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Leveling a Mage to 30
How to level a Mage from 1 to 30, the current WoW Forever beta cap: which race, every spell and when you get it, the published Frost, Fire and Arcane leveling builds at 20 and 30, what to press, mana and conjured water, kiting, class quests, dungeons from 20 to 30 and what Forever changed.
Written for the WoW Forever beta, where the level cap has been 30 since the 1 October 2026 maintenance (build 1.60.1.70170). Blizzard hasn't said when the cap will rise again. Spells, ranks, tooltips and talents come from the Forever beta client. Class quests come from Classic's data and are labelled as such.
The Mage in a nutshell
A Mage is a spellcaster who fights from range with Fire, Frost and Arcane magic. Your role is damage, often called DPS (damage per second): you kill things, and you keep them away from you while you do it. Most of your attacks reach 30 yards or more in the client, so you start every fight before the mob (a computer-controlled monster) can touch you.
Your resource is mana. Every spell costs some, and when it runs out you sit down and drink. You wear cloth, the lightest armor, and the client lets Mages use staves, daggers, one-handed swords and wands. A wand is a small ranged weapon you shoot without spending mana.
Good at while leveling
- Killing mobs before they reach you.
- Control: slowing, freezing and turning enemies into sheep, so you can handle a second mob that joins the fight.
- Looking after yourself: you make your own water from level 4 and your own food from level 6, and you can share both.
- Getting around: at level 20 you learn to teleport to your faction's capital cities, and at 30 to one more.
Weak at while leveling
- Taking hits. Cloth armor and low health make melee (close combat) dangerous for you.
- Long chains of fights. You run out of mana and have to stop and drink, which players call downtime.
- Healing. Mages have no healing spells; you eat to get health back.
Tip: At the Deep Dive panel Blizzard said an ordinary creature should take roughly 10–15 seconds to kill when you're solo. If your fights take much longer, check that you've trained your latest ranks and that your gear isn't far behind your level.
Choosing a race
Six races can be Mages in Forever: Human, Gnome and High Order Skyborne for the Alliance, and Orc, Undead and Troll for the Horde. Orc Mages are new in Forever. There's no best race: racials (race abilities) are small next to your spells and talents, so pick the faction your friends play and the look you like. Here's what each race brings to a Mage.
| Race | Starts in | Racials that help a Mage |
|---|---|---|
| Human (Alliance) | Elwynn Forest | The Human Spirit adds 5% Spirit, which means a little faster mana regeneration. Sword Specialization adds 2% crit chance with spells while you hold a sword, and Mages can use one-handed swords. Will to Survive breaks stuns. |
| Gnome (Alliance) | Dun Morogh | Expansive Mind gives 5% more maximum mana. Escape Artist breaks roots and slows. Eureka! makes your next 3 attacks cheaper and 10% stronger; its tooltip still says Energy, but Blizzard's September 24 notes made it a Mana discount for every class, and since 1 October it doesn't boost periodic damage at all (channeled spells such as Arcane Missiles don't count as periodic). |
| High Order Skyborne (Alliance) | Zephras Isle, levels 1–12 | Read Ley Line raises Health and Mana regeneration by 100%, for 15 min if you find a ley line and 15 sec if not. Wind Blessed adds 1% Haste. Walk on Air lets you glide down from heights. Elemental Insight adds 5% damage against Elementals. |
| Orc (Horde) | Durotar | Blood Fury raises Spell Power by 10% for 15 sec, a button for tough fights. Shatter Curse removes Curses and Banes and cuts magic damage taken for 8 sec. Hardiness shortens stuns. Axe Specialization needs an axe, which Mages can't use. |
| Undead (Horde) | Tirisfal Glades | Cannibalize regenerates health and mana from a Humanoid or Undead corpse. Touch of the Grave gives your spells a chance to drain health. Will of the Forsaken breaks Fear, Charm and Sleep. |
| Troll (Horde) | Durotar | Berserking speeds up your casting by 10%. Rapid Regeneration gives back 50% of your health over 6 sec if you stand still. Beast Slaying adds 5% damage against Beasts, which you fight a lot while leveling. Regeneration speeds up health regeneration. |
Racials from the Forever client. Starting zones for the original races are Classic data; the Skyborne start on Zephras Isle comes from Blizzard's Meet the New Skyborne post, which also says Read Ley Line is the High Order's own racial.
