Abnormal Frost Mage

[Crosse]

Hey guys,

Seems to be a lack of high end mage discussion so I figured I'd throw out a little debate I'm having to everyone.

Basically the 33/18 frost mage has a standard build which you can see in Alcaras's sticky above. However, I wanted to hear what everyone thinks of this build I've been pondering. Made a few comments near the changes. This includes the essentially requisite 18 points in arcane.

Improved Frostbolt
Rank 5/5
Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt spell by 0.5 sec.

Ice Shards
Rank 5/5
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 100%.
Improved Frost Nova

Rank 2/2
Reduces the cooldown of your Frost Nova spell by 4 sec.

Cold Snap
Rank 1/1
Instant 10 min cooldown
When activated, this spell finishes the cooldown on all of your Frost spells.

Improved Blizzard
Rank 3/3
Adds a chill effect to your Blizzard spell. This effect lowers the target's movement speed to 25% of normal. Lasts 9 sec.

Arctic Reach
Rank 2/2
Increases the range of your Frostbolt spell and the radius of your Frost Nova and Cone of Cold spells by 20%.

Frost Channeling
Rank 2/3
Reduces the mana cost of your frost spells by 10%.

Removed a point here to better improve CoC. Debating the significant of an extra 5% reduction.

Shatter
Rank 5/5
Increases the critical strike chance of your Frost spells against frozen targets by 50%.

Ice Block
Rank 1/1
13 Mana
Instant cast 5 min cooldown
You become encased in a block of ice, protecting you from all physical attacks and spells for 10 sec, but during that time you cannot attack, move or cast spells.

Improved Cone of Cold
Rank 2/3
Increases the damage dealt by your Cone of Cold spell by 25%.

Here is where I put my extra 2 points I saved. Nova + a quick cone of cold I feel would be invaluable against multiples and with shatter would crit for very large damage. I find that in fights I'm targetted a lot (ok, pretty much always) and if i could dish out around 1k damage (assuming crits) against people chasing me I could give them a shock (and doubled with a cold snap and a fireblast around 2.5k damage) and even take them down if not force them to heal. Debating whether I want 1, 2 or even 3 pts in this skill however, as it seems a shame to sacrifice Frostbite and mana reduction.

Frostbite
Rank 4/5
Gives your Chill effects a 12% chance to freeze the target for 5 sec.

Banking that 3% extra wouldn't be a significant blow to Frostbite.

Ice Barrier
Rank 1/1
259 Mana
Instant cast 2 min cooldown
Instantly shields you, absorbing 455 damage. Lasts 1 min. While the shield holds, spells will not be interrupted.

Thoughts?

[Jumai]

I would be sorely temped, based purely on reading the frost tree, to cut 1 from blizzard and 2 from arctic reach, which can then fill out frostbite and frost channeling (both of which I feel are must-max) and CoC.

We don't seem to have range problems when we pvp, arctic reach is nice on paper but I don't think I've ever seen you stand at max range.

[Crosse]

Cutting down the last point of blizzard is a difference of 50% reduced movement to 25% reduced movement. That means that someone will get out of blizzard in half the time if I were to drop that.

In regards to artic reach, I cannot count the number of times someone has been at 31 yards when my frostbolt finished casting and it fails.

How high was your mage for you to feel so strongly about frost spec?

[Jumai]

I haven't played today's mage. That's why I said purely based on reading the talents.

The roots proc, especially on blizzard and ice armour, seems to be the dealbreaker when comparing frost to an arcane heavy build, and mana efficiency is another big deal. That's why I think they are important. Likewise, blizzard slowing someone is important but that slow freezing them is better, so focusing on blizzard snaring rather than blizzard rooting seems backwards to me. With 15% and hitting 4 people, you should root one, that dictates positioning in pvp unless the other group decides to let a member die.

[Crosse]

You'd take a 3% extra chance to freeze over 100% more chances to for a freeze to land. Since they'd be in blizzard twice as long due to the slow, their chance to freeze would be 24% (well twice as many chances for 12%, but lets not get into probability), compared to your 15%.

