<<<<<<<<<<[Introduction]>>>>>>>>>>
Greetings, fellow mages! IÔÇÖm Iceicebabe (or Stdspreader) and IÔÇÖve been playing mage in Molten for quite a bit now. This is my first guide ever so please, leave any feedback if anything should be changed. This guide will focus mainly on the Fire spec for mages in the current [4.3.4] patch of Cata-Molten. I play on Frostwolf (3x) so if you got any questions, feel free to whisper me ingame, or leave a comment below. IÔÇÖll also be mentioning a bit about Arcane Mages here and there and will leave a link to a friend of mine who made a guide about Arcane if needed.
IÔÇÖm nothing close to being the ÔÇ£best gearedÔÇØ mage, but itÔÇÖs fairly decent. IÔÇÖve donated for my 416 TikÔÇÖtahk which is a huge power spike for Fire, but this guide wonÔÇÖt depend much on that. IÔÇÖve been an arcane mage for quite a while but IÔÇÖve switched to fire because of all the haste IÔÇÖve had. My main guild is Dignity, and IÔÇÖm currently in Outcasts (main and other alts are in Dignity).
http://i.imgur.com/TaQ72iC.jpg
<Talents>
http://i.imgur.com/EWWZOJ3.png
Explanation: Pyromaniac is a nice talent, but youÔÇÖll rarely be using it in DS normal. I took Shatter for the lulz while at training dummies. (Guarantees your combust)
<Reforge>
Intellect > Hit Cap (17%) > Crit > Haste Cap > Mastery > Haste
Explanation: Usually, for the lower-geared Fire Mages, Haste > Mastery. But we get enough haste from our T-13 2 set, and I have the TihÔÇÖtahk AND the Insignia of the Corrupted Mind, which gives me a LOT of Haste. Even without the TihÔÇÖtahk, you should still what I recommended. If you have the t-13 2 set, go for the 1505 haste cap. If not, go for 2005 haste cap.
<Glyphs>
Prime: Fireball, Pyroblast, Molten Armor
Major: Evocation, Blink, DragonÔÇÖs Breath
Minor: Arcane Brilliance, Slow Fall, Mirror Image
Explanation: Prime Glyphs need no explanation. The only Major glyph you NEED is Evocation; the other two are primarily your choice. Minor glyphs are all your choice, pick what suites you best.
http://i.imgur.com/hurBs6k.jpg
<Enchants>
Helmet: +60 Intellect +35 Critical Strike rating
Shoulders: +130 Intellect +25 Haste rating (Inscription
Back: +50 Intellect (Tailors, do your thing)
Chest: +20 All Stats
Wrist: +50 Intellect
Hands: +50 Mastery
Belt: +1 Gem Slot
Legs: +95 Intellect +55 Spirit
Boots: +50 Mastery
Rings: Enchanters, do your thing.
Staff: Power Torrent
<Gems>
Red: Brilliant (+40/+50 Intellect)
Yellow: Potent (+20/25 Intellect +20/50 Critical Strike rating)
Blue: Use Red gems most of the time.
Meta: Burning Shadowspirit Diamond (+54 Intellect and 3% Increased Crit Effect)
http://i.imgur.com/ySTuWiM.jpg
<Non-donor BiS>
Item Name
[Time LordÔÇÖs Hood---------------------Token (Blackhorn) >DS N<
Flowform Choker----------------------Majordomo HC
Time LordÔÇÖs Mantle--------------------Token (Hagara) >DS N<
Nanoprecise Cape--------------------1250 Valor Points
Time LordÔÇÖs Robes--------------------Token (Ultraxion) >DS N<
BracerÔÇÖs of Unconquered Power----Tailoring
Gloves of Liquid Smoke--------------Spine of Deathwing >DS N<
Cord of the Slain Champion---------Warlod ZonÔÇÖozz >DS N<
Time LordÔÇÖs Leggings-----------------Token (YorÔÇÖsahj) >DS N<
Janglespur Jackboots---------------Warmaster Blackhorn >DS N<
Seal of the Grand Architect--------1250 Valor Points
Ring of the Riven--------------------Hagara the Stormbinder >DS N<
Will of Unbinding---------------------Spine of Deathwing >DS N<
Insignia of the Corrupted Mind----YorÔÇÖsahj >DS<
Lightning Rod------------------------Hagara the Stormbinder >DS<
Finger of ZonÔÇÖozz--------------------Warlord ZonÔÇÖozz >DS<
<Donor BiS>
Item Name iLvL How to Obtain
Time LordÔÇÖs Hood--------------------Token (Blackhorn) >DS HC<
Opal of the Secret Order----------N/A
Time LordÔÇÖs Mantle------------------Token (Hagara) >DS HC<
Nanoprecise Cape------------------N/A
Time LordÔÇÖs Robes------------------Token (Ultraxion) >DS HC<
Bracers of the Banished-----------Hagara the Stormbinder >DS HC<
Gloves of Liquid Smoke------------Spine of Deathwing >DS HC<