More on every race is in races, classes and racials and meet the Skyborne.
Your spells, level by level
You learn spells, and stronger ranks of spells you already have, from a Mage trainer in your starting area and in the capital cities. The client has something new for Mages at level 1 and at every even level from 4 to 30, so visit a trainer each time you reach an even level. A new rank hits harder and costs more mana. Here's everything the trainer teaches up to 30:
Everything a Mage learns from the class trainer up to level 30, from the Forever client.
The spells that matter, in the order you get them
- Level 1. Fireball is your first attack, a Fire spell with a short cast. Frost Armor adds Armor, and enemies who hit you may be slowed by 30% and attack 25% slower for 5 sec; keep it on at all times. Arcane Intellect raises Intellect, which means a bigger mana pool, for 1 hour: cast it on yourself and on anyone in your group who uses mana.
- Level 4. Frostbolt deals Frost damage and slows the target's movement by 40% for 5 sec, so a mob takes longer to reach you. Conjure Water conjures water, your free drinks from now on.
- Level 6. Fire Blast is instant, so you can cast it on the move or to finish a mob, but it has a cooldown (a wait before you can use it again). Conjure Food conjures food. Fireball is your first rank upgrade.
- Level 8. Polymorph turns a Beast, Humanoid or Critter into a sheep for up to 20 sec. The sheep can't attack, but any damage turns it back, so you use it on a second mob while you kill the first. Arcane Missiles is a channeled spell: you stand still and it hits the target each second for 3 sec.
- Level 10. Frost Nova is your most important defensive spell: it freezes every enemy next to you in place for up to 8 sec. Your first talent point also arrives at level 10 (see below).
- Level 12. Slow Fall slows your fall for 30 sec, which saves you from deadly drops. Dampen Magic makes a party member take less damage from spells but also receive less healing, so you'll rarely need it while leveling.
- Level 14. Arcane Explosion damages every enemy within 10 yards of you. It's your first area-of-effect (AoE) spell, one that hits several enemies at once.
- Level 16. Flamestrike drops a pillar of fire on an area that keeps burning for 8 sec. Its long cast makes it more of a group spell than a solo one.
- Level 18. Remove Lesser Curse removes a Curse or a Bane from a friendly target, yourself included. Amplify Magic does the opposite of Dampen Magic.
- Level 20 is the big one: see the next section.
- Levels 22 to 30 bring Scorch, your first interrupt, Cone of Cold, a mana gem and Ice Armor: see below.
Level 20: the big level
Level 20 brings more new spells than any level before it, and it's also when your talents reach their third row, where Forever's two new Mage spells sit. Put some money aside for the trainer as you get close.
- Arcane Blast is new in Forever, and it's a talent: the third row of the Arcane section teaches it, and trainers sell its higher ranks. Each cast makes your other spells deal 10% more damage and makes the next Arcane Blast cost 175% more mana; the effect stacks up to 4 times and lasts 8 sec or until you cast another damage spell.
- Ice Lance is also new and also a talent, in the third row of the Frost section: an instant Frost spell that deals 300% more damage to Frozen targets, such as a mob held by Frost Nova. Each needs 10 points in its own section first, so a Mage at 20 can have one of the two, not both.
- Blink teleports you 20 yards forward and frees you from stuns and immobilizing effects.
- Evocation: while you channel it, your mana regeneration is active and 1500% higher, for 8 sec. It has a long cooldown, so save it for emergencies.
- Blizzard rains ice on an area for 8 sec. It's your big pack spell, and an expensive one.
- Mana Shield soaks up physical damage by draining 2 mana per point absorbed, which buys time when a fight goes wrong.
- Polymorph holds a sheep for up to 30 sec.
- Teleports to your faction's capitals: Teleport: Stormwind and Teleport: Ironforge for the Alliance, Teleport: Orgrimmar and Teleport: Undercity for the Horde.
- New ranks too: Frostbolt, Frost Armor, Conjure Water and Fire Ward, which absorbs Fire damage.
Levels 22 to 30
Since the 1 October build you can level all the way to 30, and every even level from 22 brings something new. Your talents also open two more rows, at 25 and 30 (see the talents section).
- Level 22. Scorch is a quick Fire spell with a short cast; Fire Mages who take Improved Scorch use it to make bosses take more Fire damage. New ranks: Fire Blast, Arcane Explosion, Conjure Food and Frost Ward, which absorbs Frost damage the way Fire Ward absorbs Fire.
