Arcane Mage
Our PvE pick · RecommendationRanged DPS
Arcane Blast (row 3), Missile Barrage, Presence of Mind → Arcane Power (requires PoM). Highest burst, worst mana. The best of the three Mage specs on the 11 Oct sim (716); its raid build is still theory.
What the tier lists say
Different scalesA on one list, #2 of 5 on a ranked list
| Rating | List | Page date | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | damage dealers | page 3 Oct · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| #2 of 5 | best raid DPS | page not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
Ratings of the whole class are on the overview.
Talent build
Hover a talent for its text. Click or tap to pin it, with each source's numbers.Tap a talent for its text and each source's numbers.
Arcane Meditation requires Arcane Concentration 5/5; Arcane Power requires Presence of Mind; one Arcane Geometry lifts rows 1–6 to 30. Fire: Improved Fireball, Incineration, Ignite, Impact 2, Pyroblast, Burning Soul, Master of Elements 2.
31 / 20 / 0 of 51 points
Open in the calculatorArcane PvE build at level 60 for a Mage: Arcane 31, Fire 20, Frost 0.
Arcane
31 pointsFire
20 pointsRotation at level 60
TheorySingle target
Open with Arcane Power, Presence of Mind → Arcane Blast.
- Arcane Power + Presence of Mind + trinkets
- Arcane Blast to 3–4 stacks
- Arcane Missiles (Missile Barrage)
- Stop stacking when mana < ~40%
- Evocation, mana gems
Groups
- Arcane Explosion
- Blizzard
- Flamestrike
Tip
Highest burst, worst mana. On the 11 Oct sim it is the highest of the three Mage specs (716).
Stat priority
- Spell Power
- Hit
- Intellect
- Spell Crit
- Spirit
No explicit priority; maximize Intellect, Spellpower and Spirit (crafted gear is great for this).
Recommendation
Level 20: best and second best per slot
| Slot | Best | Second best |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Pearly Circlet Crafted: Tailoring (requires Merchant's Favor) | Bright-Eye Goggles Crafted: Engineering |
| Neck | Ephemeral Choker Hall of Thanes — Faldrim Anvilmar | Sorcerer Collar Shadowfang Keep — Rethilgore |
| Shoulders | Feline Mantle Shadowfang Keep — Wolf Master Nandos | Talbar Mantle quest The Glowing Shard — Wailing Caverns |
| Back | Feyscale Cloak Wailing Caverns — Deviate Faerie Dragon | Satyrskin Cloak Ragefire Chasm — Bazzalan |
| Chest | Robes of Arugal Shadowfang Keep — Archmage Arugal | Filigreed Pearly Gown Crafted: Tailoring |
| Wrist | Aetherwisp Bracers Hall of Thanes — Faldrim Anvilmar | Crystalline Cuffs Ragefire Chasm — Taragaman the Hungerer |
| Hands | Tomb Robber's Gloves quest Important Heirlooms — Hall of Thanes | Pearly Gloves Crafted: Tailoring (Merchant's Favor) |
| Waist | Belt of Arugal Shadowfang Keep — Archmage Arugal | Slither Cord Wailing Caverns — Lord Pythas |
| Legs | Rotmender's Leggings Ruins of Lordaeron — The Abandoned | Filigreed Pearly Leggings Crafted: Tailoring |
| Feet | Slime-encrusted Pads Wailing Caverns — Mutanus the Devourer | Rotmender's Treads Ruins of Lordaeron — Rath'mael |
| Ring | Deep Fathom Ring Wailing Caverns — Mutanus the Devourer | Seal of Sylvanas quest Arugal Must Die — Shadowfang Keep |
| Trinket | Blindwatcher's Sight Shadowfang Keep — Odo the Blindwatcher | Snake Eye Kaleidoscope Wailing Caverns — Lady Anacondra |
| Main Hand | Blade of Silverlaine Shadowfang Keep — Baron Silverlaine | Searing Dagger Ragefire Chasm — Bazzalan |
| Off Hand / Shield | Dwarven Tome quest Important Heirlooms — Hall of Thanes | — |
| Two-Hand | Odo's Ley Staff Shadowfang Keep — Odo the Blindwatcher | Emberstone Staff The Deadmines — Captain Greenskin |
| Ranged / Relic | Cookie's Stirring Rod The Deadmines — Cookie | Greater Magic Wand Crafted: Enchanting |
Sourced: Guide · 29 Sep
Level 60: where gear will come from
- Pre-raid: Alcaz Prison, Shaper's Terrace, the Drowned City, Krol'dok Stronghold and Hyjal quests; hit and crit are merged, so 'spell hit' and 'spell crit' items are the same stat budget as melee ones.
- Crafted: Tailoring school-specific sets ('Flame', 'Shadow', 'Pearly' at L20 — expect the same lines at 60), Enchanting ring Spell Power, Alchemy trinket.
- Wands lost spell-damage scaling on 24 Sep — treat the ranged slot as stats only.
- Raids open 9 December; no level-60 BiS exists yet.
Theory