WoW Shadowlands DPS Ranking 2021
This is a general ranking of all DPS classes in Mythic Castle Nathria. This list is not only DPS guidelines but also a list of specs that are fun to play, therefore a speculative view. The specs that do more DPS may not be as fun as other specs! Also note that with each week gear scales up and some classes scale better than others. There were many sources from which the information was gathered. Included are WoW Progress, the official WoW Armory, and many other helpful resources. This is not a decisive article and not meant to be the definitive source. All classes and specs have viability and should be played if you like them!!!
Number 24: Demonology Warlock (4854 DPS SIMMED)
Demonology Warlocks have always been a neat spec to play. With the ability to summon so many evil minions you can tank in solo content, but in raids you have the unique ability to command from a far while you blast the boss with Fel magic. With high mobility and single target damage this spec excels in single target boss fights. This is coupled with a high output burst window when your cooldowns align. Being a pet class however means you are relying on your pet’s AI which can sometimes be a very bad thing. Always dismissing and re-summoning can get old when moving in between packs of mobs. There are also finicky boss fights where your pet may do something plain stupid. This is also a ramp up class that takes a fair amount of time to get going. And overall, the multi target AOE situation with Demonology Warlocks is very limited.
- Fun to play either solo or raiding.
- High Mobility
- Good single target damage
- Really high burst windows
- Pet AI can be problematic.
- Ramp up class taking time to build momentum.
- Extremely limited AOE damage
- Best Demonology Warlock build: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/barthilas/Demiin
Number 23: Survival Hunter (5047 DPS SIMMED)
With many logs coming out the Survival Hunter has fallen through the cracks as the least played Hunter spec. This spec suffers from low DPS paired with an incredibly hard learning curve which makes the effort not worth the playing. The pet abilities are the big ups of a Survival Hunter’s abilities in their DPS role.
- Low number of players playing the class.
- Low DPS at highest skill level
- Very hard to reach high skill level.
- Best Survival Hunter build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/illidan/Mirred
Number 22: Destruction Warlock (5092 DPS SIMMED)
The Destruction Warlock is a great class. There are supreme burst damage cooldowns, which you can use at will. The cleave damage is good for a Destruction Warlock. And there is low ramp up time. All this being said you have low mobility. But more importantly most of your spells need to be cast while not moving. This breaks the class down a bit because most situations in either Mythic+ or raid scenarios require strict adherence to mechanics. Most of these mechanics require constant moving. This makes this class less desirable than Affliction which is the main spec to be.
- Awesome burst damage cooldowns
- Cooldowns can be used at will.
- Little to no mobility
- Mechanics in M+ and Raids break the class.
- Best build for Destruction Warlocks: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/malganis/Roynator
Number 21: Assassination Rogue (5138 DPS SIMMED)
While the Assassination Rogue has been at remarkably high points in the history of WoW raiding in the past Castle Nathria has taken them down a notch. Well, several notches at that. The DPS output of the Assassination Rogue has been buffed but this class is sadly still very sub-par. Subtlety or Outlaw are usually the better choice for both raiding and mythic content.
- Slight buff recently
- Still the lowest DPS
- Other specs outshine Assassination.
- Best Build for Assassination Rogue: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/zuljin/Stigid
Number 20: Beast Mastery Hunter (5281 DPS SIMMED)
The Beast Mastery Hunter is the one ranged spec that can do full DPS while moving! All abilities cast on the run means that this is also one of the easiest classes to play. Being so easy to play makes this an incredibly fun spec to take up. Considering the fact that you must rely on your pet AI and no bust cooldowns this class is sub-par to Marksmanship in DPS.
- Full ability to DPS while moving.
- Incredibly fun and easy class to play.
- Reliant on pet’s AI
- No burst cooldowns
- Best Beast Mastery Build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/stormrage/Perdd
Number 19: Fury Warrior (5289 DPS SIMMED)
Fury Warriors have high mobility and cleave DPS. They also have many defensive cooldowns and access to the Battle Shout buff which is always needed. They are a fun and fast spec to play and have the ability to do decent damage overall. There’s a high skill cap with Fury Warriors and this will deter many players to actually get the high numbers. Downtime in this spec is a fatal flaw and will sap your DPS numbers in a heartbeat.