- Level 24. Counterspell is your first interrupt: it stops a spell and locks that school of magic for 10 sec. It generates a lot of threat, so in a group let the tank hold the mob first. New ranks: Fireball, Arcane Missiles (now a 5 sec channel), Flamestrike and Dampen Magic, and Fire Mages with the Pyroblast talent can buy Pyroblast.
- Level 26. Cone of Cold hits everything in a cone in front of you with Frost damage and slows it by 40% for 6 sec, instantly: your answer when Frost Nova is on cooldown. New ranks: Frostbolt and Frost Nova. Your next class quests also start at 26.
- Level 28. Conjure Mana Agate conjures a Mana Agate that restores 375 to 425 mana instantly, even mid-fight. New ranks: Blizzard, Mana Shield, Scorch and Arcane Intellect, and Frost Mages with the Ice Lance talent can buy Ice Lance.
- Level 30. Ice Armor replaces Frost Armor: it increases Armor by 290 and frost resistance by 6, and attackers who hit you can still be slowed. New ranks: Fireball, Fire Blast, Arcane Explosion, Conjure Water, Fire Ward and Amplify Magic. The talent spells get new ranks too: Arcane Blast more than doubles the damage of rank 1, and Fire Mages can buy Pyroblast. You also learn one more city teleport: Teleport: Darnassus for the Alliance or Teleport: Thunder Bluff for the Horde.
Above the current cap, Mage Armor comes at level 34 and lets 50% of your mana regeneration continue while casting. Frostfire Bolt, new for Mages in Forever, comes at level 40.
Talents: which spec to level
Your first talent point arrives at level 10 and you get one more every level, so you have 11 points at 20 and 21 at 30. Forever's talent window is one tree with three sections, Arcane, Fire and Frost, and your spec (specialization) is the section you put most points in. Each row needs 5 points in the rows above it in the same section: the first row is open from level 10, the second after 5 points, the third after 10, the fourth after 15 (so from 25 at the earliest) and the fifth after 20 (from 30). With 11 points at 20 that's exactly 10 points in the first two rows of one section plus one point in its third row, which is where Arcane Blast, Pyroblast and Ice Lance sit. At 30, 20 points in one section open its fifth row, with one point left to spend there.
The fourth row is where the big leveling talents sit: Heating Up (called Hot Streak before the 1 October build) for Fire, Missile Barrage for Arcane, and Shatter and Ice Block for Frost. The fifth row holds Presence of Mind, Blast Wave, Cold Snap and Fingers of Frost.
ForeverDB publishes a leveling build for each tree at 20 and at 30 on the Mage builds page. You can try them in the talent calculator. Here's what the level 20 leveling builds take:
| Build | Talents at 20 (points) | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| Frost: Frostbolt and Ice Lance leveling | Improved Frostbolt 5, Improved Frost Nova 2, Frostbite 3, Ice Lance 1 | The safest way to level: faster Frostbolts, Frost Nova back sooner, a chance for surprise freezes, and the Ice Lance talent to punish every freeze. |
| Fire: Fireball leveling | Improved Fireball 5, Wake of Fire 2, Ignite 3, Pyroblast 1 | A faster Fireball, a Fire Blast that's back sooner and very likely to crit after each kill, an Ignite burn on crits, and Pyroblast to open pulls. |
| Arcane: Arcane Blast leveling | Improved Channeling 5, Arcane Concentration 5, Arcane Blast 1 | Built around the Arcane Blast talent: Arcane Missiles that damage can't interrupt, and a chance of a free spell after each hit from Arcane Concentration. |
The published level 20 leveling builds. The builds page explains every point.
