Why are World of Warcraft: Dragonflight players not bringing healers to Mythic+ dungeons?

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’s Mythic+ dungeons have had a very fascinating meta-shift in recent times. Whether it’s during casual play or at the highest levels of competitive play, we’re seeing fewer healers being used. This is primarily occurring in the Court of Stars dungeon, but there's a possibility that this could begin happening in other Mythics in the near future.

For as long as World of Warcraft has been around, the party build has always been one tank, one healer, and three DPS. However, players occasionally find new and clever ways to approach the game, and thanks to that, Mythic+ dungeons could see more one tank/four DPS compositions gaining popularity in the near future.

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Healers are being used less frequently in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Mythic+ dungeons

This 4-DPS comp was highlighted during the MDI 2023 (Mythic Dungeon International), when some of the best World of Warcraft players in the world were running 1 tank/4 DPS.

While this no healer comp was highlighted during the MDI, this wasn't exactly where the meta shift began. Competent players have used this team composition in previous expansions, where dungeons allowed for it. Clearly, this strategy can’t be used in every single dungeon. After all, Mythics do allow players to experiment and try new things in their World of Warcraft gameplay.

How does this work? Players essentially run four high-damage DPS with a Protection Paladin for this World of Warcraft: Dragonflight team composition. In the current expansion, Protection Paladins have access to significant defenses and can even heal their allies in a pinch.

What this means is that an exceptional Paladin can cover two roles, while the other DPS focuses on burning down bosses, packs of enemies, and interrupting important special abilities. This works exceptionally well in Court of Stars Mythic+ because there aren’t many instances of Area Effect damage present.

Players can interrupt abilities and move out of the way of stronger strikes without taking a lot of damage. By using the right builds and strategies, players can grind through even the hardest Mythic+ without bringing a healer to the battlefield. While the higher keys still require healers, the fact remains that this composition is feasible with practice and skill.

Right now, this doesn't always work for all World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Mythic+ dungeons. As such, it’s most likely to succeed in Shadowmoon Burial Grounds and Court of Stars. If your key level isn’t too high, that will be to your benefit as well.

When building your DPS team, you also want to consider characters that have off-heal/spot heal abilities. Shamans, Druids, and Shadow Priests will be your best bet here. Some of these classes have abilities that can heal while dealing damage (Vampiric Embrace is a great example). While you don’t have to go for an off-heal build, having access to some healing abilities will certainly help.

With that said, you should definitely have separate builds for these kinds of Mythic+ runs. Protection Paladins should have the Word of Glory talents, alongside those healing abilities on the DPS characters.

With that said, although a meta shift has occurred and this is becoming a lot more common, it hasn't completely eliminated the healer’s role on Mythic+ teams. Unless your Protection Paladin is overwhelmingly skilled, you’re going to be better off just running a healer.

Looking at recent trends, Season 2 of World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is certainly going to be interesting. Protection Paladins are incredibly strong right now, and this zero-healer comp could lead to them receiving a nerf in patch 10.1 if Blizzard feels that it's too strong.