WoW Classic Mage Leveling Guide

Welcome to our mage leveling guide for WoW Classic! Mages are the premier spellcasters of Azeroth, using their superior intellectual knowledge to overpower their foes. Not only do they have a variety of frost, fire, and arcane spells, but they also have several special abilities that offer unique utility, like portals and conjured food/water.

One thing that makes leveling a mage slightly different from other classes is that their playstyle is extremely similar to how you’d play at max level. Frost is the most popular leveling and raiding specialization, offering plenty of damage with one of the simplest rotations in the game. The key difference between leveling and raiding is the talents you choose. The talents you’ll select are crucial to helping you level as a mage as they significantly increase your power.

Leveling your mage is fairly simple, but there’s still some good information to know if you want a smoother, stress-free leveling experience. This guide will cover some general leveling tips and will also go in-depth on how to build and play a mage. We’ll cover your stat priority, rotation, optimal talent build path, essential abilities to train, and professions that will make everything a little better!

Pro

• Very easy to play.
• Excellent at kiting and keeping enemies away.
• Plenty of utility in the form of portals, crowd control, and free food/water.
• Fantastic survivability and mobility.
• Great at area-of-effect damage.
• Naturally has spell hit rating through talents.

Con

• Can feel repetitive and boring to play.
• Very dependent on procs to freeze enemies for significantly more damage.
• Extremely squishy when all cooldowns, escapes, and crowd controls are unavailable.
• Vulnerable to interrupts and silences.

General Leveling Tips

Getting to level 60 is definitely a long journey in Classic WoW. Much of the beauty in Azeroth is in the sense of gradual progression you feel. Each new level and ability you earn makes you feel a little bit stronger. Every new piece of equipment you find helps too. Simply rushing to max level is great if you’re strictly interested in raiding, but this will cause you to miss out on the beauty of growing your character. Play however feels most fun to you, but definitely consider taking the time to enjoy each moment your character gets just a little bit better!

You certainly won’t need these on a mage, but here are some helpful gameplay tips if you want a smoother ride:

• Try to plan out what level zones you’ll go to in advance. Some zones are great for either faction, but others are specifically designed for Horde or Alliance. All of them have an unspoken level requirement, considering that you’ll find different leveled monsters depending on the zone.
• Related to picking the right zone, make sure you’re fighting monsters that are the exact same level as you. Creatures that are higher or lower level than you will give reduced experience.
• Mages definitely have an advantage in this department, but make sure to at least have plenty of water and possibly food too. You can Conjure Water as a mage, but this isn’t very helpful if you’re already out of mana and didn’t make any water in advance!
• As a mage, you really don’t need to group up. You have fantastic survivability and damage, letting you easily solo elite monsters and clear groups of mobs. If you do join a group, you make a fantastic member by providing water and an Intellect buff.
• Unless you’re actively trying to AoE mobs down, do your best to fight enemies one at a time. This will give you the best chance to freeze a target, which gives you a 5 second window of serious damage.
• Consider fighting enemies you see when you’re running to and from quest objectives. Quests alone won’t get you to level 60, so naturally fitting in some grinding will leave less for you to do when you’re higher level.
• Try taking a break from questing all the time to run some dungeons every few levels. Not only are these good for experience, but you can get powerful equipment upgrades that will make things much easier for you.

Mage Specific Gameplay Advice

• While leveling, there are two main buffs you have. You’ll want to keep them applied at all times, but fortunately they last for a long duration. This includes Arcane Intellect for extra Intellect, and Ice Armor to make you beefier while also slowing attackers.
• Once you’re level 40, you’ll also want to apply Ice Barrier before every pull, reapplying it whenever it comes off cooldown.
• You have multiple useful cooldowns for keeping yourself alive. Ice Block is great for emergencies, encapsulating you in a block of ice for 10 seconds, but it does prevent you from taking action. If you need to use it in quick succession, you can use Cold Snap to reset it in a pinch.
• Evocation can restore almost your entire mana bar, but does have an 8 minute cooldown. It’s often a good idea to hold onto this until you are almost out of mana.
• Try to do your best to kite enemies as much as possible. This is fairly simple to the natural chilling slow applied by Frostbolt, but you also have a few other abilities to help you out. Frost Nova freezes all enemies in place, but does have a 25 second cooldown. Cone of Cold is another option that slows enemies hit by 50% for 8 seconds.
• Don’t be afraid to Polymorph an enemy if you don’t feel confident fighting a whole pack. This will heal your target, so don’t waste a Polymorph on an enemy that is almost dead.

