Sorrowbane
01-31-2009, 08:56 PM
Sup ! First of all I would like to say this is my first post ever on AJ. I used to browse the site alot but haven't been back since patch 3.0 was launched. Now I see everything is up to date for WOTLK (yay :)) and I decided I'd sign up and start contributing / discussing. The Mage Talents section seemed kinda empty to me so I figured I would start there... I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place so if it isn't lend me a hand as to where to go :)
Arcane
Arcane is considered to be a very faceroll spec. It arguably is, but it doesn't mean there isn't any depth to it. Your strenghts are excellent mobility, ridiculous burst damage and good control through Slow. Your weaknesses are equally ridiculous vulnerability to physical damage, mana ineficiency and a damage output that is somewhat limited and predictable (AKA if Ap+PoM doesnt kill someone, it'll be very hard for you to land a kill for the next 2 minutes in an arena setting).
I have no idea for how long Arcane will remain this good ; Blizzard has hinted of a super secret "anti-burst" plan that is propably going to hit arcane, muti, ret and feral the hardest. Until then, Arcane remains a very powerful spec for all brackets.
Talent builds
I'm going to start with a very cookie cutter PvP Arcane build which should do well for whatever you are up to (2s, 3s, 5s or even just BG grinding). Here it is :
:mage:Fireball Arcane 57/14/0
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=ofMifzrcdeGzrt0d0E0co
This build uses your Spacebar to Jump as much as possible and also whatever you bind Arcane Barrage to. Fireball + Abarrage is a very potent burst combo with a 3 second charge time ; if either crits, whoever you are targeting is in trouble. Not optimal for 2v2 but does an overall good job in any PvP situation.
-Arcane Tier 1
Arcane Subtelty 2/2 : Get it, dispel resist is solid. It won't work on Slow or Sheeps but it will on your own buffs, making you harder to dispel train. Also works for Ignite and Frostfire Bolt DoT, which triggers your Torment of The Weak bonus damage.
Arcane Focus 3/3 : Less mana on most of the spells you will be using is good. Extra hit for your essential spells (Sheep, Counterspell) is also good, even if you are 4% hit cap. Remember there are all sorts of Talents and Racials out there that gives your spells less chance to hit, this talent counteracts that.
Arcane Stability 0/5 : Useless for PvP. Perphaps a reduction to 3 points and evocation pushback resistance would be in order ?
-Arcane Tier 2
Arcane Fortitude 2/3 : Helps offset the heavy damage you take from rogues, feral druids, warriors, hunters, etc. 2/3 Should at least be a solid +5% damage reduction from armor, pretty good until you get to high resil level and Battlemaster Trinket, then you can consider ditching it.
Magic Absorption 2/2 : Essential talent for any PvP build. You will rarely fully resist something and get mana back but it offers very nice mitigation against all spell damage. Stacked with Mage Armor, this talent gives you a solid edge against all caster classes and especially Pets.
Clearcast 5/5 : Helps offset the mana problem of arcane but first and foremost grant you +30% crit on your next spell everytime it procs, assuming you are Arcane. Max it out.
-Arcane Tier 3
Magic Attunement 2/2 : The bonus to AM/DM is nice for 2s depending on your comp but mainly +6 yard on Counterspell, Sheep, Slow and your primary damage ability (Arcane Barrage). Don't skip no matter what your PvP build is.
Spell Impact 3/3 : It is maxed out with this build because it assumes you are going to be using Fireballs but with most other arcane builds I would only put 1 or 2 points in it. Nice extra damage on some odd abilities but it would have to buff Arcane Barrage to be really useful.
Student of the Mind 0/3 : Useless for PvP.
Focus Magic 1/1 : Really nice to put on healer partners or random idiots in BGs. Dispel crap if anything... you can skip but if you play with a Priest that uses Divine Aegis it's a must.
