Mage Talent Builds
July 12, 2008 by Zuggy · 8 Comments
If you’re looking for the best mage talent builds then you’ve come to the right place. This mage spec guide will be continually updated to reflect the current best arcane, fire, frost and hybrid builds for pvp, pve, leveling and more! With that said, let’s get to the good stuff!
PvP Mage Specs
When we consider mage pvp builds their are a variety of factors we must consider. The first, and most important is the purpose of the build. We basically have two types of pvp builds, those builds for arena, and those builds not for arena.
For the purpose of arena we really have to be concerned with the longevity of the build. So we’re going deep in the front tree. Frost mage spec - 17/0/44, this is pretty much our baseline for mage frost builds. It’s got great survivability, longevity, and of course the addition of improved counter spell. A spell that if you’re comfortable managing, can be extremely powerful.
Next we have, frost mage build - 0/5/56. This build doesn’t require you to be as clutch with your CS, and also allows for even greater survivability, control, and longevity over it’s 17/0/44 counterpart. With this type of build you essentially are a kiting master.
Master of Frost, frost mage build - 0/0/61. A build like this is anything but orthodox. It lakes some of the utility we find in traditional frost specs, but even so many mages have used this spec to great success. Needless to say this spec will allow you maximum survivability and maximum kiting ability.
If you’re looking for additional information on pvp and arena, head over here, mage pvp specs guide.
The following pvp specs are great for battlegrounds and world PvP, though I don’t consider them optimal for arena. That said, if you have the right type of team they could work. Fire mage build - 33/28/0.
Ah yes, the time honored 3 minute mage build. Not much to say here, it’s hilarious for BGs, and even more so in the right arena matrix. I’ve seen this build used by a variety of gib teams in arena.
Fire mage build - 17/44/0. This is pretty much your baseline fire build. You’ve got imp. CS, great damage, and at least some ability to live beyond your PoM that comes with the 33/28/0 build. Strong build, lacks of the survivability of an full frost build, but great if you love fire.
PvE Mage Specs
The one thing I really love about raiding as a mage is the wide variety of potential specs you can choose to raid with. Arcane mage build - 40/0/21, this is the most fundamental of all arcane PvE raiding builds. Your basic rotation will be spamming arcane blast until you are low / out of mana, then use frost bolts to recover. Great spec that serves most all raid scenarios quite well.
For all you fire fans out there I suggest going with 2/48/11 fire mage build. It’s got the best overall damage of any fire spec and will optimize your DPS with rolling ignites. You should note that there are 3 free points in this build, I’ve chosen to put 1 in pyro, 1 in improved flamestrike, and 1 in blastwave. You could toss those 3 in really any talents of your choice.
This next build is not the greatest DPS build. However, for guild’s working on 10 man progression or other instances that require excessive kiting and survivability it may work well for you. Frost mage spec - 10/0/51.
Mage Leveling Build
For leveling purposes this is my absolute favorite mage leveling build - 13/0/48. In the past I’ve had great success using a variety of deep frost builds for leveling, but this one takes the cake. In addition to have great mana longevity and strong control, it also comes with the right combination of talents of AoE grinding.
I don’t know about you, but the reason I made a mage was so I could round up a big ass pack of mobs and just slay em down. This is a great spec for that purpose and I know you’ll have great success with it. You should note, that while this build does have strong AoE it isn’t the 100% best for AoE.
A friend of mine recommended this build, mage grinding build. You basically don’t waste any points in this build, and have maximum AoE grinding talents. While it is strong, I still prefer the first one. As it offers strong AoE while not sacrificing any single target damage.
And if you’re on a PvP server you know how having strong single target damage and survivability can be key. Additionally, if you’re looking for a kick ass guide to help you power through your levels check out this, level 1-70 in 6 days 5 hours. I’ve personally used this guide myself and let me tell you, it’s got an awesome in-game mod that guides you the whole way!
PvE Boss Strategy and Etiquette
June 21, 2008 by Zuggy · Leave a Comment
Hey guys i would like to talk about Etiquette and knowing what to do in PVE…especially Karazhan.
1. Research Bosses and Encounters
There nothing more annoying then someone who’s knew to a particular instance such as Karazhan going and doing everything wrong. Now i can use one such example as “Shade of Aran”, he has a variety of ability’s that can turn an awesome fight into a bloodbath.
Researching bosses is vital in pve, not knowing what to do when example Shade of Aran uses Flame Wreath or Arcane explosion can cause your group to fail miserably and leave them with a nasty repair bill. Make sure you know what to do… also if the leader is talking to you and telling you what to do talk back; there is nothing more annoying then telling someone a whole 5 minutes of information when they just run out and die again. This leads me to the point of feedback, when a leader tells you that this boss does this recap what he says e.g. “Shade of Aran will use Flame Wreath when this happens DON’T MOVE”… respond to this by saying “Ok i wont move when he uses Flame Wreath”, it just makes the leaders life easier knowing that you know what to do.
2. Loot Etiquette
There isn’t anything more frustrating then doing a 3 hour raid and then someone out rolling you on a piece of gear, with this comes etiquette. If a player that has green bracer’s rolls on a epic bracer’s and you do to but your bracer’s are far better then him “Pass” if you win the roll and let him take them, they are a far bigger upgrade to him then to you, not only will this earn you respect with that fellow player but it will also maximize your raids efficiency.
