Yazid741
23-04-2007, 04:32 PM
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته, وبعد
أحيي جميع أعضاء هذا المنتدى وأتمنى أن أفيد وأستفيد. هذه هي المشاركة الأولى الفعلية لي وأتمنى أن تحوز على رضا الجميع. وبما أنه الموضوع الأول, أحببت أن يكون ضخم و مفيد. استغرق كتابة الموضوع تقريبا 20 يوما. الموضوع باللغة الإنجليزية لصعوبة الترجمة للعامية بالإضافة أن العامية غير مفهومة أحيانا خاصة إذا كانت الكلمة إنجليزية في الأصل. لذلك أي كلمة أو جملة غير مفهومة, ما عليك إلا تحديد الجملة وأنا أترجمها. الموضوع هذا ناتج عن خبرة و مطالعة دائمين. ملاحظة: الموضوع بأكمله يرجع لي ويجب أخذ الإذن قبل نشره في المنتديات الأخرى. أتمنى منكم الردود المشجعة...وفي الأخير هذه مجرد آرائي يعني ممكن بعضها خطأ.
[/URL]Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: Analysis of Lvl 70 Mage Specs (v.long) (http://www.pwfe.com/vengeance/forums/viewtopic.php?p=4632#4632) In my attempts to figure out which is the best level 70 build, I put together an excel spreadsheet which worked out everything for me, all I had to do was input a few variables and everything was calculated without me tapping it into my calculator every time. I decided to share my findings with you all, as they are quite useful.
I put together 8 specs, mostly focused on raiding, although the final 2 specs are more PvP oriented. Most of them can be varied quite a bit, some for slightly more DPS, some for slightly more utility. The specs are as follows. (MM stands for Mind Mastery)
Deep Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h)
Arcane/Fire Crit - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh)
MM Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM)
Deep Arcane - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z)
Deep Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot)
MM Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o)
MM Shatter - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo)
Elementalist - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo)
I then came up with 3 levels of gear to put through the number cruncher, to see how the specs scale with gear progression. Build 1 is high end gear level, Build 2 is medium range gear level, and Build 3 is low end gear level.
Build 1 - Spell Damage – 1000, Int Crit – 7.0%, Gear Crit - 14%, Int – 522
Build 2 - Spell Damage – 750, Int Crit – 7.0%, Gear Crit - 10%, Int – 480
Build 3 - Spell Damage – 500, Int Crit – 6.0%, Gear Crit - 6%, Int – 420
Notes: For the purposes of simplicity, Arcane Mind (4 or 5 ranks) is treated as giving 1% crit, Molten Fury gives 2% extra damage per rank, and Arcane Potency gives 1% crit per rank.
The Improved Scorch and Winter’s Chill debuffs are considered to be on the target, and it is deemed that Ice Lance is only ever used if the target is frozen (therefore shatter comes into play if the talent spec has it). For Arcane Blast, it’s DPS is calculated as if the cast time reduction debuff is fully applied (i.e. as a 1.5 second cast)
None of these calculations take into account talents that can’t be simplified into quantifiable percentage increase or an increase in crit %. Also, +hit is not in these calculations, as it’s value is dependent on target level. (And also, I don’t know the percentages for lvl 70 and above mobs yet).
For the two AoE spells, AE & CoC, I’ve used what appears to be the new AoE cooefficient, which is 0.5 (This is what it works out to from my experiments on the test server, please correct me if I’m wrong). For Ice Lance, I’ve used a 1/3 cooefficent on top of the cast time cooefficient. Most people have reported Ice Lance has a 0.15 cooefficient. So I’ve estimated that Blizzard are applying a 1/3 modifier on top of the 1.5/3.5 modified. A reasonable assumption given that Ice Lance does x3 damage when the target is frozen, which is realistically, the only time this spell is going to be used.
Additionally, spells normally gain a small amount of damage as you increase in level. Therefore any spell which is not gained at level 70 will in fact do slightly more base damage at 70. Unfortunately, not having a beta account, I can’t obtain the lvl 70 damage ranges for those spells, so I have used the base ranges listed on thottbot.
And lastly, while I’ve made best effort to make sure all my math is correct, I’m only human, and have probably made a mistake somewhere along the line. Feel free to correct me. http://www.pwfe.com/vengeance/forums/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
Every spell is listed as Name – Non Crit Damage Range (Crit Damage Range), Avg Hit, DPS
Deep Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2354 - 2581 ( 4942 - 5419 ), Avg 3281 , DPS: 1094
Fireball (R14) - 2464 - 2723 ( 5175 - 5719 ), Avg 3450 , DPS: 1150
Scorch - 968 - 1042 ( 2033 - 2189 ), Avg 1381 , DPS: 921
Fire Blast - 1442 - 1603 ( 3029 - 3367 ), Avg 2092 , DPS: 1395
Arcane Blast - 1458 - 1569 ( 2186 - 2353 ), Avg 1672 , DPS: 1115
Arcane Explosion - 633 - 665 ( 949 - 997 ), Avg 717 , DPS: 478
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1975 - 2202 ( 4147 - 4624 ), Avg 2685 , DPS: 895
Fireball (R14) - 2086 - 2344 ( 4380 - 4923 ), Avg 2848 , DPS: 949
Scorch - 827 - 901 ( 1736 - 1892 ), Avg 1149 , DPS: 766
Fire Blast - 1301 - 1462 ( 2732 - 3070 ), Avg 1837 , DPS: 1225
Arcane Blast - 1267 - 1378 ( 1900 - 2067 ), Avg 1435 , DPS: 956
Arcane Explosion - 575 - 607 ( 863 - 911 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1595 - 1822 ( 3349 - 3825 ), Avg 2103 , DPS: 701
Fireball (R14) - 1705 - 1964 ( 3581 - 4125 ), Avg 2259 , DPS: 753
Scorch - 685 - 759 ( 1439 - 1595 ), Avg 921 , DPS: 614
Fire Blast - 1159 - 1320 ( 2435 - 2773 ), Avg 1581 , DPS: 1054
Arcane Blast - 1076 - 1187 ( 1613 - 1780 ), Avg 1199 , DPS: 799
Arcane Explosion - 518 - 550 ( 777 - 825 ), Avg 566 , DPS: 377
Notes: This build, as most people would predict, offers the highest DPS of all the builds, but only with Fireball. Both of the other 2 fire builds offer higher DPS in with the 4 spells of this build. It is also lacking somewhat in terms of utility, especially when it comes to PvP. But if you want to have the highest possible DPS with Fireball, then this does offer a 3-4% increase in Fireball DPS over the other builds, not to mention the added benefit of +3% hit from elemental precision.
