Orcs and the Alliance’s High Order Skyborne can be Mages in Forever. Mages keep all three 31-point talents but gain Arcane Blast, Ice Lance, Heating Up and more.
Official changes come from Blizzard's Deep Dive, What's Next and Found Photos panels; talent facts come from the same talent data as our calculator (where it comes from); hands-on reports are marked. Last reviewed: .
A Mage kills from range, controls the fight with Frost Nova and Polymorph, and makes its own food and water, which in Classic made it the fastest self-sufficient leveler and the class every group wanted for area damage. Forever keeps all three 31-point talents and adds spells from later expansions: Arcane Blast, Ice Lance, Heating Up, Fingers of Frost, Missile Barrage and a trainer Frostfire Bolt. For the first time Orcs, and the Alliance’s High Order Skyborne, can be Mages.
You’ll enjoy it if
You like kiting: Frost Nova, Frostbolt’s slow and Cone of Cold keep enemies away while you work.
You want procs to react to. Heating Up, Fingers of Frost and Missile Barrage all turn one spell into a faster or harder next one.
You want zero downtime costs: conjured water and food, and your own city teleports and, at 50, Teleport: Dalaran in the beta client.
You like being the one who handles the extra enemy: Polymorph is still the cleanest crowd control in the game.
Think twice if
You want to take hits. Cloth armor and a small health pool make every mistake expensive, especially in Hardcore.
You want big area pulls while leveling. The developers warn that 3 or more enemies will probably get you killed, and that includes a Mage’s old AoE packs.
You want a healer’s job or a tank’s: a Mage has one role, damage, plus utility.
What groups want from you
Arcane Intellect (now an hour long in the beta client) for every mana user.
Polymorph on the extra enemy the tank can’t hold, since tanks hold only three or four at once.
Counterspell and Remove Lesser Curse, which now also removes Banes.
Conjured water between pulls, and portals home at the end of the night.
Solo play and gold
Solo, a Frost Mage opens with Frostbolt, roots with Frost Nova when the enemy reaches you, steps back and finishes, which keeps most kills free of damage taken. The kill takes 10–15 seconds from about level 10–15, so mana, not health, is what runs out; Evocation and conjured water carry you between pulls.
Gold is easier on a Mage than most classes: no food or water to buy, and teleports save flight costs. Mages in Classic gathered with Herbalism or Mining or made cloth gear with Tailoring; in Forever, note that the Herbalism camp object, the Incense Candle, gives Intellect and doesn’t stack with Arcane Intellect, so a Mage makes it redundant for its own group.
02 Three ways to play a Mage
Mages keep Arcane Power, Combustion and Ice Barrier as their 31-point talents and lose fewer Classic talents than any other class. Frostfire Bolt, learned from the trainer at 40, is the thread through the trees: it counts as Frost and Fire damage, and both Heating Up and Missile Barrage name it as a trigger. Blizzard’s October 7 deep dive says the spell is there so that a build with talents from both schools has one bolt that uses them all: with Ignite and Ice Shards, its example, a critical Frostfire Bolt deals 200% damage plus 40% of that as Ignite, 280% in all. The icons show the talents in the Mage Talent Calculator; hover or tap one for its full tooltip.
Arcane
Burst damage · mana-hungry
Arcane Blast is a talent here, not a trainer spell. Since the October 15 beta build each cast gives you 15% of your Intellect as spell damage and raises the cost of the next Arcane Blast, up to four times, for 15 seconds from the first cast; its own damage was cut by 40% to pay for it. You build the stack, then spend it on a harder-hitting spell: Arcane Wrath, the new talent right behind it, is an Arcane bolt that also gains spell damage from your maximum Mana. Missile Barrage moved to the top of the tree with 2 ranks: Arcane Blast, Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, Frostfire Bolt and every Arcane Missiles hit can make the next Arcane Missiles faster and free.
Improved Channeling stops damage from interrupting Arcane Missiles and, most of the time, Arcane Blast and Arcane Wrath, which Classic Arcane never had. Arcane Geometry adds range to Arcane spells. Arcane Power stays at the bottom: 30% more damage for 30% more mana, which suits a spec built on bursts.
Forever talents to know
Arcane Blast
Arcane · tier 3 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Blasts the target with energy, dealing 33 to 39 Arcane damage. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, you gain 15% of your Intellect as Spell Damage and the mana cost of Arcane Blast is increased by 175%. Effect stacks up to 4 times and lasts 15 sec from time of initial application. level 60 reference
Arcane Blast
Arcane Wrath
Arcane · tier 4 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Launches a projectile of pure Arcane energy at the enemy target, causing 121 to 147 Arcane damage. This spell gains additional Spell Damage equal to 5% of your maximum Mana. level 60 reference
Arcane Wrath
Missile Barrage
Arcane · tier 1 · max rank 2
★ New in Forever
Gives your Arcane Blast spell a 20% chance, and your Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, Frost Blast, and Frostfire Bolt spells a 10% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the Mana cost by 100%, and missiles fire every 0.5 sec.
