First off, let me begin by restating my original premise: no one can tell you how to play, or in this case who to play. In the end, it is you who log into the game, it is your set of characters that load in with the resounding intro music plays in the background. But maybe you read Arcane Brilliance and said to yourself, "hey, maybe I might like to try my hand at playing a mage." Here's the short and the long of it.

I have a group of friends that enjoy trying out new characters. Sometimes they ask me this very question, and I reply with some questions in return. First is the easy one: where do you prefer to be in a fight? Do you want to stand up close and personal, breathing in the putrid stench that is the monster's breath, hacking away at him piece by piece? If so, then a mage isn't for you. They are a cloth-wearing DPS class, and with the exception of a few fights, we are standing at the back of the crowd dealing death from a safe distance.

Also, I like to ask: How difficult a challenge are you looking for? Mages are not the easiest class to play. They take a lot of juggling. With the various spell resistances of the monsters in Azeroth and Outland, a mage has to keep constantly aware of who they are fighting. Your spell rotation can be totally different depending on who or what you are up against. I've heard it said that anyone can play a mage, but few play them well.

Nerfed is unhappy about the idea of the Ritual of Refreshment, the one announcement that came out of BlizzCon that sent me into a personal state of rapture. As he sees it, allowing players to pick and choose their water is cumbersome and redundant. Luckily Drysc has come to the rescue with some refinement on what the spell will actually entail:

Ritual of Refreshment gives Manabiscuits, which restore 7500 health and 7200 mana over 30 seconds. It's just about making life a bit easier for the mage, now everyone can grab what they want. We're not attempting to or currently buffing the water/food you would normally conjure.

Mana biscuits are delicious little items that I used to spend an unhealthy amount of scourgstones on back before the Expansion was released. Knowing that the Ritual of Refreshment will have this simple but effective sustenance for my party not only makes me happy, it also makes me a bit nostalgic for those days of grinding Argent Dawn rep. But I digress.

It seems that there is only good news coming about this particular spell, although I would love to see a little improvement in the amount of mana the ritual provides. After all, there are three types of healthstones available from a warlock's soulwell, aren't there?

In the newest video from Nyhm, creator of Can't PuG KZ and Death Knight Spree, we're treated to his newest spin on things going on in WoW. This time around Nyhm actually decided to jump from his beloved Warlock and give us the skinny from another caster class -- the Mage! This one features a parody of a 50 cent song and some pretty witty observations about Mage group utility and abilities. We all know Mages are the best snack machines in game, but you have to admit that Nyhm's served this tasty Mage treat up with style.

Bon Appétit!

Previously, on MovieWatch...

Arcane Brilliance is here again, this time looking at mage PvP. When I began playing the game, PvP consisted of standing outside of Goldshire spamming the "duel" request. Sure there was world PvP, but it didn't really take off until the honor point system was in place. A couple months after that, the battlegrounds were born, places specifically designed for factions to duke it out. The next iteration of WoW PvP came in the form of arenas, the caged death match of the game. Dueling was never my style, but I enjoyed the battlegrounds quite a bit (mostly due to the geek-out factor as a result of playing Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.)

I bring this up to make a point. PvP has changed dramatically in two years, and each aspect requires a different set of skills. In the battlegrounds I was a ninja mage who spent so much times camping Iceblood Graveyard my Alterac Valley ram and I could have built a winter cottage there. I stood in the trees or on ledges and nuked anyone who might happen by. I see much that is similar in dueling and arena combat. Lock down your opponents by any means possible, and once you have the adds controlled, nuke 'em into next Tuesday.

The PvP of today is a vast new world that sometimes scares me, and in the words of Illidan much of me is not prepared. But I can save you the trouble by giving you a glimpse into the stats required for mage PvP.

Ah, this video makes me nostalgic for those pre-Burning Crusade days when getting to level 60 was a big deal and soloing the elites in this video was a real accomplishment. Don't laugh -- I'm serious! Soloing big elites was slow and not always terribly profitable, but it served as a test of skill and helped occupy the time waiting for the next content update. And though this video isn't new, it's still an excellent introduction to kiting for any young mage eager to learn how to take down creatures twice his size.

Previously on Moviewatch...

Though the torrent of tidbits coming from Blizz Central has slowed, there are still a few new and interesting items for everyone (particularly Hunters, Mages, and melee people) to peruse today.

