In short
- The Mage is a ranged damage class with three trees, Arcane, Fire and Frost, and mana as its only resource.
- Forever starts from the WoW Classic Mage and adds cross-school spells and talents, such as Frostfire Bolt at level 40.
- You survive through distance and control (Frost Nova, Blink, Polymorph), not armour.
- Everything here carries its verification status; Forever is still in beta.
What the Mage is in Forever
World of Warcraft: Forever brings back the original Azeroth and expands it with new content at every level range. The Mage keeps its classic role: ranged damage, crowd control and group utility (food, water, teleports).
Blizzard sums it up like this: the Mage has one of the best crowd control tools in Polymorph and masters ranged area damage, but is extremely fragile if caught in melee. The answer is specialization: Arcane manipulates and consumes mana for more damage, Fire goes for devastating hits and critical damage, and Frost offers combat control no other class matches. Official: Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
Forever’s changes aim to make each school of magic ask for active decisions moment to moment and to make more room for builds that mix schools. Official: Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
- Trees
- Arcane, Fire and Frost. All three are ranged damage.
- Mage races
- Human, Gnome, Skyborne (new), Orc (new), Undead and Troll.
- Talents
- From level 10. One-point milestone talents at 11, 21 and 31 points, plus a new 16-point milestone.
- Respec
- At a class trainer in a major city (Legacy talents too).
- Dual specialization
- From level 40 for now. Blizzard is considering an earlier level (level 30 was mentioned). Cost not published.
Fundamentals
Mana is your real limit
Every spell costs mana. When you run dry, the fight is over for you. You get it back like this: Classic reference: This is how it works in WoW Classic. Forever has not announced a change; not yet checked in game.
- Out of combat: drinking the water you conjure yourself (Conjure Water).
- While casting: only through effects that let Spirit regeneration continue while casting, such as Mage Armor or the Arcane Meditation talent.
- In emergencies: with Evocation and mana gems.
In Forever, Mage Armor regenerates more mana from Spirit, and Arcane Meditation improves too, although it now requires Arcane Concentration. Official: Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
Distance, control and escape
The Mage wears cloth and cannot take many hits. Its defence is not being where the enemy is: Classic reference: This is how it works in WoW Classic. Forever has not announced a change; not yet checked in game.
- Frost Nova roots nearby enemies in place.
- Blink puts distance between you instantly.
- Polymorph takes one enemy out of the fight (any damage wakes it).
- Counterspell stops a dangerous cast. In Forever, 1 point in Improved Counterspell makes the silence certain instead of a 50% chance. Official: Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
In Forever, freezing an enemy is also a damage opportunity: Ice Lance deals 300% more against Frozen targets. Official: Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
Schools and resistances
Every spell belongs to a school (Arcane, Fire or Frost), and some enemies resist some schools better than others. Classic reference: This is how it works in WoW Classic. Forever has not announced a change; not yet checked in game. The new Frostfire Bolt counts as Fire and Frost at once: it uses your higher bonus of the two and the target’s lower resistance, and most talents of both schools affect it. Official: Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
Your toolkit
The Mage’s baseline kit grouped by purpose. Learn levels are the Classic ones and still need checking in Forever. Abilities that change in Forever link to their card.
Damage
Fireball
Single-target Fire projectile. Your first damage spell.
Frostbolt
Single-target Frost damage that also slows the target (a Chill effect).
Fire Blast
Instant Fire damage on a cooldown. Ideal for finishing targets on the move.
Arcane Missiles
Channeled barrage of Arcane missiles at one target.
Arcane Explosion
Arcane damage to all nearby enemies.
Flamestrike
Area Fire damage on a ground location, with a lingering burn.
Blizzard
Channeled area Frost damage; slows with talents.
Scorch
Short-cast Fire damage; with talents it makes the target vulnerable to Fire.
Frostfire Bolt
New in Forever. Counts as both Fire and Frost and benefits from talents in both trees.
Control
Polymorph
Turns an enemy into a harmless sheep for a while. Any damage breaks it. (Yes: that is where this guide's name comes from.)
Frost Nova
Roots nearby enemies in place. In Forever it also sets up Ice Lance.
Counterspell
Interrupts an enemy cast and locks out that school of magic for a while.
Cone of Cold
Frost damage in a cone in front of you that slows. Its duration is shorter in Forever.
Defense and escape
Blink
Short forward teleport. Your main escape tool.
Mana Shield
Absorbs damage by spending mana instead of health.
Frost Armor / Ice Armor
Armor buff that raises your armor and can slow melee attackers. Ice Armor (level 30) is the upgraded version.
Fire Ward / Frost Ward
Shields that absorb Fire (level 20) or Frost (level 22) damage.
Mana
Evocation
Channel that quickly restores your mana. Long cooldown.
Mage Armor
Armor that improves mana regeneration and resistances. Regenerates more mana in Forever.
Conjure Mana Agate
Creates a gem that restores mana when used.
Utility
Arcane Intellect
Increases an ally's Intellect. Cast it on your group.
Conjure Water / Conjure Food
Creates water (level 4) and food (level 6) for you and your group: less downtime and gold spent.
Slow Fall
Slows your fall and prevents falling damage.
Remove Lesser Curse
Removes a curse from an ally. The Mage's dispel.
Teleport / Portal
Teleports to capital cities (levels 20/30) and group portals (levels 40/50), depending on the city.
What changes compared with Classic
Blizzard has published 40+ Mage changes, and the beta notes add more every week. The most important ones to start with:
- New spells and talents: Frostfire Bolt (baseline, level 40), Ice Lance, Fingers of Frost, Heating Up, Arcane Blast, Missile Barrage and Arcane Geometry.
- A new 16-point milestone talent in every tree, on top of the 11-, 21- and 31-point ones.
- Group effects become personal: Ignite, Improved Scorch and Winter’s Chill now only benefit the Mage who applies them.
- Less mass farming: Cone of Cold lasts less and Improved Blizzard slows by at most 40% (was 65%).
- Downranking pays off less: very low ranks get less from your spell damage and trigger your talents less often.
- Comprehension: a Mage-only minor tradeskill to decipher scrolls dropped by creatures.
Explore every change with filters.
How to read this guide
Every fact carries a badge saying where it comes from and how much you can trust it:
- Official: Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
- Published by Blizzard in a source we have read.
- Community: Published by the community or press; we have not read the official original.
- Published by the community or press; we have not read the official original.
- Classic reference: This is how it works in WoW Classic. Forever has not announced a change; not yet checked in game.
- This is how it works in WoW Classic. Forever has not announced a change; not yet checked in game.
- Analysis: Our reading of official mechanics. Not tested in game.
- Our reading of official mechanics. Not tested in game.
- Tested in game: Checked in game by the guide reviewer.
- Checked in game by the guide reviewer.
- Pending: No reliable information yet.
- No reliable information yet.
If something looks out of date, check the review date in the page header and the list of sources.