Mage in WoW TBC
A pure spellcaster who bends reality, and the class no group ever complains about bringing.
The Mage is a pure cloth spellcaster and a class no group ever turns away — it brings ranged burst, crowd control through Polymorph, free food and water by conjuring, and the raid-wide Arcane Intellect buff. Blink, Ice Block and Frost Nova give it some of the best escape tools in the game.
Every Mage spec is ranged DPS, but they feel very different. Arcane is a simple, gear-hungry spec that tops raid meters once geared; Fire chases big Ignite crits for high-variance burst; Frost sacrifices some damage for unmatched survivability and control, making it the premier PvP build. Most players level as Frost for safety and raid as Arcane.
Mage specializations
Arcane Mage
Spam one spell, perfectly, and watch it outdamage everyone's "complex" rotation.
Read the Arcane Mage guide →Fire Mage
Big crits, bigger crits, and the occasional satisfying explosion.
Read the Fire Mage guide →Frost Mage
You don't need to out-damage them. You just need to make sure they can't touch you.
Read the Frost Mage guide →