Purpose: To help players who are new to level 80 as a Mage and are confused as to where they should go next. Or for players who have been 80 awhile and are confused as to why their dps isn’t where they think it should be. This is solely a PVE Guide. It is also meant to be an introductory resource, and as such, there can seem to be large gaps in what is presented. Wherever possible I have put a link to another thread, article, or website that details the gap much better than I ever could.

My Personal Journay: I have primarily thought of this guide as a road-map you can use as you work toward being able to raid with your mage. As such the progression in my guide is built around gearing your character up for your current area of play, with a vision towards climbing higher and higher. I myself crafted a ton of gear at 80, worked on heroics, and then started joining raids. Every step of the way I find myself continually learning about what it is to be a mage, and as a result my dps has been going up higher in a more consistent fashion.

I raided in Vanilla Wow on my priest in the best guild on my server. I raided in BC on my priest with one of the top guilds, and in LK I have done the same with my priest. I am both used to a Min/Max mentality, and to gear up my characters with the best that is available to me. As such, my guide will not be for everyone. I am certain there is great information for just about anyone who is new to being level 80, but it will be up to you to pick and choose what information is relevant to you and your mage! Enjoy!

Table of Contents:

I. Gearing Yourself Up
A. Crafting Gear
B. The Land of Heroics

II. The Little Things
A. Reputation Highlights
B. Emblems of Heroism/Valor/Conquest
C. The Importance of Enchanting
D. Gem Choices
E. Glyphs
F. A Note on Professions
G. A Note on Consumables (Flasks, Food)

III. I look good (And I possibly smell good too)
A. Specs
B. Spell Rotation
C. AoE

IV. Despite my ‘Eau de Epic’, I still suck
A. Mana Per 5
B. Plus Hit
C. Spec Choices
D. Glyphs
E. OOM Cow
F. Raid Encounters and You
G. Addons, Mods, and UI, Oh my!

I. Gearing Yourself Up

A. Crafting Gear

Heroics are a great venue to getting your new mage the gear he or she needs in order to perform to the top of their abilities. But even before you step into your first Heroic, there are things that you can (and should) do.

1 – Enlist the help of Tailoring/Jewelcrafting/Blacksmithing friends/guildmates and/or utilize the trade channel/Auction House
2 – Create the following items: (Or you can also do a search on the AH for rare to epic cloth items that are BoE Dungeon/Raid drops. If you know of specific items please post and I will add them in!)

~*Helm: Hat of Wintry Doom*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41984

Enchant: Revered Kirin Tor OR Revered Sha’Tar Rep
Meta: Chaotic Skyflare
Red Gem Slot: Runed Scarlet Ruby (+19 Spellpower) or Veiled Monarch Topaz (+9 Spell/+8 Hit) depending on your +hit needs
Notes about Item:Sadly, this helm is the best you will have access to outside of PvP and Raiding until 3.2 hits and you can save up Tokens of Conquest for the T8.5 Helm.

~*Necklace: Titanium Spellshock*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42647
Enchant: N/A
Red Gem Slot: Runed Scarlet Ruby (+19 Spellpower) or Veiled Monarch Topaz (+9 Spell/+8 Hit) depending on your +hit needs or Purified Twilight Opal (+9 spell/+8 spirit) to fulfill your meta gem.
Notes about item: This is a very good necklace that you can easily keep until a raid drop or even post 3.2 when you can use Emblems of Conquest to purchase the T8 level necklace.

~*Shoulders: Frostsavage Shoulders OR Dark Runic Mantle*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43973 OR http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37673
Enchant: Master’s Inscription of the Storm (Scribe only) OR Lesser Inscription of the Storm (Honored Sons of Hodir:18 spellpower/10 crit) OR Greater Inscription of the Storm (Exalted Sons of Hodir: 24 spellpower/15 crit) OR Exalted Scryer/Aldor enchant.
Red Gem on Dark Runic: Runed Scarlet Ruby (+19 Spellpower) or Veiled Monarch Topaz (+9 Spell/+8 Hit) depending on your +hit needs or Purified Twilight Opal (+9 spell/+8 spirit) to fulfill your meta gem.

~*Cloak: Deathchill Coak OR Shroud of Dedicated Research [Kirin Tor Rep at Honored]*~
(http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=56017 OR (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44167
Enchant: +23 Haste (Or if you are a tailor then do Lightweave Embroidery)

~*Chest: Ebonweave Robe OR Black Duskweave*~
(http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42101) OR (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41554
Enchant: +8 Stats or +10 Stats

~*Wrist: Frostsavage Bracers OR Black Duskweave OR Wraps of the Astral Travler OR Combustion Bracers*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=59583 OR http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41555 OR http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40740 OR http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45291
Enchant: If it’s the Frostsavage/Duskweave then just put Greater Spellpower (+23), if you get the Astral Traveler or Combustion then slap +30 Spellpower on them

~*Hands: Ebonweave Gloves*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42111
Enchant: Exceptional Spellpower +28

~*Waist: Frostsavage Belt OR (Post 3.2) Sash of Ancient Power*~
[u]http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43969 OR (When Runed Orbs are cheaper) http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=63203
Enchant:Belt Buckle for additional gem slot
Gem(s): Frostsavage: Runed Scarlet Ruby (+19 Spellpower) or Veiled Monarch Topaz (+9 Spell/+8 Hit) depending on your +hit needs or Purified Twilight Opal (+9 spell/+8 spirit) to fulfill your meta gem or Rigid Autumn’s Glow (+16 hit) OR if Sash of Ancient Power: 3x Runed Scarlet Ruby (or pop your Dragon’s Eye Prismatics in here and/or a Runed Stormjewel)