• [Hunter] Trueshot Aura will be free to cast and is going to last until canceled. (source)
• [Hunter] Serpent Sting, Immolation Trap and Explosive Trap are going to gain additional damage based on ranged attack power. (source)
  
• [Mage] Fire Ward and Frost Ward now gain additional benefit from spell damage bonuses (source)
• [Mage] Detect Magic removed, all players will see their target's beneficial effects at all times (source)
• [Rogue] one other change to poisons though is that they will last for one hour now, increased from 30 minutes. (source)
  
• all disarm immunity effects in the game were changed to 50% disarm duration reduction (non stacking) (source)
• The Guild Banks are still in the works and planned for patch 2.3. (source)
• Duration of wizard and mana oils created by enchanters has been increased. (source)
• Auction House will now sort server side. If multiple pages exist you will be able to sort across all pages.
• Auction House post times have been changed to 12, 24, and 48 hours. Deposit prices remain the same for each time increment.
• You will now be able to ctrl-click a recipe to preview the item the recipe will create in the dressing room.
• Ogri'la Faction Vendor: This vendor now sells potions useable anywhere for a large number of Apexis Shards. 50 shards, as good as super mana/heal pots. (source for the above 4)
  

The big news here, as I see it, is that there will no longer be full disarm immunity in the game, at all, period. I sense a drop in value for Steel Weapon Chains. The TSA change makes perfect sense: it is called an aura, after all. And being able to sort AH searches across pages is also long, long overdue. How do you all feel about this latest preview of patch 2.3?

Like the rest of the classes, Mages are getting a glimpse of the love coming their way in patch 2.3. Drysc has hopped on to the Mage forums with all manner of exciting news about the next major content patch:

• Mages will be getting a "Ritual of Refreshment" which, like the Warlock's Soulwell, will be conjured by the Mage and allow multiple players to pick up food and water. (source)
• The damage coefficient reduction (commonly called the "damage tax") will be removed from Fireball and Frostbolt. (source)
• Evocation is being changed to restore 15% of your mana every 2-seconds, instead of being spirit-based. (source)
• Arcane Meditation is being increased to give 10/20/30% mana regeneration in combat instead of 5/10/15% mana regeneration in combat, in line with similar talent changes for Druids and Priests. (source)
• Ice Barrier will gain additional benefit from spell damage bonuses, but the base absorb values of rank 5 and 6 will be reduced. (source)

And we have hints at more changes to come -- though what exactly they are, Drysc isn't saying.

Arcane Brilliance is back again, if belatedly so, to fill your day with more magey goodness. I thought that this week we would look into some of the finer points of magecraft. No matter how good you are as a mage, at some point you will have to shift your focus from your technique to your gear.

The bonuses to your spell schools can mean the difference between being at the top of the DPS charts and wallowing in your own caster tears somewhere near the bottom. But building up a huge amount of spell damage gear, although good, may not be the most effective way to epic out. There are two other stats mages need to look at, specifically spell hit and spell crit, and without knowing the proper balance between these three stats you will never be the best mage you can be.

First, let's look at the stats themselves.

It's time again for Arcane Brilliance, your one-stop mage shop for all your magical caster needs. Last time we spoke about the macros mages should know and love, those little additions to your game play that will make you even more uber than you already are. At the end of that article I mentioned we would next talk about the addons that mages simply shouldn't do without, and even the comments in that article mentioned a few (thanks for stealing my thunder guys.)

This isn't to say that as a mage it is required that you use mods when you play. Think of these more as the added features on your luxury sedan, the DVD player and the auto-adjusting seats. The mods I use are an extension of the way I already play, but they don't play the game for me. Try them out, see if they work for you, and let us know how it went. Like I've said before, no one can tell you how to play your class; we can only suggest things that might make playing your class easier or more fun.

Pretty incredible. Xetrov on Farstriders took a few friends (and a pretty good Pally tank-- never thought I'd say those words) into Black Morass, and trashed all the trash. At once. With AoE. Good lord, look at all those numbers. He says he cracked 20,000 DPS, which is pretty jaw dropping.

And this is also a really good example of how Blizzard has more or less crushed AoE when you're taking on more than ten mobs-- Xetrov has almost 800 spell damage, and yet his crits are hitting at around 150-200, because with so many targets, his spell damage is pretty much negated. He's still pulling down tons of DPS (and when are you really taking on more than 10 mobs, except in wacky situations like this?). But showing numbers like 150 and 160 coming off of a Mage with 800 spell damage show pretty clearly how weak AoE can get with this many targets.

Nayami over on Area 52 makes a good point in a recent thread on the official Mage forums about how magi must usually respec depending on which raid they're running:

"So I was talking with a few random raiders on my server, and I was informed that SSC and TK has a large amount of frost immunities?

I mean, I can accept the fact that fire does more damage than frost overall. That is the way it is and ever shall be. But I liked Frost because of the pvp viability and utility it brough [sic] outside of raid bosses and still managed to hold its own in terms of DPS. You weren't going to top any meters but you didnt suck. But Immunities? I dread to see how many things will be frost immune in Northrend."

Magi switching their spec depending on what they're raiding is nothing new -- back in the old days of Molten Core, you had to spec into Frost or Arcane. Other raid instances such as BWL, ZG and Naxx did allow Fire spec magi to raid, but it seems like raid mobs having immunity to certain schools of magic is a step in the wrong direction.

Nayami (and others in that thread) also point out something I hadn't thought about before -- what will Frost spec magi do when they get to Northrend? There are bound to be many mobs immune to Frost spells in the icy roof of the world. Is it fair to make a certain class respec this often in order to DPS efficiently? And when was the last time anyone saw a mob that was immune to Shadow spells? Warlocks and shadow priests certainly haven't found any, as far as I can tell.

