Mage
From SeagisWiki
The mage in WoW is primarily a ranged DPS class, with strong support options in the form of single target CC (polymorph), short-term snare/CC effects (Frost Nova, Blastwave, Dragon's Breath, Frostbite), an Intellect buff, and some of the strongest AoE options (Arcane Explosion, Blizzard) in the game. Mage's are well known and often asked/harrassed/stalked for their ability to conjure food and water, as well as offer portals to the major capital cities for their partymembers. For these reasons, the mage is a versatile and useful member of any quest, raid or PvP group.
Contents |
Leveling
There isnt really a "best" leveling spec for mages, leaving a player to play the spec that fits their style. Some gurus recommend an Arcane spec for leveling, as the mana efficiency will cut downtime. Others swear by a Fire spec, as the higher DPS will drop mobs faster although downtime for mana regeneration will be higher. Still others say you should hold off on a Frost spec until you can go 5/5 Shatter and the frost spell ranks pop a level or two earlier than their fire counterparts. The bottom line is "YMMV" and to play what you like.
Raiding
PvP
Talents
Mages have fallen victim to Blizzard's recent "arrangement" whereby each class seems to have a cut and dry PvE talent tree (fire, in mage's case), PvP tree (frost) and one red-headed stepchild (arcane). Fortunately for mages, both the fire and frost tree are very strong in their respective roles, and offer good enjoyment value to the prospective player.
The typical spec for a PvE build is 10-48-3, or "deep fire". This build utilizes fire spells almost exclusively, with the improved scorch debuffs amplifying the effects of the primary nuke, fireball, to crank out massive amounts of DPS in a PvE/raid environment.
For PvP, frost spec is a bit more flexible with 17-0-44 as one of the typical builds. The burst damage in PvP from a frost build is strong, and it's said that a frost build allows for greater control as well. With a water elemental summon, frost nova, cone of cold, and ice lance (when you get it), a mage has considerable offensive weapons made even deadlier by talents like frostbite and shatter. Combine that with defensive spells like ice barrier, ice block and cold snap, and a frost mage is no pushover.
The arcane tree offers some very useful support talents, such as Arcane Concentration (clearcasting is a must-have for a raiding mage), and Improved Counterspell (very useful in PvP). However, talents like Presence of Mind and Arcane Power make the tree more potent in its own right. An arcane / fire hybrid is a popular PvP build that capitalizes on the following cast sequence to deal serious damage to unsuspecting opponents: Polymorph - Arcane Power - Pyroblast - Presence of Mind - Pyroblast - Fireblast. With crits, the amount of damage one can crank out with a similar cast sequence can be staggering. Likewise, given gear itemization at higher end-game points, many swear that a deep arcane build can be very viable for raiding. However, prior to the acquisition of the supporting gear, deep fire is generally considered the hands-down stronger of the two.
Gear
Pre-Outland, you're looking for Intellect and Stamina on gear. You might find some +damage gear, whether it be Tailoring or the odd quest award, but it wont be a significant enough bonus to outweigh the boost to your mana pool you will get from wearing an "of the Eagle" type green item. Unfortunately many AH hawks know the popularity of those items for not only mages but priests and warlocks, and will play the Donald Trump ludicrous markup game accordingly, so you may have to watch the AH closely for the fair deals.
Upon hitting Outland, you'll notice almost instantaneous improvements to your overall Health and crit %. Mobs hit so hard in Outland, you'll find the near-doubled Stamina a necessity. The higher crit % means more mana efficiency and DPS to a Fire mage with Ignite and Master of Elements, and improves the burst of a Frost build. As you move through Outland on your way to level 70, you'll find yourself beginning to accumulate +spell damage gear. Obviously this is a useful stat as it will boost the damage of your nukes. It can also help a mage produce more sustained DPS, as opposed to crit-based, spiky, burst DPS, that can create aggro issues with dangerous instance elite mobs.
