The following compares the current state of Affliction Warlocks to Subtlety Rogues using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Subtlety Rogue
+5.03%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Subtlety Rogues averaged 5.03% more DPS than Affliction Warlocks (+74K DPS).
Subtlety Rogue
+15.61%
When simulating AoE DPS, Subtlety Rogues averaged 15.61% more DPS than Affliction Warlocks (+161K DPS).
Affliction Warlock
+22.66%
Affliction Warlocks have higher spike damage potential, achieving +2.3M more DPS than Subtlety Rogues.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Subtlety Rogue
+2.57%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Subtlety Rogue DPS improved the most, +2.57% more than Affliction Warlock. In total, Subtlety Rogues DPS increased by 70.45% and Affliction Warlocks by 67.88%.
Subtlety Rogue
+11.02%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 11.71% for Subtlety Rogues.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 22.73% for Affliction Warlocks.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Subtlety Rogues performed better, as Affliction Warlocks suffered a +11.02% DPS loss.
Affliction Warlock
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Affliction Warlocks had fewer damaging abilities in total, indicating a potentially less complex rotation.
The comparisons above highlight some of the key differences between Affliction Warlock and Subtlety Rogue in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Subtlety Rogue
Affliction Warlock