The following compares the current state of Frost Mages to Subtlety Rogues 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
+3.61%
When simulating boss fight encounters, Frost Mages averaged 3.61% more DPS than Subtlety Rogues (+55K DPS).
Subtlety Rogue
+0.73%
When simulating AoE DPS, Subtlety Rogues averaged 0.73% more DPS than Frost Mages (+8K DPS).
Subtlety Rogue
+64.41%
Subtlety Rogues have higher spike damage potential, achieving +5.0M more DPS than Frost Mages.
Spike damage is the peak DPS achieved in any given moment and is not sustained DPS.
Subtlety Rogue
+3.04%
When upgrading the gear for both specs by +44 ilvl, Subtlety Rogue DPS improved the most, +3.04% more than Frost Mage. In total, Subtlety Rogues DPS increased by 70.45% and Frost Mages by 67.41%.
Subtlety Rogue
+7.45%
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 15.28% for Subtlety Rogues.
+ Movement and latency lowered the DPS by 22.73% for Frost Mages.
When introducing occasional movement and real-world latency, Subtlety Rogues performed better, as Frost Mages suffered a +7.45% 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 Frost Mage and Subtlety Rogue in the current meta, which can hopefully help you determine which spec to play or group up with.
Frost Mage
Subtlety Rogue