Highest DPS class in the game?

Discussion in 'The Newbie Zone' started by Arcaine, Jan 7, 2014.

  1. Arcaine Elder

    I don't want this to become a "my dps class is better than yours" but is there a clear statistically proven leader in DPS for end-game, specifically for grouping (not so much raids)? I should mention I'm talking about level 100.

    I'm looking specifically at zerker, wizard, rogue, and ranger. Or perhaps there is another class that's best that I've missed?

    Again, not trying to start a troll thread, but legitimately weighing my options for a dps class.
  2. Saphfyre Elder

    I am only level 81 but I melt faces with my wizard.
  3. Obiziana Augur

    Wizard 100%, they just blow @#$@ up and don't need much support to do so.
  4. Arcaine Elder

    what kind of crits do they do? I heard the other day some alarming numbers about zerker crits..? are they comparable?
  5. Qest T. Silverclaw Augur

    First of all, there are too many variables to give an absolute answer. Secondly, even if there was a right answer, by the time most people could level up a new flavor of the month DPSer, things would change due to patches, expansions, etc.

    The most important variable is actually not which class, but the skill that the class is played with. The most important metric is not the DPS parse, but rather how much fun was had, which is often how much was accomplished vs. what went wrong.

    Play whatever appeals to you, and you'll do fine regardless of class balance because you'll be more interested in applying yourself to be better at playing the class you enjoy. Don't concern yourself with some raid parse where they stacked things in an unusual way, and got an unusual parse, or they had certain players who were more skilled than others which isn't explained in the parse.
  6. Yesway Augur

    Wizards and Berzerkers are the two that typically will top parses. The difference is one needs an amp group to get there and one doesn't. If you want to be able to do max dps without worrying about outside help you'll want to make a wizard. Other classes are viable also, but if you are looking for just flat out max dps possible there isn't much dispute that it's wizard.
  7. dpsdpsdps Elder

    wiz is best dps. berserkers are...horrible dps outside of a burst scenario. the highest crits i've ever seen are from a monk twinprocing and crit procing a thunderfoot on a crane stance followed by the same on a synergy with boosts running (total dmg over 5 mill for 2 skills) but that is super unreliable and is more luck than anything.

    wiz is massive dps pretty much anytime but they run out of mana reasonably fast.
  8. Arcaine Elder


    While I agree in general, this doesn't really help. I am coming back to EQ with a few friends and want to create a DPS toon to fill in the gap that we have among us in characters, when we don't have any DPS going. So for me, the question is asked in a very functional manner. I have a warrior and pally I'm playing and really enjoy, but want to create a DPS toon purely for the function of DPS.

    Also, I think I would personally enjoy rogue/berserker/wiz, so that kind of makes the point moot.
  9. SyDiko Augur

    Since DPS = Damage per second and not raw damage a better way to ask that question is:

    Given ideal situations across all scenarios:
    1) What class currently has the highest SUSTAINED damage per second in a (group/raid) setting?
    2) What class currently has the highest BURST damage per second in a (group/raid) setting?

    * Note, in my MMO career across about 6 games, never has a single class topped both sustained and burst damage charts concurrently.
  10. Arcaine Elder

    Great point SyDiko.

    So from what I'm seeing, the answer is:

    1) Wizard
    2) Berserker

    yes?
  11. SyDiko Augur

    (Lv100 peeps correct me if I'm wrong with this assumption.)

    I'm going to go with a Melee class for sustained Zerker, Monk, Rogue. I pick these 3, because hybrids/casters need to augment their damage with spells and if they run OOM they will lose a huge chunk of their sustained.

    Wizard hands down for burst - they've been burst gods since the game's inception. :)
    Closest second will likely be Magician, since they too have heavy direct damage spells that can critical for absurd amounts of damage.
  12. Battleaxe Augur

    As has already been pointed out - there's a difference between theoretical/in isolation and in the appropriate group/in practice.