Rank 2: Gives your Arcane Blast spell a 40% chance, and your Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, Frost Blast, and Frostfire Bolt spells a 20% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the Mana cost by 100%, and missiles fire every 0.5 sec.
Missile Barrage
Improved Channeling
Arcane · tier 1 · max rank 5
Gives your Arcane Missiles spell a 20% chance and your Arcane Blast and Arcane Wrath spells a 14% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage.
Rank 5: Gives your Arcane Missiles spell a 100% chance and your Arcane Blast and Arcane Wrath spells a 70% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage.
Improved Channeling
Arcane Power
Arcane · tier 7 · max rank 1
For the next 15 sec, your spells deal 30% more damage while costing 30% more mana to cast.
Arcane Power
Fire
Critical strikes · Pyroblast
Fire now plays around critical strikes. Heating Up: a critical Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Fire Blast or Scorch shortens Pyroblast’s cast time, stacking up to three times (down to 1.5 seconds), so a run of crits turns Pyroblast from an opener into a real part of the fight. Incineration adds critical strike chance to Fire Blast, Scorch, Ice Lance and Arcane Blast.
Fire Blast feeds Heating Up more than other spells: every Fire Blast that deals damage adds an extra stack, and Improved Fire Blast, back under its Classic name, shortens its cooldown by 2 seconds and adds 15 yards of range. Critical Mass now has 5 ranks for 10% Fire crit, and Fire Power grows with the Fire effects you keep on the target, up to 12% more Fire damage; effects that mix two schools, such as Frostfire Bolt’s, don’t count. Combustion stays at 31 points. Critical strike is now one stat for spells and attacks, so any crit on gear feeds this tree.
Forever talents to know
Heating Up
Fire · tier 4 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Non-periodic critical strikes with Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Fire Blast, and Scorch reduce the cast time of your next Pyroblast cast within 20 sec by 25%, stacking up to 3 times. Fire Blast grants an additional stack every time it deals damage.
Heating Up
Incineration
Fire · tier 1 · max rank 3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast, and Scorch spells by 2%.
Rank 3: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast, and Scorch spells by 6%.
Incineration
Combustion
Fire · tier 7 · max rank 1
When activated, this spell causes each of your Fire damage spell hits to increase your critical strike chance with Fire damage spells by 10%. This effect lasts until you have caused 3 non-periodic critical strikes with Fire spells.
Combustion
Frost
Control and safety · the leveling spec
Frost was Classic’s leveling spec and gets the most direct upgrade. Ice Lance, the tree’s 11-point talent and so yours from level 20, deals far more damage to frozen targets, so every Frost Nova ends in a burst instead of a wait. Fingers of Frost gives your chill effects a chance to treat your next two spells as if the target were frozen, so Ice Lance hits hard without a Nova at all.
Frost gets no talents removed and Ice Barrier stays at 31 points; it now also keeps your casts from being interrupted by damage while the shield holds. Ice Block is now the 16-point talent, within reach at level 25 instead of 30, and Cold Snap moves down to 21 points. Blizzard grows with your level faster in the beta client than in Classic, which helps the rare large pull that still works.
Forever talents to know
Ice Lance
Frost · tier 3 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Deals 28 to 33 Frost damage to an enemy target. Deals 200% increased damage to Frozen targets. level 60 reference
Ice Lance
Fingers of Frost
Frost · tier 5 · max rank 2
★ New in Forever
Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 1 spell cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec.
Rank 2: Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 2 spells cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec.
Fingers of Frost
Ice Barrier
Frost · tier 7 · max rank 1
Shield yourself, absorbing 448 damage and increasing your Frost damage by 3% for 1 min. While shielded, your Frost damage is increased by an additional 3% and you do not lose casting time when you take damage. level 60 reference
Ice Barrier
Dual Specialization opens at level 40, Blizzard’s class deep dives say; you change talents at a class trainer in a major city.
Mage talent trees at a glance
Each tree’s 31-point talent and how many talents changed. The full list, with every rank, is in the talent calculator.
Arcane
Arcane Power
Arcane · tier 7 · max rank 1
For the next 15 sec, your spells deal 30% more damage while costing 30% more mana to cast.
Arcane Power
Same 31-point talent as Classic
4 new
3 renamed or reworked
0 removed
5 moved
Missile Barrage
Arcane · tier 1 · max rank 2
★ New in Forever
Gives your Arcane Blast spell a 20% chance, and your Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, Frost Blast, and Frostfire Bolt spells a 10% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the Mana cost by 100%, and missiles fire every 0.5 sec.
