WoW Forever Mage Talents: Trees, Ranks & Changes
Mages are glass cannons: huge damage, very little armour. Arcane is about mana control and burst windows, Fire is raw damage output, and Frost slows and freezes everything, which also makes it the friendliest spec for levelling.
Compare talent ranks and prerequisites across Arcane, Fire, Frost. Once you have chosen the talents for your role, plan your points in the Mage calculator.
Mage talent ranks, tags and requirements
- Read rank 1 first, then compare the final rank with the point cost. Every Mage talent shows its full beta-client wording.
- The tags explain the difference from Classic: NEW is Forever-only, Changed keeps the talent but alters its effect, and Active means you press a button to use it.
- Deeper rows require points in the same tree. A row 4 talent needs 15 points in the rows above it, so plan from the top down.
Arcane
Arcane has 19 talents across 7 rows. Arcane Geometry, Arcane Blast, Arcane Wrath, Missile Barrage are new in Forever. The final row includes Arcane Power.
- Rank 1: Increases your damage with Wands by 13%.
- Rank 2: Increases your damage with Wands by 25%.
- Rank 1: Improves your chance to hit with Arcane spells by 1%.
- Rank 2: Improves your chance to hit with Arcane spells by 2%.
- Rank 3: Improves your chance to hit with Arcane spells by 3%.
- Rank 4: Improves your chance to hit with Arcane spells by 4%.
- Rank 5: Improves your chance to hit with Arcane spells by 5%.
- Rank 1: Gives you a 20% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling Arcane Missiles and a 14% chance while casting Arcane Blast or Arcane Wrath.
- Rank 2: Gives you a 40% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling Arcane Missiles and a 28% chance while casting Arcane Blast or Arcane Wrath.
- Rank 3: Gives you a 60% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling Arcane Missiles and a 42% chance while casting Arcane Blast or Arcane Wrath.
- Rank 4: Gives you a 80% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling Arcane Missiles and a 56% chance while casting Arcane Blast or Arcane Wrath.
- Rank 5: Gives you a 100% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling Arcane Missiles and a 70% chance while casting Arcane Blast or Arcane Wrath.
- Rank 1: Reduces your target's resistance to all your spells by 8 and reduces the threat caused by your Arcane spells by 15%.
- Rank 2: Reduces your target's resistance to all your spells by 15 and reduces the threat caused by your Arcane spells by 30%.
- Rank 1: Increases all your resistances by 5 and causes all spells you fully resist to restore 1% of your total mana. Cannot trigger more often than 1 time per sec.
- Rank 2: Increases all your resistances by 10 and causes all spells you fully resist to restore 2% of your total mana. Cannot trigger more often than 1 time per sec.
- Rank 1: Gives you a 2% chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target. The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100%.
- Rank 2: Gives you a 4% chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target. The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100%.
- Rank 3: Gives you a 6% chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target. The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100%.
- Rank 4: Gives you a 8% chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target. The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100%.
- Rank 5: Gives you a 10% chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target. The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100%.
- Rank 1: Increases your Armor by an amount equal to 25% of your Intellect.
- Rank 2: Increases your Armor by an amount equal to 50% of your Intellect.
- Rank 1: Increases the range of your Arcane spells by 3 yards.
- Rank 2: Increases the range of your Arcane spells by 6 yards.
- Rank 1: Increases the critical strike chance of your Arcane spells by 2%.
- Rank 2: Increases the critical strike chance of your Arcane spells by 4%.
- Rank 3: Increases the critical strike chance of your Arcane spells by 6%.
- Rank 1: Blasts the target with energy, dealing 34 to 38 Arcane damage. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, you gain 15% of your Intellect as Spell Damage and the mana cost of Arcane Blast is increased by 175%. Effect stacks up to 4 times and lasts 15 sec from time of initial application.
- Rank 1: Decreases the Mana lost per point of damage taken when your Mana Shield spell is active by 17% and increases the resistances granted by your Mage Armor spell by 25%.
- Rank 2: Decreases the Mana lost per point of damage taken when your Mana Shield spell is active by 33% and increases the resistances granted by your Mage Armor spell by 50%.
- Rank 1: Your Counterspell also Silences the target for 2 sec.
- Rank 2: Your Counterspell also Silences the target for 4 sec.
- Rank 1: Allows 17% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
- Rank 2: Allows 33% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
- Rank 3: Allows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
- Rank 1: Launches a projectile of pure Arcane energy at the enemy target, causing 122 to 146 Arcane damage. This spell gains additional Spell Damage equal to 5% of your maximum Mana.
