Arcane Mage DPS Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities - Dragonflight 10.2.7 (2024)

Welcome to our Rotation page for Arcane Mages. On thispage you willfind everything you need to know about actually playing the spec in Raidingscenarios.

The primary focus on this page is on raiding scenarios. Although the rotationis going to give pretty good results in Mythic+ as well, for a more Mythic+oriented rotation, see our Mythic+ page.

If the rotations below seem overwhelming to you, or you would like toread a more simplified version of the rotation, you might benefitfrom visiting our Easy Mode page, which outlines a close-to-optimalrotation in simpler terms.

The content on this page is purely PvE-related. If you are looking for PvPRotation Tips, please visit our PvP page below.

Use the switches below to tailor the rotation to the talents you are using orsituations you expect to be facing, and it will populate the rotation prioritylist appropriately.

Keep in mind, some talents are so critical to the spec to function correctly,or you must take them to be able to navigate the tree properly, in which casetheywill not have a checkbox below and will be assumed picked.Talents that are substantial DPS boosts and often picked are pre-checked below,but if you are not running them, you can uncheck them.

• Show Mage Arcane 10.2 Class Set 4pc
• Show Siphon Storm
• Show Radiant Spark
• Show Nether Precision
• Show Temporal Warp
• Show Nether Tempest
• Show Arcane Bombardment
• Show Conjure Mana Gem
• Show Belor'relos, the Suncaller
• Show Arcane Harmony

The rotation of an Arcane Mage is outlined in the following priority list.The concept is to maintain a high and stable Mana pool during yourConserve Phase, biding time until yourcooldowns are available. As soon as your cooldowns are ready, you enter theBurn Phase, where you siphon all your Manainto damage.

There are 2 types of burn phases for Arcane Mages. A "mini burn" and a "fullburn".The difference is whether or not Evocation and Arcane Surge areready.If both are ready, it is considered a full burn; otherwise a mini burn.You apply the burn rotation below any time Touch of the Magiand Radiant Spark are ready.

You can enter the (mini)Burn Phase when the following is all true:

• Touch of the Magi is ready within 5 seconds;
• Radiant Spark is ready;
• You have 4 Arcane Charges, or 2+ Arcane Charges and Arcane Orb isready;

1. Cast Evocation for Siphon Storm.
2. Double cast Time Warp;
3. Cast Arcane Orb, if ready;
4. Burn as much Mana as possible on Arcane Blast, using Arcane Missiles when Clearcasting procs, until you are outof Mana, or Siphon Storm has less than 17 seconds remaining;
5. Cast Radiant Spark, and any other cooldowns, like Racial abilitiesand on-use trinkets, if ready;
6. Cast Nether Tempest, this will not consume a Radiant Spark charge;
7. Cast Arcane Surge;
8. Use Mana Gemright after casting Arcane Surge, and any on-use trinkets or racials;
9. Cast Arcane Barrage;
10. Shortly after Arcane Barrage, while it is traveling toward the target,cast Touch of the Magi. Due to Touch of the Magi being off the globalcooldown, it should apply before Arcane Barrage reaches the target;
11. Cast Arcane Blast 3 times to consume Radiant Spark charges;
12. While Touch of the Magi is active, cast Arcane Blast when Nether Precision is up;
13. Cast Arcane Missiles while Clearcasting is up.;
14. If the target is below 35% health(for Arcane Bombardment), cast Arcane Barrage shortly before Touch of the Magi ends. The goal is to land Arcane Barrage before Touch ofthe Magi expires, so keep in mind travel time if you are far away;
15. Cast Arcane Blast as filler;
16. When Siphon Storm ends, cast Shifting Power. Radiant Spark and Touch of the Magi should be almost up again,allowing you to immediately go into a mini-burn;

At the start of the fight, simply pre-cast Evocation (with Siphon Storm) and then immediately go into the Burn phase.

