Frost Mage 10.0 Guide
Introduction
This guide presents an in-depth view of the Mage's Frost Specialization in WoW Dragonflight patch 10.0! You will learn everything about the spec, such as how to level, gear, prepare, and then min-max your Frost Mage for the most challenging PvE content in World of Warcraft, Season 1.
First, we'll check out the specialization's particularities and see if the Frost Mage is one of the best specs in Dragonflight' latest season. Then you'll learn how to gear your mage, what stats to prioritize, and the best leveling spec, talents, and rotation that will get you to max level in no time.
Finally, we'll go deep into min-maxing your character for the end-game content and teach you what gear to use for Mythic Raiding and Mythic Plus dungeons. By the end of the guide, you will become a master of the Frost Mage specialization! Sounds good, right? Let's get started!
Table of Contents
- Frost Mages: Strengths and Weaknesses
- How to gear your Frost Mage
- How to level your Frost Mage. Leveling tips
- Best Frost Mage talents for end-game content
- Frost Mage in Dragonflight - FAQ
Frost Mages in Dragonflight: Strengths and Weaknesses
In World of Warcraft, the Mage class comes with three DPS specializations: Fire, Frost, and Arcane. The mage's spending resource is called Mana. All three warlock specs focus on ranged-combat fights and require wise mana resource management.
The Frost Mage represents one of the weaker DPS classes for Mythic Dungeons and Mythic Raiding in Dragonflight Season 1, even though it provides strong single-target and two-target cleave damage. Also, it has great mobility and defensive abilities.
Frost Mages use a wide selection of weapons, such as daggers, one-handed swords, staves, and wands. As for raid gear, the mage shares the Vanquisher Tier Token with Rogues, Death Knights, and Druids for legacy content. In the Dragonflight expansion, the Vault of the Incarnates raid, mages share the Mystic Tier Token with Druids and Hunters.
In the table below, we present the Frost spec's strengths and weaknesses:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| + Strong single-target and cleave damage | - Low burst damage |
| + Great mobility | - Extremely reliant on procs |
| + Extreme survivability | - Lack of reactive self-healing |
How to gear your Frost Mage
In World of Warcraft, gearing is one of the most important aspects that enhances your character's overall performance by providing massive amounts of stats, armor, procs, and set bonuses. This guide will teach you how to properly gear up for the most challenging PvE content in WoW Dragonflight: Mythic Raids and Mythic+ Dungeons.
We'll start with the basics and cover the Frost Mage's stats priority, check out the tier set bonuses, and finally, the best in slot gear you can get from mythic raids and dungeons.
Frost Mage stat priority
Regardless of the class and spec you roll into in World of Warcraft, the stats are a key component when gearing up and min-maxing your character for the end-game content. Frost Mages wear Cloth gear with Intellect as the main stat.
As a mage, the Intellect stat increases the power of your spells and abilities, in other words - the damage you are dealing to the enemies. Also, please note that a higher and adequate item level will better impact your character's performance than a perfect stat distribution, so always keep an eye on the gear's item level!
The Frost Mage stats priority looks like this:
- 1. Intellect
- 2. Critical Strike
- 3. Haste
- 4. Mastery
- 5. Versatility
So as a Frost Mage, you will primarily value item level for Intellect as the primary stat, then Critical Strike, followed by Haste, Mastery, and Versatility as secondary stats.
In other words: Intellect > Critical Strike > Haste > Mastery > Versatility. And here's why:
Intellect: Increases your spell power and, therefore, all the damage you are dealing to your enemies
Critical Strike: Increases the chance for extra effectiveness on your attacks and heals
Haste: Increases your attack speed and your spell casting speed
Mastery: Increases the effectiveness of Mastery: Icicles
Versatility: Increases healing and damage dealt and reduces damage taken
Frost Mage Tier Set Bonus
To start with, what is a tier set in World of Warcraft?
In WoW, a tier set is a unique class armor set with powerful 2-set and 4-set specific bonuses for each specialization of that particular class. Tier set bonuses change based on the character's active talent specialization, ensuring that the bonus is appropriate and useful to that spec.
So to recap, tier sets are unique pieces of armor that, when equipped simultaneously, provide you with a bonus, different for each spec of the chosen class. This bonus is based on the number of pieces from the set you have equipped, with most tier sets providing bonuses when equipping 2 or 4 pieces.
How to get the Mage Tier Set in Dragonflight patch 10.0
There are three ways you can get tier set items in WoW in the Dragonflight expansion:
- Vault of the Incarnates Raid: You can get tier set items from specific bosses in the VotI raid.
- Revival Catalyst: You can craft Tier armor from non-set pieces of the same item level using the Revival Catalyst crafting system.
