The following compares the current state of Assassination Rogues to Balance Druids using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Assassination Rogue
+7.99%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Assassination Rogues averaged 7.99% more DPS than Balance Druids (+112K DPS).
Balance Druid
+68.13%
When simulating AoE DPS, Balance Druids averaged 68.13% more DPS than Assassination Rogues (+2M DPS).
Assassination Rogue
+36.45%
Assassination Rogues have higher spike damage potential, achieving +3.2M more DPS than Balance Druids.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Assassination Rogue
+0.97%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Assassination Rogue DPS improved the most, +0.97% more than Balance Druid. In total, Assassination Rogues DPS increased by 68.03% and Balance Druids by 67.06%.
Balance Druid
+4.21%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 10.23% for Balance Druids.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 14.44% for Assassination Rogues.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Balance Druids performed better, as Assassination Rogues suffered a +4.21% DPS loss.
Balance Druid
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Balance Druids had fewer damaging abilities in total, indicating a potentially less complex rotation.
The comparisons above highlight some of the key differences between Assassination Rogue and Balance Druid in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Assassination Rogue
Balance Druid