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Affliction Warlockaffliction iconvsshadow iconShadow Priest

Debating whether to play a Shadow Priest or Affliction Warlock? Knowing which currently performs better DPS in PvE might help make a decision.

This page analyzes multiple simulations for both Shadow Priests and Affliction Warlocks using profiles and settings intended to achieve their maximum DPS. Multiple sim environments are used to test how they perform in various conditions. Is one the AoE king? Does one scale better with gear upgrades? Is one more bursty, and more reliant on big cooldowns? Below analyzes the data to find the strengths of each.

Simulation results were created with SimulationCraft
Using game data from Patch 10.0.2 • WoW Dragonflight •

  • Affliction Warlockaffliction icon
  • Least affected by movement (single-target)Affliction Warlock’s single-target DPS was -18.12% less affected by increased movement compared to Shadow Priests.
  • Best gear scalingAffliction Warlock scaled better with increased item-levels, single-target DPS benefited 1.75% more from 372 ilvl to 422 compared to Shadow Priests.
  • Simplest GameplayAffliction Warlock has fewer damaging abilities which could indicate a simpler rotation.
  • DPS less dependant on big cooldownsAffliction Warlock’s DPS is less bursty, meaning it had more consistent damage. With 17.74% less difference in lowest and peak DPS during a fight when compared to Shadow Priests.
  • shadow iconShadow Priest
  • Best boss DPS (in perfect settings)Shadow Priest achieved 1.53% more maximum boss DPS than Affliction Warlock when there was no movement or lag.
  • Best boss DPS (in realistic settings)Shadow Priest achieved 0.37% more maximum boss DPS than Affliction Warlock when dealing with occasional movement, lag and crowd-control.
  • Best AoE DPS (in perfect settings)Shadow Priest achieved 47.97% more AoE DPS than Affliction Warlock when there was no movement or lag.

While the above highlights the DPS advantages between Affliction Warlock and Shadow Priests, the DPS potential should not be the only factor in your decision. Ultimately, you should also consider the playstyle that you enjoy most while crushing it in Mythics+ and Raids!


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