Quick answer: The WoW Forever Mage has 53 talents across Arcane (18), Fire (17) and Frost (18). Talents unlock at level 10, and each tree’s gold medals sit at its 11th, 16th, 21st and 31st point.
How Mage talents work in WoW Forever
Your first talent point arrives at level 10. After that you get one point per level, which adds up to 51 points by level 60. Each tree has seven rows. Row 1 is open from your first point, and every row after it asks for 5 more points spent in that same tree. Row 2 opens at 5 points and row 7 opens at 30.
- Each gold-medal talent uses one point and appears on the 11th, 16th, 21st or 31st point of its tree.
- The 16-point gold medal is new in WoW Forever. It joins the familiar ones at 11, 21 and 31 points.
- You can reset your talents, including Legacy talents, at a class trainer in any major city.
- Dual Specialization unlocks at level 40, so you can keep two Mage talent setups.
- Magic Attunement is baseline and no longer takes up a talent point.
Arcane talents
Arcane offers 18 talents and turns your mana pool into a source of damage. Its row-3 gold medal is Arcane Blast, which deals 32 Arcane damage. Casting it grants Spell Damage equal to 12% of your Intellect, but doubles the spell’s mana cost. The bonus can stack 4 times and runs for 18 seconds after the first stack. Row 4’s Arcane Wrath launches a projectile that deals 120 Arcane damage, with extra Spell Damage based on 5% of your maximum Mana. Presence of Mind, in row 5, makes your next Mage spell with a cast time below 10 seconds instant. The 31-point capstone, Arcane Power, boosts your spell damage and mana costs by 30% for 15 seconds.
Multi-point talents mostly make your casting more reliable. Improved Channeling prevents damage from delaying Arcane Missiles, and grants 70% protection against pushback on Arcane Blast and Arcane Wrath. Arcane Resilience grants Armor equal to 75% of your Intellect. Arcane Subtlety lowers the target’s resistance to every spell you cast by 15, and reduces threat from Arcane spells by 30%. Wand Specialization increases wand damage by 25%.
| Talent | Ranks | Unlocks at | Effect at max rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wand Specialization | 2 | Row 1 (0 points) | Increases your damage with Wands by 25%. |
| Improved Channeling | 5 | Row 1 (0 points) | Gives your Arcane Missiles spell a 100% chance and your Arcane Blast and Arcane Wrath spells a 70% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage. |
| Arcane Resilience | 3 | Row 1 (0 points) | Increases your Armor by an amount equal to 75% of your Intellect. |
| Arcane Subtlety | 2 | Row 2 (5 points) | Reduces your target's resistance to all your spells by 15 and reduces the threat caused by your Arcane spells by 30%. |
| Magic Absorption | 2 | Row 2 (5 points) | Increases all your resistances by 10 and causes all spells you fully resist to restore 2% of your total mana. Cannot trigger more often than 1 time per sec. |
| Arcane Concentration | 5 | Row 2 (5 points) | Gives you a 10% chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target. The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100%. |
| Missile Barrage | 2 | Row 2 (5 points) | Gives your Arcane Blast spell a 40% chance, and your Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, and Frostfire Bolt spells a 20% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the Mana cost by 100%, and missiles fire every 0.5 sec. |
| Arcane Geometry | 2 | Row 3 (10 points) | Increases the range of your Arcane spells by 6 yards. |
| Arcane Impact | 3 | Row 3 (10 points) | Increases the critical strike chance of your Arcane spells by 6%. |
| Arcane Blast | 1 | Row 3 (10 points) | Blasts the target with energy, dealing 32 Arcane damage. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, you gain 12% of your Intellect as Spell Damage and the mana cost of Arcane Blast is increased by 100%. Effect stacks up to 4 times and lasts 18 sec from time of initial application. |
| Arcane Shielding | 2 | Row 4 (15 points) | Decreases the Mana lost per point of damage taken when your Mana Shield spell is active by 33% and increases the resistances granted by your Mage Armor spell by 50%. |
| Improved Counterspell | 2 | Row 4 (15 points) | Your Counterspell also Silences the target for 4 sec. |
| Arcane Meditation Requires Arcane Concentration | 3 | Row 4 (15 points) | Allows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting. |
| Arcane Wrath Requires Arcane Blast | 1 | Row 4 (15 points) | Launches a projectile of pure Arcane energy at the enemy target, causing 120 Arcane damage. This spell gains additional Spell Damage equal to 5% of your maximum Mana. |
| Presence of Mind | 1 | Row 5 (20 points) | When activated, your next Mage spell with a casting time less than 10 sec becomes an instant cast spell. |
| Arcane Mind | 5 | Row 5 (20 points) | Increases your Intellect by 10% and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Arcane spells by 100%. |
| Arcane Instability | 3 | Row 6 (25 points) | Increases the damage done by your spells by 3% and your critical strike chance by 3%. |
| Arcane Power Requires Presence of Mind | 1 | Row 7 (30 points) | For the next 15 sec, your spells deal 30% more damage while costing 30% more mana to cast. |
Fire talents
With 17 talents, Fire is the smallest tree; its strength lies in heavy hits and critical strikes. The row-3 gold medal is Pyroblast, which sends a boulder at your target for 110 Fire damage and another 44 over 12 seconds. Heating Up, in row 4, supports this spell: non-periodic critical hits from Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Fire Blast or Scorch reduce your next Pyroblast’s cast time by 25% per hit, provided you cast it within 20 seconds. The effect stacks up to 3 times. Each damaging hit from Fire Blast supplies one more stack. Blast Wave, in row 5, deals 163 Fire damage to all nearby enemies and Dazes them, cutting their movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds. Combustion is the 31-point capstone. Whenever a Fire spell hits, your Fire spells gain 10% critical strike chance; this lasts until you score 3 non-periodic Fire critical hits.
