delat 0 Report post Posted September 24, 2013 (edited) Hi all, I play a mage in PvE and, like many, I like to get the highest possible dps. This is especially true because our raid could benefit from more dps. My main spec is fire, which I have been using all through MoP, except in 5.1 when arcane shone (or was OP, your choice ). So far I have been doing OK with fire (5.0, 5.2, 5.3) and arcane (5.1). In 5.4, I am not very satisfied with my dps. In the 10 NM stats from raidbots.com, I noticed how, relative to other specs (i.e. spec score), the fire mage dps has decreased in 5.4 while arcane went through the roof. Same when going through worldoflogs rankings. Fire got nerfed with combustion, so this part is OK. However, I fail to understand why arcane seems so good now. It can't be gear because it hasn't changed all that much, and the trend was already visible 1 week ago, right after 5.4. In the patch changes, I can only see the bigger rune of power (i.e. easier movement) and the improved ice flows (same effect). In short, nothing to justify a significant dps increase. Is it just people switching specs because of the fire nerf ? Is it because the SoO encounters are perfectly suited for arcane ? Any guesses ? Also, which of the 2 specs do you think will scale better with ilv and t16 trinkets and set bonuses ? Delat Edited September 24, 2013 by delat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EgoReaper 9 Report post Posted September 24, 2013 Remember that with all these upgrades in gear that other stats start to become more prominent. So now you may be able to get a ton more mastery than before simply because reaching the hit cap is easier. Also note that because arcane was shackled so much during the past few patches that you always needed to spend more time casting rune of power. The icy flows as well also creates a minor difference. You take in a bunch of minor differences like these and you've got a major bonus. If you're looking at which spec will be best for SoO then go with Arcane. If you're talking a heavy movement fight, then look to fire probably. Truth be told, play what you like and are good at. You'll do better than playing a spec mindlessly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