At 30 each build keeps its level 20 points and spends 10 more:
| Build | Talents at 30 (points) | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| Frost: Frost leveling with Shatter | Improved Frostbolt 5, Improved Frost Nova 2, Frostbite 3, Ice Lance 1, Frost Channeling 3, Piercing Ice 1, Shatter 3, Ice Block 1, Arctic Reach 1, Fingers of Frost 1 | Cheaper Frost spells, Shatter so an Ice Lance on a Frozen mob usually crits, Fingers of Frost for Ice Lances without a freeze, and Ice Block for when a pull goes wrong. |
| Fire: Heating Up leveling | Improved Fireball 5, Wake of Fire 2, Incineration 3, Ignite 5, Pyroblast 1, Heating Up 1, Master of Elements 3, Blast Wave 1 | More Fire Blast crits and full Ignite, Heating Up so a couple of crits make Pyroblast quick enough to cast mid-fight, mana back on crits from Master of Elements, and Blast Wave to hit and slow mobs that reach you. |
| Arcane: Arcane leveling with Missile Barrage | Improved Channeling 5, Arcane Concentration 5, Arcane Blast 1, Arcane Impact 3, Arcane Geometry 2, Missile Barrage 1, Arcane Meditation 3, Presence of Mind 1 | More Arcane crits and range, Missile Barrage for free, fast Arcane Missiles, Arcane Meditation for mana while casting, and Presence of Mind for an instant Polymorph or Arcane Blast. |
The published level 30 leveling builds (21 points). The builds page explains every point.
Our pick for a first Mage is Frost. Frostbolt's slow and Frost Nova buy you time on every pull, and at 20 Ice Lance turns each freeze into fast damage. At 30 it gets safer still: Shatter makes those Ice Lances likely to crit, and Ice Block gives you a way out of a pull gone wrong. Fire and Arcane both level well too, but they have fewer tools for when a pull goes wrong: Ice Lance is a Frost talent, so only Frost turns a freeze into big damage, and the Arcane build is built around the Arcane Blast talent, which it can only take at level 20.
Every talent rank has its own values in the client, and the builds page explains each point with them. Arcane Blast, Pyroblast and Ice Lance are talents that teach rank 1; trainers sell their higher ranks.
Tip: Changing your mind is cheap in the beta. Blizzard's September 24 notes set a talent reset to 1 silver if you haven't reset recently; after a reset the next one costs much more, and the price drops back to 1 silver after an hour. Blizzard says this is for the beta only.
What to press
Your rotation is the order you use your spells in. This is the level 20 leveling rotation from the builds page, in plain words. A pull is how you start a fight, and a mob that's attacking you is said to have aggro on you.
Frost, one enemy
- Target the mob from as far away as your spells reach and cast Frostbolt. That's your pull.
- Keep casting Frostbolt. Its slow means the mob walks to you slowly, so you often land several casts before it arrives.
- When it reaches you, cast Frost Nova to freeze it in place.
- While it's Frozen, throw Ice Lance two or three times: it's instant and deals 300% more damage to a Frozen target. Or walk out of melee range and go back to Frostbolt.
- Damage can break the freeze early, so throw the Lances right away. If Frost Nova is on cooldown, walk away and Frostbolt, or Blink out; Improved Frost Nova brings it back sooner.
- Finish a nearly dead mob with Fire Blast or your wand rather than a full Frostbolt.
Before level 20 you don't have Ice Lance yet. From 10 to 19 the plan is Frostbolt, Frost Nova when the mob arrives, walk away, and Frostbolt again. Before 10 it's Frostbolt or Fireball from range, then Fire Blast or your wand to finish.
Several enemies
- Pull one mob at a time. If a second one joins, Polymorph it (if it's a Beast or a Humanoid) and kill the first.
- If a group reaches you, Frost Nova freezes all of them. Walk away, then use Blizzard on the group or, as Frost, pick them off with Ice Lance while they're Frozen.
- Blizzard is expensive: rank 1 costs 320 mana in the client, so save it for real packs.
- From 26, Cone of Cold hits and slows everything in front of you as you back away from a pack.
- Arcane Explosion hits everything around you. It's good for finishing a group of weak mobs, but it means standing close.
- Never use area spells next to a sheep. Any damage breaks Polymorph.
Fire and Arcane
Fire: open with Pyroblast from as far away as you can (its long cast is fine while the mob hasn't noticed you), then cast Fireball. Use Fire Blast whenever it's ready, especially right after a kill: Wake of Fire makes your next Fire Blast within 30 sec much more likely to crit. When a mob reaches you, Frost Nova and step back; Ice Lance is a Frost talent, so as Fire you walk out and cast again.
Arcane: cast Arcane Blast once or twice from range, then spend the stacks on Arcane Missiles. Each stack makes the next Blast cost 175% more mana, so two stacks is the usual limit at this level. Any other damage spell ends the stacks, and that includes Frost Nova and Fire Blast, so pick your finisher before you start stacking.
