Home / Classes / Mage
Class guide · Beginner

Mage

Master of frost, fire, and arcane magic. Freeze enemies in place and blast them from a distance. You also make your own food and water, and teleport to cities.

Pre-launch · beta info Checked Oct 26, 2026 against Wowhead's Forever database and Icy Veins (updated Oct 16)

The 30-second version

  1. Start fights from as far away as you can with Frostbolt. It also slows the enemy.
  2. When an enemy reaches you, Frost Nova and step back. It freezes them in place.
  3. Get a wand early. It shoots for free and saves your mana.
  4. You're fragile. Fight one enemy at a time, and use Polymorph if a second one joins.
At a glance

Is Mage right for you?

Beginner-friendly3 / 5
Simple early on. Later you'll react to spells that light up.
Playing solo3 / 5
Huge damage, but fragile, and you'll drink water often.
Wanted in groups4 / 5
Great damage against groups, plus free food, water, and portals.
RolesDamage only
Damage
Your job in groups is DPS. This guide levels you as Frost.
The one Mage idea to learn

Keep your distance

Mages wear cloth and can't take many hits. Frost magic slows and freezes enemies, so they spend the fight walking toward you instead of hitting you. This is called kiting.

1. Frostbolt from far awayIt slows the enemy as it walks over.
→
2. Keep castingFire Blast (instant) when it's close.
→
3. Frost NovaFreezes everything around you in place.
→
4. Step back and repeatFrom 20, Ice Lance frozen enemies for huge damage.
Any damage breaks a freeze

Frozen enemies break free when they take damage, including from your own spells. That's fine: by then you've usually gained the distance you need. Ice Lance still gets its full bonus as long as you cast it before the freeze breaks.

Your action bar

Where every button goes

Each key has the same job for every class, so you always know where to look. The level shows when you get each ability; nothing ever moves once it's placed. (Not sure how to set up your keys? Start Here covers it.)

Keep these on a second bar

Things you use between fights, not during:

Your core loop

How to fight one enemy

Repeat this for every mob.

Frost Armor on? Mana high?If not, drink water first
Frostbolt from max rangeKeep casting while it walks to you
Did it reach you?
YES
Frost Nova , then step backFrom 20: Ice Lance while it's frozen
NO
Keep casting FrostboltIt slows them each time
Enemy almost dead?Fire Blast or your wand . Don't waste a full Frostbolt.
Enemy defeatedLow mana? Drink your conjured water.

↺ A second enemy joins? Polymorph it and finish the first one.

Mage's biggest challenge

Running out of mana

Every Mage spell costs mana, and you'll run low a lot, especially early. That's normal. Mages have the best tools in the game for it.

The 5-second rule

Your mana stops refilling every time you cast a spell, and starts again 5 seconds later. Finishing enemies with your wand lets that timer start sooner.

  1. Conjure your own waterFrom level 4. Free drinks forever. Make a stack when you log in.
  2. Get a wandA Lesser Magic Wand (level 5) is cheap from other players. It shoots for free.
  3. Don't overkillFinish nearly dead enemies with Fire Blast or your wand.
  4. Evocation from level 20Channel for 8 seconds to refill most of your mana. Long cooldown.
Leveling milestones

What changes as you level

Remember to visit your trainer every 2 levels to learn new spells.

Lv 4–8

Frostbolt, Conjure Water, Fire Blast, and Polymorph.

Lv 10

Frost Nova and your first talent point.

Lv 20

Big level: Ice Lance, Blink, Evocation, Blizzard, and teleports to your capital city.

Lv 26

Cone of Cold.

Lv 30

Ice Block (talent): your escape button.

Lv 40

Your first mount and Dual Specialization.

Lv 60

Max level. Dungeons and raids.

Talents · from level 10

Which spec should you pick?

Mages have three talent trees. For leveling, go Frost: freezing enemies keeps you safe.

Recommended for leveling

Frost

Slow, freeze, and shatter enemies. The safest way to level.

  • Best for: leveling solo
  • Ice Lance and Fingers of Frost are new in Forever
Later

Fire

Big, burning damage. Less control, more explosions.

  • Best for: damage in groups
Later

Arcane

Raw magic power and mana tricks.

  • Best for: players who like managing resources
Talents as you level

Where to put each point

You get 1 talent point every level from 10 to 60. Slide to your level to see where your next point goes. Points marked ★ give you a new button.

How do I spend a talent point?

Press N to open your talents. Click a talent to put a point in it. Trees unlock row by row: you need 5 points in a tree to open the next row. Made a mistake? Your class trainer can reset your talents for a small fee.

Build: 41 Frost / 7 Arcane / 3 Fire, from Icy Veins (updated Oct 16, 2026). Pre-launch; may change.

Gear

What to upgrade

When you get a new item, check it for these stats, in this order. Higher on the list matters more.

What armor can I wear?

Mages wear cloth. Tailoring is a natural profession for you: it uses the cloth enemies drop, so you don't need a gathering profession to feed it.

  1. Spell DamageMakes every spell hit harder, and your wand too.
  2. IntellectA bigger mana pool, so you can fight longer before drinking.
  3. SpiritYour mana refills faster between casts.
  4. StaminaMore health. You'll want some, since you're fragile.
Learn from others

Top 5 beginner mistakes

Standing still when enemies reach you

Mages lose melee fights.

Frost Nova and step back. Make distance, then cast.

Never buying a wand

You burn through mana much faster.

Get a Lesser Magic Wand around level 5.

Buying water

You can make it yourself for free.

Conjure Water from level 4. Remember to train new ranks.

Pulling two enemies and panicking

Two enemies hitting you is usually deadly.

Polymorph the second one, kill the first, then deal with the sheep.

Fighting in caves

No room to back up, and enemies keep coming.

Pull slowly and carefully, one enemy at a time.

Want more detail?

Go deeper

Ready for advanced builds and min-maxing? These sites go into much more depth.

Icy Veins ↗ Method ↗ Wowhead ↗ Mobalytics ↗