Arcane/Fire Crit - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 3152 , DPS: 1051
Fireball (R14) - 2129 - 2372 ( 5216 - 5812 ), Avg 3328 , DPS: 1109
Scorch - 910 - 979 ( 2229 - 2399 ), Avg 1396 , DPS: 931
Fire Blast - 1355 - 1506 ( 3319 - 3690 ), Avg 2115 , DPS: 1410
Arcane Blast - 1403 - 1510 ( 2456 - 2643 ), Avg 1817 , DPS: 1212
Arcane Explosion - 609 - 640 ( 1066 - 1120 ), Avg 779 , DPS: 519
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1715 - 1928 ( 4202 - 4724 ), Avg 2588 , DPS: 863
Fireball (R14) - 1819 - 2062 ( 4457 - 5052 ), Avg 2757 , DPS: 919
Scorch - 777 - 846 ( 1903 - 2073 ), Avg 1153 , DPS: 768
Fire Blast - 1222 - 1373 ( 2994 - 3364 ), Avg 1843 , DPS: 1229
Arcane Blast - 1219 - 1326 ( 2134 - 2321 ), Avg 1550 , DPS: 1033
Arcane Explosion - 554 - 585 ( 969 - 1023 ), Avg 693 , DPS: 462
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1405 - 1618 ( 3442 - 3965 ), Avg 2038 , DPS: 679
Fireball (R14) - 1509 - 1752 ( 3697 - 4293 ), Avg 2198 , DPS: 733
Scorch - 644 - 713 ( 1578 - 1748 ), Avg 915 , DPS: 610
Fire Blast - 1089 - 1240 ( 2668 - 3039 ), Avg 1570 , DPS: 1047
Arcane Blast - 1035 - 1142 ( 1812 - 1999 ), Avg 1285 , DPS: 857
Arcane Explosion - 499 - 530 ( 873 - 927 ), Avg 607 , DPS: 404
Notes: This build comes out 2nd in terms of DPS of the 3 fire builds, though it isn’t that far behind, while offering significantly more utility, especially when it comes to PvP. It offers much higher DPS when it comes to AoE, and the backup spell of Arcane Blast becomes significicantly more powerful with this build. Also note that Scorch and Fire Blast are slightly more powerful than Deep Fire with this build with higher end gear, but not with low end gear. A more rounded build for those who wish to focus on more than just straight up single target nuking.
MM Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2104 - 2307 ( 5155 - 5652 ), Avg 3101 , DPS: 1034
Fireball (R14) - 2203 - 2434 ( 5397 - 5964 ), Avg 3260 , DPS: 1087
Scorch - 941 - 1008 ( 2307 - 2469 ), Avg 1427 , DPS: 951
Fire Blast - 1365 - 1509 ( 3344 - 3697 ), Avg 2104 , DPS: 1403
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1795 - 1998 ( 4397 - 4894 ), Avg 2556 , DPS: 852
Fireball (R14) - 1894 - 2125 ( 4640 - 5207 ), Avg 2709 , DPS: 903
Scorch - 809 - 875 ( 1982 - 2144 ), Avg 1184 , DPS: 789
Fire Blast - 1233 - 1377 ( 3020 - 3373 ), Avg 1834 , DPS: 1223
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1480 - 1683 ( 3625 - 4123 ), Avg 2017 , DPS: 672
Fireball (R14) - 1579 - 1810 ( 3868 - 4435 ), Avg 2161 , DPS: 720
Scorch - 674 - 740 ( 1651 - 1813 ), Avg 943 , DPS: 629
Fire Blast - 1098 - 1242 ( 2689 - 3042 ), Avg 1560 , DPS: 1040
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Notes: This build comes out 3rd of the 3 fire builds when it comes to fireball DPS. Though the gap is fairly small at low end gear level, this is mostly because MM scales with Int, and you gain comparatively much less int as you improve your gear compared to spell damage. Of the 3 fire builds, this build has the highest Scorch DPS. Although it is plausible in the Arc/Fire Crit build to drop Pyro & Blast Wave and get the extra +4% crit to scorch and fire blast, and then it would have the best scorch dps. No surprise that this build has the best AE DPS of the 3 fire builds. This build however does not Pyro or Blast Wave (two very handy PvP spells), though you could potentially get Slow (a very handy PvP spell). I would say this build is best used if you’ve a low level of gear but have a high int. Once you have a medium level of gear, this build lags behind the other 2, and should probably only be taken if you’re going to move a talent point from fire to get slow.
Deep Arcane - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z)
Build 1
Arcane Missiles (R10) - 3564 - 3564 ( 6237 - 6237 ), Avg 4313 , DPS: 863
Arcane Missiles (R11) - 3667 - 3667 ( 6418 - 6418 ), Avg 4437 , DPS: 887
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Fireball (R13) - 1836 - 2014 ( 4499 - 4933 ), Avg 2707 , DPS: 902
Fireball (R14) - 1923 - 2125 ( 4711 - 5206 ), Avg 2846 , DPS: 949
Fire Blast - 1192 - 1317 ( 2919 - 3227 ), Avg 1764 , DPS: 1176
Build 2
Arcane Missiles 10 - 3057 - 3057 ( 5350 - 5350 ), Avg 3608 , DPS: 722
Arcane Missiles 11 - 3160 - 3160 ( 5530 - 5530 ), Avg 3729 , DPS: 746
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Fireball (R13) - 1567 - 1744 ( 3838 - 4272 ), Avg 2231 , DPS: 744
Fireball (R14) - 1653 - 1855 ( 4050 - 4545 ), Avg 2365 , DPS: 788
Fire Blast - 1076 - 1202 ( 2636 - 2944 ), Avg 1535 , DPS: 1023
Build 3
Arcane Missiles 10 - 2541 - 2541 ( 4446 - 4446 ), Avg 2903 , DPS: 581
Arcane Missiles 11 - 2644 - 2644 ( 4626 - 4626 ), Avg 3020 , DPS: 604
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Fireball (R13) - 1292 - 1469 ( 3164 - 3599 ), Avg 1760 , DPS: 587
Fireball (R14) - 1378 - 1580 ( 3376 - 3871 ), Avg 1887 , DPS: 629
Fire Blast - 958 - 1084 ( 2347 - 2655 ), Avg 1302 , DPS: 868
Notes: As you can see, even with a deep arcane build, Arcane Missiles DPS is still below fireball, even though you have just 11 points in Fire. However, the main advantages of this build are that Arcane has low threat, you have +10% hit, which means you can concentrate on solely gaining +dmg, as crit doesn’t benefit you much in this build, and AM in uninterupptable. You can also use AM followed by Arcane Blast as a chain to increase your DPS and your mana efficiency. Note that the mana efficiency of AM isn’t as bad with this build, Emp. AM despite it’s extra mana cost, actually improves it’s mana efficiency, though it is still slightly worse than most fire builds, it’s not majorly significant. Not to mention AM gains the greatest benefit from Clearcasting, costing the most mana for the most amount of damage, and it can double dip from the Arcane Potency talent. Plus if you have plenty of mana spare near the end of a fight, you can drop AM spam and burn through your mana with Arcane Blast, which outdps’s pretty much everything. And if you can leech a scorch debuff off another fire mage, you can still do decent dps with fireball. (Equal to MM Fire’s dps with Fireball). If Threat is a serious issue for mages, then this is the spec to fall back onto. Not the best when it comes to DPS, but the best combination of low threat & DPS on the game.
