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Beta, level cap 30 · data read 13 Oct

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Frost Mage guide

Ranged DPS · our guide of 13 Oct 2026 Recommendation

Talent trees, every tier list's rating and the sim: the Frost tab.

In short

  • A ranged caster who controls the fight: Frost spells slow, root and freeze, and Shatter adds 50% to the crit chance of every spell you cast at a Frozen target. Sourced: Talent database
  • Number 16 of 20 damage specs in our newest sim run, at 659 DPS. Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run
  • Two of everything: Cold Snap ends the cooldowns of all your other Frost spells at once, so Ice Block and Frost Nova can be used twice in a fight. Sourced: Talent database
  • Weak spot: Ice Lance does its real damage only to Frozen targets (300% more), so your burst depends on landing a freeze first. Sourced: Talent database Source pending

How it plays

Up to level 30. Frostbolt from range, Frost Nova when something reaches you, then Ice Lance on the frozen target once you have it; Fire Blast to finish, and your wand when you're low on mana. Blizzard on three or more enemies. Improved Frostbolt makes Frostbolt's cast time 0.5 sec shorter at 5 of 5, Frostbite gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to freeze for 5 sec at 3 of 3, and Improved Frost Nova shortens Frost Nova's cooldown. At 30 the build adds Ice Lance, Ice Block and Shatter, and your 21st point buys Cold Snap.

Sourced: Guide · 2 Oct, Talent database Source pending

At level 60. Theory Ice Barrier, then Frostbolt. Fingers of Frost makes your next 2 spells treat the target as Frozen, so follow it with Ice Lance. Frost Nova into Ice Lance for burst, Cold Snap for a second Ice Block or Frost Nova, and Ice Barrier on cooldown: it absorbs damage, and while it holds, damage doesn't interrupt or delay your casts. Ice Shards at 4 points makes the crit damage bonus of your Frost spells 80% higher. The 20 Arcane points buy Arcane Concentration, Arcane Meditation and Improved Counterspell, which adds a 4 sec silence to Counterspell. In PvP, Polymorph the healer first.

Sourced: Talent database Source pending

Talents at a glance

  • Level 20: Improved Frostbolt 5, Frostbite 3, Improved Frost Nova 2, Permafrost 1

    Frostbite + Improved Frost Nova: roots on every hit, a shorter Nova; Permafrost to slow.

    Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator

  • Level 30: Improved Frostbolt 5, Frostbite 3, Improved Frost Nova 2, Permafrost 3, Ice Lance 1, Piercing Ice 1, Ice Block 1, Shatter 3, Arctic Reach 1, Cold Snap 1

    Ice Lance (row 3), Ice Block and Shatter (row 4 at 15), then Cold Snap with the 21st point (row 5 at 20): two Ice Blocks per fight.

    Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator

  • Level 60: Improved Frostbolt 5, Elemental Precision 3, Frostbite 3, Improved Frost Nova 2, Permafrost 3, Ice Shards 4, Ice Lance 1, Ice Block 1, Shatter 3, Arctic Reach 2, Cold Snap 1, Fingers of Frost 2, Ice Barrier 1, Arcane Focus 5, Arcane Concentration 5, Magic Absorption 2, Arcane Resilience 2, Arcane Impact 1, Improved Counterspell 2, Arcane Meditation 3

    Ice Barrier requires Cold Snap; Fingers of Frost requires Ice Lance; Ice Shards 4 lifts rows 1–6 to 30 for the capstone. Arcane: Arcane Concentration 5/5, then Arcane Meditation (requires it), Improved Counterspell (row 4 at 15 — Arcane Resilience + one Arcane Impact fill the gap), Magic Absorption.

    Theory · See the trees · Open in the calculator

Rotation at level 30

Recommendation

Single target

Open with Frostbolt from max range (Arctic Reach).

  1. Frostbolt
  2. Frost Nova, then Ice Lance ×2 (Shatter)
  3. Cone of Cold (26) to finish
  4. Fire Blast

Groups

  • Gather, Frost Nova, Blizzard (Improved Blizzard chills), then Cone of Cold

Tips

Cold Snap (row 5) resets Ice Block and Frost Nova in PvP.

Winter's Chill no longer rolls resistance (1 Oct).

Stats

Each guide's stat order as it gives it, the sim's stat weights, then ours. Guides dated before the last big tuning are shown but not counted.

Guides differHit first on every guide; the order after it differs.

WhereStat order
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctHit › Spell power › Crit › Spirit › Intellect › Stamina
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctHit › Spell power › Spirit › Intellect › Crit › Stamina
Guide · 9 Oct leveling, level 30 · read 12 OctNot ranked
Sim · stat weights level 60 · run 12 Oct, 5,000 iterations

Per 1%: Spell hit 6.97 › Spell casting speed 6.44 › Spell crit 4.78

Per point: Spell damage 0.474 tied with Frost spell damage 0.474 › Intellect 0.0987 › Mana every 5 sec 0.0119 › Spirit 0.0046

No DPS change in this run: Mana, Arcane spell damage, Fire spell damage, Spell penetration.

The DPS each stat adds, for a level-60 character on the engine's preset gear in a 2-minute fight on a beta engine: a direction, not a verdict. = marks a tie: stats within each other's margin. Not counted toward "Guides agree".

Our order matches the sim's lists for the stats both name.

Ours RecommendationFrost spell power › Hit › Spell crit › Intellect › Stamina for PvP

Where ours differs: ours puts Frost spell power before Hit, which both guides rank higher.

Race

Each guide's race picks for Frost, then our pick for the Mage.

Alliance

One guideGnome on 1 guide.

Horde

Professions

Guides differThe guides name different professions.

  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctTailoring, Enchanting, Alchemy, Engineering
  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctEngineering, Tailoring
  • Guide · 9 Oct leveling, level 30 · read 12 OctNot given
  • Ours, for the Mage RecommendationTailoring + Enchanting; or Herbalism + Alchemy

What changed for Frost

  • 8 Oct: Frostbolt and Fireball ranks 1–5 and Arcane Missiles ranks 1–3 retuned so each new rank is an upgrade; Impact no longer procs from Flamestrike's damage over time.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct

  • 1 Oct: Hot Streak renamed Heating Up (same talent, trees and builds here use the new name); Combustion back to 3 charges (was 4); Improved Scorch's Fire Vulnerability no longer double-rolls resistance; Winter's Chill no longer rolls resistance; scrolls can't be cast while moving.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 1 Oct

  • Arcane Missiles checks line of sight once at the start of the channel.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

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