Cord of the Slain Champion-------Warlod ZonÔÇÖozz >DS HC<
Time LordÔÇÖs Leggings---------------Token (YorÔÇÖsahj) >DS HC<
Janglespur Jackboots--------------Warmaster Blackhorn >DS HC<
Infinite Loop------------------------All >DS HC< Bosses (Shared)
Ring of the Riven------------------Hagara the Stormbinder >DS HC<
Will of Unbinding-------------------Spine of Deathwing >DS HC<
Insignia of the Corrupted Mind--YorÔÇÖsahj >DS HC<
Lightning Rod----------------------Hagara the Stormbinder >DC HC<
Finger of ZonÔÇÖozz------------------Warlord ZonÔÇÖozz >DS HC<
<<<<<<<<<<[Dragon Soul]>>>>>>>>>>
http://i.imgur.com/uTgZqrp.jpg
Morchok is the easiest (imo) boss in Dragon Soul, which doesnÔÇÖt require much. As a mage, your job is to burst down the boss and run to crystals (if raid assigns you to them). Because of this, both specs are equally as viable. Fire has a lot more mobility than Arcane, so itÔÇÖs slightly better than Arcane.
Recommended Spec: Fire
Guide:
Wait for the tank to pull the boss, while heÔÇÖs running up to him, start casting your pyroblast, then Fire Orb and Living Bomb, keep spamming Fire Ball until you have your Pyroblast! proc up. This is when youÔÇÖll try to get a high ignite for your combust. You should have Time Warp up from the beginning of the encounter. Remember to use the Pyroblast! proc after your Fireballs, itÔÇÖll help keep your Ignite up incase your fireball doesnÔÇÖt crit. You should get atleast an 800k+ combustion on Morchok if done right. Remember to use your combust while you have Time Warp up or itÔÇÖs a MASSIVE DPS loss.
Tips & tricks: Use all your cooldowns in the beginning of the fight. Morchok is just a standing dummy for quite a bit and you can get a very nice combust on him.
DPS Expectation: 30k+
Personal Burst Record: 100k
Personal DPS Record: 48k
http://i.imgur.com/ed7Cd7S.jpg
ZonÔÇÖozz is the second boss youÔÇÖll be facing in Dragon Soul. As a mage, your job is to stay with the ranged DPS and simply deal damage while your raid leader tells you how many times they want the ball to bounce. It is usually between 5-7 depending on the raid, and the more bounces there are, the higher your DPS! Combust can be REALLY sexy here or, if extremely unlucky, not that high. Please consider Arcane if youÔÇÖre not willing to take risks as keeping your ignite up isnÔÇÖt easy here.
Recommended Spec: Fire
Start the boss by waiting for your tank to get aggro, so start it with a Fire Orb into a Pyroblast (to give time to your tank) then a Living Bomb. Spam Fireball till your raid decides to let the ball hit the boss, thatÔÇÖs when youÔÇÖll burst. IÔÇÖd save my Pyroblast! proc for this part of the fight. Once the ball hits the boss, use all cool downs (not necessarily Time Warp, but useable) and just pray to god you get crit after crit, remember to use Combustion when there are atleast 6 seconds left to the damage increasing buff. Simples.
Tips & Tricks: A good way to keep your ignite up is to save your Pyroblast! procs for when your Fireball doesnÔÇÖt crit. Pyroblast doesnÔÇÖt always crit, but if it does, itÔÇÖll make up for your Fireball. Remember to Combust when you feel safe, unless you want to go YOLO! mode and destroy everyoneÔÇÖs recount, which is a 40% chance at most.
DPS Expectation: 45k+
Personal Burst Record: 78k
Personal DPS Record: 60k
http://i.imgur.com/LvRiiLW.jpg
YorÔÇÖsahj is, in my opinion, the most boring fight in DS. Mages donÔÇÖt really shine here (IÔÇÖd say warriors do cause of lolstorm + Black globule) but we can pull off a nice DPS. Most raids go for Purple > Green > Ignore/Black, and the best time to burst is when you get Red + Yellow, cause that requires no movement, which means you can focus on getting a big combust. Another way to maximise your DPS is if you get Black + Red, Combust on YorÔÇÖsahj then spread your combust on the adds that spawn. It may be tricky, but with luck, it should be pretty awesome. Arcane is pretty good here aswell, I canÔÇÖt tell you which one is better, itÔÇÖs personal preference (as it is with all bosses).
