Guide Fire Mage Spells
Fireball - Fireball will be your primary spell when it comes to causing damage. But be wary of its mana cost, because it will drain your mana before you realize it. Spamming fireball is not necessarily the best option when it comes to producing your damage. This is one of the biggest mistakes a new mage can make, especially when they don’t have the total mana to support it. The key to mana conservation with fire is to mix in other spells to compliment your fireball.
Fire Blast - One of the most underrated spells that a fire mage has. While more experienced mages might disagree with me, I have had too many experiences with new mages that completely forget this spell is even on their tool bar. Fire blast is an instant cast spell that I like to use as my own “finishing move.” It plays an integral part in both PVE and PVP, especially when you need something or someone to go down quick. In PVE, this spell will help maximize your DPS if used correctly. Untalented, fire blast is on an 8-second cool down. Fire blast should be used immediately after the cast for your fireball has completed. Why? If done correctly, your fire blast and fireball will hit the target at the same time. It may take some practice and quick hands, but it’s a good way to maximize your DPS.
Scorch - Learn to use scorch and learn to love it. Scorch is the most mana efficient spell in the fire tree and its not to be taken lightly. Scorch is a 1.5-second cast, that can deal a moderate amount of damage and be very viable in PVP. Scorch is also the best way for a Mage to control their DPS while raiding, especially if you’re getting high on the mobs hate list. I have seen Mages top DPS charts with knowing how to use this spell and how to use it effectively.
Pyroblast - Pyroblast is a spell that isn’t used very much and for good reason. Pyroblast has a 6-second cast time and in most situations, you won’t have 6-seconds to sit around and waste while this spell gets ready. Pyroblast is best used with presence of mind (commonly referred to as PoM), which is a talented spell that makes your next spell with less than a 10-second casting time an instant cast. But with the 3-minute cool down on presence of mind, don’t think you’re going to be able to just fling around pyroblasts whenever you feel like it. *Pyroblast is a talented spell and you must spend a talent point to train the first rank.*
Flamestrike - Flamestrike is the primary fire AOE available to mages. It’s also the only AOE that has a cast time. Flamestrike plays a role in both PVE and PVP since it can be done from a distance, unlike arcane explosion or blast wave that uses the mage as its center casting point. Flamestrike also can be talented to have a higher critical chance rate, which can lead to more damage with it procing ignite, a talent that allows 40% more damage to critical hits. Flamestrike is also the only AOE that gets about half of its damage from a DOT effect.
Blast Wave - Blast wave is the other fire AOE and is an instant cast. It does a little more instant damage (it has no DOT) than flamestrike but it also has a 45-second cool down. One of the highlights of this spell is the 6-second daze it causes to the target. Blast wave definitely has its uses and is a common spell used in PVP because of the daze effect. Blast wave has a chance of critical hitting and procing ignite. One mistake mages use in PVE AOEing with blast wave, is they open up with the spell, followed by arcane explosion. Blast wave has a higher chance of pulling agro on you than arcane explosion (especially if you don’t take the reduction of threat talent) and might take some practice to get used to. *Blast wave is also a talented spell and you must spend a talent point to train the first rank.*