- High mobility
- Good cleave DPS.
- Good defensive toolkit
- Essential Battle Shout raid buff
- High skill cap that makes optimal DPS harder for some players
- Downtime saps DPS meters
- Best Fury Warrior build: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/frostmourne/Zeaker
Number 18: Frost Mage (5419 DPS SIMMED)
Frost Mages have recently received a buff that was well needed. Because Frost Mages have always been topping the DPS meters so it is extremely rare to find them on the lower echelons. The Frost Mage is still very viable as far as their DPS is still high. With so many defensive cooldowns you can take a burden off your healing team by keeping yourself from taking extensive damage. This class is still out performed by the other two specs.
- Greatly beneficial buff to DPS
- With buff higher dps rankings
- Maintaining the ability to take pressure off healing team.
- Still not as much DPS as Fire or Arcane
- Best Frost Mage Build: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/stormrage/Cdnmute
Number 17: Havoc Demon Hunter (5708 DPS SIMMED)
This class has a remarkably high learning curve and as such many players don’t play to the highest dps potential. That being said, even with the highest skill this class isn’t topping the charts. With two variations being Momentum and Eye Beam this class does have some leeway in how you can play. This breaks monotony and allows you to not feel so trapped in your main character should you choose Demon Hunter as your main character. This class does have good AOE and some beneficial buffs as well.
- High learning curve discourages players from playing this class.
- Two different paths make the class not as stale.
- Good AOE
- Beneficial raid buffs
- Best Build for Havoc Demon Hunters: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/anvilmar/Lexo
Number: 16 Enhancement Shaman (5775 DPS SIMMED)
Enhancement Shamans are Good at making a group. With their abilities to use their totems as well as the ability of Blood Lust which all party members love. The Enhancement Shamans also have a big hole in their DPS if their Storm bringer and Malestrorm Weapon procs don’t go off right. This is a big flaw in their DPS as a consistent force. They are highly reliant on being able to get their uptime going so when the encounter requires movement, they also suffer DPS loss there. An extremely high learning curve requires you to be always on every cooldown. This cap can make the class less appealing than others. Enhancement Shamans are also very fragile with limited defensive cool downs.
- Go well with all groups.
- Blood Lust is a big cool down.
- Random DPS procs make a variable dps chart.
- Require high uptime.
- Extremely high curve to master
- Limited defensive cool downs
- Best Enhancement Shaman build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/zuljin/Kuako
Number: 15 Retribution Paladin (5864 DPS SIMMED)
With strong Single target and AOE cleave burst Retribution Paladins have a very high DPS output. With this strong DPS comes a great help of a strong defensive toolkit. This kit includes many bubbles and interrupts. In addition to these strengths comes the utility spells to protect and ensnare allies there is the strongest single target heal of Lay on Hands! This class also brings the raid wide 3% damage reduction buff. This class is very hindered with mobility making it weaker with some raid and mythic+ mechanics. With all the abilities at its disposal the Retribution Paladin is still very reliant on up time.
- Strong single and AOE cleave burst.
- Great defensives including bubbles and interrupts.
- Blessings to help other raiders.
- Lay on Hands heal
- Devotion Aura 3% damage reduction buff
- Bad mobility
- Very reliant on uptimes
- Best Retribution Paladin build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/sargeras/Pauliss
Number 14: Frost Death Knight (5901 DPS SIMMED)
The Frost Death Knight has gotten the simpler play style as opposed to Unholy. With the smaller skill cap the Frost spec has a bigger appeal but less overall DPS than the Unholy spec. This spec has High burst with the Breath of Sindragosa spell. With the Death Grip spell, you have a super effective add collector spell. And the big raid cool down of Anti-Magic Zone is an amazing contribution helping with magic damage. Frost Death Knights suffer from a terrible lack of mobility with no abilities that get them any kind of relief. This class is dependent on the cool down of Breath of Sindragosa. As such the DPS can suffer with the uptime on this spell. This class also has low ability to do any spread damage making it single target dependent.
