Fire Mage DPS Guide — The War Within (11.0.5)
Welcome to our Fire Mage guide for World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.0.5). Here, you will learn how to play as a Fire Mage in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.
If you were looking for Cataclysm Classic content, please refer to our Cataclysm Classic Fire Mage guide.
Fire Mage Overview
The Fire specialization is fantastic at delivering both burst and sustained damage on a variety of fight types. Fire can cleave on stacked targets, gaining overall damage without sacrificing any single-target damage. It can also do good AoE damage on stacked enemies and has uncapped AoE DPS, however, comes at a loss in single target. Like all Mage specializations, Fire has high mobility and is fantastic at doing encounter-specific jobs and baiting mechanics. Between Blink, Shimmer or Ice Floes, Hot Streak, and Scorch, high movement encounters have minimal impact on Fire's overall output.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Single-Target DPS
- Execute DPS.
- Does Free Cleave DPS while doing its single target rotation.
- Very mobile and loses almost no damage from having to move.
- Great defensives, especially for fights with high burst damage.
- Aoe/Mythic+ Damage requires giving up single target damage.
- No spread cleave or multidot capability.
- Struggles doing AoE damage when targets do not live long.
Changes to Fire Mage in The War Within
November 26, 2024 Buffs to Fire Mage
Summarizing the buffs to Fire Mage
During the middle of the 11.0.5 patch, Fire received a few significant buffs, especially to Frostfire, which has a pretty sizeable impact on the spec. Normally we do not list individual tuning changes outside of big patches, but due to the changes it causes to the spec, we are listing them here.
The November 26 buffs to Frostfire are buffing almost all aspects of Frostfire. Almost all Frostfire nodes are buffed, and the combination of all of these buffs makes Frostfire now the best Hero Talent for Fire. Due to this, Sun King's Blessing is now also the best keystone talent instead of Unleashed Inferno, amongst various other talent tree optimizations due to the buffs.
These changes also heavily buffed Fire's cleave AoE DPS, making it now significantly closer to a Flamestrike based build in terms of AoE damage, while having higher priority and boss DPS.
We strongly recommend reading our Rotation Page on how to play with Frostfire + Sun King's Blessing, and check out the new best talents on our updated Talents Page.
November 26 buffs to Fire Mage
- Pyroblast damage increased by 8%.
- Meteor direct damage increased by 25%.
- Ashen Feather Phoenix Flames damage bonus increased to 50% (was 25%).
- Frostfire buffs:
- Frostfire Mastery was buffed to grant 2% haste (was 1%).
- Isothermic Core Comet Storm effectiveness increased to 200% (was 150%).
- Frostfire Burst damage increased by 25%.
- Frostfire Infusion damage increased by 50%.
- Excess Frost cooldown reduction increased to 10 seconds (was 5 seconds).
Patch 11.0.5 Changes to Fire Mage
Summarizing the 11.0.5 Changes to Fire Mage
In 11.0.5, Fire has received a mini rework. Overall, the core gameplay is not changing much, but there are some key changes. One of the most obvious changes, if you are playing Sunfury, is that the new Glorious Incandescence provides significantly more Hot Streak in AoE situations, alongside significantly more Combustion cooldown reduction via Kindling. This makes AoE feel even faster than before. There is a not so obvious downside to this: The Flamestrike based AoE rotation actually runs out of mana after 1-2 minutes of constant combat. This makes Flamestrike AoE pretty much dead on sustained fights unless they lower the mana cost of Flamestrike. If they do lower the mana cost, it will be a significant buff to Fire's AoE damage.
Otherwise, you will pretty much play Fire the same way as you did before 11.0.5. The talents have been rebalanced, which also causes the best talents to be updated on our Talents Page, especially the AoE talents as there are not multiple viable AoE builds. This also impacts our Mythic+ Page.
11.0.5 Changes to Fire Mage
- The Talent Majesty of the Phoenix was changed: Phoenix Flames now causes your next Flamestrike to have a 20% increased Critical Strike Damage and Chance. This can stack up to 3 times.