Stat Priority

1. Spell/Frost Damage
   • Your highest priority for stats is what will result in the greatest damage increase. There’s nothing better than spell damage and frost damage, which both directly boost the power of your spells. Both are fairly uncommon, but don’t be afraid to go out of your way to find equipment with this.
2. Intellect
   • Intellect is also a nice stat to have as a mage. This will increase your overall mana pool while also giving you some spell critical strike chance. Without mana you won’t deal much damage, so pick up some Intellect to minimize your downtime.
   • Increases mana points by 15 per point and chance to score a critical strike with spells.
   • Improves rate weapon skills level.
3. Stamina
   • You’re also going to need at least a little bit of Stamina. Hopefully you shouldn’t be getting hit much in general with all the slows at your disposal, but if you do, this will give you some cushion to soak a few blows before spells are available again.
   • Increases health points by 10 per point.
4. Spirit
   • The last stat you’ll want is Spirit. As a mage, you’ll constantly be casting spells, meaning you won’t be able to benefit from Spirit unless you’re using Mage Armor, which isn’t a great idea. This will help you regenerate out of combat, making you spend less time drinking water. It also improves the effectivness of your Evocation.
   • Increases out of combat health and mana regeneration.

About Spell Hit

As a spellcaster you will always have a 1% chance to miss with your spells.

• Against a target of the same level: You have a 4% chance to miss. 3% Hit is needed for cap.
• Against a target 1 level higher than you: You have a 5% chance to miss. 4% Hit is needed for cap.
• Against a target 2 levels higher than you: You have a 6% chance to miss. 5% Hit is needed for cap.
• Against a target 3 levels higher than you: You have a 17% chance to miss. 16% Hit is needed for cap.

Rotation

The rotation for leveling your frost mage is extremely simple and won’t change much on the way to level 60. While your rotation is simple, the way you execute it might not be. To be most effective, you’ll constantly need to run away from enemies in between Frostbolt casts. This will allow you to keep them at a distance while also damaging them.

All you really want to do is cast Frostbolt, with the goal of still being out of melee range of your target when the cast finishes. To make kiting simpler, you can also use Frost Nova to freeze enemies in place. As a last resort, when enemies attack you with Ice Armor applied, they’ll be slowed once again, giving you a good window to Blink away.

As soon as you get Ice Barrier, keep it up at all times. This basically serves as a free shield and will prevent enemies from slowing your Frostbolt casts if they do reach you. If you encounter multiple enemies, immediately use Frost Nova and run away to give you a moment to assess the situation.

If there are less than 3 enemies, use your single target rotation after using Polymorph on one. If there are more than 3 that you can confidently handle, use Blizzard until it is no longer hitting your targets. Use Cone of Cold and then run away to channel another Blizzard. Once enemies are attacking you, start spamming Arcane Explosion.

• Single Target: Frostbolt >Frost Nova
• Multiple Targets: Frost Nova >Blizzard >Cone of Cold >Arcane Explosion

Alternative Builds & Rotations

Alternate between using Fireball or Frostbolt based on new ranks of the spells up to when you get your first rank of Frostbite, then 100% Frostbolt.

Get a Wand ASAP (Lesser Magic Wand has an insane 11.3 DPS).

Skip Training Arcane Missiless unless you plan on going Improved Arcane Missiles build, which we will discuss later.

Rotation is: 3x Frostbolt / Fireball then squeeze in a wand Shoot if you have time. If mob is close to dead then continue wanding till death. If it still has substantial HP, proceed to run and use Frost Nova. Continue to run during Frost Nova global cooldown then cast 1-2x Frostbolts/ Fireballs and wand to death.

