Mana problemFollow

I'm lvl 10 now, but I get out of mana very fast. It's only enough to kill 2 same lvl mobs and then I got to drink... again...
This is the main problem I've found while playing a mage. How to solve it?

Also, should I get +spell damage or +intellect gear for leveling?

It also depends what spells you use. Some are INNATELY mana-intensive. Arcane Blast is very poor mana efficiency unless hitting a LOT of mobs (too many for your level). The only worthwhile spells at that level are frostbolt, fireball, and arcane missiles (also not super mana friendly).

I went frost and generally did Frostbolt + AM then frostbolt until dead. If you are fire, you may want frostbolt + Fireball until dead (scorch to finish off if the mob has very low health left).

If you are frost, once you get shatter maxed... you can put out some crazy dps which will conserve your mana a lot.

Another tip, if you don't need the cc of frost nova, don't use it. It does poor damage for the mana used. I only used it once shatter was maxed because frostbolt crits being above 50% were worth the extra mana cost. Basically, you have to balance NOT using frost nova and having to eat... with using frost nova and having to drink more.

I will say it does get a lot easier as you level up.

Lvl 63 mage and still run low on mana. It gets better but will always be a problem. I think it's at lvl 28 that you get mana crystals and i'm not sure what lvl you get evoc but that will help too. Mana crystals are not great but does help in a tight spot where all you need is one more shot. Also, as you're leveling, put points into things that say reduces mana cost for spells. It will help with leveling and you can respec when you get up in the 50s. One last thing, fire is great for fast kills and fast leveling up to about lvl 58 or so but it eats up mana very quick. I respected frost at 59 and found my survival rate went up and mana cost went down but kills were a little slower.

Later on it'll get easier, like the others have said. I just got my 1st mana xtal, I tend to save that for emergencies, as well as a potion, and my evocate.

You should be getting your 1st wand (ranged weapon), I tend to use that around 20% (Nova helps)

You'll get Frost Nova later on. This really helps if you use a wand to finish off the mob. Just get use to how much damage your spells are going to do to the mob, don't over cast. If the mob is left with 15% HP left, why cast another Fireball when you can hit it with a few ranged wands and kill it.

If you go Fire spec, you'll get Pyro, the casting time on that is huge, but the damage is nice, and you gain 2 ticks of MP5 just waiting on it to cast lol, not to mention the time it takes you to target the next mob, get in the correct range, and start casting... you could be looking at 3 MP5 ticks. That'll help you with your MP issues also, it's a bit slower waiting for Pyro to cast, but slow = steady leveling.

Want fast leveling level a Beastmaster Hunter, or Warlock =P Starting out is just rough for Mages.

Mana will always be a problem as a mage, like everyone else said, you will always be forced to sit and drink, and quite often.

When soloing in the game, the thing you want to maximize, in my opinion, is your mana efficiency, meaning, doing most DPM(we'll see later that it increases DPS as well which is VERY important), if you don't follow me think about it like that:


At any given point you will have to kill a certain amount of mobs to gain a level, in order to do that, you'll have to cause a certain amount of damage.

The variable here, is the amount of mana needed to cause said damage, +spell damage (or spell crit for that matter) increases your damage while not increasing said spell mana cost, meaning better DPS and DPM.
Hope I got the point clear.



There should be a balance between the two of course, and this is open to debate, but my rule of thumb is to aim go for a mana pool that I can fill from scratch in 1 drink, not much more.
Usually it means going almost totally with +spell damage.

Again, this is for PvE leveling.

In instances you must also remember that mage with no mana is a mage with no damage generation, therefore mana pool should be large enough to last the entire fight while having the maximum spell damage to increase your damage output, balancing is again, a matter for personnal opinion (and very dependant on spec!)

Have a nice time leveling a mage, I found it to be quite easy so far (only 44), even after leveling a BM hunter and a feral druid, not as easy mind you, just not much harder.

I have taken mage to 70...

The issue is common. Basically other classes must simply be alive to keep grinding/fighting. We MUST have mana to keep going. You need to learn your most efficient ways to kill.

No matter your spec - this means opening combat at Max range. That way you use your average mana spells most often. (aka - instant spells tend to burn a lot of mana)

Generally speaking - both frost and fire are good on mana. Arcane is a bit tough. Frost is better than Fire, but both frost and fire are OK for leveling to the 50s.

I am a 70 mage - frost - As you advance - Frost is more durable. Fire has so much damage - that - if you open combat from max range - most mobs shouldn't touch you.

Honestly though - unless this is your first toon - at lvl 10 - you must play more to learn. It's simply too complicated to explain. Play more and you'll learn...

What I alway hated while leveling my mage was not being able to conjure the best food/water until like 5 levels later. So I found myself buying water to drink while running instances since time was more of a factor. Being level 35 or whatever and not being able to conjure level 35 water sucked. Even then 1 water wouldn't fill my bar.

Its just something your gonna have to live with. Though at lower levels a little spirit goes along way as your mana pool isnt that big so your MP5 while not casting should be noticeable in between mobs.