It appears that many people have come across my mage leveling guide. This guide describes a point-by-point leveling process I recommend for a mage. I have recently been leveling a mage for the second time and decided to keep track of my progress and relay any issues I come across to my readers. There are many guides available for leveling and it’s pretty easy to give advice as to what is best for leveling once you’ve done it.
I leveled an alliance mage to 70 in TBC before I switched to the horde. Looking back at leveling there are obvious talent choices but the plight that a leveling mage goes through is so far from the mind of a max level mage that often they forget about many issues a leveling mage runs into.
In my previous guide I argue putting all points into frost for leveling. If you have read it in depth you will see that up until level 69 it was unequivocally frost. Once you hit 70 there other viable options. I recommended remaining in frost to avoid spending 5 completely wasted points in arcane to pick up Arcane Concentration.
Fortunately I still believe my guide is useful – especially to a new player. The mana efficiency and survivability is very nice indeed. During this last week I’ve been reading up on a new ability to WotLK – Torment the Weak (TTW). My mage had just hit 42 and I realized it my concerns were not what I imagined they would be. That is, I wasn’t having too much trouble with mana and my survivability was never a problem. I was soloing elites 1 or 2 levels above me with little issue and probably haven’t died since level 30. Clearly my guide was too conservative…for me.
Admittedly not all leveling mages have the luxury of mine. I have been able to purchase several Bind-to-Account (Heirloom) items to aid in the leveling process. (Tattered Dreadmist Mantle, Discerning Eye of the Beast and Grand Staff of Jordan) So, clearly my needs are few and far between while leveling.
As a follow up to my guide I’d like to suggest an alternate route for players who have exceptional gear and/or bind to account items. Your leveling experience is far from normal and the gear available to you was designed specifically to level you faster. So, without further ado, I bring you a Frost Leveling Guide for the Geared.
I’ll begin by a list of suggested glyphs in order of priority. That is, the first glyph on the list should be the one you use first – since available glyph spots unlock as you level up it’s important you use the most useful as early as you can.
Major Glyphs:
Glyph of Evocation
Glyph of Frost Nova (Replace with Glyph of Water Elemental at level 68)
Minor Glyphs:
Glyph of Arcane Intellect
Glyph of Slow Fall
Glyph of the Penguin (Nothing else is really useful so you may as well get to see the cool penguin instead of the common sheep)
Level 10-14: Improved Frostbolt (5/5)
This is a very fundamental spell and is the main nuke for the frost tree. The faster you can cast this the faster things will become dead. It’s as simple as that.
Level 15-17: Elemental Precision (3/3)
This talent is used to increase the chance to hit your target as well as decrease the amount of mana you use. Most of the time you level (especially if you are powerleveling) you will be fighting mobs 1 or 2 levels higher than you. When the level disparity between you and the mobs reaches this much your chance to hit diminishes very quickly. A missed spell is wasted time and mana.
Level 18-20: Permafrost (3/3)
This will add additional snaring to your targets as they run towards you. The longer they take to get to you the less damage you take. I recommend maxing this out to increase your survivability. Especially if you play like I do and try and chain pull as much as you can. Speed is the name of the game. Well, in this case it isn’t but you know what I mean.
Level 21: Frostbite (1/3)
Frostbite will give your spells a chance to root your target. So, on top of the increased snare there is now a chance for them to get rooted in place. The true power of the frost build will become clear to you when this procs. 
Level 22-24: Ice Shards (3/3)
You will want to prepare for the crits you will see when you get to level 25. This spell will increase how much damage they do. Up until now crit was negligible since you are probably around 5% or so. Soon that number will increase significantly so you want your damage to reflect this new opportunity.
Level 25-27: Shatter (3/3)
You have now increased your crit chance against frozen targets by 50%. This is why we wanted 3/3 Ice Shards. It is time to begin using your frost nova for more than an “Oh, Shit” spell. Also, when Frostbite procs you will be a very happy mage.
You now have Cone of Cold to play with as well. The mana cost for this spell doesn’t make it worth using as a focus spell, but as an Area of Effect (AoE) it really shines. If you get in a situation where 3 or more mobs are hostile you can frost nova them and cast Cone of Cold. Not only will you see huge numbers but you will have plenty of time to give yourself some distance since you’ve just applied a 60% snare.
Level 28, 29: Arctic Reach (2/2)
Everything will be as it was, but from further away. 
Level 30-34: Arcane Stability (5/5)
For now these are wasted points because I wouldn’t recommend using Arcane Missiles much. Ultimately we are trying to get to another talent further down in the Arcane tree. So, bear with me and you won’t regret it.
Level 35-39: Arcane Concentration (5/5)
You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much this procs. Granted it’s not an ‘across the board’ mana saver like Elemental Precision or Frost Channeling but it’s definitely worth the 5 points.
Level 40-42: Spell Impact (3/3)
The main reason to choose this talent for now is to get enough points in the Arcane tree to get you to the 4th tier. You will find this talent useful for emergency situations. If you ever get a nasty pull with several mobs you can cast Frost Nova then Cone of Cold. Afterwards it’s typical to Arcane Explosion a few times. This talent will increase the damage of your Cone of Cold and your Arcane Explosion by a significant amount.
Level 43: Magic Attunement (1/2)
Just put 1 point here. This will increase the range of your Arcane spells by a bit. The further you are away the better.
Level 44: Focus Magic (1/1)
In the off chance you group with a caster you now have a buff you can give them, which actually buffs you. This is not the most useful talent but at least it has some use to a leveling frost mage.