The talents that cost more than one point push in the same direction. Ignite makes Fire crits burn the target for another 40% of the spell’s damage over 4 seconds. Incineration adds 10% critical strike chance to Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast and Scorch. Accelerant cuts 0.5 seconds from the cast time of Fireball, Frostfire Bolt and Arcane Wrath. Flame Throwing adds 6 yards of range to your Fire spells.
| Talent | Ranks | Unlocks at | Effect at max rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incineration | 5 | Row 1 (0 points) | Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast, and Scorch spells by 10%. |
| Accelerant | 5 | Row 1 (0 points) | Reduces the casting time of your Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, and Arcane Wrath spells by 0.5 sec. |
| Ignite | 5 | Row 2 (5 points) | Your critical strikes from Fire damage spells cause the target to burn for an additional 40% of your spell's damage over 4 sec. |
| Flame Throwing | 2 | Row 2 (5 points) | Increases the range of your Fire spells by 6 yards. |
| Impact | 3 | Row 2 (5 points) | Gives your Fire spells a 10% chance to stun the target for 2 sec. |
| Burning Soul | 3 | Row 3 (10 points) | Gives your Fire spells a 70% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage and reduces the threat caused by your Fire spells by 30%. |
| Improved Flamestrike | 3 | Row 3 (10 points) | Increases the critical strike chance of your Flamestrike spell by 15%. |
| Pyroblast | 1 | Row 3 (10 points) | Hurls an immense fiery boulder that causes 110 Fire damage and an additional 44 Fire damage over 12 sec. |
| Improved Fire Blast | 2 | Row 3 (10 points) | Reduces the cooldown of your Fire Blast spell by 2 sec and increases its range by 15 yards. |
| Improved Scorch | 3 | Row 4 (15 points) | Your Scorch spell has a 100% chance to cause your target to be vulnerable to Fire damage. This vulnerability increases all Fire damage you deal to your target by 3% and lasts 30 sec, stacking up to 5 times. |
| Improved Fire Ward | 2 | Row 4 (15 points) | Causes your Fire Ward to have a 20% chance to reflect Fire spells while active. |
| Heating Up Requires Pyroblast | 1 | Row 4 (15 points) | Non-periodic critical strikes with Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Fire Blast, and Scorch reduce the cast time of your next Pyroblast cast within 20 sec by 25%, stacking up to 3 times. Fire Blast grants an additional stack every time it deals damage. |
| Master of Elements | 3 | Row 4 (15 points) | Your Fire and Frost critical strikes will refund 30% of their base mana cost. |
| Critical Mass | 3 | Row 5 (20 points) | Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire spells by 6%. |
| Blast Wave | 1 | Row 5 (20 points) | A wave of flame radiates outward from the caster, damaging all enemies caught within the blast for 163 Fire damage, and Dazing them for 50% reduced movement speed for 6 sec. |
| Fire Power | 3 | Row 6 (25 points) | Increases the damage done by your Fire spells by 3% per your Fire effects on the target, up to a maximum increase of 12%. Effects which mix multiple schools of magic do not qualify. |
| Combustion Requires Critical Mass | 1 | Row 7 (30 points) | When activated, this spell causes each of your Fire damage spell hits to increase your critical strike chance with Fire damage spells by 10%. This effect lasts until you have caused 3 non-periodic critical strikes with Fire spells. |
Frost talents
Frost offers 18 talents centered on control and survivability. Ice Lance, the row 3 gold medal, inflicts 28 Frost damage, with 300% more damage against Frozen targets. Row 4’s Ice Block traps you in ice for 10 seconds, protecting you from all physical and magical effects; you cannot attack, move, or cast during that time. At row 5, Cold Snap resets the cooldowns of all your other Frost spells. The 31-point capstone, Ice Barrier, grants a shield lasting 1 minute and boosts your Frost damage by 15%. As long as the shield remains, your Frost damage gains a further 5%, and incoming damage will not delay your casts.