- Great Vault: You can obtain tier set items from all activities that normally give Great Vault rewards, such as raiding, Mythic+ dungeons, and PvP.
The fastest way to obtain the tier set is to take advantage of these three sources that can reward you with Mage set items. The best advice is to complete the VotI raid weekly - this is probably the fastest way to get your hands on the desired tier armor. In case you don't have a team to raid with, complete some Mythic+ Dungeons or some PvP matches.
Mythic dungeons and PvP are highly beneficial because even if you can't drop the set items while participating in these activities, you increase the chances of getting your set items at the Great Vault or the Revival Catalyst console in Thaldraszus. At the creation revival console, you can convert the non-set pieces obtained in dungeons or PvP into tier set items.
Let's have a closer look at the Great Vault feature:
And this is what the Revival Catalyst looks like:
Back to our Frost Mage Tier Set. Now that you learned how to obtain the tier set, let's see some set bonuses and particularities, shall we?
The Mage Tier set is called Crystal Scholar. For the Frost spec, it comes with the following bonuses for two pieces and four pieces equipped:
- 2-Set: Mage Frost Class Set 2pc - Ice Lance and Ice Lance increase damage by 10%
- 4-Set: Mage Frost Class Set 4pc - Fingers of Frost increases spell damage by 8% for 6 sec.
In the table below, we present you the sources for Frost Mage Tier Set items:
| Slot | Tier Piece | Source |
| Helm | Crystal Scholar's Cowl | Raszageth |
| Shoulders | Crystal Scholar's Beacons | Broodkeeper Diurna |
| Chest | Crystal Scholar's Tunic | Kurog Grimtotem |
| Gloves | Crystal Scholar's Britches | Dathea, Ascended |
| Legs | Crystal Scholar's Pageturners | Sennarth |
The remaining tier set items (Cloak, Wrists, Waist, and Boots) can be obtained by using the Revival Catalyst in Thaldraszus.
As previously stated, you unlock the tier set bonuses for your Frost Mage when you equip any two or four pieces of the Erudite Occultist's Vestments set. For itemization and build optimization, your four pieces of tier set as a Frost Mage will be the Helm, Legs, Chest, and Gloves.
Raid Best in Slot (BiS) Gear for Frost Mages
In the table below, you can find the best item to use in each slot from the raid as a Frost Mage:
| Slot | Item Name | Encounter |
| Helm | Crystal Scholar's Cowl | Raszageth |
| Neck | Eye of the Vengeful Hurricane | Dathea, Ascended |
| Shoulders | Crystal Scholar's Beacons | Broodkeeper Diurna |
| Cloak | Acid-Proof Webbing | Sennarth |
| Chest | Crystal Scholar's Tunic | Kurog Grimtotem |
| Wrists | Chilled Silken Restraints | Sennarth |
| Gloves | Crystal Scholar's Pageturners | Broodkeeper Diurna |
| Waist | Magatha's Spiritual Sash | Kurog Grimtotem |
| Legs | Crystal Scholar's Britches | Sennarth |
| Boots | Sandals of the Wild Sovereign | Raszageth |
| Ring #1 | Seal of Diurna's Chosen | Eranog |
| Ring #2 | Seal of Filial Duty | Broodkeeper Diurna |
| Trinket #1 | Whispering Incarnate Icon | The Primal Council |
| Staff | Quake-Detecting Seismostaff | Terros |
| Weapon | Stormlash's Last Resort | Raszageth |
| Off-Hand | Scripture of Primal Devotion | Kurog Grimtotem |
Mythic+ Best in Slot (BiS) Gear for Frost Mages
In the table below, you can find the best item to use in each slot from the Mythic+ Dungeons as a Frost Mage:
| Slot | Item Name | Location |
| Helm | Crystal Scholar's Cowl | Revival Catalyst |
| Neck | Ukhel Ancestry Beads | The Nokhud Offensive |
| Shoulders | Crystal Scholar's Beacons | Revival Catalyst |
| Cloak | Fireproof Drape | Ruby Life Pools |
| Chest | Arcanist's Resonant Robes | Court of Stars |
| Wrists | Manawracker Bindings | Court of Stars |
| Gloves | Crystal Scholar's Pageturners | Revival Catalyst |
| Waist | Sky Saddle Cord | Ruby Life Pools |
| Legs | Crystal Scholar's Britches | Revival Catalyst |
| Boots | Manawracker Sandals | Court of Stars |
| Ring #1 | Woe-Bearer's Band | Halls of Valor |
| Ring #2 | Val'kyr Ascension Signet | Halls of Valor |
| Trinket #1 | Furious Ragefeather | The Nokhud Offensive |
| Staff | Staff of Trembling Will | Temple of the Jade Serpent |
| Main Hand | Koroleth's Crackling Dagger | The Nokhud Offensive |
| Off Hand | Sadana's Grisly Visage | Shadowmoon Burial Grounds |
Best in Slot (BiS) Trinkets for Frost Mages
