Pimp my mageFollow

Dopla

By most standards I'm pretty sure this alt is a solid toon - I pull an average of 6k direct damage DPS during raids (AOEing the trash doesn't count - I figure I'd BETTER be able to clear 15k), always rank in the top 10 and only get out DPS'd in 5m groups if there's a competent DK going full burn the whole run (and even then it's close).

However, I'm greedy - of the 4-5 mages in the raid there are still two who consistently out burn me (oddly enough, only in total damage, never in DPS for some reason) and one whom I'm neck in neck with - those three are all mains. The thing that actually chokes me the most though is a demo lock who inevitably aces me every time - that's intolerable to me (mainly because my lock used to be demo but I sucked at it, barely cracking 2k with him - had to swap to affliction to stop from being booted from IC heroics for DPS fail - I fail at locks, sue me).

Anyway, I was feeling rather proud of myself as I'd gotten my max crit up to 20k in IC25 before they started adding the easy mode buff to it until I caught another thread in which an arcane mage was boasting 40k+ crits with 15k spell power - maybe he was BSing, I don't know.

Regardless, I want to turn this toon into the most obscene DPS ho I can - I won't give up my druid as my main, but for the petty reason already mentioned, I'd love to put that lock at a lower rank in the DPS chain.

So help me pimp my mage - what chants, gems and gear should I be shooting for? What should stay and go to give this toon the max sustainable DPS without going OOM 20% through an IC25 boss fight? Spell rotation would be appreciated too please as I inevitably manage to pick the absolute worse pattern (I'm currently doing slow, ABx4 and then missile barrage as it'll inevitably proc by then).

There is a ton wrong with your character. Don't take this the wrong way, but I can't believe you got into a raid the way your character is set up. As for you competing with people in the same raid (assuming they are equally or better geared), I will have to say that I am surprised.

Where did you learn to gem straight spirit, mp5, stats, and spell penetration for a pve mage?


Gemming:
Meta: CSD

(if +7sp or more socket bonus, match the sockets, otherwise generally runed)

Blue: Purified Dreadstone
Yellow: Reckless Ametrine
Red: Runed Cardinal Ruby
Dragon's Eye: Runed Cardinal Ruby

you should never be gemming for mp5, spell pen, crit (as arcane), or straight spirit


Enchants:
Head: sp/crit
Shoulders: sp/crit
Chest: +10 stats
Wrists: +spellpower
Hands: +spellpower (missing)
Belt: buckle
Pants: spellpower/spirit (not stam)
Boots: Tuskarr's vitality (not +spirit)


As for your rotation you should never need to put up slow (for the +damage), really ever, if there is a situation where you need to put up slow on a boss then you are wiping, adds (deathwhisper, dreamwalker, saurfang) are different.

General rotation (pre-2pc t10) is 4xAB - Mbam, if Mbam doesn't proc use arcane missiles and restack. At 2pc-t10 use mbam (generally) as soon as it procs to get the haste buff going and for better dpm (as the cast is free)



As for your gear:
Both of your trinkets are mediocre for PvE, especially for arcane. You would be wise to pick up a talisman of resurgence (triumph badges) and maybe even the abyssal rune would be an upgrade over both of those (toc 5man normal). I hope you didn't spend frost badges on the legs, those are the worst piece for arcane out of the 5 (they are only useful for fire).

I would grab the leggings of woven death to replace though. Run VoA to get the gloves. The chest is the biggest upgrade over Merlins, so save badges for that, although your belt is pretty bad but can be replaced through icc 5mans I would think.

Glyphs:
Molten Armor
Arcane Missiles
Arcane Blast

I don't know why you have evocation, there is no dps involved in that glyph.

For talents I would take a couple points out of SotM and put them into magic dampening for the increased range (personal preference though I suppose)



For future class modification, I highly recommmend importing your character into rawr.

Edited, Jun 29th 2010 8:17am by Anobix

Edited, Jun 29th 2010 8:21am by Anobix

You're making the same logical and stupid (on Blizz' behalf, not yours) error I did. Torment the Weak triggers on weapon speed slows as well. And it just so happens to be that they work on bosses and that there's four of them.

Not as long as I have been playing a raiding mage (Kara through Sunwell in TBC and Naxx through now RS in WotLK) has mp5 ever been a desirable stat to gear/gem for.



As Mozared pointed out, slow counts as any slow, movement or attackspeed (which any tank should be putting up automatically)



Sorry, that is what I meant, I got used to calling it that because of the icon it uses.


Edited, Jun 30th 2010 12:02am by Anobix