- The Fire Talent Tree has received a lot minor balance changes:
- Heat Shimmer has had its bugs fixed: It can now proc while casting Scorch and it no longer gets consumed if triggered during a Scorch cast.
- Pyromaniac can now trigger Hyperthermia.
- Most of the Living Bomb related talents were buffed slightly. Lit Fuse has a higher proc chance (4% -> 6%), Explosive Ingenuity increases it by 4% now instead of 3% and increases Living Bomb's damage by 50% (was 25%). Explosivo was nerfed to increase Living Bomb's damage by 30% instead of 40%. Overall these changes are a very small buff to Living Bomb damage.
- Sparking Cinders was buffed to trigger 3 times per minute (was 2), and the bonus damage is now 15% for both Pyroblast and Flamestrike, instead of 10% for Pyroblast and 20% for Flamestrike.
- Controlled Destruction was fixed (nerfed) to actually increase Mastery: Ignite by 0.5% instead of 1%.
- All damage has been reduced by 3%.
- Frostfire got various changes:
- Excess Fire has been reworked. It no longer generates Living Bomb, but instead simply explodes for Frostfire damage to nearby targets.
- Frostfire Infusion was buffed to do 50% more damage.
- Isothermic Core was buffed, the Comet Storm now does 25% more damage.
- Sunfury got various changes:
- Glorious Incandescence has been buffed to now cause Fire Blast to hit up to 2 nearby targets on-top of its original effects. Note: This is a significant increase to Hot Streak generation on AoE, as each Fire Blast hit (not cast) contributes to Heating Up / Hot Streak, meaning that every single Fire Blast cast gives you a full Hot Streak.
- Memory of Al'ar was buffed to provide 1 second per exceptional spell instead of 0.5 seconds.
- Burden of Power was buffed for single-target, and nerfed for AoE. It now provides Pyroblast 20% damage (was 15%), but Flamestrike 30% (was 60%).
The War Within Changes to Fire Mage
Fire Mage has received a minor rework in The War Within, with a minor spec talent tree rework and some changes to the base talent tree. Below, we will first go into the changes in the Mage talent tree before diving deeper into the changes in the Fire tree.
Mage Class Changes
The Mage tree did not receive a lot of changes, but it did receive some important ones to hotly debated talents. Below, we list the most important changes:
- Temporal Warp has been removed, which was a highly divisive node, with some players loving it and some hating it. It was replaced for a passive 3% Intellect choice node against Time Anomaly.
- Ring of Frost and Ice Nova have been turned into a choice node, reducing the total amount of crowd-control available by a little bit, although neither were picked very often in PvE.
- Supernova has been moved from the Arcane tree to the class tree, and put into a choice node with Dragon's Breath. This new choice node is in a very central place in the tree, so it is easy to pick up.
Fire Changes
In contrast to the Mage tree, the Fire tree got a minor rework. Many nodes have been repositioned, turned into choice nodes, or split choice nodes into their own individual nodes, allowing you to pick both. Additionally, a fair amount of new nodes have been added.
See below a list of the most important changes. The full, exhaustive list of changes can be found on the Class Changes page, which is linked further below.
- Scorch and all of its related talents were changed:
- Scorch now has the guaranteed critical strike effect of Searing Touch and the 30% movement speed from Improved Scorch merged into it for targets below 30% health.
- Searing Touch was removed; however, all of its previous effects were put into different nodes into one way or another, in stronger versions. As described above, the guaranteed crit is now baseline on Scorch, and the bonus damage to Scorch was moved to a new node, Down in Flames, which greatly increases the damage of Scorch to targets below 30%. This new node is in a choice node with Improved Scorch, which was buffed. This means you now have to pick between doing significantly more damage with Scorch or a bit more damage with all of your spells.
- Heat Shimmer is a new talent which has a chance to give you a new proc effect, making Scorch instant-cast and treat the target as if it is below 30% health.
