The owner of this guide who goes by the name "NIKOLAAAa is no longer active, but guide is being preserved due to the quality of it.
This tutorial is for PVE players, and it's made for Cataclysm!
I'll speak about Talents, Glyphs, Addons, UI etc.
This time I have decided to make firepve guide, since it's usefull in incoming raids (bot/bwd/toft).
Copy/paste from my application for guild.
Fire gives the highest DMG output while moving, but it doesn't apply the raid with the excellent 3% DMG increase buff, so if you don't have a Arcane mage in the raid, it'll be most preferable to be arcane for me on certain bosses.
I'll start with Glyphs and explain Scaling, stats etc.
Prime:
Glyph of Fireball
Increases the critical strike chance of your Fireball spell by 5%.
Glyph of Pyroblast
Increases the critical strike chance of your Pyroblast spell by 5%.
Glyph of Motlen Armor
Your Molten Armor grants an additional 2% spell critical strike chance.
Fire is based on procs so this is best solution for every encounter.
As I noticed some mages were using Glyph of Living Bomb, and that is a waste of dps.
Major:
Glyph of Dragon's Breath
Reduces the cooldown of your Dragon's Breath by 3 sec.
Glyph of Evocation
Your Evocation ability also causes you to regain 40% of your health over its duration.
Glyph of Invisibility
Increases your movement speed while Invisible by 40%.
You can switch between Invisibility and Glyph of Blast Wave for Magmaw etc
Minor:
Glyph of Mirror Image
Your Mirror Images cast Arcane Blast or Fireball instead of Frostbolt depending on your primary talent tree.
Glyph of Slow Fall
Your Slow Fall spell no longer requires a reagent.
Glyph of Arcane Brilliance
Reduces the mana cost of your Arcane Brilliance spell by 50%.
Mirror Images for firespec and Arcane Brilliance after combatress.
This is probably best build for whole Cataclysm, maybe not for Alysrazor but let's focus on t11 content.
3/35/3
+ Improved Scorch
- Arcane Concentration
As I said best build so far, great survivability and BW so Impact won't be a problem.
I won't upload another picture, but you can switch Improved Scorch > Arcane Concentration 2/2.
Some tips for incoming t11 raids:
Tips and Tricks!
Bastion of Twilight
Note: Halfus Wyrmbreaker start with standard rotation without any CD. Wait for little whelps and drakes to huge, then Hot Streak procc + LB + Ignite (if you get it from Pyroblast!) and apply Combustion. If you don't have impact ready, use Blast Wave to get it. Aftere that, just spread your Combustion and it's MAXDPS GG :D
Note: Valiona and Theralion this fight was nerfed, so I'm not sure what "patch" Molten gonna release. Anyway Fire was good because Cauterize, but after nerf everyone went Arcane on that fight.
Note: The Ascendant Council / Cho'gall / Sinestra I suggest Arcane, only for Cho'gall if your guild request other spec :)
Blackwing Descent
Note: Magmaw/Omnotron Defense System/Chimaeron/Atramedes/Nefarian I suggest Arcane, while Magmaw (Combustion in Exposed Head phase) and Omatrom you can use Fire because dps is very stable.
Note: Maloriak fire spec, without mage AOE this fight would be extremely hard. Use Combustion during Black phase. Read Note for Halfus "spread aoe + impact etc".
Macros nothing special:
#showtooltip Counterspell
/stopcasting
/cast Counterspell
#showtooltip Ice block
/stopcasting
/cast Ice block
/cancelaura Ice block
#showtooltip Blink
/stopcasting
/cast blink
#showtooltip Combustion
/stopcasting
/cast combustion
And now about stats priority.
Intellect > Hit > Crit = Haste > Mastery.
It's very good to balance Crit and Haste, and it's really important to reach 17% hitcap. Since casttime is really huge, and you don't wanna lose some dps because miss :D
Sockets:
Brilliant Inferno Ruby +40 Intellect
Veiled Demonseye +20 Intellect and +20 Hit Rating
Potent Ember Topaz +20 Intellect and +20 Critical Strike Rating
Meta:
Burning Shadowspirit Diamond +54 Intellect and 3% Increased Critical Damage
Intellect gost highest priority, other sockets use if necessary.
Enchants:
Head: Arcanum of Hyjal
Use: Permanently adds 60 Intellect and 35 critical strike rating to a head slot item.
Shoulders: Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone
Use: Permanently adds 50 Intellect and 25 haste rating to a shoulder slot item.
Enchant Cloak - Greater Intellect +50 Intellect
Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats +20 Stats
Enchant Bracer - Mighty Intellect +50 Intellect
Enchant Weapon - Power Torrent +500 Intellect
Helm in Off-Hand +40 Intellect
Enchant Gloves - Exceptional Spellpower ili Enchant Gloves - Haste
Legs Powerful Enchanted Spellthread
Enchant Boots - Precision ili Lavawalker
Ring +40 Intellect
Some of those enchants are from last "retail" patch, but anyway see what do you need.
Reforging:
Hit cap got priority, then Crit/Haste and lower your mastery.
If item doesn't have hit, but mastery > hit. If item doesn't have mastery and it have crit or haste > hit. ETC ETC
About professions Enchanting +80 intellect for ring, and Jewelcrafting are best.
Addons
CombustionHelper - Best addon, provide you overtime damage from Ignite>LB>Pyro! etc
Bartender4 - ActionBar replacement mod.
NeedToKnow - displaying specific buffs, debuffs, i totems bartimer etc.
Quartz - model for casting bar addon
Scorchio2 - best mage armor, displaying everything!
Spells and their priority:
It's all about situation, but it's should be something like this.
Pyroblast!*** (Hot Streak/Big proc)
Living Bomb*
Fireball
Mirror Image
Flame Orb
Combustion* (With *** and *, for extra dps)
Combustion:
Combustion is doing damage next 10 secounds, equal to your DoTs on target.
So, more haste you have more ticks you got! Every 5%, 15%, 25%, 35% you get +1 tick.
Ofc, it's very good to wait for trinket proc, or Pyroblast! big proc so you can combustion for insane damage.
Impact:
For Multi-target / AoE-Spread, because that Halfus and Maloriak are awesome encounters for firemage.
All yours DoTs (Pyroblast!, LB, Ignite) spread on other adds, similar to DK.
Note: If you got LB on maintarget, spread it just once and wait for it to explode, if you didn't get Ignite meanwhile, if you did spread it right away. If you got problem with Impact, when Blast Wave or any other fire spell hit 3 targets you will get Impact 100% + Pyro10% Haste
Note: I suggest to save your Mirror Image cooldown for AoE situation, since when you spread Combustion chances for pulling aggro are really high.
Rotation:
Prepotion > Mirror Images > Pyroblast > Flame Orb > Scorch (If you don't have lock) > Fireball > LB > Fireball > (wait for big Pyroblast! proc).
The start of encounter look something like this, anyway keep Living Bomb on target and wait for Pyroblast! proc.
And remember that fire is biggest rng around =D
Thats it, tutorial by me.
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