PvE Frost Mage DPS

Frost Mages in Mists of Pandaria are fast-paced casters that have dynamic gameplay revolving around proc effects. Their playstyle has been overhauled thanks to the new Mastery: Icicles, which now stores a portion of their Frostbolt & Frostfire Bolt damage to launch Icicles at their foes with Ice Lance. Their powerful Shatter crits are no longer reserved only for PvP!

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

Quite a few changes occurred to Frost Mages in Mists of Pandaria, and thanks to them, they can no longer be considered one of the worst PvE specializations, finally finding a place of their own. The specialization kept its core gameplay with iconic spells such as Frostbolt, Ice Lance, Frostfire Bolt, and Frozen Orb! However, they gained a new and powerful Mastery effect, Mastery: Icicles, which makes them even more proc-oriented than before. They can now store some of their Frostbolt & Frostfire Bolt damage and send it out as Icicles to their foes through Ice Lance.

Frost Mage’s overall gameplay has been made far smoother, not only with the addition of the new Mastery but also by increasing the chance of generating Fingers of Frost procs and overhauling the way Brain Freeze is obtained. Brain Freeze is now tied to Mage Bomb spells that are obtainable no matter what specialization you play, with Frost Mage favoring Living Bomb and Nether Tempest as fresh additions to the rotation.

Like all other Mage specializations, change from new abilities such as Alter Time, Rune of Power, and Invocation also enhance their overall performance. Thanks to the overhauled Talent System and new spells, they can now effectively create a very long burst sequence, significantly enhancing the duration of any beneficial effect by snapshotting them with Alter Time.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

• Smooth & Dynamic Playstyle
  Frost Mages have a much better and more dynamic playstyle in Mists of Pandaria in PvE and are no longer considered a complete meme spec. This is thanks to the overhauled Mastery: icicles, the easier-to-access Brain Freeze & Fingers of Frost procs, and the addition of Invocation, Rune of Power, & Alter Time mechanics. Those additions fully make their gameplay revolve around procs unleashing volley after volley of Frostbolts with enough Haste Rating.

• 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.

Weaknesses

• Average Damage Output
  Frost Mages are sadly on the average side of the Damage Meters, especially at the beginning of the expansion. Their Damage Output only rises considerably towards the end of the expansion, making them quite underwhelming at the start.

• Stat & Gear Dependent
  Frost Mages suffer from the same plight that all Caster Specializations have in Mists of Pandaria: a heavy dependency on proper gear and stat itemization. Considering their Damage Output is already considered average, their dependency on gear can make them very tough to enjoy in competitive settings.

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 Frost Mage, namely Berserking. At the same time, other races only offer slight bonuses such as a 1% increased Hit Chance, Haste, or Critical Strike Chance.

Horde

The best race for a Fire 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 Frost Mage is Draenei with Heroic Presence, followed by Gnome with Expansive Mind and Shortblade Specialization, Human with Sword Specialization, and Worgen with Viciousness.

• Draenei: Gift of the Naaru, Heroic Presence, Shadow Resistance, Gemcutting.
• Gnome: Shortblade Specialization, Engineering Specialization, Escape Artist, Expansive Mind, Arcane Resistance.
• 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.