- Living Bomb has received a bunch of changes, with new talents
modifying its behavior, proccing it, or otherwise changing it:
- Living Bomb itself was removed as an ability you can cast manually. Instead, you can proc it and spread it via other means.
- Lit Fuse is a new talent which will be the primary way to proc Living Bomb. It gives you a new proc that makes your next Fire Blast apply Living Bomb to 3 nearby targets, which on explosion can spread up to 5 targets.
- Sparking Cinders is a new talent that gives your Living Bomb explosions a chance to make your next Flamestrike and Pyroblast do more damage.
- Explosive Ingenuity is a new talent that increases the Lit Fuse proc chance and further increase Living Bomb damage.
- Convection was changed to now reapply Living Bomb to the original target if there are no nearby targets to spread to. This can only happen once per original Lit Fuse proc.
- Explosivo guarantees a Lit Fuse proc when you cast Combustion, and significantly increases the Lit Fuse proc chance during Combustion.
- Blast Zone greatly increases the number of targets that Lit Fuse can apply Living Bomb, too, by making the initial proc apply it to 5 targets, and any further explosions spread to up to 8 targets.
- Quickflame is a new talent that increases the damage of Flamestrike. This is a choice node with Flame Patch, letting you choose between higher AoE burst via Quick Flame or lower burst but higher overall damage with Flame Patch if the enemies stay inside the patch.
- Pyromaniac and Inflame are no longer choice nodes.
- Call of the Sun King now provides the guaranteed critical strikes on Phoenix Flames that Alexstrasza's Fury used to provide, making Alexstrasza's Fury now only apply its effects to Dragon's Breath. Additionally, Alexstrasza's Fury is now a choice node with a new talent, Ashen Feather. This new talent increases Phoenix Flames' effectiveness on single-target.
- Controlled Destruction was changed to increase Ignite damage as you fight the same target longer, up to 50 stacks.
- Tempered Flames was replaced for Spontaneous Combustion. This new talent is a choice node with Improved Combustion, which immediately sets all your Fire Blast and Phoenix Flames charges to the maximum.
- Kindling and Unleashed Inferno now also provide cooldown reduction on Combustion for Flamestrike crits, allowing an overall shorter Combustion cooldown time both on single-target and AoE scenarios.
- Sun King's Blessing was changed to now require 10 stacks instead of 8 stacks.
- Molten Fury increases all damage dealt to targets below 35% health.
- From the Ashes is now no longer a choice node and was changed to increase Phoenix Flames damage and reduce its cooldown on direct damage from other spells.
- Mark of the Fire Lord is a new talent that increases your Ignite damage from Flamestrike and Living Bomb.
- Many nodes changed position in the tree, were replaced, or had their numbers changed, but these are all minor changes and hard to list as it is basically a new talent tree.
Hero Tree Talents
On top of the relatively large changes in the Fire tree, the Hero Talent Tree system was added. See our dedicated Fire Hero Talent Tree page below for more information on Fire's Hero Trees.
Leveling a Fire Mage
If you want to play a Fire Mage but currently do not have one at max level, you can check out our leveling guide for tips on your journey.
Once you reach max level, it can be somewhat overwhelming to completely change the way you play by suddenly implementing a large number of addons in a short space of time, especially if they have a heavy visual impact on your UI. We recommend using some of the more basic addons recommended on our Addons page below while leveling so that you have more time to get used to them during the easier phases of playing your class.
Basics of Fire Mage Gameplay
Fire Mage is all about chaining critical strikes to trigger Hot Streak. The main way to do this is by converting Heating Ups into Hot Streak via Fire Blast. Most of your time will be spent casting Fireball and converting the critical strikes from that via Fire Blasts into Hot Streaks and using those on Pyroblast.
Fire Mages are one of the few specs in the game that have spells that can be cast during other casts. Fire Blast is the main spell you will be casting during other spells, but Fire's main DPS cooldown, Combustion, can also be cast during other spells.
