Frost Mage
vs
Shadow Priest
Debating whether to play a Shadow Priest or Frost Mage? Knowing which currently performs better DPS in PvE might help make a decision.
This page analyzes multiple simulations for both Shadow Priests and Frost 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 •
- Frost Mage
Best boss DPS (in perfect settings)
Frost Mage achieved 5.14% more maximum boss DPS than Shadow Priest when there was no movement or lag.
Best boss DPS (in realistic settings)
Frost Mage achieved 0.03% more maximum boss DPS than Shadow Priest when dealing with occasional movement, lag and crowd-control.
Best gear scaling
Frost Mage scaled better with increased item-levels, single-target DPS benefited 0.9% more from 446 ilvl to 488 compared to Shadow Priests.
Simplest Gameplay
Frost Mage has fewer damaging abilities which could indicate a simpler rotation.
Shadow PriestBest AoE DPS (in perfect settings)
Shadow Priest achieved 6.59% more AoE DPS than Frost Mage when there was no movement or lag.
Least affected by movement (single-target)
Shadow Priest’s single-target DPS was -49.72% less affected by increased movement compared to Frost Mages.
DPS less dependant on big cooldowns
Shadow Priest’s DPS is less bursty, meaning it had more consistent damage. With 11.34% less difference in lowest and peak DPS during a fight when compared to Frost Mages.
While the above highlights the DPS advantages between Frost Mage and Shadow Priests, 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