- Easier to master than Unholy.
- High burst damage with Breath of Sindragosa
- Death Grip is the ultimate add control.
- Anti-Magic Zone is a big raid cooldown helping with magic damage.
- No mobility
- Breath of Sindragosa’s cooldown is DPS dependent.
- Best Frost Death Knight build: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/malganis/Korela
Number 13: Arcane Mage (5965 DPS SIMMED)
The Arcane Mage has always been a great spec to choose. This spec has remarkably high burst DPS as well as great mobility. Their ability to avoid and promptly reduce a good amount of damage is also worth noting. The single target DPS comes with a cost. There are many cooldowns that are the focus of your single target DPS. The AOE damage of an Arcane Mage is basically nonexistent unless you talent into it specing into AOE damage cuts into your single target damage. Being only single or AOE DPS is a great hindrance.
- High single target burst.
- Good mobility
- Damage mitigation
- No AOE damage unless talented
- Specing into AOE cuts single target drastically.
- Best Arcane Build: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/zuljin/Leftclick
Number 12: Elemental Shaman (6094 DPS SIMMED)
Enhancement Shamans are not so much punished with downtime so they’re a bit more consistent than Enhancement. There are a ton of spells to keep up with, so the learning curve is pretty high for this class. When you have so many cool downs and spells to fill in your rotation the is complex and diverse. This adds to some of the fun, being that you can play so many ways and still reach the end goal of great DPS. In fact, this class has the potential highest single DPS target output. This is based on many choices in talents and all talents can lead to even more play styles. The Elemental Shaman has poor defensive cool downs as well as being out classed by other similar specs.
- Little downtime punishment
- Complex yet fun to play.
- Greatest single target DPS potential
- Complex to play with high learning curve.
- Poor defensive cooldowns
- Outclassed by other specs of similar nature.
- Best Elemental Shaman build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/sargeras/Trenzix
Number 11: Arms Warrior (6100 DPS SIMMED)
Arms Warriors are a jack-of-all-trades spec. Their ability to talent into all modes of play from single to multitarget AOE is very impressive. Like Fury Warriors they have the same high mobility toolkit as well as the defensive kit. Also, to be noted is the fact that they have the same access to Battle Shout which is an especially important raid buff. There are a few downsides to Arms warriors. With a slow and very monotonous rotation this spec gets boring rather quickly. That is compounded by there not being any strong offensive cool downs to make for a spicier rotation. And finally, the AOE damage is locked into two categories with two talents. You must choose either Cleave or War breaker adding to the bland rotation.
- Multiple talent choices
- Hight mobility
- Great defense
- Battle Shout raid buff
- Boring rotation gets old quick.
- No strong offensive cool downs
- Locked into talent choices for playstyle.
- Best Arms Warrior build: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/frostmourne/Acrow
Number 10: Subtlety Rogue (6194 DPS SIMMED)
After many nerfs the Subtlety Rogue has landed in an interesting spot. It is currently fighting with the Outlaw spec for tops in the class DPS rankings. Although many players are still playing outlaw this spec is nonetheless very viable. With Decent burst on demand damage this spec has additional dps based on AOE fueled procs. Powerful defensive and utility cooldowns also help this spec to perform in varying situations. That being said their damage outside of the Shadow Dance and Symbols of Death cooldowns is very low. The interaction of Combo Points and your Shadow Dance cooldown makes a long uptime your DPS downfall.
- Super nerfed class
- Decent burst
- AOE can fuel single target DPS with procs.
- Defensive and utility cooldowns to help certain raid situations.