1-19 – Invest Into Arcane Tree:

• 2 Arcane Subtlety
• 3 Arcane Focus
• 5 Arcane Concentration

Lvl 20 – keep talents or respec based on state of Clearcasting:

• 3 Elemental Precision
• 2 Improved Frostbolt
• 3 Permafrost
• 2 Improved Frost Nova
• 2 Improved Blizzard
• 1 Cold Snap
• 2 Piercing Ice
• 2 Arctic Reach
• 1 Piercing Ice
• 2 Frost Channeling
• 1 Ice Block
• 1 Frost Channeling
• 3 Improved Cone of Cold
• 3 Improved Frostbolt
• 2 Shatter
• 1 Ice Barrier

If you respecced at 20, go back to the Arcane tree:

• 2 Arcane Subtlety
• 3 Arcane Focus
• 5 Arcane Concentration

Go back to Frost:

• 5 Shatter
• 5 Ice Shards

Last points in Arcane:

Notes About This Build:

Race to level 14 through mob tagging – this is when you get Arcane Explosion. At this point begin AoE Grinding with Arcane Explosion, Frost Nova, and start integrating Flamestrike at 16.

At 20 depending on if Clearcasting is buffed or nerfed you will either respec Frost or keep your Arcane talents and start investing into the Frost tree. If Clearcasting has a chance of proccing on every mob you hit you will stay Arcane if it has a chance to proc once per spell you will go Frost.

Use Rank 1 Cone of Cold AoE grinding method fishing for Clearcast procs.

Then use high rank Blizzard if the pull calls for it or higher rank Arcane Explosion.

1-19 – Invest into the Arcane tree:

• 5 Improved Arcane Missiles
• 5 Arcane Concentration

Lvl 20 – Respec Frost:

• 3 Elemental Precision
• 2 Improved Frostbolt
• 2 Improved Frost Nova
• 3 Permafrost
• 2 Improved Blizzard
• 1 Cold Snap
• 2 Piercing Ice
• 2 Arctic Reach
• 3 Frost Channeling
• 1 Ice Block
• 3 Improved Cone of Cold
• 1 Piercing Ice
• 5 Shatter
• 1 Ice Barrier

Go back to the Arcane tree:

• 2 Arcane Subtlety
• 3 Arcane Focus
• 5 Arcane Concentration
• 1 Arcane Resilience
• 3 Improved Arcane Explosion
• 1 Arcane Focus
• 3 Arcane Meditation

Go back to Frost:

Notes About This Build:

Start AoE grinding ASAP starting at level 20. Single target with Improved Arcane Missiles will be more efficient up until that point.

5/5 Improved Arcane Missiles Pre-20: The assumption with this choice is that dealing with the occasional resist is not going to be as problematic as having pushback on your spells. Start Using Arcane Missiles when you have minimum 3/5 points into the talent = 60% chance to avoid interruption.

Ideally you AoE grind in groups and start solo AoE grinding dungeons starting mid-40s in Maraudon.

When AoE grinding difficult mobs, downrank your AoE spells to get Clearcasting procs, then use higher ranks for maximum efficiency.

2/3 Improved Blizzard, depending on how your server is. If 3/3 will prevent your Cone of Cold slow from overwriting then you will stay at 2/3 since the slow falling off can be a huge liability that will get you killed.

Potentially skipping Ice Barrier, Ice Block till Clearcasting is online.

• 3 Elemental Precision
• 2 Improved Frostbolt
• 3 Frostbite
• 2 Improved Frost Nova
• 5 Ice Shards
• 5 Shatter
• 1 Ice Block
• 5 Frostbolt
• 1 Cold Snap
• 3 Frost Channeling
• 2 Arctic Reach
• 1 Ice Barrier

Then proceed into the Arcane tree:

• 2 Arcane Subtlety
• 3 Arcane Focus
• 5 Arcane Concentration
• 2 Wand Specialization

Then proceed back into the Frost Tree:

• 3 Piercing Ice
• 5 Winter’s Chill

Notes About This Build:

Wands are incredibly strong weapons that can be toggled on before a global cooldown finishes cooling down. Make sure you integrate wanding alongside your spells to find a harmonious balance spending and generating resources.