Level 45-47: Torment the Weak (3/3)
You will find this talent to be the bread and butter of your power from this point forward. It is absolutely worth all the previous arcane points spent to get here. With a flat 12% increase to your Frostbolt and Arcane Missiles (after the first Frostbolt that is) you will never question this talent. This spell is the Cat’s Meow, the BMOC…the SHIT!
From this point forward we will continue in the frost tree unabated.
Level 48-49: Frostbite (1/3) –> (3/3)
Finish this off to increase your frozen crit opportunities.
Level 50-52: Improved Blizzard (3/3)
Points in this will give your Blizzard a very nice snare effect. I caution you to not use this too liberally as you will see your mana diminish very quickly. In fact, the reason I waited so long for this talent is because without Elemental Precision and Arcane Concentration you will find Blizzard is entirely too burdensome for the lowbie mage.
Use with caution but engage with extreme prejudice.
Level 53: Cold Snap (1/1)
The reason I waited so long to get this is because you generally don’t come across such an uncontrollable situation that you need to cast Frost Nova in such close succession. If you are choosing to do a lot of AoE with your new Improved Blizzard it will be nice to have this talent.
With Ice Barrier coming soon learning Cold Snap will be more useful and you should be encouraged to use it more liberally since you have more spells tied to it as well.
Level 54,55: Ice Flows (2/3)
I choose this primarily for the Frost Nova cool down. You will find all too many uses for Frost Nova along your leveling journey and the more you get to use it the happier you will be. There aren’t too many things that are more frustrating than trying to use Frost Nova and it’s still on cool down. (War Stomp being on cool down comes close)
Level 56,57: Cold as Ice (2/2)
The next talent we will choose (Ice Barrier) is greatly impacted by this talent so we may as well get the best use of it early.
Level 58: Ice Barrier (1/1)
This spell is probably my favorite mage spell. Oh, special place in my heart that is saved for you, Ice Barrier. Your survivability just went through the roof. Go crazy, die a few times and get a feel for how much more you can do now that you have this. Then reserve yourself a bit and play smart and try and get as much done as possible with this new tool.
Level 59, 60: Shattered Barrier (2/2)
This is basically a free Frost Nova that doesn’t require mana. It is on your shoulders to learn to use this offensively as well as defensively. Aggro your mob(s) and get them where you want them in time for them to break your Ice Barrier. You should have figured out how much that will take at level 58 when I told you to go crazy. Now let them break it and laugh at them as you make your way to a comfortable casting range.
Now, Blizzard in conjunction with Shattered Barrier can be a very nice tool for AoE grinding.
Level 61-63: Piercing Ice (3/3)
Now that you are equipping yourself with a decent amount of spellpower you will notice a considerable increase in your damage once Piercing Ice is applied. For now we will be getting a 4% increase to all your frost spells. If you like big numbers then smile. Big numbers inc…
Level 64,65: Fingers of Frost
You will see this effect truly shine when you AoE with Blizzard and when you fight mobs that are immune to snares and roots. The FoF effect will still grant you the Shatter effect regardless of whether the mob is rooted or not. This effect is a buff not a debuff. That is, you receive a buff that lets you have the same abilities that the Shatter debuff puts on the mob.
So, if the mob is immune to roots you can still get a FoF buff and your next 2 casts have a 50% increased crit chance just like if the mob were to have gotten the Shatter debuff.
Level 66,67: Empowered Frostbolt
Now your main nuke hits harder. Pretty obvious choice really.
Level 68: Water Elemental (1/1)
Say ‘hello’ to my little friend. This guy, combined with Improved Blizzard, can make those pesky group pulls a pile-o-corpses. Simply pop your Elemental and get him casting on someone in the group – generally a caster since they will be the least effected by the snare of Blizzard. He will take a moment to get his cast off. During this time you should have a Blizzard raining down on the group. If a mob somehow makes his way out of your Blizzard your little friend can lock him down with a ranged Frost Nova until you can get him back into the effect.
Level 69-71: Improved Water Elemental (3/3)
You can now make more liberal use of your Blizzard due to the mana regeneration your Water Elemental now provides you. Although he will never be a permanent pet through talents like the Death Knight’s ghoul he will have a significant duration increase thanks to these talents.
Level 72: Ice Flows (2/3) –> (3/3)
Finish this off.
Level 73-77: Chilled to the Bone (5/5)
In addition to adding an across the board 5% damage increase to your main nuke it also adds 10% extra snaring to all of your slowing effects. If you prefer single target leveling you will see an increase in your Frostbolt damage. On the other hand, if you prefer AoE grinds you will see an increase to your snaring effect. Good for everyone.
Level 78: Icy Veins (1/1)
The reason I waited so long to get this is because before full Elemental Precision, Arcane Concentration and Improved Water Elemental this was just too much of a mana drain to be worth it. Rarely, if ever, do I run into a mob that requires so much focus fire that Icy Veins is necessary to take it down.
Level 79: Deep Freeze (1/1)
Take advantage of the insanity that is Deep Freeze. Focus fire can’t be easier than when the target is completely stunned. Oh, and I should mention that this stun is also treated as a frozen effect. Crit away. I recommend popping Icy Veins during this fun-fest.
You may want to reserve these cool downs for a particularly nasty pull. Such as a named mob or even an elite. The average mob will probably die before your Icy Veins is complete.
Once you hit 80 I suggest respecing. This spec is not ideal for raiding, pvp or farming. Do a little research once you hit 80 and decide what works best for you at that point.
03/11/2009 at 7:33 am
[...] the looks of it my Mage Leveing Guide has been quite popular and I’m hoping my Leveling Guide for the Geared becomes equally popular. Perhaps another leveling guide is in order? Let’s have at [...]