The following compares the current state of Assassination Rogues to Elemental Shamans using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Elemental Shaman
+6.56%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Elemental Shamans averaged 6.56% more DPS than Assassination Rogues (+98K DPS).
Assassination Rogue
+11.82%
When simulating AoE DPS, Assassination Rogues averaged 11.82% more DPS than Elemental Shamans (+112K DPS).
Assassination Rogue
+54.05%
Assassination Rogues have higher spike damage potential, achieving +4.7M more DPS than Elemental Shamans.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Assassination Rogue
+0.88%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Assassination Rogue DPS improved the most, +0.88% more than Elemental Shaman. In total, Assassination Rogues DPS increased by 68.03% and Elemental Shamans by 67.15%.
Elemental Shaman
+0.03%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 14.44% for Elemental Shamans.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 14.47% for Assassination Rogues.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Elemental Shamans performed better, as Assassination Rogues suffered a +0.03% DPS loss.
Elemental Shaman
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Elemental Shamans 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 Elemental Shaman in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Elemental Shaman
Assassination Rogue