WoW Forever Arcane Mage — Guide (Beta Test)
viewsAbout the Class
This guide is based on the World of Warcraft: Forever beta and covers gameplay up to level 20. The talents and combat tips are starting recommendations built on the spells and talents available in the beta. They will be refined as testing continues.
The Arcane Mage is a master of spellcraft and a true damage machine. Unlike Fire and Frost, this specialization is built not only around a rotation but also around Mana management, which gives it extra depth.
Here is how it plays: you watch your Mana bar and cooldowns and react to procs. Your main spell is 
Arcane Blast, which triggers Missile Barrage, and you spend that on 
Arcane Missiles. The Blast's effect also empowers your next area spell, so it helps you out in fights against a group as well.
Strengths
- Consistently high damage and huge burst with cooldowns.
- Mana management adds depth: there is something to optimize, unlike the other two trees.
- Strong crowd control:
Polymorph, 
Frost Nova, 
Cone of Cold, and 
Counterspell as an interrupt. - Your own food and water from
Conjure Food and 
Conjure Water, and Mana gems later on. 
Blink speeds up travel around the world.
Weaknesses
- Mana runs out fast, especially if you get carried away with Arcane Blast: each consecutive cast costs noticeably more.
- Cloth armor and low Health — pulling mistakes are punished immediately.
- Missile Barrage only unlocks at level 24, so you can't put together the full rotation in the beta.
- Area damage requires care: pulling many enemies at low levels is dangerous.
Stat Priority
- 1Hit
- 2Spell Power
- 3Spirit
- 4Intellect
- 5Critical Strike
- 6Stamina
There is no specific gear for level 20 yet: the beta is at an early stage, and items will be added later.
Talents
Talent Notes
Wand Specialization 2/2 — more wand damage, and at low levels the wand finishes off almost everything.
Arcane Focus 3/3 — reduces the chance for your Arcane spells to miss.
Arcane Subtlety 2/2 — less threat from Arcane spells.
Arcane Concentration 3/5 — a chance for your next spell to cost no Mana.- Arcane Blast 1/1 — unlocks the specialization's main spell.
Ability Priority
- Keep your buffs up:
Arcane Intellect and one of the armors, 
Frost Armor or 
Mage Armor - Open the fight with
Frostbolt so the enemy comes at you slowed right away. It can also trigger Missile Barrage - When Missile Barrage procs, cast Arcane Missiles
- Cast Arcane Blast no more than four times in a row, then Arcane Missiles
- If Missile Barrage procs off the third Blast, go straight to Arcane Missiles
Missile Barrage only unlocks at level 24, but the mechanic is worth understanding in advance. Over time you will get a feel for when the enemy is going to die to the missiles: at that point, don't spend Mana on another Blast.
Important Abilities
Frost Armor against physical damage and Mage Armor for Mana and magic resistance
Best in Slot (BiS)
There is no BiS list in the beta: the test is at an early stage, and level 20 gear will be added later. For now, pick items with a sensible mix of stats rather than ones skewed toward a single stat.
Enchants, Gems, Consumables
ConsumablesBest Professions
Almost always the best choice: cloaking devices, target dummies, explosives — all of it adds both survivability and damage.
The second most useful option: the cloth you are collecting anyway turns into armor, and at high levels the profession provides very powerful items.
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.
Comments
0No comments yet. Be the first to comment!