At level 30
The level 30 rotations on the builds page keep the same shape and add a few buttons:
- Frost: Frostbolt from range, Frost Nova when the mob arrives, then Ice Lance while it's Frozen; with Shatter it usually crits. When Fingers of Frost procs, your next spell treats the target as Frozen, so throw an Ice Lance even without a freeze. Cone of Cold is instant damage and a slow when Frost Nova is on cooldown, Blizzard rank 2 (28) handles packs, and Ice Block is for emergencies only.
- Fire: open with Pyroblast from range, then Fireball and Fire Blast. Each Fireball, Fire Blast or Scorch crit gives a Heating Up stack that makes your next Pyroblast 25% faster to cast, so after two or three crits Pyroblast is quick enough to use mid-fight; spend the stacks before their 20 sec run out. When mobs reach you, Blast Wave hits and slows them all, and Frost Nova is the backup.
- Arcane: build two or three Arcane Blast stacks and spend them on Arcane Missiles. Missile Barrage often makes that volley free and twice as fast, and Arcane Meditation helps pay for the third Blast. Presence of Mind turns a Polymorph or an Arcane Blast into an instant cast when a pull goes wrong, and Cone of Cold and Frost Nova handle a mob that reaches you.
- Every spec: Counterspell a caster mob as it starts a heal or a big spell, and conjure a Mana Agate before long fights.
The builds page has the full rotation for each spec at 20 and 30, for one enemy and for groups.
Mana, food and water
Mana is your real limit. Plan each fight so you finish it with some mana left, and drink after every fight or two. You never need to buy water: you make it.
- Conjure Water (level 4) conjures Conjured Water. Conjure Water (level 10) makes Conjured Fresh Water, Conjure Water (level 20) makes Conjured Purified Water, and Conjure Water (level 30) makes Conjured Spring Water.
- In the client, Conjured Water restores about 151 mana over 18 sec, Conjured Fresh Water 416 mana over 21 sec, Conjured Purified Water about 835 mana over 24 sec and Conjured Spring Water about 1295 mana over 27 sec, as long as you stay seated.
- Food works the same way: Conjure Food (level 6) conjures Conjured Muffin, Conjure Food (level 12) conjures Conjured Bread, and Conjure Food (level 22) conjures Conjured Rye, which restores 552 health over 24 sec.
- From level 28, Conjure Mana Agate makes a Mana Agate: use it in a fight that's running long to get 375 to 425 mana back instantly, and make a new one after the fight.
- Each cast makes 2 items, and conjured items disappear if you're logged out for more than 15 minutes, so make a fresh stack each time you play.
- Eat and drink at the same time. Both work while you sit, so you get health and mana back together.
- Your wand costs no mana. Use it to finish mobs that are almost dead. Blizzard's September 24 notes say wands no longer gain damage from your spell damage, so only the wand's own damage counts.
- Keep Arcane Intellect up: a bigger mana pool means more spells per drink. Spirit on your gear also speeds up mana regeneration between fights.
- Forever adds campfires: sit by one for a few moments to get rested and pick up one-hour buffs. The Deep Dive recap explains how they work.
- At 20, Evocation refills a big share of your mana in a fight that's going badly. It has a long cooldown, so don't use it on an ordinary pull.
Watch out: Blizzard's known issues say the short wind-up before a wand shot is currently much shorter than intended, and a fix is coming. Wanding may feel slower once it's fixed.
Staying alive: kiting and control
Kiting means keeping a mob at a distance while you damage it: you slow or freeze it, walk away, turn and cast. It's the core Mage survival skill, and Frost Nova is the heart of it.
- A mob reaches you. Cast Frost Nova and it's frozen in place for up to 8 sec.
- Turn and walk away until you're back at casting range. Walking backwards is slower than turning and running.
- Turn around and cast Frostbolt, or, as Frost, Ice Lance while the mob is still Frozen.
- If it reaches you again with Frost Nova on cooldown, finish it with Fire Blast or your wand, or use Blink to get away.
- Polymorph: sheep one mob while you fight another. Only one target can be a sheep at a time, and it regenerates very quickly while it's a sheep.
- Blink (level 20): jump 20 yards away instantly, breaking stuns and roots.
- Mana Shield (level 20): physical damage drains your mana instead of your health, 2 mana per point absorbed. Use it when you're about to die, not all the time.
- Cone of Cold (level 26): Frost damage and a 40% slow for 6 sec on everything in front of you, instantly: your answer when Frost Nova is on cooldown.
