The following compares the current state of Feral Druids to Fire Mages using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Fire Mage
+1.76%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Fire Mages averaged 1.76% more DPS than Feral Druids (+24K DPS).
Feral Druid
+26.77%
When simulating AoE DPS, Feral Druids averaged 26.77% more DPS than Fire Mages (+237K DPS).
Feral Druid
+55.34%
Feral Druids have higher spike damage potential, achieving +3.0M more DPS than Fire Mages.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Feral Druid
+0.6%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Feral Druid DPS improved the most, +0.6% more than Fire Mage. In total, Feral Druids DPS increased by 66.8% and Fire Mages by 66.2%.
Fire Mage
+22.97%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 5.43% for Fire Mages.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 28.41% for Feral Druids.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Fire Mages performed better, as Feral Druids suffered a +22.97% DPS loss.
Fire Mage
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Fire Mages had fewer damaging abilities in total, indicating a potentially less complex rotation.
The comparisons above highlight some of the key differences between Feral Druid and Fire Mage in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Fire Mage
Feral Druid