Mage

Rotations & Guide · PvE guide · PvP guide · Talent builds · Abilities · Talent Calculator · Macros · Changes vs Classic

Other classes: Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Warlock, Druid

Mages are pure ranged casters with strong AoE, crowd control and burst. Forever adds Arcane Blast (an Arcane talent: a stacking buff to your other spells), Ice Lance (a Frost talent: 300% more damage on frozen targets) and Frostfire Bolt (a trainer spell at 40: a frost and fire hybrid bolt with a DoT and slow), plus Missile Barrage, Hot Streak and Fingers of Frost in the talent trees.

Arcane (Caster DPS)

Arcane in Forever is built around Arcane Blast, a tier 3 Arcane talent whose higher ranks come from the trainer: each cast stacks up to 4 times, increasing your other spells' damage by 10% per stack while raising Arcane Blast's own mana cost. Build stacks, then spend them on Arcane Missiles, which Missile Barrage can make free and twice as fast. Arcane Power, Presence of Mind and Evocation drive burst and mana.

Fire (Caster DPS)

Fire stacks Improved Scorch and Ignite, turns crits into fast Pyroblasts with Hot Streak, and uses Combustion for burst. Forever's Frostfire Bolt is a level 40 Fire spell that counts as both frost and fire, checks the lower resistance and adds a DoT and slow; Improved Fireball speeds it up just like Fireball. Incineration, now in the first row, boosts Fire Blast and Scorch crit, and Ice Lance and Arcane Blast too.

Frost (Caster DPS)

Frost is the safe, mana-efficient spec with Frostbolt spam, shields and control. Forever's Ice Lance, a tier 3 Frost talent, deals 300% more damage to frozen targets and gains crit from Winter's Chill and Shatter, and Fingers of Frost lets it hit as if the target were frozen, so the shatter combo (freeze, then Ice Lance) is now a big part of both PvE trash and PvP. Cold Snap resets your defensive and freeze cooldowns.

Tips & tricks: what ForeverDB learned

Arcane

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Simulator: Use Evocation when your mana drops under 15%. That is where the simulator uses it at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: Presence of Mind has a 3 min cooldown; the simulator uses it right before Arcane Blast. It is worth 1.8% of your DPS at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: Use Arcane Blast when your mana drops under 25%. That is where the simulator uses it at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: Clearcasting (from Arcane Concentration) reduces your next damage spell's mana cost by 100%, so cast Arcane Blast within 15 sec before it fades. In the simulator it comes up 4.283 times a 60 s fight. (level 30)
Simulator: When Missile Barrage is up, cast Arcane Missiles within 15 sec before it fades. In the simulator it comes up 5.133 times a 60 s fight. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, Lesser Arcane Elixir is your best consumable (+5% DPS in the simulator). Briny Seafood Stew is next at +4.7%. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, Blessing of Kings from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most: +2% DPS in the simulator. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, your damage splits like this: Arcane Blast 53%, Arcane Missiles 47% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 30)
Simulator: Stat values at level 30 (simulator, 1 spell power = 1): Intellect 0.34, haste rating 0.19, crit rating 0.1. (level 30)
Simulator: Use Evocation when your mana drops under 15%. That is where the simulator uses it at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Use Arcane Blast when your mana drops under 25%. That is where the simulator uses it at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Clearcasting (from Arcane Concentration) reduces your next damage spell's mana cost by 100%, so cast Arcane Blast within 15 sec before it fades. In the simulator it comes up 2.12 times a 60 s fight. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Lesser Arcane Elixir is your best consumable (+8.8% DPS in the simulator). Briny Seafood Stew is next at +8.2%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Arcane Intellect from a Mage is the party buff that helps you most: +3.9% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage splits like this: Arcane Blast 51%, Arcane Missiles 49% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Arcane Missiles: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 38.8% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

Under 15% mana: Evocation: The sim uses Evocation when your mana is under 15% (Simulator, Forever client)
Under 25% mana: Arcane Blast: The sim uses Arcane Blast when your mana is under 25% (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
When Clearcasting procs: Arcane Blast within 15 sec: Your next damage spell has its mana cost reduced by 100%. (Simulator, Forever client)
When Missile Barrage procs: Arcane Missiles within 15 sec: Missile Barrage makes Arcane Missiles better: use it before it fades (Simulator, Forever client)

Cooldowns:

Presence of Mind: with:Arcane Blast (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Before the pull:

Lesser Arcane Elixir (Simulator, Forever client)
Briny Seafood Stew (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Arcane Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Wisdom (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 October 2026: First profile (first study)