Combustion is Fire's major DPS cooldown, which allows for a period of heavy burst by making all your spells critically strike, causing a large amount of Hot Streaks in a short period.
If you are an absolute beginner to the spec but would like to learn the basic fundamentals of the class, I recommend looking through the Spell Summary first, as well as the Easy Mode page linked below.
If you are already somewhat familiar with Fire Mages, you can head straight to the Talents and Rotation pages to jump right into the more complex, detailed information.
How to Gear Up as a Fire Mage
There are a lot of different factors to gearing a Fire Mage in the current patch, and we go over all of these factors in the gear page below, including a Best in Slot list for the current tier.
When gearing your character, it is important to also use the best consumables, gems, enchants, and more. This goes hand in hand with knowing the best stats for your Fire Mage. In the pages below, we go over some of these aspects.
End-Game as a Fire Mage
Starting as a Fire Mage is very different from end-game progression content. Because of this, we have dedicated pages that guide you on how to play optimally in Mythic+ and PvP. We will also give raiding tips closer to the release of the first raid.
Improving as a Fire Mage
If you are looking for ways to improve or how to avoid common mistakes, we have some pages below that will give you potential tips and answers to questions you might have.
Fire Mage Viability in the Current Patch
Fire has middle of the pack single-target damage. It also has great mobility, and a very powerful niche of good execute DPS. It is a solid middle of the pack raiding spec.
In Mythic+, Fire is very competitive. It can choose to either do strong AoE damage, or decent single-target while doing completely free AoE damage. The latter especially is quite viable in multiple of the current dungeons, making it a solid Mythic+ choice.
Changelog
- 26 Nov. 2024 (hero talents): Updated best hero talents to frostfire.
- 26 Nov. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated talents for the latest buffs.
- 26 Nov. 2024 (rotation page): Updated rotation to have Frostfire as the defaults now that it is better than Sunfury after the buffs.
- 26 Nov. 2024 (talents page): Updated best talents for after the buffs: switching to SKB based frostfire as best builds. Updated AoE builds as well.
- 26 Nov. 2024 (this page): Added a section with the mid-season buffs and how it impacts the guide. Updated viability for after the buffs.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (hero talents): Updated for 11.0.5 changes.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (Leveling): Updated talents for 11.0.5 changes.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated talents and split viable talents up into 3 different builds. Also added dungeon specific tips.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (talents page): Updated talents for 11.0.5 changes. Split AoE talents in to 3 different builds.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated talents for 11.0.5. changes.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (this page): Added 11.0.5 changes and how it impacts the guide. Updated viability section.
- 02 Oct. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated Flamestrike vs Ignite choice to further emphasize that Flamestrike does more overall DPS.
- 02 Oct. 2024 (talents page): Updated Flamestrike vs Ignite choice to further emphasize that Flamestrike does more overall DPS.
- 24 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Fixed incorrect profession linked for off-hand craft.
- 24 Sep. 2024 (mythic+ page): Added Flamestrike based aoe builds now that it is more viable due to the latest buffs
- 24 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Updated AoE rotation to include a flamestrike based rotation now that it is more viable due to the latest buffs.
- 24 Sep. 2024 (talents page): Added Flamestrike based aoe builds now that it is more viable due to the latest buffs
- 21 Sep. 2024 (stats page): Updated stat weights description to more clearly explain that using top gear is better.
- 20 Sep. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Added more tips to multiple bosses, added exact cooldown usage to various bosses and added cooldowns outline for Queen Ansurek.
- 16 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Updated crafting recommendations for new BiS setup.
- 14 Sep. 2024 (talents page): Updated M+ talents to run Improved Scorch instead of Scald for more boss damage without giving up any meaningful AoE damage, and switched Fire's Ire to Molten Fury for all builds due to being slightly more DPS in most scenarios.
- 14 Sep. 2024 (this page): Updated viability section after latest buffs.
- 11 Sep. 2024 (enchants page): Added weapon consumable (oil).
