The following compares the current state of Fire Mages to Havoc Demon Hunters using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Havoc Demon Hunter
+12.05%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Havoc Demon Hunters averaged 12.05% more DPS than Fire Mages (+185K DPS).
Havoc Demon Hunter
+35.8%
When simulating AoE DPS, Havoc Demon Hunters averaged 35.8% more DPS than Fire Mages (+361K DPS).
Havoc Demon Hunter
+70.4%
Havoc Demon Hunters have higher spike damage potential, achieving +5.7M more DPS than Fire Mages.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Fire Mage
+0.36%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Fire Mage DPS improved the most, +0.36% more than Havoc Demon Hunter. In total, Fire Mages DPS increased by 66.2% and Havoc Demon Hunters by 65.84%.
Havoc Demon Hunter
+17.02%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 11.39% for Havoc Demon Hunters.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 28.41% for Fire Mages.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Havoc Demon Hunters performed better, as Fire Mages suffered a +17.02% 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 Fire Mage and Havoc Demon Hunter in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Havoc Demon Hunter
Fire Mage