mage question

Archived from groups: (More info?)

Hello all,
I have a bit of a quandry and wondered whether you guys would be kind
enough to advise me please? I am currently playing a level 58 fire/arcane build
mage and was wondering when the best time to re-spec would be? I believe my best
bet for PvE playing is to frost/arcane spec around now, would you agree? Also,
should I transfer from + int and +spirit items to +damage items from now on?

I realise this is a pretty open question and may cause some debate, but I really
would appreciate any views on the matter, as I said I only really play PvE, so
PvP is only a very distant after thought...

Many thanks in advance,

T.

Archived from groups: (More info?)

I have been Ice/Arcane ever since level 10. I love it and don't wanna
change. I think the best gear is +Int +Stam. I don't really care about
+damage because i'd rather have more health and what not.
"Toby" <toby@msdn.com> wrote in message
news:nim5j190ci5k5qf7ubl88e86p8hf3p5pgf@4ax.com...
> Hello all,
> I have a bit of a quandry and wondered whether you guys would be kind
> enough to advise me please? I am currently playing a level 58 fire/arcane
> build
> mage and was wondering when the best time to re-spec would be? I believe
> my best
> bet for PvE playing is to frost/arcane spec around now, would you agree?
> Also,
> should I transfer from + int and +spirit items to +damage items from now
> on?
>
> I realise this is a pretty open question and may cause some debate, but I
> really
> would appreciate any views on the matter, as I said I only really play
> PvE, so
> PvP is only a very distant after thought...
>
> Many thanks in advance,
>
> T.

You don't have to completely nerf yourself to get big damage numbers, and it does make a difference. When my mage first hit 60 I could solo up to about a 54 elite. After accumulating a bunch of damage gear I can solo a 60 elite (unless I get an unlucky run of resists), with nearly the same health and mana pool as the stat gear. I am 21 arcane (enough to get IAE, silence, mana shield, evocation, and POM), 30 fire (ignite, stun, range, pyroblast, blast wave, damage).

In PvP I burn down everything in my path pretty quick. Also helps that I'm decked out in epics prolly, but I was doing the same thing before I had MC gear. In PvP it's most important to know all of your available options at any moment and use the right spells for the situation. Fire or frost plus arcane are both fine, but I would go with damage gear all the way. Some good items that drop in pre-MC instances are Dragonrider Boots, Thuzadin Sash, Burial Shawl, Skyshroud Leggings, and Bonecreeper Stylus. The wand is nice, and the other items are all better than their Magister's counterparts.

Happy nuking!