World of Warcraft: Legion has now received its final raid: Antorus, the Burning Throne. With Antorus finally comes new content for WoW: 11 new bosses, new loot, and new numbers! At the top of the calculated damage list of the DPS ranking: Fury Warriors! But is that really true?
One of the most important questions with every new raid is: Which class actually deals the most damage? The site simulationcraft.org offers a tool that simulates the damage of all classes.
The mathematics says: Fury Warrior is King
The numbers are calculated ideal values that often do not occur in reality. However, they can be used as rough guidelines and targets to improve. Simulationcraft calculates the damage that each class can theoretically achieve with the best available gear.
Simulationcraft calculates the gear in the so-called “Patchwerk” style with Legendaries for item level 960. This means that the T21 set is not necessarily worn, but rather the mathematically best gear and the best Legendaries with an average item level of 960.
At the top of this calculated list are Fury Warriors. They already shone in Tomb of Sargeras with high numbers in the simulation, and later also in the logs towards the end of the raid. Closely following them are Enhancement Shamans, Shadow Priests, and Frost Mages.
The single-target focus is dead – long live the single-target focus!
If you take a closer look at the breakdown of damage, you see that most of the damage comes from Bloodbath, Execute, and Bloodthirst. The first place of the Fury Warrior does not result from the strong AoE damage of the class, which certainly has its advantages in some boss fights, but from single-target damage.
Even the other classes at the top are actually more known for their single-target damage. What is surprising is that the true masters of single-target damage, Assassination and Subtlety Rogues, linger in the last places.
Instead, it can most easily be explained by the fact that the sets and legendaries of the upper classes are significantly stronger. New trinkets also contribute to this. For Rogues, Convergence of Fate may still be the strongest trinket – but that comes from the penultimate raid, The Nighthold.
Theory meets practice
The first numbers from Antorus according to logs contradict this mathematics. However, the runs are still not sufficient to draw a solid conclusion. Furthermore, the calculated numbers are designed for a higher item level and tier sets. No one has achieved this yet, so the numbers below are just a temporary trend.
So far, the Fury Warrior seems to be not as strong in reality as in theory. It remains to be seen what the sets can change about this.
Have you explored Antorus yet? Do your experiences align with the mathematics of Simulationcraft? Leave us a comment!