Fire

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Simulator: Use Evocation when your mana drops under 15%. That is where the simulator uses it at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, Lesser Arcane Elixir is your best consumable (+4.7% DPS in the simulator). Briny Seafood Stew is next at +4.4%. (level 30)
Simulator: At level 30, your damage splits like this: Fireball 55%, Scorch 22%, Fire Blast 20% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 30)
Simulator: Fireball accounts for 35.9% of your DPS at level 30; the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It was on the target 56% of the time. (level 30)
Simulator: Fire Blast accounts for 7.8% of your DPS at level 30. The simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 30)
Simulator: Stat values at level 30 (simulator, 1 spell power = 1): hit rating 0.37, crit rating 0.22, haste rating 0.21. (level 30)
Simulator: Use Evocation when your mana drops under 15%. That is where the simulator uses it at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Lesser Arcane Elixir is your best consumable (+7.9% DPS in the simulator). Briny Seafood Stew is next at +7.4%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Blessing of Kings from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most: +1% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage splits like this: Fireball 78%, Fire Blast 19% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Fireball accounts for 43.1% of your DPS at levels 20-29; the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It was on the target 85% of the time. (levels 20–29)

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Scorch: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Fire Blast: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (8 s cooldown); worth 7.8% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Fireball: When it's missing from the target or has under 8 sec left: Keep it on the target: up 56% of the sim's fight; worth 35.9% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

Under 15% mana: Evocation: The sim uses Evocation when your mana is under 15% (Simulator, Forever client)

Keep up:

Fireball on the target, at least 55% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

Lesser Arcane Elixir (Simulator, Forever client)
Briny Seafood Stew (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 October 2026: First profile (first study)

Frost

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Simulator: Use Evocation when your mana drops under 15%: that is where the simulator uses it at level 30. (level 30)
Simulator: Fingers of Frost: Cast Ice Lance within 15 sec, before it fades. In the simulator it comes 2.15 times a 60 s fight. (level 30)
Simulator: Best consumable at level 30: Lesser Arcane Elixir (+4.4% DPS in the simulator); then Briny Seafood Stew (+4.1%). (level 30)
Simulator: Where your damage comes from at level 30: Frostbolt 68%, Fire Blast 25%, Ice Lance 8% (simulator: recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 30)
Simulator: Stat values at level 30 (simulator, 1 spell power = 1): crit rating 0.12. (level 30)
Simulator: Use Evocation when your mana drops under 15%: that is where the simulator uses it at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Fire Blast here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: Leave Fire Blast out of single-target fights at levels 20-29: the simulator's 60 s fight did 2.6% more damage without it. The class guide disagrees, so treat this as a lead to test. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Best consumable at levels 20-29: Lesser Arcane Elixir (+7.7% DPS in the simulator); then Briny Seafood Stew (+7.2%). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Where your damage comes from at levels 20-29: Frostbolt 86%, Fire Blast 14% (simulator: recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Ice Lance: When it procs: Only while Fingers of Frost is up; worth 2.3% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Fire Blast: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (8 s cooldown); the sim gains little from it (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Frostbolt: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 52.4% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

Under 15% mana: Evocation: The sim uses Evocation when your mana is under 15% (Simulator, Forever client)
When Fingers of Frost procs: Ice Lance within 15 sec: Fingers of Frost makes Ice Lance better: use it before it fades (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

Lesser Arcane Elixir (Simulator, Forever client)
Briny Seafood Stew (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 October 2026: First profile (first study)

Every spec's latest changes. Re-studied every week and after each new game build.

Best in slot gear at any level: Arcane, Fire, Frost

Mage abilities

Fire Vulnerability
Arcane Intellect (level 1)
Chilled (level 1)
Fireball (level 1)
Frost Armor (level 1)
Conjure Water (level 4, from the Classic class quest Arcane Refreshment (rank 1))
Frostbolt (level 4)
Conjure Food (level 6)
Fire Blast (level 6)
Arcane Missiles (level 8)
Polymorph (level 8)
Clearcasting (level 10)
Frost Nova (level 10)
Dampen Magic (level 12)
Slow Fall (level 12)
Arcane Explosion (level 14)
Flamestrike (level 16)
Amplify Magic (level 18)
Remove Lesser Curse (level 18)
Blink (level 20)
Blizzard (level 20)
Evocation (level 20)
Fire Ward (level 20)
Mana Shield (level 20)
Teleport: Ironforge (level 20)
Teleport: Orgrimmar (level 20)
Teleport: Stormwind (level 20)
Teleport: Undercity (level 20)
Frost Ward (level 22)
Scorch (level 22)
Counterspell (level 24)
Cone of Cold (level 26)
Conjure Mana Agate (level 28)
Ice Armor (level 30)
Teleport: Darnassus (level 30)
Teleport: Thunder Bluff (level 30)
Mage Armor (level 34)
Conjure Mana Jade (level 38)
Frostfire Bolt (level 40)
Portal: Ironforge (level 40)
Portal: Orgrimmar (level 40)
Portal: Stormwind (level 40)
Portal: Undercity (level 40)
Conjure Mana Citrine (level 48)
Portal: Darnassus (level 50)
Portal: Thunder Bluff (level 50)
Teleport: Dalaran (level 50)
Arcane Brilliance (level 56)
Conjure Mana Ruby (level 58)
Felfire (level 60)
Polymorph: Cow (level 60)

Data from the WoW Forever beta client, build 1.60.1.70205, extracted 2026-10-04.