The following compares the current state of Assassination Rogues to Retribution Paladins 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
+3.31%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Assassination Rogues averaged 3.31% more DPS than Retribution Paladins (+46K DPS).
Retribution Paladin
+6.35%
When simulating AoE DPS, Retribution Paladins averaged 6.35% more DPS than Assassination Rogues (+64K DPS).
Assassination Rogue
+28.25%
Assassination Rogues have higher spike damage potential, achieving +2.5M more DPS than Retribution Paladins.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Assassination Rogue
+2.3%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Assassination Rogue DPS improved the most, +2.3% more than Retribution Paladin. In total, Assassination Rogues DPS increased by 68.03% and Retribution Paladins by 65.73%.
Retribution Paladin
+11.26%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 3.18% for Retribution Paladins.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 14.44% for Assassination Rogues.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Retribution Paladins performed better, as Assassination Rogues suffered a +11.26% DPS loss.
Assassination Rogue
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Assassination Rogues 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 Retribution Paladin in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Assassination Rogue
Retribution Paladin