Arcane Mage Healer Guide & Best Runes – Phase 4 Season of Discovery (SoD)

Welcome to the SoD Phase 4 Arcane Mage Healer Guide.

This guide focuses exclusively on the Arcane specialization, exploring key components such as Runes, Talent Trees, Stat Priorities, Rotations & Abilities, Best Professions, BiS (Best in Slot) items, and Race Choices. The new Rune System introduced in the Season of Discovery has granted Mage players the possibility to do something that they always wish they could, manipulate the fabric of reality and warp time, healing their allies as a result!

Talents

Runes

• Helm: Advanced Warding/Temporal Anomaly
• Cloak: Arcane Barrage
• Chest: Burnout/Mass Regeneration
• Wrist: Balefire Bolt/Rewind Time
• Hands: Arcane Blast
• Waist: Missile Barrage
• Legs: Mass Regeneration/Icy Veins
• Feet: Chronostatic Preservation/Spell Power
• Ring: Arcane Specialization
• Ring: Fire Specialization

The way you will select your runes as a Mage Healer depends mostly on your role in the raid group. If you are assigned as a Tank Healer instead of an AoE Healer, you will want to focus on runes such as Icy Veins, Burnout, and Balefire Bolt. If you are assigned as an AoE Healer, you will want to focus on runes such as Mass Regeneration, Temporal Anomaly, and Rewind Time.

While Mage Healers are technically better at AoE Healing, they can also excel at Single-Target Healing, as they have many effects to choose from. Additionally, choosing between Chronostatic Preservation and Spell Power strictly depends on the encounters you are about to face, as Chronostatic Preservation will always be better for fights where there is a risk of Burst Damage while Spell Power is better for consistent healing.

Stat Priority

1. Hit Chance
2. Spell Damage
3. Arcane Spell Damage
4. Spell Healing
5. Intellect
6. Critical Strike Chance
7. Spirit
8. Stamina

Rotations & Abilities

Arcane Mage Healer has two gameplay components: a rotation that it performs to heal its allies while damaging its foes and a healing/utility spells priority list that offers direct healing/shielding to the target. As a Healer Mage, you will consistently swap between placing beneficial effects such as Regeneration, Mass Regeneration, and Chronostatic Preservation on your allies and a standard DPS rotation that will further heal your allies through the Temporal Beacon effect.

Healing Spells Priority List

1. If you choose the Advanced Warding rune
   • Cast Fire Ward whenever a mob/boss deals Fire Damage to an ally
   • Cast Frost Ward whenever a mob/boss deals Frost Damage to an ally
   • Cast Mana Shield only if you have above 50% Mana and plenty of Mana Regeneration
   • Cast Remove Greater Curse to dispel allies
2. If you choose the Temporal Anomaly rune
   • Cast Temporal Anomaly on a group of allies to shield them
3. Cast Regeneration on a wounded ally to apply Temporal Beacon
   • Quick Cast Regeneration for a single tick on multiple allies if you don’t have Mass Regeneration
4. Cast Mass Regeneration on wounded allies to apply Temporal Beacon
   • Don’t interrupt Mass Regeneration early if heavy damage is incoming
5. Cast Chronostatic Preservation on targets that are about to receive heavy damage
   • Recast Chronostatic Preservation if the target drops below 50% HP
6. If you choose the Rewind Time rune
   • Cast Rewind Time as a mitigation tool in cases where you are sure your allies are about to take heavy damage
   • Don’t prioritize Rewind Time if your target is below 20% HP

Offensive Spells Rotation

1. Cast Balefire Bolt and reach as close as possible to 9 stacks
   • Alternate between Balefire Bolt and Arcane Blast to increase each Balefire Bolt‘s damage output
2. Cast Arcane Blast
   • Cast Arcane Blast up to 3-4 stacks as long as you have plenty of mana regeneration
   • Cast Arcane Blast once Balefire Bolt reaches 9 stacks
3. Cast Arcane Missiles when Missile Barrage procs
   • Never cast Arcane Missiles without the Missile Barrage proc
   • Prioritize Arcane Missiles over Arcane Barrage if Missile Barrage procs and you have 3-4 Arcane Blast stacks
4. Cast Arcane Barrage whenever you need a small instant heal
   • Cast Arcane Barrage with 3-4 Arcane Blast Stacks
   • Cast Arcane Barrage if you need to reposition
5. Cast Fire Blast if you need to reposition and Arcane Barrage is on cooldown

Best Professions

Tailoring

Tailoring is by far the best profession that Mage Healer can utilize as it not only allows you to craft the new Season of Discovery epic gear pieces but also provides you with a consistent way of generating gold. Furthermore, it pairs extraordinarily well with Enchanting.

Enchanting

Enchanting is the second-best profession that a Mage Healer can use, providing a powerful synergy with Tailoring, the ability to add beneficial stats to equipment, and even disenchant gear pieces into magical essences. Enchanting is also viewed as one of the best gold generation tools in the game besides the bonuses it offers and the access to the specific Season of Discovery enchanting sigils.

Best Races

Gnome is the strongest Mage Race/Class combination in PvE for Alliance thanks to Expansive Mind while Troll is the strongest Mage Race/Class in combination in PvE thanks to Berserking.

Human

• The Human Spirit, Sword Specialization, Mace Specialization, Perception, Diplomacy

Gnome

• Expansive Mind, Escape Artist, Engineering Specialization, Arcane Resistance

Undead

• Will of the Forsaken, Shadow Resistance, Cannibalize, Underwater Breathing

Troll

• Berserking, Beast Slaying, Bow Specialization, Throwing Specialization, Regeneration