Deep Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1574 - 1623 ( 3148 - 3245 ), Avg 2174 , DPS: 869
Frostbolt (R14) - 1609 - 1662 ( 3218 - 3324 ), Avg 2224 , DPS: 890
Arcane Blast - 1362 - 1466 ( 2043 - 2199 ), Avg 1563 , DPS: 1042
Arcane Explosion - 591 - 621 ( 887 - 932 ), Avg 670 , DPS: 447
Ice Lance - 966 - 1049 ( 1933 - 2098 ), Avg 1854 , DPS: 1236
Cone of Cold - 880 - 934 ( 1760 - 1868 ), Avg 1188 , DPS: 792
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1339 - 1387 ( 2677 - 2775 ), Avg 1799 , DPS: 720
Frostbolt (R14) - 1374 - 1427 ( 2747 - 2853 ), Avg 1848 , DPS: 739
Arcane Blast - 1184 - 1288 ( 1776 - 1932 ), Avg 1341 , DPS: 894
Arcane Explosion - 538 - 568 ( 807 - 852 ), Avg 600 , DPS: 400
Ice Lance - 853 - 935 ( 1705 - 1871 ), Avg 1609 , DPS: 1073
Cone of Cold - 805 - 858 ( 1609 - 1716 ), Avg 1056 , DPS: 704
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1103 - 1152 ( 2207 - 2304 ), Avg 1432 , DPS: 573
Frostbolt (R14) - 1138 - 1191 ( 2277 - 2383 ), Avg 1479 , DPS: 592
Arcane Blast - 1005 - 1109 ( 1508 - 1664 ), Avg 1121 , DPS: 747
Arcane Explosion - 484 - 514 ( 726 - 771 ), Avg 529 , DPS: 353
Ice Lance - 739 - 822 ( 1478 - 1644 ), Avg 1366 , DPS: 911
Cone of Cold - 729 - 783 ( 1458 - 1565 ), Avg 922 , DPS: 615
Notes: - As you can see, the DPS of frostbolt is quite a way behind that of fireball. However, it does provide you with 2 excellent defensive spells, Ice Barrier & Ice Block. Along with Shatter, which combined with Ice Lance is the best burst DPS weapon probably in the game. (AP can provide more burst DPS, but it’s on a 3min cooldown, Frost Nova with this spec is on a 21 second cooldown, making it much more viable). Frostbite+Shatter also provides additional dps if the target is vulnerable to to frostbite (which sadly most bosses are not). Ofc, the dps does not take into account the extra dps the water elemental provides (threat free dps I might add), which is difficult to calculate as I don’t know how much +dmg it’s waterbolt gains from our spell damage. If you are a diehard frost mage, then this is probably the spec for you. You’ll never match the DPS of the fire builds, but you’ll be a damn sight harder to kill. And ofc, Frost still maintains it’s magnificent mana efficiency, sadly this will only show in the longest of fights.
MM Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1662 - 1713 ( 3741 - 3853 ), Avg 2278 , DPS: 911
Frostbolt (R14) - 1698 - 1753 ( 3822 - 3944 ), Avg 2330 , DPS: 932
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Ice Lance - 1064 - 1149 ( 2393 - 2585 ), Avg 1493 , DPS: 996
Cone of Cold - 715 - 757 ( 1610 - 1703 ), Avg 994 , DPS: 663
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1432 - 1482 ( 3222 - 3335 ), Avg 1894 , DPS: 758
Frostbolt (R14) - 1468 - 1522 ( 3303 - 3426 ), Avg 1944 , DPS: 778
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Ice Lance - 941 - 1026 ( 2118 - 2309 ), Avg 1279 , DPS: 853
Cone of Cold - 654 - 696 ( 1472 - 1565 ), Avg 877 , DPS: 585
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1197 - 1247 ( 2693 - 2806 ), Avg 1512 , DPS: 605
Frostbolt (R14) - 1233 - 1288 ( 2774 - 2897 ), Avg 1560 , DPS: 624
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Ice Lance - 817 - 902 ( 1837 - 2029 ), Avg 1063 , DPS: 709
Cone of Cold - 592 - 633 ( 1332 - 1425 ), Avg 758 , DPS: 505
Notes: - This build offers higher straight up DPS, and ofc the bigger crits, it does ofc have a lower chance to crit, and lacks the burst potential of shatter. But this build is about maximising the dps of frostbolt for raid dps. However, full frost may still do more dps thanks to the extra dps from the water elemental. This build does offer more utility, with the option of high burst dps from Arcane Blast, and the extra AE dps. And ofc, it has AP, PoM & Imp. CS, 3 very powerful weapons in PvP. This build really shines however if you can leech a Winter’s Chill debuff from another frost mage. See the below stats.
MM Frost Leech - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1662 - 1713 ( 3741 - 3853 ), Avg 2489 , DPS: 996
Frostbolt (R14) - 1698 - 1753 ( 3822 - 3944 ), Avg 2545 , DPS: 1018
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Ice Lance - 1064 - 1149 ( 2393 - 2585 ), Avg 1632 , DPS: 1088
Cone of Cold - 715 - 757 ( 1610 - 1703 ), Avg 1086 , DPS: 724
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1432 - 1482 ( 3222 - 3335 ), Avg 2076 , DPS: 831
Frostbolt (R14) - 1468 - 1522 ( 3303 - 3426 ), Avg 2131 , DPS: 852
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Ice Lance - 941 - 1026 ( 2118 - 2309 ), Avg 1402 , DPS: 935
Cone of Cold - 654 - 696 ( 1472 - 1565 ), Avg 962 , DPS: 641
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1197 - 1247 ( 2693 - 2806 ), Avg 1665 , DPS: 666
Frostbolt (R14) - 1233 - 1288 ( 2774 - 2897 ), Avg 1717 , DPS: 687
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Ice Lance - 817 - 902 ( 1837 - 2029 ), Avg 1170 , DPS: 780
Cone of Cold - 592 - 633 ( 1332 - 1425 ), Avg 835 , DPS: 556
Notes: This is the same as the MM Frost build, however the extra +10% crit from Winter’s Chill has been taken into account. It will have to be leeched of another frost mage. But it shows the massive dps difference between the two. If you’ve a group of people who want to go frost and maximise their raid dps. Then 1 deep frost and the rest MM Frost will certainly offer you the best group dps. As you can see, the R14 Frostbolt breaks the 1k dps barrier, a major milestone for frost mages.
MM Shatter - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1571 - 1618 ( 3535 - 3641 ), Avg 2153 , DPS: 861
Frostbolt (R14) - 1605 - 1656 ( 3611 - 3727 ), Avg 2201 , DPS: 881
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Ice Lance - 1005 - 1085 ( 2262 - 2442 ), Avg 2064 , DPS: 1376
Cone of Cold - 676 - 715 ( 1521 - 1609 ), Avg 939 , DPS: 626
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1353 - 1401 ( 3045 - 3151 ), Avg 1790 , DPS: 716
Frostbolt (R14) - 1387 - 1439 ( 3121 - 3237 ), Avg 1837 , DPS: 735
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Ice Lance - 889 - 970 ( 2001 - 2182 ), Avg 1790 , DPS: 1193
Cone of Cold - 618 - 657 ( 1391 - 1479 ), Avg 829 , DPS: 553
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1131 - 1179 ( 2545 - 2652 ), Avg 1429 , DPS: 572
Frostbolt (R14) - 1165 - 1217 ( 2622 - 2738 ), Avg 1474 , DPS: 590
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Ice Lance - 772 - 852 ( 1736 - 1917 ), Avg 1512 , DPS: 1008
Cone of Cold - 559 - 598 ( 1258 - 1347 ), Avg 716 , DPS: 478
Notes: This build is more PvP oriented, while some of the previous builds already had PvP viability within them, MM Frost sacrificed Frost’s biggest PvP weapon in Shatter for the more Raid oriented talents. As you can see, you lose a little in frostbolt dps as well as mana efficieny and range. But you gain two destructive PvP weapons, Frostbite and Shatter. Which combined with Ice Lance makes this an extremely powerful build. Even with poor gear, you can get 1800 average crits with Ice Lance, which is damn handy for an instant cast spell. Ice Lance lovers who want to PvP and raid may find it a tough call to choose between this build and the Deep Frost build.