Use Frost Ward / Fire Ward when facing Frost or Fire damage. They’re cheap and provide a shield. They share a cooldown.

Rotation is: 3x Frostbolt (4x when you have 2/2 Arctic Reach and 3/3 Permafrost) then squeeze in a Wand shot if you have time. Proceed to run and then Frost Nova. Continue to run during Frost Nova global cooldown then at that point make use of the Shatter effect. Cast 2x Frostbolts and Wand to death.

AoE Grinding

AoE grinding can be achieved as a Mage through multiple methods. The most known method is using Frost Nova to root mobs in place and to burn them down with Improved Blizzard. Another method is to Flamestrike -> Frost Nova -> Arcane Explosion mobs down. Yet another method is to kite mobs around with simple Cone of Cold rank 1, fishing for Clearcasting procs, then using higher ranks of Cone of Cold or Blizzard. There are multiple ways to open an infinite value loop as long as your mana permits.

Here is a sample breakdown of a potential AoE grinding rotation, global cooldown by global cooldown:

Pull: If 40+, start mounted up with Ice Barrier on. If you are under 40 then face pull / wand / rank 1 Fire Blast to gather targets.

Control: Once gathered, use Cone of Cold to slow all mobs and if any resist, immediately use Frost Nova as a backup.

Create Space: Start strafing away or Blink away to create distance (ideally you should strafe rather than Blink as the mana cost scales).

Kill: Use 2x Blizzard as they waddle in your direction and rinse and repeat using Cone of Cold or Frost Nova to control.

AoE Grinding Tips

When surveying a new area to AoE grind, try killing a single mob with your combo to get a sense of its power level. If you are able to kill the mob in 4 Blizzards or less you are probably in good shape.

Use your wand / rank 1 Fire Blast to gather mobs that are spread out. Get creative with your positioning to gather them within range of your Frost Nova.

Do not pull packs of mobs with even a SINGLE ranged damage dealer. Always surgically dispatch of caster mobs first before starting your pull. Even a single attack can ruin your Blizzard costing you a ton of mana and potentially your life because you no longer have the resources to kill the pack.

Absolutely NO Frostbite talent. This will mess you up in a huge way, freezing mobs randomly out of range of your Frost Novas and Blizzards. You have to commit to either the single target spec or the AoE grinding spec.

If after your 2nd Blizzard, if mobs are closing the distance and Frost Nova isn’t fully off of CD, use Cone of Cold to create more space. Keep strafing away for the couple of seconds you need for a new Frost Nova.

Generally you shouldn’t use Ice Armor as the slow effect will mess up your timings, however, if you are having trouble surviving you can use it as well as Mana Shield to increase survivability at the expense of efficiency.

