The following compares the current state of Arcane Mages to Assassination Rogues 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
+12.47%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Arcane Mages averaged 12.47% more DPS than Assassination Rogues (+200K DPS).
Assassination Rogue
+18.21%
When simulating AoE DPS, Assassination Rogues averaged 18.21% more DPS than Arcane Mages (+172K DPS).
Arcane Mage
+10.97%
Arcane Mages have higher spike damage potential, achieving +1.1M more DPS than Assassination Rogues.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Assassination Rogue
+0.27%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Assassination Rogue DPS improved the most, +0.27% more than Arcane Mage. In total, Assassination Rogues DPS increased by 68.03% and Arcane Mages by 67.76%.
Assassination Rogue
+15.35%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 14.44% for Assassination Rogues.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 29.78% for Arcane Mages.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Assassination Rogues performed better, as Arcane Mages suffered a +15.35% 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 Assassination Rogue in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Arcane Mage
Assassination Rogue