Ahh, mages. Arguably the squishiest class in the game, and yet capable of terrifying power, solid crowd control, and the most powerful burst capability of any class in the arenas.
Enter maniacal laughter here.
Overview
– Almost all arena mages are specced deep frost (either a 17/044 or 0/0/61 build) due to that specs superior survivability and control to the other specs. This appears to be changing, but for now, frost is still the go-to tree for arena mages.
– Similar to hunters, a mage left without pressure can deal a massive amount of damage very, very quickly, to any class.
– Decent mana longevity, due to Evocate and mana gems.
– Has the longest spell school lockout ability in the game, which just so happens to be off the GCD, instant cast, and ranged. Counterspell is devastating.
– Very strong crowd control, via polymorph and multiple snares/roots. Even a few seconds of successful mage CC can completely turn the tide of a battle.
– Invisibility, as much controversy has surrounded it, is still a very effective tool.
– One of only two classes that can render themselves completely immune to focus fire. (more…)
