Arcane for raiding

w1z4rd

w1z4rd

Karmic Sangoma
Joined
Jan 17, 2005
Messages
52,146
Reaction score
8,340
Location
127.0.0.1
So since Arcane mages for a buff in the last expansion every mage in my guild (and I have a darn serious raiding guild) has gone arcane.

I kinda liked my frost mage a lot, and he still rocks in PvP.. .but he sucks at the moment in raiding.

This is my frost mage build: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#ofcbf0McZZAIbIobu0fdMfot

So as the request of my guild, I changed to this arcane build:
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?mage#8LAeNP4mkG0Xy,-RYHQO,9551

Ive realized some pretty important things. Arcane mages (in comparison to Frost mages) are as durable as wet tissue paper. I miss my ice barrier.

Arcane mages do amazing amounts of damage. With arcane blast now stacking up to four times.. I am getting my highest crits... about 1/3rd more than I was with frost.

The reason the frost mage rocks in PvP is because of his surviabilty and his bursts of instant damage with brainfreeze and fingers of frost. You are also able to control your opponent better with frost.

Arcane just allows for massive amounts of damage with almost no control (other than a sheep stick).

What tips or advice can you give me on improving my arcane mage and pushing out more damage?

My primary nuke is the following macros:
Code: 
#show Arcane Blast 
/cast [mod:shift, nochanneling:Arcane ] Arcane Barrage; 
/castsequence [nochanneling] reset=8/nocombat Arcane Blast, Arcane Blast, Arcane Blast, Arcane Blast, Arcane Missiles

And I use these for crowd control
Code: 
#show Blizzard 
/cast Icy Veins 
/cast Arcane Power 
/cast Blizzard 

#show Flamestrike 
/cast Presence of Mind 
/cast Flamestrike

Know of any other cool arcane or frost macros I can use that you use?
 
Atm I play Arcane & Frost Dual spec in PVP and imo, well Arcane is making a comeback. (well and its a ****load of fun tbh)
I also used to raid with Fire & Arcane dualspec @ a time also (ulduar)

You even see some of the top RPM & RM combo's with arcane, Earlier in the year in an Asia tourney the final was between 2 of the worlds top teams, both play RPM with arcane Mages.

Ofcourse the survivability of frost mages are better, but Arcane mages do have loads of tools also
A skilled arcane mage will always win over a Frost mage.

Frost&Fire Ward (glyphed) = imba
Dampen Magic
Counterspell & Spellsteal oc
Mage Armor vs magic users = win
Right use of your Invisibility
& Evoc
& Mirror Image
Icy Veins
etc

and as Arcane

Presence of Mind
Arcane Power
& DONT forget Slow = imba

"Reduces target's movement speed by 60%, increases the time between ranged attacks by 60% and increases casting time by 30%. Lasts 15 sec. Slow can only affect one target at a time. " Instant Cast...

As arcane I luv playing vs DK's (free mana with frost warding!!), pallies & warriors. My Slow, Blink & Iceblock etc is just bigger than they are. Only honest real problem I have is with Rogues. But I guess thats where Frost comes in, and its the most played pvp spec, so not getting into that atm.

Imo its down to skill. All classes have their anti-class or anti-spec and the outcome of figths with a mage can also be down to skill. Thing is to master a mage properly is allot harder than most other classes (ye I do have others), BUT if you master it, its very rewarding.

1 Thing I will say, we do way to little dmg & we have cast times (in pvp). Most classes crit more than a mage in PVP.

In Arena for a mage its down to CC and instant arcane sheep can be a winner.

Regarding raiding as Arcane. It depens on the fights as Arcane uses more mana.

Does that 1 button bash attack macro rally work? Maybe I understand it wrong... But the amount of AB's depends on the situation, mana etc etc and Arcane Missiles is only cast after the Proc
ie 3 (in my day, now 4? depending on mana?) x AB's and if Proc then AM, else Arcane Barrage. Rinse & repeat.


Sure "CC macro" as u call it, or rather trash aoe nuke is cool, but you also want to use those procs during the boss fight. Thou that will not be a problem as the CD's are short-ish

Maybe something like this for a boss fight?

/cast Icy Veins
/cast Arcane Power
/cast Presence of Mind
/cast Mirror Image


Talent build...