Elementalist - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2123 - 2347 ( 4458 - 4928 ), Avg 2972 , DPS: 991
Fireball (R14) - 2232 - 2487 ( 4687 - 5222 ), Avg 3138 , DPS: 1046
Scorch - 954 - 1026 ( 2003 - 2156 ), Avg 1360 , DPS: 907
Fire Blast - 1420 - 1579 ( 2983 - 3316 ), Avg 2061 , DPS: 1374
Arcane Blast - 1430 - 1540 ( 2146 - 2309 ), Avg 1641 , DPS: 1094
Arcane Explosion - 621 - 652 ( 931 - 979 ), Avg 703 , DPS: 469
Frostbolt (R13) - 1531 - 1581 ( 3061 - 3161 ), Avg 1882 , DPS: 753
Frostbolt (R14) - 1566 - 1621 ( 3133 - 3242 ), Avg 1928 , DPS: 771
Ice Lance - 994 - 1079 ( 1987 - 2157 ), Avg 1772 , DPS: 1181
Cone of Cold - 680 - 722 ( 1361 - 1444 ), Avg 848 , DPS: 566
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1798 - 2022 ( 3776 - 4245 ), Avg 2456 , DPS: 819
Fireball (R14) - 1907 - 2162 ( 4005 - 4540 ), Avg 2616 , DPS: 872
Scorch - 814 - 887 ( 1710 - 1863 ), Avg 1132 , DPS: 754
Fire Blast - 1281 - 1440 ( 2690 - 3023 ), Avg 1809 , DPS: 1206
Arcane Blast - 1243 - 1352 ( 1864 - 2028 ), Avg 1408 , DPS: 939
Arcane Explosion - 565 - 596 ( 847 - 894 ), Avg 630 , DPS: 420
Frostbolt (R13) - 1311 - 1361 ( 2621 - 2721 ), Avg 1563 , DPS: 625
Frostbolt (R14) - 1347 - 1401 ( 2693 - 2802 ), Avg 1607 , DPS: 643
Ice Lance - 877 - 962 ( 1754 - 1924 ), Avg 1535 , DPS: 1024
Cone of Cold - 622 - 663 ( 1244 - 1327 ), Avg 752 , DPS: 501
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1473 - 1697 ( 3093 - 3563 ), Avg 1951 , DPS: 650
Fireball (R14) - 1582 - 1837 ( 3322 - 3857 ), Avg 2104 , DPS: 701
Scorch - 675 - 748 ( 1418 - 1571 ), Avg 907 , DPS: 605
Fire Blast - 1142 - 1300 ( 2398 - 2731 ), Avg 1557 , DPS: 1038
Arcane Blast - 1055 - 1165 ( 1583 - 1747 ), Avg 1177 , DPS: 784
Arcane Explosion - 508 - 540 ( 763 - 810 ), Avg 556 , DPS: 370
Frostbolt (R13) - 1091 - 1141 ( 2181 - 2282 ), Avg 1250 , DPS: 500
Frostbolt (R14) - 1127 - 1181 ( 2253 - 2362 ), Avg 1292 , DPS: 517
Ice Lance - 760 - 845 ( 1520 - 1690 ), Avg 1300 , DPS: 867
Cone of Cold - 564 - 605 ( 1127 - 1210 ), Avg 654 , DPS: 436
Notes: As you can see, you sacrifice a lot of DPS with this build, although fireball does fairly well, it’s primary usage is for burst dps via Shatter. Realistically, you could scrap Imp. Fireball and taken Impact, and use Scorch as your main fire spell, certainly would be your main raid spell, as you lack an awful lot when it comes to mana efficiency. However, your options in PvP are many and varied. And there’s plenty of room for variety. And when the target is frozen, you can kick out some sick damage with either fire or frost. Imo, elemental builds have lost some of the power they had previously, mostly thanks to Spell Power in the arcane tree offering such a nice boost to crits, it makes MM Shatter look a lot more interesting than an elementalist build.
[U]Crit versus Spell Damage
One of the longest debates mages have is how much spell damage is 1% crit worth. This is even more important now that not only do we have to choose our gear, but we have to choose the gems we want to customise our gear with. Which is better, crit rating or spell dmg?
In truth, the actual math is rather simple, take the spell of choice, take it’s average base damage and multiply it by 0.01, then take your spell damage, multiply it by 0.01 and add the two together, now multiply it by your crit bonus modifier. An example, I’ll use the Arcane/Fire Crit build as an example.
Average Base Damage of R13 Fireball is 719, Spell Damage is 1000, 1% of that is 17.19. Now multiply by 1.45, and you get 24.93.
However, this doesn’t mean that you simply add 25 damage and you’ll get about the same increase as 1% crit. The reason is that if you added 25 damage, the amount you gain per crit goes up, and if you have a high crit %, that can add up quickly. Example
Normal, Arcane/Fire Crit, Build 1 – 1000 Spell Damage, 33% average crit with fireball
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 3152 , DPS: 1051
1% extra crit
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 3182 , DPS: 1061
25 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2056 - 2269 ( 5037 - 5560 ), Avg 3197 , DPS: 1066
Note that the average damage is 15 more with 25 extra damage than with 1% extra crit, and ofc, 5 more dps. This is because the amount per crit % is now 25.29. This means your crit % is giving you an extra +dmg, which is where the extra dps is coming from. In actuality, if we add 17 dmg, we approximately equal our 1% crit. (Hard to get an exact match, but this is the closest I can get without decimal +dmg).
17 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2046 - 2259 ( 5013 - 5535 ), Avg 3183 , DPS: 1061
So does this mean we should focus more on spell damage or more on crit? What happens if we have a low crit%?
Normal, Arcane/Fire Crit, Build 1 – 1000 Spell Damage, 20% average crit with fireball
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 2750 , DPS: 917
1% extra crit
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 2781 , DPS: 927
25 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2056 - 2269 ( 5037 - 5560 ), Avg 2790 , DPS: 930
Note that 1% crit provided exactly the same increase in average damage and dps (the 1 dmg difference is simple from partial decimals and rounding), but the 25 extra damage has lost 5 average dmg.
20 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2050 - 2263 ( 5022 - 5544 ), Avg 2782 , DPS: 927
As you can see, we now need more spell damage to match 1% crit. This is because you have a lower crit %, and therefore you gain less bonus +dmg from your crit.
Overall, the best solution seems to be to get around 25-30% crit, and then focus on spell damage. Imo, Blizzard have probably got the balance between Spell dmg and Crit Rating Gems about right. Crit does after all provide benefits beyond pure dps increase. Most classes that use Spell Crit have talents which provide an additional benefit from the crit. Master of Elements for Mages (big increase in mana efficiency), Imp. Shadowbolt for Locks, and so on. Ofc, we haven’t started on the burst dps crit brings to PvP.
Your spec in the end will determine what you focus on. Fire specced mages will almost certainly want to balance the 2 stats, except maybe deep fire mages, which can focus more on spell dmg, as they live for their fireball. Arcane Mages will want nothing but +dmg, and Deep Frost Mages will probably think along the same lines. MM Frost mages will look for a balance as well. Don’t forget your +hit for those boss fights though
أحيي جميع أعضاء هذا المنتدى وأتمنى أن أفيد وأستفيد. هذه هي المشاركة الأولى الفعلية لي وأتمنى أن تحوز على رضا الجميع. وبما أنه الموضوع الأول, أحببت أن يكون ضخم و مفيد. استغرق كتابة الموضوع تقريبا 20 يوما. الموضوع باللغة الإنجليزية لصعوبة الترجمة للعامية بالإضافة أن العامية غير مفهومة أحيانا خاصة إذا كانت الكلمة إنجليزية في الأصل. لذلك أي كلمة أو جملة غير مفهومة, ما عليك إلا تحديد الجملة وأنا أترجمها. الموضوع هذا ناتج عن خبرة و مطالعة دائمين. ملاحظة: الموضوع بأكمله يرجع لي ويجب أخذ الإذن قبل نشره في المنتديات الأخرى. أتمنى منكم الردود المشجعة...وفي الأخير هذه مجرد آرائي يعني ممكن بعضها خطأ.