Alliance AoE Grinding Spots

• Lvl 16-22: Riverpaw Gnolls – Southern Westfall (Coords 59.1 , 72.2) – Mobs are lvls 16-18
• Lvl 16-22: Stonesplinter Troggs – Ironband Excavation Site in Loch Modan (Coords 68.0 , 63.0) – Mobs are lvls 17-18
• Lvl 20-26: Mosshide Gnolls – Mosshide Fen in Wetlands (Coords 63.0 50.0) – Mobs are lvls 21-22
• Lvl 27-32: Nightbane Worgens – The Rotting Orchard in Duskwood (Coords 62.5 , 72.0) – Mobs are lvls 27-30
• Lvl 22-32: Ghouls & Skeletons – Raven Hill Cemetery in Duskwood (Coords 22.0 , 36.0) – Mobs are lvls 24-30
• Lvl 29-33: Nightbane Vilefangs – Roland’s Doom in Duskwood (Coords 73.0 , 76.0) – Mobs are lvls 29-32
• Lvl 32-36: Syndicate – Northfold Manor (Coords 33.0 , 28.0) – Arathi Highlands – Mobs are lvls 31-33
• Lvl 31-36: Torn Fin Murlocs – Western Strand (Coords 44.8 , 66.0) – Hillsbrad Foothills – Mobs are lvls 30-32
• Lvl 33-37: Syndicate Humans – Corrahn’s Dagger (Coords 48.5 , 82.9) – Alterac Mountains – Mobs are lvls 32-34
• Lvl 32-38: Hammerfall Peons – Go’Shek Farm (Coords 61.0 , 57.0) – Arathi Highlands – Mobs are lvls 33-34
• Lvl 35-39: Bloodfen Raptors – Witch Hill in Dustwallow Marsh (46.0 , 19.0) – Mobs are lvls 35-37
• Lvl 35-40: Mirefin Murlocs – Dreadmurk Shore in Dustwallow Marsh (Coords 54.0 , 16.0) – Mobs are lvls 35-37
• Lvl 39-41: Longtooth Runners – Sardor Isle in Feralas (Coords 30.0 , 52.0) – Mobs are 40-41
• Lvl 39-44: Deathstrike Tarantulas – East of Stonard, Swamp of Sorrows (Coords 56.3 , 60.5) – Mobs are lvls 40-41
• Lvl 40-45: Wastewander Humans – Waterspring Field in Tanaris (Coords 63.0 , 31.0) – Mobs are lvls 40-43
• Lvl 40-46: Marsh Murlocs – Misty Reed Strand in Swamp of Sorrows (Coords 84.0 , 91.0) – Mobs are lvls 41-43
• Lvl 42-46: Skullsplitter Trolls – Ruins of Zul’Mamwe in Stranglethorn Vale (Coords 46.0 , 42.0) – Mobs are lvls 40-44
• Lvl 43-46: Fire Rocs & Hyenas – Abyssal Sands in Tanaris (Coords 44.8 , 40.6) – Mobs are lvls 43-45
• Lvl 43-51: Southsea Pirates – Lost Rigger Cove in Tanaris (Coords 73.0 , 45.0) – Mobs are lvls 44-45
• Lvl 45-51: Deep Borer Worms in Maraudon Dungeon in Desolace (Coords 29.6, 62.8) – Mobs are 46-47
• Lvl 46-51: Jade Oozes in Skull Rock in Hinterlands (Coords 57.7, 39.7)- Mobs are lvls 47-48
• Lvl 48-52: Ravasaur Raptors – The Marshlands in Un’Goro Crater (Coords 67.8 , 60.0) – Mobs are lvls 48-50 Lvl 52-56: Arena Spectators – Blackrock Depths Dungeon in Searing Gorge (45.5 , 86.6) – Mobs are lvls 52-54
• Lvl 52-58: Zombies & Skeles – Dalson’s Tears in Western Plaguelands (Coords 45.0 , 53.0) – Mobs are lvls 52-54
• Lvl 53-58: Ghouls & Skeles – Ruins of Andorhal in Western Plaguelands (Coords 45.4 , 69.5) – Mobs are lvls 53-56
• Lvl 53-59: Deadwood Furlbogs – Felpaw Village in Felwood (Coords 62.0 , 12.0) – Mobs are lvls 53-55
• Lvl 53-60: Whip Lashers in Dire Maul East Runs in Feralas (Coords 58.0 , 43.0) – Mobs are lvl 54
• Lvl 51-56: Ghouls & Skeles – Sorrow Hill in Western Plaguelands (Coords 51.4 , 77.6) – Mobs are lvls 50-52

