This Mage FAQ is a very versatile tool in the development and maintenance of your Mage. It covers things for the new players and for the seasoned Mage veterans as well. Use the table of...

This Mage FAQ is a very versatile tool in the development and maintenance of your Mage. It covers things for the new players and for the seasoned Mage veterans as well. Use the table of contents below to navigate to a question that you currently may have or hit up the forums link below to ask your question on the forums.

Basics – Background Information on the Mage

Q. What is the Mage?

“The Mage” or “The Mage” or “The dude in a robe throwing fireballs who DOESN’T have a pet imp” is a magically attuned spellcaster which… blah blah blah. Let’s skip past the fluff information and give you the right and proper definition. That’s what this FAQ is all about.

The Mage is a ranged pure DPS class with its official specialty in AoE DPS, but let’s be real. AoE DPS in WoW isn’t a very high focal point. In reality the lingo around the AoE DPS is just there because Rogues already have the title of pure DPS and hunters have the title of pure ranged DPS. Don’t let any of that fool you. A Mage is all about ranged DPS and nothing else.

Mages are a spellcaster with low HP and low defenses, but in the grand scheme of things that doesn’t really matter except in PvP. In most PvE encounters you will have someone in much thicker armor holding the attention of the baddies, or if you’re solo you’ll find your defenses will be adequate for anything at or near your level. They are also a utility class in that they have the ability to summon food and water (used as an out of combat restorative), the Polymorph ability which can effectively take a single enemy out of combat (with some restrictions), and a few other snares and roots which come in the whole “crowd control” package.

So in summary a Mage is a class that stands away from the enemy and does considerable damage and brings along a few cool utility spells to help out in battle. They’re similar to Warlocks and Hunters, but with less gimmicks and a straighter approach.

Q. How difficult is it to really “master” the Mage?

A common question often gone unanswered in many FAQ is “how tough exactly is this class?” I’m not one to judge anyone for the kind of experience they have in the game. To that extent I would say that the Mage is a very easy class (in comparison to others) to master for PvE and slightly difficult to master in PvP. In PvE the endgame expectations from a Mage is the ability to master a simple 2-5 spell rotation while juggling casting times vs. the encounters required movement. In PvP, a lot of the difficulty comes from lack of survivability and the ability to know when damage or crowd control is best utilized.

In no way can you assume mastering any class will be easy. However, some are easier than others to really get the hang of. Mages are not like tanks that have to manage complicated threat rotations, or Rogues who can gain several hundred DPS based purely on the order of multiple abilities, or healers who have to juggle cast times and the amount of health that needs to be replaced. They simply just have to focus on damage.

Q. What kind of gear can Mages wear and what kind of weapons can Mages wield?

If what you fancy to wear is gilded plate or some form of punkish leather look then you’ll be sorely disappointed. Although disappointment can’t really come when the class’s definition generally includes cloth wearing ranged DPS within the first three sentences.

The Mage is limited to Cloth for armor and Swords, Daggers, and Staves for weaponry.

Q. What are the Mage’s primary stats/attributes?

No question in the history of all classes has been repeated more. What is X class’s primary stats? This question comes from the almost archaic statistic system of MMOGs of old. Primary stats would be leveled up on the character screen to increase health, mana, or damage through constitution, intelligence, wisdom, piety, etc. In WoW you just raise your talents to define your character while statistics are given through gear.

The answer to the question is “Intellect and Stamina” with Spirit as kind of a third tertiary attribute. Strength and Agility have no use to the mage.

Q. Why pick a Mage over a Warlock or a Shadow Priest?

You should choose a Mage because you want to focus on ranged magical DPS and nothing else. Mages only have one pet which is a temporary one. They don’t have any complicated spells, any diseases, nor do they have the ability to heal and do damage. They focus on one thing - pure damage. If you want to rise to the top of the DPS meters with just that singular focus then the Mage is for you.

Equipment – Gearing up the Mage

Q. What kind of equipment should I look for?

That’s a great question with a real in-depth answer. Look at our Gearing up a Mage series to read more on this subject.

Q. Spell Haste vs. Critical Strike Rating

That’s not a question but there is an answer. Yes, spell haste has a higher value than critical strike with spell power being worth more than both of them until you hit about 4k or more. It’s good to also note that spell power will come with spell haste or critical strike and there are few, if any, pieces of equipment that doesn’t have spell power at the focused stat.

Crit rating will come above spell haste barely in Frostfire Bolt specs but will always be worth less in all other specs.

