PvE Arcane Mage DPS Stat Priority & Reforging

Arcane Mages in Mists of Pandaria prioritize Mastery and Haste as their most potent stats besides Intellect and Hit as opposed to any other stat. They maximize their damage output by following this stat priority thanks to the Mastery: Mana Adept and Nether Attunement effects.

Stat Priority

1. Intellect
2. Hit
3. Mastery
4. Haste
5. Critical Strike Chance

Intellect is a primary stat for Arcane Mage, providing them with increased Spell Power and Spell Critical Strike Chance. While the stat no longer provides Mana, it is the primary source of Spell Power and is innately found on all suitable gear for Arcane Mages. This stat should be stacked as much as possible through gems, enchants, and consumables!

Hit is a secondary stat that ensures your spells land against higher-level mobs. You will need a 15% Hit Chance to never miss against level 93 bosses, with each 340 Hit granting a 1% Hit Chance.

Mastery is the best secondary stat for Arcane Mages after reaching their Hit Cap! Mastery: Mana Adept remains unchanged for Arcane Mages in MoP Classic, increasing all Spell Damage based on the unspent Mana, meaning that stacking Mastery is the best option as it results in the highest possible Spell Damage.

Haste is the second most important secondary stat after Mastery, improving your Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration through the Nether Attunement passive. Haste also improves the tick rate of your DoT effects, such as Living Bomb and Nether Tempest. The more Haste you acquire, the more ticks can occur, with each spell having a different breakpoint. 14242 Haste Rating is the Soft Cap without raid buffs!

Critical Strike Chance is the least important secondary stat for Arcane Mages, even if it does result in their spells generating extra damage! Since Mastery: Mana Adept is far more potent, stacking Critical Strike is the worst option that they can go for. Gear with the Critical Strike Chance stat should not be avoided. Instead, the extra Critical Strike Chance should always be reforged into Mastery and Haste.

Reforging

Reforging can only be done on secondary stats, meaning you can’t acquire more Intellect through it! As an Arcane Mage, you will primarily want to reforge secondary stats until you reach the Hit Cap, after which you will want to acquire as much Mastery as possible, followed by Haste. You will primarily want to get rid of stats such as Spirit from your items! If you manage to stay away from Spirit gear altogether, you will reforge Critical Strike into Mastery and Haste instead.

1. Hit (Until Cap)
2. Mastery (As much as possible)
3. Haste (Soft Haste Cap)