Rank 2: Gives your Arcane Blast spell a 40% chance, and your Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, Frost Blast, and Frostfire Bolt spells a 20% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the Mana cost by 100%, and missiles fire every 0.5 sec.
Arcane Geometry
Arcane · tier 3 · max rank 2
★ New in Forever
Increases the range of your Arcane spells by 3 yards.
Rank 2: Increases the range of your Arcane spells by 6 yards.
Arcane Blast
Arcane · tier 3 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Blasts the target with energy, dealing 33 to 39 Arcane damage. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, you gain 15% of your Intellect as Spell Damage and the mana cost of Arcane Blast is increased by 175%. Effect stacks up to 4 times and lasts 15 sec from time of initial application. level 60 reference
Arcane Wrath
Arcane · tier 4 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Launches a projectile of pure Arcane energy at the enemy target, causing 121 to 147 Arcane damage. This spell gains additional Spell Damage equal to 5% of your maximum Mana. level 60 reference
Fire
Combustion
Fire · tier 7 · max rank 1
When activated, this spell causes each of your Fire damage spell hits to increase your critical strike chance with Fire damage spells by 10%. This effect lasts until you have caused 3 non-periodic critical strikes with Fire spells.
Combustion
Same 31-point talent as Classic
1 new
1 renamed or reworked
0 removed
4 moved
Heating Up
Fire · tier 4 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Non-periodic critical strikes with Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Fire Blast, and Scorch reduce the cast time of your next Pyroblast cast within 20 sec by 25%, stacking up to 3 times. Fire Blast grants an additional stack every time it deals damage.
Frost
Ice Barrier
Frost · tier 7 · max rank 1
Shield yourself, absorbing 448 damage and increasing your Frost damage by 3% for 1 min. While shielded, your Frost damage is increased by an additional 3% and you do not lose casting time when you take damage. level 60 reference
Ice Barrier
Same 31-point talent as Classic
2 new
1 removed
6 moved
Ice Lance
Frost · tier 3 · max rank 1
★ New in Forever
Deals 28 to 33 Frost damage to an enemy target. Deals 200% increased damage to Frozen targets. level 60 reference
Fingers of Frost
Frost · tier 5 · max rank 2
★ New in Forever
Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 1 spell cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec.
Rank 2: Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 2 spells cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec.
The first twenty levels are Fireball and Frostbolt with Frost Nova for safety, and Polymorph from 8 for the second enemy. Most Classic Mages took Frost for the slows and Ice Barrier; Forever adds Ice Lance to that plan, so a Frost Nova now ends the fight instead of buying time. Fire and Arcane come into their own later, with more gear and more crit.
Dungeon enemies give much less experience in Forever and dungeon quests much more, so a Mage’s Classic trick of farming dungeons with area spells pays less: run each dungeon once with its quests (see WoW Forever dungeons). The experience needed to reach 60 is the same as in Classic: Wowhead retracted its datamine of a lower curve after Blizzard explained the file isn’t used by the game (see the WoW Forever leveling guide).
Mage key levels
The levels where the abilities in the table below arrive. Hover, focus or tap a level to see everything a Mage trainer teaches that is new at it; every icon has its tooltip.
Fireball
Fireball
Rank 1 · level 1
Cost 30 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Hurls a fiery ball that causes 14 to 22 Fire damage and an additional 2 Fire damage over 4 sec.
New at level 1: 4
Arcane Intellect
Arcane Intellect
Rank 1 · level 1
Cost 60 Mana
Cast time instant
Increases the target's Intellect by 2 for 1 hrs.
Fireball
Fireball
Rank 1 · level 1
Cost 30 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Hurls a fiery ball that causes 14 to 22 Fire damage and an additional 2 Fire damage over 4 sec.
Frost Armor
Frost Armor
Master of Elements
Master of Elements
Conjure Water
Conjure Water
Frostbolt
Frostbolt
Rank 1 · level 4
Cost 25 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
New at level 4: 2
Conjure Water
Conjure Water
Frostbolt
Frostbolt
Rank 1 · level 4
Cost 25 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Arcane Missiles
Arcane Missiles
Rank 1 · level 8
Cost 85 Mana
Cast time instant
Launches Arcane Missiles at the enemy, causing 24 Arcane damage each second for 3 sec.
Polymorph
Polymorph
New at level 8: 2
Arcane Missiles
Arcane Missiles
Rank 1 · level 8
Cost 85 Mana
Cast time instant
Launches Arcane Missiles at the enemy, causing 24 Arcane damage each second for 3 sec.