-Arcane Tier 4
Arcane Shielding 2/2 : Essential talent for solo PvP and DPS-only teams. Even if you have a healer, the bonus to mage armor resistance is nice. Can be skipped but I don't recommend it, the difference between a 1.0 and a 1.5 Mana Shield is HUGE and it is the only thing you have for those situations where you just have to soak damage. It's also interesting to note that this talent lets you turn Mana into Health at a 1.0-1.0 ratio.
Imp Counterspell 2/2 : Classic, never skip. Be careful of Silence Effects Diminishing Returns now.
Arcane Meditation 0/3 : May be useful in a few seasons, for now not worth the points.
Torment the Weak 3/3 : Essential talent, +12% damage on Arcane Barrage and whatever else you are nuking with (Fireball in this case). Any debuff that slows or snares the target in any shape or form will trigger the bonus damage, even stuff like Thunder Clap or Curse of Tongues. Will not trigger on roots (Frost Nova).
-Arcane Tier 5
-Improved Blink 2/2 : Amazing talent for only 2 points. Alot of stuff will miss you after blinking, helping you avoid trains and ranged attacks that could be fatal. The mana cost reduction is also very nice.
Presence of mind 1/1 : As classic as it gets. Your main tool for bursting.
Arcane Mind 5/5 : Extra Intellect is extra crit, extra spell power, extra mana and thus allows you to last longer and potentially live longer with mana shield. It may feel optional for PvP but it isn't. Max it out foo'.
-Arcane Tier 6
Primastic Cloak 3/3 : Essential. -6% damage to all is very nice and a well timed Instant Invisibility or Block + Invisibility can get you out of very bad situations.
Arcane Instability 3/3 : The only reliable bonus crit talent you have. Get it not only because arcane's crit chance is sad but also because it is a pre-req for other important talents.
Arcane Potency 2/2 : This is the reason why you maxed out Clearcast. Also gives your PoM + AP burst an extra 30% crit chance.
-Arcane Tier 7
Arcane Empowerment 0/3 : Useless with this build.
Arcane Power 1/1 : There it is, an essential talent to buff your burst.
Incanter's Absorption 2/3 : The thing with this talent is that it can be ridiculously OP but only in small windows and situational settings. I like to put 2 points into it at least because I get procs from Wards / Mana Shield but it's a must to max out if you play with a priest in any bracket.
-Arcane Tier 8
Arcane Floes 2/2 : Probably one of the most fun Mage talents. No reason to skip since the buff to Evocation cooldown.
Mind Mastery 5/5 : Costly but an extra 150 spell power is really good.
-Arcane Tier 9
Slow 1/1 : Curse of Tongues and instant ranged 60% snare all in one, complete with no cooldown and low mana cost. Ezmode kiting guaranteed !
Missile Barrage 0/5 : This, IMO, is very debatable. I have not been using this talent at all except in BG grinding. Very potent burst but having to sit still for 2.5 seconds and open your arcane school to interrupts is very risky. It also costs tons of mana. If you have 2.5 seconds where you know you're not going to get interrupted, you're better off casting an Arcane Blast.
-Arcane tier 10
Netherwind Presence 0/3 : If Arcane endures the trials of resilience and stamina scaling, this could be a very solid talent later on for faster sheeps / whatever you are nuking with. The main problem with this talent right now is that haste is not so effective unless you stack it and your crit chance as Arcane is so pathetic that you can't afford to dump crit for haste. It also doesn't benefit Arcane Barrage in any way other than faster GCD. Avoid for now, IMO.
Spell Power 2/2 : Every PvP build needs it's bonus crit damage talent ; there it is.
-Arcane last Tier
Arcane Barrage 1/1 : When I PvP I like to bind Arcane Barrage to every key and then attempt to press them with my nose or toes. It's personal preference really.
-Fire tier 1
Improved Fire Blast 0/2 : Really good for 2v2 Bracket but you want to avoid spamming Fire Blast too much as it will run you OOM rather fast. No points for it in a Fireball Arcane build unfortunately.
Incineration 0/3 : A decent talent. No points for it in this build.
Improved Fireball 5/5 : Essential to cast Fireballs in a PvP environment. 3 seconds is already too long, 3.5 is horrid.