The Conserve Phase is deceptively straightforward but mercilesslypunishes mistakes. Once Evocation is on cooldown, the only wayto regain your Mana is by waiting for it to regenerate slowly or by using Arcane Barrage if Mana Adept is talented. Therefore, payingclose attention to your Mana and available spells is crucial.During the Conserve Phase, you should try to maximize the amount of time spentcasting Arcane Blast with 4 Arcane Charges while keeping your Manahigh enough for mini-burns. You can spend all your Mana if your next burn phaseis a full burn phase (so including Evocation and Arcane Surge,otherwise, make sure you stay above 60% Mana, unless the boss is very close todying.

1. Go into the burn phase above when you meet the burn phase conditions above.(Even without Arcane Surge and Evocation, you can do amini-burn without them)
2. Cast Arcane Orb when available and you do not have 4 Arcane Charges;
3. Cast Shifting Power when available;
4. Cast Arcane Missiles with 3 stacks of Clearcasting;
5. Use Belor'relos, the Suncaller whenever it is ready, and Arcane Surgeis not becoming available in the next 20 seconds. The goal is to maximize the amountof usages, but it is important you do not put your other on-use trinketon cooldown right before you need to use it during Arcane Surge;
6. Cast Arcane Blast with Nether Precision;
7. Cast Arcane Missiles with Clearcasting;
8. Cast Arcane Barrage when on 4 Arcane Charges, and you are below 60%Mana. You can skip Arcane Barrage if your next burn is a full burn phase (soincluding Evocation);
9. Cast Arcane Blast as your filler.

The way you switch between burn and conserve phases remains the same inMulti-Target scenarios, but there are some spell usage changes to the rotationdependingon target counts.

Below, we list the burn phase for AoE situations. Keep in mind the belowrotation uses the talent toggles selected at the top of the page.All of the burn phase conditions from the single target also apply to the AoEburn phase, like having Touch of the Magi, Radiant Spark, etc.ready.

Additionally, you should either have a charge of Arcane Orb ready,or have 3+ Arcane Charges.

1. Get into melee range, if possible.
2. If you do not have a charge of Arcane Orb ready, and do not have3+ stacks of Arcane Charges, cast Arcane Explosion(or Arcane Blast if not in melee) until 3 Arcane Charges.
3. Cast Evocation for Siphon Storm.
4. Cast Time Warp ifyou have Temporal Warp equipped and a Time Warp (or similar)effect is already active or has been used earlier in the fight.If no one else is around to use a Time Warp or similar effect, castTime Warp twice.
5. Cast Arcane Orb, if ready and not already on 3+ Arcane Charges.If you have 3+ Arcane Charges, cast Arcane Explosion(or Arcane Blast if not in melee) instead;
6. Cast Radiant Spark;
7. Cast Nether Tempest.
8. Cast Arcane Surge, and any other cooldowns, like Racial abilitiesand on-use trinkets, if ready.Your target should now have 1 charge of Radiant Spark;
9. Use Mana Gemright after casting Arcane Surge;
10. Cast Arcane Barrage after Arcane Surge, applyingthe second charge of Radiant Spark.
11. Shortly after Arcane Barrage, while it is traveling toward the target,cast Touch of the Magi. Due to Touch of the Magi being off the globalcooldown, it should apply before Arcane Barrage reaches the target;
12. If you do have Orb Barrage talented and it procs(applying the third stack of Radiant Spark), cast a single Arcane Blast (applying the fourth stack of Radiant Spark).If Orb Barrage did not proc, cast Arcane Barrage (applying the third stack of Radiant Spark)followed by Arcane Orb (applying the fourth stack), unless Orb Barrageproceed off the latest Arcane Barrage (which would apply the fourth stack).
13. If you do not have Orb Barrage talented: Cast Presence of Mindfollowed by Arcane Blast twice, applying the third and fourthstack of Radiant Spark;
14. Cast Arcane Barrage to consume the fourth stack of Radiant Spark;
15. Use Arcane Barrage whenever you have 4 Arcane Charges.If you have Orb Barrage talented, keep an eye out on when it procs.If it procs, immediately cast Arcane Barrage again. If you are lucky, you canend up chain-casting Arcane Barrages through most of Touch of the Magi;
16. If you have Arcane Battery(the Mage Arcane 10.2 Class Set 4pc proc) cast Arcane Missiles.
17. Build Arcane Charges by casting Arcane Orbs and Arcane Explosions. Keep an eye out on extra Arcane Charges due to Reverberate;
18. After Arcane Surge ends, cast Shifting Power and go intothe Conserve Phase;