Previously on Forum Post of the Day...

Once again we're back with Arcane Brilliance, where we discuss all things mage-like. This week I'd like to talk a bit about our roots as mages in the World of Warcraft universe. In order to understand who you are and where you are going, sometimes you have to learn about where you've been. In this case, both our past as mages and our future are tied to the same place, namely Dalaran, or more specifically The Magical Nation of Dalaran.

Veteran readers of the blog will remember when the world first of this baby dropped, but now that everyone's 70, maybe you too can get a raid rolling in Naxxaramas, and obtain for yourself the legendary (literally) weapon of Medivh.

Name: Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian
Type: Legendary Staff
Damage/Speed: 130-243 / 2.90 (64.4 DPS)
Abilties:

• There are actually four different versions of the staff-- Warlock, Mage, Priest, and Druid. You can see all of them over at WoW Wiki-- they all increase spell damage and/or healing of the equipper (the Druid one increases AP in feral forms as well), but they also have a party bonus, too. The Druid gives 11mp5, the Mage increases spell crit strike of the entire party, the Warlock grants 33 spell damage to the party, and the Priest gives 62 healing to everyone in the party.
• Additionally, all of the versions will do something very special: create a portal to Karazhan. Nowdays, players go to Karazhan all the time, so it's not that big a deal, but back when this staff came out, no one had ever been there, and so cracking open a portal was pretty cool
• And the staff grants various amounts of Stamina, Intellect or Spirit, depending on the version you have.
• Unfortunately, the stats are no longer that great-- they're incredible for level 60, but at level 70, it's pretty easy to come by equivalent (or even better) stats, and therefore, not really worth the trouble to obtain the staff. But then again, there is an immense amount of value in the lore of this item, considering that it was owned by Medivh himself.
• Why, might you ask, does something so awesome look so plain? Don't judge a book by its cover, son-- that model, though plain, matches the models used in Warcraft 2 and 3. This is a legendary item, and real power is inside. Also, spectral birds sometimes appear flying around the staff. So that's kind of cool.
• Also, the Shade of Aran (who is of course Medivh's father) will be kind of surprised if you show up to fight him with this thing on

How to Get It: In many ways, this is the final goal of shipping WoW. To get the item, you have to first collect 40 Splinters of Atiesh, which drop from different bosses in Naxxaramas, which means you need to run the place a few times. Then, once you've got those together, you can combine them to make the Frame of Atiesh. Once you've got that, you head off to Anachronos, the great big dragon near the Caverns of Time in Tanaris.

He'll send you in search of the Staff Head of Atiesh, which Kel'Thuzad has gotten his grubby little hands on. He's trying to put the staff back together, and the Argent Dawn is fighting against him, so if you can nab the Head away from him, more power to you. And the Base of Atiesh is the other item you'll need, and it drops from C'thun, the end boss of AQ40. See what I mean about this being the final goal?

After you've done all that, Anachronos will reassemble the staff for you, but wait! It's corrupted! (Figures.) You then take it into Stratholme, and run an event in which you can vanquish the evil spirit from the staff. Along the way, you can pick up another legendary item, a 1h sword that's freakin' awesome, but disappears after only a few minutes. After you defeat the spirit, you're then allowed to claim the staff, giving you the world's phattest loot-- of 2006.

Getting Rid of It: The Greatstaff of the Guardian! The staff of Medivh himself, shattered when Archimonde destoryed Dalaran! Reassembled from shards dropped by ancient demons and cleansed by the most powerful of Azeroth's heroes! And a vendor will give you 18g 45s 58c for it. Go figure.

If you're a Mage, this thread from the EU forums is definitely worth a read-- it's based on a Warlock tips thread (which I looked around for but couldn't find-- if you see it, let me know and I'll link it up for the locks) that basically ran down 100 basic and advanced tips for players of that class.

If you're a super advanced Mage, you probably already know most of this stuff. The basics are here for sure-- use Blink judiciously to move in an out of range, use Sheep to interrupt casters, and downrank utility spells in PvP. But there's some other interesting things here as well-- I play a Shaman, and my first step when fighting mages (well, right after Grounding Totem) is to Purge all those buffs off. So casting Ice Barrier during my spellcast is ingenious-- either I have to interrupt to purge, or just let the barrier eat the damage.

Especially for beginner mages, this stuff is gold. If you're in the mood for tips on how to make your mage better, check it out for sure.

Update: Here's the Warlock thread. Thanks to everyone who sent it to me. Also, apparently the Warlock thread was based on a Warrior tricks thread. Anyone seen that one?

Arcane Brilliance is a little late today, but for a pretty good reason: I'm writing the column from the floor of the Anaheim Convention Center. Seeing as how we are coming to you live from BlizzCon, I thought it might be of interest to show you how mages are receiving the love from the Blizzard dev team. The first class panel didn't give us much in the way of new info on the mage, but there certainly were a lot of references to mages during the convention.