The multi-rank talents improve casting speed, burst damage, and defense. Improved Frostbolt shortens Frostbolt’s cast time by 0.5 seconds. Ice Shards makes Frost spells deal 100% more damage on critical hits. Precision gives all spells a 6% higher hit chance. Frost Warding boosts the Armor and resistances granted by Frost Armor and Ice Armor by 30%. It also gives Frost Ward a 20% chance to negate the warded damage spell, while Ice Barrier and Frost Ward absorb 20% more damage.
| Talent | Ranks | Unlocks at | Effect at max rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frost Warding | 2 | Row 1 (0 points) | Increases the Armor and resistances granted by your Frost Armor and Ice Armor spells by 30%, gives your Frost Ward a 20% chance to negate the warded damage spell, and increases the amount absorbed by your Ice Barrier and Frost Ward by 20%. |
| Improved Frostbolt | 5 | Row 1 (0 points) | Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt spell by 0.5 sec. |
| Precision | 3 | Row 1 (0 points) | Improves your chance to hit with all spells by 6%. |
| Ice Shards | 5 | Row 2 (5 points) | Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 100%. |
| Frostbite | 3 | Row 2 (5 points) | Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to Freeze the target for 5 sec. |
| Improved Frost Nova | 2 | Row 2 (5 points) | Reduces the cooldown of your Frost Nova spell by 4 sec. |
| Permafrost | 3 | Row 2 (5 points) | Increases the duration of your Chill effects by 33% and reduces the target's speed by an additional 10%. |
| Frost Channeling | 3 | Row 3 (10 points) | Reduces the mana cost of your Frost spells by 15% and reduces the threat caused by your Frost spells by 30%. |
| Improved Blizzard | 3 | Row 3 (10 points) | Adds a Chill effect to your Blizzard spell. This effect lowers the target's movement speed by 40% for 1.5 sec. |
| Ice Lance | 1 | Row 3 (10 points) | Deals 28 Frost damage to an enemy target. Deals 300% increased damage to Frozen targets. |
| Arctic Reach | 2 | Row 4 (15 points) | Increases the range of your Frostbolt, Ice Lance, and Blizzard spells and the radius of your Frost Nova and Cone of Cold spells by 20%. |
| Ice Block | 1 | Row 4 (15 points) | You become encased in a block of ice, protecting you from all physical attacks and spells for 10 sec, but during that time you cannot attack, move, or cast spells. |
| Shatter | 3 | Row 4 (15 points) | Increases the critical strike chance of all your spells against Frozen targets by 50%. |
| Improved Cone of Cold | 3 | Row 5 (20 points) | Increases the damage dealt by your Cone of Cold spell by 35%. |
| Cold Snap | 1 | Row 5 (20 points) | Finishes the remaining cooldown on all your other Frost spells. |
| Fingers of Frost Requires Ice Lance | 2 | Row 5 (20 points) | Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 2 spells cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec. |
| Winter's Chill | 5 | Row 6 (25 points) | Gives your Frostbolt and Fingers of Frost empowered Ice Lance spells a 100% chance to apply Winter's Chill, increasing the target's damage taken from your next Cone of Cold by 20% and it gains an additional 7% of your spell damage, stacking up to 5 times. |
| Ice Barrier Requires Cold Snap | 1 | Row 7 (30 points) | Shield yourself, absorbing damage and increasing your Frost damage by 15% for 1 min. While shielded, your Frost damage is increased by an additional 5% and you do not lose casting time when you take damage. |
What the Mage does in a WoW Forever group
The Mage is a ranged damage dealer. It has unmatched area damage and one of the strongest crowd control spells in the game in Polymorph. It is also very fragile and dies quickly in melee range, and the three trees are how you answer that weakness. Arcane spends mana for extra damage, Fire goes for heavy hits and crits, and Frost offers a level of control no other class has. Whichever tree you pick, groups and raids still want a Mage for its unique buffs and its food and water.