Polymorph
Polymorph
Frost Nova
Frost Nova
Rank 1 · level 10
Cost 55 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 25 sec
Blasts enemies near the caster for 19 to 21 Frost damage and freezes them in place for up to 8 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.
New at level 10: 1
Frost Nova
Frost Nova
Rank 1 · level 10
Cost 55 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 25 sec
Blasts enemies near the caster for 19 to 21 Frost damage and freezes them in place for up to 8 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.
Arcane Explosion
Arcane Explosion
Rank 1 · level 14
Cost 75 Mana
Cast time instant
Causes an explosion of arcane magic around the caster, causing 30 to 34 Arcane damage to all targets within 10 yards.
New at level 14: 1
Arcane Explosion
Arcane Explosion
Rank 1 · level 14
Cost 75 Mana
Cast time instant
Causes an explosion of arcane magic around the caster, causing 30 to 34 Arcane damage to all targets within 10 yards.
Blink
Blink
Level 20
Cost 35% of base mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 15 sec
Teleports the caster 20 yards forward, unless something is in the way. Also frees the caster from Stuns and Immobilizes.
Blizzard
Blizzard
Rank 1 · level 20
Cost 320 Mana
Cast time instant
Ice shards pelt the target area doing 192 Frost damage over 8 sec.
Evocation
Evocation
New at level 20: 9
Blink
Blink
Level 20
Cost 35% of base mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 15 sec
Teleports the caster 20 yards forward, unless something is in the way. Also frees the caster from Stuns and Immobilizes.
Blizzard
Blizzard
Rank 1 · level 20
Cost 320 Mana
Cast time instant
Ice shards pelt the target area doing 192 Frost damage over 8 sec.
Evocation
Evocation
Fire Ward
Fire Ward
Rank 1 · level 20
Cost 85 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 30 sec
Absorbs 162 Fire damage. Lasts 30 sec.
Mana Shield
Mana Shield
Teleport: IronforgeAlliance only
Teleport: Ironforge
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Ironforge.
Teleport: OrgrimmarHorde only
Teleport: Orgrimmar
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Orgrimmar.
Teleport: StormwindAlliance only
Teleport: Stormwind
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Stormwind.
Teleport: UndercityHorde only
Teleport: Undercity
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Undercity.
Counterspell
Counterspell
New at level 24: 2
Counterspell
Counterspell
Frost Blast
Frost Blast
Rank 1 · level 24
Cost 40 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Quickly launch a weak blast of frost at the enemy, causing 25 to 27 Frost damage and slowing movement speed by 40% for 9 sec.
Cone of Cold
Cone of Cold
Rank 1 · level 26
Cost 210 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 10 sec
Targets in a cone in front of the caster take 92 to 102 Frost damage and are slowed by 40% for 6 sec. The first 4 targets hit by this cone are slowed by an additional 10% for an additional 3 sec.
New at level 26: 1
Cone of Cold
Cone of Cold
Rank 1 · level 26
Cost 210 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 10 sec
Targets in a cone in front of the caster take 92 to 102 Frost damage and are slowed by 40% for 6 sec. The first 4 targets hit by this cone are slowed by an additional 10% for an additional 3 sec.
Frostfire Bolt
Frostfire Bolt
Rank 1 · level 40
Cost 205 Mana
Cast time 3 sec
Launches a bolt of frostfire at the enemy, causing 92 to 108 Frostfire damage, slowing movement speed by 40% and causing an additional 27 Frostfire damage over 9 sec. This spell will be checked against the lower of the target's Frost and Fire resists and counts as both Frost and Fire damage.
New at level 40: 5
Frostfire Bolt
Frostfire Bolt
Rank 1 · level 40
Cost 205 Mana
Cast time 3 sec
Launches a bolt of frostfire at the enemy, causing 92 to 108 Frostfire damage, slowing movement speed by 40% and causing an additional 27 Frostfire damage over 9 sec. This spell will be checked against the lower of the target's Frost and Fire resists and counts as both Frost and Fire damage.
Portal: IronforgeAlliance only
Portal: Ironforge
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Ironforge.
Portal: OrgrimmarHorde only
Portal: Orgrimmar
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Orgrimmar.
Portal: StormwindAlliance only
Portal: Stormwind
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Stormwind.
Portal: UndercityHorde only
Portal: Undercity
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Undercity.
Teleport: DalaranAlliance only
Teleport: Dalaran
Level 50
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Dalaran.
New at level 50: 3
Portal: DarnassusAlliance only
Portal: Darnassus
Level 50
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Darnassus.
Portal: Thunder BluffHorde only
Portal: Thunder Bluff
Level 50
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Thunder Bluff.