[/URL]Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: Analysis of Lvl 70 Mage Specs (v.long) (http://www.pwfe.com/vengeance/forums/viewtopic.php?p=4632#4632) In my attempts to figure out which is the best level 70 build, I put together an excel spreadsheet which worked out everything for me, all I had to do was input a few variables and everything was calculated without me tapping it into my calculator every time. I decided to share my findings with you all, as they are quite useful.
I put together 8 specs, mostly focused on raiding, although the final 2 specs are more PvP oriented. Most of them can be varied quite a bit, some for slightly more DPS, some for slightly more utility. The specs are as follows. (MM stands for Mind Mastery)
Deep Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h)
Arcane/Fire Crit - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh)
MM Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM)
Deep Arcane - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z)
Deep Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot)
MM Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o)
MM Shatter - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo)
Elementalist - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo)
I then came up with 3 levels of gear to put through the number cruncher, to see how the specs scale with gear progression. Build 1 is high end gear level, Build 2 is medium range gear level, and Build 3 is low end gear level.
Build 1 - Spell Damage – 1000, Int Crit – 7.0%, Gear Crit - 14%, Int – 522
Build 2 - Spell Damage – 750, Int Crit – 7.0%, Gear Crit - 10%, Int – 480
Build 3 - Spell Damage – 500, Int Crit – 6.0%, Gear Crit - 6%, Int – 420
Notes: For the purposes of simplicity, Arcane Mind (4 or 5 ranks) is treated as giving 1% crit, Molten Fury gives 2% extra damage per rank, and Arcane Potency gives 1% crit per rank.
The Improved Scorch and Winter’s Chill debuffs are considered to be on the target, and it is deemed that Ice Lance is only ever used if the target is frozen (therefore shatter comes into play if the talent spec has it). For Arcane Blast, it’s DPS is calculated as if the cast time reduction debuff is fully applied (i.e. as a 1.5 second cast)
None of these calculations take into account talents that can’t be simplified into quantifiable percentage increase or an increase in crit %. Also, +hit is not in these calculations, as it’s value is dependent on target level. (And also, I don’t know the percentages for lvl 70 and above mobs yet).
For the two AoE spells, AE & CoC, I’ve used what appears to be the new AoE cooefficient, which is 0.5 (This is what it works out to from my experiments on the test server, please correct me if I’m wrong). For Ice Lance, I’ve used a 1/3 cooefficent on top of the cast time cooefficient. Most people have reported Ice Lance has a 0.15 cooefficient. So I’ve estimated that Blizzard are applying a 1/3 modifier on top of the 1.5/3.5 modified. A reasonable assumption given that Ice Lance does x3 damage when the target is frozen, which is realistically, the only time this spell is going to be used.
Additionally, spells normally gain a small amount of damage as you increase in level. Therefore any spell which is not gained at level 70 will in fact do slightly more base damage at 70. Unfortunately, not having a beta account, I can’t obtain the lvl 70 damage ranges for those spells, so I have used the base ranges listed on thottbot.
And lastly, while I’ve made best effort to make sure all my math is correct, I’m only human, and have probably made a mistake somewhere along the line. Feel free to correct me. http://www.pwfe.com/vengeance/forums/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
Every spell is listed as Name – Non Crit Damage Range (Crit Damage Range), Avg Hit, DPS
Deep Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kf0VZxgMzfcIkeRt0h)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2354 - 2581 ( 4942 - 5419 ), Avg 3281 , DPS: 1094
Fireball (R14) - 2464 - 2723 ( 5175 - 5719 ), Avg 3450 , DPS: 1150
Scorch - 968 - 1042 ( 2033 - 2189 ), Avg 1381 , DPS: 921
Fire Blast - 1442 - 1603 ( 3029 - 3367 ), Avg 2092 , DPS: 1395
Arcane Blast - 1458 - 1569 ( 2186 - 2353 ), Avg 1672 , DPS: 1115
Arcane Explosion - 633 - 665 ( 949 - 997 ), Avg 717 , DPS: 478
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1975 - 2202 ( 4147 - 4624 ), Avg 2685 , DPS: 895
Fireball (R14) - 2086 - 2344 ( 4380 - 4923 ), Avg 2848 , DPS: 949
Scorch - 827 - 901 ( 1736 - 1892 ), Avg 1149 , DPS: 766
Fire Blast - 1301 - 1462 ( 2732 - 3070 ), Avg 1837 , DPS: 1225
Arcane Blast - 1267 - 1378 ( 1900 - 2067 ), Avg 1435 , DPS: 956
Arcane Explosion - 575 - 607 ( 863 - 911 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1595 - 1822 ( 3349 - 3825 ), Avg 2103 , DPS: 701
Fireball (R14) - 1705 - 1964 ( 3581 - 4125 ), Avg 2259 , DPS: 753
Scorch - 685 - 759 ( 1439 - 1595 ), Avg 921 , DPS: 614
Fire Blast - 1159 - 1320 ( 2435 - 2773 ), Avg 1581 , DPS: 1054
Arcane Blast - 1076 - 1187 ( 1613 - 1780 ), Avg 1199 , DPS: 799
Arcane Explosion - 518 - 550 ( 777 - 825 ), Avg 566 , DPS: 377
Notes: This build, as most people would predict, offers the highest DPS of all the builds, but only with Fireball. Both of the other 2 fire builds offer higher DPS in with the 4 spells of this build. It is also lacking somewhat in terms of utility, especially when it comes to PvP. But if you want to have the highest possible DPS with Fireball, then this does offer a 3-4% increase in Fireball DPS over the other builds, not to mention the added benefit of +3% hit from elemental precision.
Arcane/Fire Crit - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzLGzbZxg0zfccoh)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 3152 , DPS: 1051
Fireball (R14) - 2129 - 2372 ( 5216 - 5812 ), Avg 3328 , DPS: 1109
Scorch - 910 - 979 ( 2229 - 2399 ), Avg 1396 , DPS: 931
Fire Blast - 1355 - 1506 ( 3319 - 3690 ), Avg 2115 , DPS: 1410
Arcane Blast - 1403 - 1510 ( 2456 - 2643 ), Avg 1817 , DPS: 1212
Arcane Explosion - 609 - 640 ( 1066 - 1120 ), Avg 779 , DPS: 519
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1715 - 1928 ( 4202 - 4724 ), Avg 2588 , DPS: 863
Fireball (R14) - 1819 - 2062 ( 4457 - 5052 ), Avg 2757 , DPS: 919
Scorch - 777 - 846 ( 1903 - 2073 ), Avg 1153 , DPS: 768
Fire Blast - 1222 - 1373 ( 2994 - 3364 ), Avg 1843 , DPS: 1229
Arcane Blast - 1219 - 1326 ( 2134 - 2321 ), Avg 1550 , DPS: 1033
Arcane Explosion - 554 - 585 ( 969 - 1023 ), Avg 693 , DPS: 462
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1405 - 1618 ( 3442 - 3965 ), Avg 2038 , DPS: 679
Fireball (R14) - 1509 - 1752 ( 3697 - 4293 ), Avg 2198 , DPS: 733
Scorch - 644 - 713 ( 1578 - 1748 ), Avg 915 , DPS: 610
Fire Blast - 1089 - 1240 ( 2668 - 3039 ), Avg 1570 , DPS: 1047
Arcane Blast - 1035 - 1142 ( 1812 - 1999 ), Avg 1285 , DPS: 857
Arcane Explosion - 499 - 530 ( 873 - 927 ), Avg 607 , DPS: 404
Notes: This build comes out 2nd in terms of DPS of the 3 fire builds, though it isn’t that far behind, while offering significantly more utility, especially when it comes to PvP. It offers much higher DPS when it comes to AoE, and the backup spell of Arcane Blast becomes significicantly more powerful with this build. Also note that Scorch and Fire Blast are slightly more powerful than Deep Fire with this build with higher end gear, but not with low end gear. A more rounded build for those who wish to focus on more than just straight up single target nuking.