You forgot Arcane Potency
Depending on your threat & hit rating one can look into some points into Arcane Stability, but only if you are ok on the others.

Aw thats only scrap I can think up so early in the morning :p Anyway I might be wrong on things, I raided Fire/Arcane @ the start of Ulduar :)
 
Last edited:
I found that using a Macro with multiple casts blinds you to the cool-downs of the casts.

So, remember to put the actual individual casts elsewhere on your bars so that you can see when they have cooled down.
 
Hi there, let me introduce you to the joke that is the mage class.

Want to do 12k dps using one ability? Spec arcane and mash Arcane Blast. If you're wasting time on barrage procs and mashing your 51 pointer then you suck. Arcane mages are currently top dog of PvE dps and the entire spec could be played with a G15 macro. The irony is that mages all over the show suddenly believe they're actually good players and that their spec is in no-way OP.

Want to have fun in arena. Get a rogue partner. Rogue stun locks someone while the mage blows them up. There literally is no skill to this comp at all. Don't believe me, go to the AJ forums make a post entitled: "Arc Mage/Rogue 2's" and watch your thread derail into a million pages of people flaming you for playing a retarded comp that requires no skill.

Mages have proven once again that crying enough will eventually get you whatever you want in WoW.

I really hope there is some surprise in store for arcane come 3.3 and the spec gets taken to the ground...
 
(@ Odom) Sigh........ there is always at least one. What does your reply have to do with the topic of this post? And additionally Arcane spec is about DPM as much as it is about DPS. Arcane blast spam cannot be maintained for any significant length of time.

Kudo's to SnowWar for a good reply.

I agree that the first macro is very restrictive. I would honestly recommend dropping the cast sequence and putting in the shift multiplier for Arcane missiles. Arcane Barrage has limited use in the usual DPS rotation. But is very useful in a fight with alot of moving and jumping around. So macro it to it's own button.

I use your CC macro's and I must admit that I often forgo using my AOE just to keep those other abilities off cooldown. I am planning on putting them on their own macro as Snow suggested.

Don't forget that frost may be raid viable after 3.3 (Yay!!)
 
As the topic states this is about Arcane Raiding.

Yes Arcane is about DPM, thats the whole principle behind the spec but DPM becomes pointless when at a certain gear level, namely 25 man TotC gear, your mana regen becomes a no issues and you're able to sustain full out nuking for over 4 minutes. Then it's just an incredibly OP spec that requires **** all co-ordination or thought to play successfully.

Blizzard failed heavily here, they didn't want mages to have to watch mana and GC himself stated that they model mages on having "infinite" mana for a boss fight. How if this is modeled does a DPM spec work then? It has infinite DPS for the fight? Great logic there.

Please do yourself a favor and go watch the Festergut and Rotface streams on MMO. Both have a mage PoV and in both cases the mage just mashes AB and mixes in Icy Veins + Arcane Power while doing a sustained 9.5k - 12k DPS. That isn't a scrub either, both streams are from Cuties and they're a pretty progressive and successful guild.

So forgive me if I hope your spec gets nerfed to ****.

You want to play arcane successfully, lemme show you how...

Macro 1
#showtooltip Arcane Blast
/cast Presence of Mind
/cast Arcane Blast

Macro 2
/cast Icy veins

Macro 3
/cast Arcane Power

And that is it. If you think you need to mix in Arcane Missiles and Barrage then you're doing it wrong. If you can sustain Arcane Blast at 4 stacks, which you can with sufficient gear, then it works out to have a higher DPCT than any other ability you have.

I hate threads that glorify this retarded spec. Lemme give you some insight why?

1) Do warlocks have 2 viable DPS specs? No.
2) Do rogues have 2 viable DPS specs? No.
3) Do priests have a viable DPS spec? No.

Why the **** do mages then feel the need to have a 2nd DPS spec. But baw guys fire is so boring! Ye and mashing Arcane Blast isn't?

Mages are OP as hell right now and won't admit it. Even back in TBC days when warlocks rolled as 0/21/40 and just mashed Shadow Bolt they admitted the spec was OP and retarded. Difference is warlocks had no other choice.
 
