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Arcane Mage

Damage specialisation · Tier B in Mythic+, 3.9% of the sample

PvE GuideRaid logs, Mythic+ players and PvE buildsACTIVEPvP GuideRated ladder talents, gear stats and builds

Opener

The order abilities first landed across 4 top-parsing pulls, with the median time into the fight. The percentage is how many of those parses used the ability at all — a step at 100% is the opener, one at 60% is a choice some players make.

  1. 1Arcane Orb+0.9s50%
  2. 2Arcane Surge+1.1s100%
  3. 3Arcane Blast+1.2s75%
  4. 4
Light's Potential
+1.4s
75%
  • 5Arcane Missiles+2.8s100%
  • 6Arcane Barrage+3.7s100%
  • 7Touch of the Magi+3.9s100%
  • What follows what

    What was pressed next, counted over every observed pair. This is the closest a log gets to a priority list — but it describes behaviour, not a rule: a player casting Execute because it lit up looks the same here as one following a plan.

    • Arcane Missiles66 casts→Arcane Barrage40%Arcane Missiles25%Prismatic Bolt25%
    • Arcane Barrage63 casts→Arcane Missiles48%Arcane Barrage23%Touch of the Magi10%
    • Arcane Blast43 casts→Arcane Blast71%Arcane Barrage12%Arcane Orb7%
    • Prismatic Bolt34 casts→Prismatic Bolt50%Arcane Barrage41%Arcane Missiles6%
    • Arcane Orb8 casts→Arcane Blast29%Arcane Missiles29%Light's Potential14%
    • Touch of the Magi8 casts→Arcane Missiles88%

    Ability usage

    Casts per minute across 20 top-parsing kills in The Venomous Abyss. Per minute rather than totals, so a long fight does not read as a heavily used ability.

    Single target

    5 fights where almost all damage went to the boss

    1. 1Arcane Missiles16.5per min
    2. 2Arcane Barrage13.9per min
    3. 3Prismatic Bolt6.0per min
    4. 4Arcane Blast3.4per min
    5. 5Shimmer0.9per min
    6. 6Touch of the Magi0.5per min

    Multi-target

    10 fights with substantial add damage

    1. 1Arcane Missiles15.8per min
    2. 2Arcane Barrage13.8per min
    3. 3Arcane Blast5.3per min
    4. 4Prismatic Bolt

    Fights are sorted by how much damage landed on boss units rather than by a hand-kept list of which encounter is the AoE one, so the split stays right after a retune. Fights in between are left out of both columns.

    Updated 01/09/2026. These are observed casts, not a recommended priority — the order reflects how often an ability came up, which is not the same as when to press it.

    Secondary stats

    Secondary stat split across the 100 best-geared synced characters. Averaged per player, so one heavily geared character cannot define the answer for everyone.

    • Haste37.5%970 avg
    • Critical Strike27.0%699 avg
    • Mastery19.9%515 avg
    • Versatility15.6%402 avg

    Arcane Mage PvE enchantments

    • Enchanted: Enchant Chest - Mark of the Worldsoul84%
    • Enchanted: Enchant Ring - Eyes of the Eagle83%
    • Enchanted: Enchant Weapon - Acuity of the Ren'dorei72%
    • Thalassian Phoenix Oil69%
    • Enchanted: +41 Intellect & +115 Stamina55%
    • Enchanted: Enchant Helm - Empowered Rune of Avoidance49%
    • Enchanted: Enchant Boots - Lynx's Dexterity49%
    • Enchanted: Enchant Shoulders - Amirdrassil's Grace47%

    Arcane Mage PvE gems & sockets

    • Indecipherable Eversong Diamond · +32 Primary Stat59%
    • Flawless Quick Lapis · +16 Versatility & +7 Haste33%
    • Powerful Eversong Diamond · +23 Primary Stat and +0.15% critical strike effectiveness per unique Midnight gem color23%

    What PvE players are playing

    Talent choices across 407 synced characters playing this specialisation. These are observed picks, not recommendations — they say what the ladder is doing, not what you should do.

    Where builds differ

    Taken by between 15% and 90% of players. This is where the real decisions are.