MM Fire - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kw0VcofzxIziZxgM0fM)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2104 - 2307 ( 5155 - 5652 ), Avg 3101 , DPS: 1034
Fireball (R14) - 2203 - 2434 ( 5397 - 5964 ), Avg 3260 , DPS: 1087
Scorch - 941 - 1008 ( 2307 - 2469 ), Avg 1427 , DPS: 951
Fire Blast - 1365 - 1509 ( 3344 - 3697 ), Avg 2104 , DPS: 1403
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1795 - 1998 ( 4397 - 4894 ), Avg 2556 , DPS: 852
Fireball (R14) - 1894 - 2125 ( 4640 - 5207 ), Avg 2709 , DPS: 903
Scorch - 809 - 875 ( 1982 - 2144 ), Avg 1184 , DPS: 789
Fire Blast - 1233 - 1377 ( 3020 - 3373 ), Avg 1834 , DPS: 1223
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1480 - 1683 ( 3625 - 4123 ), Avg 2017 , DPS: 672
Fireball (R14) - 1579 - 1810 ( 3868 - 4435 ), Avg 2161 , DPS: 720
Scorch - 674 - 740 ( 1651 - 1813 ), Avg 943 , DPS: 629
Fire Blast - 1098 - 1242 ( 2689 - 3042 ), Avg 1560 , DPS: 1040
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Notes: This build comes out 3rd of the 3 fire builds when it comes to fireball DPS. Though the gap is fairly small at low end gear level, this is mostly because MM scales with Int, and you gain comparatively much less int as you improve your gear compared to spell damage. Of the 3 fire builds, this build has the highest Scorch DPS. Although it is plausible in the Arc/Fire Crit build to drop Pyro & Blast Wave and get the extra +4% crit to scorch and fire blast, and then it would have the best scorch dps. No surprise that this build has the best AE DPS of the 3 fire builds. This build however does not Pyro or Blast Wave (two very handy PvP spells), though you could potentially get Slow (a very handy PvP spell). I would say this build is best used if you’ve a low level of gear but have a high int. Once you have a medium level of gear, this build lags behind the other 2, and should probably only be taken if you’re going to move a talent point from fire to get slow.
Deep Arcane - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kixVcofzxIuioxx0z)
Build 1
Arcane Missiles (R10) - 3564 - 3564 ( 6237 - 6237 ), Avg 4313 , DPS: 863
Arcane Missiles (R11) - 3667 - 3667 ( 6418 - 6418 ), Avg 4437 , DPS: 887
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Fireball (R13) - 1836 - 2014 ( 4499 - 4933 ), Avg 2707 , DPS: 902
Fireball (R14) - 1923 - 2125 ( 4711 - 5206 ), Avg 2846 , DPS: 949
Fire Blast - 1192 - 1317 ( 2919 - 3227 ), Avg 1764 , DPS: 1176
Build 2
Arcane Missiles 10 - 3057 - 3057 ( 5350 - 5350 ), Avg 3608 , DPS: 722
Arcane Missiles 11 - 3160 - 3160 ( 5530 - 5530 ), Avg 3729 , DPS: 746
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Fireball (R13) - 1567 - 1744 ( 3838 - 4272 ), Avg 2231 , DPS: 744
Fireball (R14) - 1653 - 1855 ( 4050 - 4545 ), Avg 2365 , DPS: 788
Fire Blast - 1076 - 1202 ( 2636 - 2944 ), Avg 1535 , DPS: 1023
Build 3
Arcane Missiles 10 - 2541 - 2541 ( 4446 - 4446 ), Avg 2903 , DPS: 581
Arcane Missiles 11 - 2644 - 2644 ( 4626 - 4626 ), Avg 3020 , DPS: 604
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Fireball (R13) - 1292 - 1469 ( 3164 - 3599 ), Avg 1760 , DPS: 587
Fireball (R14) - 1378 - 1580 ( 3376 - 3871 ), Avg 1887 , DPS: 629
Fire Blast - 958 - 1084 ( 2347 - 2655 ), Avg 1302 , DPS: 868
Notes: As you can see, even with a deep arcane build, Arcane Missiles DPS is still below fireball, even though you have just 11 points in Fire. However, the main advantages of this build are that Arcane has low threat, you have +10% hit, which means you can concentrate on solely gaining +dmg, as crit doesn’t benefit you much in this build, and AM in uninterupptable. You can also use AM followed by Arcane Blast as a chain to increase your DPS and your mana efficiency. Note that the mana efficiency of AM isn’t as bad with this build, Emp. AM despite it’s extra mana cost, actually improves it’s mana efficiency, though it is still slightly worse than most fire builds, it’s not majorly significant. Not to mention AM gains the greatest benefit from Clearcasting, costing the most mana for the most amount of damage, and it can double dip from the Arcane Potency talent. Plus if you have plenty of mana spare near the end of a fight, you can drop AM spam and burn through your mana with Arcane Blast, which outdps’s pretty much everything. And if you can leech a scorch debuff off another fire mage, you can still do decent dps with fireball. (Equal to MM Fire’s dps with Fireball). If Threat is a serious issue for mages, then this is the spec to fall back onto. Not the best when it comes to DPS, but the best combination of low threat & DPS on the game.
Deep Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rf0VZZVAGckfxsiot)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1574 - 1623 ( 3148 - 3245 ), Avg 2174 , DPS: 869
Frostbolt (R14) - 1609 - 1662 ( 3218 - 3324 ), Avg 2224 , DPS: 890
Arcane Blast - 1362 - 1466 ( 2043 - 2199 ), Avg 1563 , DPS: 1042
Arcane Explosion - 591 - 621 ( 887 - 932 ), Avg 670 , DPS: 447
Ice Lance - 966 - 1049 ( 1933 - 2098 ), Avg 1854 , DPS: 1236
Cone of Cold - 880 - 934 ( 1760 - 1868 ), Avg 1188 , DPS: 792
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1339 - 1387 ( 2677 - 2775 ), Avg 1799 , DPS: 720
Frostbolt (R14) - 1374 - 1427 ( 2747 - 2853 ), Avg 1848 , DPS: 739
Arcane Blast - 1184 - 1288 ( 1776 - 1932 ), Avg 1341 , DPS: 894
Arcane Explosion - 538 - 568 ( 807 - 852 ), Avg 600 , DPS: 400
Ice Lance - 853 - 935 ( 1705 - 1871 ), Avg 1609 , DPS: 1073
Cone of Cold - 805 - 858 ( 1609 - 1716 ), Avg 1056 , DPS: 704
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1103 - 1152 ( 2207 - 2304 ), Avg 1432 , DPS: 573
Frostbolt (R14) - 1138 - 1191 ( 2277 - 2383 ), Avg 1479 , DPS: 592
Arcane Blast - 1005 - 1109 ( 1508 - 1664 ), Avg 1121 , DPS: 747
Arcane Explosion - 484 - 514 ( 726 - 771 ), Avg 529 , DPS: 353
Ice Lance - 739 - 822 ( 1478 - 1644 ), Avg 1366 , DPS: 911
Cone of Cold - 729 - 783 ( 1458 - 1565 ), Avg 922 , DPS: 615
Notes: - As you can see, the DPS of frostbolt is quite a way behind that of fireball. However, it does provide you with 2 excellent defensive spells, Ice Barrier & Ice Block. Along with Shatter, which combined with Ice Lance is the best burst DPS weapon probably in the game. (AP can provide more burst DPS, but it’s on a 3min cooldown, Frost Nova with this spec is on a 21 second cooldown, making it much more viable). Frostbite+Shatter also provides additional dps if the target is vulnerable to to frostbite (which sadly most bosses are not). Ofc, the dps does not take into account the extra dps the water elemental provides (threat free dps I might add), which is difficult to calculate as I don’t know how much +dmg it’s waterbolt gains from our spell damage. If you are a diehard frost mage, then this is probably the spec for you. You’ll never match the DPS of the fire builds, but you’ll be a damn sight harder to kill. And ofc, Frost still maintains it’s magnificent mana efficiency, sadly this will only show in the longest of fights.
