Mage talent analysis This page is meant to provide some advice to Mage players seeking to make their own talent builds and examine the value of specific Mage talent s . It presents views on the usefulness of talents in solo leveling / farming , raiding , and PvP . A comprehensive list of established talent builds can be found at " Mage builds " . A full talent list can be found here . With the new requirement as of Patch 4 . 0 . 1 that at least 31 talent points must be spent in the primary tree before any can be allocated to secondary trees , cross - specialization is no longer as prominent as it once was . Arcane . " Manipulates arcane energies , playing with the very fabric of time and space . " The Arcane tree has a special emphasis upon mana management unlike any other class found in the game . This is especially true of raiders , but can also apply to PvP Arcanists who have a high degree of Mastery invested in their gear . The new Arcane tree carries a wide variety of utility talents which can be situationally used in PvE or PvP . Arcane Concentration . " 3 points : Gives you a 3 / 6 / 10 % chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target . The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100 % . " Improved Counterspell . " 2 points : Your Counterspell also silences the target for 2 / 4 seconds . " Netherwind Presence . " 3 points : Increases your spell haste by 1 / 2 / 3 % . " Torment the Weak . " Requires at least 5 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 3 points : Your Arcane damage spells deal 2 / 4 / 6 % more damage to snared or slowed targets . " Invocation . " Requires at least 5 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 2 points : You gain a 5 / 10 % damage bonus for 8 seconds after successfully interrupting a spell . " Improved Arcane Missiles . " Requires at least 5 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 2 points : Increases the number of missiles fired by your Arcane Missiles spell by 1 / 2 . " Improved Blink . " Requires at least 5 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 2 Points : Increases your speed by 35 / 70 % for 3 seconds after casting the Blink spell . " Arcane Flows . " Requires at least 10 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Presence of Mind . " < br > " 2 points : Reduces the cooldown of your Presence of Mind , Arcane Power , and Invisibility spells by 12 / 25 % and the cooldown of your Evocation spell by 1 / 2 minute ( s ) . " Presence of Mind . " Requires at least 10 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Presence of Mind ability . When activated , your next Mage spell with a casting time less than 10 seconds becomes an instant cast spell . " Missile Barrage . " Requires at least 10 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " Requires at 2 points in Improved Arcane Missiles . " < br > " 2 points : Your Arcane Missiles spell will fire its missiles every . 6 / . 5 seconds . " Prismatic Cloak . " Requires at least 10 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 3 points : Reduces all damage taken by 2 / 4 / 6 % and reduces the fade time of your Invisibility spell by 1 / 2 / 3 seconds . " Improved Polymorph . " Requires at least 15 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 2 points : When a target you ' ve Polymorphed is damaged , that target is stunned for 1 . 5 / 3 seconds . This effect cannot occur more than once every 10 seconds . " Arcane Tactics . " Requires at least 15 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Presence of Mind . " < br > " 1 point : Increases the damage of all party and raid members within 12 yards by 3 % . " Incanter ' s Absorption . " Requires at least 15 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 2 points : When your Mana Shield or Mage Ward absorbs damage your spell damage is increased by 10 / 20 % of the amount absorbed for 10 seconds . In addition , when your Mana Shield is destroyed , all enemies within 6 yards are knocked back 12 yards . " Improved Arcane Explosion . " Requires at least 15 points in talents . " < br > " 2 points : Reduces the global cooldown of your Arcane Explosion spell by . 25 / . 5 seconds and reduces the threat generated by 40 / 80 % . " Arcane Potency . " Requires at least 20 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 2 points : Increases the critical strike chance of your next 2 damaging spells by 7 / 15 % after gaining Clearcasting or Presence of Mind . " Slow . " Requires at least 20 points Arcane in talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Slow ability . Reduces a target ' s movement speed by 60 % , increases the time between ranged attacks by 60 % , and increases casting time by 30 % . Lasts 15 seconds . Slow can only affect one target at a time . " Nether Vortex . " Requires at 20 least points in Arcane talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Slow . " < br > " 2 points : Gives your Arcane Blast a 50 / 100 % chance to apply the Slow spell to any target it damages if no target is currently affected by Slow . " Focus Magic . " Requires at 25 least points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Focus Magic ability . Increases the target ' s chance to critically hit with spells by 3 % . When the target critically hits your chance to critically hit is increased by 3 % for 10 seconds . Cannot be cast on self . " Improved Mana Gem . " Requires at least 25 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " 2 points : Mana gained from your Mana Gem also increases your spellpower by 1 / 2 % of your maximum mana for 10 seconds . " Arcane Power . " Requires at least 30 points in Arcane talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Slow . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Arcane Power ability . When activated , you deal 20 % more damage but spells cost 10 % more mana to cast . This effect lasts 15 seconds . " Fire . " Ignites enemies with balls of fire and the breath of dragons . " Fire spells are traditionally harder - hitting and burstier in nature , resulting in higher sustained single - target damage . The Fire tree also has a strong emphasis on damage - over - time effects and AoE , with many talents bolstering one or both . With no direct defenses of note , the Fire mage lives by his wits as the proverbial glass cannon : kill fast , die fast . Master of Elements . " 2 points : Your spell criticals will refund 15 / 30 % of their base mana cost . " Burning Soul . " 3 points : Reduces the casting time lost from taking damaging attacks by 23 / 46 / 70 % . " Improved Fire Blast . " 2 points : Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire Blast spell by 4 / 8 % and increases its range by 5 / 10 yards . " Ignite . " Requires at least 5 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 3 points : Your critical strikes from Fire damage spells cause the target to burn for an additional 13 / 26 / 40 % of your spell ' s damage over 4 seconds . " Fire Power . " Requires at least 5 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 3 points : Increases the damage of your Fire spells by 1 / 2 / 3 and gives your Flame Orb a 33 / 66 / 100 % chance to explode at the end of its duration . " Blazing Speed . " Requires at least 5 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 2 points : Gives you a 5 / 10 % chance when hit by a melee or ranged attack to increase your movement speed by 50 % and dispel all movement impairing effects . This effect lasts 8 seconds . " Impact . " Requires at least 5 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 2 points : Gives your damaging spells a 5 / 10 % chance to reset the cooldown on Fire Blast and to cause the next Fire Blast you cast to stun the target for 2 seconds and spread any Fire damage over time effects to nearby enemy targets within 12 yards . " Cauterize . " Requires at least 10 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 2 points : You have a 50 / 100 % chance that an attack which would otherwise kill you will instead bring you to 40 % of your maximum health . However , you will burn for 12 % of your maximum health every 1 . 50 seconds for the next 6 seconds . This effect cannot occur more than once per minute . " Blast Wave . " Requires at least 10 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Blast Wave ability . A wave of flame radiates outward from the target location , damaging all enemies caught within the blast for X fire damage and slowing them by 70 % for 3 seconds . " Hot Streak . " Requires at least 10 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 1 point : Your spells no longer trigger Arcane Missiles . Instead , your critical strikes with Fireball , Frostfire Bolt , Scorch , Pyroblast , or Fire Blast have a chance to cause your next Pyroblast spell cast within 15 seconds to be instant cast and cost no mana . " Improved Scorch . " Requires at least 10 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 2 points : Reduces the mana cost of your Scorch spell by 50 / 100 % . " Molten Shields . " Requires at least 15 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 1 point : Reduces the global cooldown of your Mage Ward by 1 second and your Mage Ward triggers the Blazing Speed effect when it dissipates from absorbing damage . " Combustion . " Requires at least 15 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Combustion ability . Consumes all your damaging periodic Fire effects on an enemy target , instantly dealing X to Y Fire damage and creating a new periodic effect that lasts 10 seconds and deals damage per time equal to the sum of the consumed effects . " Improved Hot Streak . " Requires at least 15 points in Fire talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Hot Streak . " < br > " 2 points : Any time you score 2 non - periodic critical strikes in a row with your Fireball , Frostfire Bolt , Scorch , Pyroblast , or Fire Blast spells , you have a 50 / 100 % chance to trigger your Hot Streak effect . " Firestarter . " Requires at least 15 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 1 point : Your Molten Armor allows you to cast the Scorch spell while you are moving instead of reducing the chance you are critically hit . " Improved Flamestrike . " Requires at least 20 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 2 points : Reduces the casting time of your Flamestrike spell by 50 / 100 % and gives you a 50 / 100 % chance that your Blast Wave spell will also automatically Flamestrike the same location if two or more targets are affected by the Blast Wave . " Dragon ' s Breath . " Requires at least 20 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Dragon ' s Breath spell . When cast , targets in a cone in front of the caster take X Fire damage and are disorient ed for 5 sec . Any direct damaging attack will revive targets . Turns off your attack when used . " Molten Fury . " Requires at least 20 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 3 points : Increases damage of all spells against targets with less than 35 % health by 4 / 8 / 12 % . " Pyromaniac . " Requires at least 25 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 2 points : Increases spell haste by 5 / 10 % if 3 or more targets are taking Fire damage over time from your spells . " Critical Mass . " Requires at least 25 points in Fire talents . " < br > " 3 points : Your Living Bomb and Flame Orb spells deal 5 / 10 / 15 % more damage , and your Pyroblast and Scorch spells have a 33 / 66 / 100 % chance to cause your target to be vulnerable to spell damage , increasing spell critical strike chance against that target by 5 % and lasts 30 seconds . " Living Bomb . " Requires at least 30 points in Fire talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Dragon ' s Breath . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Living Bomb spell . The target becomes a Living Bomb , taking X Fire damage over 12 sec . After 12 seconds , the target explodes dealing Y Fire damage to up to 3 enemies within 10 yards . Limit three targets . " Frost . " Freezes enemies in their tracks and shatters them with powerful Frost magic . " The Frost tree has an emphasis in control and survivability talents such as Permafrost and Ice Barrier . It sacrifices some of its single - target DPS in exchange for powerful snares , higher mana - efficiency , and higher burst damage than other trees that makes it excel in fights that include multiple adds or are longer than average . Its control and longevity earned it the crown of most recognized PvP Mage tree . Early Frost . " 2 points : Reduces the cast time of your Frostbolt spell by . 35 / . 7 seconds . This effect becomes inactive for 15 seconds after use . " Piercing Ice . " 3 points : Increases the critical strike chance of your spells by 1 / 2 / 3 % . " Shatter . " 2 points : Multiplies the critical strike chance of all your spells against frozen targets by 2 / 3 . " Ice Floes . " Requires at least 5 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 3 points : Reduces the cooldown of your Frost Nova , Cone of Cold , Ice Block , Cold Snap , Ice Barrier , and Icy Veins spells by 7 / 14 / 20 % . " Improved Cone of Cold . " Requires at least 5 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 2 points : Your Cone of Cold also freezes targets for 2 / 4 seconds . " Piercing Chill . " Requires at least 5 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 2 points : Your Frostbolt criticals apply the chill effect to 1 / 2 additional nearby targets . " Permafrost . " Requires at least 5 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 3 points : Your Chill effects reduce the target ' s speed by an additional 4 / 7 / 10 % , and the target ' s healing by 8 / 16 / 25 % . In addition , whenever you deal spell damage , your Water Elemental is healed for 5 / 10 / 15 % of the amount dealt . " Ice Shards . " Requires at least 10 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 2 points : Adds a chill effect to your Blizzard spell . This effect lowers the target ' s movement speed by 25 / 40 % . Lasts 1 second . In addition , increases the range of your Ice Lance spell by 2 / 5 yards . " Icy Veins . " Requires at least 10 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Icy Veins ability . Hastens your spellcasting , increasing spell casting speed by 20 % and reduces the pushback suffered from damaging attacks while casting by 100 % . Lasts 20 seconds . " Fingers of Frost . " Requires at least 10 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 3 points : Gives your Chill effects a 10 / 20 / 30 % chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect , which causes your next Ice Lance or Deep Freeze spell to act as if your target were Frozen . Fingers of Frost can accumulate up to 2 charges and lasts 15 seconds . " Improved Freeze . " Requires at least 10 points in Frost talents . " < br > " Requires 3 points in Fingers of Frost . " < br > " 3 points : Gives your Water Elemental ' s Freeze spell a 33 / 66 / 100 % chance to grant 2 Fingers of Frost charges . " Enduring Winter . " Requires at least 15 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 3 points : Reduces the mana cost of all spells by 4 / 7 / 10 % . In addition , your Frostbolt spell has a 33 / 66 / 100 % chance to grant up to 10 party or raid members mana regeneration equal to 1 % of their maximum mana over 10 seconds . " Cold Snap . " Requires at least 15 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Cold Snap ability . When activated , this spell finishes the cooldown on all of your Frost spells . " Brain Freeze . " Requires at least 15 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 3 points : Your spells no longer trigger Arcane Missiles . Instead , your Frost damaging spells with chilling effects have a 5 / 10 / 15 % chance to cause your next Fireball or Frostfire Bolt to be instant cast and cost no mana . When Frostfire Bolt is cast , it can benefit from Fingers of Frost . Brain Freeze cannot be triggered by Frostfire Bolt . " Shattered Barrier . " Requires at least 20 points in Frost talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Ice Barrier . " < br > " 2 points : Gives your Ice Barrier spell a 100 % chance to freeze all enemies within 10 yds for 3 / 6 seconds when it is destroyed . " Ice Barrier . " Requires at least 20 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Ice Barrier ability . Instantly shields you , absorbing X damage . Lasts 60 sec . While the shield holds , spellcasting will not be delayed by damage . " Reactive Barrier . " Requires at least 20 points in Frost talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Ice Barrier . " < br > " 2 points : Gives the caster a 50 / 100 % chance for the Ice Barrier spell to automatically activate with no mana cost upon taking damage that lowers the caster ' s life below 50 % . This effect obeys Ice Barrier ' s cooldown , and will trigger the cooldown when activated . " Frostfire Orb . " Requires at least 25 points in Frost talents . " < br > " 2 points : Your Frostfire Orb gains a chill effect , slowing targets damaged by the Frostfire Orb by 40 % for 4 seconds . In addition , reduces the speed of targets slowed by your Frostfire Bolt ' s chill by an additional 10 / 20 % . " Deep Freeze . " Requires 30 points in Frost talents . " < br > " Requires 1 point in Ice Barrier . " < br > " 1 point : Grants you the Deep Freeze ability . Stuns the target for 5 sec . Only usable on Frozen targets . Deals a high amount of damage to targets permanently immune to stuns . "