“Main set before off set” this is a neat little rule to describe before you enter the heart of an instance, it saves time and trouble over certain loots. Only if that peice of gear is better then yours and you need them the most, and it is for your main set then yes, you can have a fair chance on rolling for that epic, but it is really annoying to fellow players that a “Enhance shammy” gets those awesome healing legs off “X” boss when there is a “Resto Shammy” that needs them. If there is no one in the raid that needs them for their main set then its anyones chance to grab an offset piece, but please if you are rolling for that certain offpiece be sure that you will actually use it in future.
“Cloth,Leather,Mail,Plate” all of these different types of amour are made for different classes, if a epic leather piece of gear drops it should be automatically made that first priority is given to Druids and Rogues, if no one can use that or no one in the leather class needs them, then the next priority should be Shamans and Hunters and so on up to warriors and pallies.
“Congratulations” a simple “Congratz” or “Gratz” can be quite effective by earning another players respect, using this phrase after someone in your party/raid receives a piece of loot is a nice way of saying “good on you”. Also if you are out rolled by someone on a certain peice of gear that you both need don’t rage and start shouting about how you’ve been trying to get that for “X” amount of time, simply say “Gratz” and move on, there is many more chances in later instances/raids that you will get that piece.
3. The Blame Game
No one likes being blamed wrongly, or even blamed at all for an incident that has happened, it shows your bad side if you instantly start blaming someone for that certain “pull” or “wipe”. If you see that someone has accidentally pulled an “extra mob” or died during a “boss encounter” do not scream at them about how they “Epic Fail”, simply show your kind side and offer them tips for next time on what to do to minimize the risk of it happening again.
If you know you caused your party/raid to wipe own up, don’t stand there like a stunned mullet and keep defending that it wasn’t you and it was someone else, simply say “Sorry that was my fault for that then” or “It was my fault it won’t happen again”, many times this will work and instead of being kicked from the party for having a big argument on who’s fault it was they will recognize that you owned up for it and they will try again. This has worked many times during my “Oops i pulled Curator, omg aggro radius” times or my “What??? I pulled threat off tank”, just generally being nice in raids will help you achieve more and have more fun, it will also speed up the time your party/raid completes the instance/raid.
4. The End
When a party/raid has finished, dont just leave vent and quit party, say “Thankyou for the Run” and then leave once you have said your goodbyes. In many other cases you might want to talk to the raid leader and organise a second party/raid or organise for the next weeks party/raid, this is an easy way to make friends and have guaranteed spots for party’s/raids.
Hopefully this guide has helped you a bit with common everyday WoW play.
Strategy courtesy of Electrocow
Best Unit Frame Addons
June 20, 2008 by Zuggy · 2 Comments
No custom user interface is complete without ditching the stock Blizzard unit frames. The blizzard frames are anything but “ideal, they are small, poorly positioned, and offer the user little information, especially for raiders. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of unit frame addons out there to help us out.
1. X-Perl Unit Frame
Perl has basically been around forever, I can remember using the very first versions of this module in AQ40. Overall, it’s just a great unit frame. It comes equipped with all the normal features you’d expect an addon to have; range finder, HoT monitor, raid frames, debuff highlighting, raid target icon, raid tooltip, in-combat indicators, 3D portraits, red and green combat flashes, timers, and configurable colors, just to name a few.
Setup on this mod is extremely fast, out of the box it’s pretty much ready to go and doesn’t require very much customization to get to looking good.
Download X-Perl Unit Frames
2. Pitbull Unit Frame
Pitbull is built on the Ace2 library of functions and as such uses very little memory. As far as features go, Pitbull tops all other addons. If you can dream it, chances are it’s an option in Pitbull.
While this feature has it’s appealing nature, it’s also a big negative for many users. Pitbull will take some time to setup. With so many available options the first couple times you configure the addon could be painful, especially if you are a perfectionist about your U.I. like I am.
Keep in mind, the screenshot above is just one possible U.I. you could create using Pitbull. There infinitely more complex (or simplistic) iterations you could build using the options available in this addon.
3. AG Unit Frames
AG unit frames may look suspiciously like Pitbull to you, that’s because it was created using the same scripts. Essentially AG unit frames is a more simplistic version of pitbull. It offers less functionality, but as a result the setup time is pretty quick.
The major draw back for me on this addon was not having a range finder, you may find other quarks you dislike about it, but overall it’s a solid mod that offers a minimalistic feel that’s quick and easy to setup.
4. Healbot Unit Frames
Though I haven’t had a chance to personally try out healbot in raids, It looks pretty solid from what I’ve heard and read. Healbot is built with the raid healer in mind and is packed with features to help you including: 20 key mouse combinations to cast any beneficial spell, usable items can be added to combos, macros can be added, target, focus, and assist can be
added, displays aggro, decurisve functions, monitor buffs / debuffs, configurable appearance, raid sync, range checker, etc.
Additional Unit / Raid Frame Addons
In addition to the above addons I’ve listed you may consider using some of the following.
Proximo
Proximo generates a small box (moveable via alt + dragging) that populates the names of your arena opponents and their current HP percentage. In addition, you can set certain bindings off the frame.
For example, a left click on a player in the frame could cast a sheep, set it as your focus, etc.
Grid Raid Unit Frame
Grid is an ideal solution if you have a unit frame that doesn’t provide very good raid frames. For me this was the ideal solution, since AG unit frames did not have a range checker.
Grid creates a small frame and fills it with a box for each member of your raid or party. From there each box is broken down into various sections which display various data; debuffs, buffs, aggro, HP, etc. All of which is 100% customizable.
Check out my full write up on grid raid unit frames for more information.
Think you’ve got an awesome unit frame addon that should be added to this list? Post yours below!
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