ascension-char-exporter/template-mage-guide.md

This guide covers my current (not best-in-slot) gear, enchants, talents, mystic enchants, macros, and rotation.

98% stolen from Author - Mikeyjackson (Minimike)- https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRlCRWmOhDHk8_iWEv71tw989BnT7WIjGLgE_T6MNu6SNRKNhItay_QLbJepH065mRPeiqCAj5EoYg0/pub

Note: Some items marked with ITEMID or SPELLID are custom Ascension items (Heroic Dungeon drops, Worldforged items, custom mystic enchants). These IDs will be updated when they become available in db.ascension.gg. All standard WoW Classic and ZG items have been linked.

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TODO: Work in progress

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Pre-Raid Best-in-Slot Gear

Note: Only included alternatives if they are really close in value. For crafted items, SP/INT is ideal but SP + anything or INT + anything is fine. With ZG out, worldforged items can be upgraded one more time.

Slot	Item	Location	Enchant	Alternative
Head	Bloodvine Goggles of Prophecy	Engi Craft	-	The Hexxer's Cover (ZG - Jin'do the Hexxer)
Neck	Jewel of Kajaro	ZG Quest	-	Jeklik's Opaline Talisman (ZG - High Priestess Jeklik)
Shoulders	Zandalar Illusionist's Mantle (Mage Set)	ZG - Multiple Bosses	Zandalar Signet (+18 SP)	Ironweave Mantle (Heroic Dungeon)
Back	Hide of the Wild of Spirit Breaking	Crafted - Tailoring	Sustaining Cloak Lining (+6 SP / 6 STAM)	Hide of the Wild of the Conjurer
Chest	Bloodvine Vest of the Magus	Crafted - Tailoring	Flamescale Gambeson (+6 HASTE)	Robe of the Archmage of the Arcane
Wrist	Zandalar Illusionist's Wraps (Mage Set)	ZG - Multiple Bosses	Enchant Bracer - Healing Power (+15 SP)	Crystalline Cuffs (Heroic Dungeon)
Mainhand	Sageblade of the Oracle	BS Craft	-	Bloodcaller (ZG - Hakkar)
Offhand	On the Importance of Arcane Foci	Worldforged	-	Jin'do's Bag of Whammies (ZG - Jin'do the Hexxer)
Wand	Cold Snap	Azu Worldboss Drop	Reflex Scope (+6 HASTE)	Touch of Chaos (Hakkar Drop)
Gloves	Combed Furline Handwraps	Timbermaw Hold Rep - Exalted	Enchant Glove - Minor Haste (+10 HASTE)	-
Belt	Belt of Untapped Power	-	Magus Belt Buckle (+10 INT)	Whipvine Cord
Legs	Bloodvine Leggings of Prophecy	Crafted - Tailoring	ZG Enchant - Shaman (+13 SP / 15 INT)	-
Boots	Bloodvine Boots of the Soothsayer	Crafted - Tailoring	Enchant Boots - Lesser Accuracy (+5 HIT)	Dragonrider Boots (Heroic Dungeon)
Ring 1	Arcane Loop	Ring Vendor (in ORG or SW, 600g)	-	-
Ring 2	Darkest Night Loop	-	-	Band of Servitude (ZG - Multiple Bosses)
Trinket 1	Mindtap Talisman	-	-	Hazza'rah's Charm of Magic (Mage Set) (ZG - Summoned Bosses)
Trinket 2	Briarwood Reed	-	-	Zandalarian Hero Charm (ZG - Hakkar)

Enchants

Enchants are listed in the gear table above. Key enchants include:

ZG Enchants

The ZG enchants are incredibly important as they grant significant spell power and stats. Each enchant requires:

• 1x Primal Hakkari Idol (drops from ZG bosses/trash)
• 1x Voodoo Doll (looted from Hoodoo Pile nodes in ZG)
  • Shaman: Blue Punctured Voodoo Doll (+13 SP / +15 INT)

Turn in these items to Zanza the Restless in a cleared ZG. Check with Sub and the guild bank before purchasing from the AH.

Zandalar Shoulder Enchant

The Zandalar Signet enchant (+18 SP) requires farming reputation with the Zandalar Tribe through ZG runs and turning in bijous and coins.

Talents

The Arcane talent tree focuses on maximizing single-target burst damage with mana efficiency. Below is the recommended pre-raid build:

Defensive/Utility Options

Consider these based on encounter needs:

• Arcane Subtlety (3/3) - 20% threat reduction, 12% reduced Arcane spell mana cost
• Arcane Fortitude (3/3) - Increases armor by 150% of Intellect while Mana-forged Barrier is active
• Improved Blink (3/3) - Reduces Blink cooldown by 12 seconds, 20% damage reduction for 3 sec after Blink

Mystic Enchants

Artifact

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Rune of Power - "Place a rune of power on the ground for 1 minute. While standing in your rune, your mana regeneration is increased by 100% and your spell power is increased by 15%."

Best choice for single-target encounters. Stand still and maximize damage output.

Legendary

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Barrage Overload - "Your Arcane Barrage has a chance to cast an additional Arcane Barrage at your target at 50% effectiveness."

Excellent for movement-heavy fights where Rune of Power is difficult to utilize effectively.

Touch of the Magi - "Your Arcane Blast has a chance to apply Touch of the Magi, which stores 25% of all damage dealt to the target and releases it as Arcane damage after 6 seconds."

Situational option that can be strong on longer encounters with burst windows.

