Nothing says "domination" in Blizzard's World of Warcraft more than annihilating bosses and their minions. Players prove their character's potential by pummeling other players to the ground in PVP. Interestingly, regardless of approach, players often end up choosing the same Classes when it comes to reliable DPS builds. It seems certain Classes sit on their respective thrones as the best DPS Classes in World of Warcraft meta.
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While Warcraft tries to ensure a balance between Class builds, certain Classes work best in other roles except the DPS. Certain Classes just fail to dominate PVP circles, just as others work so well with their damage output. Just which Classes work best as DPS?
Updated June 11, 2021 by Rhenn Taguiam: Players getting into World of Warcraft for the first time will find themselves surprised with the swath of features in the Shadowlands expansion. Shadowlands has a means to fast-track character leveling to enjoy its endgame offerings quickly – and a means to switch Specializations. Some who look forward to World of Warcraft for its DPS elements may appreciate its standout DPS Classes. These DPS Class Specializations tackle combat with a wide variety of offensive and defensive features, as well as decent survivability options. Anyone who wants to pummel bosses will love these picks.
10 Havoc Demon Hunter
The Havoc Demon Hunter specializes in strong melee cleave and AOE damage, courtesy from Sinful Brand and Unbound Chaos. Their straightforward nature makes them much easier to use in Shadowlands, with multiple AOE options that dish out major damage across various targets. Thanks to the Demon Hunter’s innate mobility, this Class can switch targets easily and reposition when necessary.
However, the Havoc Demon Hunter does have some setbacks. Players who want a solid single-target fighter might not see benefits with the Havoc Demon Hunter. Despite its strong AOE potential, its CD-heavy rotations can impact damage sustains. Due to this, the base damage of non-CD attacks might be weaker than other DPS classes.
9 Outlaw Rogue
While the Outlaw Rogue doesn’t have the single-target power of its Subtlety counterpart, Outlaw Rogue does shine when it comes to utility and survivability. At its core, the Outlaw Rogue tops the defense game with Feint and Evasion, anti-debuff through Cloak of Shadows, and emergency healing via Crimson Vial. Additionally, cloaking Shroud of Concealment and debuffs via Blind, Sap, and Gouge give the Outlaw Rogue a ton of useful group utility.
However, just because it’s not the best in single-target damage doesn’t mean the Outlaw Rogue is a pushover. Its Blade Flurry is a great asset for melee cleave and burst, making it a great option for devastating AOE chains. Sadly, Blade Flurry does become Outlaw Rogue’s primary damage dealer, and overall DPS depends heavily on the combo chains of Sinister Strike and Roll the Bones.
8 Elemental Shaman
There’s nothing worse than a Shaman using the full brunt of the elements against an opponent – and that’s exactly the specialization of the Elemental Shaman. Despite their lack of survivability options, they make up for it by being the best when it comes to single-target builds. They have great potential for both AOE and single-target fights, thanks to their devastating burst damage options. Perhaps most importantly, Elemental Shaman builds are extremely straightforward.
The Elemental Shaman has a host of practical abilities to use in various situations. Chain Lightning and Lava Beam jump to multiple targets, perfect for chaining attacks. Meanwhile, Lava Burst and Earth Shock work extremely well for single targets.
7 Fury Warrior
Players who want a fast-paced but straightforward toolkit will appreciate the Fury Warrior's flexibility. They’re known to be just as brave in the lore. They boast one of the strongest melee options in the DPS field, with stacked multi-target cleave and execution options. Its engaging, accessible playstyle makes the Fury Warrior easy to learn, and its skills open opportunities for both single-target and AOE combat.
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Multi-target Whirlwind can easily open combat across an entire group. Should the need arise, Heroic Leap, Intervene, and Charge serve as handy repositioning options. Likewise, Rallying Cry, Spell Reflection, Ignore Pain, and Enraged Regeneration serve as handy defensive abilities. Sadly, the fast-paced playstyle of the Fury Warrior can become overwhelming at first. Additionally, the wrong rotation can result in a long downtime that can radically decrease DPS.