- Rank 1: Gives your Arcane Blast spell a 20% chance, your Arcane Missile hits a 5% chance, and your Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, and Frostfire Bolt spells a 10% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the Mana cost by 100%, and missiles fire every 0.5 sec.
- Rank 2: Gives your Arcane Blast spell a 40% chance, your Arcane Missile hits a 10% chance, and your Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, and Frostfire Bolt spells a 20% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the Mana cost by 100%, and missiles fire every 0.5 sec.
- Rank 1: When activated, your next Mage spell with a casting time less than 10 sec becomes an instant cast spell.
- Rank 1: Increases your Intellect by 2% and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Arcane spells by 20%.
- Rank 2: Increases your Intellect by 4% and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Arcane spells by 40%.
- Rank 3: Increases your Intellect by 6% and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Arcane spells by 60%.
- Rank 4: Increases your Intellect by 8% and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Arcane spells by 80%.
- Rank 5: Increases your Intellect by 10% and increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Arcane spells by 100%.
- Rank 1: Increases the damage done by your spells by 1% and your critical strike chance by 1%.
- Rank 2: Increases the damage done by your spells by 2% and your critical strike chance by 2%.
- Rank 3: Increases the damage done by your spells by 3% and your critical strike chance by 3%.
- Rank 1: For the next 15 sec, your spells deal 30% more damage while costing 30% more mana to cast.
Removed from Classic Arcane (1)
The following Classic talents are absent from the current Forever tree. An older build may need different picks if it relies on one of them.
- Magic Attunement (was 2 ranks, row 3). Increases the effect of your Amplify Magic and Dampen Magic spells by 25%.
Fire
Fire has 17 talents across 7 rows. Heating Up is new in Forever. The final row includes Combustion.
- Rank 1: Reduces the cooldown of your Fire Blast spell by 1 sec and increases its range by 8 yards.
- Rank 2: Reduces the cooldown of your Fire Blast spell by 2 sec and increases its range by 15 yards.
- Rank 1: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast, and Scorch spells by 2%.
- Rank 2: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast, and Scorch spells by 4%.
- Rank 3: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire Blast, Ice Lance, Arcane Blast, and Scorch spells by 6%.
- Rank 1: Reduces the casting time of your Fireball and Frostfire Bolt spells by 0.1 sec.
- Rank 2: Reduces the casting time of your Fireball and Frostfire Bolt spells by 0.2 sec.
- Rank 3: Reduces the casting time of your Fireball and Frostfire Bolt spells by 0.3 sec.
- Rank 4: Reduces the casting time of your Fireball and Frostfire Bolt spells by 0.4 sec.
- Rank 5: Reduces the casting time of your Fireball and Frostfire Bolt spells by 0.5 sec.
- Rank 1: Your critical strikes from Fire damage spells cause the target to burn for an additional 8% of your spell's damage over 4 sec.
- Rank 2: Your critical strikes from Fire damage spells cause the target to burn for an additional 16% of your spell's damage over 4 sec.
- Rank 3: Your critical strikes from Fire damage spells cause the target to burn for an additional 24% of your spell's damage over 4 sec.
- Rank 4: Your critical strikes from Fire damage spells cause the target to burn for an additional 32% of your spell's damage over 4 sec.
- Rank 5: Your critical strikes from Fire damage spells cause the target to burn for an additional 40% of your spell's damage over 4 sec.
- Rank 1: Increases the range of your Fire spells by 3 yards.
- Rank 2: Increases the range of your Fire spells by 6 yards.
- Rank 1: Gives your Fire spells a 3% chance to stun the target for 2 sec.
- Rank 2: Gives your Fire spells a 7% chance to stun the target for 2 sec.
- Rank 3: Gives your Fire spells a 10% chance to stun the target for 2 sec.
- Rank 1: Gives your Fire spells a 23% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage and reduces the threat caused by your Fire spells by 10%.
- Rank 2: Gives your Fire spells a 47% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage and reduces the threat caused by your Fire spells by 20%.
- Rank 3: Gives your Fire spells a 70% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage and reduces the threat caused by your Fire spells by 30%.
- Rank 1: Increases the critical strike chance of your Flamestrike spell by 5%.
- Rank 2: Increases the critical strike chance of your Flamestrike spell by 10%.
- Rank 3: Increases the critical strike chance of your Flamestrike spell by 15%.
- Rank 1: Hurls an immense fiery boulder that causes 101 to 131 Fire damage and an additional 44 Fire damage over 12 sec.