Teleport: DalaranAlliance only
Teleport: Dalaran
Level 50
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Dalaran.
Arcane Brilliance
Arcane Brilliance
Level 56
Cost 3,400 Mana
Cast time instant
Infuses the target's party and raid with brilliance, increasing their Intellect by 31 for 1 hrs.
New at level 56: 1
Arcane Brilliance
Arcane Brilliance
Level 56
Cost 3,400 Mana
Cast time instant
Infuses the target's party and raid with brilliance, increasing their Intellect by 31 for 1 hrs.
New trainer abilities per level band
Each ability counted once, at the level its first rank is trained in the Forever beta client; abilities the beta removed are left out. Pick a bar to list them.
Every raceSome races only
New at levels 1–9: 10
Arcane Intellect
Arcane Intellect
Rank 1 · level 1
Cost 60 Mana
Cast time instant
Increases the target's Intellect by 2 for 1 hrs.
Fireball
Fireball
Rank 1 · level 1
Cost 30 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Hurls a fiery ball that causes 14 to 22 Fire damage and an additional 2 Fire damage over 4 sec.
Frost Armor
Frost Armor
Master of Elements
Master of Elements
Conjure Water
Conjure Water
Frostbolt
Frostbolt
Rank 1 · level 4
Cost 25 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Conjure Food
Conjure Food
Rank 1 · level 6
Cost 60 Mana
Cast time 3 sec
Conjures 2 muffins, providing the mage and his allies with something to eat. Conjured items disappear if logged out for more than 15 minutes.
Fire Blast
Fire Blast
Rank 1 · level 6
Cost 40 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 8 sec
Blasts the enemy for 24 to 32 Fire damage.
Arcane Missiles
Arcane Missiles
Rank 1 · level 8
Cost 85 Mana
Cast time instant
Launches Arcane Missiles at the enemy, causing 24 Arcane damage each second for 3 sec.
Polymorph
Polymorph
New at levels 10–19: 7
Frost Nova
Frost Nova
Rank 1 · level 10
Cost 55 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 25 sec
Blasts enemies near the caster for 19 to 21 Frost damage and freezes them in place for up to 8 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.
Dampen Magic
Dampen Magic
Rank 1 · level 12
Cost 100 Mana
Cast time instant
Dampens magic used against the targeted party member, decreasing damage taken from spells by up to 15 and healing spells by up to 30. Lasts 10 min.
Slow Fall
Slow Fall
Arcane Explosion
Arcane Explosion
Rank 1 · level 14
Cost 75 Mana
Cast time instant
Causes an explosion of arcane magic around the caster, causing 30 to 34 Arcane damage to all targets within 10 yards.
Flamestrike
Flamestrike
Rank 1 · level 16
Cost 195 Mana
Cast time 3 sec
Calls down a pillar of fire, burning all enemies within the area for 52 to 68 Fire damage and an additional 44 Fire damage over 8 sec. Only one Flamestrike can be active per Mage at a time.
Amplify Magic
Amplify Magic
Rank 1 · level 18
Cost 150 Mana
Cast time instant
Amplifies magic used against the targeted party member, increasing damage taken from spells by up to 23 and healing spells by up to 45. Lasts 10 min.
Remove Lesser Curse
Remove Lesser Curse
Level 18
Cost 10% of base mana
Cast time instant
Removes 1 Curse or Bane from a friendly target.
New at levels 20–29: 15
Blink
Blink
Level 20
Cost 35% of base mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 15 sec
Teleports the caster 20 yards forward, unless something is in the way. Also frees the caster from Stuns and Immobilizes.
Blizzard
Blizzard
Rank 1 · level 20
Cost 320 Mana
Cast time instant
Ice shards pelt the target area doing 192 Frost damage over 8 sec.
Evocation
Evocation
Fire Ward
Fire Ward
Rank 1 · level 20
Cost 85 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 30 sec
Absorbs 162 Fire damage. Lasts 30 sec.
Mana Shield
Mana Shield
Teleport: IronforgeAlliance only
Teleport: Ironforge
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Ironforge.
Teleport: OrgrimmarHorde only
Teleport: Orgrimmar
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Orgrimmar.
Teleport: StormwindAlliance only
Teleport: Stormwind
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Stormwind.
Teleport: UndercityHorde only
Teleport: Undercity
Level 20
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Undercity.
Frost Ward
Frost Ward
Rank 1 · level 22
Cost 85 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 30 sec
Absorbs 162 Frost damage. Lasts 30 sec.
Scorch
Scorch
Rank 1 · level 22
Cost 50 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Scorch the enemy for 35 to 43 Fire damage.
