Respecing Frost...not AoE grindingFollow

So i'm considering respeccing to frost from a level 43 pure fire build, but I have a question. What is the benefit of a Frost build that DOES NOT have to do with AoE grinding.
I understand it survives longer, but what else...oh and what would be a good build for a PvE frost/ instance player, dont need a whole build just some pointers....what to def pick up, what to avoid. Oh and do i use fireball still when im frost, or just frost bolt?

Thanks for the help.

forktie is being a rookie so don't mind him.

That is about the same level I respeced to frost as well. You can a massive amount of damage around that level with a shatter build (Ice Shards, Imp Frost Nova, Shatter, whatever that talent it is that increases your crit damage).

In an instance, your side job is to counterspell and sheep, it shouldn't be top priority. You are a friggin' mage, you should be able to pump out damage out the **** and know how to control it. In my travels, I have found it easier to control frost damage output than fire, which can be the difference between winning and pulling all the mobs on yourself and wondering why the tank couldn't hold agro.

Here is a decent template for a 43 frost mage that is not AoE grinding

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/mage/talents.html?0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000505323311035010011000

1 point in Imp blizzard is to have the potential to freeze down mobs in large groups if you are in an instance (Crowd Control)

Permafrost makes your frostbolts even better by slowing down your target even more.

See if you like that build, playing this game is very much a personal style preference.

For a non-AOE build, the only great option to you is a shatter build. This is going to get tougher, unless the Diminishing Returns for Frost Nova is only for PVP, otherwise, in PvE this build will get less and less useful.

I think forktie hit it on the head... frost is all about survivability, control or AOE grinding. You don't have to do the AOE part if you don't want to, so in a shatter build, you want the most possible points into talents that freeze stuff to the ground. There are a few other ways you could put this together, but this build would be my preference.

Edited, May 8th 2007 9:02am by ktangent

Forst spec got a

• BIG

nerf since Frost nova broke on any spell crit and i was talking about any crit not only yours.

Being frost in a group its a real pita. frost nova gonna broke before you can do something half of the time. but at 66 i'm still #1 or #2 in damage meter but a saw a diminution in my dmg/min.

a good spec for 43 i think could be this

Edited, May 8th 2007 2:05pm by fenwickquallim

Yes, they are only subject to diminishing returns in PvP.

"Frostbite effect is now subject to diminishing returns in PvP."
Quoted from: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html



That is being changed in the next patch:

"Chance to break crowd control from damage: The increased chance for a spell to break from taking a critical strike has been removed. Instead, all targets over level 60 have a slightly larger chance to break out of crowd-controlling effects when they take damage"

Also quoted from http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html

It's still a nerf, but at least you won't encounter it until levels 60+



That is a common misconception that a lot of mages have. It may be true that you do not need to sit and drink as often compared to using a fire spec when grinding, but that does not equate to less downtime. It takes a frost spec longer (more spells cast) to kill a single target than a fire spec. It will seem that you have more downtime because you need to sit and drink more often, but it is balanced by the fact that you are actually taking less time to kill each mob. It is a trade off, but a frost spec in itself, is not automatically more mana efficient than a fire spec. In fact, for single target dps, it is usually the other way around.

AoE is doing damage, isn't it? Did I not get the memo?

I think you are referring to what I was talking about in instances. Playing in an instance and playing solo calls for different things. A mage that doesn't sheep, counterspell, or AoE when needed (ie: ZF steps)in an instance is like a priest that doesn't heal. Do you want your priest blowing all his mana on smites while your tank's HP gets lower and lower and lower and your group wipes because your priest said "I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO DO DAMAGE? THAT'S THE POINT OF THE GAME! ARE YOU ******** ME?"

Nobody said "a mage's main point is not to do damage". What I said was that in an instance, blowing all your mana on dmg spells so you can be king of the damage meter is reatrded when you should be worried about keeping your tank and teammates alive.

just like a previous post, i can get three frostbolts off in one firebolt, and by that time most are dead...even pvp. but that doesn't happen to often...the pvp part i mean.

I don't know how many times I have frostbolt frostbite frostbolt crit frostbolt...you get the idea and definitely kill faster then a fire mage. I know I crit more then him on trash mobs, and grinding that is a huge plus. so maybe i don't top the damage charts in instances, but i play my role, and I don't pull aggro unless i drostbite shatter, which sometimes happens quite often.

Apparently everyone has a different opinion of how a frost mage would help a group which you should have gathered by now, but as long as you don't play like a goon, you should help your group just fine. Just remember the importance of what you can do that the rest of your group cannot do. Make water and food for everyone, use cs wisely, when sheeping, keep him sheeped, summon water elemental to help kill mobs, ice block and ice barrier are lifesavers, use your wand when your group has it handled, be responsible with your mana use, and always remember to go all out on bosses with everything you've got.

Ah, the slowing aspect. I've never had any problem getting off 2.75ish fireballs before the enemy reaches me since fireball has a longer range.

It doesn't matter. If you're fire spec, you cast fireballs. If you're frost spec, you cast frostbolts. The only time this isn't true is when you are fighting fire/frost immune mobs. The point is that a frost mage wouldn't pull a target using fireball, nor would a fire mage pull a mob with frostbolt (usually). The initial argument was that you could get off 3 frostbolts to a target in the time it took to cast 1 fireball which is untrue. Fireballs have greater range than frost bolts, thus if you are a fire mage, you can get almost 3 fireballs off before they reach you. Being a frost mage, you can get at least 3 frostbolts off before they reach you.

I made some generalizations in this thread, some fire mages take impact and use only scorch and fireblast (they are PvP builds, this is referring to PvE).

No one said you could.

The initial statement was:



That is not true. Fireball casting time = 3.5 seconds untalented. Frost bolt casting time (talented) = 2.5 seconds. 3 x 2.5 = 7.5 seconds. You can cast 2 fireballs in that time span. I think that is the only concern.

No one said you could, if frost specced, cast 3 fireballs at a target and not get hit. See my post above.

Are you factoring in that when hit with frostbolt, their speed is reduced?
Is 7.5 seconds the average time it takes for a mob to reach its target?
I don't understand your logic there. All I know is that as a frost specced mage, I can hit 3 frost bolts and be in the middle of a 4th before i get hit, but fireball, I get 1 off and then get hit towards the end of casting my 2nd. Just speaking from experience, so if that conflicts with your math, I apologize.

But where does the 7.5 come from? I don't know where u got that number.