~*Legs: Frostsavage Leggings or Duskweave Leggings*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43975OR http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41553
Enchant: Shining Spellthread (35 Spellpower/12 Spirit) or Briliant Spellthread (50 Spellpower/20 Spirit)

~*Feet: Frostsavage Boots OR Spellslinger’s Slippers*~
[u]http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=63204 OR http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=63204
Enchant: Icewalker (Crit and Hit +12 each)
Gems (For SS): 2x Runed Scarlet Ruby

~*Ring: Titanium Spellshock*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42644
Red Gem Slot: Runed Scarlet Ruby (+19 Spellpower) or Veiled Monarch Topaz (+9 Spell/+8 Hit) depending on your +hit needs or Purified Twilight Opal (+9 spell/+8 spirit) to fulfill your meta gem
Enchant:+19 Spellpower (Enchanter Only)

~*Trinkets:*~
Deck of Undeath: (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42990)
Deck of Illusion: (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42988)
Quest Reward: (http://www.wowhead.com/?quest=13343) Level 80 quest from Chromie in Dragonblight

~*Mainhand: Titansteel Spellblade OR Flameheart Spell Scalpel*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45085 OR http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44173
Enchant: +50 Spellpower OR +63 Spellpower

~*Offhand:*~
Faces of Doom: (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44210)

~*Wand: Gwyneth’s Runed Dragonwand*~
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37824
B. The Land of Heroics

No two heroics are alike in terms of time invested and gear obtained. Some heroics are only worth running if they are the daily. Some heroics are only worth it if you can bribe your guildmates into thinking that the Oculus really isn’t as terrible as they remember.

Here is a rundown of each heroic with notes as to whether there are good item drops for your mage, how many badges you can expect to gather, and how difficult the dungeon will be with a random PUG.

Remember: You will have several goals for yourself as you go into these heroics and they primarily revolve around the varying ways that LK allows you to obtain gear via drops, reputation, and badge purchases.

Reputation Tips for Heroics:
General Information: The LK expansion has changed the way we earn reputation in dungeons, and now has them tied to the Tabard you are wearing, instead of the instance that you are running. This change is awesome! There are four different factions that apply: Kirin Tor, Wyrmrest Accord, Ebonblade, and Argent Crusade. In order to get a tabard for the faction, you need to be at Friendly rep or higher, and have access to that faction’s Quartermaster. (Ebonblade is a particular pain to get access to because their QM is located in Ice Crown in a phased area that is only accessible by completing a quest chain.)
Primary Focus~ Kirin Tor: I suggest grinding this rep up first to at least Revered. Revered gives you access to your best helm enchant, and to a MH weapon if the Titansteel is too pricey for you. You will definitely want to get Exalted with this at some point. You’re going to be spending a lot of time and repair money in Dalaran.
Secondary Focus~Wyrmrest Accord: There are some great epic boots available to you at Exalted, as well as a great pair of bracers at Revered.
Ebonblade: There is a nice epic belt available. However, odds are that by the time you get KT to Revered, WA to Exalted, and KE to Exalted, you will have either gotten an epic belt from heroics or spent 40 badges to get one. There are less choices for boots before Naxx than there are epic belts.
Argent: Another one I find to be fairly pointless outside of achievements. The epic ring IS nice, but again, odds are that by the time you would get this faction to Exalted, you would have a better drop from a dungeon or raid.

#1 – Violet Hold (VH)
Location: Dalaran City
Why you want to go here: +Hit Spell Trinket, Epic Bracers, Random Blues
Unique Quirks: This dungeon is just one large room in Dalaran’s Prison. Portals will open up at random parts of the dungeon and out will pop various blue dragons. There are a total of 18 portals with bosses incoming on the 6th, 12th, and 18th portal. The first two bosses will be pulled randomly from an assortment locked away around the dungeon. The final boss is ALWAYS Cyanigosa.
Difficulty: Depends on your group’s abilities and the RNG as to which random bosses get pulled. I’ve been in great groups that get easy bosses and we are killing Cyanigosa with 40 minutes still left on our buffs. I’ve also been in groups where we get 1 or 2 of the tricky bosses and we wipe and have to start all over again. However, these dungeon runs have been extremely few and far between for me.
Badges Obtained w/o Daily: 3
How often should I do VH? Daily. It’s one of the most efficient heroics to get in and out of, as well as dropping some extremely desirable loot.
Loot Highlights: (Each mini-Boss has it’s own loot pool so if you want/need an item from these lower bosses it may take awhile or never to obtain them. Fortunately Cyanigosa has three fabulous loot drops that will keep you coming back for more.)
Cyanigosa: Azure Cloth Bindings (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37884), Cyanigosa’s Leggings (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37876), Mark of the War Prisoner (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37873). (Expect to fight with warlocks and spriests for the trinket. If possible make your own PUGS with Paly healers and Hunters for ranged dps.)
Mini-Boss Loot: Zuramet’s Necklace (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43404), Footwraps of Teleportation (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37867), Water-Drenched Robe (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43401), Globule Signet (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37869), Solitaire of Reflecting Beams (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43408)

#2 – Azjol-Nerub (AN)
Location: Dragonblight
Why you want to go here: Epic Wand is the best until Naxx25, Epic belt is often a good upgrade as well.
Unique Quirks: The first boss is much more difficult than the previous two bosses combined if your group is undergeared, and/or clueless. There is relatively little trash.
Difficulty: Depends on your group’s abilities and gear and knowledge of the dungeon. I’ve been in some fabulous speed runs where the final boss dies and we have 35-40 minutes left on our buffs. I’ve also been in some runs that have taken well over an hour because either the group doesn’t know how to kill the first boss, or the second boss bugs out and you have to reset him a couple times, or the final boss kills everyone who doesn’t know how to get away from the crumbly rocks.
Badges Obtained w/o Daily: 3
How often should I do AN? Daily until you get your wand and belt. It can be one of the most efficient heroics if your group is smart. Also every newbie tank is dying to get their hands on the trinket that drops from Hadronox so one of the group members that will be difficult to find will most likely be inundating the LFG channel for this heroic.
Loot Highlights:
Anub’arak: Rod of the Fallen Monarch (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37238) You WANT this wand like you want pudding, Sash of the Servent (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37242).
Hadronox: Egg Sac Robes (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37222)
Krik’thir the Gatekeeper: Stone-Worn Footwraps (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37218)

