[6.0] Dutch's Frost FAQ & mini guide for level 90!

[Deleted]

This guide is not updated for the 20% frostbolt nerf from 30/10/2014. Not much has changed though, just that UM has become slightly weaker, possibly below ice nova for single target. If I change the guide it will be on the original thread first, so double check it there to see if anything got changed.

Crossposting this from http://altered-time.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=640 - So formatting may be a bit wonky here and there since I just copied it and removed tags that MMOC doesn't support. Sadly MMOC doesn't support wowhead tooltips, so you're going to have to click the urls to see the items I'm referring to. (Or just check the original post for better readability)


Since there's been so many (of the same) questions I've decided to make a quick miniguide/FAQ to deal with these.


I advise beginners to read IV's frost guide for 6.0 first, and then come back and read this thread if you still got any questions. (http://www.icy-veins.com/wow/frost-mage-pve-dps-guide)


Table of contents:

- What gems should I use? Should I go for socket bonuses?
- What trinkets should I use?
- Two piece t16 or four piece t16? What offpiece(s)?
- Mirror Image? RoP? Ice Nova? Frost Bomb? Unstable Magic? What do I go when?
- Stat priorities?????


What gems should I use? Should I go for socket bonuses?
Red: http://www.wowhead.com/item=76659 or http://www.wowhead.com/item=76671 , see below on what to use when.
Yellow: http://www.wowhead.com/item=76700
Blue: http://www.wowhead.com/item=76643

Go for all socket bonuses from SoO gear. As seen above, there's 2 red gems you can take, and which one you use depends on the amount of crit you get from gemming your blue gems + the crit from your gear. You want to achieve somewhere around 36.33% buffed crit chance, so use crit+haste while you're below that, and go haste+mastery when above that.



What trinkets should I use?
Always use http://wod.wowhead.com/item=105422 aslong as it's within 2 "tiers" of your other available trinkets. (So use flex PBOI over heroic other trinkets. But use heroic warforged trinkets over PBOI)


Then take your highest item level trinket between http://wod.wowhead.com/item=105540 and http://wod.wowhead.com/item=105648. Exception: Warforged http://wod.wowhead.com/item=105648 vs nonwarforged http://wod.wowhead.com/item=105540, use nonwarforged http://wod.wowhead.com/item=105540.
If both are equal item level, use http://wod.wowhead.com/item=105540.

All other trinkets suck.


Two piece t16 or four piece t16? What offpiece(s)?
Use two pieces of tier 16.

There are many offpieces you can use, and almost any scenario works. Frost is very lenient in the items you use, so go for the offset which you have warforged. Outside of that, http://www.wowhead.com/item=105516 are very good to have.


Mirror Image? RoP? Ice Nova? Frost Bomb? Unstable Magic? What do I go when?
Use mirror image on all single target fights, or on a fight lasting less than a minute. Use RoP on heavy AoE fights. (Like galakras or nazgrim if you get to AoE the adds)

Frostbomb sucks on almost all SoO fights, unless your group has very low AoE damage. Only use it if you can easily cast it and use multiple FoF procs on it before adds die.

Use unstable magic in almost all cases, unless you can get a lot of AoE damage out of ice nova. (Like garrosh: p1 adds, mind controls, weapons ontop of boss if you do that tactic, or nazgrim adds)

If you're still progressing, choose accordingly to what you're wiping to. Not enough add dps? Ice nova. not enough boss dps? Unstable magic. Adds being alive very long? Frost bomb.

Stat priorities????
Multistrike > int > crit cap (36.33%) > haste while at least a 100 points below mastery, and below 50% > mastery > haste when within a 100 points of mastery > crit after critcap > haste after 50%

Basically, go for the critcap, then keep your haste somewhere around 50-100 below your mastery, while staying above 25% haste

If you're having issues staying within ~100 haste of your mastery, feel free to use http://www.wowhead.com/item=76693 in red sockets.

[Deleted]

Would i be correct in assuming that on the boss pull with all cooldowns and trinket procs (bindings/KTT) prepot etc that casting FoF icelance may be a dps loss over spamming FB / BF FFB, especially when you consider high levels of mastery. I believe this was the case pre 6.0.2 but cant exactly remember!

[Deleted]

Would i be correct in assuming that on the boss pull with all cooldowns and trinket procs (bindings/KTT) prepot etc that casting FoF icelance may be a dps loss over spamming FB / BF FFB, especially when you consider high levels of mastery. I believe this was the case pre 6.0.2 but cant exactly remember!

Yes, details here: http://altered-time.com/forum/viewto...3&p=7212#p7212

[azzastar]

this is an interesting theory. I used the spreadsheet, and put in all my values in the blue section, I'm guessing the green highlighted section indicate that FB+FFB is better under the situations with "Y"?

[Deleted]

this is an interesting theory. I used the spreadsheet, and put in all my values in the blue section, I'm guessing the green highlighted section indicate that FB+FFB is better under the situations with "Y"?

Correct! 10 char

[Deleted]

I ran as frost and cleared mythic last night. Got to be honest, as i was playing around with different fights, even ST Icy Nova felt like it did more damage than UM overall.

I assumed it was down to the fact that fights don't last anywhere near as long so you're not getting off as many 'blasts' from UM

[NjxCrash]

so ive seen diff stuff some say haste 50% raid buffed than mastery and this says 100- than mastery so im a bit confused which is it?

[Deleted]

Which glyphs do you use as frost?

[Relapses]

Which glyphs do you use as frost?

Icy Veins is a given.

WElly has situational applications. It's a QoL glyph, mostly.

Splitting Ice is great on any fight with adds in close proximity to the burn target.

Cone of Cold is great on fights with lots of grouped up adds.

Just switch them around as you see fit.

[Demindar]

So basically this just states I should never cast FoF while on a single target fight, right?

I mean 6.0.2 I dont even try to AoE unless its on Shaman or Immersius, because everything gets nuked down in seconds anyways.

[Deleted]

So basically this just states I should never cast FoF while on a single target fight, right?

I mean 6.0.2 I dont even try to AoE unless its on Shaman or Immersius, because everything gets nuked down in seconds anyways.

Keep in mind that on the right, you have icy veins, bloodlust, and meta gem enabled. Try disabling one/multiple of them, to see if you should still not use ice lances in that situation.

[NjxCrash]

Do you want to be 50-100 haste less than mastery after full raid buffed? or normal stats 50-100 less?

[Cebel]

New hotfix:

Frostbolt damage reduced by 20%