Recommended Spec: Arcane/Fire (Your best)
The encounter starts when your tank pulls YorÔÇÖsahj, but donÔÇÖt be fooled, there is only 5 seconds of fighting before he goes back to the center to summon is globules (3). Once he summons them, you should be with the rest of your DPS attacking the globule called by your leader. After this is done, you can focus on building a high ignite into a combust. (Arcane Mages, just try to stay at around 90% so you burst the living **** out of YorÔÇÖsahj) This boss is very annoying as you donÔÇÖt get to use your maximum potential, however you can get very high DPS. Simple, straight-forward fight.
Tips & Tricks: There is never a ÔÇ£rightÔÇØ time to combust, you can do it whenever you like, considering youÔÇÖve Time Warped. If you happen to get a blue globule, use scorch! It doesnÔÇÖt cost any mana and you can get a Pyroblast! proc and youÔÇÖll be getting your mana back (considering your spamming scorch). Not much I can help you with here. Sorry.
DPS Expectation: 30k+
Personal Burst Record: 61k
Personal DPS Record: 34k
http://i.imgur.com/xVMONFE.jpg
Hagara is one of the easier bosses in Dragon Soul if done right. Hagara has 1 fighting phase and 2 mini phases. In the fighting phase, make sure youÔÇÖre not stacked up (atleast 4 yds away) and that you DPS the Ice Tombs she sets on players. Mages are AWESOME here because if you do get targeted by her ice tomb, you can use Ice Block and you can just be immune to the stun, and help your raid deal more damage to the boss and the other target of the Ice Tomb. The first mini phase is the Frost phase, which requires members to run around the edge of the platform dodging boulders of ice and destroying 4 Binding Crystals. The second mini phase is the Lightning phase, which spawns 4 conductors which requires all players carrying lightning from one conductor to another. DonÔÇÖt get me wrong, thereÔÇÖs a lot of movement, but fire is not the spec IÔÇÖd be recommending (COMPLETELY viable, like always) because there is a 10 second phase after each mini phase that increases damage done by 100%, although this may seem very nice for fire so you can get a high combust, it is also very risky considering you canÔÇÖt always choose when your crits happen.
Personal Preference: Arcane
The encounter starts normally, everyone just DPS the boss normally until she decides to do one of the 2 mini phases she has. Your burst will be AFTER each mini phase as there is a 100% damage buff. Just remember to pray to whatever you believe in for hours before the encounter so you get crits after crits and just destroy the boss with your combust. Fire is pretty much a YOLO spec here, not much I can tell you to do; itÔÇÖs a straight-forward fight.
Tips & Tricks: Split your raid DPS into 4 groups, 1 group for each Binding to save time in the Frost Phase. No one should be taking damage this phase unless you seriously mess up. Be sure to use combust while the 100% damage buff is still on the boss.
DPS Expectation: 35k+
Personal Burst Record: 58k
Personal DPS Record: 37k
http://i.imgur.com/Y90ATOz.jpg
My ABSOLUTE favourite boss in Dragon Soul. Reason being that the first 30 seconds heÔÇÖs just a standing dummy while you have EVERY SINGLE BUFF meaning you can burst your tits off and see huge numbers. My personal burst record is 104k with a 2.9m combustion (I think). This boss requires high DPS from your raid as it is a gear check boss. Make sure you use Heroic Will unless you want to look like a complete noobtard. (Seriously, itÔÇÖs not that hard) Arcane will have some decent dps here, but fire is... in my own words.. asjkhagfbkahsjfgbahj. ThatÔÇÖs the only way I know how to explain it. The boss is practically begging you to burst the living **** out of him as you have 30 seconds to build up a high ignite AND all your buffs line up with time warp to combust. Like I said, 104k DPS. ENOUGH!
Personal Preference: Fire
The boss has a 5-10 second fly before he reaches the platform, once heÔÇÖs almost there, cast Fire Orb (cause you canÔÇÖt attack boss before he starts) so you spend your time casting Pyroblast and Living Bomb, keep using fire ball and make sure you Time Warp, build up a high ignite and combust the living **** out of it. If youÔÇÖre speaking to your raid via Raidcall, Teamspeak etc. get ready to hear someone yell ÔÇ£WTF IS THIS DPSÔÇØ once you do everything right. Seriously. Near-perfect boss for Fire Mages.
