Frost Mage DPS Guide — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated Yesterday at 22:00 by Kuni 113 comments
General Information

Welcome to our Frost Mage guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5. Here, you will learn how to play as a Frost Mage in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Frost Mage guide.

1.

Frost Mage Overview

Frost has always excelled at limiting enemy movement while dealing reliable and predictable damage. Frost has always been a very potent choice for levelling and world content, given you can endlessly kite enemies with a multitude of snares and roots combined with damage on the move. Frost is great at quickly bursting down priority adds, either by holding onto Mastery: Icicles Icon Mastery: Icicles for Glacial Spike Icon Glacial Spike or by holding procs for a quick burst. Like all Mage specializations, Frost has high mobility and is fantastic at doing encounter-specific jobs and baiting mechanics. Between Ice Floes Icon Ice Floes, Shimmer Icon Shimmer, and a variety of instant cast spells, high-movement encounters have minimal impact on Frost's overall output.

2.

Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +Strong bursty damage profile in both single target and AoE situations
  • +Great mobility and kiting ability
  • +Good at killing fragile targets quickly
  • +Incredible defensive utility for large single hits
  • +Absurd M+ utility
X Weaknesses
  • -Weak to rot damage
  • -Cleave has to be talented for, although along the path to an important talent
  • -No way to deal with spread target damage
3.

Most Notable Frost Mage Changes for Patch 10.2.6

Nothing changed in 10.2.6, as this was a minor patch.

4.

Leveling a Frost Mage

If Frost Mage is something that interests you but you do not yet have one, you should check out the leveling guide for tips and information on spells gained on a per-level basis:

As you level, you will gain procs and cooldowns you will have to keep track of. Our Macros and Addon section has some suggestions that do not completely change the game UI but will allow you to keep track of things easier. In addition, there are macros listed that will aid in certain things, such as casting Blizzard Icon Blizzard at your mouse cursor location without having to click.

5.

Basics of Frost Mage Gameplay

Frost is all about generating and using procs. The gameplay is incredibly simple to get a basic understanding of.

Everything you do revolves around Fingers of Frost Icon Fingers of Frost and Brain Freeze Icon Brain Freeze. If you are not currently spending the procs, you need to be generating them. Frostbolt Icon Frostbolt generates both as your filler spell.

If you are brand new to the spec and do not wish to delve into the details right away, the Beginner page is a helpful starting guide that should be fairly easy to understand and execute:

If you are looking for a more in-depth explanation or simply wish to dive into the spec right away; the Talent and Rotation pages are where you should go:

6.

How to Gear Up as a Frost Mage

Due to how Frost works, there is no hard rule for determining which piece of gear is better. The best option is to simulate your character and the accompanying gear options. That said, there are some helpful, generalized simulations on the Gear page:

7.

End-Game as a Frost Mage

End-game looks somewhat different than leveling and casual content. Our Raiding, Mythic+, and PvP guides can aid you further once you are ready for end-game content:

8.

Improving your Play as Frost Mage

If you find yourself behind your similarly-geared peers but unsure as to why, there may be some information to glean from our pages on mistakes, tips, or how to simulate your character to optimize your character:

9.

Frost Mage Viability in 10.2.6

Expect Frost to be extremely strong this patch. With no changes over the prior patch that brought us a rework, more utility, and a tier set that massively increases our AoE potential, we are positioned to be high performers this patch.

10.