    • Ashes of Inspiration89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Burden of Power89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Codex of the Sunstriders89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Explosive Potential89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Glorious Incandescence89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Invocation: Arcane Phoenix89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Mana Cascade89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Memory of Al'ar89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Merely a Setback89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Pyrocosm89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Rondurmancy89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Savor the Moment89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Spellfire Salvo89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Spellfire Spheres89%

      355 players · Hero

    • Winter's Protection86%

      344 players · Class

    • Orb Barrage85%

      339 players · Specialization

    • Improved Conjuration81%

      323 players · Class

    • Consortium's Bauble70%

      281 players · Specialization

    • Remove Curse66%

      265 players · Class

    • Master of Escape64%

      257 players · Class

    • Permafrost Bauble60%

      241 players · Class

    • Improved Warding54%

      214 players · Class

    • Mass Invisibility52%

      206 players · Class

    • Improved Counterspell51%

      203 players · Class

    • Mass Polymorph50%

      200 players · Class

    • Ice Cold48%

      193 players · Class

    • Freezing Cold48%

      191 players · Class

    • Time Manipulation46%

      183 players · Class

    • Arcane Familiar35%

      141 players · Specialization

    • Captured Thoughts24%

      95 players · Class

    • Mana Confluence21%

      82 players · Class

    • Ice Ward20%

      79 players · Class

    Near-universal picks (50)taken by 90%+ — effectively baseline
    • Alter Time100%

      400 players · Class

    • Arcane Warding100%

      400 players · Class

    • Charm of Aegwynn100%

      400 players · Class

    Rarely taken (109)under 15% — situational or out of favour
    • Orb Mastery14%

      58 players · Specialization

    • Frost Conditioning14%

      57 players · Class

    • Energized Familiar13%

      51 players · Specialization

    Import a real build

    Loadouts from the highest-rated synced players of this specialisation. Paste straight into the game.

    • Elymage

      hyjal · EU3,774

    • Azunazx

      hyjal · US3,747

    • Datpoly

      thrall · US3,692

    • Manabananaz

      malganis · US3,667

    • Horothewise

      illidan · US3,650

    Learn the spec

    This page measures what players do. For rotation, stat priority and matchup play, these are the references.

    • WowheadpveRotation, stat priority, gear and consumables. The most complete free PvE reference.
    • Icy VeinspveRotation walkthroughs and talent reasoning, written for players learning a spec.
    • Raider.IOpveMythic+ routes, affix planning and dungeon-by-dungeon breakdowns.

    Other Mage specs

    • Fire
    • Frost
    5.2per min
  • 5Touch of the Magi0.8per min
  • 6Prismatic Barrier0.4per min
  • 7Shimmer0.3per min
  • Flawless Quick Garnet · +16 Critical Strike & +7 Haste
    21%
  • Flawless Versatile Peridot · +16 Haste & +7 Versatility19%
  • Flawless Quick Amethyst · +16 Mastery & +7 Haste18%
  • Flawless Deadly Peridot · +16 Haste & +7 Critical Strike17%
  • Flawless Masterful Garnet · +16 Critical Strike & +7 Mastery13%
  • Charm of Medivh100%

    400 players · Class

  • Ice Block100%

    400 players · Class

  • Improved Blink100%

    400 players · Class

  • Inspired Intellect100%

    400 players · Class

  • Reflection100%

    400 players · Class

  • Tome of Antonidas100%

    400 players · Class

  • Greater Invisibility100%

    399 players · Class

  • Temporal Realignment100%

    399 players · Class

  • Flow of Time99%

    397 players · Class

  • Quick Witted99%

    397 players · Class

  • Tome of Rhonin99%

    397 players · Class

  • Energized Barriers99%

    395 players · Class

  • Arcane Missiles99%

    394 players · Specialization

  • Archmage's Wrath11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Attuned Familiar11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Augury Abounds11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Controlled Instincts11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Force of Will11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Infused Splinters11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Look Again11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Phantasmal Image11%

    44 players · Hero

  • Polished Focus11%

    44 players · Hero