PvE Arcane Mage DPS

Arcane Mages in Mists of Pandaria are strong casters with an affinity for Mana. Their gameplay revolves around managing their reserves and empowering themselves through the Mana Adept mechanic. Their playstyle is suitable in both dungeons and raids yet challenging to master, resulting in dynamic and engaging gameplay.

In this guide, we’ll cover every aspect of an Arcane Mage, ranging from playstyle to gearing to quick tips & tricks so you can tackle the end game and top of the Damage Meters!

Arcane Mages retain most of the mechanics they used in Cataclysm Classic, with their gameplay revolving around building Arcane Charges with Arcane Blast and spending them with Arcane Barrage. Unlike their previous version, they no longer consume charges upon casting Arcane Missiles or any other Arcane Damage spell, making their rotation far smoother. In addition, Arcane Mages gained buffs to their Mage Armor, now directly contributing to their Mastery: Mana Adept mechanic, which works the same. Furthermore, they gain a powerful new spell, Alter Time, that allows them to use creative burst sequences, effectively leaping through time and maintaining beneficial effects longer.

Their Mana Management mechanic is still at large. However the addition of Rune of Power, which works as a static buff that provides both Spell Power and Mana Regeneration, massively helps them manage their reserves. Nether Attunement also allows them to have a higher Mana Regeneration by stacking Haste.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

• Strong Damage Output
  Arcane Mages have a very high Damage Output when correctly played, dealing impressive damage if Mana Adept is properly managed. Thanks to new abilities such as Rune of Power, Living Bomb, Nether Tempest, and Alter Time, their Single-Target and AoE received a massive overall boost.

• Amazing Defensive & UtIity Cooldowns
  Mists of Pandaria adds an entire arsenal of Defensive & Utility cooldowns through the revamped Talent System & Spells, bringing abilities such as Ice Barrier, Temporal Shield, Cauterize, Cold Snap, and Greater Invisibility into the mix.

• Improved Mana Management & Arcane Charges Mechanics
  Thanks to the new Mana Gem, Rune of Power, and Nether Attunement mechanics, Mana Management is far easier than in Cataclysm Classic. In addition, the change to Arcane Charges makes the specialization much smoother, with dynamic proc-style gameplay.

Weaknesses

• Stat & Gear Dependent
  Arcane Mages suffer from the same plight that all Caster Specializations have in Mists of Pandaria: a heavy dependency on proper gear and stat itemization. Due to this, until proper values of Mastery and Haste are acquired, the specialization feels clunky and underwhelming at first.

• Not Beginner Friendly
  While Arcane Mage now benefits from a far superior Mana Regeneration than it ever had before, the specialization remains hard to master. Mana Adept is hard to maintain at full power for new players, with many making the mistake of overspending precious Mana on far too many Arcane Blast casts.

Best Races

While racial effects were extremely important in previous versions of WoW, their importance has been reduced overall in MoP Classic. The effects now act as slight bonuses instead of actual game-changing mechanics. Trolls are the only ones that retain a powerful cooldown that boosts DPS considerably for Arcane Mage, namely Berserking.

Horde

The best race for an Arcane Mage in the Horde is the Troll with Berserking, followed by the Goblin, thanks to Time is Money, which gives Haste, and the Orc with Blood Fury.

• Troll: Berserking, Da Voodoo Shuffle, Regeneration, Beast Slaying, Bow Specialization, Throwing Specialization.
• Goblin: Time is Money, Rocket Barrage, Rocket Jump, Best Deals Anywhere, Better Living Through Chemistry, Pack Hobgoblin.
• Pandaren: Bouncy, Epicurean, Gourmand, Inner Peace, Quaking Palm.
• Orc: Blood Fury, Axe Specialization, Hardiness, Command.
• Blood Elf: Arcane Torrent, Arcane Resistance, Arcane Affinity.
• Undead: Will of the Forsaken, Cannibalize, Shadow Resistance, Underwater Breathing.

Alliance

The best Alliance race for Arcane Mage is Gnome due to Expansive Mind, followed by Draenei with Heroic Presence and Worgen with Viciousness.

• Gnome: Shortblade Specialization, Engineering Specialization, Escape Artist, Expansive Mind, Arcane Resistance.
• Draenei: Gift of the Naaru, Heroic Presence, Shadow Resistance, Gemcutting.
• Worgen: Darkflight, Flayer, Viciousness, Aberration.
• Human: Sword Specialization, Mace Specialization, Will to Survive, The Human Spirit, Diplomacy.
• Dwarf: Stoneform, Explorer, Mace Specialization, Gun Specialization, Frost Resistance.
• Pandaren: Bouncy, Epicurean, Gourmand, Inner Peace, Quaking Palm.
• Night Elf: Elusiveness, Quickness, Shadowmeld, Wisp Spirit, Nature Resistance.