- Frost Mages who take Ice Block from level 25 can encase themselves in ice for 10 sec, safe from all physical attacks and spells, but unable to move or cast. Use it to wait out a pull gone wrong, then Frost Nova as it ends.
- Run early. If a pull goes wrong and your spells are on cooldown, run back the way you came; mobs give up the chase after a while.
Watch out: Don't fight in melee range. Being hit also delays your casts (players call this pushback), so a Mage who stands and trades blows usually loses. Freeze, walk away, then cast.
Tip: Blizzard's September 24 notes changed Arcane Missiles: it now checks line of sight once, when the channel starts, so a caster that steps behind a pillar mid-channel still takes every missile.
Class quests up to 30
Mages have class quests at 1, 10, 15–16 and 26–28. The details below come from Classic's data: quest names, who gives them, where they stand and what they rewarded in Classic. The Forever client still has these quests, but Blizzard may have changed them. In Classic they went to Human and Gnome Mages (Alliance) and Undead and Troll Mages (Horde), so Orc and Skyborne Mages, which didn't exist in Classic, may get their own versions.
| Level | Quests | Who and where | Reward in Classic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glyphic Letter (Human), Glyphic Memorandum (Gnome), Glyphic Scroll (Undead), Glyphic Tablet (Troll) | Your first quest giver: Marshal McBride, Sten Stoutarm, Shadow Priest Sarvis or Gornek | Sends you to your Mage trainer |
| 10 | Speak with Jennea, then Mirror Lake (Alliance) | Zaldimar Wefhellt in Elwynn Forest, then Jennea Cannon in Stormwind | Ley Orb or Ley Staff |
| 10 | Speak with Bink, then Mage-tastic Gizmonitor (Alliance) | Magis Sparkmantle in Dun Morogh, then Bink in Ironforge | Arcane Orb or Arcane Staff |
| 10 | Speak with Anastasia, then The Balnir Farmstead (Horde) | Cain Firesong in Tirisfal Glades, then Anastasia Hartwell in the Undercity | Arcane Orb or Arcane Staff |
| 10 | Speak with Un'thuwa, then Ju-Ju Heaps (Horde) | Uthel'nay in Orgrimmar, then Un'Thuwa in Durotar | Ley Orb or Ley Staff |
| 15–16 | Report to Jennea, Investigate the Blue Recluse, Gathering Materials, Manaweave Robe (Alliance) | Zaldimar Wefhellt in Elwynn Forest, then Jennea Cannon and Wynne Larson in Stormwind | Manaweave Robe |
| 15–16 | Report to Anastasia, Investigate the Alchemist Shop, Gathering Materials, Spellfire Robes (Horde) | Uthel'nay in Orgrimmar, then Anastasia Hartwell and Josef Gregorian in the Undercity | Lesser Spellfire Robes |
| 26–28 | High Sorcerer Andromath, Ur's Treatise on Shadow Magic (28), Pristine Spider Silk, Astral Knot Garment (Alliance) | Jennea Cannon in Stormwind sends you to High Sorcerer Andromath in Stormwind, then Wynne Larson | Astral Knot Robe or Astral Knot Blouse |
| 26 | Speak with Deino, Waters of Xavian, Laughing Sisters, Nether-lace Garment (Horde) | Anastasia Hartwell in the Undercity sends you to Deino in Orgrimmar, then Kil'hala at the Crossroads in the Barrens | Nether-lace Robe or Nether-lace Tunic |
Classic data (CMaNGOS classic-db) for class quests the Forever client has. Map pins use Classic positions placed on Forever's maps.
- The level 10 rewards are a staff or an off-hand orb. The Forever client lists Ley Orb and Arcane Orb as Mage-only off-hands you can also use to restore 80 to 240 mana.
- In Classic's data, both Gathering Materials quests ask for 10 Linen Cloth plus quest items, so keep some Linen Cloth from humanoid mobs as you approach 15.
- The robes are Mage-only in the client too, which suggests the quests are still meant for Mages.
- In Classic's data, the Alliance chain at 26 asks you to bring Ur's Treatise on Shadow Magic to High Sorcerer Andromath and then 8 Pristine Spider Silk to Wynne Larson. The Horde chain asks for the Xavian Water Sample for Deino and then 12 Laughing Sister's Hairs for Kil'hala. Both end with a choice of two chest pieces, a robe or a blouse for the Alliance and a robe or a tunic for the Horde; in the Forever client they're uncommon quality at item level 31.