- Bad damage outside burst windows
- Combo Point system hurst DPS further
- Best Subtlety Rogue build: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/sargeras/M%C3%A2yx%C3%B8x%C3%B8
Number 9: Fire Mage (6208 DPS SIMMED)
With fluent play and an excessively big set of high numbers Fire Mage is the way to go on topping the charts. This spec has the highest DPS of any Mage spec and loses little DPS from roaming in a fight. This spec has the nuke potential making it good for burst and execute phases. Also being good with AOE as well as single target damage. With no cleave or sustained spread the class falters slightly with multi target sustained damage.
- Fluent and fun gameplay
- Big numbers with crits
- Huge ability to nuke in DPS windows.
- Little DPS lost from movement.
- No cleave or spread damage.
- Best Fire Mage build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/zuljin/Yeahright
Number 8: Shadow Priest (6237 DPS SIMMED)
Shadow Priests have skyrocketed to the upper echelons of DPS meters. This class has very good, sustained damage on multiple targets. With the ability to talent into AOE damage the Shadow Priest goes into a great situation for a mid-raid role swap. The ability to have a crazy amount of self-healing is also a great perk to take some heat from your healers. The Vampiric Embrace ability has a situational role in being able to act as a pseudo healer. The Shadow Priest also has the ability to talent into multiple roles, depending on what the riad needs. The Priest has a set Fortitude raid buff as well. This spec has the drawbacks of a learning curve. The DoT positions on all your targets must be carefully planned out. The cool downs you use are somewhat hard to align and keep straight. And your ability to roam freely is severely cut due to spell casting windows.
- Strong multi target DPS
- Ability to talent into AOE damage
- Supreme amount of self-heal
- Vampiric Embrace pseudo healer
- Multiple talented roles
- Fortitude raid buff
- Learning curve of using DoTs
- Learning curve of cooldown alignment
- Learning curve of casting margins
- Best Shadow Priest build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/kelthuzad/Vudi
Number 7: Marksman Hunter (6257 DPS SIMMED)
The highest DPS spec of all the Hunters the Marksman is a fun spec. Their ability to do their damage without the pet is great. This allows you to break away from the pet AI that causes a lot of trouble with the other hunter specs as well as Warlocks. The DPS for this class is the highest in both AOE and DPS fights. Without that pet though we come to the point of not having all the pet utility. For one the pet cannot tank for us. Another point is that you lose Blood Lust as well as every other ability your pet gives you. The DPS is inconsistently consistent. That is, with both Aimed Shot and Rapid Fire being your main DPS and being on cool down, you have a jittery pattern of how you deal damage. Being stuck in one spot to cast gives Beast Mastery a bigger jump in the mobility department.
- Highest DPS on both AOE and single target
- No pet bound AI.
- No pet abilities such as Blood Lust
- Jittery DPS pattern with main abilities on cool down
- Less mobility than Beast Mastery
- Best Marksmanship Hunter build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/frostmourne/Bahfae
Number 6: Affliction Warlock (6260 DPS SIMMED)
Affliction Warlocks are a very, very solid choice for raiding and mythic+ content. With you DoTs you have the ability to do strong single target DPS. These DoTs also hit extremely hard on multi target fights as you just spread them around on all targets. Keeping DoTs on every target takes some finesse but over all this spec isn’t terribly hard to play. With extremely high burst windows you have a great amount of burst on demand. This however comes at the cost of a high set up window where you could be hit with a lowering in DPS due to mechanics requiring you to move. This spec being based on DoTs has a long ramp up time as well. And while spread damage is there the ability to do strong AOE damage isn’t the greatest.
- Very strong class with both single and cleave DPS.
- DoTs are easily maintained.
- High burst windows
- Burst windows are punished by mechanics.
- Ramp up time is a factor in DPS.
- Outside spread AOE damage is low.
- Best Affliction Warlock build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/frostmourne/Sickraq
Number 5: Outlaw Rogue (6334 DPS SIMMED)
Outlaw Rouges is an extremely strong class. With many survivability spells and abilities, it’s in a great spot for mythic+ dungeons. Along with the survivability is the utility for mythic+ dungeons which include group stealth and all the Saps and stuns a rogue is known for. Their AOE and cleave dps is particularly good with the Spell Blade Flurry. This however is the catch as their DPS is almost entirely reliant on this spell. When you add Roll the Bones to this mix it makes for a variable dps output. This is also confounded by the problem of using the abilities wrong and missing your entire window.
