HOME WoW Classes The War Within Mage Guide

With the new expansion comes a new meta, a new talent tree (and in The War Within even one more tree), borrowed powers, and mechanics. In this The War Within Mage Guide, we will reveal all the subtleties and nuances of Mage Class gameplay. And if you are eager to learn more about Hero Talents, read our The War Within Hero Talents Guide for a detailed review of Mage’s trees.

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The War Within Mage Guide 4.9

The War Within Mage Overview

Mage is one of the oldest and canonical classes in the game. It is a range class and can only deal damage but in three different specializations. Each of the three specializations has tremendous opportunities for survival or kiting. The playstyle revolves around generating skills important for specialization (Heating Up for Fire or Brain Freeze for Frost) and keeping an eye on the spell mana cost.

Depending on the specialization, the game’s complexity on the Mage also differs. Frost, for example, is a great choice for beginners, while the high-AMP fire and arcane with complex mechanics will appeal to experienced players.

Anyway, the Mage Damage profile is usually adaptable to any situation, making this class a powerful high DPSing weapon.

Mage Strengths and Weaknesses

The strengths and weaknesses of each class are purely subjective things. For some players, the weaknesses become a major stumbleblock, while for others it’s an exciting challenge. However, there are axioms with which most agree: some classes have advantages over others in terms of mobility, DPS, single or multi-target damage, etc.

FireFrostArcane
Strengths✅ Awesome burst and cleave spell damage;
✅ Great potential for survival;
✅ Most mobile of all three specs;
✅ Many GCD-independent spells.
✅ Good cleave DMG;
✅ Best defensive potential;
✅ Great kiting capability.
✅ Awesome burst damage;
✅ Can deal damage on go;
✅ Great kiting capability.
Weaknesses⛔️ No self-healing ability.⛔️ No self-healing ability;
⛔️ Weak solo-target DMG.
⛔️ No self-healing ability;
⛔️ Requires a lot of experience.

The War Within Mage Changes

In The War Within, the Mage class received a batch of updates. For all three specs, talent trees were revamped, with new choice nodes added. Several talents switched their places and became available earlier.

But the biggest rework was done on the Arcane spec, which in the current patch showed top-tier results. Radiant Spark, Harmonic EchoConjure Mana Gem, Cascading Power were removed. Also, Temporal Warp, a high devise node, has been removed. New talents like Nether Munitions and Eureka were added to the Arcane’s toolkit, not to mention a Hero Talents system, granting us an entire talent tree.

One more essential point to consider is that now we have Warbands. This feature allows you to place four favorite characters on your loading screen, transfer the resources, and have a shared bank. This Warband Bank can be unlocked with the help of our pro team, and you will be able to use it in no time.

But, the changes seem to be very positive, securing a place in the top-tier classes for Mages. So, in The War Within, playing a Mage in PvE environments should be fun, and the core gameplay was not affected by the changes.

The War Within Mage Abilities

In the previous expansion, every Mage specialization has received Greater Invisibility — this ability is similar to Vanish and allows you to become invisible even while in combat. Together with Cauterize and Ice Block, the Mage is almost invulnerable.

The War Within Mage Rotation

Playing The War Within Mage requires you to be attentive to cooldowns and master the rotation. Each spec has its own peculiarities, thus we provide some general tips for you to be able to play any Mage spec in The War Within:

  • Start combat with your highest-damage spells or cooldowns like Pyroblast or Arcane Blast to maximize your initial burst.
  • Use your major cooldowns, e.g. Icy Veins, Arcane Power, wisely, aligning them with procs or key moments in the fight for maximum impact.
  • Focus on maintaining your primary damage-dealing spells and keep up any necessary debuffs or buffs on the target. For Fire Mage, it would be Fireball, for Frost — Frostbolt, etc.
  • Utilize your mobility spells (Blink) to stay out of harm’s way and make use of crowd control and utility abilities to support your team.

The War Within Mage Leveling

Frost is the easiest specialization to level. Its mechanics are simple and don’t take long to learn. Moreover, Frost spec has a lot of AoE damage, and their abilities slow down opponents, which can help a lot.

One of the options for fast leveling is to find a group of 4 people and go through the dungeons one by one. Thanks to this method, you will better study not only your own but also other classes and their interaction in dungeons.

You can level in the open world if you do not have a good party. Warlords of Draenor and Legion are the best expansions for this. To start the storyline of these expansions, find Chromie at the embassy in Orgrimmar or Stormwind. She always sits on the hourglass. Or, you can ask for Power Leveling and our pro team will eagerly help you with this task.

The list of useful consumables and equipment for leveling:

The War Within Mage BiS Items

For every Mage spec in WoW The War Within, Reshii Wraps outshines other cloaks. It strengthens spell power while providing much-needed defense against burst mechanics. Whether you’re mastering Frost, Fire, or Arcane, it’s the one item you’ll want to upgrade and keep enchanted. Read our full Reshii Wraps guide here.

Best Mage Cartel Chip Items

To get even more BiS items, consider participating in Turbo Boost event. Here’s a list of the best Mage Cartel Chip purchases:

SpecBest Cartel Chip Purchases
Arcane Mage
Fire Mage
Frost Mage

The War Within Mage Stats

Here’s a stat priority, that you need to follow while gearing this or that spec. Mages are casters, so the top will always be Intellect. The rest of the list, however, varies from spec to spec.

  • Fire Mage’s priority goes as follows:
    Intellect > Haste > Versatility > Mastery > Critical Strike;
  • What concerns Frost spec, they appreciate Mastery more:
    Intellect > Mastery > Haste > Critical Strike (to 33,34%) > Versatility > Critical Strike (after 33,34%);
  • And last but not least, Arcane Mage priority:
    Intellect > Critical Strike > Mastery > Versatility > Haste.

