Arcane Mage PvE Guide — Midnight
1,567 viewsAbout the Class
Arcane Mage is a ranged fighter who can wield either two one-handed weapons (wands, daggers, off-hand weapons) or a two-handed weapon (staves). The class boasts enormous burst damage both in single target and in AoE.
Strengths
- Excellent damage both in single target and in AoE.
- Simple rotation that lets you quickly grasp the class and deliver good results.
- A raid buff that grants 30% haste for 30 seconds (Bloodlust, Heroism), as well as an Intellect buff for all raid/group members.
Weaknesses
- Heavy reliance on burst abilities. Without them the class's damage is mediocre.
- You need to watch your mana and restore it in time, which significantly affects damage when it runs out.
- Few abilities to control groups of enemies.
Stat Priority
Intellect
Mastery
Versatility
Critical Strike
HasteTalents
Rotation (Abilities Priority)
Single Target
Arcane Orb — when you have 
Clearcasting and your previous spell was 
Arcane Barrage
Presence of Mind — when you need to move and cast 
Arcane Blast- Arcane Barrage — when you have 4 stacks of
Arcane Charge and 20 stacks of 
Arcane Tempo - Arcane Tempo — Use Arcane Missiles only when you have fewer than 14 stacks
Overcharged Bolts — If you also have it, use Arcane Missiles only when you have fewer than 6 stacks of Arcane Tempo- Arcane Blast — as a filler
- Arcane Barrage — if you don't have enough mana for Arcane Blast
AoE
Arcane Impulse — as a filler instead of Arcane Blast for more AoE damage but less damage on the priority target- Arcane Blast — as a filler, to focus on maximizing damage on the priority target but with less overall damage
- Arcane Orb — On 4+ targets, use it when you have Clearcasting and fewer than 14 stacks of Arcane Tempo
Best in Slot (BiS)
Don't forget to explore our class pages, where not only the best items in the slot are available, but also other alternatives for any class, spec or situation:
Enchants, Gems, Consumables
Leveling
From the very first level you will already have abilities to deal damage. The main abilities at the early levels will be Arcane Barrage and 
Arcane Missiles. As you level up you will gain new abilities, getting closer to the main rotation. We recommend sticking to the abilities priority from the rotation section.
Mythic+ Tips
The ability 
Alter Time lets you quickly recover after taking large but non-lethal damage. If you realize you're about to take damage, press this ability once before taking the damage and once after.
You can cast 
Blink while casting spells if you urgently need to leave the area you're in.
Always make sure you are under the effect of 
Prismatic Barrier. This ability significantly boosts your survivability, as it reduces the duration of magical effects applied to you.
Macros
#showtooltip Spellsteal /cast [@focus,exists] Spellsteal
#showtooltip Alter Time /cancelaura Alter Time
#showtooltip Remove Curse /cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] Remove Curse
Author
Fouren
Fouren has been playing World of Warcraft for over 15 years. He is an active player with 12 Cutting Edge achievements under his belt, and has reached the top 1% and 0.1% multiple times on various classes. His main classes are healers, particularly Holy Paladin.
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