The AoE conserve rotation is practically the same as the single targetconserve rotation. The only difference is that you should cast Arcane Explosion instead of Arcane Blast and no longer useconsume Clearcasting with Arcane Missiles, unless you aretalented into Arcane Harmony. Additionally, whenever you reach 4 ArcaneCharges, cast Arcane Barrage. Keep an eye out of Reverberateand Orb Barrage procs giving you Arcane Charges.Lastly, if you have Arcane Battery(the Mage Arcane 10.2 Class Set 4pc proc) cast Arcane Missiles.

If you are unfamiliar with Arcane, managing your Arcane Chargescan initially be a bit confusing. Arcane as a specialization is fundamentallyvery straightforward but also stands apart from many specializations in thatyou have full control over your damage output and resources. Ultimately, the only wild card in the Arcane rotation is Clearcasting, and it uniquely alters the specialization.Since Arcane Missiles does not cost any Mana to cast when usedduring Clearcasting, it functions as a way to regenerate Mana without having tocast Arcane Barrage. Every time you do a new pull on a boss, you willreorganize your abilities into a different sequence due to the randomness ofClearcasting procs. Ultimately, this results in a reactive playstylerevolving around your Mana pool.

For each Arcane Charge you have, you deal more damage with Arcane Blast,however, the Mana cost is also increased by 100% per charge. It is not possibleto maintain a stable Mana pool by only casting Arcane Blast at 4 Arcane Charges,and therefore, you will have to sometimes clear your charges with Arcane Barrage.

In conclusion, your Mana pool and Arcane Charges have inverse synergy.The longer you remain at higher stacks of Arcane Charges,the faster your Mana bar will deplete, but the more burst damage you will deal.The shorter you remain at higher stacks of Arcane Charges, theeasier it will be to maintain a stable Mana pool (or possibly regenerate Mana).However, you will deal less burst damage. Clearcasting serves asa tool to allow you to remain at high stacks for an increased period withoutpenalty but occurs randomly, keeping you on your toes. Finally, during theBurn phase, the intent is to remain at maximum permanentlyArcane Charges until your Mana pool is entirely depleted.

• Arcane Barrage
• Arcane Blast
• Nether Tempest

Evocation is not affected by Arcane Charges, but it is stillpreferable to ensure you do not clear your charges with Arcane Barrage before casting Evocation. This is becauseyou will finish Evocation with 100% Mana and 4 Arcane Charges,allowing you to immediately cast a 4 charge Arcane Blast insteadof Mana capping for a few seconds.

As a specialization typically known for single target damage, AoE isa bit of a foreign concept to some Arcane Mages. It is possible, however, todeal very effective AoE damage as Arcane. Arcane Surge doestechnically affect your AoE spells; however, it is often inefficient todedicate your Burn phase to AoE damage (generally speaking); however, there aresome exceptions to this rule. For example, in a dungeon environment where youknow your cooldowns will be up in time for the boss, it makes sense to use yourcooldowns to help clear the trash in a more timely fashion.

2 main spells are the reason Arcane Mages can do good AoEdamage, namely Arcane Explosion and Arcane Barrage. Theidea is to cast Arcane Explosion from 0 to 4 Arcane Charges, doing significantdamage, and then following it up with a very hard-hitting Arcane Barrage,especially with Resonance. It is important to realize that this isnot Mana neutral, so you will eventually run out of Mana when keeping thisrotation up for prolonged periods of time. So make sure you keep an eye on yourMana bar to ensure you keep enough Mana for the rest of the fight.

Depending on your Orb Barrage procs, this rotation can be close toor even fully mana neutral. Keep an eye on your Mana bar and adapt as needed.

If you are playing with Arcane Orb,you should drop your stacks with Arcane Barrage and instantlyrebuild them via the above talent. Additionally, you should do the same Touch of the Magi.

Do not forget to cast this any time you have to reposition and slightly Blink/ Shimmer is either unavailable or would move youtoo far to be helpful. It lasts for 60 seconds and has a 25-second cooldown,so be careful not to cast it if it is still active.You can and should cast it before the start of every engagement.

