A Fix to the AOE Post.

They have changed Blizzard. Completely changed the way frost AOE works. This small change to blizzard makes the frost AOE spec much easier to work with, and much more efficient.

Blizzard can crit.

This is certainly not a brand new thing. It's been in affect since the Echoes of Doom patch.

With the way blizzard works now, there is no reason to skip over some of the talents in Frost when specing for AOE.

The talent that used to be avoided...

Frostbite
This used to be a no no, because this would cause random mobs to be frozen into place too long as your group trudged towards their certain death. Not the case now. If you have Frostbite, then Blizzard will proc it, which will in turn make Shatter cause Blizzard to crit. The mob wont stay frozen long enough to break up your grouping, and it adds a serious amount of extra damage.

The new hotness

Finger of Frost
This is a new talent, we just got it in 3.0.2. Why is it good for AOE? Same reason that Frostbite is. This will give you a shatter with your Blizzard, without freezing the mobs in place.

Shattered Barrier
Some say that this is also a must have for AOE now as well.

My stand on it is that if your really AOE grinding, then being hit by all those mobs long enough the break your ice barrier, and get the free nova, is far too risky. When I AOE grind, it's never less that 20 mobs, which can still drop my pigtailed clothie butt really fast. i don't like being that close to the mobs that are supposed to be no where near me.

Chilled to the Bone
Once you can get to it, this is another very good AOE talent. Not for the increased damage, but for the 10% speed reduction. This combined with both Improved Blizzard and Permafrost add up to a 85% speed reduction to targets getting pummeled by your much improved Blizzard.

An oldie but a goodie

Ice Shards
Ice Shards is another good talent that might have been passed up before for a pure AOE spec. This will give 100% more critical damage to your Blizzard crits, which will happen a lot.

With these improvements, what do we end up with?

This spec at 70, for pure AOE.

And this spec at 80, again just for AOE purposes.

I went into the fire tree for the 80 spec to grab the increased crit to Blizzard, Cone of Cold, and Arcane Explosion.

Keep in mind that these are not a must, just a little tip from someone who has spent a lot of time researching this spec. As always, spec how you want, and make sure your having fun.

Its's your $15 right?

AOE Frost: The How To

After thinking about it for awhile, I decided my second post would be about the speccing, gearing, and how to of an AOE Frost mage. I know this isn’t exactly were to start, or how to finish in a since either. But it’s currently my favorite part of the game. There’s nothing like flying up to BT, seeing a Warrior and Priest combo grinding their way through the mobs, making a decent amount of money, and picking up signets left and right, and then showing them up ten fold.

So. Where to start.

Hmmm.

Spec would be the best I think. That’s the easiest way to really screw yourself on a frost mage. I’ve seen a lot of people that think they are AOE specced, and then I prove to them that they have no idea what they’re doing.

First and foremost, don’t even try it till 30. Stay fire, enjoy some big hits. And if you don’t have a ton of patience and you’re looking to really get leveling on the ball, don’t do it till 40. Seriously, a mount and Ice Barrier is what it’s all about.

So, the spec.

At 30 you, to maximize AOE ability, you should look a little like this.

Improved Blizzard, Improved Ice Armor, and Permafrost are a must for aspiring little frost mages. DO NOT. I REPET. DO NOT GET FROSTBITE!!!! This is one of the biggest killers of frost mages trying to AOE everywhere. AOE is about control and predictability. This will toss a real monkey wrench in the whole damn thing. As you level, look to put points into talents that either: lower mana costs, reduce Cooldowns, increase frost damage done or increase slowing effects. A frost mage can crit, and crit well, but it is not a focus of AOE’ing. You want even damage.

Once your specced right, you need to take a gear assessment. Gear is a huge factor in being able to AOE effectively. As the spec is about killing many mobs at one time, it is very gear dependent. You need to focus on stam and int at lower levels. You won’t have enough + Spell damage to make a difference. If you’re going to pick up spell damage at lower levels, then make sure your looking at good stam/int gear as well.

Blizzard is an expensive spell. And you’ll be using mana shield a lot until 40. The combination of these can drain your mana fast. Once your mana shield is down, you’ll need to be able to rely on raw hit points. (it shouldn’t come down to that, but if it does, you’ll need it)

So your 30. You’ve re-specced to frost, and picked up the right gear so you can enjoy all AOE has to offer. But your unsure of how to use this new spec to it’s fullest.

How to AOE:

Find a place that has a decent number of melee only mobs and ideally two to three levels lower (this level difference will minimize resists and crushing blows when they get to you). Beasts are usually good as they don’t often run, however, anything that won’t stand at range and cast is good. At lower levels, stand in a spot, where you have about 4/5 mobs in range to wand, and pull away. This will help you conserve mana, while still gathering mobs. Once you get Ice Barrier and a mount, then run through some shit to gather ‘em up.

Once mobs are gathered: Frost Nova and move away. It is almost always better to just blink in the direction that your mobs just came from. That way you’re not backing up into other mobs.

Start your blizzard: Place the blizzard in a position that covers all of the mobs you are kiting. You want them all equally slowed, and damage to be dealt as close to the same across all mobs as possible. As soon as you click and start your channeling, you can position your next one, guide it in front of your groups of mobs and try to get the farthest edge of the circle to cover all your mobs. You’re attempting to position the Blizzard so that the mobs have to walk all the way through it. If you have chosen your mobs correctly, you should be able to finish them off with a Cone of Cold, and maybe a couple Arcane Explosions.

Loot.

Eat and Drink.

Rinse and repeat.