Updated November 3, 2026.
Our source guides call Arcane a viable leveling spec on its own now, built on Arcane Blast and Missile Barrage, and Frost the safe and steady choice, with slows and freezes that keep enemies away. Fire's leveling build is left out for now, because our source guide's point list does not match its own text. At level 60 Arcane has one competitive build, Arcane Fire. Fire has Frostfire Bolt for AoE fights and Fire Arcane, its highest single-target build, for most fights. Frost has Deep Frost for general play and dungeons and the Cone-of-Cold Raiding build for raids. PvP builds are left out for now too: the ones published so far use an older version of the talent tree. WoW Forever launches on November 4, so all of these come from the beta, and we will update them as players reach 60.
Mage build planner
Pick a build and set your level: the planner shows the talents you should have now, where the next point goes and what to press.
Talents, spells and their numbers come from the game client. Every build and rotation comes from a published guide or plan, named under the planner. Where we changed an order or carried one over from leveling, the rotation says so. Nothing at level 60 is tested in play yet.
Mage leveling builds
Arcane Leveling
Wand Specialization comes first, then Improved Channeling, which protects Arcane Missiles and Arcane Blast from pushback. Missile Barrage by 16 and Arcane Blast at 20 are the core of the build: you cast Blast to fish for procs, then spend them on fast, free Arcane Missiles. Arcane Meditation from 29 adds mana regeneration in combat, and Arcane Mind by 38 adds Intellect and critical damage. After Arcane Power at 43, the last points go to Frost and Fire.
Talent points: 32 Arcane, 8 Fire, 11 Frost.
Rotation: keep up: Arcane Intellect, Frost Armor, Mage Armor; in the fight: Frostbolt, Arcane Missiles, Arcane Blast, Fire Blast, Scorch; four or more enemies: Frost Nova, Cone of Cold, Arcane Explosion, Blizzard; when it helps: Arcane Wrath, Arcane Power, Evocation, Mana Shield.
Open Arcane Leveling in the planner
Frost Leveling
This build is for leveling and dungeons. It starts in Arcane for Wand Specialization and Missile Barrage, the most mana-efficient options while leveling, then takes Precision so your spells miss less. Frostbite by 24 gives your chills a chance to freeze, which sets up Ice Lance at 27. Ice Shards and Shatter raise your Frost damage, and Fingers of Frost at 37 and 38 brings the spec together. Ice Barrier at 47 adds Frost damage as well as a shield, and Arcane Blast at 51 adds damage to all your spells.
Talent points: 12 Arcane, 5 Fire, 34 Frost.
Rotation: keep up: Arcane Intellect, Ice Armor, Ice Barrier; in the fight: Frostbolt, Arcane Blast, Arcane Missiles, Ice Lance, Cone of Cold, Fire Blast; against a group: Flamestrike, Cone of Cold, Blizzard, Arcane Explosion; when it helps: Frost Nova, Blink, Polymorph, Evocation.
Open Frost Leveling in the planner
Mage raid builds
Arcane Fire
This is the one Arcane build our source guide calls competitive for dungeons and raids. Fire Blast and Pyroblast give it very high burst, and Arcane Concentration and Arcane Meditation make mana easier to manage. Arcane Blast gives 15, 30, 45 or 60% of your Intellect as Spell Damage by stack, for all spells, so you hold 4 stacks. You can stack both Arcane Blast and Heating Up before a fight.
Talent points: 32 Arcane, 16 Fire, 3 Frost.
Rotation: keep up: Arcane Blast, Arcane Intellect, Mage Armor; in the fight: Pyroblast, Fire Blast, Arcane Wrath, Arcane Missiles; when it helps: Arcane Power, Arcane Explosion, Blizzard.
Open Arcane Fire in the planner
Frostfire Bolt
Our source guide recommends this build for AoE fights. The 22 Frost points give you Fingers of Frost, which treats your next spells as if the target were frozen, and Shatter, which adds critical chance against frozen targets. Those crits feed Heating Up, Pyroblast and Ignite. On longer fights, Fingers of Frost gives more crits than Combustion would.
Talent points: 29 Fire, 22 Frost.
Rotation: keep up: Scorch, Arcane Intellect, Mage Armor; in the fight: Pyroblast, Fire Blast, Frostfire Bolt; tanked packs: Flamestrike, Arcane Explosion.
Open Frostfire Bolt in the planner
Fire Arcane
This is our source guide's highest single-target Fire build, and its pick for most fights. The 16 Arcane points give you Arcane Concentration, whose Clearcasting makes your next damage spell free, and Arcane Blast, whose Spell Damage bonus counts for all your spells. You hold 1 or 2 Arcane Blast stacks. You can stack Arcane Blast and Heating Up before a fight, then add Combustion for burst.
Talent points: 16 Arcane, 32 Fire, 3 Frost.
Rotation: keep up: Scorch, Arcane Blast, Arcane Intellect, Mage Armor; in the fight: Pyroblast, Fire Blast, Arcane Missiles, Fireball; tanked packs: Flamestrike, Arcane Explosion; when it helps: Combustion.
Open Fire Arcane in the planner
Deep Frost
This 11/0/40 build takes most of the utility and damage talents in Frost, which makes it useful for general play in the open world and for dungeons. That flexibility costs some damage and mana management. The Frost builds rest on assumptions from Classic, so how much mana matters at 60, and which gear there will be, is not clear yet.
Talent points: 11 Arcane, 40 Frost.
Rotation: keep up: Ice Barrier, Arcane Intellect, Mage Armor; in the fight: Ice Lance, Frost Nova, Frostbolt; three or more enemies: Cone of Cold, Ice Lance, Frost Nova, Blizzard, Arcane Explosion; when it helps: Arcane Missiles, Cold Snap, Evocation.
Open Deep Frost in the planner
Cone-of-Cold Raiding
This 19/0/32 build is meant for end-game raiding. Frostbolt, and Ice Lance with Fingers of Frost, can stack Winter's Chill on the target, and your next Cone of Cold pops the stacks. It drops utility that does not apply in raids, such as Frostbite, so Fingers of Frost is your only source of procs. Arcane Meditation in the fourth Arcane row helps with mana.
Talent points: 19 Arcane, 32 Frost.
Rotation: keep up: Ice Barrier, Arcane Intellect, Mage Armor; in the fight: Ice Lance, Frostbolt; when it helps: Frost Nova, Cone of Cold, Arcane Missiles, Cold Snap, Evocation.