-Fire Tier 2
Ignite 5/5 : Buffs Fire Blast crit damage, your PoM + AP crit damage and also your Fireball crit damage. Decent for this build.
Burning Determination 0/2 : This talent sounds ridiculously powerful yet I haven't been able to take advantage of it so far. No points for it in this build but potential excellent synergy with a 60+ Arcane Build.
World In Flame 0/3 : +6% Crit if you use Pyro with PoM+AP is good, unfortunately you'd best max out ignite with this build.
-Fire Tier 3
Flame Throwing 0/2 : Fire Blast could use more range but really not necessary. You want to chain every Fireball with an Arcane Barrage so 35 yards is enough.
Impact 3/3 : Well timed Impact stuns bro ! Essential as a self-peel against melee with Molten Armor and good synergy with Glyph of Fire Blast.
Pyroblast 1/1 : The best spell you can use Presence of Mind and Arcane Power with. With 3/3 Spell Impact and Torment of the Weak you will hit almost as hard with a Fireball only the problem is that it requires your target to be snared else you loose 12% damage. I prefer reliable burst.
Burning Soul 0/2 : Fireball pushback protection is cool but youd best put those 2 points in Arcane instead.
Glyphs
There is no necessary glyph, even Glyph of Evocation is useless in 3v3 and 5v5 (unless you run an all-DPS team). You should always Glyph depending on your spec and the arena comps / brackets you play, with an emphasis on offensive Glyphs if you have a healer and survivability Glyphs if you have none. Here are the Glyphs I use the most :
Glyph of Molten Armor: The only Glyph I never switch out. Must get more crit !
Glyph of Fire Blast: Amazing with Rogue / Ret partners and good synergy with well-timed Impact Stuns.
Glyph of Blink: Amazing against all Melee, Rogues in particular. Strong 2v2 Glyph.
Glyph of Evocation: Mandatory for double DPS 2v2 or triple DPS 3v3.
Glyph of Polymorph: Useful if you have ignite, really good if you have Molten Shields and mandatory if you meet the previous 2 criterias and play with a Warlock or Warrior :) This glyph will reveal its true power once burst settles down and target switching becomes more necessary to land a kill.
:mage:I will post more builds and glyphs later ; thank you for feedback and criticism !
Arcane
Arcane is considered to be a very faceroll spec. It arguably is, but it doesn't mean there isn't any depth to it. Your strenghts are excellent mobility, ridiculous burst damage and good control through Slow. Your weaknesses are equally ridiculous vulnerability to physical damage, mana ineficiency and a damage output that is somewhat limited and predictable (AKA if Ap+PoM doesnt kill someone, it'll be very hard for you to land a kill for the next 2 minutes in an arena setting).
I have no idea for how long Arcane will remain this good ; Blizzard has hinted of a super secret "anti-burst" plan that is propably going to hit arcane, muti, ret and feral the hardest. Until then, Arcane remains a very powerful spec for all brackets.
Talent builds
I'm going to start with a very cookie cutter PvP Arcane build which should do well for whatever you are up to (2s, 3s, 5s or even just BG grinding). Here it is :
:mage:Fireball Arcane 57/14/0
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=ofMifzrcdeGzrt0d0E0co
This build uses your Spacebar to Jump as much as possible and also whatever you bind Arcane Barrage to. Fireball + Abarrage is a very potent burst combo with a 3 second charge time ; if either crits, whoever you are targeting is in trouble. Not optimal for 2v2 but does an overall good job in any PvP situation.
-Arcane Tier 1
Arcane Subtelty 2/2 : Get it, dispel resist is solid. It won't work on Slow or Sheeps but it will on your own buffs, making you harder to dispel train. Also works for Ignite and Frostfire Bolt DoT, which triggers your Torment of The Weak bonus damage.
Arcane Focus 3/3 : Less mana on most of the spells you will be using is good. Extra hit for your essential spells (Sheep, Counterspell) is also good, even if you are 4% hit cap. Remember there are all sorts of Talents and Racials out there that gives your spells less chance to hit, this talent counteracts that.