- 09 Sep. 2024 (hero talents): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (cosmetics): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Added 3 bis lists from different sources: Raiding, Mythic+, Overall. Added trinket tier list. Removed disclaimer from crafting text.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (enchants page): Added Elusive Blasphemite as an alternative gem.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (Nerub-ar Palace page): Guide added.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated for TWW Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (talents page): Removed pre-season talents, and updated AoE talents to no longer spend 2 points on AoE talents that add only 0.1% DPS at the cost of single-target DPS.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (spells page): Removed mention of bug on Ignite the future after the bug fix.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (this page): Updated viability section for Season 1.
- 03 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Updated crafting recommendations and bis lists.
- 02 Sep. 2024 (this page): Updated viability section based on further buffs and Flamestrike overperformance compared to initial expectations.
- 29 Aug. 2024 (talents page): Updated disclaimer for AoE build to be clearer.
- 28 Aug. 2024 (rotation page): Fix a typo.
- 28 Aug. 2024 (talents page): Fixed a typo.
- 28 Aug. 2024 (spells page): Updated some spell descriptions.
- 27 Aug. 2024 (gear page): Updated crafting suggestions on updated Embellishments and updated bis lists.
- 24 Aug. 2024 (talents page): Added Delve Talent Tree.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (hero talents): Page added.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (cosmetics): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (Leveling): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (gear page): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (stats page): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (talents page): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (spells page): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within.
- 30 Jul. 2024 (cosmetics): Page added.
- 30 Jul. 2024 (gear page): Fixed not having 4 piece in the overall bis list.
- 29 Jul. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated best race.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (MoP Remix): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (Leveling): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (gear page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (enchants page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (stats page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (talents page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (spells page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 18 Jun. 2024 (MoP Remix): Fixed a typo caused incorrect html
- 17 Jun. 2024 (The War Within): Page added.
- 14 May 2024 (MoP Remix): Page added.
- 12 May 2024 (Leveling): Small rotation update.
- 10 May 2024 (FAQ page): Updated viability section.
- 10 May 2024 (rotation page): Updated the separate tier section to refer to the correct tier set.
- 10 May 2024 (this page): Updated viability section.
- 07 May 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (rotation page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (this page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (FAQ page): Updated viability for Season 4
- 22 Apr. 2024 (how to improve page): Updated best talents for Season 4 due to new tier set.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (gear page): Updated best for Season 4: updated bis lists, tier description, crafting suggestions, etc.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (enchants page): Added new season 4 helm enchant, and minor potion improvements.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated best talents based on Season 4 changes.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (rotation page): Updated rotation based on new tier set from Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (talents page): Updated best talents based on tier changes from Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (easy mode page): Updated best talents for Season 4 due to new tier set.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (this page): Added Season 4 changes and updated viability section for Season 4.
- 23 Mar. 2024 (rotation page): Split Combustion rotation up into two distinct sections, one to enter Combustion, and one during Combustion, for readability. Additionally simplified the opener description.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (how to improve page): Updated for Patch 10.2.6., small modifications to improve readability.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (addons page): Updated for 10.2.6., updating the default addons to a more relevant set of addons for today's Raiding and Mythic+ climate.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.2.6., splitting up the different M+ builds into separate boxes so they take up less space and can be viewed more easily.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.2.6., added Flame Accelerant as default checked rotation checkbox, and added line for using Fireball in Combustion during it. Also cleaned up some typos.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.2.6., made Flame Accelerant a default node instead of Alexstrasza's Fury
- 19 Mar. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 19 Mar. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for patch 10.2.6.
- 09 Mar. 2024 (mythic+ page): Updated suggested Mythic+ talents slightly, and added more information on picking between Ignite vs Flamestrike builds.
- 09 Mar. 2024 (talents page): Updated suggested Flamestrike talents slightly, and added more information on picking between Ignite vs Flamestrike builds.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 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): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Reviewed 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.
- 16 Dec. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated viability section based on December 19th buffs.