    Since you do group content -

    Depending on the level of the players in your group, the kind of content, and the group makeup the group might kill faster/more easily (notice how I'm not saying what characters do more DPS here) with a Wizard than a Berserker or vice versa.

    Getting experience as quickly as possible -
    You have two choices:
    1. SK, Rogue, Beserker, Ranger, Cleric, and Bard
    Three of those classes can kill experience mobs with a special attack. If a mob dies to Headshot, Assassinate, or Decapitation what do you think your group's DPS looks like? Yeah, it's only good through level 100, but there's a pile of levels and AA exp to get between ~level 75 and 2K AA's and max level/max AA.

    2. Mag, Wizard, Ranger, Bard, Cleric, Necro(?)

    Completing progression achievements -

    Killing name mobs -

    AFTER some special attacks no longer pay off -

    (BTW with either group you might want one kill spot that's easy to get to and another one elsewhere that you can get to via a campfire. You don't want repop downtime.)

    All of these situations are somewhat different. And If you don't put together an optimal group you won't get optimal results. We're saying "Who does the most DPS?" is too simplistic a view of things to work out in practice.
  13. Obiziana Augur

    From a sustained standpoint you might actually be looking at:

    Caster - Necro/Wiz
    Melee - Monk

    A lot of a zerkers DPS is going to be derived from a perfect group setup.
  14. Qest T. Silverclaw Augur

    I would certainly not expect Monks to keep a DPS crown. If they currently have it, it's probably unintended.
  15. Ravengloome Augur

    Monks for the most part have always had the best DPS of the melee for sustained/group content. With a few dips here and there.
  16. Dre. Altoholic

    Of those, I'd go with Wizard unless you plan on raiding. In group gear, caster DPS generally outperforms melee DPS.

    Mage/Necro are other, excellent choices at the moment. While they don't quite have the brisance of Wizards, pets function as a built-in tank that is very handy for summoning mobs, named or enemies in tight places. You'll be quite a bit more autonomous with these.
  17. Vlerg Augur

    group play: Wizard. both for sustained and burst ( unless you somehow stack your entire group to include all the support classes a berserker or a monk need... ranger, beastlord, bard and shaman at least)

    raid play: cannot give a simple answer unfortunatly. too many variable, too many support classes who may or may not be present, too many scenario where X player get incredibly lucky with procs and crits, something that only happen once in a blue moon... However, chatting with people from various high-end guild ( Machin Shin, RoI, ring of valor and others) Wizards are always within the top 3 on any given fight. usually at the absolute top.

    Wizard aren't as support dependant as melee ( or gear dependant), the various runes available to the wizard make him less squishy than other silk users ( other than enchanter), if he dies, a quick harvest and he's back while a melee suffer from rez effect for 2 minute. wizard ( and other range classes) don't have to expose themselve to the danger a melee person face ( AE ramp, mob turning aroud riposting, surprise DS, viral DoT, targetted AoE, mobs running around, finding the proper add in a crowd of mob, etc.) Wizard can achieve 100% crit rate with nothing but a ranger auspice and personal cooldown...

    it is important to note that wizard mana, after lvl 96, is basicly infinite due to the 'claw of Xwing' line of spell... even in a several hour long CToV raid where we kill mobs non-stop, I don't run out of mana. ( mages and necro mana isn't far from infinite either). Endurance on the other hand is limited.
  18. Pirlo Augur

    There is so much wrong with that statement I don't even know where to begin
    [IMG]
    Beimeith, Reht and Enkel like this.
  19. Emphant Lorekeeper

    The answer to your question is wizard. You'll do more DPS than anyone else and you'll do it easier and with less support. I originally made a wizard as a dps box but after I realized how amazing it's DPS was I mainchanged. You might not always win the parse...but you'll win more parses. With harvests and mod rods and such you don't really have to worry about mana too much...every so often I'll sit out a mob.
  20. Necromonious Augur

    How does wizard fare in sustained vs a J5 wiz merc on burn? (which at level 100 is putting out roughly 20-25k right?). Would it need max group gear and 3k+ AA to compete?