Summary
World of Warcrafthas many classes that fall into the ‘caster’ category, but none so iconic as the mage. In the game’s lore, mages are talented sorcerers who’ve dedicated years of study to the field of magic, and their capabilities can rival those of gods. These remarkable spellcasters have been synonymous with the franchise for decades, and there are many reasons to play as one.
Mages are purely a damage-dealing class, and since they only have one job, they tend to do it exceptionally well. It’s not an easy class to master, however, and thus proves popular with more experienced players looking for a real challenge. A skilled and clever mage is one of the most formidable forces inWorld of Warcraft, and there’s little mystery as to why.
Mages In WoW Are the Archetypal Glass Canons
Healing is a luxury mages are not familiar with, and as such, even the tiniest sliver of health is precious to them. The damage-mitigatingabilities of a World of Warcraft mageare its one major downside, as they have precious few defensive spells. They mostly rely on incapacitating enemies and teleporting to safety, giving them more time to unleash a barrage of deadly magic.
Despite their notorious squishiness, however,World of Warcraft’s magespack an unbelievable punch. Whether they make use of arcane, frost, or fire spells, a mage who times their abilities right can send even the toughest enemies straight to oblivion. Even more so than the likes of warlocks and evokers, a mage’s pinpoint accuracy with specialized spells is a true sight to behold.
WoW’s Mages Don’t Have to Catch the Train
While warlocks are also known to play with portals, nobody can quite blur the lines of spacetime like a mage. Whenever a city isintroduced toWorld of Warcraft, mages have the unique privilege of learning to teleport there. Unlike hearthstones or a shaman’s Astral Recall, however, city teleports for mages have no cooldown. These spellcasters can hop from one continent to the next with the press of a button, and seldom need to waste time putting in the legwork.
These portals also have a version that allows all party members to use it as well, so many savvy sorcerers qhave learned to market this.InWorld of Warcraft: Classic, where travel is much more difficult, lots of mages would love to send others to far-off places like Theramore or the Undercity. Provided, of course, they cough up the portal fee. In this way, mages can easily make a pretty penny off others, and this on its own can be an enticing incentive to play as one.
Mages Make Marvelous Muffins
If there’s one friend a healer wants to have, it’s a mage. These wizards are pros in the kitchen as well as the arena, as they can conjure up a feast out of thin air. Thoughtful mages will whip up veritable delicacies that don’t just refill a player’s health, but their mana as well. This isespecially useful inWoW: Classic, as food and water are a must-have for pretty much all classes. These tasty refreshments mean that mages are bound to find another player batting eyes at them for more bagels.
Born to Fire, Forced to Frost
Playing with fire might be a saying that connotes disaster, but for some mages, it’s a dream come true. Of thethree mage specializations, fireis perhaps the least common. Given the more useful slowing effect of ice and area damage of arcane spells, fire seldom sees any action. The current rotation relies almost entirely on random spikes of damage, wholly dependent on critical strike chance. This can be frustrating for mages, whose lives often depend on consistent damage output.
Countless mages desire more than anything to live out their fire-bending fantasies, but being apyromaniac inWorld of Warcraftdoesn’t guarantee a spot in raids and dungeons. Many have to settle for frost or arcane specializations, particularly in higher difficulties. It’s a tragic reality, but that doesn’t stop mages from roasting training dummies in their spare time.