- 16 Dec. 2023 (this page): Updated viability section based on December 19th buffs.
- 24 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated viability section based on live data.
- 24 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated viability section based on live data.
- 19 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Updated checkboxes to by default has Alexstrasza's Fury enabled due to optimisations found make AF part of the default talent tree.
- 19 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated talent tree to pick Alexstrasza's Fury by default due to optimisations found.
- 07 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated BiS and embellishments due to sporecloak nerf.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated viability section for 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): Updated all 3 best-in-slot and gearing lists for 10.2, added tier 31 section and updated crafting suggestions based on new crafting item levels.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Removed sections related to Onyx Annulet as it is now too far behind to be considered.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Updated suggested stats due to changes in 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talents for 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Updated rotation for new best talent builds in 10.2, and new tier set.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated suggested talents due to 10.2 changes.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated suggested talents and stats due to changes in patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Added section with 10.2 changes, removed changes from older patches, updated viability section for 10.2.
- 01 Oct. 2023 (enchants page): Updated food buff suggestion.
- 26 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Changed layout.
- 07 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated viability section with more details.
- 07 Sep. 2023 (this page): Updated viability section with more details.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 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): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Added 3 different best-in-slot builds.
- 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 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Changed talent layout to be easier to navigate.
- 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): Added 10.1.7 guide changes.
- 09 Aug. 2023 (enchants page): Updated gem suggestion to haste + vers instead of mastery.
- 09 Aug. 2023 (this page): Updated viability for after the latest nerfs.
- 01 Aug. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talent choice between improved scorch and critical mass instead of meteor.
- 15 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated viability question for balance patch.
- 15 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Updated AoE Flamestrike rotation due to the nerf to Flamestrike.
- 15 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated viability for after the nerf.
- 14 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Updated AoE Flamestrike rotation based on latest optimisations.
- 14 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Added disclaimed that Living Bomb should not be used on single target.
- 11 Jul. 2023 (Leveling): Upated levelling tree for the new talent trees.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated FAQ for the Fire Mage rework of 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for the Fire rework of 10.1.5 and made minor adjustments to movement tips.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Removed some old comments no longer relevant.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated best-in-slot for reworked Fire and added Dawn of the Infinite gear section.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for the Fire rework of 10.1.5, and no changes were necessary.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for the Fire Mage rework of 10.1.5 and the Primordial Gems nerf.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Updated suggested stats for the Fire Mage rework of 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talents suggestions, rotation and utility for after the 10.1.5 Fire rework.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Updated rotation for the Fire Mage rework of 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Updated suggested talents after the Fire rework for 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Updated all spells and talents for the Fire Mage rework of 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated Talents and Rotation for the 10.1.5 Fire rework.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 12 Jun. 2023 (mythic+ page): Fix talent import string.
- 25 May 2023 (gear page): Added Timwalking section.
- 22 May 2023 (enchants page): Updated leg enchant suggestions.
- 08 May 2023 (gear page): Updated trinket suggestions based on improved sims and further theorycrafting.
- 06 May 2023 (FAQ page): Further Updated viability question based on item hotfixes impacting spec balance.
- 06 May 2023 (this page): Updated viability section based on item hotfixes impacting spec balance.
- 03 May 2023 (talents page): Added note about the suggested talents being based on having 2 and 4 set.
- 01 May 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Updated viability question based on 10.1 tuning.
- 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): Updated best in slot, crafting suggestions, embellishments and replaced valor description to the new crest system and updated Onyx Annulet section based on new 10.1 gear.
- 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Updated Onyx Annulet suggestions based on new 10.1 gear.
- 01 May 2023 (stats page): Updated suggested stats based on 10.1 changes.
- 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talents based on new optimal talents and removed mentions to the Flamestrike build as it is now too behind to consider, and removed mentions about thundering.
- 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Updated rotation pased on new tier set bonuses and new optimal talents.