Horde AoE Grinding Spots

• Lvl 16-22: Rothide Gnolls – Fenris Isle in Silverpine Forest (Coords 65.0 , 25.0) – Mobs are lvls 16-18
• Lvl 16-23: Wyverns & Stormers – Mirkfallon Lake in Stonetalon Mountains (Coords 48.0 , 40.0) – Mobs are lvls 17-18
• Lvl 16-24: Venture Co Workers – Windshear Crag in Stonetalon Mountains (Coords 67.5 , 49.0) – Mobs are 18-20
• Lvl 20-26: Mosshide Gnolls – Mosshide Fen in Wetlands (Coords 63.0 50.0) – Mobs are lvls 21-22
• Lvl 25-29: Hillsbrad Miners – Azurelode Mine in Hillsbrad Foothills (Coords 26.8 , 58.3) – Mobs are lvls 26-27
• Lvl 26-30 Hillsbrad Humans – Hillsbrad Fields (Coords 33.0 , 43.0) – Hillsbrad Foothills – Mobs are lvls 24-26
• Lvl 29-35: Random Beasts – Thousand Needles in Shimmering Flats (Coords 78.0 , 71.0) – Mobs are lvls 29-35
• Lvl Lvl 30-35 Dabyrie Laborers – Dabyrie Farmstead (Coords 55.0, 39.0) – Hillsbrad Foothills – Mobs are lvls 30-31
• Lvl 32-36: Syndicate – Northfold Manor (Coords 33.0 , 28.0) – Arathi Highlands – Mobs are lvls 31-33
• Lvl 31-36: Torn Fin Murlocs – Western Strand (Coords 44.8 , 66.0) – Hillsbrad Foothills – Mobs are lvls 30-32
• Lvl 33-37: Syndicate Humans – Corrahn’s Dagger (Coords 48.5 , 82.9) – Alterac Mountains – Mobs are lvls 32-34
• Lvl 35-39: Bloodfen Raptors – Witch Hill in Dustwallow Marsh (46.0 , 19.0) – Mobs are lvls 35-37
• Lvl 35-39: Bloodfen Raptors – Witch Hill in Dustwallow Marsh (46.0 , 19.0) – Mobs are lvls 35-37
• Lvl 35-40: Mirefin Murlocs – Dreadmurk Shore in Dustwallow Marsh (Coords 54.0 , 16.0) – Mobs are lvls 35-37
• Lvl 39-41: Longtooth Runners – Sardor Isle in Feralas (Coords 30.0 , 52.0) – Mobs are 40-41
• Lvl 39-44: Deathstrike Tarantulas – East of Stonard, Swamp of Sorrows (Coords 56.3 , 60.5) – Mobs are lvls 40-41
• Lvl 40-45: Wastewander Humans – Waterspring Field in Tanaris (Coords 63.0 , 31.0) – Mobs are lvls 40-43
• Lvl 40-46: Marsh Murlocs – Misty Reed Strand in Swamp of Sorrows (Coords 84.0 , 91.0) – Mobs are lvls 41-43
• Lvl 42-46: Skullsplitter Trolls – Ruins of Zul’Mamwe in Stranglethorn Vale (Coords 46.0 , 42.0) – Mobs are lvls 40-44
• Lvl 43-46: Fire Rocs & Hyenas – Abyssal Sands in Tanaris (Coords 44.8 , 40.6) – Mobs are lvls 43-45
• Lvl 43-50: Southsea Pirates – Lost Rigger Cove in Tanaris (Coords 73.0 , 45.0) – Mobs are lvls 44-45
• Lvl 45-51: Deep Borer Worms in Maraudon Dungeon in Desolace (Coords 29.6, 62.8) – Mobs are 46-47
• Lvl 46-50: Nethergarde Miners – Garrison Armory in Blasted Lands (Coords 54.0 , 11.0) – Mobs are 46-48
• Lvl 46-51: Jade Oozes in Skull Rock in Hinterlands (Coords 57.7, 39.7)- Mobs are lvls 47-48
• Lvl 48-52: Ravasaur Raptors – The Marshlands in Un’Goro Crater (Coords 67.8 , 60.0) – Mobs are lvls 48-50
• Lvl 51-56: Ghouls & Skeles – Sorrow Hill in Western Plaguelands (Coords 51.4 , 77.6) – Mobs are lvls 50-52
• Lvl 52-56: Arena Spectators – Blackrock Depths Dungeon in Searing Gorge (45.5 , 86.6) – Mobs are lvls 52-54
• Lvl 52-58: Zombies & Skeles – Dalson’s Tears in Western Plaguelands (Coords 45.0 , 53.0) – Mobs are lvls 52-54
• Lvl 53-58: Deadwood Furlbogs – Felpaw Village in Felwood (Coords 62.0 , 12.0) – Mobs are lvls 53-55
• Lvl 53-58: Ghouls & Skeles – Ruins of Andorhal in Western Plaguelands (Coords 45.4 , 69.5) – Mobs are lvls 53-56
• Lvl 53-60: Whip Lashers in Dire Maul East Runs in Feralas (Coords 58.0 , 43.0) – Mobs are lvl 54

