DPS Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Arcane Mage abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: The War Within (11.2).

Single Target

Start with Evocation to gain mana and buffs, then proceed into the cooldown sequence.

• EvocationView detailsUse to gain mana and Clearcasting.
• Arcane MissilesView detailsConsume Clearcasting from Evocation for Nether Precision.
• Arcane OrbView detailsIf < 2 Arcane Charges.
• Arcane MissilesView detailsConsume Clearcasting and gain Arcane Charges.
• Arcane SurgeView detailsUse after activating trinkets or racials.
• Touch Of The MagiView detailsUse after Arcane Barrage or during cooldown sequence.
• Arcane BarrageView detailsUse with 4 Arcane Charges or when out of mana.
• Arcane BlastView detailsUse as filler.

Begin with Evocation to prepare resources, then follow the cooldown sequence. Use Arcane Missiles with Clearcasting, Arcane Barrage at 4 charges, and Arcane Blast as filler.

AoE

Enter the AoE rotation when facing 2+ targets.

• EvocationView detailsStart for mana and Clearcasting.
• Arcane MissilesView detailsConsume Clearcasting for Nether Precision.
• Arcane OrbView detailsIf < 2 Arcane Charges.
• Arcane ExplosionView detailsUse to build Arcane Charges on multiple targets.
• Arcane BarrageView detailsDump charges when possible.
• Touch Of The MagiView detailsUse during cooldown sequence.

For AoE, use Arcane Explosion to build charges, then Arcane Barrage to dump them. Incorporate Touch Of The Magi and Arcane Orb for burst.

Cooldowns

• EvocationView detailsUse to restore mana and gain Clearcasting.
• Arcane SurgeView detailsUse for burst damage and mana regeneration.
• Touch Of The MagiView detailsUse during cooldown phases for max DPS.
• Shifting PowerView detailsUse to reduce cooldowns when no other cooldowns are active.

Use Evocation and Arcane Surge for mana and burst phases. Incorporate Touch Of The Magi and Shifting Power strategically for cooldown management.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.