Counterspell
Counterspell
Frost Blast
Frost Blast
Rank 1 · level 24
Cost 40 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Quickly launch a weak blast of frost at the enemy, causing 25 to 27 Frost damage and slowing movement speed by 40% for 9 sec.
Cone of Cold
Cone of Cold
Rank 1 · level 26
Cost 210 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 10 sec
Targets in a cone in front of the caster take 92 to 102 Frost damage and are slowed by 40% for 6 sec. The first 4 targets hit by this cone are slowed by an additional 10% for an additional 3 sec.
Conjure Mana Agate
Conjure Mana Agate
New at levels 30–39: 5
Ice Armor
Ice Armor
Teleport: DarnassusAlliance only
Teleport: Darnassus
Level 30
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Darnassus.
Teleport: Thunder BluffHorde only
Teleport: Thunder Bluff
Level 30
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Thunder Bluff.
Mage Armor
Mage Armor
Rank 1 · level 34
Cost 270 Mana
Cast time instant
Increases your resistance to all magic by 5 and allows 50% of your mana regeneration to continue while casting. Only one type of Armor spell can be active on the Mage at any time. Lasts 30 min.
Conjure Mana Jade
Conjure Mana Jade
New at levels 40–49: 6
Frostfire Bolt
Frostfire Bolt
Rank 1 · level 40
Cost 205 Mana
Cast time 3 sec
Launches a bolt of frostfire at the enemy, causing 92 to 108 Frostfire damage, slowing movement speed by 40% and causing an additional 27 Frostfire damage over 9 sec. This spell will be checked against the lower of the target's Frost and Fire resists and counts as both Frost and Fire damage.
Portal: IronforgeAlliance only
Portal: Ironforge
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Ironforge.
Portal: OrgrimmarHorde only
Portal: Orgrimmar
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Orgrimmar.
Portal: StormwindAlliance only
Portal: Stormwind
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Stormwind.
Portal: UndercityHorde only
Portal: Undercity
Level 40
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Undercity.
Conjure Mana Citrine
Conjure Mana Citrine
New at levels 50–60: 7
Portal: DarnassusAlliance only
Portal: Darnassus
Level 50
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Darnassus.
Portal: Thunder BluffHorde only
Portal: Thunder Bluff
Level 50
Cost 850 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Cooldown 1 min
Creates a portal, teleporting group members that use it to Thunder Bluff.
Teleport: DalaranAlliance only
Teleport: Dalaran
Level 50
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Dalaran.
Arcane Brilliance
Arcane Brilliance
Level 56
Cost 3,400 Mana
Cast time instant
Infuses the target's party and raid with brilliance, increasing their Intellect by 31 for 1 hrs.
Conjure Mana Ruby
Conjure Mana Ruby
Felfire
Felfire
Polymorph: Cow
Polymorph: Cow
Mage abilities by level
The trainer abilities that shape a Mage’s leveling, in the order you learn them. The middle column is read from the Forever beta client against Classic Era, so it can still change.
Ability
Learned
In the Forever beta
Why it matters
Fireball
Fireball
Rank 1 · level 1
Cost 30 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Hurls a fiery ball that causes 14 to 22 Fire damage and an additional 2 Fire damage over 4 sec.
Level 112 ranks, levels 1–60
Growth per level: changed on 12 ranks
Tooltip numbers changed (11 ranks)
Your first damage spell. Its per-level growth is slightly lower than in Classic.
Frostbolt
Frostbolt
Rank 1 · level 4
Cost 25 Mana
Cast time 1.5 sec
Level 411 ranks, levels 4–60
Growth per level: changed on 5 ranks
Tooltip values changed (the text can’t be rendered from the client) (10 ranks)
Slows the target, which is what makes Frost Mage leveling safe.
Conjure Water
Conjure Water
Level 47 ranks, levels 4–60
Unchanged
Free drinks between pulls; mana is what runs out on a Mage.
Arcane Missiles
Arcane Missiles
Rank 1 · level 8
Cost 85 Mana
Cast time instant
Launches Arcane Missiles at the enemy, causing 24 Arcane damage each second for 3 sec.
Level 88 ranks, levels 8–56
Tooltip numbers changed (7 ranks)
With Improved Channeling (Arcane), damage no longer interrupts it.
Polymorph
Polymorph
Level 86 ranks, levels 8–60
Unchanged
Turns the second enemy into a sheep; key while tanks hold only three or four targets.
Frost Nova
Frost Nova
Rank 1 · level 10
Cost 55 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 25 sec
Blasts enemies near the caster for 19 to 21 Frost damage and freezes them in place for up to 8 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.
Level 104 ranks, levels 10–54
Tooltip numbers changed (3 ranks)
Roots everything around you. With Ice Lance, the root now sets up damage.
