Mage in WoW Forever

Confirmed race choices

These are the new combinations named in the sources below, not a complete list of every Mage race.

Selected beta changes and issue history #

The cards retain their source dates. Read the current official summary below before using older class notes. Numeric client build and independent gameplay retests remain unavailable.

• November 6 hotfixes: Mages were learning a Research spell that vanished on relog. It shouldn't exist: you get only Study after the relevant quest. Arcane Blast's duration now lasts its intended 18 seconds.
• November 2 development notes: Various talents lost their penalty for casting low-rank spells. The penalty stays on Blizzard: ranks learned more than 12 levels below you have a reduced chance to trigger Arcane Concentration, Frostbite and Fingers of Frost.
• November 2 development notes: Roots that come from procs now follow diminishing returns: Frostbite, Entrapment, Improved Wing Clip, Counterattack and Improved Hamstring.
• October 15 beta update: Auto Shot and wands now need you to stand still for 0.5 seconds before firing, as in early World of Warcraft. Auto Shot still fires while you cast Aimed Shot or Sniper Shot.
• October 15 beta update: Frost Blast arrives at level 24: a 1.5-second slowing frost spell that uses Frostbolt talents. Arcane Blast is redesigned and Arcane Wrath is a new 16-point talent. Fire Power is redesigned, Critical Mass goes to 5 points and Ice Lance against frozen targets drops to +200%. The notes describe Winter's Chill twice, differently, so trust the in-game tooltip.
• October 8 beta update: October 8 adjusts low-rank Frostbolt, Fireball and Arcane Missiles scaling so each new rank is an upgrade. Impact no longer procs from Flamestrike’s periodic damage. This is a rank-scaling correction; the notes do not independently resolve the older Arcane Missiles damage-on-hit report.
• September 24 known issues: Missiles’ line-of-sight behavior changes; the damage-on-hit issue remains listed.
• October 1 beta update: October 1 renames Hot Streak to Heating Up and returns Combustion to three charges. Use the October 7 Mage article for its current announced design.

Filter the full patch briefing →

Check later notices and pending fixes →

Current official class design and beta changes #

October 7 officially describes Arcane Blast stacks empowering other spells and Missile Barrage accelerating a free Arcane Missiles channel. Fire uses Heating Up, the name replacing Hot Streak on October 1; qualifying non-periodic crits reduce the next Pyroblast cast by 25% per stack, up to three stacks.

Frost includes Ice Lance and Fingers of Frost. Frostfire Bolt is announced at level 40, beyond the current level-30 cap. No optimal hybrid allocation or rotation has been tested.

Orc Mage gives Horde another announced choice #

The Deep Dive names Orc Mage among six new combinations. If your group chooses Horde, this is an official Mage option to compare with its other character plans. It does not change the Skyborne Mage restriction.

Skyborne Mage requires an Alliance plan #

The Skyborne’s faction choice changes its class options. Blizzard explicitly lists Mage for Alliance and Shaman for Horde, alongside four classes shared by both factions.

If your group chooses Horde and you want to be Skyborne, Mage is not on the announced list. Decide which matters more to you: that race/class combination or joining the Horde group. This profile records only sourced combinations and does not reconstruct the remaining Mage race list from Classic.

Your announced starting area #

High Order Skyborne begins with the race’s Zephras Isle experience, announced for levels 1–12. Arrange a shared faction before reserving names or planning a first evening with friends.

A Skyborne unlock is included with the Heroic Pack, Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection. Beta access is a separate edition benefit: Heroic alone does not include it.

Official Arcane, Fire and Frost descriptions #

Blizzard’s October 7 Mage article now describes Arcane Blast/Missile Barrage, Heating Up and Ice Lance/Fingers of Frost directly. Heating Up replaces the older Hot Streak name. The earlier third-party calculator is a historical lead without numeric build provenance; its tree is not a verified current allocation.

Plan crowd control alongside damage #

Blizzard explicitly retains Polymorph as part of tactical dungeon play. Agree on a control target before a pull and coordinate area damage so the group can keep that enemy out of the fight. This is group preparation, not a tested encounter assignment.

For an Undead Mage, the Deep Dive announces that Cannibalize restores mana as well as health and that Will of the Forsaken removes Charm, Fear and Sleep without its former immunity. These racial changes need to be considered separately from a talent preview.

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