I was hoping for input from other high level frost mages and why they went with they spec they did. Anyone?

[hermit]

:oops:

[XxEnderxX]

Here is mine, I have respecced out of fire and then out of arcane. My thought was if you are going ice, go ice. Drill down to the end talents asap to take advantage of the synergy. I find that my dps is slightly lower than arcane, but I am more mana efficient at 35 then in arcane last level. I also have had more success in pvp, so many escape methods.
The reason why i did what i did in arcane, missiles do not get the 15% mana reductino so no reason to use them, they become relativly expensive to a frost mage as they cost 15% more than comparable damage spells. The resist reduction is so poly lands ^^ Clearcast is ok, but evocation will be needed endgame.

Ill go arcane my last 11 lvls as they aren't as important. Blizz with the extra 1 sec bonus should be ok for aoe destruction, i have a priest friend so i don't need the insta-AE as much. Extra 5 points can surely help out in frost, more damage (6% adds up especially cuz it is added before the crit bonus), extra 1 sec slow (1 point for 1 sec is best bang for buck), better coc (great for insta huge damage off a crit), and that 15% cost reduction. If you are using only frost spells that 15% is huge.

One final comment. +frost gear can make a difference in this build. Blizz just revealed that the full frost damage is added pre talent. You get full frost damage on the frostbolt because it is normally 3 sec cast but reduced to 2.5. Also the damage added is done before crits are calculated. That means on a frequent crit situation (which frost is if played right) you have to add 100%crit bonus too that frost damage bonus. See the synergy?

-Ender

Arcane Talents (11 points)


Arcane Focus - 5/5 points
Reduces the chance that the opponent can resist your arcane spells by 10%.


Arcane Concentration - 5/5 points
Gives you a 10% chance of entering a Clearcasting state after any damage spell hits a target. The Clearcasting state reduces the mana cost of your next damage spell by 100%.


Evocation - 1/1 point
While channeling this spell, your mana regeneration is active and increased by 1500%. Lasts 8 seconds.



Frost Talents (40 points)


Improved Frostbolt - 5/5 points
Reduces the casting time of your Frostbolt spell by 0.5 seconds.


Permafrost - 1/5 point
Increases the duration of your chill effects by 1 second.


Ice Shards - 5/5 points
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Frost spells by 100%.


Improved Frost Nova - 2/2 points
Reduces the cooldown of your Frost Nova spell by ?.


Improved Blizzard - 3/3 points
Adds a chill effect to your Blizzard spell. This effect lowers the target's movement speed to ? of normal. Lasts 8.50 seconds.


Cold Snap - 1/1 point
When activated, this spell finishes the cooldown on all of your cold spells.


Piercing Ice - 3/3 points
Increases the damage done by your frost spells by 6%.


Arctic Reach - 2/2 points
Increases the range of your Frostbolt spell and the radius of your Frost Nova and Cone of Cold spells by 20%.


Frost Channeling - 3/3 points
Reduces the mana cost of your frost spells by 15%.


Shatter - 5/5 points
Increases the critical strike chance of your frost spells against frozen targets by 50%.


Ice Block - 1/1 point
You become encased in a block of ice, protecting you from all physical attacks and spells for 10 seconds, but during that time you cannot attack, move, or cast spells.


Improved Cone of Cold - 3/3 points
Increases the damage dealt by your Cone of Cold spell by 35%.


Frostbite - 5/5 points
Gives your chill effects a 15% chance to freeze the target for 5 seconds.


Ice Barrier - 1/1 point
Instantly shields you, absorbing 455 damage. Lasts 1 minute. While the shield holds, spells will not be interrupted.

[Ralrra]

I've grouped with a "pure" frost mage on many occasions (46 frost/5 arcane) and she's insane. The damage she can dish out with CoC after a frost nova is just amazing, not to mention her frost bolts and excellent mana efficiency. Plus she can get off 3 blizzards before mobs even reach her most times, that adds up to a LOT of damage.