#3 – Culling of Stratholme (CoS)
Location: Caverns of Time on Kalimdor. (There is a convenient portal in Violet Citadel that pops you out right by the summoning stone and escort dragon.)
Why you want to go here: Free epic flying mount if your group is fast enough. Epic caster ring, random blues.
Unique Quirks: This dungeon is a fantastic place if you love Warcraft lore and played the WC3 campaigns. You will be embarking on a royal escort of sorts as you help Arthas go through Stratholme as he starts down the path to the dark side. There is also a bonus element of a timed run available if you and your crew are up to the task where the reward is an epic flying bronze mount. If you aren’t up to this level of a speed run or if you have never done CoS before, then you may want to find another group to do the run with. Oftentimes if your group has a wipe, then 1-2 people will immediately leave out of peevishness because all they wanted was the mount. In that case you are stuck with a partial heroic id that is primarily useless.
Difficulty: As a nontimed run, fairly easy. Arthas will help you in killing many of the mobs and bosses, which can be usful. As a timed run, it can be quite challenging. Arthas will drive you bananas with how much he has to stand and talk, and how slow he moves. (Doesn’t he get that phat lewtz await?) Success will be more likely if you have a fabulous tank who knows the encounters and knows where to be for each spawn point. Tip: If you are able to pull the mount boss and your timer has 1-2 minutes left, have the tank pull him AWAY from his portal. Once the timer hits zero he will trot to his portal and disappear. Pulling him far away from this allows you to still dps him down while he’s trying to escape. Run can take anywhere from 40 min to a bit over an hour.
Badges Obtained w/o Daily: 4 (5 if you get the Timed run)
Daily Heroic AND Dungeon are available.
How often should I do CoS? As often as you can. Hopefully you can get 2-3 runs a week. Not only is the drake a nice mount, but Mal’Ganis’s chest drops a great ring.
Loot Highlights:
Mal’Ganis: Mantle of Deceit (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37691), Band of Guile (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37694)
Chrono-Lord Epoch: Gloves of Distorted Time (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37687)
Salramm: Forgotten Shadow Hood (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37684), Necromancer’s Amulet (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37683)
Meathook: Belt of Unified Souls (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37680)

#4 – Utgarde Keep (UK)
Location: Howling Fjord
Why you want to go here: Epic caster ring
Unique Quirks: Nothing in particular. It’s pretty much your average type of dungeon run.
Difficulty: Probably one of the easiest Heroics in terms of how you get from point A to point B. Average time investment is around 30-45 minutes.
How often should I do UK? Several times a week towards daily. It’s easy, fairly fast, and there is a nice ring you can aim for from the final boss.
Badges Obtained w/o Daily: 3
Daily Heroic is only one available.
Loot Highlights:
Ingvar: Breeches of the Caller (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37189), Annhylde’s Ring (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37192)
Prince: Wand of the San’layn (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37177)
#5 – Utgarde Pinnacle (UP)
Why you want to go here: Epic belt is one of the best you can get your hands on before Naxx25
Unique Quirks: The 3rd boss is one of the most technically difficult and gear dependent fights out there before raids. It’s a “Gauntlet” style encounter that can be either fairly painless or can be a PUG nightmare.
Difficulty: You can expect to down the first two bosses within 20-30 minutes. The 3rd boss can take take 10-40 minutes on its own depending on your group. The final boss is fairly easy. Skaadi Tips: The basic gist of this encounter is that you aggro Skaadi who immediately mounts his blue proto-drake. Wave after wave of mobs will now start coming down the corridor to fight you. Every so often a Harpoon will be left on the ground from these waves. Designate 1-2 people to pick these harpoons up. Skaadi will be flying up and down the gauntlet on his mount and his mount will be breathing on the ground. (Either the left or right side.) You need to move accordingly. When you have 7-8 harpoons and the notice “Skaadi is within range of the harpoons” appears, then you need to fire the harpoons at him. When his mount has been killed, he will land. You need to keep your glass cannon ass away from him and his whirlwind and poison. Blink, Ice Block, etc.
Badges obtained w/o Daily: 4
Daily Heroic AND Dungeon are available.
Loot Highlights:
King Ymiron: Girdle of Bane (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37408)
Skadi: Rare chance for Blue Proto Drake, Staff of Wayward Principles (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37384)
Gortuk: Ring of the Frenzied Wolvar (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37371)
Svala:Sorrowgrave’s Breeches (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37369), Cuffs of the Trussed Hall (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37370)

#6 – Nexus (Nex)
Location: The Coldarra in Borean Tundra
Why you want to go here: Epic gloves are a good choice if you don’t have Ebonweave.
Unique Quirks: Keristrasza is located right by the entrance, but encased in ice. In order to unlock her, you will have to kill the other bosses. You can easily follow a circular path around the dungeon with no backtracking.
Difficulty: For the most part this is not a hard heroic, with one major exception: the third boss. (What is it about 3rd bosses?) This boss creates void rifts that have electrical charges going off all over. You need to kill these rifts ASAP. With the final boss you need to move around so that the ice aura doesn’t stack too high. This is kind of a pain as a mage since most of our spells are cast or channeled. Do the best you can with blink, ice block, and Every Man for Himself Racial.
How often should I do Nexus? As often as you can. It’s a pretty decent heroic that can be done by a semi-competent PUG. Time investment is often in the 45-60 minute range.
Badges obtained w/o Daily: 5
Daily Heroic is available.
Loot Highlights:
Keristrasza: Gloves of Glistening Runes (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37172)
Grand Magus: Telestra’s Journal (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37134)

