A Guide to Mages comment thread

[TheWombat]

Here I submit myself to the slings and arrows of outrageous Lurkers.
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To echo those that have gone before, well done. Very informative and believe it or not, concise--being a Mage isn't that simple a thing, and you've managed to cover a lot of ground in comparatively few words.

I do have a few comments. One is that I tend to value AoE a bit more than you do. Then again, I play 80% as a duo with my wife, a Shadow Priest, and 20% with guild groups (The Basin). Rarely if ever do I solo. I'm very often in a situation where the Priest or a tank is surrounded by mobs, in which case AoE is very nice. Sort of a variation on the rack 'em and stack 'em PBAOE of DAOC. Doesn't quite work that way in WoW, true, but more often than you might think. Of course the preferred way is to minimize adds and fight one at a time, but when you're in areas with equal or +1-3 level con mobs that agro from across the ocean, the sheep doesn't always cut it. In this context Blizzard > Flamestrike IMO. Blizzard covers a wider area, and the slowing effects are very very useful. And Cone of Cold is a very, very good spell when duoing. When you have three mobs on your partner and you can blast each one for 2/3 the damage of a Frostbolt, then hit Cold Snap and do it again, all without much risk of agro or breaking sheep (if you are careful), it's pretty effective. But yes, it eats mana and lag plays hell with pointing in the right direction....

Second, I'll echo the idea that playing on a PvP server changes some things. While your overall scheme is great, there are little nuances that are different when all your questing after level 20 is in contested areas. Instant cast spells are vital, and Frost Nova is your friend. Its utility is far, far greater than it might seem. Often, it's the only way you'll have time to get off any shots at the (inevitable) attacking Rogue. Counterspell takes on even more utility, against opposing casters (who often have no clue how to deal with it), as does Blink, which simply confuses people to no end. Also, I would humbly suggest that mana conservation is a bit more vital in PvP than in PvE, in that your ability to run and reload as it were is much, much less against other PCs than against mobs. You also have to take into account psychology--players faced with a Mage who simply will not stop casting on them often lose their nerve. Mobs, of course, will not.