6 Fire Mage
“Burn it with fire!” becomes the Fire Mage's default response to anything, and this works surprisingly well for a DPS build. The Fire Mage boasts its burst damage potential, with the capability of just outright nuking groups of enemies. Its movement options allow the Fire Mage to reposition attacks when necessary with little penalties to DPS. In turn, the Fire Mage excels in both AOE and single-target combat.
Sadly, Fire Mages don’t have a lot of damage-over-time spells, and barely have the means to consistently cleave damage groups of enemies. However, they do compensate with a host of efficient defensive capabilities such as damage-reversing Alter Time, damage-cancelling Ice Block, and damage-returning Blazing Barrier.
5 Marksmanship Hunter
Nothing beats a good aim, and the Marksmanship Hunter specializes in securing high damage in a short amount of time. DPS fans love the Marksmanship Hunter for its solid take on damage, as it boasts the highest values in terms of single-target and AOE damage without relying on pets. Marksmanship Hunter does have a risk in terms of survivability (no pet), middling mobility, and inconsistent damage ratings. However, its straightforward kit makes it an ever-reliable base DPS class.
Marksmanship Hunter boasts some of the best cooldowns, especially in terms of cleave and AOE. Skills such as Chimaera Shot and Trick Shots allow Marksmanship Hunters to boast 2-target and 3-target (with as many as six targets) cleaves, respectively. Regardless, Wild Spirits, Explosive Shot, and Volley easily rake up damage numbers quickly.
4 Balance Druid
Despite its challenging nature, mastering a Balance Druid pays off due to their base qualities. Unlike other DPS classes, the Balance Druid boasts multi-target spells alongside massive AOE and damage-over-time (DOT) effects. Spells such as Starfall and Starfire form the core of the Balance Druid's nuking potential. It also has great utility potential with crowd control and healing. Unfortunately, limited Astral Power and lack of mastery do pose a threat to making the Balance Druid underperform.
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The Balance Druid easily triumphs in terms of DPS, especially in crucial fights that involve a ton of minions all at once. Starfall becomes a go-to spell due to its stellar cooldown time. Moreover, Convoke the Spirits (Night Fae Covenant) can give enemies a world of hurt with its huge burst potential, despite its 2-minute cooldown.
3 Unholy Death Knight
PVP fans might not appreciate the Unholy Death Knight for its insane DPS output and burst potential. However, its synergy of damage-over-time and crowd control abilities gives it the potential to deal some of the highest AOE burst and single-target damage in raids. Death Grip serves as great crowd control and aggro tool, with Death's Advance making them immune to knockbacks. Meanwhile, raid talent Anti-Magic Zone gives the Unholy Death Knight a raid cooldown in the form of 20-percent less spell damage.
As with Battle for Azeroth, the Unholy Death Knight stills rakes in damage numbers with its Bursting Sores combo. This skill, when used in tandem with other rotations, make the Unholy Death Knight a bane for six immediate opponents.
2 Shadow Priest
Bosses and minions with pesky health bars become perfect targets for the Shadow Priest and its multi-DOTs. The Shadow Priest takes care of its own with self-healing skills (e.g., Devouring Plague, Vampiric Touch), and boasts great sustain when it comes to multi-target damage. Granted, players meet great challenges controlling a Shadow Priest due to movement and timing limitations. However, the Shadow Priest easily becomes a nightmare against opponents, given the right rotation.
Shadow Priest's go-to Devouring Plague reestablished this class as the supreme when it comes to damage funneling. Moreover, the Shadow Priest's handy utilities and available AOE make them viable DPS/Healer hybrids.
1 Affliction Warlock
A dead DPS is a useless DPS, and the Affliction Warlock can turn the tide with a pairing of multi-target damage and decent survivability. The Affliction Warlock is a great option for a Warlock subclass as it boasts immense single-target damage and high cleave damage. However, this class can take care of its own with spread cleave and powerful bursts when its primary skills remain on cooldown.
Unfortunately, the Affliction Warlock does need time for its high DPS numbers to shine, and enemies can exploit this setup period. Either way, Malefic Rupture's burst potential can do wonders with Affliction Warlock staples, making them great for multi-DOTs the class already has going on in the raid.