Arcane Mage
vs
Frost Mage
What’s the best spec for Mages, Frost or Arcane? Below breaks down their current DPS potential and compares the two.
This page analyzes multiple simulations for both Frost Mages and Arcane Mages 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 •
- Arcane Mage
Best AoE DPS (in perfect settings)
Arcane Mage achieved 0.19% more AoE DPS than Frost Mage when there was no movement or lag.
Frost MageBest boss DPS (in perfect settings)
Frost Mage achieved 5.91% more maximum boss DPS than Arcane Mage when there was no movement or lag.
Best boss DPS (in realistic settings)
Frost Mage achieved 24.67% more maximum boss DPS than Arcane Mage when dealing with occasional movement, lag and crowd-control.
Least affected by movement (single-target)
Frost Mage’s single-target DPS was -61.23% less affected by increased movement compared to Arcane Mages.
Best gear scaling
Frost Mage scaled better with increased item-levels, single-target DPS benefited 4.04% more from 446 ilvl to 488 compared to Arcane Mages.
Simplest Gameplay
Frost Mage has fewer damaging abilities which could indicate a simpler rotation.
DPS less dependant on big cooldowns
Frost Mage’s DPS is less bursty, meaning it had more consistent damage. With 17.12% less difference in lowest and peak DPS during a fight when compared to Arcane Mages.
While the above highlights the DPS advantages between Arcane and Frost Mages, 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!
Resources
More Spec Comparisons