The following compares the current state of Fire Mages to Retribution Paladins using the latest SimulationCraft data for end-game PvE in World of Warcraft The War Within patch 11.0.2.
Comparison
Category
Winner
Retribution Paladin
+0.5%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Retribution Paladins averaged 0.5% more DPS than Fire Mages (+7K DPS).
Retribution Paladin
+35.9%
When simulating AoE DPS, Retribution Paladins averaged 35.9% more DPS than Fire Mages (+363K DPS).
Retribution Paladin
+61.36%
Retribution Paladins have higher spike damage potential, achieving +3.8M more DPS than Fire Mages.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Fire Mage
+0.47%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Fire Mage DPS improved the most, +0.47% more than Retribution Paladin. In total, Fire Mages DPS increased by 66.2% and Retribution Paladins by 65.73%.
Retribution Paladin
+25.23%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 3.18% for Retribution Paladins.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 28.41% for Fire Mages.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Retribution Paladins performed better, as Fire Mages suffered a +25.23% 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 Retribution Paladin in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Retribution Paladin
Fire Mage