Changelog

  • 16 Mar. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6 and added a generic new patch warning.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.2.6, going back to Tepid Versatility in all situations.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (Amirdrassil page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6, did a minor pass fixing details that slipped through hotfixes.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 16 Mar. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (Amirdrassil page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 14 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Glacial Spike is cast without Flurry regardless of Icy Veins status now.
  • 12 Dec. 2023 (rotation page): Minor clarification on Ray of Frost/Frozen Orb.
  • 12 Nov. 2023 (gear page): BiS list and farm lists added for Season 3.
  • 12 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Removed an outdated paragraph in section 3.2 and replaced it with a more in-depth dive on proc usage since the 10.1.5 changes.
  • 11 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated various bosses having run the raid, including Fyraak.
  • 07 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Sporecloak nerfed.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Partial update for 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Updated with 10.2's consumables and new head enchant.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Added information about T31's impact on our 2 target DPS.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 09 Oct. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Page added.
  • 08 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Changed wording in the Trinkets section
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (simulations page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
  • 11 Aug. 2023 (rotation page): Shifting Power should be used in Icy Veins, once RoF/CmS/FO are on cooldown.
  • 01 Aug. 2023 (rotation page): Added missing rotational piece for casting Glacial Spike during Icy Veins without Flurry proc.
  • 15 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Subzero nerfed enough to not be worth taking in most M+ setups.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5 with tier/profession slot suggestions, and a note about Dawn of the Infinite's gear being untested.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for 10.1.5 with new phial and weapon rune suggestions.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Updated for 10.1.5 talents, and added tips to Sarkareth.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5's rotational and talent changes.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5's rotational changes. Potentially further changes as theorycraft evolves over the next couple of months.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5's significant overhauls.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5's changes.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5 with a new talent tree.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 11 May 2023 (gear page): Re-added Bloodmallet charts.
  • 09 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Page added.
  • 07 May 2023 (gear page): Updated for Season 2 start with trinket suggestions in the wake of the Flowstone nerf.
  • 07 May 2023 (this page): Updated for Season 2 start. Todo list down to M+ mechanics to cheese.
  • 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (gear page): Added the Season 2 upgrade system, Season 2 interesting items, and suggested embellishments.
  • 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Added the new belt enchant.
  • 01 May 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 2, and added a section about affixes we can trivialize.
  • 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Added toggles for the AoE rotation set. Less Lance is down to 1.7% lead.
  • 01 May 2023 (talents page): Updated Honour Talents and removed a handful of bugged interaction notes.
  • 01 May 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1, and added guide updates section and upcoming updates section.
  • 29 Apr. 2023 (addons page): Removed ElvUI, added mouseover decurse for Afflicted.
  • 23 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Onyx Annulet is no longer a DPS loss.
  • 23 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated Primordial Stone section with new recommendations due to hotfix changes.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Added a note about Onyx Annulet.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Added notes about Primordial Stones.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Added some notes about Energized Barriers and updated the default talent trees.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Changed the default talent tree.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Added notes about the Less Ice Lance rotation set.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Updated default talent trees.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 10 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Updated Phial choice, and added Rune choice.
  • 23 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Raszageth tips added.
  • 22 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Changed default build to Lonely Winter due to hotfix buffs.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated for beginning of Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for beginning of Dragonflight Season 1 with weapon enchant and food choice changes.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page added.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Added a note about Lonely Winter/Water Elemental decision.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Updated Blizzard target values with/without Ice Caller.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 10 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Updated with the last minute Blizzard/Frozen Orb nerfs.
  • 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
  • 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 13 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Wording updated for live release of Patch 9.1.
  • 25 Apr. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial information.
  • 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
  • 13 Jan. 2020 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
  • 13 Jan. 2020 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
  • 13 Jan. 2020 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
  • 13 Jan. 2020 (The Eternal Palace page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
  • 04 Sep. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added clarification that Glacial Spike does not kill melee on Za'qul, and minor tips elsewhere.
  • 20 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Updated with tips.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
  • 12 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Updated tips and build recommendations.
  • 14 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
  • 14 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
  • 14 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
  • 29 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Updated tips, both for hotfix changes and practical experience.
  • 21 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added Battle of Dazar'alor guide for Frost Mages.
  • 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.1 and no changes are necessary.
  • 16 Oct. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated a few talent suggestions after having actually done the raid.
  • 01 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Added Uldir advice.
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