- Rank 1: Your Scorch spell has a 33% chance to cause your target to be vulnerable to Fire damage. This vulnerability increases all Fire damage you deal to your target by 3% and lasts 30 sec, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 2: Your Scorch spell has a 67% chance to cause your target to be vulnerable to Fire damage. This vulnerability increases all Fire damage you deal to your target by 3% and lasts 30 sec, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 3: Your Scorch spell has a 100% chance to cause your target to be vulnerable to Fire damage. This vulnerability increases all Fire damage you deal to your target by 3% and lasts 30 sec, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 1: Causes your Fire Ward to have a 10% chance to reflect Fire spells while active.
- Rank 2: Causes your Fire Ward to have a 20% chance to reflect Fire spells while active.
- Rank 1: Non-periodic critical strikes with Fireball, Frostfire Bolt, Fire Blast, and Scorch reduce the cast time of your next Pyroblast cast within 20 sec by 25%, stacking up to 3 times. Fire Blast grants an additional stack every time it deals damage.
- Rank 1: Your Fire and Frost critical strikes will refund 10% of their base mana cost.
- Rank 2: Your Fire and Frost critical strikes will refund 20% of their base mana cost.
- Rank 3: Your Fire and Frost critical strikes will refund 30% of their base mana cost.
- Rank 1: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire spells by 2%.
- Rank 2: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire spells by 4%.
- Rank 3: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire spells by 6%.
- Rank 4: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire spells by 8%.
- Rank 5: Increases the critical strike chance of your Fire spells by 10%.
- Rank 1: A wave of flame radiates outward from the caster, damaging all enemies caught within the blast for 154 to 184 Fire damage, and Dazing them for 50% reduced movement speed for 6 sec.
- Rank 1: Increases the damage done by your Fire spells by 1% per your Fire effects on the target, up to a maximum increase of 4%. Effects which mix multiple schools of magic do not qualify.
- Rank 2: Increases the damage done by your Fire spells by 2% per your Fire effects on the target, up to a maximum increase of 8%. Effects which mix multiple schools of magic do not qualify.
- Rank 3: Increases the damage done by your Fire spells by 3% per your Fire effects on the target, up to a maximum increase of 12%. Effects which mix multiple schools of magic do not qualify.
- Rank 1: When activated, this spell causes each of your Fire damage spell hits to increase your critical strike chance with Fire damage spells by 10%. This effect lasts until you have caused 3 non-periodic critical strikes with Fire spells.
Frost
Frost has 19 talents across 7 rows. Ice Lance, Fingers of Frost are new in Forever. The final row includes Ice Barrier.
- Rank 1: Increases the Armor and resistance given by your Frost Armor and Ice Armor spells by 15%. In addition, gives your Frost Ward a 10% chance to reflect Frost spells and effects while active.
- Rank 2: Increases the Armor and resistance given by your Frost Armor and Ice Armor spells by 30%. In addition, gives your Frost Ward a 20% chance to reflect Frost spells and effects while active.
- Rank 1: Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt and Frost Blast spells by 0.1 sec.
- Rank 2: Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt and Frost Blast spells by 0.2 sec.
- Rank 3: Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt and Frost Blast spells by 0.3 sec.
- Rank 4: Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt and Frost Blast spells by 0.4 sec.
- Rank 5: Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt and Frost Blast spells by 0.5 sec.
- Rank 1: Improves your chance to hit with Frost and Fire spells by 1%.
- Rank 2: Improves your chance to hit with Frost and Fire spells by 2%.
- Rank 3: Improves your chance to hit with Frost and Fire spells by 3%.
- Rank 4: Improves your chance to hit with Frost and Fire spells by 4%.
- Rank 5: Improves your chance to hit with Frost and Fire spells by 5%.
- Rank 1: Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 20%.
- Rank 2: Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 40%.
- Rank 3: Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 60%.
- Rank 4: Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 80%.
- Rank 5: Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 100%.
- Rank 1: Increases the duration of your Chill effects by 11% and reduces the target's speed by an additional 3%.
- Rank 2: Increases the duration of your Chill effects by 22% and reduces the target's speed by an additional 7%.
- Rank 3: Increases the duration of your Chill effects by 33% and reduces the target's speed by an additional 10%.
- Rank 1: Reduces the cooldown of your Frost Nova spell by 2 sec.
- Rank 2: Reduces the cooldown of your Frost Nova spell by 4 sec.
- Rank 1: Gives your Chill effects a 5% chance to Freeze the target for 5 sec.
- Rank 2: Gives your Chill effects a 10% chance to Freeze the target for 5 sec.
- Rank 3: Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to Freeze the target for 5 sec.
- Rank 1: Increases the damage done by your Frost spells by 2%.
- Rank 2: Increases the damage done by your Frost spells by 4%.
- Rank 3: Increases the damage done by your Frost spells by 6%.
- Rank 1: Reduces the mana cost of your Frost spells by 5% and reduces the threat caused by your Frost spells by 10%.