Arcane Stability 0/5 : Useless for PvP. Perphaps a reduction to 3 points and evocation pushback resistance would be in order ?
-Arcane Tier 2
Arcane Fortitude 2/3 : Helps offset the heavy damage you take from rogues, feral druids, warriors, hunters, etc. 2/3 Should at least be a solid +5% damage reduction from armor, pretty good until you get to high resil level and Battlemaster Trinket, then you can consider ditching it.
Magic Absorption 2/2 : Essential talent for any PvP build. You will rarely fully resist something and get mana back but it offers very nice mitigation against all spell damage. Stacked with Mage Armor, this talent gives you a solid edge against all caster classes and especially Pets.
Clearcast 5/5 : Helps offset the mana problem of arcane but first and foremost grant you +30% crit on your next spell everytime it procs, assuming you are Arcane. Max it out.
-Arcane Tier 3
Magic Attunement 2/2 : The bonus to AM/DM is nice for 2s depending on your comp but mainly +6 yard on Counterspell, Sheep, Slow and your primary damage ability (Arcane Barrage). Don't skip no matter what your PvP build is.
Spell Impact 3/3 : It is maxed out with this build because it assumes you are going to be using Fireballs but with most other arcane builds I would only put 1 or 2 points in it. Nice extra damage on some odd abilities but it would have to buff Arcane Barrage to be really useful.
Student of the Mind 0/3 : Useless for PvP.
Focus Magic 1/1 : Really nice to put on healer partners or random idiots in BGs. Dispel crap if anything... you can skip but if you play with a Priest that uses Divine Aegis it's a must.
-Arcane Tier 4
Arcane Shielding 2/2 : Essential talent for solo PvP and DPS-only teams. Even if you have a healer, the bonus to mage armor resistance is nice. Can be skipped but I don't recommend it, the difference between a 1.0 and a 1.5 Mana Shield is HUGE and it is the only thing you have for those situations where you just have to soak damage. It's also interesting to note that this talent lets you turn Mana into Health at a 1.0-1.0 ratio.
Imp Counterspell 2/2 : Classic, never skip. Be careful of Silence Effects Diminishing Returns now.
Arcane Meditation 0/3 : May be useful in a few seasons, for now not worth the points.
Torment the Weak 3/3 : Essential talent, +12% damage on Arcane Barrage and whatever else you are nuking with (Fireball in this case). Any debuff that slows or snares the target in any shape or form will trigger the bonus damage, even stuff like Thunder Clap or Curse of Tongues. Will not trigger on roots (Frost Nova).
-Arcane Tier 5
-Improved Blink 2/2 : Amazing talent for only 2 points. Alot of stuff will miss you after blinking, helping you avoid trains and ranged attacks that could be fatal. The mana cost reduction is also very nice.
Presence of mind 1/1 : As classic as it gets. Your main tool for bursting.
Arcane Mind 5/5 : Extra Intellect is extra crit, extra spell power, extra mana and thus allows you to last longer and potentially live longer with mana shield. It may feel optional for PvP but it isn't. Max it out foo'.
-Arcane Tier 6
Primastic Cloak 3/3 : Essential. -6% damage to all is very nice and a well timed Instant Invisibility or Block + Invisibility can get you out of very bad situations.
Arcane Instability 3/3 : The only reliable bonus crit talent you have. Get it not only because arcane's crit chance is sad but also because it is a pre-req for other important talents.
Arcane Potency 2/2 : This is the reason why you maxed out Clearcast. Also gives your PoM + AP burst an extra 30% crit chance.
-Arcane Tier 7
Arcane Empowerment 0/3 : Useless with this build.
Arcane Power 1/1 : There it is, an essential talent to buff your burst.
Incanter's Absorption 2/3 : The thing with this talent is that it can be ridiculously OP but only in small windows and situational settings. I like to put 2 points into it at least because I get procs from Wards / Mana Shield but it's a must to max out if you play with a priest in any bracket.
-Arcane Tier 8
Arcane Floes 2/2 : Probably one of the most fun Mage talents. No reason to skip since the buff to Evocation cooldown.
