1. #1

    Quick Arcane Question!

    Hey guys,

    I just changed to Arcane and have problems managing my mana, has anyone got any tips for arcane in general?

    But the one main question I have is under 80% mana, I am only getting my arcane charges to 3 and then barraging to try to conserve mana, but do I use Missles on 3 charges or still go to 4?

    Thanks!

    Takeshiren

  2. #2
    Deleted
    1. never go under 80% mana.... (I stay between 90-100% but I play arcane since WotLK)
    2. read a guide
    3. just get used to it..... practice.... this is arcane playstyle...

  3. #3
    http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...Mage-PvE-Guide

    That thread is actually a sticky here on the forums, and has plenty of helpful people checking it daily to answer any specific Arcane questions, plus the OP is pretty much a compendium on Arcane in general
    Still wondering why I play this game.
    I'm a Rogue and I also made a spreadsheet for the Order Hall that is updated for BfA.

  4. #4
    Deleted
    I am sorry to say, but
    3. Basic Gameplay without level 90 talents

    0. Pre-combat buffs – Arcane Brilliance and Mage Armor (Mastery)
    1. Mage Bomb – refresh Nether Tempest or Living Bomb when there is no more than one tick remaining
    2. Arcane Power – cast when off cooldown
    3. Arcane Blast – generate charges
    - if you are under 3 charges and have 2 Missiles procs, cast Missiles *once* and then continue to build up to 4 Charges with Blast, after which you use any remaining Missiles
    4. Arcane Barrage – use when you reach 4 Charges and have no more Missiles procs
    - use at 3 Charges if there are no Missiles procs and you are under 80% mana

    3.1 How to start a raid encounter

    0. Pre-combat buffs
    0. Countdown:
    5 seconds - cast Evocation if using Invocation
    4 seconds - cast Rune of Power if using Rune of Power
    Mirror Image
    Potion
    1 second - Arcane Blast
    1. Mage Bomb
    2. Blast to 4 Charges
    2.1 Cast Incanter's Ward at 4-5 Charges if damage is incoming
    3. Refresh Mage Bomb
    4. Fish for Missiles procs until you have 2
    5. Use Macro - Arcane Power, professions use abilities, Trinkets with use abilities, Mana Gem (optional), Alter Time, Arcane Missiles (everything listed except Missiles is off the global cooldown so everything activates and Missiles get cast)
    6. Missiles, Missiles, Blast, Barrage (if under the effects of Time Warp: Missiles, Missiles, Blast, Blast, Barrage)
    7. Alter Time reactivates
    8. Missiles, Blast, Missiles
    9. Continue with usual rotation
    is all I can see in the basic arcane guide... (missing lvl 90 talents!)
    this is not quite enough esp for a beginner to arcane..... and finding an answer in those 158 pages... might be diffiucult...
    I am sorry, but mmo champion is missing a real beginner guide...

    My short guide:
    If you want to progress real hard take rune (as lvl 90 talent)... if you just play lazy or bosses on farm take Incanters Ward as pure passive... Try to stay above 90% mana, but never reaching 100% cause I find some kind of waste mana regeneration if you hit 100% (except for t16 4p bonus.....)
    sometomes drop stacks at 4 sometimes at3....
    as I said.... practice is all in this specc... the rest is up to deeper research and dependant if you really want to sqeeze the last bit od DPS out of arcane...
    Last edited by mmoc4bdec3ae25; 2014-08-17 at 12:24 AM.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by LI2Atronach View Post
    <snip>
    My b, I don't normally go into the stickies, so I just assumed >.>; Also don't really play Arcane, so, y'know
    Still wondering why I play this game.
    I'm a Rogue and I also made a spreadsheet for the Order Hall that is updated for BfA.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Takeshiren View Post
    Hey guys,

    I just changed to Arcane and have problems managing my mana, has anyone got any tips for arcane in general?

    But the one main question I have is under 80% mana, I am only getting my arcane charges to 3 and then barraging to try to conserve mana, but do I use Missles on 3 charges or still go to 4?

    Thanks!

    Takeshiren
    You don't want to drop below 80% mana. Ideally you want to use Abarr to reset your stacks when your next AB would put you below 80% mana - so that's generally somewhere between 85-90% mana depending on a variety of things. If you want to start with the basic rotation, just AB up to 4, use your AM, refresh your bomb if its going to expire, otherwise reset with Abarr and start again. Doing this at first will allow you to get used to the spec, watching your mana percentages, etc.

    The real complexity of the spec comes from how long you can camp at those 4 stacks. You do this by weaving in AB's between AM if you can afford it, by multi-dotting (where applicable - padding on progression just for padding's sake is not helpful; ie multi-dotting on Protectors is actually useful damage, multi-dotting on Paragons is mostly not useful at all), and by making smart use of your 2 piece stacks. If you aren't familiar, your 2 piece tier bonus will give you a mana reduction on AB after you use AM, and it stacks up. The longer you can stay at 4 stacks of AB and casting AB's and AM's the better your damage will be, so that's the balance you have to try to walk.

    I don't know what your gear is like, and I never tried Arcane until I was already 570's. But I don't think there should be a point with any sort of T16 gear, even LFR, where you can't just cast 4 AB's and reset with Abarr and not have enough regen to be able to do that continuously. If (or rather when, since it takes practice and no one is perfect) you screw up and dip below 80% then you may have to reset at 3 stacks to try and get back up to where you need to be, but that shouldn't be the case normally. If you are having problems with mana you are probably casting too many AB's at 4 stacks and that's what you need to be careful of.

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