardian Druid — 588k EHRPS
- I do not play Guardian enough to provide deep insight.
- Based on logs, its healing intake is high, possibly due to limited burst mitigation options.
Protection Warrior — 504k EHRPS
- Feels noticeably squishier since the recent rage nerfs.
- Even with good Ignore Pain and Shield Block uptime, they seem to take more consistent damage than expected.
Blood Death Knight — 355k EHRPS
- No logs in Cinderbrew +17 — because they die at the pull.
- I had to use a +16 run to include DK in the comparison.
- Simply put, they do not survive the opening spike of this dungeon on higher keys.
Vengeance Demon Hunter — 311k EHRPS
- Most self-sufficient of all six tanks.
- I honestly didn’t expect the DH to require even less healing than a Blood DK.
- Their Soul Fragment healing, mobility, and Demon Spikes uptime are clearly doing work.
Context – Sample Size Limitations
This comparison originally targeted Cinderbrew +17, but due to lack of logs, I used +16 data instead. Sample sizes were uneven:
No logs for Blood Death Knight in +17
6 logs for Protection Warrior- 3 logs each for Guardian Druid, Brewmaster Monk, and Protection Paladin
Therefore, this ranking gives a good first impression but should not be taken as a statistically robust or final evaluation of the tank meta in Cinderbrew.
Raw Log Sources
These links are modified to avoid being automatically detected as URLs on forums.
To use them, simply copy and remove the space afterwarcraftlogs.
warcraftlogs .com/reports/3cmvCZPRtpD9VHxq?fight=8&type=damage-taken&options=4226 ← Brewmaster Monk
warcraftlogs .com/reports/HBKCz4AGwyXxfZvn?fight=4&type=damage-taken&options=4226 ← Protection Paladin
warcraftlogs .com/reports/dpaC6jLyDVkAZG4Y?fight=1&type=damage-taken&options=4226 ← Guardian Druid
warcraftlogs .com/reports/YB6kZzTtRbpLP7FV?fight=21&type=damage-taken&options=4226 ← Protection Warrior
warcraftlogs .com/reports/PhCBkjx1WfAnTXz2?fight=59&type=damage-taken&options=4226 ← Blood Death Knight (+16)
warcraftlogs .com/reports/fQWDbVwzvq13YhMn?fight=4&type=damage-taken&options=4226 ← Vengeance Demon Hunter
Personal Commentary & Observations
Here are my personal notes based on the analysis:
Monk: Requires more than twice the healing of a DH, and HP spikes just as much. Healing is not as “smooth” as Blizzard claimed.
Paladin: Risks going OOM due to high self-healing needs. Also forced to pre-heal to maintain block bonus, which isn’t ideal under pressure.
Druid: I don’t play this tank often enough to give detailed insights.- Warrior: Feels squishier than before, especially after the rage nerf.
- Blood DK: No logs in +17 because they just die instantly at the pull. I had to rely on +16 data.
- DH: Surprisingly, needed less external healing than the DK. Didn’t expect that at all.
If you have thoughts, experiences, or counter-logs of your own — I’d love to hear them! Let’s try to shape a tank meta where every spec has a chance to shine, rather than rotating through a single dominant class each season.