Delicate mage

[Avikur]

My main is a Warlock with 550 ilvl so apologies if this is a stupid question(s), I really like my Mage snd really want to gear him up, he's currently on 508 but I don't really know too much about how to play them.
I play Frost at the moment as that's what I've read is better at lower ilvl's but I'm finding him so delicate while farming /questing on the timeless isle, more than 1 mob and I'm at low health if I survive at all! I've found the glyph that gives blink 2 charges has helped but still, he feels so delicate, how do you other Mages survive? Is frost best at my ilvl? What am I doing wrong?!

Armory: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/characte...krath/advanced

[Balazaar]

First make sure you use as many of the Timeless Isle buffs as possible. That helps you kill things a lot faster.

As frost you focus on CC. Freeze freeze freeze those mobs. I play arcane so I am a cannon. With the buffs and the CC I have mobs, even rares, don't live long enough to kill me.

Last, get the gear from Timeless Isle. 535 ilvl will be a major improvement for you. Nothing beats better gear for killing things.

[Radome]

Pre 5.4, I was only ~505-510 ilvl on my mage, so I know how you feel.

Main thing is make sure you are using your full kit. Frost ele freeze (hotkey it for easy access), frost nova, tier 45 talent, Deep Freeze, and Cone of Cold are all great spells for control and/or kiting. Make sure your counterspell is easily accessible for a couple mobs. One thing I would personally suggest is change your Tier 75 talent. Frost Bomb can be amazing for its slow. For me, my opening rotation is Frost Bolt then cast Frost Bomb, that way by time bomb hits, mob is already slowed. Then, just start kiting.

[Avikur]

Thanks for the replies guys, how do you deal with multiple mobs? Or do you just try to pull one at a time? I like the Mage, I guess I have to get used to keeping things away from me unlike the lock who just stands there and takes it, I think that's what I like about the mage, it just seems more engaging and less stand still and press a few buttons

[mrgreenthump]

Thanks for the replies guys, how do you deal with multiple mobs? Or do you just try to pull one at a time? I like the Mage, I guess I have to get used to keeping things away from me unlike the lock who just stands there and takes it, I think that's what I like about the mage, it just seems more engaging and less stand still and press a few buttons

There are many ways to deal with multiple mobs, kite, nuke before they reach you, CC, slow. And yes lock can just stand there and take it, mage has never been able to do that, you just have to not get hit pretty much.. With more gear the nuking part gets much easier, but ye mage is weak defensively(when you get hit ) and that has always been the case, so it will probably never change.

[Chromell]

As someone whose main is a mage, I'd like to give out a few tips:

- Tier 3 talents are very useful for situations like these. Specially Frostjaw and Ring of Frost.
- If you try Fire, use Dragon's Breath, if you try Arcane, remember to use Slow, helps a LOT!
- Remember, Deep Freeze is your friend! Combo it around with Frostjaw/Frost Nova for the stun, if you're playing around as Frost you won't have any issue with it.
- Don't underestimate the power of Mirror Image and Counterspell when solo PvEing, very useful for mobs such as the yaungol casters.
- In general I preffer to have Blazing Speed and Ice Barrier for soloing stuff on the Timeless Isle, give them a try!
- Also, stick to Living Bomb/Nether Tempest for soloing stuff in general, unless you are dealing with a massive stack of mobs (which shouldn't be the case as a mage on the isle), don't pick Frost Bomb just because you're Frost!

[pfbe]

So you're on timeless isle? Here's a list of the things you should have or use:
- Book of the Ages
- Singing Crystal
- Dew of Eternal Morning
- Chi-ji shrine buff
- Condensed Jademist
- Scuttler's shell
- Salyin Battle Banner
- Falling Flame
- Golden Glider
- Cursed Talisman / Cracked Talisman
- The healing items, dont remember their name, drop from mistlurkers and sprites
With these you can survive, avoid or run away from pretty much any fight.

That said, dealing with multiple mobs as frost mage is easy:
0- LEARN THE MECHANICS OF THE NPCS YOU ARE FIGHTING. Cows charge at you for massive damage if you are beyond a certain distance from them. Frogs instakill you after 10 stacks of poison. Sprites start hitting you very hard after 20 seconds of combat. Jademist dancers's spell only has a 10 yard range, etc.
1- Don't hardcast anything if you are getting hit. Cone of Cold or nova, get distance, THEN cast.
2- Keep cone of cold on cooldown against melee npc's.
3- Don't frost nova something that is already in a frost nova. Don't be that guy!
4- Counterspell heals or pyroblasts only. Use your deep freeze to stop unsilenceable mechanics.
5- Prioritize. Hardest hitting npc's go down first. If you pulled Huolon and the Champions of the Black Flame, Huolon goes down first!
6- Use Alter Time if you cannot avoid damage for a while.
7- If you need to wait for short cooldowns, self-banish. If you have nothing else, jademist or banner. If everything else fails, falling flame and glider!
8- 1 mob at a time. Don't split your damage beyond what's needed. Use your aoe cc's to keep the mob's away from you (novas and cone of cold) but always take them down 1 by 1.

[nickseng]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Frost's greatest weapon againt multiple mobs: Frozen Orb.

Just let it rip into the mobs, and start spamming Ice Lance while kiting 'em around the same area. Profit.

[Xzan]

Ah yes... Farming is very doable but indeed requires deliate usage of your abilities. I used to play lock as well and the playstyles are very different in this regard.

I recently came back after about 4 months break or something like that and had 525 gear when I played around on TImeless Isle. I was Arcane but Frost may actually be better for aoe mob farming.
As Arcane I'd just spread NT on anything in range and kite with Blink, Blazing Speed, Frost Nova + glyphed Cone of Cold (does good dps btw), Ring of Frost + glyphed CoC again... well, just keep CoC rolling as much as you can because the slow is just that good and keep refreshing that Nether Tempest.
Doing this as Arcane can be a little frenetic. But if the mobs are low-hp and low-hitting ones, you can just pull them via NT, clump them together, do the Nova+CoC business as usual and instead of kiting just Arcane Explode them to high heavens. If you can get high mastery the AE is seriously sick as Arcane.

As Frost it's much more fluid... pull a number of mobs and clump them together. Frost Nova -> Frost Bomb on one -> Deep Freeze on the bombed target -> (this is the tricky part) time your glyphed CoC in a way that it hits at the same time as your Frost Bomb explodes so both the spells get Shatter bonus on all those mobs -> release Frozen Orb -> glyphed Ice Lance spam. Once you're out of FoF's and if there's still number of mobs alive, use your second Nova -> and do the Frost Bomb+CoC trick again. Note that you can do this if you manage to catch all those mobs into your Ring of Frost as well :>
Repeat as cooldowns allow while kiting as necessary.

Note: obviously this approach can only be used on some mobs on the Isle. Some will just wipe the floor with you if you pull more than a couple...