MM Frost - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1662 - 1713 ( 3741 - 3853 ), Avg 2278 , DPS: 911
Frostbolt (R14) - 1698 - 1753 ( 3822 - 3944 ), Avg 2330 , DPS: 932
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Ice Lance - 1064 - 1149 ( 2393 - 2585 ), Avg 1493 , DPS: 996
Cone of Cold - 715 - 757 ( 1610 - 1703 ), Avg 994 , DPS: 663
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1432 - 1482 ( 3222 - 3335 ), Avg 1894 , DPS: 758
Frostbolt (R14) - 1468 - 1522 ( 3303 - 3426 ), Avg 1944 , DPS: 778
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Ice Lance - 941 - 1026 ( 2118 - 2309 ), Avg 1279 , DPS: 853
Cone of Cold - 654 - 696 ( 1472 - 1565 ), Avg 877 , DPS: 585
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1197 - 1247 ( 2693 - 2806 ), Avg 1512 , DPS: 605
Frostbolt (R14) - 1233 - 1288 ( 2774 - 2897 ), Avg 1560 , DPS: 624
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Ice Lance - 817 - 902 ( 1837 - 2029 ), Avg 1063 , DPS: 709
Cone of Cold - 592 - 633 ( 1332 - 1425 ), Avg 758 , DPS: 505
Notes: - This build offers higher straight up DPS, and ofc the bigger crits, it does ofc have a lower chance to crit, and lacks the burst potential of shatter. But this build is about maximising the dps of frostbolt for raid dps. However, full frost may still do more dps thanks to the extra dps from the water elemental. This build does offer more utility, with the option of high burst dps from Arcane Blast, and the extra AE dps. And ofc, it has AP, PoM & Imp. CS, 3 very powerful weapons in PvP. This build really shines however if you can leech a Winter’s Chill debuff from another frost mage. See the below stats.
MM Frost Leech - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVq0cof0o)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1662 - 1713 ( 3741 - 3853 ), Avg 2489 , DPS: 996
Frostbolt (R14) - 1698 - 1753 ( 3822 - 3944 ), Avg 2545 , DPS: 1018
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Ice Lance - 1064 - 1149 ( 2393 - 2585 ), Avg 1632 , DPS: 1088
Cone of Cold - 715 - 757 ( 1610 - 1703 ), Avg 1086 , DPS: 724
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1432 - 1482 ( 3222 - 3335 ), Avg 2076 , DPS: 831
Frostbolt (R14) - 1468 - 1522 ( 3303 - 3426 ), Avg 2131 , DPS: 852
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Ice Lance - 941 - 1026 ( 2118 - 2309 ), Avg 1402 , DPS: 935
Cone of Cold - 654 - 696 ( 1472 - 1565 ), Avg 962 , DPS: 641
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1197 - 1247 ( 2693 - 2806 ), Avg 1665 , DPS: 666
Frostbolt (R14) - 1233 - 1288 ( 2774 - 2897 ), Avg 1717 , DPS: 687
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Ice Lance - 817 - 902 ( 1837 - 2029 ), Avg 1170 , DPS: 780
Cone of Cold - 592 - 633 ( 1332 - 1425 ), Avg 835 , DPS: 556
Notes: This is the same as the MM Frost build, however the extra +10% crit from Winter’s Chill has been taken into account. It will have to be leeched of another frost mage. But it shows the massive dps difference between the two. If you’ve a group of people who want to go frost and maximise their raid dps. Then 1 deep frost and the rest MM Frost will certainly offer you the best group dps. As you can see, the R14 Frostbolt breaks the 1k dps barrier, a major milestone for frost mages.
MM Shatter - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=Rw0VcofzxIziZZVVr0o0xo)
Build 1
Frostbolt (R13) - 1571 - 1618 ( 3535 - 3641 ), Avg 2153 , DPS: 861
Frostbolt (R14) - 1605 - 1656 ( 3611 - 3727 ), Avg 2201 , DPS: 881
Arcane Blast - 1514 - 1621 ( 2649 - 2836 ), Avg 1967 , DPS: 1311
Arcane Explosion - 642 - 673 ( 1124 - 1178 ), Avg 825 , DPS: 550
Ice Lance - 1005 - 1085 ( 2262 - 2442 ), Avg 2064 , DPS: 1376
Cone of Cold - 676 - 715 ( 1521 - 1609 ), Avg 939 , DPS: 626
Build 2
Frostbolt (R13) - 1353 - 1401 ( 3045 - 3151 ), Avg 1790 , DPS: 716
Frostbolt (R14) - 1387 - 1439 ( 3121 - 3237 ), Avg 1837 , DPS: 735
Arcane Blast - 1321 - 1428 ( 2311 - 2499 ), Avg 1684 , DPS: 1122
Arcane Explosion - 584 - 615 ( 1023 - 1077 ), Avg 735 , DPS: 490
Ice Lance - 889 - 970 ( 2001 - 2182 ), Avg 1790 , DPS: 1193
Cone of Cold - 618 - 657 ( 1391 - 1479 ), Avg 829 , DPS: 553
Build 3
Frostbolt (R13) - 1131 - 1179 ( 2545 - 2652 ), Avg 1429 , DPS: 572
Frostbolt (R14) - 1165 - 1217 ( 2622 - 2738 ), Avg 1474 , DPS: 590
Arcane Blast - 1124 - 1231 ( 1968 - 2155 ), Avg 1399 , DPS: 932
Arcane Explosion - 525 - 556 ( 919 - 973 ), Avg 642 , DPS: 428
Ice Lance - 772 - 852 ( 1736 - 1917 ), Avg 1512 , DPS: 1008
Cone of Cold - 559 - 598 ( 1258 - 1347 ), Avg 716 , DPS: 478
Notes: This build is more PvP oriented, while some of the previous builds already had PvP viability within them, MM Frost sacrificed Frost’s biggest PvP weapon in Shatter for the more Raid oriented talents. As you can see, you lose a little in frostbolt dps as well as mana efficieny and range. But you gain two destructive PvP weapons, Frostbite and Shatter. Which combined with Ice Lance makes this an extremely powerful build. Even with poor gear, you can get 1800 average crits with Ice Lance, which is damn handy for an instant cast spell. Ice Lance lovers who want to PvP and raid may find it a tough call to choose between this build and the Deep Frost build.