#7 – The Oculus (Oc)
Location: The Coldarra in Borean Tundra
Why you want to go here: Epic bracers and Epic Staff and random blues
Why you don’t want to go here: Spend about 5 minutes on that dragon vehicle and you’ll know.
Unique Quirks: This is the dungeon that was made to get players prepped for the horrific LK vehicle systm that gets used in the Eye of Eternity encounter. I remain dubious in regards to how well this dungeon accomplishes it.
Difficulty: Be prepared for this heroic to make you cry. Often. The first segment of the dungeon is your basic type: kill mobs as your class. After you kill the first boss, npc allies are freed from their prisons, who allow you to choose a dragon vehicle to access the rest of the heroic dungeon. Bronze: Your dps choice. Has abilities to stop time and do a ton of damage. Green: Your healer. Has abilities to heal yourself and other dragons. Also is able to do some dps via poisons. Red: Your Tank and AoE Dps. You have to kill dragons flying around while using your vehicle. The next two bosses allow you to land however, and become your normal class again for the boss encounter. The last boss will most likely make you weep unless you are lucky and you have group members who excel at the use of dragon vehicles. Don’t be surprised if it takes you even a couple weeks to find a competent group to complete this dungeon. Pre 3.2 Tip: when you are about to engage the final boss, take your armor and weapons off. You will most likely be dying, a lot. After 3.2 your ilevels will help boost your dragon.
How often should I do Oculus? Unfortunately there are some fantastic drops in here for casters. It also gives SOME idea of how awful phase 3 in Eye of Eternity is with Malygos. If you can get a decent group, then try to do it 1x week, or 1 time total and pretend it doesn’t exist.
Badges obtained w/o Daily: 4
Daily Heroic and Dungeons are available.
Loot Highlights:
Cache of Eregos: Cuffs of Winged Leviathan (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37361),Crown of Unbridled Magic (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37294), Staff of Draconic Combat (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37360)
Drakos: Drakewing Raiments (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37360)
Magelord: Pendulum (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37264), Sash of Phantasmal Images (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37264)

#8 – Ahn’kahet- The Old Kingdom (OK)
Location: Dragonblight
Why you want to go here: Decent epic wand drop
Unique Quirks: Does annoying count? This is another dungeon most players avoid like the plague. The final boss encounter is quite unique and obnoxious as you “descend into madness.”
Difficulty: This dungeon isn’t *that* hard, it’s just… not fun. Most of the time the LFG for this instance will be empty unless it’s the daily. In which case then it may be filled with people who don’t realize how bad the dungeon is, or have forgotten how bad it is.
How often should I do OK? One time for your Champion of the Frozen Wastes title.
Badges w/o Daily: 4
Daily Heroic is available.
Loot Highlights:
Elder Nadox: Elder Headpiece (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37594)
Jedoga: Subterranean Waterfall Shroud (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43283)
Prince: Necklace of Taldaram (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37595)

#9 – Halls of Stone (HoS)
Location: Ulduar in Stormpeaks
Why you want to go here: Forge Ember is a decent trinket to pick up before you grab your badges one.
Unique Quirks: There is a bit of an escort involved here with the acquisition of an inquisitive dwarf partway through the dungeon. He helps you with two of the encounters. (And by help, I mean he gives you access to that area and drives you bananas with his brogue infested commentary.)
Difficulty: Pretty easy and fairly fast. You should get through it around 35-45 minutes.
Badges w/o Daily: 4 (if you do side event)
Daily Heroic is available.
How often should I run HoS? Fairly often. It’s usually an easy run that yields a good amount of emblems. It’s not as “must have” in terms of loot as other heroics are. However, several times a week would not be out of order.
Loot Highlights:
Krystallus: The Prospector’s Prize (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37651)
Ironshaper: The Spark of Life (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37657), Forge Ember (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37657)

#10 – Halls of Lightening (HoL)
Location: Ulduar in Stormpeaks
Why you want to go here: Epic pants from Loken are epic.
Unique Quirks: There is some strategy involved in engaging with the first boss. There is a gauntlet run after the 1st. There is a boss that splits apart into energy balls, and there is Loken who can be fairly irritating to deal with.
Difficulty: It’s definitely a step up from most of the other heroics in terms of skill needed to complete. It used to be fairly dreaded because of how horrific Loken was at the end.
How often should I run HoL? Fairly often. Pre 3.2, the cloth legs from Loken are the best in the game until you start raiding.
Badges w/o Daily: 4
Daily Heroic and Dungeon available.
Loot Highlights:
General: Traditionally Dyed Handguards (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37825)
Volkhan: Giant-Hair Woven Gloves (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37843)
Loken: Flowing Sash of Order (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37850), Ornate Woolen Stola (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37851), Woven Bracae Leggings (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37851)