- Rank 2: Reduces the mana cost of your Frost spells by 10% and reduces the threat caused by your Frost spells by 20%.
- Rank 3: Reduces the mana cost of your Frost spells by 15% and reduces the threat caused by your Frost spells by 30%.
- Rank 1: Deals 28 to 32 Frost damage to an enemy target. Deals 200% increased damage to Frozen targets.
- Rank 1: Adds a Chill effect to your Blizzard spell. This effect lowers the target's movement speed by 15% for 1.5 sec.
- Rank 2: Adds a Chill effect to your Blizzard spell. This effect lowers the target's movement speed by 25% for 1.5 sec.
- Rank 3: Adds a Chill effect to your Blizzard spell. This effect lowers the target's movement speed by 40% for 1.5 sec.
- Rank 1: Increases the range of your Frostbolt, Frost Blast, and Blizzard spells and the radius of your Frost Nova and Cone of Cold spells by 10%.
- Rank 2: Increases the range of your Frostbolt, Frost Blast, and Blizzard spells and the radius of your Frost Nova and Cone of Cold spells by 20%.
- Rank 1: You become encased in a block of ice, protecting you from all physical attacks and spells for 10 sec, but during that time you cannot attack, move, or cast spells.
- Rank 1: Increases the critical strike chance of all your spells against Frozen targets by 17%.
- Rank 2: Increases the critical strike chance of all your spells against Frozen targets by 33%.
- Rank 3: Increases the critical strike chance of all your spells against Frozen targets by 50%.
- Rank 1: Increases the damage dealt by your Cone of Cold spell by 12%.
- Rank 2: Increases the damage dealt by your Cone of Cold spell by 23%.
- Rank 3: Increases the damage dealt by your Cone of Cold spell by 35%.
- Rank 1: Finishes the remaining cooldown on all your other Frost spells.
- Rank 1: Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 1 spell cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec.
- Rank 2: Gives your Chill effects a 15% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect, which treats your next 2 spells cast as if the target were Frozen. Lasts 15 sec.
- Rank 1: Gives your Frost damage spells a 20% chance to apply the Winter's Chill effect, which increases the damage done by your Cone of Cold spell to the target by 40%, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 2: Gives your Frost damage spells a 40% chance to apply the Winter's Chill effect, which increases the damage done by your Cone of Cold spell to the target by 40%, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 3: Gives your Frost damage spells a 60% chance to apply the Winter's Chill effect, which increases the damage done by your Cone of Cold spell to the target by 40%, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 4: Gives your Frost damage spells a 80% chance to apply the Winter's Chill effect, which increases the damage done by your Cone of Cold spell to the target by 40%, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 5: Gives your Frost damage spells a 100% chance to apply the Winter's Chill effect, which increases the damage done by your Cone of Cold spell to the target by 40%, stacking up to 5 times.
- Rank 1: Instantly shields you, absorbing 447 damage. Lasts 1 min. While the shield holds, your spellcasts will not be interrupted or delayed from taking damage.
Mage Talent Changes in WoW Forever Beta
Some Mage talents have changed since earlier beta builds. 1 was renamed and 1 was removed during the beta. The old names and their replacements are listed below to help you adapt an older build.
- Wake of Fire was a Fire talent in row 1. Former beta talent; the ranks below preserve its earlier client text. It was removed in build 70425. Replaced by Improved Fire Blast in build 1.60.1.70425. The current talent reduces Fire Blast’s cooldown and increases its range; the old on-kill bonus is gone.
- Hot Streak was a Fire talent in row 4. Fire crits granted Hot Streak for 20 sec, cutting Pyroblast cast time by 25% per stack up to 3. In build 70170 it was renamed to Heating Up. Same effect, only the name changed.
Mage talent reference FAQs
How do I read this talent tree?
Top down. Row 1 is open from the start; every 5 points you spend in one tree unlocks the next row in that same tree. Arcane, Fire, Frost all work this way. A row 4 talent needs 15 points in the rows above it before it opens.
What does each rank do?
Every Mage talent lists its ranks in the exact beta-client wording. Rank 1 is the weakest version and the final rank is the full-strength effect. Read rank 1 first, then decide how many points the talent deserves.
What do the NEW and Changed tags mean?
NEW means the talent never existed in Classic. It is Forever-only. Changed means the Classic talent still exists but works differently now. Active means you press a button to use it; everything else just happens.
What Mage talent changes happened in the beta?
Wake of Fire was removed in build 70425. Hot Streak was renamed to Heating Up in build 70425. The section above lists what each one did and what replaced it.
Take it to the Mage calculator
Try your choices in the Mage calculator, or adapt a starter build for your preferred role.
For learned abilities, browse all Mage spells, including their ranks and changes from Classic.
