Amirdrassil Weekly DPS Rankings: Dragonflight Season 3 - Week 2 Update

Analyzing the DPS Balance in Amirdrassil

Today, we are going to delve into the DPS balance on Amirdrassil during the week of November 21st. In this analysis, we will be using data provided by Warcraft Logs Raid Statistics for Dragonflight Season 3. Specifically, we will be looking at the statistics for Heroic Amirdrassil to get a better understanding of the current state of class balance. It's important to note that this data only gives us a partial view of the overall balance and there are some inherent biases to consider.

• Disclaimers and Source

The data for this article was sourced from the Raid Statistics Page on Warcraft Logs for Heroic difficulty in the week of November 21st. We will be focusing on the 95th percentile statistics, but we will also provide the overall results to give a more comprehensive picture.

It's important to remember that class balance can be influenced by various factors. Specs that are considered underpowered may not be played as frequently and may appear weaker than they actually are. Performance-oriented players often gravitate towards the strongest specs, further widening the gap between the top and bottom specs. Additionally, the position of specs in the 95th percentile can be affected by alternative strategies and parse funneling. To provide a holistic view, we will include a chart showing the results for all percentiles.

It's worth noting that the acquisition of tier sets can also skew the perception of balance, especially in the early weeks of a new season. Therefore, we will focus on Heroic data for a few weeks while the Mythic population builds up.

Dragonflight Season 3 DPS Rankings - Heroic Amirdrassil the Dream's Hope During the Week of November 21st

Class Writer Commentary

• Havoc Demon Hunter

Currently, in Season 3 Havoc Demon Hunter has made a powerful impact across all content. The rework for Havoc has resulted in the removal or reduction of weak talent points and nodes, allowing for stronger talents to take their place. This has significantly increased both the defensive and offensive capabilities of Havoc, making it more durable in content while dealing high amounts of DPS.

In terms of offense, new talents such as "A Fire Inside," "Inertia," and "Ragefire" have allowed for powerful combinations in most talent setups, resulting in easy access to massive AoE burst DPS. Havoc's best single-target setup is just a talent point swap away from being a true AoE setup, allowing for strong single-target damage despite the focus on AoE. This build is particularly beneficial for Heroic Amirdrassil, where the raid encounters heavily feature AoE damage and allow for minimal downtime. Additionally, Havoc's sustain and defensive tools, combined with new talents and passive survivability gains, have improved its survival rates in raid encounters.

Overall, the rework in Season 3 has provided Havoc Demon Hunters with significant power, allowing them to excel in various raiding scenarios. The burst damage capabilities of Havoc, coupled with its strong single-target and AoE profiles, have positioned it as one of the most powerful specs in the current patch.

• Beast Mastery Hunter

Beast Mastery Hunters have performed exceptionally well in the first few weeks of raiding. Minor talent redesigns, a solid tier set, and the introduction of the cooldown "Call of the Wild" have significantly improved their performance compared to the previous tier. While they may not be the top choice, Beast Mastery Hunters have showcased notable performance on burst AoE encounters that suit their damage profile. Additionally, the inclusion of "Hunter's Mark" has provided some raid utility for the spec.

It's worth mentioning the issues with damage re-attribution for Augmentation Evokers. Unfortunately, some talents, like "Kill Commands" from the 4-set bonus "Hunter Beast Mastery 10.2 Class Set," do not get properly re-attributed. This can lead to overestimation of Beast Mastery's damage in logs. However, despite these issues, Beast Mastery Hunters continue to deliver strong performances, especially in the early stages of a raid tier.

• Arcane Mage

Arcane Mages are currently performing exceptionally well in Heroic raids. There are several factors contributing to their success. Firstly, the raid design of Dragonflight Season 3 is highly favorable for Arcane's damage profile. There are multiple vulnerabilities and empowerment buffs that align well with Arcane's cooldowns, such as "Arcane Surge" and "Touch of the Magi." Furthermore, there are bosses with short-lived adds that can be efficiently dealt with using Arcane's abilities, as well as multiple downtimes that Arcane can leverage for increased damage.

Another factor is the potency of Arcane's tier set bonuses from "Wayward Chronomancer's Clockwork," especially in cleave situations. These bonuses give Arcane an edge in gearing and provide a significant amount of power. However, it's expected that the power disparity will level out as other specs get optimal gearing.

Lastly, community perception plays a significant role. Arcane Mages have been a top choice for progression and other high-end content, influencing others to gravitate towards the spec. However, other Mage specs, such as Frost, have also shown promise in certain fights. Overall, Arcane Mages possess the tools for raiding success and are likely to remain a solid spec throughout the season.

• Assassination Rogue

Assassination Rogue is currently the stand-out spec of the season, known for its high burst damage and versatility. There are several factors that contribute to its strength. First and foremost, Assassination Rogue boasts one of the highest burst capabilities in the game. Multiple talents synergize to create exceptional burst damage, including cooldowns like "Kingsbane" and "Shadow Dance" and the talent "Deathmark," which doubles poisons and bleeds.

Assassination Rogue's burst potential is further enhanced by talent combinations, such as "Dragon-Tempered Blades," "Improved Shiv," and "Lethal Dose." Additionally, the raid encounters in Amirdrassil offer increased damage windows that play to the spec's strengths. The recently introduced talent "Caustic Spatter" has also allowed Assassination Rogues to bring their burst capabilities to AoE situations without sacrificing single-target damage.

However, it's important to address the issues with damage re-attribution for Augmentation Evokers. Some talents, including "Sanguine Blades" and "Caustic Spatter," do not get properly re-attributed in logs, leading to an overestimation of their strength. These issues can pose challenges when it comes to balancing and performance evaluation.

In conclusion, Assassination Rogue is currently one of the strongest specs in the game, showcasing immense burst potential and versatility. It's important to address the data accuracy issues related to Augmentation Evokers to ensure a more accurate representation of their performance.

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