The following compares the current state of Arcane Mages to Frost Death Knights 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
+5.19%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Arcane Mages averaged +81,978.1 more DPS than Frost Death Knights, a 5.19% increase.
Frost Death Knight
+36.82%
When simulating AoE DPS, Frost Death Knights averaged +1,929,668.62 more DPS than Arcane Mages, a 36.82% increase.
Arcane Mage
+34.38%
Arcane Mages have higher burst damage potential, achieving +2.9M more DPS than Frost Death Knights.
Note: this is the highest temporary DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Arcane Mage
+2.66%
+44 ilvl improved the DPS of Arcane Mage by 67.84%.
+44 ilvl improved the DPS of Frost Death Knight by 65.18%.
When comparing how both specs scale with gear, Arcane Mages had a higher DPS increase, a +2.66% higher increase than Frost Death Knights.
Frost Death Knight
+14.45%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS of Frost Death Knight by 13.59%.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS of Arcane Mage by 28.04%.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Frost Death Knights were less affected with a 13.59% decrease in DPS, whereas Arcane Mages suffered a higher loss of 28.04% DPS.
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 Frost Death Knight in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Arcane Mage
Frost Death Knight