- 01 May 2023 (talents page): Updated suggested talents based on 10.1 changes and cleaned up some talent advice.
- 01 May 2023 (spells page): Cleaned up some descriptions to be more clear.
- 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Updated the suggested talents and rotation for the 10.1 set bonus.
- 01 May 2023 (this page): Added 10.1 changes, added a section pointing out the major changes to the guide made for 10.1 and updated viability section for 10.1 tuning.
- 28 Apr. 2023 (addons page): Added a generic weakaura pack containing all neccesary WeakAuras for all specs.
- 25 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated Onyx ring suggestions based on hotfixes.
- 25 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated Primordial Stone Gem suggestions based on hotfixes.
- 22 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated bis to include Onyx Annulet due to new gem combinations being found.
- 22 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Update Primordial Stone Gem suggestions due to Desirious Blood Stone combinations being very strong.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated Primordial Stone gem suggestions based based on Obscure Pastel Stone being Arcane instead of Shadow on live servers.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed 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 Onyx Annulet information and reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Added Primordial Stone gem suggestions and reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7 and switched mastery to above versatility.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7 and provided some small phrasing tweaks.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Rewrote parts of the rotation to be easier to follow, and split the SKB/Pyroclasm into its own section. Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 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): Added link to enchants and gems page for Primordial gems.
- 16 Feb. 2023 (talents page): Removed old note.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (Leveling): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated viability section due to 10.0.5 buffs and slightly altered RoP section.
- 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): Updated best in slot advice based on updated theorycrafting.
- 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 (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): Updated viability section for the 10.0.5 buffs.
- 15 Jan. 2023 (this page): Replaced 10.2 changes for (lack of) 10.2.5 changes.
- 13 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Added leg enchant.
- 17 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated crafted gear due to bronzed grip changes.
- 14 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Added weapon imbuement advice.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Further updated crafted gear info with latest theorycrafting knowledge.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated phial advice.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (Leveling): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated 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 season 1, including crafted gear, m+ gear and raid gear.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated trinket recommendations on further theorycrafting, and added more info for crafted gear.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated phial advice.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated gems advice based on better simulations.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Added section explaining rotational changes due to the tier set.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Update AoE rotation to more clearly explain the AoE rotation when you are not talented into Flamestrike/Flamepath.
- 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): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 30 Nov. 2022 (Leveling): Removed flamestrike line from rotation as it is no longer worth using and no longer talented.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (Leveling): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated 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.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Split talent suggestions up into Night Fae and non Night Fae section.
- 24 Oct. 2022 (Leveling): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 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.
- 26 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Updated tier set section for nerfs applied to it.
- 22 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Updated for Patch 9.2.
- 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
- 03 Jan. 2022 (rotation page): Add Shifting Power to the rotation.
- 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
- 13 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated for Patch 9.1 raid release.
- 25 Apr. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page Created.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (The Eternal Palace page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 18 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added Azshara tips.
- 16 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Removed disclaimer.
- 13 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added tips for every boss except for Azshara, updated talent recommendations, and split essence recommendations into 2 categories.
- 10 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added initial talent recommendations.
- 07 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page added.
- 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): Added more tips.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 15 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.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 03 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added tips for Opulence.
- 30 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Updated for Jaina stun hotfixes.
- 28 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added more Jaina info and suggestions.
- 23 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Fixed a section containing Arcane Mage info.
- 21 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added Battle of Dazar'alor guide for Fire Mages.
- 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.1 and no changes are necessary.
- 29 Oct. 2018 (Uldir page): Removed potential usage for Firestarter on Taloc.
- 30 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Added talent suggestions and boss guides for Uldir.
- 10 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Added Fire Mage Boss by Boss empty page for now.
More Mage Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Dutchmagoz. Dutchmagoz is a Mythic raider in one of the top raiding guilds, Turtles and the owner of the Mage Discord server, Altered Time, where he is involved in all things Mage, and you can reach out to him directly for feedback or questions about the guide.
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