Arcane Explosion
Arcane Explosion
Rank 1 · level 14
Cost 75 Mana
Cast time instant
Causes an explosion of arcane magic around the caster, causing 30 to 34 Arcane damage to all targets within 10 yards.
Level 146 ranks, levels 14–54
Tooltip numbers changed (6 ranks)
Close-range area damage for the pulls where it is safe.
Blink
Blink
Level 20
Cost 35% of base mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 15 sec
Teleports the caster 20 yards forward, unless something is in the way. Also frees the caster from Stuns and Immobilizes.
Level 20
Tooltip wording changed
Your escape from stuns and roots, and the reason a Mage survives melee.
Blizzard
Blizzard
Rank 1 · level 20
Cost 320 Mana
Cast time instant
Ice shards pelt the target area doing 192 Frost damage over 8 sec.
Level 206 ranks, levels 20–60
Growth per level: changed on 4 ranks
Tooltip numbers changed (6 ranks)
Grows faster with level than in Classic in the beta client.
Evocation
Evocation
Level 20
Unchanged
Refills mana in a fight, once per cooldown.
Counterspell
Counterspell
Level 24
Unchanged
Interrupts and locks a school of spells; what groups want from you on casters.
Cone of Cold
Cone of Cold
Rank 1 · level 26
Cost 210 Mana
Cast time instant
Cooldown 10 sec
Targets in a cone in front of the caster take 92 to 102 Frost damage and are slowed by 40% for 6 sec. The first 4 targets hit by this cone are slowed by an additional 10% for an additional 3 sec.
Level 265 ranks, levels 26–58
Duration: 8 sec → 6 sec (5 ranks)
Tooltip numbers changed (5 ranks)
Its slow is shorter than in Classic, so kite with Frostbolt and Frost Nova first.
Frostfire Bolt
Frostfire Bolt
Rank 1 · level 40
Cost 205 Mana
Cast time 3 sec
Launches a bolt of frostfire at the enemy, causing 92 to 108 Frostfire damage, slowing movement speed by 40% and causing an additional 27 Frostfire damage over 9 sec. This spell will be checked against the lower of the target's Frost and Fire resists and counts as both Frost and Fire damage.
Level 403 ranks, levels 40–60
Launches a bolt of frostfire at the enemy, causing 92 to 108 Frostfire damage, slowing movement speed by 40% and causing an additional 27 Frostfire damage over 9 sec. This spell will be checked against the lower of the target's Frost and Fire resists and counts as both Frost and Fire damage.
New trainer spell: Frost and Fire at once, checked against the lower resistance and, Blizzard says, cast with the higher of your Fire and Frost spell damage; a trigger for Heating Up and Missile Barrage.
Teleport: DalaranAlliance only
Teleport: Dalaran
Level 50
Cost 120 Mana
Cast time 10 sec
Teleports the caster to Dalaran.
Level 50
Teleports the caster to Dalaran.
New in the beta client; its race list there is the Alliance one.
Arcane Brilliance
Arcane Brilliance
Level 56
Cost 3,400 Mana
Cast time instant
Infuses the target's party and raid with brilliance, increasing their Intellect by 31 for 1 hrs.
Level 56
Tooltip wording changed
The group version of Arcane Intellect for raids, an hour long in the beta client.
Every trainer ability that is new, changed or gone for Mages, read from the beta client: Mage abilities in WoW Forever.
Orc Mages are new, and Blood Fury now adds Spell Power as well as Attack Power, so it is a real Mage cooldown to line up with Combustion or Arcane Power; Shatter Curse is a defensive against curses and Banes. Troll Berserking adds casting speed. Undead Cannibalize restores Mana as well as Health, which saves drinks while leveling.
On the Alliance, Gnome Expansive Mind raises maximum Mana and Eureka! makes 8 seconds of damaging spells 10% cheaper and 10% stronger (your next three before the October 15 beta build, at half price before September 24); Humans get The Human Spirit (10% Spirit since the October 26 notes) and a stun break. The High Order Skyborne are the only Skyborne Mages: Read Leyline is 50% Health and Mana regeneration for 15 seconds (100% while Attuned at a Ley Line) and cannot overlap Innervate, and Wind Blessed is 2% spell Haste.
Races for Mages
Every race that can be a Mage in Forever and what it brings to the class.
New in ForeverHigh Order only: Read Leyline for Health and Mana regeneration; Wind Blessed Haste.
05 Coming from Classic
For a Classic Mage the rotation grows rather than changes. Frost gains a burst button, Fire gains a reason to chase crits, and Arcane becomes a spec of its own instead of the tree you visited for Arcane Power or Presence of Mind. Hit and critical strike are one stat for spells and attacks, so gear with melee hit or crit is no longer wasted on you.
