The following compares the current state of Feral Druids to Shadow Priests using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Shadow Priest
+5.65%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Shadow Priests averaged 5.65% more DPS than Feral Druids (+79K DPS).
Feral Druid
+2.3%
When simulating AoE DPS, Feral Druids averaged 2.3% more DPS than Shadow Priests (+20K DPS).
Feral Druid
+8.6%
Feral Druids have higher spike damage potential, achieving +463.1K more DPS than Shadow Priests.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Shadow Priest
+0.07%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Shadow Priest DPS improved the most, +0.07% more than Feral Druid. In total, Shadow Priests DPS increased by 66.87% and Feral Druids by 66.8%.
Shadow Priest
+2.76%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 5.43% for Shadow Priests.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 8.19% for Feral Druids.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Shadow Priests performed better, as Feral Druids suffered a +2.76% DPS loss.
Feral Druid
When evaluating abilities used during boss encounters, Feral Druids 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 Shadow Priest in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Shadow Priest
Feral Druid