Arcane Missile question

[Dukero]

Hello and thanks for reading my question. I am new to the mage class and having a lot of fun with it so far. I have read the Arcane guides here and on a few other sites but am still confused as to the use of arcane missiles. I know that I build up 4 stacks of charges and wait till I have 3 stacks of missile (during conserve phase), what I am not sure of is whether or not I use all three missile charges back to back, or do I just use one? If anyone could clear this up for me it would be very helpful, and of course I'm sorry if this is a huge rookie question.

[nickseng]

Arcane Missiles is basically a mana-free, high damage spells. You use it when:
1. You have 3 stacks, so that so you waste any new procs
2. You have 4 stack Arcane charge, regardless of stacks, to help manage your mana during conserve phase.
3. As soon as you proc during burn phase, as long as you're > 70% mana.

ETA: Re: 2.
Your goal in Conserve phase is to try and remain around 93% mana with as many Arcane Charge as possible. Using AB at 4 stacks will lower your mana below 93%, that's when you use AM. This will usually allow you to cast more ABs. Hence, you don't have to cast AMs back to back; usually 1 cast is enough to bring you back above 93%.

Hope that helped.

[Wilderness]

You don't want to cap your mana at 100%, so you won't be using 3 AM's back to back. Its possible to use 2 back to back depending on your procs and what your mana looks like. Just think of it this way - AM is there to help you stay at 4 stacks of arcane charges and cast more ABs before you reset. So generally you are going to be rotating between AB and AM when you are at 4 charges.

[denzildk]

what is the exact reason that we dont want to cap mana? 100% mana = 100% mastery dps increese.

[Farseer]

what is the exact reason that we dont want to cap mana? 100% mana = 100% mastery dps increese.

For the same reason rogues don't want to cap energy during a fight. When you cap it, it will stop generating new mana. If you can constantly keep it around the 93% mark, you mana regeneration will always keep running. Say you keep it at 100% for a few seconds, you "waste" the mana that you could have regenerated if you were at 93% constantly, which could be just enough mana to be able to cast another 4 stack AB.

[Deleted]

This is not like the case with the hunters and rogues, where if cap your focus/energy means you are doing something wrong, therefore bad dps.
It is not wrong to stay at 100% mana as arcane mage. As denzildk said we are benefiting from our mastery at its fullest when at 100% mana. Imagine if you have 3 stacks of AM and you are at 100% mana due reasons. What will you do?

[Deleted]

Imagine if you have 3 stacks of AM and you are at 100% mana due reasons. What will you do?

U cast AM-AB-AM-AB-AM-AB-(and if no proc/SN)-ABarr.

Which is more DMG then: AM-AM-AM-AB-Abarr

[Deleted]

I could argue here a bit.
I can say that AM-AM-AM(maybe some SN in between the AM casts)-AB-AB-Abarr is higher damage. Reason: all 3 AMs and first AB will be cast at 100% mana, therefore 100% benefit from mastery.
In the case of AM-AB-AM-AB... only first AM and AB will be cast at 100% mana, after that each AM will be cast below 100% mana.

Anyway this is different on practice - AM weaving with ABs should yield higher damage, because you can get more AMs to cast at high mana level, but if RNGesus don't "care" about you at that moment AM spam will be the higher damage.

[Deleted]

Anyway this is different on practice - AM weaving with ABs should yield higher damage, because you can get more AMs to cast at high mana level, but if RNGesus don't "care" about you at that moment AM spam will be the higher damage.

For this sequence yes. But overall u stay longer in the phase with 4 Charges which is the part where u are doing dmg.
Reducing the parts of getting back to 4 charges is the overall goal.