Two small things matter for groups: Arcane Intellect and Arcane Brilliance last an hour in the beta client, and a campsite’s Incense Candle doesn’t stack with them, so the Mage buff and the camp buff are a choice, not a pair.
What changes for Mages
Game data
Arcane Blast, Ice Lance, Fingers of Frost, Heating Up and Missile Barrage join the trees, and talent text refers to Frostfire Bolt.
Blizzard
High Order Skyborne, on the Alliance side, pursue the arcane legacy of their ancestors and can be Mages.
Blizzard
Campsite objects give variants of class buffs such as Arcane Intellect, and they don’t stack with the Mage buff.
Blizzard
Hit and critical strike are merged across spells and attacks.
Blizzard
October 1 beta build: Combustion is back to 3 charges (was 4).
Blizzard
Improved Scorch’s Fire Vulnerability and Winter’s Chill no longer roll a second time to see whether they are resisted: if the spell hits, they apply.
Blizzard
On the WoW Forever Podcast episode 2, the developers said Ice Block won’t be baseline for now, Blizzard and Cone of Cold were cut to stop dungeon kiting, and more buttons for Mages are being looked at.
Blizzard
Blizzard’s Class Highlights video (part 2, October 5) calls the reworked Fire talent Hot Streak; the beta client and Blizzard’s written deep dive (October 7) name it Heating Up, which the deep dive calls Forever’s variation on Hot Streak. It is the same talent: a critical Fire spell makes your next Pyroblast cast 25% faster, stacking three times.
Blizzard
Blizzard’s Mage deep dive (October 7): Comprehension is a new Mage-only minor tradeskill. Comprehend Scroll, in the General tab of the spellbook, deciphers scrolls that creatures drop; Blizzard leaves their benefits for players to discover.
Blizzard
Ignite is now a separate effect for each Mage instead of one all Mages share, and critical strikes close together no longer lose damage. The debuffs of Improved Scorch and Winter’s Chill help only the Mage who applied them, and Winter’s Chill adds critical strike chance to Frostbolt and Ice Lance only.
Blizzard
Improved Blizzard slows by 40% at most instead of 65%, and low-rank spells are less likely to trigger Arcane Concentration and Impact, as with similar talents of other classes. Blizzard gives gold farming and boosting as the reason, as for Cone of Cold’s shorter slow.
Blizzard
Mage Armor lets 50% of Mana regeneration continue while casting (30% in Classic), Magic Attunement is baseline instead of a talent, and Cold Snap’s cooldown is 10 minutes, up from 5.
Blizzard
October 8 beta build: the low ranks of Frostbolt, Fireball and Arcane Missiles were retuned so that every new rank is an upgrade, and Impact can no longer trigger from Flamestrike’s periodic damage.
06 Before you log in
Spend Legacy Points on Reagent Economy if you portal. It removes the vendor reagents of class abilities, which for a Mage means runes for teleports and portals and powder for Arcane Brilliance. The WoW Forever Legacy guide has the perk and its tree.
Pick Frost for leveling and plan the switch. Ice Lance and Fingers of Frost come early in the tree; the WoW Forever Talent Calculator shows how far a leveling build gets by level 40.
Hardcore? Keep Frost Nova and Blink off cooldown before every pull; the WoW Forever Hardcore page has the ruleset.
PvP? Polymorph, Counterspell and Blink still make the Classic PvP Mage; honor ranks and Darkspear Islands are on the WoW Forever PvP page.
WoW Forever Mage FAQ
Can Orcs be Mages in WoW Forever?
Yes. Mage is one of the six new race and class combinations, and Blood Fury now adds Spell Power.
Do Mages keep their 31-point talents?
Yes. Arcane Power, Combustion and Ice Barrier stay at the top of their trees.
Which races can be a Mage in WoW Forever?
Human, Gnome, Orc, Undead, Troll, and Skyborne. Orc and Skyborne are new to the class in Forever.
What are the Mage 31-point talents in WoW Forever?
Is Frost still the best Mage leveling spec in WoW Forever?
On paper, more than before. Frost keeps its slows and Ice Barrier and adds Ice Lance, which deals far more damage to frozen targets, and Fingers of Frost. Nobody has leveled past the beta’s level cap yet, so leveling speed is untested.
Can Orcs be Mages in WoW Forever?
Yes. Orc Mage is one of the new race and class combinations, and Blood Fury adds Spell Power in Forever.
What is Frostfire Bolt in WoW Forever?
A trainer spell at level 40 in the beta client, with a 3-second cast. It deals Frost and Fire damage at once, slows the target, is checked against the lower of the two resistances, and can trigger Heating Up and Missile Barrage.
Still unconfirmed
Final talent values: they can still change before launch