#11 – Gundrak (Gun, GD)
Location: Zul’Drek
Why you want to go here: 5 badges in under a fairly painless hour.
Unique Quirks: A troll themed dungeon and all of the bosses are considered Prophets of a particular animal. Killing each boss allows you to enable the altar that eventually gives access to a final boss. There is also an optional “hidden” boss tucked under the temple in the dungeon.
Difficulty: Medium difficulty. Some of the achievements for this dungeon are excessively difficult to do, however, the bosses themselves are quite easy. You are looking at a 35-50 min run.
How often should I run GD? Fairly often. It is a decently popular dungeon that isn’t hard to get a group together for.
Badges w/o Daily: 5 if you nab the hidden boss
Daily Heroic is available.
Loot Highlights:
Elemental: Living Mojo Belt (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37637)
Sladran: Slithering Slippers (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37629), Wand of Sseratus (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37626)
Moorabi: Shroud of Moorabi (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37626)
Gal’drah: Arcane Flame Altar (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37626)

#12 – Drak’Tharon Keep (DTK)
Location: Grizzly Hills/Zul’Drek
Why you want to go here: Fast and Easy run with decent Epic Gloves
Unique Quirks: Another troll themed dungeon that houses a T-Rex.
Difficulty: Easy to Medium. (Just try to not get feared by the T-Rex into a group of Velociraptors. Yes, they DO move in herds.) You are looking at 35-45 min.
How often should I run DTK? Pretty often. It’s a fairly fast and easy dungeon that is fairly popular and painless.
Badges w/o Daily: 4
Daily Heroic available.
Loot Highlights:
Novos: Temple Crystal Fragment (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37718)
King Dred: Savage Wound Wrap (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37725)
Trollgore: Cowl of the Dire Troll (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37715)
Prophet: Overlook Handguards (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37798)

II. The Little Things

A. Reputation Highlights

1: Kirin Tor: You first need this faction at revered in order to get your best helm enchant. Later I would recommend getting this faction to exalted since as a levl 80 character you are going to be spending a lot of time and money in Dalaran. Run dungeons with your tabard on. Do dailies.
2: Wyrmrest Accord: You need to get this faction to exalted to unlock some fabulous epic cloth boots. Run dungeons with your tabard on. Do dailies.
3: Sons of Hodir: You need to get this to exalted in order to unlock your best shoulder enchant. (Unless you are a scribe.) Do dailies or invest in buying up the Relics of Ulduar.

B. Emblems of Heroism, Valor, and Conquest

Please note that post patch 3.2, all of these beautiful instances will be dropping Emblems of Conquest which will help unlock some of the game’s best gear. This is a really nice feature for anyone wanting to gear up an alt, or to catch up on their main character after an extended break.

You can exchange tokens for one that is a tier down. Conquest >>> Valor >>> Heroism. This does not go both ways.

1. Emblems of Heroism:
(These emblems currently can be obtained in: any level 80 Heroic, Naxx 10, OS 10, EoE 10, VoA 10 (Old Boss only)
6¦1 T7 Chest Vanquisher Token: 80 (My thoughts: Post 3.2 This will be a 100% waste because you can buy the T8.5 chest instead.)
6¦1 T7 Gloves Vanquisher Token: 60 (My thoughts: Even Pre 3.2 this can be a waste. OS 10 is easy to do, and with only 10 slots, it is easy to be 1 of 2 Vanq Token classes.)
6¦1 (Neck) Encircling Burnished Gold Chains: 25
6¦1 (Waist) Plush Sash of Guzbah: 40
6¦1 (Trinket) Sundial of the Exiled: 40 (My thoughts: A must have item given how many tokens it is, and how long it can last on your character.)
6¦1 (Offhand) Ward of the Citadel: 25 (My thoughts: A must have items given how many tokens it is.)

2. Emblems of Valor:
(These emblems currently can be obtained in: Naxx/OS/EoE 25, Ulduar 10, VoA 10 Emalon, VoA 25 Old Boss)
6¦1 (Ring) Band of Channeled Magic: 25 (My thoughts: Fabulous Ring that lasts quite awhile. Enables you to spend your DKP or “need rolls” on other items in raids.)
6¦1 (Back) Disguise of the Kumiho: 25
6¦1 T7.5 Legs Vanquisher Token: 75
6¦1 T7.5 Shoulders Vanquisher Token: 60
6¦1 (Feet) Xintor’s Boots: 40
6¦1 (BoE Wrist) Wraps of the Astral Traveler: 60 ((My thoughts: If you have the gold, purchase them from a main raider.)

3. Emblems of Conquest:
(These emblems currently can be obtained in: Ulduar 25, VoA Emalon.)
6¦1 T8.5 Chest Vanquisher Token: 58
6¦1 T8.5 Helm Vanquisher Token: 58
6¦1 (Neck) Evoker’s Charm: 19
6¦1 (Legs) Legwraps of the Master Conjurer: 39
6¦1 (Hands) Touch of the Occult: 28
6¦1 Runed Orbs: 18 each (108 emblems needed for the BoE belt and another 108 emblems needed for the BoE boots = 216 Emblems)

Your choices for badge gear should be tailored to where your character is at each point in time for needs. If you need more +hit then choose those items first, etc.

C. The Importance of Enchanting

I know that if you are not an enchanter yourself, the materials for enchanting can feel overwhelmingly expensive. However, enchants are an extremely important way for you to boost your gear and subsequently your dps. You will come off as extremely lazy if you are not putting Best in Slot (BiS) or Second Best in Slot (sBiS) enchants on your items.

I have seen many posts from people complaining about their dps “sucking”, and when I look at their armory I discover they are missing 200-250 + spellpower because of few/wrong/no enchants.

How do you know if you are going to have an item for awhile? I would say that a decent rule of thumb is any item that is ilevel 213+ should have the BiS enchant possible. No exceptions. Your ilevel 200 pieces will be “ok” with a sBiS enchant. (Although some BiS enchants are so cheap there is no point not to get them.)

