[Cata] The Frost AoE Grinding Guide

Сообщение от Fizzles

Hello.
This thank you taking time out of your day to read my guide.
In this thread, you will learn what Frost AoE means for you, the gear to get, what talents to pick and where to level.
Let's get started. :)
Contents:

Introduction
1.1 Sequences 101
1.2 Further reading
1.3 Recent patch changes
Gear and Talent Overview
2.1 Gear
2.2 Talent Overview
Talent Build
Where to level
4.1 Alliance Locations
4.2 Horde Locations
4.3 Neutral Locations
FAQ: Your questions answered
Glyphs, Macros and more...
6.1 Glyphs
6.2 Macros
6.3 Profession Guide
6.4 Pulling: Armored or Not?
6.5 Heirloom Guide
Notable Items/Gear, Misc.
7.1 Items
7.2 Gear
7.3 Misc.

1. Introduction
Frost can be a very powerful tool for leveling. But many people underestimate the viability of Frost, often taking Fire or Arcane instead. This section will tell you what to do, how to do it, and more.

YOU NEED TO BE AT LEAST LEVEL 20 BEFORE YOU CAN AOE.

1.1 Sequences 101
There is a very simple sequence for AoEs. It goes as follows.
Level 20-26 | Level 26-30 | Level 30-40 | Level 40 onwards
MS | MS | MS | IBa
Mount Up | Mount Up | Mount Up | MS
Gather Mobs | Gather Mobs | Gather Mobs | Mount Up
FN | FN | IB** | IB**
Bk | Bk | FN | FN
Bz | Bz | Bk | Bk
AE* | Bz | Bz | Bz
| CoC | Bz | Bz
| FN | CoC | Bz
| Bz* | FN | CoC
| | Bz* | FN
| | | Bz*
Key:
* - Repeat until mobs are dead.
** - If required.
IBa - Ice Barrier
MS - Mana Shield
IB - Ice Block
FN - Frost Nova
Bk - Blink
Bz - Blizzard
CoC - Cone of Cold
Beware: If the mobs resist your first Frost Nova, you can always pop Cold Snap and re-Frost Nova.
Sound complicated? Don't worry. It's really quite easy.
...Still worried? There are 3 ways to learn. Practice, practice and practice.

Think you're ready? Wrong. You're not yet ready to master the Frost.
Read more in this thread. It will enlighten you, or your money back. :)

1.2 Further reading

In Frost We Trust
"The slightly different but nevertheless complete AoE grinding guide for Frost Mages"
A movie by RunningDwârv Productions. This will be your bible for Frost. An absolute MUST watch. Made in before 2.3, still full of valuable information.
The Frost and the Curious
"A.K.A In Frost We Trust - The Horde Addon"
Made in Patch 2.3, this movie was an addon to In Frost We Trust. It assesses the (then new) talent changes and offers locations for Horde to level.
AoE Grinding / AoE leveling / Party AoE
A post on the Wowhead Mage forums by user oversmoelf. Includes some very nice to know facts about AoE-ing.
Even Stupider Mage Tricks
A pre-Naxxramas movie made by Faxmonkey. Skip to 11:02 in the movie, there's the perfect pulling technique.
If you're interested in more of Faxmonkey, watch some of his other videos.
Mage Leveling by brrobid
Very good guide, I'd reccomend to read it if AoE isn't your thing.

1.3 Recent/Upcoming Patch Changes
Cataclysm had brought the death of Frost AoE. Since Blizzard is now only available at 52 instead of the earlier 20, you'll be spending 32 levels doing nothing but Frostbolting one-two targets at a time. The guide remains here for past reference.

Сообщение от Fizzles

2. Gear and Talents
2.1 Gear
As a Frost Mage, survivability is key. Therefore, you will want to gear for Intellect and Stamina.
Here is what each stat will do:
Taken from WoWWiki, links are to respective pages.

Intellect
Increases mana points. Each point of intellect gives 15 mana points (except from the first 20 points of Intellect that provide 1 mana for each point instead).
Increases chance to score a spell critical strike.
As of 2.4, Intellect will increase the amount of MP5 generated by Spirit.
Stamina
Stamina provides 10 health for each point for all Classes/Mobs/NPCs (except from the first 20 points of Stamina that provide 1 health for each point instead).

2.2 Talent Overview
To any aspiring Mage, the Frost tree can seem confusing, and hard to know which Talents are good for Frost grinding, and which just shouldn't be specced at all. This next section will help you out a lot.

