I’m playing a Warrior using leveling gear, and I’m wondering why my DPS numbers are so low compared to others. In dungeons, I notice my damage per second is around 100-200k on trash mobs, and about 300k on bosses. Meanwhile, other players like a Paladin can casually hit 1-2 million DPS daily, which feels impossible to me. I want to improve and learn what I might be doing wrong. Could it be my gear setup, talents, keybindings, or do I need addons to optimize my rotation? Basically, I want to go from feeling like a weak newbie to a solid DPS powerhouse in dungeons and delves.
5 Answers
If you’re new to maximizing your DPS, you might find addons like Hekili helpful. It tells you which abilities to use next and can help you get the hang of your rotation. Just remember, it’s a training tool—don’t rely on it forever. Also, keep an eye on always using your Global Cooldowns efficiently; empty GCDs are DPS lost. Another thing to consider is how well you keep up with the pace of the tank and the fight. If you’re only hitting enemies one at a time instead of grouped pulls, your numbers can fall behind strangers sitting in the thick of battle.
Basically, if your item level isn’t around 360+ at max level, don’t expect huge DPS numbers. Leveling gear skews stats badly, so your damage output won’t compare to someone properly geared. Also, rotations and practicing your timing matter a lot. It’s normal to feel like you’re underperforming when you’re still learning the class flow. Read up, practice, get your gear sorted, and you’ll get to those juicy numbers eventually.
You mentioned leveling gear and that’s probably a huge part of the issue. Item level affects DPS a lot. If your gear level is significantly below other players, your damage will suffer. Get some better weapons and armor by running quests or dungeons that reward higher-level items. For example, there are specific world events and story quests (like the one with Gallywix) that can help you craft or get a decent weapon quickly. After that, you can farm delves or Mythic+ keys to improve your gear steadily. Once your gear catches up, your numbers should jump noticeably.
One key thing is to understand your gear and talents deeply. You asked about keybindings—that’s mostly personal preference. Use bindings that let you react comfortably and quickly, even if they’re weird spots on your keyboard. Also, knowing your item level is essential. If it’s low, no amount of skill will push you to top DPS. You can use simulation tools like RaidBots combined with Warcraft Logs parses to find your optimal gear and talents. Then work on your rotation accordingly.
The biggest step to improving your DPS is getting familiar with your rotation and talents. Start by checking out some good class guides on sites like Icy Veins or Wowhead—they have detailed talent setups for different scenarios like raids or Mythic+. Also, you can equip gear with priority stats while working toward your best-in-slot items. Practice the rotation relentlessly to build muscle memory, and don’t forget consumables like flasks and potions that can boost your damage.
That sounds like a solid plan! I’ll try focusing on getting those weapons and working through those quests first.