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Table of Contents
General Information
On this page, you will various tips and pieces of advice for clearing high Mythic+ content with your Frost Mage.
The other pages of our Frost Mage guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.
About Our Author and Reviewer
This guide has been written by Furty, who has an illustrious history in the World of Warcraft raiding scene and race for World First. He has been a member of guilds such as Serenity, Midwinter, and many more, and is currently raiding in Future. He plays most classes at the highest level. You can follow him on Twitter and watch him play on Twitch.
This guide has been reviewed and approved by Kuni, one of the best Frost Mages in the world, who raids in Midnight Sanctuary.
1. Mythic+ Introduction for Frost Mage
Mythic+ has become a large part of the World of Warcraft endgame, but the sheer amount of different variables has left many players feeling overwhelmed. The group composition, weekly affixes, the item level of the group, the keystone level, and the experience and comfort level of the group are just several of the factors that will influence how you approach each dungeon. The purpose of this page is to prepare you for the key differences that set Mythic+ apart from the typical World of Warcraft endgame experience, including talents and rotational anomalies that may not be obvious at first glance.
2. Affix List
- Bolstering: when any non-boss enemy dies, its death cry empowers nearby allies, increasing their maximum health and damage by 20%.
- Bursting: when slain, non-boss enemies explode, causing all players to suffer 10% of their maximum health in damage over 4 sec. This effect stacks.
- Explosive: while in combat, enemies periodically summon Explosive Orbs that will detonate if not destroyed.
- Fortified: non-boss enemies have 20% more health and inflict up to 30% increased damage.
- Grievous: when injured below 90% health, players will suffer increasing damage over time until healed above 90% health.
- Necrotic: all enemies' melee attacks apply a stacking blight that inflicts damage over time and reduces healing received.
- Overflowing: healing in excess of a target's maximum health is instead converted to a heal absorption effect.
- Quaking: periodically, all players emit a shockwave, inflicting damage and interrupting nearby allies.
- Raging: non-boss enemies enrage at 30% health remaining, dealing 100% increased damage until defeated.
- Relentless: non-boss enemies are granted temporary immunity to Loss of Control effects.
- Sanguine: when slain, non-boss enemies leave behind a lingering pool of ichor that heals their allies and damages players.
- Skittish: enemies pay far less attention to threat generated by tanks.
- Teeming: additional non-boss enemies are present throughout the dungeon.
- Tyrannical: boss enemies have 40% more health and inflict up to 15% increased damage.
- Volcanic: while in combat, enemies periodically cause gouts of flame to erupt beneath the feet of distant players.
3. Mythic+ Talents for Frost Mage
Several basic talent builds have been laid out below for your convenience. For more information, see the talent descriptions further down the page.
"High Level Keystones" simply refers to keystones that challenge your current item level, rather than referring to a specific numerical value. Conversely, "Low Level Keystones" refers to keystones that feel very comfortable relative to the current power level of your group.
3.1. Standard Build — Low Level Keystones
- Level 15:
Lonely Winter - Level 30:
Shimmer - Level 45:
Incanter's Flow - Level 60:
Splitting Ice - Level 75:
Frigid Winds - Level 90:
Arctic Gale - Level 100:
Thermal Void or 
Comet Storm
3.2. Standard Build — High Level Keystones
- Level 15: Lonely Winter
- Level 30: Shimmer
- Level 45: Incanter's Flow
- Level 60: Splitting Ice
- Level 75: Frigid Winds
- Level 90: Arctic Gale
- Level 100: Thermal Void
3.3. Talent Explanations
Most of our explanations are geared towards keystones that challenge the current item level of your group. If you are doing keystones that are well below the current power level of the group, you should default to our build recommended above, as you will likely be able to do pulls much larger than intended, which skews the talent choices towards AoE and burst focused choices rather than builds that support sustained damage.
3.3.1. Tier 1/Level 15
Lonely Winter is the best choice, and really the only option on
this tier for any situation. 
Bone Chilling is virtually always behind,
despite that fact that there is not a huge divide on paper.
Ray of Frost should be avoided, as the lengthy cooldown, lackluster
damage, and lack of cleave provide nothing for Mythic+.
3.3.2. Tier 2/Level 30
Shimmer is the best choice in most situations, as mobility is of
paramount importance in Mythic+, particularly with certain affix combinations
(e.g. Quaking and/or Volcanic). The additional charge is invaluable, and has
additional benefit in certain dungeons in very high level keystone bosses where
Belo'vir's Final Stand may be required to survive.
Some players may choose 
Ice Floes due to personal preference, but
we believe this to be a much less flexible choice. 
Glacial Insulation
remains useless, as Armor does not reduce AoE Physical damage.
3.3.3. Tier 3/Level 45
Incanter's Flow is our default choice for Mythic+, as with raiding.
