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Slow

Slow

1% of base mana	35 yd range

Instant
Requires Mage (Arcane)
Requires level 36

Reduces the target's movement speed by 50% for 15 sec.

Buff

Slow	Magic

Movement speed reduced by 50%.
15 seconds remaining

Spell Details

Duration

15 seconds

School

Arcane

Mechanic

n/a

Dispel type

Magic

GCD category

Normal

Cost

1% of base mana

Range

35 yards (Medium-Long)

Cast time

Instant

Cooldown

n/a

GCD

1.5 seconds

Effect

Apply Aura: Decrease Run Speed %
Value: -50%
Mechanic: Snared

Flags

Cannot be used while shapeshifted

Guides

Enhancement Shaman Guide

Mage DPS Guide

Warlords of Draenor
Mage Changes

[Outdated] Arcane Mage
PvE Guide 5.4

Comments

Comment by Pyrous

Excellent PVP talent. Great for stopping spell casters by reducing their casting time by 50%. However, this talent has very little use in PVE, especially against raid bosses.

Comment by Silvertusk

Could someone possibly inform me how much 28% of a level 60s base mana is? (aka, how much does this ability cost at level 60)?

Comment by Zachuhree

The mana cost for this spell is roughly 428mana, or the cost of a simple blink. Base mana of a level 60 (for me it's around 6500) in which 28% would be roughly 1820 mana.

I've found it much easier to take down melee players (Warriors, Rogues) w/ Slow. It cuts Warr's Charge speed in half, thus allowing a reaction time (blink) or I've found it possible to simply run away as long as you aren't speed inhibited. I usually cast Slow on everything I encounter PVP wise, since it is an instant and distant cast - for the more experienced rogues/warriors, casting slow w/ a combination of Fire Blasts while constantly walking backwards/away. I have found it helpful against casters, thus w/ the 50% increase casting time.

Comment by Zeront

This spell is alot of fun for pvp but has not real pve use in raids that i have come across. I think its best would be in WSG where you can slow the flag carrior. Not onyl is it funny but its efective in alowing your team to catch and destroy said flag carrior

Comment by yobo

this is a great spell in WSG against Druids. Druids are the best flag carriers because of their ability to morph out of snares.

I would cast this on a druid and he would shift out and back into cat. well cast it again. you can actually watch him shift over and over and over until he either
1). Makes it to the flag room and caps
2). Meet up with his escorts and eat you.
3). Run out of mana and look pretty stupid as you are melting his face.

either way its fun because for some reason ALL the druids that i encountered never stop running when you are spamming them with Slow. Almost like a Bot even when they are alone in the run ... they just never fight back.

Comment by kerruul

Regarding the "base mana" cost of spells. Base mana refers to the mana pool of your character with no gear on. It doesn't refer to your mana pool size when geared/buffed. This why the cost of blink and slow do not change when you upgrade your gear and why it doesn't cost 1000s of mana at level 70.

Comment by Wedmark

To reply to all questions regarding base mana.

Base mana is the mana you have before talents and equipment.
If you got a level 60 Mage, make sure you have no talents in arcane when testing it. (Arcane Mind in particular) Then take of your equipment (everything).

This will however differ from race to race since every race has different starting stats (at level 1).

Then take 28% of the mana you have and you will get the result of how much mana the spell costs.

This is the same at 70 even though you will have more mana ungeared and untalented at 70.

Comment by Goose

This spell is awsome in PvP; unfurtunately, not many Mages specc Arcane...

Comment by squirrelybread

Combine this with UA and you'll be able to kill someone in seconds (in PvP). Their Priest will be to afraid to dispell, and if they do manage to, then the other guy still has UA.

Comment by Tankadin

i'm wondering which is better in terms of arena which is better blast wave or slow, the spec i'm looking at is 40/21/0 or 41/20/0 and possibly 21/40/0 and i'm having a hard time deciding which to go with if anyone has any suggestions (and please don't suggest switching to frost)

Comment by dappa

Can druids shapeshift out of it? Considering the movement speed impairmenting part of this spell.

Comment by julgran

next to all spells or abilities with speed reduce effect will be removed when shapeshifting.
and YES this spell will be removed! havent tested after patch 2.3 but think its the same.

Comment by Carbunkle

wow then how come everydam forum on blizz made me feel this talent is useless :S!

Comment by sijtze

Dont waste your mana on slow while a rogue has CoS just wait those few seconds, you gotta have enough hp to survive, then blink/slow..

Full arcane mages have a really high dmg output but a very little dmg per mana, landing arcane blasts is very mana unefficient. Try to team up with 1 or more shadow priests, they should get your mana up. 1.5 sec cast 4.8k crits is the max dps you can get,

Since 2.3.. just iceblock the CoS if you are little on hp but I rather use iceblock to get rid of dots or block a pyro/soul fire.

Comment by BvH91

Can you use Slow for nasty trash encounters in raids? Or are most of them immune as well? I mean, "Time between ranged attacks increased by 50%." sounds very nice, even for trash encounters.

Comment by Mortenz

I had REALLY good use of this while tanking Krosh Firehand in Gruuls lair, the mage brute.

50% less casting time on him really makes it easy to tank him, and to keep me alive.

Comment by Mutez0r

This is an awesome spell against all non spell casters including bosses but if u use it on a spell casting boss then your in for trouble because it increases his spell cast time.

Slow
20% of base mana 30 yd range
Instant cast
Reduces target's movement speed by 50%, increases the time between ranged attacks by 50% and increases casting time by 50%. Lasts 15 sec. Slow can only affect one target at a time.

