Mage Tower - All classes, all specs! Is this usual?

[Shelly]

I've completed it completely on Mage, Druid, Shaman, Hunter, Priest, Demon Hunter, and Death Knight. I have a Monk and a Warlock that I just dinged 110 with, and once I complete it with them, I'll be moving onto leveling up a Rogue and a Warrior. I think the Mage Tower is extremely fun, and I like it when some classes have an easier time on the same challenge as another class.

For example, I think DH, Warriors, and Druids have a much easier time on the tank challenge because they have charge/leap abilities.

I had a harder time with every one of those specs (excepting druid since I don't have one) than my DK or Monk.

DH was the most frustrating for me because on every other character when the nether horrors started their channel they'd root themselves but chase my DH and without empowered wards up you'd be toast before your spirit bomb could blow them up.

Definitely spent the most pulls on Paladin and Warrior though. Pally you get more eyes than the other challenges which combined with the extra health can make phase 1 pretty hard. Phase 2 for pally was simple though as long as you just kept moving - you have so many CDs that if you do it right you've got it.

Monk was my easiest - probably because I have the shoulders that give an extra charge of keg-smash. Bosses have less health for Monk and with keg smash constantly coming off CD you just bomb everything to hell.

DK was the next easiest simply because of absurd damage levels. Going into phase 2 of the fight with only a single infernal will trivialize so much of the encounter.

Also the biggest piece of advice I can give anyone doing the tanking challenge is to get damage T2 crucible talents. Not really torment the weak - it's good but doesn't offer enough burst. You want things like Shadowbind, Chaotic Darkness, Secure in the Light and Infusion of Light. These talents will give 10-20% of your overall DPS on the fight.

I'm not sure if it's just because you're fighting in a group so much or if they have an increased proc-chance for tank specs, but they are hugely beneficial and will melt all of your foes.

[Deleted]

You assume I know how to farm gear for alts. My main is geared through raiding. Alts don't get that luxury. And argunite isn't exactly dropping out of the sky for 910 pieces.

It should go pretty quickly with LFR and world boss loot + cheap 935 AH items which you can get even 3 of if your alt is an Alchemist. If you have the gold you can also buy items for the other slots. I used the 2k+ argunite you get from the questlines and weekly quests mainly for trinkets and relics on my alts since you might not get lucky with those from other sources.

[Deleted]

It should go pretty quickly with LFR and world boss loot + cheap 935 AH items which you can get even 3 of if your alt is an Alchemist. If you have the gold you can also buy items for the other slots. I used the 2k+ argunite you get from the questlines and weekly quests mainly for trinkets and relics on my alts since you might not get lucky with those from other sources.

I got a new alt to 110 some weeks ago and have not been playing the character much except finishing most emissaries (had to pass on some because lack of time), but this one already got 2 legendaries (crappy ones, I have to admit, but at least 1000 item level), and I also got myself the alchi trinket at 935 (also not the best choice, but you could go for a different crafted item instead, I just don't have that much gold on the character to afford spending about 50K on one slot). I also do all world bosses with that alt, including Great Invasion Point, and if I find the time, also the Argus rares (since they all can drop a legendary to a small degree). Since we have Legion dungeons this weeks, I will try to get the quest done on some characters who still have some challenges to do. Anyway, this alt is already at 909 item level, with mostly having 880 Argus gear with a bit of random upgrades in the +5 to +10 margin.

Anecdotic evidence: Found resto shaman to be easier than holy priest. Of course, I already had the experience from the first completion, but still. AoE stun totem is incredibly good to CC mage + 2 knife dances, and you also have an interrupt for the mage. I did not even use purge, which trivialises mages even more. Had no Prydaz neck, but Roots were fine to compensate. Needed a couple of tries to get the rotation for the souls, and a couple of tries for the end boss, because I forgot to take off Roots. When you overgear the challenge (had item level of about 924), you need to have less % of your HP then with lesser item levels. Went with roots+sephuz up to the souls phase, used sephuz+heal bracers in the souls and end boss phases.

[Alanar]

Done arcane and frost on same day, frost one is annoying with reast. Arcane was super easy.
Ret paladin done it yesterday. Basically forgot bout the mage tower, but hes 944 and you can just aoe the shit and be done very fast.

[Alithia]

Are they easy at ilvl 965?

[Deleted]

Are they easy at ilvl 965?

Since my highest character is about 944 and already done with all challenges, I cannot say - but I would assume that it would be so. You probably still have to look out for oneshot-mechanics, but other things don't bother as much. For example, I have survived a hit from Karam on my affliction warlock with item level of about 930 (no prydaz). But if you let yourself be kicked off the platform in the tank challenge, or don't pay attention to your npcs and they get wasted by adds, then the encounter will fail anyway. Though you will probably burn through the 1st boss fast enough so not many of these things would be happening. ^_^

Though for healers, overgearing the challenge makes the last stage harder because you have to keep your health lower than the usual guides suggest.

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Done arcane and frost on same day, frost one is annoying with reast. Arcane was super easy.
Ret paladin done it yesterday. Basically forgot bout the mage tower, but hes 944 and you can just aoe the shit and be done very fast.

Ret was a bit harder for me with about 910 item level, but still, got it in about 10 tries (which I mainly needed because I don't play ret at all). When you know how to react to mechanics, you only fail due to really bad luck in this encounter. Meeting DPS requirements was not that much of a problem.

[Noxina]

Are they easy at ilvl 965?

Been easy since 920. Well, if you have any skill that is.

[Aggrophobic]

I've got monk, priest and the ferla one left.
It's not that hard to do once you get like 920 or more, as others have said.