Q. What about sockets and gems? Meta sockets too?

Again, a poorly phrased question with a good answer. Our gearing up guide for enchants and gems goes into good detail on this. A lot better than a paragraph or two could. For the last question on meta sockets… well go for the 3% critical strike damage. It’s worth about 150 DPS!

Q. What profession gives me the best endgame boost?

Tailoring will give you the best with Lightweave while Blacksmithing gives the second biggest boost with the ability to add gem slots to gear.

Q. How important is spell hit and what are the spell hit caps?

Spell hit is very important for PvE. You’ll need an additional 17% spell hit to reach the hit cap (100% chance not to miss high end enemies). Don’t worry about it until you’re the level cap. Anyway, 26 hit rating equates to about 1% spell hit. You’ll need 446 hit rating to cap out. However take your talents and add up the percentages, times that by 26 and that’s how much hit rating you won’t need to cap out.

Talents

Q. I have a question about a talent.

While I’d love to answer all the questions about talents, we already have a wonderful article on that subject right here.

Q. What spec should I go?

It all depends on gear. Endgame you should go either Arcane or Frostfire Bolt. For leveling, Frost is always a safe bet.

Gameplay

Q. How do I play?

That is a complicated question with a simplistic answer. Basic combat is simple. You stand as far away as you can from an enemy and you nuke it down with your damage based spells. If there is an enemy that needs to be crowd controlled then you crowd control it. If there is a gimmick to the fight like in endgame raiding then you follow the gimmick while maintain the nuking it down part. If it’s PvP you follow the standard PvP ruleset while focusing on, yep, killing the enemy.

Q. Does Frost Nova last forever?

Ice based roots have a random chance to break when hit but can also break after a certain percentage of damage has been done. Never expect them to hold past the next major hit.

Q. How do I kite?

Kiting is basically a required skill leveling up and in endgame play. PvP needs you to kite players around. PvE will have you kiting gimmick encounters around. You’ll want to kite solo elites around to get the good quests done with less.

A simple version of how to kite would be this: use Frost Nova to root the enemy, walk a good distance away (but still in range) and go back to attack them. Using snares can prolong the time the enemy is away from you.

If you’re looking for a good in-depth guide, then see our Leveling the Mage series which contains a very good in-depth piece on kiting.

Q. Is questing or grinding more efficient?

For the Mage, you’ll find better XP in questing than grinding currently.

Q. I keep getting ganked a lot. Is there anything I can do to mitigate my currently pwned state?

Constant pwning is just a normal part of growing up on a PvP server. Mages can do a little bit to help protect themselves. Start by using Frost Nova and then Blink away. That should give enough distance. If possible, PoM and then Polymorph. That, or just use Polymorph with the added distance. Then get out of combat and mount, if possible, and run away.

Alternatively you can just die and walk back. Sometimes accepting a good pwning will save yourself the trouble of fleeing 5 minutes away from where you were leveling just to get killed anyway. It’s all about what’s fun to you, though.

Q. Mana is a big problem for me.

It shouldn’t be a problem because you should always summon enough drink to keep your mana up after battles. You shouldn’t need more than half your mana bar per fight anyway. Look into changing your play habits to make your mana situation better or upgrading your gear to grab more intellect. Remember, though, that your mana pool doesn’t necessarily equate into more DPS unless you have to empty it out each fight.

Miscellaneous

Q. What does FFB, PoM, Poly, etc. mean?

FFB: Frostfire Bolt

PoM: Presence of Mind

Poly, Sheep: Polymorph

TTW: Torment of the Weak

Pyro: Pyroblast

FB: Fireball

Q. Is there any lore in regards to the Mage?

Yes there is. Mages are basically the result of ancient Elves’ (Kaldorei) desire to use the magic from the Well of Eternity. After the sundering (when the well blew up and Azeroth was split into two) there was a disagreement between “Night Elves” who cast off magic and “High Elves” who embrace it. High Elves struck a deal with Lordaeron to teach some Humans magic to fend off some trolls and that’s a quick and dirty summary to it.

Dalaran is the “Mage Capital”, but that’s just lore wise. The city itself doesn’t host anything that is unique the class.

Q. Is there any mage specific quests out there I need to pay attention to?

No. There are some lowbie quests that give XP and items, but there is nothing you need to go out of your way for.

Q. Any spellbooks?

As of right now, nope. All abilities you need are on the trainer. Some special forms of polymorph come in books but who needs em?

Q. What if a question I have isn’t answered?

Well we’re at the end of the FAQ. If you’ve got a Mage question that isn’t answered here then submit it to [email protected] to have it answered and possibly added to this FAQ. If you’re looking for a quick and efficient answer then follow this link to our forums where our community is waiting to help figure out any problems you’re currently having.