Talent Path

Leveling a mage often comes to choosing between Frost and Fire, but Frost is undoubtedly the stronger choice due to more consistent damage and great survivability. With 3 points in Frostbite and 5 points in Shatter, you’ll have a 15% chance for Frostbolt to freeze your target for 5 seconds. When your target is frozen, you’ll have a 50% increased spell critical strike chance. Combined with 100% increased critical strike damage from 5 points in Ice Shards and it’s easy to see how frost is an effective leveling specialization!

Abilities to Train

• Level 1-20 – Simply train every skill available to you.
• Level 22 – Arcane Explosion rank 2
• Level 26 – Frostbolt rank 5, Cone of Cold rank 1, Counterspell rank 1
• Level 28 – Arcane Intellect rank 3, Blizzard rank 2, Conjure Mana Agate
• Level 32 – Frostbolt rank 6, Conjure Water rank 4, Arcane Explosion rank 3, Ice Armor rank 1
• Level 38 – Frostbolt rank 7, Arcane Explosion rank 4, Blizzard rank 3, Cone of Cold rank 2
• Level 42 – Arcane Intellect rank 4, Cone of Cold rank 3, Ice Armor rank 2, Conjure Water rank 5
• Level 44 – Frostbolt rank 8, Blizzard rank 4
• Level 48 – Ice Barrier rank 2, Arcane Explosion rank 5, Conjure Mana Citrine
• Level 50 – Frostbolt rank 9, Cone of Cold rank 4, Ice Armor rank 3, Conjure Water rank 6
• Level 54 – Arcane Explosion rank 6, Ice Barrier rank 3, Blizzard rank 5
• Level 56 – Frostbolt rank 10, Arcane Intellect rank 5
• Level 58 – Ice Barrier rank 4, Cone of Cold rank 5, Conjure Mana Ruby
• Level 60 – Frostbolt rank 11, Ice Armor rank 4, Blizzard rank 6, Conjure Water rank 7

Class Quests

• Icefury Wand: Once you’re level 30, you’ll unlock access to a chain of quests that will reward you with one of three wands. Each wand offered increases spell damage by 9 for a specific tree of mage spells. Icefury Wand is the choice that increases your frost damage, making it a fantastic upgrade you should aim to obtain as soon as you can. You’ll need to do some adventuring, but the hardest part of the quests involves delving into the Library wing of Scarlet Monastery. Although the quests may take a while, the wand makes the effort well worth it!

Equipment

• Mages can only wear cloth. The only type of armor you’ll ever be able to wear is cloth. Because of this, you should always prioritize the stats equipment has over the armor it provides.
• Tailoring gear is fantastic for leveling. Tailoring gear is actually great while you’re leveling your mage. Around the mid 30s you can wear the Azure crafted set for +50 frost damage when you’re wearing every piece. In your 40s, the Dreamweave crafted set is an upgrade for you that will last all the way to level 60.
• Aim for a sword or dagger and offhand item over a staff. The three types of melee weapons a mage can use include a staff, one-handed sword, and a dagger. Staves typically will have higher stats on them, but the combination of a sword/dagger and an offhand held-item will generally result in higher spell damage, making them a better option for a mage.

