Spec after 3.02Follow

I haven't seen one of these threads here yet, but I was just wondering what everyone is planning on speccing once the patch goes live?

I am sure I will go with another full frost build, but I might try out arcane with some of the changes.

We have had some pretty significant changes since then.

Here is my current plan (barring mana issues that is):



http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?mage=00550020123033310531203003502230030010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

0/50/11

Hopefully the mana issues will be resolved now since they are reducing the cost of each spell.

Since I am a frost junky I think I might try thisor something like it.

Imp Scorch and Winter's Chill don't stack. But FFB will be an excellent main nuke. Only reasons I'm not speccing elementalist(thinking some kind of 0/51/20 build) is because FFB isn't available til 75 and I expect to need the mana help of Arcane Concentration(Frost Channeling will do the same thing, but can't get it and burnout at the same time til 80).

if you want aoe talent, should pick up world in flames. Why get frost channeling? What do you plan on using (FFB)? then again at 70 it won't be helpful.

I need a bit of clarification here regarding Living Bomb.

I think the talent is a really cool addition, specifically as it's a kind of skill we've been lacking (on demand DoT) the dot from fireball and Pyro (and ofc ignite) aside.

I just have a problem in thinking about the correct scenario for it's utilisation. Now before you all throw your hands up in the air and shout "noooob", let me explain. I'm thinking specifically in terms of soloing... I understand that LB can be worked into a DPS rotation in an instance (raid or otherwise).. and could probably even have utility in PvP (I don't do that, so I'm speaking very loosely there).

The thing is, while I intend to experience more end-game content this time around (something I didn't / couldn't do at 70), I still need to get to 80, and I would rather not waste any more points in something I don't need.

At this stage, I'm seeing this kind of spell "rotation" when fighting ordinary mobs while questing/grinding/soloing: Open with Pyro (or fireball if I would rather not wait the double time - depends on state of mind which can change at any time ;> ), follow up with a fireball. If either crit, it's usually dead mob, if not (doesn't happen too often), then a fireblast is enough to finish the job. I"m struggling to see when to fit in an LB here. Even in a rare scenario where the spells don't do enough damage to drop the mob, a dragon's breath or blast wave will finish it. WHat's the diffs here - well, DB or BW is instant high damage. LB is DoT.

So I was thinking, fit LB in early on, the problem is, putting LB in the place of the first follow up fireball (the only logical place I can see for it), will mean waiting for the whole spell to take effect, which is really quite a gimp situation, as the fight would be over so much faster if I would just nuke with a Fireball.

Ultimately, what I'm asking is - is LB really worth it for levelling, aside from the situation when you'd use it if you ran an instance .. does it really have any use in solo play. Will it be situational like DB is (I only find myself using that on the odd occasion), or is it a waste of a point.

The problem with LB is that it takes 12 seconds to go off and it does not go off if the target is killed (unlike seed of corruption)

The dot component is very very expensive (19% base mana I believe) especially if it does not end up going off.

That is why LB sucks: you can't cast it on multiple targets, it is very expensive, the dot doesn't tick for that much, and when/if it crits it does about half the damage of a normal fireball (my fireballs hit for around 2.2k, it crits for 1.3-1.5k). It's coefficient is pretty bad.

Yes. I like Gnome Feetbig crits.

frost channeling is used for frost spells. Are you planning on using fire or frost spells?

I dunno. At the point that 3.0 hits, raid boss nerfs aside, I'm gonna be stacking cash and getting ready for level grinding. Generally speaking, level grinds require significant single-target damage and, hopefully, endurance. So I'm aiming for a 11/50/0 spec to max out my fireball and get Clearcasting.

Good question for the theorycrafters, though; would I be better served taking two points from Burnout and putting them into Spell Impact? The maths elude me.

This is going to hurt my brain, that's all I know. :)

Seriously, it's going to be interesting to watch what happens, since it looks like there aren't going to be many cookie cutter type specs, and I think most of the people in the game really have no idea what's coming. I'm my guild's news girl, basically, since I'm the only one who even reads about the changes coming (not that I understand anywhere near all of them).

Anyway, I have no earthly idea what I'm going to do with my specs. I would like to stick to frost, so maybe I'll end up with just a slight modification of my specs now, and then add to it as I level, with, of course, the occasional respec as I read something that makes me go OOh shiny!@ :)

But, really, all the changes are quite overwhelming to me, so I may spend the first weeks leveling professions and farming/searching for recipes, and doing the rest of the OL quests. That's a more comfy place for my brain than trying to understand new specs, since I just barely have a grasp of the old ones.

saw this on EJ today:

http://elitistjerks.com/f31/t30655-mage_wotlk_talent_discussion_part_two/p122/#post930232

frost is great for leveling in beta, I won't be picking up deep freeze now that it is useless though (no damage componenet).