Did a beautiful young mage break your heart or something? You seem very emotional about mages. What toons do you roll? To add insult to injury..Im a gnome as well. *mufasa*

I dont know where you get they are over played as on my server they are not so common... also looking at wowgamers.co.za.. they are 5/10.. with DK`s being the most over played. From what I can see on wowgamers.co.za, mages make up for only 9% of the population. Perhaps they are over played on your server?

FYI... during the 4 arcane blasts, I normally hit a missile barrage buff and hence it goes straight to the missiles. If I dont hit it I let off the arcane barrage to get back to cycling through my 4 arcane build up so hopefully the next set will bring me a missile barrage. Also, you need to hold down shift to get the arcane barrage instead of the arcane missiles, so its not like it happens unless I want it to happen.

Your macro 1 looks great for PVP.. and possibly a bit of raiding... dont know how I would use it in a raid and not break my 4 streak.

Thats my plan anyways.

I really hope they make frost viable in PVE.. I waaaay prefer frost, but my guild is a very serious raiding guild so I have to kinda spec to what they consider is the best dps. What I like out of this arcane spec is I dont run out of mana like I do with my frost build.. but I prefer frost.
 
Last edited:
The mage thing just pisses me off because the class was buffed unnecessarily where other classes are left to suffer with terrible DPS and dwindling raid spots. To add further insult to injury it's not like the spec is remotely difficult to play. Why not fix shadow priests, affliction warlocks etc

And by OP I meant Over-Powered.
 
oh my word.. check how fire is getting buffed in the next patch:

Mage
Fire
Blast Wave had its mana cost reduced from 28% of base mana to 7% of base mana.
Dragon's Breath had its mana cost reduced from 31% of base mana to 7% of base mana.
Firestarter now makes your next Flamestrike spell instant cast and cost no mana.
Burning Determination now lasts 20 sec. (Up from 10 sec)
Click to expand...

I promise I would prefer to stay a frost mage, I hate having to rely on a healer to stay alive....

They dont seem to be getting much.. only deep freeze is getting a buff.. I suppose it might help in a raid..
Mage
Deep Freeze: This spell now deals a large amount of damage to targets permanently immune to stuns.
Click to expand...

I personally hate warlocks as a mage.. its the only class I run from in PvP :(

It also looks like warlocks are getting a major work over:
Warlock
Affliction
Shadow Mastery: This talent now also increases the damage done by the felhunter’s Shadow Bite ability by 3/6/9/12/15%.

Demonology
Molten Core: Redesigned. This talent now increases the duration of Immolate by 3/6/9 seconds and provides a 4/8/12% chance to gain the Molten Core effect when Corruption deals damage. The Molten Core effect empowers the next 3 Incinerate or Soul Fire spells cast within 15 seconds (Incinerate: increases damage done by 6/12/18% and reduces cast time by 10/20/30%; Soul Fire: increases damage done by 6/12/18% and increases critical strike chance by 5/10/15%). Molten Core now has a new spell effect.

Destruction
Conflagrate: Redesigned. This talent now consumes an Immolate or Shadowflame effect on the enemy target to instantly deal damage equal to 9 seconds of Immolate or 8 seconds of Shadowflame, and causes additional damage over 3 seconds equal to 3 seconds of Immolate or 2 seconds of Shadowflame. In addition, the periodic damage of Conflagrate is capable of critically striking the afflicted target.

Reputation
Gaining reputation with the Ashen Verdict in Icecrown Citadel will grant players access to upgradeable rings from Ormus the Penitent. Players can switch between the type of ring (melee/caster/tank/healer) at any point in the upgrade path for 200g.

Items
Hatchlings: Leaping, Darting, Razormaw, and Ravasaur Hatchlings no longer drop from their associated rare creatures. Instead, there are now rare nests that spawn which contain these hatchlings. For example, the Leaping Hatchling can now be found in Takk’s Nest rather than as a drop from Takk the Leaper.
Click to expand...
 
Odom said:
The mage thing just pisses me off because the class was buffed unnecessarily where other classes are left to suffer with terrible DPS and dwindling raid spots. To add further insult to injury it's not like the spec is remotely difficult to play. Why not fix shadow priests, affliction warlocks etc

And by OP I meant Over-Powered.
Click to expand...

I agee with you slightly....

