In World of Warcraft, the new expansion Warlords of Draenor and patch 6.0.3 have reshuffled the cards. Which class deals the most damage? Which specialization is the strongest for each class?
You can find the latest WoW DPS rankings after 7.1 here.
It’s that time of year again when you see questions like these being asked in every form of WoW chat.
- Which DPS is currently the strongest?
- Which deals more damage for Mages: Frost or Arcane?
- Which Twink should I level to 100 first if I want to deal really good damage?
- Which class scales best with gear, who becomes stronger over time?
We have answers to these questions for you, but we didn’t spend eight hours testing with ten different characters; instead, we evaluated the data from a US site that figured out these numbers through simulations.
Death Knights, Monks, and Hunters in the Lead
Which class currently deals the most damage to single targets?
In Single-DPS in World of Warcraft, Monks, Death Knights, and Hunters lead with patch 6.0.3.
With heroic gear (iLvl 630), the 1h Monk, the Marksman Hunter, and the Unholy DK are at the top, followed by the 2h Monk, then a long gap, then the Frost 2h DK, now the Retribution Paladin sneaks in, and then the other specs of Death Knights and Hunters. With item level 666, the Death Knight is further ahead, and with 680, the Marksman Hunter takes rank 1, and the Balance Druid, the Boomkin, suddenly appears in the ranking at position 2.
With Best-in-Slot items, the best gear obtainable in the upcoming raids, the Marksman Hunter, Unholy DK, and the Boomkin are ahead, while the Monk falls a bit behind – and the Subtlety Rogue and Ret Paladin are slowly establishing themselves in the upper rankings.
How big are the gaps? How much damage do the IMBA specs deal compared to the gimps?
The damage difference at a gear score of 633 between position 1 (Unholy DK) and the middle (Fury 1h) is already 15%. The Fire Mage falls far behind, only achieving 70% of the damage. At a gear score of 666 (full raid gear), the gap to the middle has decreased slightly, the difference between position 1 and 14 is 13%, at 680 (HC gear) and Best-in-Slot it’s around 11%.
Which class deals the most damage to at least 3 targets?
Against three targets, the Unholy Death Knight is far ahead. The Marksman Hunter is also doing well, along with the Destruction Warlock and the Elemental Shaman showing strong performance.
Mages and Warlocks – Little to Laugh About
What about Mages? Frost or Arcane?
Mages are not really strong with WoW patch 6.0.3. This patch probably doesn’t sit well with them. In damage against single targets, the Frost Mage performs best in simulations. Arcane and Fire lag behind. The Frost Mage does move up with better gear, but he can’t really shine.
Warlocks? Affliction, Demonology, or Destruction? How do they perform in terms of damage?
The simulation results probably won’t please Warlocks either. Demonology and Affliction (the plague warlock) are far down the table. Destruction, the destruction warlock, is in the lower midfield. However, in fights against multiple targets, the Warlock performs well, showcasing the Destruction Warlock as one of the best options.
Paladin, Priest, Shaman, and Druid – Where Do the Hybrids Stand?
How is it with the Shaman? Elemental or should they use melee?
Shamans are in the midfield like many other classes, not much is happening here; the switch between Elemental and Enhancement depends on gear score. Both specs don’t pull ahead in terms of theoretical DPS. If it’s any consolation: The Elemental Shaman scales well in fights against multiple targets with gear.
Where does the Retribution stand? How much damage does the Retribution Paladin deal?
The Retribution Paladin has had a good patch standing. With Best-in-Slot gear, he ranks 4th, and with 630 gear as well, it’s just stuck somewhere in between.
What about the Shadow? Where does he stand?
The Shadow is positioned pretty much in the middle of the expansion. There’s not much happening with scaling as well. He’s doing better than some Mages and Warlocks, but not by much.
And what about the kitty? Where does the Feral Druid stand, where is the Laser Owl?
Feral Druids rank quite well after Monks, Death Knights, Retribution Paladins, and Hunters, in the top half of the table, so to speak. However, Balance Druids will surpass them over time with better gear. They probably scale excellently.
Rogues and Warriors, How Does it Look in DPS Land?
Warriors? Arms or Fury?
The Warriors do not play a prominent role in the rankings, they settle in the lower midfield. Here, the Fury with one-handed weapons is ahead of the one with two-handed weapons and the Arms Warrior. Against three targets, the Arms Warrior is also at the forefront and belongs to the top 5.
How are Rogues performing? Which spec is best, where do they stand?
Rogues are currently quite far behind. Combat and Subtlety Rogues are at the lower end of the DPS scale when it comes to single-target damage. Only the Subtlety Rogue is playing in the upper third.
Even with better gear, things don’t look particularly bright. In fights against multiple targets, the Combat Rogue is in the upper third, while the Subtlety Rogue is at the end of almost every statistic.
Death Knights, Monks, and Hunters – Welcome to Damage Heaven
Death Knights? I’ve heard they are strong, is that true?
Yes, the Death Knight is one of the stars of the DPS charts of World of Warcraft with the current patch state based on simulations. Especially the Unholy Death Knight is at the forefront at every gear level. However, the lead in theoretical DPS over the middle is not “sooo” massive either.
The Unholy DK is at the top in single-target. Frost one-handed and Frost two-handed weapons can also compete well. However, they scale worse at the end. In terms of multi-target DPS, the Unholy DK is currently far ahead.
Monks? One-handed or two-handed?
If you believe the simulations, it’s one-handed, this is slightly ahead at every gear level. Monks can be pleased with the patch state; they are up there but do not scale as well as other classes and drop into a solid midfield in the endgame.
And the Hunter? Marksmanship should be good?
The Marksmanship Hunter lies relatively far ahead in single-target DPS compared with the Unholy Death Knight. The Survival Hunter is also performing well. The Beast Master is positioned in the midfield. In fights against multiple targets, the Marksman Hunter does not need to switch specs; he remains at the top.
Conclusion: These theoretical tables should be taken with caution. That’s clear. Here, it’s also crucial to execute the right rotation, properly adjust gear, and of course, a good internet connection is necessary. And that “skill” thing that strange people sometimes yell about in groups seems to play a role in World of Warcraft after all.