Comment by gackback

ok i just wanted to point out one little fact...MAGES ROCK!!!

Comment by karbonii

As of WotLK BETA Patch 8885 (from wotlkwikki.com)

Slow: Mana cost changed from 20% to 12%

This spell combined with Torment of the Weak, make Arcane much more viable now.

Comment by blackbow

all the more making warriors ridiculously stupid against mages

Comment by ShiroMage

I really hate this spell. It's too cheap against all classes.

I personally am a fire mage, and since duel wins/losses are now recorded, I have a 68% record of wins. I'm good.

Out of probably the 20 times I've faced an arcane mage, they won, no interference.

Once slow is on me, I try to use all of my instant cast spells, now that they are all on cooldown, I start casting fireball, ect.
It's a freakin 5.6 cast time. During so he's nuking me with "Missile Barrage", a talent that make arcane missiles super fast. Ok, my fireball is almost done, but then I'm silenced. I can't do anything for 3 seconds or 4 or something like that.
There he goes again, nuking the snot outa me. His health is still 100% because of mana sheild, and lets not forget everytime they absorb something they gain about 200 Spell Power from a 1000 dmg hit.

I literaly can't do anything through the entire fight.

Arcane Barrage crits for 1800-2000 and has a 3 sec cooldown....ouch.

I believed that the mages were going to be nerfed because since the 3.0.2 patch, I've noticed I'm a little too powerful, but the arcane tree needs the most attention.

They should either:
A) Insert a cooldown on this and make it last for a less amount of time.
B) Give it a casting time as suggested from above comments, so it can be interupted from all classes.

I feel sorry for the warriors, the arcane mage can dance around them with that dang slow spell while casting Arcane Barrage.

ShiroMage

Comment by ShiroMage

Though, you do realize that they too have Ice Block, to get them out of any stuns and fight back, as well as a trinket like this:

http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28234.... or anything else that gets 'em out.

The thing is, you can use your Ice Block, trinket, or whatever you have to free yourself from Slow, but they'll just cast it again, it has no cooldown.

Dragon's Breath has a cooldown, so does Deep Freeze.

After saying this, all Blizz has to do is put a cooldown on this.

Every spec has their neat little stun with a cooldown, but Slow does not.

Comment by SirCheese

its a bit op in pvp imo with no cooldown, every arcane mage I see is constantly casting it, over and over

Comment by Sabrissa

the mage is probably casting it over and over again because it gets dispelled or removed so quickly. Nearly every class has a way to get around slow. And mind you, it only works for ranged and casting speed. Attack speed doesn't change.

Comment by ShiroMage

Oh yes.. true.

The movement speed debuff still hurts our warriors and paladins though.

Let's wait until we get some 80's that are well geared, and then see if we still have problems with this spell.

Comment by Betrezahn

Mage is my main, but still, I feel myself somekind uncofortable about casting slow agains bosses. Does Slow works fully on them, or its somehow weaker than against player, or not bosses mobs?

Comment by minihai

Patch 3.0.9:

Slow (Arcane): now increases cast time by 30%, down from 60%.

Comment by ShiroMage

There, much less unbearable.

Lots of other things among other classes that increase casting time have had their penalty reduced as well.

Comment by mtpleasantries

Does the movement impairing effect stack with the chill effect (ie. Frostbolt snare)?

Comment by tempesmagus

I wonder if they ever thought of making this slow melee attacks as well? That would definitely boost survivablity to the most common way mages die.

Comment by henny234

Mages, if you come across a group boss quest (I'm looking at you, Tusker) then this will be your savior. It would be safe to test it out first.

Spam this on the boss, you won't even need to face them. Spam Arcane Barrage or any other instant casts you have while strafing away from the boss, but keeping enough angle to get your instants to count. (Ice lance)

I kited tusker with Slow and occasional blinks. Tusker is only a fraction faster than you, so your blinks can get you away from her.

If you can PoM and use an Arcane Blast or another powerful spell, use it.

I may be one of the very few outland arcane mages out there, but be glad you have this spell. I even neglected this due to me seeing no "appeal" to it. Until you're the last one standing and an angry boss is chasing after you out of an instance.

Comment by Bhor

Does Slow applies casting time increase to the Twins Valkyries ?

Comment by benm550

What is the range on this with other talents? Would it be worth it to get the glyph of charge on my warrior vs arcane mages?

Comment by Toldry

"I don't remember casting slow on you." - Sorceress, Warcraft

Comment by Cer0

Does Escape Artist works against Slow?

Comment by RokkitRetBoom

Not to mention, the pure frustration this spell generates in you opponents. (I know this from experience.) No matter how many times you dispel it, it has no cooldown! This slows almost everything about an opponent (ever try to proc Art of War with this kind of a swing timer!), extraordinarily useful. Get it. Period.

Comment by Ghar

Do NOT get this spell confused with this.

Comment by Malvard

CAUTION: SLOW HUNTERS AT PLAY

Comment by rhka

If you put 2 talent points in Arkane Potency You will do 12% extra damage while Slow is active.
So I almost always have Slow active while fighting.

Comment by Calyrn

Incredibly good spell, seems in PvE when soloing you can keep out of range from enemy mobs, and you'd even have time to cast a few times between moving as you can blink out of range again. Hard to get a screenshot of though >.> posted a screenie, did the best i could but couldn't get the full mob without my head in the way

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