It was a really cool challenge when it came out though. Took me quite a few with the protection warrior one for instance. Loved it and I wish they could have made it into a scaling challenge a little like proving grounds was. I hope to see more if this in the next expansion.

[Wyhn]

Yeah, it definitely gets easier once you know the boss mechanics and just have to play the spec. Feral was a bit harder before the "rework" in 7.3, because Brutal Slash was weaker(not that the challenge was super hard in the first place, but the "rework" trivialized it by giving you stronger AoE for no tradeoff). It's also interesting to see how the "hard" parts of the challenges are different from spec to spec(for example as Sub, the problem was staying alive rather than doing damage in P1, while Havoc had no issues staying alive in P1)

The only thing you need to do is wait until the Command Center buff is up. If Mage Tower and Command Center are active at the same time while doing the Feral Druid one, you'll be buffed greatly, cause you are in a cave, but in Azsuna. You will either receive Farondis aid (fire armageddon burst or the thing in the floor you do damage and heal 100%) or the blue dragons, whose will destroy the adds.

[Deleted]

The only thing you need to do is wait until the Command Center buff is up. If Mage Tower and Command Center are active at the same time while doing the Feral Druid one, you'll be buffed greatly, cause you are in a cave, but in Azsuna. You will either receive Farondis aid (fire armageddon burst or the thing in the floor you do damage and heal 100%) or the blue dragons, whose will destroy the adds.

Additionally, as it is on the Broken Isle - you can use these 2 consumables:
http://www.wowhead.com/item=151608/lightblood-elixir
http://www.wowhead.com/item=142334/s...lcosaur-omelet (melee food)

These 2 will give you a shit ton of dmg. I think when I did it on a undergeared warrior, the elixir was top 3 dmg done. (Might be wrong)

[Dug]

Pretty impressive. I'd like to get my retribution one and Prot/Fury warrior before the next expansion. From videos I've seen the prot one looks ridiculous and Fury I've heard is easy but I have so little experience with fury this expansion I'll probably struggle too. Gonna wait till 940-950ish and hopefully just faceroll em.

[f4ncybear]

Additionally, as it is on the Broken Isle - you can use these 2 consumables:
http://www.wowhead.com/item=151608/lightblood-elixir
http://www.wowhead.com/item=142334/s...lcosaur-omelet (melee food)

Well if you are going to cheese Agatha might as well use this too http://www.wowhead.com/item=153188/g...lessed-bandage

[Deleted]

Well if you are going to cheese Agatha might as well use this too http://www.wowhead.com/item=153188/g...lessed-bandage

Gd shit, more cheesing!

[SupBrah]

Gd shit, more cheesing!

lol I used all 3 of those on my outlaw rogue a couple of weeks ago.

I don't even know how to play outlaw and I one-shot it.

[Alanar]

Since my highest character is about 944 and already done with all challenges, I cannot say - but I would assume that it would be so. You probably still have to look out for oneshot-mechanics, but other things don't bother as much. For example, I have survived a hit from Karam on my affliction warlock with item level of about 930 (no prydaz). But if you let yourself be kicked off the platform in the tank challenge, or don't pay attention to your npcs and they get wasted by adds, then the encounter will fail anyway. Though you will probably burn through the 1st boss fast enough so not many of these things would be happening. ^_^

Though for healers, overgearing the challenge makes the last stage harder because you have to keep your health lower than the usual guides suggest.

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Ret was a bit harder for me with about 910 item level, but still, got it in about 10 tries (which I mainly needed because I don't play ret at all). When you know how to react to mechanics, you only fail due to really bad luck in this encounter. Meeting DPS requirements was not that much of a problem.

Yea I struggled with ret before at 910 just because I freaked out of the valkyr popping out of nowere everytime.. once you know the mechanics its perfectly doable.
Had a macro for slow on jarl and macro for sigryn with rep once she goes felwing . The other guy van be ignored most part besides hes shield +interrupt.

[Zylos]

I'm working on this myself albeit a bit more slowly.

So far I finished all paladin, warrior, and warlock challenges as well as the frost mage and guardian druid. I think I can get the other mage and druid challenges with some practice.

Also healer challenge is the worst one by far.

[Deleted]

Pretty impressive. I'd like to get my retribution one and Prot/Fury warrior before the next expansion. From videos I've seen the prot one looks ridiculous and Fury I've heard is easy but I have so little experience with fury this expansion I'll probably struggle too. Gonna wait till 940-950ish and hopefully just faceroll em.

I almost have no experience with Fury, but with all special buffs and command center, it was very easy at item level of about 920.

[Dug]

I almost have no experience with Fury, but with all special buffs and command center, it was very easy at item level of about 920.

I'll give it a go when I can I'm 936 right now so that is probably enough but I'm not itemized for fury at all. Prob shouldn't matter too much.

[Mormolyce]

What? No it isn't.

When Mage Towers became available 900 was above average, and doing them at 900 with way less traits like we had at the time was difficult. Mage Towers aren't new, the expansion has moved forward so what's wrong with crushing something if you're at a power level where you should be able to. My point is they shouldn't make challenge stuff scale because part of a challenge in an MMO will be having enough gear to even try

That's not a challenge, it's just grinding for gear, zero skill is involved.

[Deleted]

That's not a challenge, it's just grinding for gear, zero skill is involved.

I beg to differ. Done with all shaman challenges (one of my alts) in a range of 905-925 item levels. A friend of mine, plays shaman as main character since mid-TBC, recently tried enhancement challenge with both recommended legendaries and an item level above 930, and still has to win that. Gear is not everything.