Best Mage Build in Azeroth Survivors

How it plays

Mage clear is ground and nova, with a blink when the circle gets ugly. Blizzard deals 7 damage per tick across a 6 second duration in radius 7, cooldown 9 seconds, and slows to 60 percent speed for 1.5 seconds. 8 targets make that 39.2. Flamestrike is the tighter ground spell, 14 damage per tick across a 4 second duration, radius 5, about 4.91 targets, cooldown 8, clear score 36.1. Arcane Explosion is the panic nova, 10 damage, radius 7, cooldown 2.8 seconds, 8 targets, clear score 30.0. You drop the ground spells at range 20 and you explode when they walk into you.

Blast Wave is the other nova, 18 damage, radius 8, cooldown 6.5, and it slows to 60 percent speed for 2 seconds, clear score 23.3. Pyroblast is the single-target spike the ground spells are not. 70 damage plus 6 damage over time for 6 seconds, range 30, cooldown 6, clear score 18.3. Fireball is 20 damage at range 26 with a small 3.5 radius and a 2.4 second cooldown, clear score 17.4. The famous hit is not the famous score.

Frostbolt is what you start with. 12 damage, range 24, cooldown 1.3, and a half-speed slow for 2.5 seconds. Clear score 9.7, which is outside the six. The slow is real. The clear score is not high enough to sit with Blizzard.

Early and late

Frostbolt is the starting skill, and the recommended six leaves it out at 9.7. Fireball, which does sit in that six, reaches 17.4 at range 26. Health is 120 and walk speed is 7.5. Blizzard, Flamestrike, and the novas have no learned level in the skill list. The starter is the damaging button the six refuses, and the six itself sums to 164.1.

Blink is the Mage skill that records a level, and that level is 5. It moves 18 yards and then waits 10 seconds. Frost Nova is 10th of the 11 Mage skills, a 2.5 second root at radius 9 worth 9.6. Cone of Cold is the first skill outside the six. It slows for 3 seconds in a cone of range 20 and scores 16.0, just under Fireball at 17.4. Putting either into the six means dropping a higher clear score.

The ground clocks have holes. Blizzard lasts 6 seconds against a 9 second cooldown, so the circle is empty for 3 seconds. Flamestrike lasts 4 seconds against an 8 second cooldown, empty for the other 4. Arcane Explosion returns in 2.8 seconds and has no duration to hide in. Blink returns in 10, which is longer than either ground cooldown, so a fresh circle can be down while the leave button is still waiting.

Tradeoffs

Warlock has the same 120 health and 7.5 speed and a much higher 254.2, because Warlock wants to stand in Hellfire. Mage Blink is the reason you do not copy that. You will score less per wave and you will leave bad circles. Hunter Aimed Shot reaches 32 yards against Pyroblast at 30, a 2 yard gap, and the Hunter six is only 122.8. Blizzard counts 8 targets at radius 7. Flamestrike counts 4.91 at radius 5. Blizzard is a full crowd and Flamestrike is not.

Shaman also plants a radius 7 circle, Magma Totem, but the totem stays where you put it for 14 seconds and you have to Ghost Wolf to a new one. Flamestrike returns in 8 seconds and Blizzard returns in 9 seconds and Blink moves you 18 yards without a speed buff. Different way to own a patch of floor.

Recommended Mage build

The six is Blizzard, Flamestrike, Arcane Explosion, Blast Wave, Pyroblast, and Fireball. Sum 164.1. Tier power reads 174. Frostbolt, Cone of Cold, Frost Nova, Arcane Missiles, and Fire Blast are the bench. Arcane Missiles is three hits of 6 at range 22 and only scores 9.9. Fire Blast is 26 damage on a 3.5 second cooldown and scores 7.8. Direct hits without radius fall behind the ground spells fast.

1. 1
   Blizzard

   • Ground
   • 9s cooldown
   • clear score 39.2
2. 2
   Flamestrike

   • Ground
   • 8s cooldown
   • clear score 36.1
3. 3
   Arcane Explosion

   • Nova
   • 2.8s cooldown
   • clear score 30.0
4. 4
   Blast Wave

   • Nova
   • 6.5s cooldown
   • clear score 23.3
5. 5
   Pyroblast

   • Bolt
   • 6s cooldown
   • clear score 18.3
6. 6
   Fireball

   • Bolt
   • 2.4s cooldown
   • clear score 17.4

Passives

Haste is the first passive again. Arcane Intellect at level 5 moves a Mage six by +109.4, and Blessing of Might sits behind it at +82.1. Amplify Magic grows area and is actually visible here, +41.1, because Blizzard, Flamestrike, and both novas have radius. Blessing of Kings trails that area bump at +37.7. A pure bolt class would not see area do this much.

Mistakes

Building around Frostbolt because it slows and you start with it. Frostbolt clear score 9.7 does not crack a six that ends at Fireball 17.4.

Treating Pyroblast 70 damage as the lead. Range 30 is the longest Mage reach, and the clear score is still 18.3, fifth in the six, behind Blizzard, Flamestrike, Arcane Explosion, and Blast Wave.

Blink

Blink moves you 18 yards, comes back after 10 seconds, and is learned at level 5. Use it to leave a Blizzard you just placed, or to put Arcane Explosion range behind you. It does not slow, root, or deal damage. The control lives on Blizzard, Blast Wave, and the spells that did not make the six.

Skill numbers

Other classes

• S Warlock
• S Warrior
• A Druid
• A Hunter
• B Paladin
• B Shaman
• C Priest
• C Rogue

Same tier

• Druid
• Hunter

FAQ