Your Enchanting Choices:
Helm BiS: Kirin Tor Arcanum [Need Revered or higher KT rep] 30 spell/20 crit
Helm sBiS:Sha’tar Arcanum [Need Revered or higher Sha'Tar rep from BC] 22 spell/14 hit
Shoulder BiS (Scribe): Master’s Inscription of the Storm [Need 400 Inscription Skill] 61 spell/15 crit
Shoulder BiS (Others): Greater Inscription of the Storm [Need Exalted Sons of Hodir] 24 spell/15 crit
Shoulder sBiS: Greater Inscription of Discipline [Need Aldor Exalted +8 Holy Dust] 18 spell/10 crit OR Greater Inscription of the Orb [Need Scryer Exaltd + 8 Arcane Runes] 15 crit/12 spell OR Lesser Inscription of the Storm [Need Honored or higher Sons of Hodir] 18 spell/10 crit
Cloak BiS (Tailors): Lightweave Embroidery [Need 420 Tailoring] Chance on spell cast to get a 250+ spellpower buff for 15s
Cloak BiS (Others): +23 Haste
Cloak sBiS: Not worth it.
Chest BiS: +10 Stats (Powerful Stats)
Chest sBiS: +8 Stats (Super Stats)
Wrist BiS (Leatherworkers): Fur Lining [Need 400 LW] +67 spellpower
Wrist BiS (Others): +30 Spellpower
Wrist sBiS: +23 Spellpower
Hands BiS: +28 Spellpower
Hands sBiS: Actually the +28 is so cheap, it’s not worth getting anything less.
Waist BiS: Belt Buckle to add an extra gem slot.
Legs BiS: Brilliant Spellthread 50 spell/20 spirit (As a tailor you can make this for yourself very cheaply)
Legs sBiS: Shining Spellthread 35 spell/12 spirit
Feet BiS: Icewalker 12 hit/12 crit
Rings BiS (Enchanters ONLY): +19 Spellpower
Mainhand Weapon (1H) BiS: +63 Spellpower
Mainhand Weapon (1H) sBiS: +50 Spellpower
Mainhand Weapon (2H) BiS: +81 Spellpower
Mainhand Weapon (2H) sBiS: +69 Spellpower

D. Your Gem Choices

Meta Gem: Chaotic Skyflare. No exceptions.

To Fulfill Your Meta’s 2 Blue Gem Needs:
Purified Twilight Opal: 9 spell/8 spirit

Red Gems: As your gear gets better your gem needs will most likely be Runed Scarlet Rubies (+19 spell). You use these gems when your +hit is where it needs to be, and you don’t need many boosts to your haste and crit.
BiS Choices: Non-JC players can equip ONE Stormjewel. JC players can equip up to 3 Runed Dragon’s Eyes (+32 Spellpower).

Yellow Gems: When you need to boost your +hit rating, using Rigid Autumn’s Glow (+16 hit) can help give that a boost.

Orange Gems: When you want to boost any stat plus spellpower, then orange is the way to go. You have Potent Monarch Topaz (9 spell/8 crit), Reckless Monarch Topaz (9 spell/8 haste), and Veiled Monarch Topaz (9 spell/8 hit) to choose from.

Green Gems: Avoid like the plague.

Blue Gems: Avoid like the plague.

Gem Slot Bonuses: These are often very alluring to try and get. Especially when we are new to being a Mage. As you start getting Naxx gear (and beyond) you will find that putting Runed gems in every slot will be the way to go. However, while you are gearing up and working on your +hit, it can be very worthwhile to grab these little bonuses with your orange gems.

E. Glyphs
For a great thread that discusses each one in detail, look here: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=17162147647&sid=1
Arcane: Arcane Blast, Molten Armor, Arcane Missiles
Fireball:Molten Armor, Living Bomb, Scorch, Fireball
FrostFire:Molten Armor, Living Bomb, Frostfire, Scorch

Minor Glyphs: Slow Fall, Arcane Intellect
F. A Note on Professions:

I highly suggest reading these articles:
http://www.wow.com/2009/04/04/arcane-brilliance-professions-for-mages-part-1/
http://www.wow.com/2009/04/11/arcane-brilliance-professions-for-mages-part-2/
http://www.wow.com/2009/04/18/arcane-brilliance-professions-for-mages-the-thrilling-conclusi/

General Tips on Professions:
You need to ask yourself: What, exactly, is my mage?
Is this a main character that you want to spend the majority of your time (and gold) investing in? Then you will want to make sure that this character has the professional boosts you require. If you are planning on bringing this character into Ulduar and beyond in a serious progression guild then make sure you are some combination of JC/Tailor/Enchant/Scribe.
Or is this an alt character that you want to play as an alternative to your main playstyle? If this character is simply meant to be a support to another main character then you may want to choose gathering professions. These make a lot of money selling raw materials to other players or can support your main character’s profession needs. (Example, your main has JC/Alchemy. Your alt mage picks up herbalism and mining.)
Or is this a character that is just for you and your Role Playing storyline? Then choose whatever profession satisfies this need.

G. A Note on Consumables:

If you are taking raiding seriously then you should always be using some or all consumables available to you. (This is especially key if you hope to get into a progression guild.)

Flasks: Flask of the Frostwyrm (+125 spellpower for an hour for non-Alchemists) You will want to use this on any 25 man content and Ulduar 10. No exceptions.

