What Spec Are You Leveling As?

[Magic Sausage]

Always was and always will be frost

[Deleted]

The mages I spoke who know their class inside out and played on beta preferred to solo and wPvP as fire, over frost.

Me, I tried all 3 specs on live and played a bit around with them on beta as well. I hate pets, so I will not play frost on my mage alt when I level it up. End of story. I also always liked fire, and arcane even though the burst comes only at 90, I do like the changes. I was just butt-hurt I got SoW a few weeks before 5.0.4. The reason I will level up as fire is because it is viable for dungeons, soloing, wPvP, as well as a spec I like to play.

When I do decide to level my mage from 85-90, it will be (as it always has been) as frost. I hate arcane, and fire never really felt right while leveling.

In the new talent system fire is viable in PvP as well as leveling.

Sticking to frost because "that's how I've always done it" is ignorant, and even disrespectful to the new changes.

Sticking to frost because you're better at it (or prefer it) while soloing and wPvP would be valid.

So you may want to rethink your choice.

Frost is also viable in PvE now. E.g. dungeons you can stay frost if you prefer this spec.

Arcane is different now. If you hated it before, you could retry it and see if you like it.

[Deleted]

frost. it's so cool :P

Yes indeed, however fire seems to be a very Hot spec amogst mages aswell :P

[Deleted]

I was planning on leveling as frost as I usually do, but I might try arcane just for lols.

Frost does have more mobility and survival but as I play on a very low populated server,
ganks should be a rare sight. And even if I get jumped, well i'm a mage. I'll figure something out. (:

[Firebert]

Arcane, PoM, Temporal Shield, Frostjaw, Cauterise, Nether Tempest, Glyphs of Evo, Deep and Blink.

[scuac]

The mages I spoke who know their class inside out and played on beta preferred to solo and wPvP as fire, over frost.

...

In the new talent system fire is viable in PvP as well as leveling.

Sticking to frost because "that's how I've always done it" is ignorant, and even disrespectful to the new changes.

Sticking to frost because you're better at it (or prefer it) while soloing and wPvP would be valid.

So you may want to rethink your choice.

Frost is also viable in PvE now. E.g. dungeons you can stay frost if you prefer this spec.

Well you forgot to ask me when you polled the "experts". I know the class and played in beta, and will choose Frost for leveling. The only ignorant comment here is you saying that NOW you can take Frost into dungeons. For dungeons Frost has been always a viable option, and even for most raids in Cataclysm. But some people hold on to what they think they know.

[Shangalar]

Let's not get into another viable vs. competitive discussion -.-

All 3 specs are currently viable for leveling, world pvp, dungeons and normal battlegrounds. Incidentally, they have also been those same things before for people who dared to try something other than what the community is talking about. I've played Arcane in just about every setting (except Rated Battlegrounds as I ignored them all Cata) and I got pwned by Fire mages who knew what they were doing. Frost was on par with Arcane in Firelands barring Arcane mages with Shard of Woe. Fact is that people didn't know that and everyone hopped on the "that spec sucks for that" bandwagon.

The game is now designed that you can do whatever you want with all 3 of our specs. Over time I'm sure that what is better for what will be crystallized, but until that time I wouldn't dare write any presumptions.

[Well]

My main's always been a mage. Now with mop and the long break of mine, I don't know... but when I do level him up from 85 to 90, it will be as arcane, as always.

[KoolKidKaos]

Fire, until the mobs start hitting like trucks and I'm forced to go frost lol

[WaitingforMoP]

Frost is the only way!
Talents : http://www.wowhead.com/talent#ml^| (Subject to change but those look the best to me)

[Deleted]

Fire with "pvp" spec and glyphs

[Cryonic]

I have tried all 3 specs and I must say I'm having a horrid leveling experience when it comes to survivability. 3 mobs = death often and 1 mob = half hp left often.
DPS wise I can sometime blow off 6 Arcane Blast on a mob and they are still alive.
(talking about mobs my own lvl, 85-87 so far)

Never in any expansion has it been so slow killing off mobs. When I see a Q to "kill 20 blabla" I just want to lay down in the sofa

[DeathDefier]

Got server first as frost from 87-90 and fire in dungeons.

[Shangalar]

I have tried all 3 specs and I must say I'm having a horrid leveling experience when it comes to survivability. 3 mobs = death often and 1 mob = half hp left often.
DPS wise I can sometime blow off 6 Arcane Blast on a mob and they are still alive.
(talking about mobs my own lvl, 85-87 so far)

Never in any expansion has it been so slow killing off mobs. When I see a Q to "kill 20 blabla" I just want to lay down in the sofa

Sorry, but you're obviously not using everything at your disposal all the time:

Frost Nova
Deep Freeze
Ring of Frost
Mirror Image
Ice Barrier
Arcane Power
Nether Tempest
Ice Block
Blink
Polymorph
Explosion
Flamestrike
Presence of Mind
Evocation with heal

Trust me, when you start using everything you've got in precise moments when you need to, you won't be dying even with 5+ mobs on you. I've died occasionally today as the mobs really do hit hard and you need to focus when you pull a larger group. But even if you completely fail, there's always Greater Invisibility as an option to try a gain without dying. I'm loving leveling as Arcane, the damage is incredible and killing off evil Hordies is amusing. Again, it's very difficult to kill stuff fast without maximizing shatter usage.

[sdracklryeg]

Did Fire until 87 then It became way too difficult to manage without slows and snares that frost has so had to go to frost

I'd be surprised if someone fully levelled as fire

[Annoying]

Leveled as frost. Deep freeze + ice lance spam is wicked good for killing + surviving.

[DreamSpyre]

I tried frost at first, and it was all right, but I found far more benefit playing Arcane. It was much easier to kill the harder quest mobs and rares, and I never really needed to kite. Did 85-90 in about 14 hours with no deaths. And when pulling packs, Frost Bomb and Barrage destroyed them, it was awesome. Fire may have been better in the end, but I didn't bother with it. The reduction in crit and haste from leveling was brutal but I was able to keep mastery high fairly easily which further benefitted Arcane.

[Deleted]

Fire, i just love the thing they did with IB, and the burst is great!