- Great survivability
- Especially useful in mythic+ content with defensive and utility abilities
- AOE dps is remarkably high with Blade Flurry.
- Missing your window with Blade Flurry or a bad Roll the Bones is a big DPS loss.
- Best Outlaw Rogue build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/kiljaeden/Kazoocanoe
Number 4: Unholy Death Knight (6335 DPS SIMMED)
Over the past few weeks where the gear has steadily gotten better the Unholy Death Knight is losing ground on their top position on the DPS meters. This isn’t due to the class falling but to the gear not scaling as well as other classes. With a good amount of damage potential this class still survives. The utility of the class is also a very nice thing to have in your end game content parties. Death Grip will probably remain one of the best mob management spells of the game. Anti-Magic Barrier is again a particularly good thing to have in any party or raid due to the great amount of protection and damage reduction it can take off the healer. However, the Unholy Death Knight is punished like Frost in the fact that they just don’t have any mobility. The spread and AOE damage are terrible. And finally, the rotation is awkward and not the most pleasant to try and master.
- Still a very viable spec
- Still does good single target damage.
- Death grip for mob management
- Anti-Magic Shield for party or raid damage mitigation
- Little to no mobility
- No spread or AOE damage
- Awkward and unpleasant rotation
Number 3: Wind Walker Monk (6401 DPS SIMMED)
With a semi strong burst of single target and a great deal of AOE cleave the Wind Walkers are an incredibly fun class to play. This class has basically all the mobility, more so than any other class. This class is a very good spread of everything that has to be done. Since it is spread out so much in all that it can do, it does nothing supremely well. When the DPS comes out this class doesn’t excel at any one point.
- Semi strong burst DPS
- Good amount of AOE cleave.
- Good at most roles
- Not good at one roll to stand out.
- Best Wind Walker Monk build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/lothar/Aidan
Number 2: Feral Druid (6689 DPS SIMMED)
Feral Druids have changed from BFA and not for a bat turn. The shape shifting Lion/Bear melee class are in a really good spot with their DPS. Not only that but with an easy to pick up playstyle they’re refreshingly fun. With a solid form of single target damage the Druids have a very good new cool down: Berserk. This allows the Druid to pump up some of their abilities to go through as stealth and Finishers to go through powered up. The class has very high mobility and flexibility on raid positioning. They are very flexible with talent choices being able to talent to many different scenarios. These talents, however, will lock you into that particular spec’s choice. This spec also has ramp up time which can affect DPS meters as well. AOE abilities are DoT reliant and require set up to work. This spec also has an extremely strict resource management system. The resource management puts a higher cap on player skill required for Feral Druids.
- Solid DPS
- Easy to pick up. Hard to master.
- Good DPS cooldown Berserk
- Very mobile and flexible class
- Binding talents
- Ramp up required.
- AOE is DoT reliant
- Higher than average skill cap
- Best Feral Druid build https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/wyrmrest-accord/Opter
Number 1: Balance Druid (7005 DPS SIMMED)
Boomkin Druids are super explosive. Convoke makes it so. 16 Star surge/Starfall in one button at one cool down. This is a Night Fae Coven ability, and it wins games hands down. Even outside this ridiculous spell the Balance Druid has very sustained DPS as well as an absurd utility kit. This kit includes several heals that target themselves as well as a bunch of single target crowd control spells. The druids however don’t have a lot of mobility due to their built-in Astral Power usage. The class is severely clipped by the need for a ton of ramp up time. Not thinking ahead on what you could run into with some of your class mechanics can leave you stranded on a DPSless shore in the middle of a raid as well.
- BOOMkin
- Convoke the Spirits is a game shattering DPS cool down.
- Utility in self heals.
- Utility in single target CCs
- Low mobility
- Fair amount of ramp up
- Future planning or no DPS