Tips & Tricks: Use DBM to show you how much time there is for Hour of Twilight. Judge by how much time you have left whether your combust should be used BEFORE or AFTER you use Heroic Will. ALWAYS pay attention to your debuff. You donÔÇÖt want to die because you have Fading Light on and youÔÇÖre trying to combust.
DPS Expectation: 40k+
Personal Burst Record: 104k
Personal DPS Record: 56k
http://i.imgur.com/jREGQSb.jpg
A really good boss for Mages, as RDPS is necessary here. The more you have the better! This fight includes 2 phase, similar to the ICC Gunship boss thingie, I guess? The first phase requires you to protect the gunship until all drakes are dead. You should be DPSing Dreadblades & Elites here. Always kill the Sappers, or itÔÇÖll do massive damage to your gunship. Stack with your raid for the Twilight Onslaught and just DPS anything you see, not much burst potential in the first phase. The second phase requires ALL rDPS to focus Gariona and nuke the living **** out of her till she reaches 20% Health, by then sheÔÇÖll fly away and you should be focusing Warmaster Blackhorn. You wonÔÇÖt be using combust a lot here, and if used, it wouldnÔÇÖt do much. Arcane is suitable for this fight considering your main burst ability isnÔÇÖt that useful.
Recommended Spec: Arcane
The encounter starts by two drakes dropping down two different types of adds, Dreadblades & Elites, for short. You should focus the one that lands first (Dreadblades) and by the time thatÔÇÖs dead, the shipÔÇÖs hooks will hook two Drakes, one for each side of the ship. Your job is to deal as much as damage as you can to these and to kill them. Remember, phase one ends when you kill all drakes, which is always after 3 Dreadblades and Elites drop down to your ship. Your potential in this fight starts in Phase two, when Warmaster Blackhorn jumps off his flying pony and starts attacking your tank/s. This is when you have to burst Gariona down to 20%. You can use Combust in the beginning of the burst, so you can have it back up again for Blackhorn when heÔÇÖs relatively lower. Once Gariona flies away, all your focus should be on Blackhorn and make sure your tanks know when to swap.
Tips & Tricks: DonÔÇÖt be afraid to pop Time Warp for Gariona, the sooner you get her to fly away the sooner you can kill the boss. This boss fight isn't relatively good for Fire mages, but please consider Arcane as they can have both high burst and sustained damage.
DPS Expectation: 25k+
Personal Burst Record: 46k
Personal DPS Record: 31k
http://i.imgur.com/VpwNfvE.jpg
The hardest boss in Dragon Soul, in my opinion. The mechanics or tactics arenÔÇÖt what make the boss hard; itÔÇÖs the communication between you and your raid. If you can communicate, this boss will be really easy if you understand the tactics. There are 4 types of adds you should know about in this fight. The first type of add is the Corruptions, the huge tentacles popping out of DeathwingÔÇÖs back. As you jump on, there are 4 initial tentacles and 2 for each armour plate you remove. These corruptions have a lock-on spell that stuns the player it targeted until you deal damage to it. This is why I prefer Arcane in this fight. (Explained later) After killing one Corruption, Amalgamations and Bloods spawn. Amalgamations are known as ÔÇ£big addsÔÇØ that should be DPSÔÇÖd to 15-10% health as soon as possible. Bloods are known as ÔÇ£small addsÔÇØ that need to be tanked by the armour plate, as when they die, they leave residues that can be picked up by the Amalgamations. If the Amalgamation gets 9 stacks and dies by the armour plate, the 4th type of add will be attackable. The last type of add in this fight is the Burning Tendon, which screams ÔÇ£burst me plisÔÇØ when you can see it. You only have 23 seconds to burst it so be sure you make the most of it. You should be able to kill it before it hides under the Armour plate. I prefer Arcane in this fight because of two main reasons. You have no DoTÔÇÖs, which means you can deal a set amount of damage to the corruption without dealing any more damage than necessary, and you can burst each Tendon when you feel like it, getting a high combust here is mostly RnG, so you canÔÇÖt maximise your potential.
Recommended Spec: Arcane
As Fire, your job is to focus Amalgamations, then AoE the bloods when called by your raid leader/tank. Once the bloods die and the Amalgamation gets the 9 stacks, be sure NOT to burst it down before itÔÇÖs close to the armour plate. Once it dies, use all your personal CDÔÇÖs for the 1st Tendon. On the next Tendon, you should use time warp, and on the third youÔÇÖll have your CDÔÇÖs back up again. This boss just requires your raid to feed the Amalgamations, kill the tendons 3 times while rolling to get rid of unneeded amalgamations. Simples.
