I always hear from people that sooner or later I'm going to have to respec Fire or Arcane for tougher raids. I know the limitations of Frost, and it annoys me (each tree should be able to competently raid anything, yet still have its defining strengths and weaknesses), and I'm only going to respec if it's absolutely necessary (...I like doing more damage than rogues ><; ), but that's not what this topic is about.
When I ask senior mages which spec is best for raids, I almost always hear "Arcane". And I always hear the same reason for it: "Two pieces of T5".
The 2-piece set bonus from T5 just makes Arcane Blast 20% stronger. You can't spam Arcane Blast forever because of its horrible mana inefficiency, but even if you could, a 20% damage boost to one spell is not enough, IMO, to justify respeccing your toon entirely; you can't base your entire playstyle around one spell.
Not just that, I've heard from some that the T5-Arcane spec combo isn't good anymore for some reason. Usually those people suggest Fire or Arc/Fire.
So I'm going to ask the mages here. Which do you think is the better tree for raiding between the two, why, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of both trees for raiding?
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Fire or Arcane: The better raid spec?Follow
The best damage build in the game is 2/48/11 (or actually 0/47/11 + 3) to be deep fire and have icy veins.
Arcane was the best damage spec with its awkward spell rotation before they hugely nerfed mystical skyfire diamond (half cast time -- added a large internal cooldown to it and decreased the proc time) and also nerfed TLC (the lightning capacitor -- trinket that on spellcrits adds a charge -- now can only happen once every 1.5 seconds (not nearly long enough between hits with arcane missiles).
Because of this, deep fire is the raiding build to do the most damage (with the exception of a couple of fights).
all of the trees can raid, but because they are different the damage output will not be the same. For the same reason that two daggers is not the most damage for rogues.
Arcane was the best damage spec with its awkward spell rotation before they hugely nerfed mystical skyfire diamond (half cast time -- added a large internal cooldown to it and decreased the proc time) and also nerfed TLC (the lightning capacitor -- trinket that on spellcrits adds a charge -- now can only happen once every 1.5 seconds (not nearly long enough between hits with arcane missiles).
Because of this, deep fire is the raiding build to do the most damage (with the exception of a couple of fights).
all of the trees can raid, but because they are different the damage output will not be the same. For the same reason that two daggers is not the most damage for rogues.
Anobix wrote:
The best damage build in the game is 2/48/11 (or actually 0/47/11 + 3) to be deep fire and have icy veins.
Arcane was the best damage spec with its awkward spell rotation before they hugely nerfed mystical skyfire diamond (half cast time -- added a large internal cooldown to it and decreased the proc time) and also nerfed TLC (the lightning capacitor -- trinket that on spellcrits adds a charge -- now can only happen once every 1.5 seconds (not nearly long enough between hits with arcane missiles).
Because of this, deep fire is the raiding build to do the most damage (with the exception of a couple of fights).
all of the trees can raid, but because they are different the damage output will not be the same. For the same reason that two daggers is not the most damage for rogues.
Arcane was the best damage spec with its awkward spell rotation before they hugely nerfed mystical skyfire diamond (half cast time -- added a large internal cooldown to it and decreased the proc time) and also nerfed TLC (the lightning capacitor -- trinket that on spellcrits adds a charge -- now can only happen once every 1.5 seconds (not nearly long enough between hits with arcane missiles).
Because of this, deep fire is the raiding build to do the most damage (with the exception of a couple of fights).
all of the trees can raid, but because they are different the damage output will not be the same. For the same reason that two daggers is not the most damage for rogues.
Don't forget that they removed the damage tax, which was the final nail in the arcane coffin.
Scholar
33 posts
what is the damage tax??
btw, is TLC better or the 75 badges trinket better?
btw, is TLC better or the 75 badges trinket better?
samleetingal wrote:
what is the damage tax??
btw, is TLC better or the 75 badges trinket better?
btw, is TLC better or the 75 badges trinket better?
For PvE, the only trinket worth getting from Badges is the Icon of the Silver Crescent, IMO. That one is actually one of the best trinkets you'll find pre-T5 level stuff.
Edit: The damage tax was a half assed idea someone had once that mages were doing too much damage, so the Improved Fireball and Improved Frostbolt talents would reduce the amount of spell damage those spells got by 10%.
Edited, Mar 2nd 2008 12:40am by Poldaran
Scholar
33 posts
i already got the icon of silver crisent
just that i dont knw which to use as my 2nd trinket....
either Xi'ri's Gift or TLC?
another trinket i targeting is the 75 badges +47 damage trinket
which of the 3 shud i choose yea?
and well, been praying the morigim trinket to drop :p
just that i dont knw which to use as my 2nd trinket....
either Xi'ri's Gift or TLC?
another trinket i targeting is the 75 badges +47 damage trinket
which of the 3 shud i choose yea?
and well, been praying the morigim trinket to drop :p
I would stick with Xi'ri's until the morogrim trinket drops (I love it). the +47 damage trinket has a fairly useless 'use' ability that, what, inreases your hp by 2000 or something? Badges can be better spent/saved (like for the new 150 badge dagger that will be out in 2.4).
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