The best Frost Mage trinkets for end-game content are:
| Tier | Item Name | Location |
| S | Whispering Incarnate Icon | Vault of the Incarnates |
| S | Furious Ragefeather | The Nokhud Offensive |
| S | Eye of Skovald | Halls of Valor |
| A | Ruby Whelp Shell | Ruby Life Pools |
| A | Desperate Invoker's Codex | Vault of the Incarnates |
| A | Infernal Writ | Court of Stars |
| A | Iceblood Deathsnare | Vault of the Incarnates |
| A | Conjured Chillglobe | Vault of the Incarnates |
| A | Windscar Whetstone | Court of Stars |
| A | Spiteful Storm | Vault of the Incarnates |
| A | Voidmender's Shadowgem | Shadowmoon Burial Grounds |
| B | Umbrelskul's Fractured Heart | The Azure Vault |
| B | Tome of Unstable Power | The Azure Vault |
This wraps up everything you should know about gearing your Frost Mage: the stats priority, how to obtain the tier set, and what items to use in the end-game activities. Moving on to the next section of our guide, we'll teach you how to level your Frost Mage in Dragonflight 10.0 Sounds good, right? Let's dive in!
How to level your Frost Mage. Leveling tips
Before leveling your mage, you must first create and customize the character. That brings us to the first question: what race should you go for when creating the character? Let's find out, shall we?
Best Frost Mage Races
When it comes to races, with so many options to choose from, you are probably wondering what would be the best race for the Frost spec. In World of Warcraft, each race has different racial abilities and spells, but no races offer an immediate advantage compared to others regarding the Frost spec. I highly recommend choosing the race you like the most, aesthetically speaking.
- Best Alliance Races for Frost Mage: Human, Void Elf, Dwarf, and Gnome.
- Best Horde Races for Frost Mage: Goblin, Nightborne, Troll, and Blood Elf.
Best Frost Mage Leveling Talents and Rotation in Dragonflight 10.0
The best talents to use while leveling as a Frost Mage are:
Now let's check out how you should prioritize your abilities. Below we present the basic rotation for Frost Mages:
- 1. Cast Frozen Orb when available.
- 2. Use Blizzard.
- 3. Cast Ice Lance.
- 4. Use Flurry.
- 5. Cast Arcane Explosion.
- 6. Finish with Frostbolt.
In the next section of our Frost Mage Guide, we'll present the best talents to use for PvE end-game content, such as raiding and Mythic+ dungeons. In the end game, it's crucial to use the right talents and prioritize the skills you use depending on the activity. Choosing the best talents will significantly impact your performance as a DPS!
Best Frost Mage End-game Talents
From the PvE perspective, there are two main end-game activities we'll take into consideration: Mythic raiding and Mythic+ Dungeons. We'll treat them separately to keep things clear and avoid confusion.
Best Talents for Mythic Raiding in Season 1 (patch 10.0)
In the picture below, you can see the best talents for mythic raiding as a Frost Mage:
Best Talents for Mythic+ Dungeons in Season 1 (patch 10.0)
As a Frost Mage, these are the talents you must use to maximize your damage in M+ Dungeons:
Frost Mage in Dragonflight - FAQ
1. Are Frost Mages good in Dragonflight 10.0?
Not really. Frost Mage represents one of the weaker DPS specs in WoW Dragonflight for PvE end-game content.
2. Is Frost Mage easy to play?
Yes. The Frost Mage specialization qualifies as one of the most accessible ranged DPS specs in WoW Dragonflight.
3. What is the stats priority for Frost Mages?
The stats priority for Mage's Frost specialization is Intellect > Critical Strike > Haste > Mastery > Versatility.
4. Which mage spec is best for leveling in patch 10.0?
The Frost Specialization is the best spec for mage leveling.
5. What is the best race for Frost Mages in Dragonflight?
- Alliance's best Frost Mage races are Human, Void Elf, Dwarf, and Gnome.
- For Horde, the best Frost Mage races are Goblin, Nightborne, Troll, and Blood Elf.
Final thoughts
This wraps up everything you should know regarding the Mage's Frost specialization in World of Warcraft Dragonflight for Season 1, patch 10.0 By reading this guide, you should now better understand the Frost Mage's spec and particularities and how they perform in certain circumstances and different end-game activities. It's one of the game's coolest specs in Dragonflight, so I encourage you to try it!