Alliance Wand Progression

• Lesser Magic Wand – 11.3 DPS – Requires lvl 5 Crafted Green from Enchanting
• Spark of the People’s Militia – 12.8 DPS – Quest Reward “The People’s Militia” Westfall
• Greater Magic Wand – 17.5 DPS – Requires lvl 13 Crafted Green from Enchanting
• Excavation Rod – 24.2 DPS – Quest Reward “Ormer’s Revenge” Wetlands
• Spellcrafter Wand – 20.3 DPS – Quest Reward “Retrieval for Mauren” in Stonetalon Mountains
• Cookie’s Stirring Rod – 22.3 DPS – Drops off Cookie in Deadmines 35%
• Consecrated Wand – 24.2 DPS – Quest Reward “Worgen in the Woods” Duskwood
• Excavation Rod – 24.2 DPS – Quest Reward “Ormer’s Revenge” Wetlands
• Gravestone Sceptre – 29.0 DPS – Quest Reward “Blackfathom Villainy” Blackfathom Deeps
• Rod of Sorrow – 31.8 DPS – Quest Reward “Wanted Otto and Falconcrest” Arathi Highlands
• Burning Sliver – 32.7 DPS – Quest Reward “Crushridge Warmongers” Alterac Mountains
• Blackbone Wand – 35.3 DPS – Wand Vendor sells this white wand in all capital cities
• Cairnstone Silver – 41.4 DPS – Quest Reward “The Morrow Stone” Feralas
• Noxious Shooter – 50.0 DPS – Drops from Noxxion in Maraudon at 20%
• Smokey’s Fireshooter – 53.2 DPS – Quest Reward “When Smokey Sings, I get Violent” EPL
• Rod of Corrosion – 55.0 DPS – Drops from Shade of Eranikus in Sunken Temple 32%
• Mana Channeling Wand – 60.9 DPS – Drops from Cho’Rush the Observer in Dire Maul 25%

Horde Wand Progression

• Lesser Magic Wand – 11.3 DPS – Requires lvl 5 Crafted Green from Enchanting
• Smoldering Wand – 13.4 DPS – Wand Vendor sells this white wand in all capital cities
• Greater Magic Wand – 17.5 DPS – Requires lvl 13 Crafted Green from Enchanting
• Excavation Rod – 24.2 DPS – Quest Reward “Ormer’s Revenge” Wetlands
• Gravestone Sceptre – 29.0 DPS – Quest Reward “Blackfathom Villainy” Blackfathom Deeps
• Gnomish Zapper – 32.7 DPS – Quest Reward “Sunken Treasure” Arathi Highlands
• Dancing Flame – 32.9 DPS – Quest Reward “Final Passage” Thousand Needles
• Blackbone Wand – 35.3 DPS – Wand Vendor sells this white wand in all capital cities
• Cairnstone Silver – 41.4 DPS – Quest Reward “The Morrow Stone” Feralas
• Noxious Shooter – 50.0 DPS – Drops from Noxxion in Maraudon at 20%
• Smokey’s Fireshooter – 53.2 DPS – Quest Reward “When Smokey Sings, I get Violent” EPL
• Rod of Corrosion – 55.0 DPS – Drops from Shade of Eranikus in Sunken Temple 32%
• Mana Channeling Wand – 60.9 DPS – Drops from Cho’Rush the Observer in Dire Maul 25%

Professions

If your only goal is to reach level 60 in the quickest time possible, then professions are only going to slow you down. Having said that, they’re still an excellent way of making leveling more enjoyable. With professions you can make stronger equipment or powerful consumables for your character, or you can also sell them to other players for a great way of farming gold. At some point, you’ll probably want professions, so it’s a great idea to start them while you’re leveling.

Here are some great professions to train while leveling a mage:

• Tailoring – Without a doubt, tailoring is your best profession option while leveling. This is because you can easily make the Azure and Dreamweave sets, which will significantly boost your damage once you have them. You can also use tailoring to make and sell bags, meaning it is a good gold-generating profession.
• Enchanting – If you’re going to take tailoring, then you should also grab enchanting. This is another profession that doesn’t require a gathering profession, but it is also useful when combined with tailoring. When you’re leveling up tailoring and need to make armor you don’t need, you can disenchant it for extra enchanting materials.
• Herbalism – Another good option is herbalism. It can be used alone to gather and sell herbs, but it is better when paired with alchemy.
• Alchemy – Alchemy is fantastic for a mage because you can make several different potions and elixirs that will increase your spell damage. The one downside is that these bonuses are temporary compared to permanent robes worn from tailoring.