Epic Enchants

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Essential:

• Esoteric Power - "If you are consistently reaching 5 stacks of Arcane Blast, this enchant significantly boosts your damage output". This is your top priority epic enchant if you can maintain 5 stacks

Core:

• Arcane Surge - "After casting 4 Arcane Blasts in a row, your next Arcane Missiles deals 30% increased damage". Synergizes perfectly with the rotation
• Improved Arcane Missiles - "Reduces the mana cost of Arcane Missiles by 20% and increases its damage by 10%". Essential for mana management

Recommended:

• Arcane Tempo - "Your Arcane Blast increases your haste by 1% per stack, up to 4%". More haste means more casts
• Mana Adept - "Your spell damage is increased by up to 15% of your current mana percentage". Rewards intelligent mana management

Situational:

• Arcane Familiar - "Summon a familiar that periodically casts Arcane Blast at your target". Passive damage increase
• Nether Tempest - "Places a periodic damage effect on the target that damages nearby enemies". Good for multi-target situations

Rare Enchants

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Essential:

• Glyph of Arcane Blast - "Increases damage done by Arcane Blast by 10%". Absolutely essential
• Arcane Intellect - "Increases your total Intellect by 15%". Absolutely essential

Highly Recommended:

• Glyph of Arcane Missiles - "Increases the damage of Arcane Missiles by 15%". Core part of your rotation
• Glyph of Mana Gem - "Increases the mana restored by your Mana Gem by 40%". Critical for mana management on longer fights
• Glyph of Evocation - "Your Evocation ability also regenerates 15% of your health over its duration". Adds survivability

Situational:

• Glyph of Ice Block - "Your Frost Nova cooldown is reduced by 30%". Good for movement/kiting situations
• Glyph of Arcane Power - "Increases the duration of Arcane Power by 3 seconds". Extends your burst window

Consumables

Proper consumables are essential for maximizing your damage output:

Flasks:

• Flask of the Kirin Tor (preferred)
• Flask of Pure Mojo (budget option)

Oils:

• Brilliant Wizard Oil

Potions:

• Major Mana Potion (use throughout fight)
• Potion of Lesser Haste (pre-pot and during burn phases)
• Dark Rune / Demonic Rune (emergency mana)

Food:

• Wizard Wontons (best buff food)

Scrolls:

• Scroll of Intellect

Elixirs (if not using flask):

• Greater Arcane Elixir
• Elixir of Wisdom

Macros

These macros help streamline your rotation and improve responsiveness:

Rune of Power at Feet:

#showtooltip Rune of Power
/cast [target=player] Rune of Power

Arcane Blast with Target Switching:

#showtooltip Arcane Blast
/cast Arcane Blast

Cooldown Macro (Icy Veins + Trinket + Arcane Power):

#showtooltip Icy Veins
/use [trinket slot 13 or 14]
/cast Icy Veins
/cast Arcane Power

Emergency Mana:

#showtooltip Major Mana Potion
/use Major Mana Potion
/use Dark Rune

Rotation

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  PRE [label="Pre-pot\nHaste"];
  PRECAST [label="Pre-cast\nArcane Blast"];
  STACK [label="Stack\nArcane Blasts - 3 or 4"];
  ROP [label="Rune of\nPower"];
  CDS [label="Pop All\nCooldowns"];
  BURN [label="Burn Phase\n(Max Stacks)"];
  SUSTAIN [label="Sustain Phase\n(4-5 Stacks)"];
  MISSILES [label="Arcane\nMissiles"];

  PRE -> PRECAST -> STACK -> ROP -> CDS -> BURN -> SUSTAIN -> MISSILES -> SUSTAIN;
}

Rotation Breakdown

Pre-Pull:

1. Pre-pot Potion of Lesser Haste 2-3 seconds before pull
2. Begin casting Arcane Blast to land as tank pulls

Opening Burst:

1. Cast Arcane Blast to 4 stacks
2. Drop Rune of Power at your feet
3. Pop all cooldowns (Icy Veins, Arcane Power, Trinkets)
4. Continue casting Arcane Blast at max stacks while cooldowns are active

Sustain Phase:

1. Let Arcane Blast stacks drop to 4-5
2. Cast 4-5 Arcane Blasts
3. Cast Arcane Missiles to dump mana and maintain stacks
4. Repeat this cycle

Mana Management:

• Goal is to end the fight nearly out of mana (OOM)
• Use Evocation when you drop below 20-30% mana (fight dependent)
• Use Mana Gem on cooldown during sustain phases
• Don't be afraid to use Dark Runes and Major Mana Potions
• Adjust your burn/sustain ratio based on fight length

Movement:

• If using Rune of Power, minimize movement and plan positioning carefully
• If using Barrage Overload, movement is less punishing
• Use Arcane Barrage while moving if necessary
• Never stop casting if you can avoid it

Stat Weights (Pre-Raid)

Priority for stat weights:

1. Spell Power: 1.0 (scales all damage)
2. Haste: 0.9 (more casts = more damage)
3. Spell Penetration: 0.8 (crucial for PvE)
4. Hit: 0.75 (cap at 16% for raid bosses)
5. Intellect: 0.65 (mana pool and spell crit)
6. Spell Crit: 0.5 (valuable but not as strong as above)

Note: Spell Hit is crucial. Aim for the 16% hit cap through gear and talents. After hit cap, prioritize Spell Power > Haste > Spell Penetration.