PvE Arcane Mage Rotations & Cooldowns – WoW Classic

Single-Target & AoE rotations for Arcane Mages in WoW Classic, along with in-depth explanations and information for spell priorities and utility spells.

PvE Arcane Mage

Stat Priority

Best Professions

Talents & Builds

Rotation & Cooldowns

Pre-Raid & Best in Slot (BiS)

Enchants & Consumables

Unlike Frost and Fire Mages who have dedicated spells for their specializations, Arcane Mages don’t have any viable spells that can be used to generate a similar DPS output. The only Arcane Damaging Spells in WoW Classic are Arcane Missiles and Arcane Explosion, with the former being used in PvP mainly while the latter is only used for AoE. As such, Arcane Mages use Frostbolt as their primary spell, often benefiting from special Frost Mage builds that employ the Winter’s Chill effect to further enhance their damage.

Single-Target Rotation

1. Cast Arcane Power (Burst)
   • Cast Arcane Power if 5/5 Winter’s Chill is on the target
   • Cast Arcane Power together with other offensive cooldowns such as Trinkets
2. Cast Presence of Mind (Burst – Deep Arcane)
   • Cast Presence of Mind after casting Arcane Power
3. Cast Frostbolt (Main Ability)
   • Spam max rank Frostbolt as your primary ability throughout the entire fight
4. Cast Fire Blast (Situational)
   • Cast Fire Blast only if you have to reposition
   • Don’t Cast Fire Blast if your Mana is low

The Arcane build utilizes Arcane Power and Presence of Mind in conjunction with Frostbolt. The idea is to activate Arcane Power in the best possible moment, especially considering how fast WoW Classic encounters can be. Due to this, you will want to activate Arcane Power only when the target is afflicted with 5 stacks of Winter’s Chill and once your trinkets are available as well. Presence of Mind should be used after to ensure a free Frostbolt at maximum efficiency. If no player is utilizing the Winter’s Chill build, you will simply want to use Arcane Power combined with your trinkets after your Tank established full Threat on the target.

In addition, you may use Fire Blast every time you reposition during a fight to maximize your Damage Output. This should be done as much as possible if your Mana Pool is healthy enough, however, it should be avoided during Arcane Power since you will want to position yourself properly and spam Frostbolt as much as possible.

AoE Rotation

1. Cast Arcane Power (Burst)
2. Cast Frost Nova (CC & Shatter Variant)
3. Cast Flamestrike (Shatter Variant)
   • Cast Presence of Mind with the Non-Shatter variant to increase Damage Output
4. Cast Arcane Explosion (Main Close Range AoE)
5. Cast Cone of Cold (Main AoE Slow)
6. Cast Blizzard (Main Range AoE)

The AoE rotation depends entirely on the build you are playing! If you are playing a Shatter variant of the Arcane Build, you will want to maximize your damage output by incorporating Frost Nova into every pull, followed by a Flamestrike + Arcane Explosion combo. You will want to prioritize Arcane Explosion over the classical Cone of Cold due to the Improved Arcane Explosion talent and because you’re going to miss the typical Frost AoE talents that enhance Cone of Cold. You may continue to use Cone of Cold if the pack needs to be slowed immediately in case you or your allies are in danger of being wiped.

For the Non-Shatter variant, you will want to spam Arcane Explosion at close range and Blizzard at long range. You may also choose to incorporate Arcane Power for burst if the pack is difficult and you need to quickly deal damage. Furthermore, you can use Presence of Mind to instantly cast Flamestrike on the Non-Shatter variant to maximize Damage Output.