- Classic's data has more Mage quests in Thousand Needles and Dustwallow Marsh, but they're level 38 to 40 quests, well above the current cap.
Speculation: Whether Forever kept these quests exactly as in Classic, and who gets them, isn't confirmed yet. Treat the givers, places, objectives and rewards above as Classic's version until someone sees them in Forever.
Gear, weapons and professions
You wear cloth. Look for Intellect (a bigger mana pool), Spirit (faster mana regeneration between fights), Stamina (more health) and spell power, which makes every spell hit harder. Blizzard's Deep Dive says Forever combines spell, melee and ranged hit into one stat and crit into another, and that caster weapons now give spell damage, so staves and daggers with spell power are real upgrades while you level.
The gear planner scores every item for your spec and level, and the gear lists on the Mage PvE page show the best items for each slot at 20 and at 30 and where they come from. Some highlights from those lists:
- Tailoring makes much of the best cloth at 20. For Frost that's Silky Circlet (level 20), Filigreed Silky Gown (level 15) and Filigreed Silky Leggings (level 20); Fire and Arcane have matching Flame and Pearly pieces. Spidersilk Boots (level 20) is on every Mage list.
- Tailoring at 30: for Frost, Filigreed Silky Circlet (level 25), Silky Gown (level 22), Silky Leggings (level 25) and Frothing Slippers (level 30), with Azure Silk Gloves (level 24) and Azure Silk Cloak (level 30); Fire's list has Filigreed Flame Circlet, Flame Gown, Flame Leggings and Fiery Slippers, and Arcane's has Filigreed Pearly Circlet, Pearly Gown, Pearly Leggings and Golden Slippers.
- Dungeons: Classic's loot tables put Mindthrust Bracers and Belt of Arugal (from Archmage Arugal) in Shadowfang Keep, Gaze Dreamer Pants (Twilight Lord Kelris) in Blackfathom Deeps, Death Speaker Mantle (Death Speaker Jargba) in Razorfen Kraul, and Acidic Walkers and the Scorching Wand in Gnomeregan.
- Weapons and wands: Enchanters make Novice's Practice Wand (level 1), Lesser Magic Wand (level 5) and Greater Magic Wand (level 13), so a friend who enchants, or the auction house, can get you a wand early; at 25 they can make Glimmering Staff and the off-hand Orb of Mystic Insight. In Classic's data, quests reward wands such as Sable Wand (Underground Assault) and Sizzle Stick (Deviate Eradication), and Wand of Eventide (level 27) drops from mobs in the world.
Professions that suit a Mage: Tailoring, because you loot plenty of cloth from humanoid mobs and it makes your gear and bags, and Enchanting, which makes wands and breaks down green items you don't need into enchanting materials. If you'd rather make money, pick two gathering professions (Herbalism, Mining or Skinning) instead. The professions guide explains how each one works in Forever.
Grouping and your first dungeon
In a group your job is damage and control. The tank (a sturdy player who holds the mobs' attention) starts each fight, the healer keeps everyone alive, and you kill whatever the tank is hitting. Let the tank hit a mob a few times before you start: your damage builds threat, and if your threat passes the tank's, the mob turns on you.
- Buff the group with Arcane Intellect and hand out conjured water before the first pull.
- Polymorph one dangerous Humanoid or Beast at the start of a big pull, and keep area spells away from it.
- Remove Lesser Curse clears a Curse or a Bane from the tank or the healer.
- You get your interrupt, Counterspell, at level 24. Use it on a caster's heal or big spell once the tank has the mob, because it generates a lot of threat. Before 24, Polymorph dangerous casters instead.
- If a mob runs at the healer, Frost Nova it where it stands so the tank can pick it back up.
The first dungeon guide walks you through your first run. The dungeon list has every instance with its bosses and quests, and the Mage PvE page has a dungeon build for each spec at 20 and 30.
Dungeons from 20 to 30
Blizzard's 1 October notes list the dungeons open in the beta. For a Mage between 20 and 30 these are the ones to look at; the levels in brackets are Blizzard's where Blizzard gave them, and the site's dungeon pages otherwise.
- The Deadmines and Wailing Caverns at the low end, around 20.