Buffing Foods: I’d suggest keeping a stack of at least some kind of spellpower boosting food on you at all times.
6¦1 Fish Feast: 46 spell + Stamina + AP
6¦1 Firecracker Salmon: +46 spell
6¦1 Tender Shoveltusk Steak: +46 spell
6¦1 Great Feast: +35 spell + Stamina +AP
6¦1 Smoked Salmon: +35 spell
6¦1 Shoveltusk Steak: +35 spell

III. I look awesome and I (hopefully) smell just as awesome.

A. Specs – Choose wisely based on your gear.

For a more in depth look at specs please see Deag’s Awesome thread: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=18031238370&sid=1

As a newbie mage, your spec is going to be more closely tied with your gear than with any RP or playstyle choices might wish otherwise. The most important stat at this point is your +hit. There is already an excellent guide posted here in regards to this matter, writted by Tashre:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=7475660772&sid=1

Plus hit is most important when it comes to raid bosses. We each have an innate ability to hit a raid boss that is 3 levels higher than us by 83%. This means that there is a 17% gap that we have to work at closing. Plus hit is often a confusing stat because of how valuable it is point for point UNDER the cap, and how 100% useless it is OVER the cap. Point for point it will up your dps more than any other stat up and until your needed hit cap. Once you reach that point it’s use is over.

The reason you will be encouraged to spec Arcane for your early adventures is because of your insatiable need for +hit. The typical “cookie cutter” Arcane spec has you put points into Frost. This gives you two separate talents that each give you an extra 3% to hit with your arcane spells for a total of 6%. You know only need to work towards a maximum of 289 rating to fill the rest of the missing 11%. If you are guarenteed to benefit from at least one Draenei, then you can drop this number further down to 263.

A typical pre-Ulduar Arcane spec looks like this:
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#of0Vfd0IzxGuMxedcZbhcbo

You can tweak some of the points here and there but the foundation of what makes this spec great is there. Realize too that +hit is primarily crucial for when you change from doing Heroics to doing Raids.

Points to note in regards to this spec:
Frost Points: These 11 points are there to give you two key abilities: Precision (+3% to ALL spells), and Icy Veins (A beautiful +20% haste for 20s)
Fire Points: These 3 points up your critical chance with Arcane Blast by an additional 6%. Not bad for only 3 points so close to the bottom of the tree.
Arcane Points: Arcane Focus (+3% hit for arcane spells), Focus Magic (Chat up your friendly fellow Arcane mage and exchange this cast on each other), Torment the Weak (aka TTW), Arcane Power (Fabulous way to give yourself burst dps in those times you need it most. Aka on the new VoA boss), Missile Barrage (This is the talent proc you are going to be watching out for during your rotations), Arcane Barrage, etc.

Once you start getting ilevel 213+ gear your +hit will naturally rise, as well as your spellpower, haste, and crit. When you have the gear to support it you can play with changing your spec to something that is needier in the +hit department such as the “Fireball” spec.

This does not mean that FFB and FB specs are not viable for you ever. However, you want to spec Arcane so you can get into the raids to get the gear that will give you a choice in the matter. If you are bored with Arcane, are sitting at about 320ish +hit then give FFB a try and see how you like it.

Other Spec Choices:
Fireball/TTW:http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#of0Vcu0cZ0EMbRhIhVhbhct:Lid
FrostFire Bolt (FFB): http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#oZfVfbohIhVhbhcthIccoc:LiI

B. Rotation

In order to maximize your dps output, an optimal spell rotation is recommended. Be forewarned that Mana gems and potions and evocation are going to become your new best friends because an Arcane spell rotation is quite the mana drain.

www.ElitistJerks.com: I highly recommend looking at the Elitist Jerks forum for Mages. There is a ton more information in regards to spell rotations and specs that I simply don’t have room for in this guide. There are two things you need to understand about the EJ forums. One: They are incredibly serious about WoW, raiding, and the art of MinMaxing. As such, the information can be a tad overwhelming, but it is very useful. Two: They don’t tolerate (or want) posts such as, “My dps is teh sux, plox halps! LolZ.” They will ban you 2s after you post. However, these two things help to contribute to the stellar reputation that EJ has in the WoW community. They are a fantastic resource, and I think it would behoove us all to trot over there and read what they have to say.

A typical Arcane rotation goes like this:

Lower mana usage:
Arcane Blast x 2>>> Arcane Missiles (if talent procced) or Arcane Barrage

Higher mana usage:
Arcane Blast x3>>> Arcane Missiles (if talent procced) or Arcane Barrage

Tip: Make a macro to use your Icy Veins talent and then cast Arcane Blast. This will ensure you have as much of an “up” time as possible on this fabulous talent.

Macro:
/use Icy Veins
/cast Arcane Blast

C. AoE

I think a decent rule of thumb for using AoE is when there are more than 3 mobs on a trash pull. There are some boss fights where you will need to do AoE. (The Razorscale encounter in Ulduar is the example I have most readily in my mind.) The best spell choice will be Blizzard. Arcane blast will do more damage, but nothing gets you dead faster than trotting into a pack of mobs and causing aggro. So, be kind to your tanks and healers and stand back. Also waiting about 5s for your tank(s) to get aggro can be very helpful as well. As has been suggested you can also put some flamestrikes into your AoE rotation in order to get the fire dot up.

There are several, wonderful AoE pulls in Naxx that you can AoE to your heart’s content. (Enjoy the billion numbers popping up all over.) The finest example is at the beginning of Naxx’s Construct Quarter with slimes. Yay! is what you will feel.
IV. And yet after all this, my dps still sucks!

The bad news is, it’s because of you. The good news is, it’s because of you. Quite often your dps can be low because of a wide variety of “small factors” that are adding up to a huge factor of you sucking. A spec that is slightly off, rotation that is less than optimal, gear choices that are too heavily skewed towards one stat at the expense of all others, etc.

A. Mp5 the Hidden Creator of “Suck”

I know that Arcane spec goes through mana like Oprah on a baked ham, but mp5 is not your friend. I see a lot of mages stacking mp5 and I am 100% puzzled as to this phenomenon. Maybe you are doing this because you spent the last four years clicking Sinister Strike and Backstab and other melee type things, and simply look upon mp5 as a stat that people who cast spells need. Whatever the reason… you just need to stop and put down the mp5 pudding.

