Frost Mage PVP Guide WoW Cataclysm Classic

Published on 4/27/2024

Mage is one of the strongest caster class on arena and a very preferable team mate in Rated Battlegrounds

Frost Mage PVP Guide WoW Cataclysm Classic

Pros and Cons to pick frost mage in WoW Cataclysm Classic

Pros

  • Viable class in any pvp bracket (2s, 3s, RBG)
  • Many arena setups
  • Decent survivability
  • Do not require to hard cast

Cons

  • Cooldown management gameplay
  • Weak against classes that can dispell your shields, procs and deep freeze
  • Most of the setups/matchups are very skill based

Stat priority

4% Hit - Do not required to get more hit in PVP

240 Spell penetration

Intellect

About 20-21% Crit Chance - If you decide to stack more crit most likely it will reduce your burst damage.

Mastery

In short, 4% hit > 240 spell penetration > 20% crit chance > Mastery

Haste is not a thing in WoW Cataclysm for from mages. Mastery will give you a lot of damage compare to haste, so you can easy reforge all your Haste in to Hit till the cap, Crit, or Mastery.

Races for Frost Mage in PVP

Alliance: Humans only. Humans will give you opportunity to use 2 damage trinkets because your racial give you opportunity to remove ALL CC (like pvp trinket). Other races on alliance side are pretty weak in PVP.

Horde: Undead - You can remove Fear, Charm, and Sleep; Blood Elf - AoE Silence for 2 seconds, -2% hit for enemies; Troll - Haste pop-up

Talent Build

Frost Mage PVP Build


Glyphs

Prime Glyphs

  1. Frostfire Bolt
  2. Cone of Cold. If you prefer hard casting gameplay you can pick Frostbolt glyph
  3. Ice Lance


Major Glyphs

  1. Frost Armor - you should use this glyph because it will be the most popular armor buffs in your arena games, and it provide a decent mana regeneration
  2. Evocation - in some critical situations you can just runaway and start casting your evocation for mana and health regeneration
  3. Polymorph - this glyph remove all DoT's from target and allow you Polymorph the target for free. However, if you are professional mage or your setup do not have many dots, so you can easy control it you can pick Glyph of Ice Barrier, or Glyph of Frost Nova. But if you are new player in WoW Cataclysm arena, we recommend to use Glyph of Polymorph.

Minor Glyphs

  1. Slow Fall
  2. Arcane Brilliance
  3. Glyph of Conjuring

Equipment

Most likely you will use full PVP equipment in the first Cataclysm PVP season. But keep in mind, you need to get your hit and spell penetration caps.

Gems

  • Red: Brilliant Inferno Ruby (+40 intellect)
  • Orange: (you will use them in yellow socket slots): Artful Ember Topaz (+20 intellect, +20 Mastery Rating)
  • Purple: (you will use then in blue socket slots): Veiled Demonseye (+20 intellect, +20 Hit Rating)
  • Meta socket: Chaotic Shadowspirit Diamond; Or you can use Fractured Cogwheel if you use engineering helm instead of PVP set

Professions

The best option is Jewelcrafting and Tailoring because you can use jewelcrater-only gems that have better stats, and cloak proc from the tailoring +580 intellect. But it's pretty expensive.

Also, the good option is Tailoring + Engineering. The engineering helm and gloves enchant on +480 intellect is amazing as well.

Other professions are not so good but if you are new player or not aim to get the highest rating on arena it doesn't really matter. All professions will give you some minor buffs and it will be enough.

Arena Comps for Frost Mage in WoW Cataclysm

2s Bracket

RM - Rogue Mage. This comp will require a good communication and hard to start but if you able to feel your arena partner it will be easy climb to high rate.

DP+M - Discipline Priest and Mage. Pretty stable setup. You will have amazing sustain and strong dispell. The very friendly comp for new players.

SP+M - Shadow Priest and Mage. Burst setup. Require a good communication for placing crowd control on your opponents, and burst in to your Deep Freeze combo.

3s Bracket

RMP - Rogue, Discipline Priest, Frost Mage. Hard CC comp. If you able to set up your CC on the correct targets - you will win most of the games.

Other popular 3s comps are better for Fire Mage, but you can try to join some teams. Frost Mage is a very suitable class and most of the people will be happy if you join their team.

Useful Basic Macro

Ice Block macro. One button macro. 1st click is apply Ice Block, 2nd click is remove Ice Block

#showtooltip Ice Block
/stopcasting
/cast Ice Block
/cancelaura Ice Block

Counterspell macro. No modifier - your target. Shift modifier (you can change it) - focus.

#showtooltip Counterspell
/stopcasting
/cast [nomod] Counterspell
/cast [mod:shift, target=focus] Counterspell

Summon pet and Pet's Nova in 1 button macro

/cast [nopet] Summon Water Elemental
/click PetActionButton5
/petfollow

Polymorph macro

#showtooltip Polymorph
/cast [nomod] Polymorph
/cast [mod:shift, target=focus] Polymorph

You will write the other useful macro's when you become more experienced mage.

Good luck on arenas or on RBG's in WoW Cataclysm Classic