However, Mages are ALWAYS needed in a raid mainly for their buffs. Why not make them more viable and have them have more flexibility when it comes to Talent tree of choice?

Have you ever level'd a mage? I honestly think just for being able to stick it out till level 80 they deserve a medal :D

That being said, I think every class deserves to be viable in all talent trees as personal pref. I'm not saying up their DPS to Rogues and the like but at least have all talent trees perform on par.

Arcane has always been a dead tree I have no pain with it being pimp'd but don't over do it like they did. It's OP currently but they will fix it later ;)
 
Yup was just being sadistic...

You are speaking to Mr MM here. Sitting on just under 700 Arp passive with no Arp Trinkets procing yet, and I am not even gemmed for Arp yet. Once grim toll kicks in, I know all about 1300 Arp and 30k Kill shots ;)
 
w1z4rd said:
It also looks like warlocks are getting a major work over:

Warlock
Affliction
Shadow Mastery: This talent now also increases the damage done by the felhunter’s Shadow Bite ability by 3/6/9/12/15%.

Demonology
Molten Core: Redesigned. This talent now increases the duration of Immolate by 3/6/9 seconds and provides a 4/8/12% chance to gain the Molten Core effect when Corruption deals damage. The Molten Core effect empowers the next 3 Incinerate or Soul Fire spells cast within 15 seconds (Incinerate: increases damage done by 6/12/18% and reduces cast time by 10/20/30%; Soul Fire: increases damage done by 6/12/18% and increases critical strike chance by 5/10/15%). Molten Core now has a new spell effect.

Destruction
Conflagrate: Redesigned. This talent now consumes an Immolate or Shadowflame effect on the enemy target to instantly deal damage equal to 9 seconds of Immolate or 8 seconds of Shadowflame, and causes additional damage over 3 seconds equal to 3 seconds of Immolate or 2 seconds of Shadowflame. In addition, the periodic damage of Conflagrate is capable of critically striking the afflicted target.
Click to expand...

Might want to get some up to date changes, those are old. Shadow mastery change is useles, gz our 400dps pet now does 412dps.

Molten core changed reverted to just increasing Incinerate damage and Soul Fire damage and not extending immolate. This is actually a decent buff but demo is far behind other warlock specs it's kind of wasted. It still doesn't make demo viable at all.

Conflag change is actually a nerf. Burst nerf and a PvE nerf.

Moving on to the only change that actually looked good at all was the Glyph of Corruption changing it to make Corruption scale with haste. This looked great until someone worked out that at 650 haste corruption will finish it's duration in 8 seconds. Haunt's cooldown is 8 seconds. So with 650 haste which is easily obtainable come ICC Corruption will constantly fall off the target thus defeating the purpose of Everlasting Affliction.
 
Frost is pretty easy to play as well.

/cast frost bolt
/cast frost bolt
/cast frost bolt
/cast frost bolt
Fingers of frost
*spam ice lance*
Brainfreeze
/cast fire ball

rince, repeat.
 
Hey Odom,

I understand your anger, mages are a very good place to be right now. However, WoW seems to move in cycles. It won't be to long until we are knocked off the top of the DPS charts.

My issue is that this thread is about raiding advice for an arcane mage. Not a thread to flame them. (You are welcome to start your own thread though, and let the claws come out)

@ W1z4rd... Your rotation is mana efficient but is not the highest DPS that an arcane mage can get. As Odom said, spamming arcane blast will push you DPS up quite alot. (while burning your other cooldowns as well).

Additionally, until you get your Totc 25 gear, this will burn your mana up in a matter of seconds.

Also something to remember as an arcane mage. Your goal as an arcane mage is to run out of mana just as the boss dies. That means that you maxed your DPS :-)
 
Last edited:
w1z4rd said:
Frost is pretty easy to play as well.

/cast frost bolt
/cast frost bolt
/cast frost bolt
/cast frost bolt
Fingers of frost
*spam ice lance*
Brainfreeze
/cast fire ball

rince, repeat.
Click to expand...

Woot! I'm doing it right! :D
 
Ive just specced arcane, I actually had fire as my offspec before this, so I am extremely unfamiliar with the arcane spec. Since I only specced and started last night... I do have a lot to learn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X