TUU's Guide To Mages

[Örpheus]

DISCLAIMER: I claim half credit to writing this guide. Most of the tips are original. I give the other half to Blizzard, for making the game, etc. etc. You can laugh at this guide, spit on this guide, praise this guide, copy this guide(give me credit), blah, blah. I'm making this for the benefit of players. If you see this guide anywhere, please report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.Disclaimer
II.Table of Contents
III.General Mage Tips
IV.PvP Mage Tips
V.Quirks
VI.Credits

III.General Tips
A.Be sure your armor is up to date. You never know when you might get engaged in melee combat.

B.Don't spend too much cash on weapons. You're much better off just using quest-given weapons. If you're in melee combat, Frost Nova, Blink, Polymorph, etc. your way out of combat.

C.ORGANIZE YOUR SPELLBAR. I can't count how many times I've lost a battle with mobs or players when I couldn't find the right spell. You can organize them in many ways. I organize my spellbar from element, Arcane to Frost to Fire, and organize those sections from weakest to strongest.

D.If you're stuck on a quest, recruit a tank. Usually, elite quests only require a "beefbag"(person who absorbs damage) and a good mage.

E.Carry mana/health potions! If you're stuck in a situation with low health or mana, that extra stock will increase your chances of survival.

F.Keep up to date with your skills. You don't want to be fighting Onyxia with Fireball and Frostbolt, do you?

G.Balancing is a bad idea for mages. Try focusing most of your talents in one element (e.g. ARcane, Frost, Fire), while spending a little on everything else. While balancing is good in some cases, it makes you lack in every element. Specializing can be a great boon.

H. Conserve mana. You'll always want some reserve to create food, water, and some buffs.


IV. PvP Mage Tips
NOTE: Partial credit goes to Blizzard.

A. Vs Warriors: If you can pull off a Frost Nova, you'll get a huge edge. Considering it's an instant cast, that part is pretty easy. You won't take too much damage from a warrior's ranged weapon. Make sure the Warrior doesn't Hamstring you; if he does, blink out of the way. Frost bolt is a good starter against Warriors. They also like to Charge. Frost Nova immedietlly. Warriors can be a piece of cake for Mages, but ABOVE ALL, make sure they never Pummel you while you're casting a spell.

B. Vs Warlocks: Warlocks your toughest battle. Being an Undead, who are immune to fear, Warlocks are easy with the exception of all the debuffs and the demons. My tip would be to polymorph the demon to get it out of the way. The most obvious approach with a warlock would be to Fear you and debuff you while your run away screaming with artificial horror. MY only good tip for now would be to get a tank to take him out while he's attacking you; alone, you may very well die.

C. Vs Shaman: Shamans can be a moderate challenge. Now, since you're a mage, their totems are useless. If they rush up to you and slap a totem down, don't bother with the totem. Immediatly throw a Fire Blast or other high level spell at his/her face. If he or she runs away, try to land a Frost Bolt. If not, Blink forward and keep trying to land a frostbolt.

D.Vs Rogue: Rogues are probably one of the easiest for me, but they can prove difficult for some. Always try and land a spell before they stealth. If they do, and attack you, release a Frost Nova, flee, and hurl your spells. Because Rogues are based off of agility(most of the time) and getting the first strike, they can be pretty simple. However, if they sap you, the battle is pretty much lost.

E.Vs Priest: Slightly simpler than a warlock, but because of fear, it's easy to be frustrated. If you are fighting a Shadow priest, be sure to get a tank to hop at close range. Holy priests are trivial; after the fear, launch spells like mad, or to make things easier, get a tank.

F.Vs Paladin: For Paladins, it is basically the same strategy as Warriors, although it may take much longer when they heal. Same as Warriors, Frost Nova is your best spell here. Also be aware they will run out of mana quickly, both for shielding, healing, and for some offensive purposes. Take advantage of that by shooting a Frost Bolt with repeated spells.

G.Vs Mage: This is a simple battle determining who has better skill(Armor is a small factor as well). My usual magical combat strategy is to first engage in combat, then get some warrior to run in and pummel them while they are casting a spell. A solo mage-vs-mage battle, however, may be quite difficult. Having the same skills and possibly the same talents makes your foe pretty evenly matched. For this purpose, obtain some element immunity equipment.

H. Vs Hunter: In this battle, Frost Nova is useless, with a small exception of the pet. Open up by polymorphing the pet. Only use Frost Nova so they won't escape, and beware the special shot skills. Your spells are stronger than a hunter's skills, but with a Hunter, you want to end the battle as quickly as possible.

I. Vs Druids: Easy as killing a cow(no offense to Tauren intended). Druids, being half healers, half nukers, a warrior, and a rogue, can be as simple as Frost Nova + spells. If they shapeshift into a bear, follow the warrior tips. If they shapeshift into a cat, follow the Rogue tips. Aside from that, throw your spells at the druid until they are either a pile of frozen bones, a pile of disintegrated bones, or a pile of charred bones...you get the point.

V.Quirks

A.Look Mom! A portal!
Hmm, level 40 and no skilled proffesion? Problem solved: sell portals. Although most players are aware that portals are pricy, offer them at a cheap price that most players can afford (e.g. 2 gold, 3 gold) while making enough money to make it profitable.

B.I blinked...through the wall! I'M A GOD!
Full credit goes to MMOwned for finding this...blink through the wall behind the throne toget to Old Ironforge...or something like that.

VI.Credits

MMOwned...chunks of supreme awesomeness.
Blizzard...chunks of regular awesomeness.
Michael Lummis and Danielle Vanderlip...for writing the WoW Strat guide.
Readers...for reading the guide!

CHEERS!

~THeUltimateUndead

[Cypher]

Nice, MAGE POWA!!! Thanks.