Elementalist - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo (http://www.wowhead.com/?talent-bc=kZxgMzf0soeRZVVrMobxo)
Build 1
Fireball (R13) - 2123 - 2347 ( 4458 - 4928 ), Avg 2972 , DPS: 991
Fireball (R14) - 2232 - 2487 ( 4687 - 5222 ), Avg 3138 , DPS: 1046
Scorch - 954 - 1026 ( 2003 - 2156 ), Avg 1360 , DPS: 907
Fire Blast - 1420 - 1579 ( 2983 - 3316 ), Avg 2061 , DPS: 1374
Arcane Blast - 1430 - 1540 ( 2146 - 2309 ), Avg 1641 , DPS: 1094
Arcane Explosion - 621 - 652 ( 931 - 979 ), Avg 703 , DPS: 469
Frostbolt (R13) - 1531 - 1581 ( 3061 - 3161 ), Avg 1882 , DPS: 753
Frostbolt (R14) - 1566 - 1621 ( 3133 - 3242 ), Avg 1928 , DPS: 771
Ice Lance - 994 - 1079 ( 1987 - 2157 ), Avg 1772 , DPS: 1181
Cone of Cold - 680 - 722 ( 1361 - 1444 ), Avg 848 , DPS: 566
Build 2
Fireball (R13) - 1798 - 2022 ( 3776 - 4245 ), Avg 2456 , DPS: 819
Fireball (R14) - 1907 - 2162 ( 4005 - 4540 ), Avg 2616 , DPS: 872
Scorch - 814 - 887 ( 1710 - 1863 ), Avg 1132 , DPS: 754
Fire Blast - 1281 - 1440 ( 2690 - 3023 ), Avg 1809 , DPS: 1206
Arcane Blast - 1243 - 1352 ( 1864 - 2028 ), Avg 1408 , DPS: 939
Arcane Explosion - 565 - 596 ( 847 - 894 ), Avg 630 , DPS: 420
Frostbolt (R13) - 1311 - 1361 ( 2621 - 2721 ), Avg 1563 , DPS: 625
Frostbolt (R14) - 1347 - 1401 ( 2693 - 2802 ), Avg 1607 , DPS: 643
Ice Lance - 877 - 962 ( 1754 - 1924 ), Avg 1535 , DPS: 1024
Cone of Cold - 622 - 663 ( 1244 - 1327 ), Avg 752 , DPS: 501
Build 3
Fireball (R13) - 1473 - 1697 ( 3093 - 3563 ), Avg 1951 , DPS: 650
Fireball (R14) - 1582 - 1837 ( 3322 - 3857 ), Avg 2104 , DPS: 701
Scorch - 675 - 748 ( 1418 - 1571 ), Avg 907 , DPS: 605
Fire Blast - 1142 - 1300 ( 2398 - 2731 ), Avg 1557 , DPS: 1038
Arcane Blast - 1055 - 1165 ( 1583 - 1747 ), Avg 1177 , DPS: 784
Arcane Explosion - 508 - 540 ( 763 - 810 ), Avg 556 , DPS: 370
Frostbolt (R13) - 1091 - 1141 ( 2181 - 2282 ), Avg 1250 , DPS: 500
Frostbolt (R14) - 1127 - 1181 ( 2253 - 2362 ), Avg 1292 , DPS: 517
Ice Lance - 760 - 845 ( 1520 - 1690 ), Avg 1300 , DPS: 867
Cone of Cold - 564 - 605 ( 1127 - 1210 ), Avg 654 , DPS: 436
Notes: As you can see, you sacrifice a lot of DPS with this build, although fireball does fairly well, it’s primary usage is for burst dps via Shatter. Realistically, you could scrap Imp. Fireball and taken Impact, and use Scorch as your main fire spell, certainly would be your main raid spell, as you lack an awful lot when it comes to mana efficiency. However, your options in PvP are many and varied. And there’s plenty of room for variety. And when the target is frozen, you can kick out some sick damage with either fire or frost. Imo, elemental builds have lost some of the power they had previously, mostly thanks to Spell Power in the arcane tree offering such a nice boost to crits, it makes MM Shatter look a lot more interesting than an elementalist build.
[U]Crit versus Spell Damage
One of the longest debates mages have is how much spell damage is 1% crit worth. This is even more important now that not only do we have to choose our gear, but we have to choose the gems we want to customise our gear with. Which is better, crit rating or spell dmg?
In truth, the actual math is rather simple, take the spell of choice, take it’s average base damage and multiply it by 0.01, then take your spell damage, multiply it by 0.01 and add the two together, now multiply it by your crit bonus modifier. An example, I’ll use the Arcane/Fire Crit build as an example.
Average Base Damage of R13 Fireball is 719, Spell Damage is 1000, 1% of that is 17.19. Now multiply by 1.45, and you get 24.93.
However, this doesn’t mean that you simply add 25 damage and you’ll get about the same increase as 1% crit. The reason is that if you added 25 damage, the amount you gain per crit goes up, and if you have a high crit %, that can add up quickly. Example
Normal, Arcane/Fire Crit, Build 1 – 1000 Spell Damage, 33% average crit with fireball
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 3152 , DPS: 1051
1% extra crit
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 3182 , DPS: 1061
25 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2056 - 2269 ( 5037 - 5560 ), Avg 3197 , DPS: 1066
Note that the average damage is 15 more with 25 extra damage than with 1% extra crit, and ofc, 5 more dps. This is because the amount per crit % is now 25.29. This means your crit % is giving you an extra +dmg, which is where the extra dps is coming from. In actuality, if we add 17 dmg, we approximately equal our 1% crit. (Hard to get an exact match, but this is the closest I can get without decimal +dmg).
17 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2046 - 2259 ( 5013 - 5535 ), Avg 3183 , DPS: 1061
So does this mean we should focus more on spell damage or more on crit? What happens if we have a low crit%?
Normal, Arcane/Fire Crit, Build 1 – 1000 Spell Damage, 20% average crit with fireball
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 2750 , DPS: 917
1% extra crit
Fireball (R13) - 2025 - 2238 ( 4961 - 5484 ), Avg 2781 , DPS: 927
25 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2056 - 2269 ( 5037 - 5560 ), Avg 2790 , DPS: 930
Note that 1% crit provided exactly the same increase in average damage and dps (the 1 dmg difference is simple from partial decimals and rounding), but the 25 extra damage has lost 5 average dmg.
20 extra dmg
Fireball (R13) - 2050 - 2263 ( 5022 - 5544 ), Avg 2782 , DPS: 927
As you can see, we now need more spell damage to match 1% crit. This is because you have a lower crit %, and therefore you gain less bonus +dmg from your crit.
Overall, the best solution seems to be to get around 25-30% crit, and then focus on spell damage. Imo, Blizzard have probably got the balance between Spell dmg and Crit Rating Gems about right. Crit does after all provide benefits beyond pure dps increase. Most classes that use Spell Crit have talents which provide an additional benefit from the crit. Master of Elements for Mages (big increase in mana efficiency), Imp. Shadowbolt for Locks, and so on. Ofc, we haven’t started on the burst dps crit brings to PvP.
Your spec in the end will determine what you focus on. Fire specced mages will almost certainly want to balance the 2 stats, except maybe deep fire mages, which can focus more on spell dmg, as they live for their fireball. Arcane Mages will want nothing but +dmg, and Deep Frost Mages will probably think along the same lines. MM Frost mages will look for a balance as well. Don’t forget your +hit for those boss fights though