Tips & Tricks: Save your Pyroblast! proc for when the Tendon is exposed, then use Fireball into Pyroblast and if they both crit, youÔÇÖll have a decent ignite. Be sure to have Critical Mass up, though.
DPS Expectation: 25k+
Personal Burst Record: 45k
Personal DPS Record: 34k
http://i.imgur.com/1o8UsZh.jpg
The end of the expansion, the boss fight we've all been waiting for. Madness of Deathwing is a two-phase fight with the support of the 4 aspects and Thrall. In the first phase, there are 4 platforms, all with DeathwingÔÇÖs Limbs holding on for dear life. Your job is to kill these 4 limbs one at a time, but it isnÔÇÖt that easy. Before we get into the strategy, let me explain to you how the 4 aspects help you throughout this encounter.
<Alexstrasza> Gives +20% Maximum Health, kills Blistering Tentacles. (Will be explained later)
<Nozdormu> Gives +20% Haste, summons a timezone on each platform (if alive) to reduce enemy attack speed by 50% and slow down Elementium Bolt (will be explained later).
<Ysera> Gives +20% Healing Done, grants all players a new ability, Dream, to reduce damage taken by 50% for 2.5 seconds. 30 second cooldown.
<Kalecgos> Gives +20% Damage Done, grants all players a chance on their attacks and abilities to cause spell weaving, damaging all enemies within 6 yards for 23,000 Arcane Damage.
Because you have the 20% Haste buff, itÔÇÖs hard to keep your mana full as Arcane, and fire will absolutely LOVE the Haste buff. Also, you get a 100% Damage buff on DeathwingÔÇÖs Limb when heÔÇÖs channelling Cataclysm, so your combust will be INSANE! Now that we have the 4 aspects out of the way, letÔÇÖs look at the adds that you will be facing in this fight.
>Limb Tentacle: your job is to kill it before its channel of Cataclysm is over, or Azeroth is destroyed. Literally. (Screen goes black) Occasionally spawns Blistering Tentacles on itself.
>Blistering Tentacle: mini tentacles that spawn on DeathwingÔÇÖs limbs that need to be dealt with, if you choose to ignore them if Deathwing is over 20% health, youÔÇÖre screwed. You CANNOT AoE them, you must use Single-Target abilities to kill them.
>Mutated Corruption: has nothing to do with you, itÔÇÖs the tankÔÇÖs job not to die from this so just DPS it as soon as it spawns. This must die as soon as possible so you can focus back on the Limb Tentacle.
>Elementium Bolt: deathwing fires one of these bad boys and if it lands, it deals MASSIVE damage to everyone in the raid and is attackable. If NozdormuÔÇÖs timezone is not available, there is no way you can kill this before it lands. If it is available however, nuke the living **** out of the bolt so your raid doesnÔÇÖt take all that unnecessary damage.
>Hemorrhage: These spawn after you kill the Corruption and before you burst the living **** out of DeathwingÔÇÖs tentacle. These need to be AoEÔÇÖd as fast and as hard as possible. If you donÔÇÖt have enough DPS, these just go back to full health and just donÔÇÖt go away till dead.
Recommended Spec: Fire
As fire, your job is to deal dps normally to anything you see, but ofcourse, in an order. You start by focusing DeathwingÔÇÖs Limb and if you have the T-13 4 set, feel free to combust, it will be up when you get the 100% damage buff aswell. ItÔÇÖs hard to keep an ignite up here because your fireballs and pyroblasts take quite a bit of time till they reach the Tentacle, so a decent ignite is fine here. ( I wouldnÔÇÖt recommend going for too high so you donÔÇÖt risk losing your ignite)
For phase two, your job is to nuke the living **** out of DeathwingÔÇÖs head, this is the point where youÔÇÖll be using Timewarp. But before you burst him down, you need to kill two types of trash ASAP! The first type is the Elementium Fragment, which cast Shrapnel and deal a lot of damage to the target. If you have been targeted by Shrapnel, make sure you use ÔÇ£DreamÔÇØ. The second type of trash is the Elementium Terror. Your tank will pick these up and you HAVE to kill it FAST before your tank dies, these do **** loads of damage. Once these have died for the first time, your main focus will be DeathwingÔÇÖs head. Your raid will be taking insane amounts of damage when at 10% HP and the second set of Elementium Fragments will spawn, you donÔÇÖt need to DPS them but you need to use Dream again when they cast Shrapnel. Your focus is 100% on Deathwing, and nothing else.
DPS Expectation: 40k+
Personal Burst Record: 64k
Personal DPS Record: 49k
http://i.imgur.com/9DA4rqx.jpg
