I'm still not sure that I'm going to be doing an eleven-part series (having only played Shadow for Priests, I don't really feel like I can talk intelligently about the general issues of the class) but I thought I'd talk a bit about Mages.
I'm a big fan of Mages. I've never really played one as a main, and I've never really focused on one all that much, but I love the Mage aesthetic, I like their fast-paced, reactive gameplay, and I just overall think they're a cool class.
So what's going on with Mages these days? What might we hope to improve in the coming expansion?
The "Evocation" Talent Tier:
This is probably going to be at the top of everyone's list for what they want to see change. The tier 90 talents all pretty much conspired to make Mages less fun than they had been. Invocation requires you to use your Evocation ability every minute, and meanwhile nerfs your mana regeneration (making it unthinkable for Arcane.) Rune of Power also forces you to use it at least once a minute, but probably far more, as you have to stay close to the rune or you'll lose the benefit. Incanter's Ward could theoretically be the "opt-out" option, but the general consensus is that the Ward is really only competitive if you're able to benefit from the active bonus on cool down (which means the passive might as well not be there.)
While I usually try to avoid baby and bathwater situations, I think that this tier has basically got to go. Total redesign. Granted, perhaps Incanter's Ward could survive in some altered form, but I don't think anyone's excited about the idea of having to place Runes on the ground or having to Evocate every minute.
Mage Bombs:
Before Mists, Arcane and Frost were two of the last DoT-less specs. Today, I don't think there's a single spec (tank or DPS) that does not put some kind of damage-over-time effect on their enemies (actually, Prot Paladins might count, if you don't consider Consecrate to be one.) Fire was always the "DoT" Mage spec.
Is this a terrible thing? Perhaps not, but I think it would be nice to distinguish Mages from their Fel counterparts by making it clear that they are the direct-damage class, and Warlocks are the DoT class.
Admittedly, Frost Bomb is almost not a DoT. It only ticks once, so perhaps this is the "opt-out" choice.
The consequence of a Mage Bomb is actually not so much the DoT itself, but the effect that it has on AoE. Nowadays, the preferred method of AoE for Warlocks, Shadow Priests, and Balance Druids is multi-dotting. You switch from target to target, refreshing your damage effects so that they can tick away. It's probably ok for a few specs to do that, but Mages really seem like they should be exempt. The good news is that a recent blue post mentioned that they don't want Mages multi-dotting in Warlords, so I'm curious to see their solution.
Area of Effect per Spec:
It seems odd to me that each spec has access to three different true AoE spells that don't really overlap much. It seems to me that limiting Arcane Explosion, Blizzard, and Flamestrike to their obvious specs would be a nice step toward toolkit consolidation (and has the added appeal of not truly getting rid of any spells that people might be attached to.)
But in the absence of Multi-dotting, there's an obligation to make these spells a bit more interesting.
Here are some ideas:
Blizzard already seems like it should work pretty well with Frost. The slowing effect of the spell can trigger Fingers of Frost, and with the Glyph of Splitting Ice, you can get some decent cleave action with it. I'd like to see this synergy played up, perhaps using some kind of effect that Blizzard creates that will cause the Ice Lance to shatter and cause AoE damage.
Arcane Explosion has some interaction with Arcane Charges, so perhaps just having you spam it a bit and then let loose a big, cleaving Arcane Barrage would be a good enough system. My one qualm with Arcane Explosion has always been that you have to get in melee range for it. If I could change the spell, I'd make it targeted (perhaps one you could target friends or foes with, like Mind Sear - actually, same for Hellfire.)
Flamestrike has always been the most awkward of these spells, but the fact that you cast it and then do other stuff could position it in such a way that you'd lay down a Flamestrike and then spread out DoTs with an Inferno Blast.
Alter Time:
Alter Time is an ability that many find incredibly frustrating. Personally, I love it (half of why is that anything time-travel themed makes me feel like I'm six again, the other half being that it's pretty obvious how to use it for Frost - hit Icy Veins and Frozen Orb, and once you get a Brain Freeze and two Fingers of Frost, let'er rip.)
I hope that it is mostly preserved, and given that Temporal Shield already provides much of the Defensive benefit, perhaps it could be used more to preserve beneficial procs, making it a more obviously offensive cool down.
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