Mirror Image and 
Rune of Power are never used, as the only
advantage they provide is superior burst, and only by a small margin.
Incanter's provides significantly more benefit in all situations and is perfect
for the varied nature of trash and encounters in Mythic+.
3.3.4. Tier 4/Level 60
Splitting Ice is the only real option on this tier, far outpacing
Frozen Touch and 
Ice Nova on multitarget. Depending on your
level of gear, Splitting Ice can also be the best single target talent as
well. Regardless, it should be selected in all situations.
3.3.5. Tier 5/Level 75
Since this tier of talents provides utility, the choice is typically based on the weekly affix set or dungeon.
Frigid Winds is the best choice during weeks where additional
slowing is beneficial, such as Necrotic, Skittish, Fortified, Bolstering,
and Raging. This is the most used talent, however, it can be a dangerous
choice on Sanguine weeks, and may cause additional ticks of healing.
Ring of Frost is best used for situations where additional
Crowd Control is necessary. It can also be used as a pseudo-interrupt. It
can be useful for preventing certain adds from patrolling into the group,
or joining the boss during an encounter.
Ice Ward has no real use in very high level Mythic+, but is a
good choice for proccing 
Sephuz's Secret. It can be used for additional
kiting, however be wary if there are melee in the group, as rooted monsters
will attack any target within range.
3.3.6. Tier 6/Level 90
Arctic Gale is the most used talent on this tier, as it is the
best choice in any situation with 2+ targets. We are casting 
Blizzard
a lot in Mythic+, as it does solid damage and allows us to have our
Frozen Orb as frequently as possible.
Unstable Magic provides only minimal benefit on single target, and
is far behind in any other situation. It should never be taken.
Frost Bomb can provide potent damage in situations with massive
AoE, however we virtually never use this talent as it often falls behind
Arctic Gale. As noted on our talents page for raiding, it also has some
counter synergy with the current playstyle of Frost, and for that reason it
should be avoided.
3.3.7. Level 7/Level 100
Thermal Void is the best talent in nearly all situations, as it
provides the highest flexibility. With this talent you will have excellent
cleave as well as the best possible single target damage, and such flexibility
is paramount for higher levels of Mythic+.
Glacial Spike falls behind Thermal Void in virtually all
situations, though it does still offer respectable damage.
Comet Storm is not worth using in high level Mythic+, but can be
an option if you are blitzing through lower leveled keys and doing massive
AoE pulls.
4. Stat Priority for Frost Mage
- Haste;
- Versatility;
- Critical Strike (to ~30%);*
- Intellect;
- Mastery;
- Critical Strike (after ~30%).
Haste gains value in Mythic+ due to the high amount of multitarget situations encountered. For most accurate results, sim your character on "Beastlord" or "Hectic Add Cleave" style fights using a tool such as Raidbots.
5. Legendary Items for Frost Mage
5.1. Mandatory Tier
Shard of the Exodar is the best overall legendary item for Frost Mages
pushing high level Mythic+. The extra uses of
Bloodlust/
Heroism/
Time Warp prove to be invaluable
cooldowns for letting you power through difficult bosses and trash packs twice
as often. The impact of this legendary is slightly reduced in lower level
Mythic+, as typically these will take less time and Bloodlust will have less
impact. Regardless, Shard is second to none when you are pushing through into
keystones that truly challenge your item level. Shard should be swapped out for
Sephuz's Secret while Time Warp is on cooldown.
Sephuz's Secret is the best legendary for trash packs and AoE, as it
can be easily and often procced and provides a massive Haste active. There are
certain bosses where it can be procced, however, it should only be used in such
situations if Bloodlust/ Heroism/ Time Warp is already
on cooldown and Shard of the Exodar cannot be used.
5.2. Top Tier
Magtheridon's Banished Bracers is the best legendary to pair with the
above choices in virtually all situations, be it single or multitarget. While
not as individually impactful as the "Mandatory Tier" legendaries, it provides
a solid and stable damage increase in all situations.
Soul of the Archmage is the best option for trash packs and AoE if you
do not yet have Sephuz, or cannot be bothered to deal with tracking and
proccing the active effect.
Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus is an exceptional choice for very high
level Mythic+, as it allows you to survive mechanics that might otherwise
kill you instantly, or force a use of 
Ice Block. Good examples are
Xavius in Darkheart Thicket or Hyrja in Halls of Valor. When using this
legendary you should pair it with:
Shard of the Exodar if 
Bloodlust/
Heroism/
Time Warp
is available and will be used on the next pack/boss.
Sephuz's Secret if you are clearing trash and feel like the Prydaz
defensive benefit is still necessary.
Magtheridon's Banished Bracers if you are doing a boss without
Bloodlust/ Heroism/ Time Warp available.
