The following compares the current state of Arcane Mages to Arms Warriors using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Arcane Mage
+5.4%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Arcane Mages averaged 5.4% more DPS than Arms Warriors (+86K DPS).
Arms Warrior
+37.04%
When simulating AoE DPS, Arms Warriors averaged 37.04% more DPS than Arcane Mages (+456K DPS).
Arcane Mage
+27.23%
Arcane Mages have higher spike damage potential, achieving +2.7M more DPS than Arms Warriors.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Arcane Mage
+0.64%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Arcane Mage DPS improved the most, +0.64% more than Arms Warrior. In total, Arcane Mages DPS increased by 67.76% and Arms Warriors by 67.12%.
Arms Warrior
+24.82%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 4.96% for Arms Warriors.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 29.78% for Arcane Mages.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Arms Warriors performed better, as Arcane Mages suffered a +24.82% DPS loss.
Arcane Mage
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Arcane Mages had fewer damaging abilities in total, indicating a potentially less complex rotation.
The comparisons above highlight some of the key differences between Arcane Mage and Arms Warrior in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Arcane Mage
Arms Warrior