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Frost Death Knightfrost iconvsretribution iconRetribution Paladin

Debating whether to play a Retribution Paladin or Frost Death Knight? Knowing which currently performs better DPS in PvE might help make a decision.

This page analyzes multiple simulations for both Retribution Paladins and Frost Death Knights using profiles and settings intended to achieve their maximum DPS. Multiple sim environments are used to test how they perform in various conditions. Is one the AoE king? Does one scale better with gear upgrades? Is one more bursty, and more reliant on big cooldowns? Below analyzes the data to find the strengths of each.

Simulation results were created with SimulationCraft
Using game data from Patch 10.2.7 • WoW Dragonflight •

  • Frost Death Knightfrost icon
  • Best boss DPS (in perfect settings)

    Frost Death Knight achieved 1.04% more maximum boss DPS than Retribution Paladin when there was no movement or lag.

  • Best AoE DPS (in perfect settings)

    Frost Death Knight achieved 34.91% more AoE DPS than Retribution Paladin when there was no movement or lag.

  • Best gear scaling

    Frost Death Knight scaled better with increased item-levels, single-target DPS benefited 4.52% more from 446 ilvl to 488 compared to Retribution Paladins.

  • DPS less dependant on big cooldowns

    Frost Death Knight’s DPS is less bursty, meaning it had more consistent damage. With 70.26% less difference in lowest and peak DPS during a fight when compared to Retribution Paladins.

  • retribution iconRetribution Paladin
  • Best boss DPS (in realistic settings)

    Retribution Paladin achieved 7.82% more maximum boss DPS than Frost Death Knight when dealing with occasional movement, lag and crowd-control.

  • Least affected by movement (single-target)

    Retribution Paladin’s single-target DPS was -74.8% less affected by increased movement compared to Frost Death Knights.

  • Simplest Gameplay

    Retribution Paladin has fewer damaging abilities which could indicate a simpler rotation.

While the above highlights the DPS advantages between Frost Death Knight and Retribution Paladins, the DPS potential should not be the only factor in your decision. Ultimately, you should also consider the playstyle that you enjoy most while crushing it in Mythics+ and Raids!


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