5.3. Situational/Niche Choices
Ice Time can provide some incredible burst AoE, but has certain
requirements to be useful:
- must be a large AoE pack that lives at least 10 seconds;
- tier 20 2-piece bonus should be used;
- adds must be kept within the
Frozen Orb.
Ice Time is rarely used in high level Mythic+, as it is difficult to
set up and occupies a tier slot, preventing the use of Tier 21 4-piece bonus
combined with Tier 20 2-piece bonus. Ice Time should never be used as a
"primary" legendary, and should only be swapped in for specific pulls where
its value can be fully taken advantage of. Ice Time is best used
together with Sephuz's Secret.
Belo'vir's Final Stand can be useful if you need to completely maximize
your defensive potential, and should always be used with
Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus. This can be necessary on extremely high
level keystones, particularly on bosses that focus more on survival and
endurance rather than DPS. This legendary is not used on low or mid level keys,
but can be required when pushing certain dungeons on the highest level
keystones.
6. Mythic+ Relics, Set Bonuses, and Trinkets for Frost Mage
We recommend using the Tier 21 4-piece bonus at all times once you have access to it. In most situations, you will also want to use the Tier 20 2-piece bonus simultaneously, as it provides a large increase to your multitarget damage.
Relic priority for Mythic+ is as follows:
- +4 Weapon Item Level;
Let It Go;- +3 Weapon Item Level;
- Obsidian Lance;
Clarity of Thought;- +2 Weapon Item Level;
Frozen Veins;
Ice Age;
Icy Caress;- +1 Weapon Item Level;
The Storm Rages;- Orbital Strike.
Let It Go is easily the best choice, and you should aim for
three relics if possible. It allows you to maximize your multitarget damage
while maintaining nearly the highest possible single target.
6.1. Mythic+ Trinkets for Frost Mage
6.1.1. Mythic+ Single Target Trinkets for Frost Mage
Aman'Thul's Vision
Acrid Catalyst Injector- Titanforged
Unstable Arcanocrystal 
Vitality Resonator
Prototype Personnel Decimator
Tarnished Sentinel Medallion
Terror From Below
Tome of Unraveling Sanity
For most accurate results, especially if you are trying to compare items of varying item level or titanforging, sim your character using a tool such as Raidbots.
6.1.2. Mythic+ Cleave/AoE Trinkets for Frost Mage
- Prototype Personnel Decimator (can pull extra packs, beware)
- Aman'Thul's Vision
Terminus Signaling Beacon- Titanforged Unstable Arcanocrystal
- Vitality Resonator
- Titanforged Haste Stat Stick
For most accurate results, especially if you are trying to compare items of varying item level or titanforging, sim your character using a tool such as Raidbots.
7. Mythic+ Rotation for Frost Mage
7.1. Trash Packs
Frost Mage can pump out serious cleave and AoE, particularly if the packs
live for enough time to take full advantage of our 
Icy Veins paired
with Thermal Void. The main point of play on trash revolves around
using Frozen Orb as often as possible while keeping the cooldown low
by keeping Blizzard active.
Ice Lance deals a significant portion of our overall damage, and
you should try to avoid overcapping charges, though in some situations it
will be inevitable. For example, it can often be worth it to maintain the
Chain Reaction buff, even during AoE. Ensure to take
advantage of the 
Brain Freeze buff between 
Fingers of Frost
charges as well.
Work in 
Frost Nova when necessary to proc Sephuz's Secret
or assist with kiting. 
Counterspell should also be used whenever
possible, as interrupts are an essential part of success in Mythic+, and will
also proc your Sephuz.
- Proc Sephuz's Secret whenever available.
- Activate Icy Veins if Frozen Orb is available.
- Cast Frozen Orb whenever available.
- Cast Ice Lance if you have 3 charges of
Fingers of Frost. - Cast Blizzard whenever available.
- Cast Flurry when you have Brain Freeze available.
- Cast Frostbolt to build/maintain
Chain Reaction. - Cast
Ebonbolt when available. - Cast Ice Lance.
7.2. Mythic+ Rotation for Single Target/Bosses for Frost Mage
The single target rotational is very similar to how Frost Mage is played
in raids. We want to use our procs as they are available, setting up large
windows of damage ( Icy Veins) to coincide with abilities or timings
that allow us to sustain as long as possible with Thermal Void (such
Frozen Orb, add spawns, etc.).
- Activate Icy Veins, ensuring it is layered with other cooldowns
or abilities ( Frozen Orb, Time Warp, etc.). Try to save at
least 2+ Fingers of Frost charges for its activation.
- Cast Ice Lance if Winter's Chill is applied via Flurry or
you have 3 charges of Fingers of Frost.
- Cast Flurry if you have Brain Freeze available.
- Cast Ebonbolt if you do not have Brain Freeze.
- Cast Ice Lance when you have Fingers of Frost.
- Cast Frostbolt as a filler.
8. ChangeLog
- 05 Mar. 2018: Page added.
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