The following compares the current state of Balance Druids to Frost Death Knights using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Frost Death Knight
+15.61%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Frost Death Knights averaged 15.61% more DPS than Balance Druids (+238K DPS).
Balance Druid
+72.39%
When simulating AoE DPS, Balance Druids averaged 72.39% more DPS than Frost Death Knights (+2M DPS).
Balance Druid
+3.01%
Balance Druids have higher spike damage potential, achieving +166.1K more DPS than Frost Death Knights.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Balance Druid
+1.98%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Balance Druid DPS improved the most, +1.98% more than Frost Death Knight. In total, Balance Druids DPS increased by 67.06% and Frost Death Knights by 65.08%.
Frost Death Knight
+3.85%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 10.23% for Frost Death Knights.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 14.08% for Balance Druids.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Frost Death Knights performed better, as Balance Druids suffered a +3.85% 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 Balance Druid and Frost Death Knight in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Frost Death Knight
Balance Druid