These Are The Best DPS Classes In World Of Warcraft: Shadowlands

Controlled by the players who bring the pain to the enemy, DPS roles in World of Warcraft can be useful, as well as difficult to master. With over 20 ways to play the DPS role, it's a task in and of itself to find which one works best.

While some DPS roles might statistically be better than others, there are going to be situations and meta differences that create a better environment for different classes. If you plan on raiding or completing dungeons with groups, then it's a good idea to check out which specializations fit best with your specific party. This is easy to do if you play with the same group of friends, and is even less of a concern If you tend to raid solo.

The critically acclaimed Shadowlands expansion saw some significant changes to DPS classes, according to moderator Staff on Icy Veins (a site that provides guides for MMOs like WoW). The changes to the leveling system made it much easier for players to create a new character and max out level-wise. While there are some clear leaders, you can easily try out several of these classes to learn what you like the most.

According to the guide on Icy Veins, Affliction Warlocks are great in the DPS role because of how strong they are against multiple targets. With damage-over-time (DoT) attacks that can target multiple enemies, this class can save players a lot of time (and frustration). The burst damage that comes from an Affliction Warlock can be scary, but it requires players to carefully manage cooldowns and set up their abilities correctly.

These DoT abilities can take time, and sometimes it's difficult to make a specific fight last long enough for the abilities to ramp up. While Affliction Warlocks have high mobility to make up for it, this balance can still be a pain. Icy Veins also mentioned that the setup required for strong burst damage can be broken by movement, so players are faced with a balancing act between moving correctly and moving too much.

A Legendary Item that's perfect for the class is the Relic of Demonic Synergy, according to WoW Youtuber Noxx. Basically, this has a chance to increase your damage for 15 seconds whenever your pet deals damage and vice versa. 

Next up on the best DPS classes is the Marksmanship Hunter. This particular class provides some of the largest damage numbers according to Icy Veins, shredding through single targets while also dealing massive Area of Effect (AoE) damage.

The only tricky part about Marksmanship Hunters is that they have low mobility, thanks to the charge-up times for their abilities. This almost stationary gameplay can become an issue if you don't have a tank that's good at keeping targets locked onto their character. Popular WoW streaming and podcasting group MarcelianOnline recommends combating this with the Natural Mending talent, which will decrease cooldown times so you can deal high damage more often.

It's important to keep track of the lengthy cooldowns on your abilities so that you can use them in the correct combo order. You don't want to start a combo because the first ability is down, only to be stopped by a cooldown on another ability. Because the gameplay is a bit slower compared to other roles, it's still fairly easy to do.

For players looking to make the game more challenging, a Balance Druid might be the best DPS class to pick. Balance Druids can dish out a ton of AoE damage, but Icy Veins warns of the careful ability use and near-perfect gameplay the class requires. If you mess up, you'll be punished, so it's important to make sure you practice with this class before trying to conquer a difficult raid.

Playing a Balance Druid also means giving yourself time to ramp up while you're in a battle. This can be a difficult task considering these druids don't get a ton of mobility options. This makes Balance Druids a pretty tough class to play, so it's better for more experienced players. You can use a rotation/cooldown guide like the one provided by Mythic+ player Tettles to help you plan out your strategy while you're learning. According to him, mastering these concepts is key to playing a Balance Druid.

Balance Druids also need to keep talents in mind before heading out to a dungeon or raid. The abilities you'll use varies, and popular Wow streamer Naguura has helpfully broken down the different ability lineups you'll need based on the battle you're walking into.