The following compares the current state of Arms Warriors to Frost Mages using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Frost Mage
+0.32%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Frost Mages averaged 0.32% more DPS than Arms Warriors (+5K DPS).
Arms Warrior
+16.73%
When simulating AoE DPS, Arms Warriors averaged 16.73% more DPS than Frost Mages (+206K DPS).
Arms Warrior
+60.69%
Arms Warriors have higher spike damage potential, achieving +4.3M more DPS than Frost Mages.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Frost Mage
+0.29%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Frost Mage DPS improved the most, +0.29% more than Arms Warrior. In total, Frost Mages DPS increased by 67.41% and Arms Warriors by 67.12%.
Frost Mage
+10.32%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 4.96% for Frost Mages.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 15.28% for Arms Warriors.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Frost Mages performed better, as Arms Warriors suffered a +10.32% DPS loss.
Frost Mage
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Frost Mages had fewer damaging abilities in total, indicating a potentially less complex rotation.
The comparisons above highlight some of the key differences between Arms Warrior and Frost Mage in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Frost Mage
Arms Warrior