As many of us know, each item in game is given an item level (ilevel) and that determines how many “points” can be spent by the dev for each stat. Mp5 is hideously expensive in this regard. This means that the epic ilevel 213 boots with +20 mp5 you so desperately HAVE TO HAVE AMGZ because they are epic, are going to be much worse for you statwise than another ilevel 213 boots that are sans mp5. You are better off passing these items to the healers in the raid, and waiting for more appropriate drops. If no healer wants it, then consider it fair game, but be polite about it first. Remember healers are the thankless players who keep your aggro creating butt alive so that you can cheer at your dps numbers. My main character for several years has been a holy priest, and I can guarentee you that if you are greedy and make your healers upset, we WILL cheerfully let you die every chance we get. Suddenly your flashy little epic boots are costing more than you thought.

Do not choose mp5 gems. Your meta for pve will always be the Chaotic Skyflare. To satisfy this need get Purified gems. Almost nothing says “boot me from this raid immediately” like a mage decked out in mp5 gems.

With your emblems do not close your eyes and hope you are choosing the right cloth item to purchase. If it’s cloth and it has mp5 then no, it’s not actually for you. There is another class that wears cloth and casts spells too. They are called Priests. Almost nothing says “I have no idea what class I am” quite like a good old 40 badges of Heroism mp5 cloth belt.

To Sum UP: Avoid items that have mp5 in them (if possible), and never use them in gems or enchants.

B. Your hit is nowhere near where it needs to be for your spec.

If you have 150 +hit and decide screw it! I’m a fire mage, RAWR! Then don’t be surprised that you are doing 1000 dps with full Naxx 25 raid buffs and fish feast in your pixel tummy on Patchwerk. If you are perfectly happy doing dailies and the occasional BG, then be my guest. Spec into whatever your little heart desires. Just don’t think that the numbers are going to reflect your wild ideas. You can, literally, do whatever you want with your character. It is your character. However, just understand that with that freedom comes a price: no one wants to raid with you.

Do your best in regards to hit before you hit up Naxx. Once you start getting pieces from the raids, your +hit will skyrocket. Just don’t totally ignore it ahead of time.

Here is a great article on plus hit: http://www.wow.com/2009/06/06/arcane-brilliance-reaching-the-hit-cap/

C. Your spec makes no sense with what you are doing.

If you think you are FFB spec and your two trees are Fire and Arcane, then you do not have the right spec for the spells you are casting… Or conversely, you are casting the wrong spells for your spec.

Understand that Mages have three trees that gives us three abilities, all of them are dps. However, the three trees can be used to complement the primary tree’s abilities. Which is why Arcane dips into Frost, and FFB dips into Frost and Fireball dips into Arcane.

D. You still have your leveling glyphs installed.

If you have evocation, mana gem, frost nova, etc as your major glyph choices then it’s a hindrance to your dps. If you go Arcane you need to pick up Arcane Blast, Arcane Missiles, and Molten Armor. If you are FFB spec then you want Living Bomb, Molten Armor, and FFB. Etc. Etc. Your glyphs will help enhance your bread and butter spells.

E. You are going OOM and sitting to wait to regen during a boss fight.

It can be a bit of an art form learning how to weave your mana gem CD, evocation CD, and (1) mana potion for a long fight. I find that I have less mana problems if I alternate gems and evocation to where I have one available each minute. A mana potion is there as a backup during those extremely long fights. It’s also good to try and grab the tail end of your Icy Veins with a couple seconds of evocate.

If you truly have exhausted all options then you can wand and pray for better gear drops to help you along.

F. You don’t know the encounters well enough yet so you are moving needlessly or inefficiently.

Once you have gotten the basics and nuances of these raid fights down, your dps should naturally go up because you won’t be moving as inefficiently as before.

For example, on KT plant yourself to the side far enough away from others so that you aren’t chaining ice blocks, close enough so you are still healed, but in a position where no one is going to be moving near you. Being able to plant your character into one spot for the duration of a fight will guarentee that your dps will be higher than if you are constantly moving to reposition yourself.

Some fights you will be forced to move around (think Heigan), and in those you just need to get used to the encounter so the moving becomes second nature.

G. Addons, Mods, and UI, Oh my!

The default UI from Blizzard gives me headaches. Important information is lost, or difficult to find when I need it. The graphics feel clunky to me, and clutter up my screen. I personally prefer a minimalistic approach to designing my character’s UI.

Some great websites to go to:
www.wowinterface.com: A fantastic place where you can download an entire UI compiliation suite. You will need to tweak minor details so that you can use it with your account, but it’s a small price to pay for all of the graphics/settings to be already customized.
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/default.aspx: Curse gaming is a premier site that has thousands of addons for almost every imaginable WoW need.

Some “Must Haves” for Raiding:
6¦1 Deadly Boss Mod (DBM): In game updates that are triggered by Boss fights.
6¦1 Omen Theat Meter
6¦1 Grid Raid Frames: Useful for when you are on decurse duty
6¦1 Pitbull: Unitframes Addon (high learning curve but incredibly useful once you get the hang of it)
6¦1 Bartender 4: Customizable action bars
6¦1 Recount: Dps/Hps meter (PLEASE resist posting the info every 2 min in raid/party chat)
6¦1 Rawr: Fantastic Addon that helps you weigh different pieces of gear against each other. Takes a bit to figure out at first, but you won’t regret learning it.

Here is a view of my mage’s current UI:
http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/invisiliz/?action=view&current=blossoms2.jpg

Post by Blossoms
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=18031073739&sid=1

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