- Shadowfang Keep (20–30) in Silverpine Forest, Blackfathom Deeps (24–32) in Ashenvale and The Stockade (24–32) in Stormwind.
- Excavation Site: Wetlands, a new Forever dungeon for levels 26–31 with four bosses in the client: Saltspine, Shadetooth, Highland Horror and Relic Guardian.
- Razorfen Kraul and Gnomeregan (both 29–38), and Scarlet Monastery (30–38) once you reach the cap.
- Razorfen Downs (25+) and Uldaman (30+) opened with the 1 October build. Blizzard's levels for them are well below the ones on the site's pages, which come from Classic, so go by Blizzard's.
Watch out: Since the 1 October build, dungeon quests give 50% less extra experience beyond normal quest values. Run dungeons for gear, quests and fun, but don't count on them for fast levels.
Common beginner mistakes
- Skipping the trainer. New ranks are big upgrades; check in at every even level.
- Pulling too much. Fight one mob at a time until you know your tools, and look around for wandering mobs before you pull.
- Standing in melee. Frost Nova, walk away, then cast.
- Breaking your own sheep with Arcane Explosion, Blizzard or Flamestrike.
- Casting Blizzard on one mob. It's a pack spell; a single mob is a Frostbolt job.
- Stacking Arcane Blast too far. Each stack raises the next Blast's cost; stop at one or two when your mana is low.
- Counterspelling too early in a group. It generates a lot of threat; let the tank hold the mob first.
- Casting old ranks. Blizzard's 1 October notes say ranks far below your level get less from your spell damage and are less likely to trigger talents such as Frostbite, so keep buying new ranks.
- Forgetting your buffs. Keep Frost Armor and Arcane Intellect up.
- Using Fire Blast from your normal spot. Its range is only 20 yards in the client (26 with Flame Throwing), shorter than your other attacks.
- Logging out on a bag of water. Conjured food and water vanish after 15 minutes offline.
What Forever changed for Mages
- Two new talents at 20: Arcane Blast in the Arcane section and Ice Lance in the Frost section, both former Season of Discovery runes. The talent teaches rank 1 and trainers sell the higher ranks.
- Talents that use them: Improved Channeling now also protects Arcane Blast casts, and Incineration raises the crit chance of Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast and Scorch.
- Wake of Fire, a Fire talent, takes up to 2 sec off Fire Blast's cooldown and makes your first Fire Blast after a kill much more likely to crit. Blizzard lengthened that window from 20 to 30 seconds on September 24.
- A new talent window: one tree with three sections, where several talents moved or changed their ranks. Shatter has 3 ranks for up to 50%, Incineration sits in the Fire section's first row, Ice Block moved to the fourth row and Cold Snap to the fifth, and Heating Up, Missile Barrage and Fingers of Frost are new talents from 25 and 30.
- The level 30 build (1 October): Blizzard renamed Hot Streak to Heating Up, since it no longer depends on a streak: each Fireball, Fire Blast or Scorch crit cuts the cast time of your next Pyroblast within 20 sec by 25%, stacking up to 3 times. Combustion, a Fire talent at level 40, is back to 3 charges (it was 4). Improved Scorch's Fire Vulnerability and Frost's Winter's Chill (a level 35 talent) no longer roll a second time to see if they're resisted. Mage scrolls deciphered with Comprehension had another balance pass and can no longer be cast while moving.
- Spells scale better with gear: the client gives early ranks of Fireball, Frostbolt and Fire Blast a much bigger share of your spell power than Classic did; Fireball rank 1 goes from 0.123 to 0.429.
- Longer buffs, wider cleansing: Arcane Intellect lasts 1 hour (30 min in Classic), and Remove Lesser Curse also removes Banes, a new debuff type used by Warlocks.
- Arcane Missiles checks line of sight only when the channel starts.
- New race options: Orc Mages, and High Order Skyborne Mages for the Alliance.
- Cooldown Manager: Mages can test Blizzard's new Cooldown Manager (Options, Gameplay Enhancement). The known issues say Arcane Blast can't be tracked yet.
Wake of Fire was difficult to make proper use of while leveling, due to the Mage needing to restore mana between combat. The increased duration should help smooth out the experience. Blizzard, WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated September 24
Every change we've found is on the Mage changes page, Level 30 build goes live covers the whole 1 October update, and our Mage outlook looks further ahead.
Checked against WoW Forever beta build 1.60.1.70170.