Mind Mastery 5/5 : Costly but an extra 150 spell power is really good.
-Arcane Tier 9
Slow 1/1 : Curse of Tongues and instant ranged 60% snare all in one, complete with no cooldown and low mana cost. Ezmode kiting guaranteed !
Missile Barrage 0/5 : This, IMO, is very debatable. I have not been using this talent at all except in BG grinding. Very potent burst but having to sit still for 2.5 seconds and open your arcane school to interrupts is very risky. It also costs tons of mana. If you have 2.5 seconds where you know you're not going to get interrupted, you're better off casting an Arcane Blast.
-Arcane tier 10
Netherwind Presence 0/3 : If Arcane endures the trials of resilience and stamina scaling, this could be a very solid talent later on for faster sheeps / whatever you are nuking with. The main problem with this talent right now is that haste is not so effective unless you stack it and your crit chance as Arcane is so pathetic that you can't afford to dump crit for haste. It also doesn't benefit Arcane Barrage in any way other than faster GCD. Avoid for now, IMO.
Spell Power 2/2 : Every PvP build needs it's bonus crit damage talent ; there it is.
-Arcane last Tier
Arcane Barrage 1/1 : When I PvP I like to bind Arcane Barrage to every key and then attempt to press them with my nose or toes. It's personal preference really.
-Fire tier 1
Improved Fire Blast 0/2 : Really good for 2v2 Bracket but you want to avoid spamming Fire Blast too much as it will run you OOM rather fast. No points for it in a Fireball Arcane build unfortunately.
Incineration 0/3 : A decent talent. No points for it in this build.
Improved Fireball 5/5 : Essential to cast Fireballs in a PvP environment. 3 seconds is already too long, 3.5 is horrid.
-Fire Tier 2
Ignite 5/5 : Buffs Fire Blast crit damage, your PoM + AP crit damage and also your Fireball crit damage. Decent for this build.
Burning Determination 0/2 : This talent sounds ridiculously powerful yet I haven't been able to take advantage of it so far. No points for it in this build but potential excellent synergy with a 60+ Arcane Build.
World In Flame 0/3 : +6% Crit if you use Pyro with PoM+AP is good, unfortunately you'd best max out ignite with this build.
-Fire Tier 3
Flame Throwing 0/2 : Fire Blast could use more range but really not necessary. You want to chain every Fireball with an Arcane Barrage so 35 yards is enough.
Impact 3/3 : Well timed Impact stuns bro ! Essential as a self-peel against melee with Molten Armor and good synergy with Glyph of Fire Blast.
Pyroblast 1/1 : The best spell you can use Presence of Mind and Arcane Power with. With 3/3 Spell Impact and Torment of the Weak you will hit almost as hard with a Fireball only the problem is that it requires your target to be snared else you loose 12% damage. I prefer reliable burst.
Burning Soul 0/2 : Fireball pushback protection is cool but youd best put those 2 points in Arcane instead.
Glyphs
There is no necessary glyph, even Glyph of Evocation is useless in 3v3 and 5v5 (unless you run an all-DPS team). You should always Glyph depending on your spec and the arena comps / brackets you play, with an emphasis on offensive Glyphs if you have a healer and survivability Glyphs if you have none. Here are the Glyphs I use the most :
Glyph of Molten Armor: The only Glyph I never switch out. Must get more crit !
Glyph of Fire Blast: Amazing with Rogue / Ret partners and good synergy with well-timed Impact Stuns.
Glyph of Blink: Amazing against all Melee, Rogues in particular. Strong 2v2 Glyph.
Glyph of Evocation: Mandatory for double DPS 2v2 or triple DPS 3v3.
Glyph of Polymorph: Useful if you have ignite, really good if you have Molten Shields and mandatory if you meet the previous 2 criterias and play with a Warlock or Warrior :) This glyph will reveal its true power once burst settles down and target switching becomes more necessary to land a kill.
:mage:I will post more builds and glyphs later ; thank you for feedback and criticism !