mage talents

[zathriel]

im relatively new to online gaming having been playing WoW now for nearly two months
my main character is a gnome mage , level37 and i have been using frost/ice talents but i
am wondering about resetting the talents spec and am asking for advice on what would be the most potent , deadly talents tree to focus on.
arcane , fire or sticking with ice?

[Seerah]

If you're looking for potent/deadly, go for fire. Frost spec has some nice damage to it, but imo, it's more about controlling your battles/opponents and defensive. Arcane spec (I've been arcane for the most part since day one, even when it sucked ) imo is more about controlling the magic/mana itself. It's gotten some nice damage buffs to the tree, but an arcane mage is a little more of a 3 minute mage or a raiding spec. Unless you really want that Slow talent (which I don't even have, I opted to get ice block instead).

[zathriel]

thank you for your reply
i know what you mean by defensive , i have gotten out of some scrapes with my ice talents but when in combat with a determined skillful opponent im in trouble
i have read that fire was good but it had diminished since the TBC though having looked at the talent tree pyro blast and fire wave look good.

[Aethra]

As a lowbie mage, your choices are pretty much either Frost or Fire. Don't worry too much about going deep arcane til you're at LEAST 63+ and have to worry about massive burst damage thanks to TBC upgrades (for both mobs and players!).

Generally, the schools of thought are:

Frost. Better mana efficiency. Better control/ability to kite/solo elites. You won't have the burst of fire but you'll be able to hold your own in any encounter and aren't likely to go OOM.

Fire. Cast for cast, fire does more dmg than frost. If you want to burn down mobs fast but dont mind drinking after every couple, this is the build for you. The #s it puts up are impressive! Ignite dots are great for keeping rogues from vanishing on ya. You may have trouble not pulling aggro in instances if you don't watch your aggro by using scorch (which, depending on build could gimp your dps).

I personally lvld as frost. I found the ability to chain kill a handful of mobs before drinking to be invaluable. It's really a matter of personal choice, though. There's no better or worse.

Some key talents?

Imp Fireball, Impact, Pyroblast, Blastwave

Imp Frostbolt, Ice Shards, Imp Frostnova, ColdSnap, Ice block

[Sent_]

Originally Posted by Aethra Imp Frostbolt, Ice Shards, Imp Frostnova, ColdSnap, Ice block

...and frostbite and shatter, invaluable farmer's companions and part of the efficency of frost.

I leveled fire/arc arc/fire till 60 then respeced frost for raiding needs.
I level deep frost from 60 to 70 and now I'm 10/48/3 for raiding.

I must agree with above posters, it's a trade off and a ultimately a personal choice.

For grinding xp/rep, questing and small group instances arcane is not fitted, it's a too specialized tree focused on big numbers, good for three minute mage PvP or for end game raiding. With arcane you need to trust your tank and this is not likely to appen in PUG-groups.

I'd say: look elsewhere.


If you like impressive and (somehow) sustained damage output fire is your tree.
Scorch is indeed a very mana-efficent spell but using it you accept to take same damage from mobs that will not explode like using fireball fireball-fireblast-dragon breath-blast wave combo. With fire you will sooner or later (most likely sooner) feel the need of arcane concentration (clearcasting firebast = priceless) and I'll generally disadvise to go full fire for leveling.

I'd say: Impact good, awesome for scorch build. ImpFireball and Ignite mandatory.


You can do something similar an arcane or a fire mage can do with other classes but in no way you can mimic what a frost mage can do.
If you want to AoE grind you want to go frost.
If you want control and survivability you want to go frost.
If you want to be ultimately usefull in small groups you want to go frost.
You can have 61 talent points in the frost tree and not feel yourself a (total) idiot.

I'd say: go frost!

Did I mentioned I'm a frost fan?

Btw the bottom line is: try try try. I know it's not the aswer you were looking for but with time you will find out that there's no "right" answer for your question.

[zathriel]

i changed my spec from frost to fire and have found it more of an adrenaline rush , you have to work fast but with fire , when i get the combo right a mob a level higher cant even touch me
im now level 38 after frying a few mobs in the swamp of sorrows.
this will do me for the level im at

[KevinAkomsoontor]

Hello, im a lvl 56 fire mage and i should tell u that it is really good in crits. it sometimes even crits 4 times in a row causing the target to to ignite and burn, if done correctly with a fire combo (Pyro Blast, Fireball, Fire Blast ( and if they dont die... Dragon Breathe)) They will burn a painful death!!! MUHAHAHA. Anyways the crit chances are high for fire mages (And I mean HIGH ) and if you have elemental mastery with you the mana will refund allowing you to cast even more spells...

[zathriel]

im only level40 now and have got used to using fire.
changed my kit slightly so my gloves give me 15+ damage
my trousers give me 27+ fire damage and my shoulder pads give me 19+frost damage for when i mix it a little.
when i get to a higher level i will most probably look at changing my talent tree again , using what experience i have gained from first frost then fire.
i was playing around with the talents tree table in the WoWeurope site and i have found that if you use the frost tree to get to the final talent , evoking a water elemental to fight for you there isnt enough talent points left to get the instant cast talent in arcane.
im wondering what is best to have , the instant cast or the water elemental?

[Xanithon]

Frost - Good mana effiency, can get inc. chill effect. Ice Block, Cold Snap and Ice Barrier are the best from the Frost tree.
Fire - Increased burst damage, not so good for mana. Blast Wave, Combustion and Dragon's Breath are the best from the Fire tree.
Arcane - Good support for the other two Trees. Clearcasting, Presence of Mind and Arcane Power are the best of the Arcane tree.

I'd spec Arcane/Frost or Fire.

But hey, thats me >.<