57/3/11 Arcane Build
In this part of the spec break down I am going to focus on the Arcane tree and what exactly you get out of it. Arcane is currently the tree with the most possible DPS (with the correct rotations), however, when Cataclysm lands we may find that the new stat system has altered that fact.
Keep in mind that Arcane is not the best spec for leveling your toon or for PvP (debatable). Also, Arcane Mages are somewhat of a mana sponge. You will need to actively manage your mana and make decisions on when to evocate or slow down your rotation to keep your mana flowing.
The picture above is THIS talent build which is somewhat of a custom build (but only by moving 2 or 3 points around). All information I am giving you on Arcane Mages will based off this build.
Hit Rating:
Mages require a 17% hit rating to keep from missing any bosses (or anything 3 levels above you). 26.232 Hit = !% chance. So that means an un-buffed and un-talented mage needs 445.944 hit to keep from missing. This is where Arcane and Frost mages get a leg up over fire specs. Any mage who correctly assigns there talent points should benefit the same though.
Arcane Focus (Rank 3) increases your hit by 3% (78.696) for Arcane spells. This telent is in the first level of the Arcane tree, so any mage of any spec should be able to afford to throw at least 3 points in to this talent. Be aware though, this talent only increases your hit for Arcane spells… not frost or fire.
Precision (Rank 3) increases your chance to hit by 3% (78.696) for ALL spells. This is one of the MUST spells for any spec. This is in the second level of the frost tree so if you are Arcane or fire you will need to spend at least 8 talent points in the frost tree to get rank 3 of this talent.
Between the two talents above you have dropped your hit requirment by 6%. Meaning you only need 288.552 more hit to be capped. If you are a Draenei you will also get Heroic Presence, but I wont go in to that right now.
DPS Rotation:
Arcane mages should have the same rotation at all times unless they are under low mana conditions. The basic spam is Arcane Blast at least 4 times until Missile Barrage procs, then you hit Arcane Missiles. If you are running low on mana, don’t have a mana gem or mana pot available, and are not in a position to Evocate then you should reduce the Arcane Blast to a max of 3 stacks before hitting Arcane Missiles. If you are absolutely positive the mob is about to go down at the end of your Arcane Missiles, hit Arcane Barrage for a one last hit for a large amount of damage.
Armor:
Unless you are in a fight where mitigating as much spell damage as possible is important you should always have Molten Armor up. During fights like Lord Marrowgar it can be helpful to throw Mage Armor up if you are having issues dieing to fire (though you should never even be hit if things go right). Ice Armor I personally never use unless I’m in a battleground because they only offer the same frost resistance as Mage Armor with a slowing affect instead of the mana regeneration that Mage Armor gives.
Threat:
Arcane Mages generate a LOT of threat. Arcane Subtlety reduces your threat by 40%, but even with that talent you may occasionally find yourself in a position where you have to back off your DPS in order to let the tank keep aggro on the boss/mobs. It is not a bad idea to keep Omen or Recount-Threat up so you can make sure to manage your threat at all times. Remember, it is not just up to the tank to keep threat, you have to manage yourself as well.
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