The War Within Mage Consumables

Consumables come in handy in any potential combat situation. They help to increase your damage, heal, gain extra stats, etc. Here in our comprehensive guide, you’ll find the list of the best consumables and gem choices, and learn which enchants to obtain.

Mage Flasks in The War Within

Mage Combat Potions in The War Within

Mage Health Potions in The War Within

Mage Weapon Buff in The War Within

Best Mage Food in The War Within

Best Mage Gems in The War Within

Mage Best Enchants in The War Within

SlotBest EnchantCheaper Version
WeaponThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Weapon – Authority of the Depths The War Within Mage GuideThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Weapon – Stormrider’s Fury The War Within Mage Guide
CloakThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Cloak – Chant of Winged Grace The War Within Mage GuideThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Cloak – Whisper of Silken Avoidance The War Within Mage Guide
ChestThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Chest – Crystalline Radiance The War Within Mage Guide
BracersThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Bracer – Chant of Armored Avoidance The War Within Mage GuideThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Bracer – Whisper of Armored Avoidance The War Within Mage Guide
LegsThe War Within Mage Guide Sunset Spellthread The War Within Mage GuideThe War Within Mage Guide Weavercloth Spellthread The War Within Mage Guide
BootsThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Boots – Defender’s March The War Within Mage Guide
Ring – RegularThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Ring – Radiant Haste The War Within Mage GuideThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Ring – Glimmering Haste The War Within Mage Guide
Ring – CursedThe War Within Mage Guide Enchant Ring – Cursed Haste The War Within Mage Guide

The War Within Mage Best Race

In World of Warcraft The War Within, any race can master the art of controlling magic. You can choose which race you like most and just play it! In terms of player enjoyment, it doesn’t matter. But, if you are looking for options, that provide extra functionality to Mage gameplay, you are in the right place.

Horde

If you play for the Horde faction, Troll will be the best option. They have Berserking racial, which in fact is your own mini BL. Also, they have Regeneration— since Mage does not have a heal, this ability can be very useful.

If you have already unlocked an allied Nightborne race, this is also a very nice choice. This race is not only majestically unique but also offers Magical Affinity racial, which increases ALL your magical damage by 1%. Impressive? Surely. In addition to that, you receive Arcane Pulse — an extra damage button.

Alliance

Playing for the Alliance, you can focus on elves. Basic choice — Night Elf. Their Quickness increases your chance to dodge melee and ranged attacks, and also you receive increased movement speed. Touch of Elune grants day/night buff for your Haste and Critical Strike.

Or, Void Elf is also a good choice, if you have this race. Their toolkit is full of surprises:

All in all, it’s up to you which race to choose. But if our list inspired you to try some new races, you can always ask our pro team for Allied Races Unlock. Our best players know the fastest way to unlock them all.

The War Within Mage PvP

In The War Within expansion of WoW, Mages continue to be versatile and powerful in PvP due to their crowd control, burst damage, and mobility.

If you struggle to choose a spec, then Fire is a top choice for its explosive burst potential and strong offensive cooldowns like Combustion. Frost is also popular for its reliable crowd control, survivability, and sustained damage. Arcane, while less common, can be effective with its high burst damage and mobility.

If you wish to be the best among PvP players and show off your prestigious title, ask our professional team for Gladiator Title. Overgear players are trained professionals who know how to get it fast.

The War Within Mage Best Professions

For more successful results in dungeons, it is best to study Engineering because it opens access to items like Disposable Spectrophasic Reanimator and Wyrmhole Generator: Dragon Isles.

However, if you want to make money, then Jewelcrafting, Alchemy, and Enchanting are your best bet. Each of these professions produces items that remain relevant throughout the expansion. For more detailed information, check out our The War Within Profession Guide.

If you are looking for a way to ease the profession training, get the Council of Dornogal Renown, granting exclusive mounts, gear, profession knowledge items, and cosmetics.

The War Within Mage Macros

Many players are constantly looking for a tool to enhance their performance. The most simple, yet really impactful option is to use macros. It’s especially useful for casters to cast or cancel spellcasting in half a second.

Mage Macros
  • Button Combustion. Casts Combustion and activates Berserking and the first trinket slot.
    #showtooltip Combustion
    /cast Berserking
    /cast Combustion
    /use 13
  • Cast At Cursor Meteor. Casts Meteor at the location of your cursor.
    #showtooltip Meteor
    /cast [@cursor] Meteor
  • Stopcast Blink. Cancels your current spellcast and causes you to immediately Blink.
    #showtooltip
    /stopcasting
    /cast Blink
  • 1-Button Block. Cancels your current cast and puts you in Ice Block, pressing it again cancels Ice Block.
    #showtooltip
    /stopcasting
    /cancelaura Ice Block
    /cast Ice Block
  • Block Cancel. Cancels Ice Block if you are a button spammer.
    /cancelaura Ice Block
  • Alter Time Cancel. Cancels Alter Time if you do not want to be teleported back.
    /cancelaura Alter Time
  • Mouseover Decurse. Removes a curse from the unit you are mousing over.
    #showtooltip
    /use [@cursor]Remove Curse
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The War Within Mage Guide 4.9

And, that is all. Thank you for reading our The War Within Mage Guide. You learned all the needed aspects: the class changes, the pros and cons of each spec, best flasks and potions, and now you are ready to start your Mage campaign. For more information about your favorite spec, read other guides on our platform and stay in touch to receive the latest updates.

Changelog

15 Aug. 2024 Guide added.
20 Nov. 2024 Guide updated for Patch 11.0.7.
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