Arcane Mage is an elementary enough specialization to perform on a targetdummy. Still, a few key factors will separate the good from thegreat. Learning to focus on what is essential and master the core concepts ofspecialization leads to overall solid performance on the damagecharts. 3 major concepts form the central trinity of optimizingfor success:

1. Mana management during the Conserve phase;
2. flawless execution during the Burn phase;
3. movement management.

Managing movement is a fundamental skill shared by all the caster classes inWorld of Warcraft. The highly mobile nature of the Mage class allows flexibleand creative ways to move during combat, making it of supreme importance thatyou give this the proper respect.

It is highly recommended you develop an instinct for your Mana regenerationrate by practicing on a target dummy or in LFR. The more Mastery you have, thefaster you regenerate Mana in combat. In contrast, the more Haste you have, thequicker you will spend your Mana, making this regeneration highlyvariable depending on your gear level.

It is important to have a good sense of the interplay between yourArcane Charges and your current Mana pool. Pay close attention to your timerson encounters with cleaveand AoE if you plan on capitalizing on theextra targets. If you need to unleash a little extra burst in the Conservephase for an important add, AoE opportunities, or to push a damage check,ensure you correctly budget Mana + Touch of the Magi and Radiant Sparkin advance.

Arcane Familiar does not increase base Mana regeneration. Evocation, however,does benefit from the extra 10% Mana from Arcane Familiar. This is furtherincreased throughstacking Mastery, which will increase your maximum Mana and Mana regenerationand thus lower the number of Arcane Barrage casts per fight, allowingyou to stay at 4 Arcane Charges longer.

If you have an AddOn that allows you to detach your Mana bar, it is highlyrecommended you put it somewhere near the lower center of your screen so youcan easily keep track of your current resource level. Newer players tend tooverburn during the Conserve phase and cannot execute a complete Burnphase.

Although the Burn Phase is often seen as the most important part of theArcanerotation, this does not mean that you should not try to maximize the amountof Mana, you use during the Conserve phase, especially since you spend a longportion of the fight in this Phase. You should never sit on 100%Mana,because every second spent at 100% Mana is Mana wasted. Especially with highMastery levels, you can cast a surprising amount of Arcane Blastsduring the Conserve phase, before you need to start using Arcane Barrageactively.

Although the Burn Phase is only a tiny portion in terms of time spent,it is not a small portion of your total damage. During your Burn Phase,you can do enormous amounts of damage in this short time window.Therefore, it is essential to perform your Burn Phasecorrectly and consistently. Arcane Surge should be used on cooldown wherever possible, though youdo want it to overlap with any other major damage buffs (such as Touch of the Magi or raid mechanics that increase your damage). You shouldcast Evocation immediately upon hitting 0 Mana, so the cooldownbecomes available as quickly as possible.

Pay close attention to the Burn Phase prioritylist posted at the top of this page. This seems very straightforward on thesurface,but a surprising number of players will stutter in the execution. Make sure youare prepared before entering the Burn phase!

While it is difficult to describe the best ways to position and move duringa dungeon or raid encounter, it is essential to your success as an ArcaneMage.

Try and use Blink for "urgent" movement — when you need totravel from one place to another as quickly as possible. Prismatic Barrier is a good choice when you only need to takea few steps, as it only costs a single GCD. Shimmer is a great talentas it is off GCD and does not interrupt your current cast, allowing you tocontinue casting when a damaging raid mechanic spawns under you by shimmeringout of it.

Alter Time is underutilized by many playersbut is an essential part of your mobility kit. This spell is fantastic formechanics that force you to run out of the raid and return moments later.It is also great for dealing with dance mechanics — after the "dance."ends, you can return to your original location without delay. Do not underestimateAlter time, and do not be afraid to get creative with how you use it!

Always position yourself in a central location to fight movement.For example, if the boss is being moved in a circle, try to stay on the insideof the kite path to ensure minimal movement.

At the start of the fight, simply pre-cast Evocation (with Siphon Storm and then immediately go into the Burn phase).