Frostbite. Do not spec this at all. The mobs need to be gathered neatly before the Frost Nova. If Frostbite goes off in the middle of the pull, the mob will miss out on the Frost Nova, and will more than likely kill you.
Imp. Frostbolt. Good for the solo run until 20.
Ice Floes. Not completely required, but good for the Ice Block and Icy Veins cooldown.
Ice Shards. Nice damage bonus, as Blizzard can crit since 3.0.8.
Frost Warding. Not worth the points.
Precision. Excellent talent. Don't underestimate hit chance, especially in new areas.
Permafrost. Good talent to play it safe when the mobs get Chilled.
Piercing Ice. Nice damage boost.
Icy Veins. Brilliant talent, use before Blizzard in a Macro, just see below.
Imp. Blizzard. Required. In all intensive purposes, means more damage done, less damage taken.
Arctic Reach. You can Blink further, alowing you to get more of the Blizzard out.
Frost Channeling. The threat reduction is useless, but the extra mana adds to the survivability.
Shatter. Works in perfect synergy with Fingers of Frost. Spec into it after you have 2 points into FoF, if you want.
Cold Snap. Required, as if the mobs resist your Frost Nova, you can pop this and recast. Everybody wins. Except the mobs.
Imp. Cone of Cold. Good, as CoC has a high damage-per-mana rate as it is.
Frozen Core. If you're taking spell damage, you're doing it wrong.
Cold as Ice. Good for the cooldowns.
Winter's Chill. +10% crit chance is awesome.
Shattered Barrier. No. Same as Frostbite, really.
Ice Barrier. Required. Spec as soon as you hit 40. Use with Mana Shield before you mount and the mobs will barely touch you.
Arctic Winds. Offensive and defensive at the same time. What more could you ask for?
Empowered Frostbolt. Useless for AoE.
Fingers of Frost. Procs a lot when casting Blizzard, meaning Shatter and Ice Shards are excellent talents to spec once you put points into this.
Summon Water Elemental. Its Freeze ability is excellent to cast during a Blizzard. Required.
Enduring Winter. Not very useful. The Replenishment effect procs from Frostbolt, making it almost worthless.
Chilled to the Bone. Although the damage bonus doesn't affect any spells used in the AoE sequence, the Chill effect is useful.
Deep Freeze. Single target stun. Not useful for AoEing.

Now that you are familiar with the Frost talents and Gear, it's time to move onto speccing into our desired build.

Сообщение от Fizzles

3. Talent Build
As you know, Talents play a hugely important role in all forms of play in World of Warcraft, and Frost AoE is no exception.
Build at 20.
Built for easy solo play until 20, but with the key talents woven in.
Improved Blizzard 2/3
Improved Blizzard 3/3
Icy Veins 1/1
Piercing Ice 1/3, or Precision 3/3
Icy Reach 1/2
Icy Reach 2/2
Frost Channeling 1/3
Frost Channeling 2/3
Frost Channeling 3/3
Cold Snap 1/1
Imp. Cone of Cold 1/3
Imp. Cone of Cold 2/3
Imp. Cone of Cold 3/3
Piercing Ice 2/3, or Precision 3/3
Winter's Chill 1/3
Winter's Chill 2/3
Winter's Chill 3/3
Cold as Ice 1/2
Cold as Ice 2/2
Ice Barrier 1/1
In the end, you should have this spec at 40.
Within 20 levels, you will have scored the main talent points for safe, efficient and quick AoE grinding.
The remaining 40 talent points you have until you hit 80 are free for you to spend. You could get Water Elemental, and find a way to get Freeze into the sequence, or into Arcane for more utility.

Perfect! You're set! The next step is to find you a nice playground. Read the next post to find out where to go.

Сообщение от Fizzles

4. Locations
You know the sequence. You've got the gear. You've got the spec. ~~You've got the looks.~~ You're set. Time to level.
Always observe a grinding location for a few minutes before you start grinding. The more you know about an area, the easier it is to level there.
4.1 Alliance Locations

Level 20-26: Mosshide Fen, Wetlands. Map.
There are a few casters in the left-hand camp.
Level 26-28: Raven Hill Cemetery, Duskwoood. Map.
Watch out for Mor'Ladim, a 30 Elite mob.
Level 28-33: The Rotting Orchard/Brightwood Grove, Duskwood. Map.
Note: Watch out for Mages.
Level 33-35: Corrahn's Dagger/Sofera's Naze, Alterac Mountains. Map.
There is a Shadow Mage or 2 in some of the camps.
Level 35-37: Go'Shek Farm, Arathi Highlands. Map.
Level 37-43: Dreadmurk Shore, Dustwallow Marsh. Map.
Look out for patrols.
Level 43-45: Misty Reed Strand, Swamp of Sorrows. Map.

4.2 Horde Locations

Level 20-22: Dry Hills, The Barrens. Map.
Look out for Windcallers, and the Rare-Elite.
Level 22-24: Bael Modan, The Barrens. Map.
Level 24-30: Hillsbrad Fields, Hillsbrad Foothills. Map.
The Footmen can Shield Bash your Blizzard, so break from the Blizzard early.
Level 30-34: Dabyrie Farmstead, Alterac Mountains. Map.
The named mobs are objective of a quest. Watch out in lower levels, though.
Level 34-38: Corrahn's Dagger/Sofera's Naze, Alterac Mountains. Map.
There are a few Shadow Mages in some of the camps.
Level 38-42: Dreadmurk Shore, Dustwallow Marsh. Map.
Look out for patrols.
Level 42-45: Misty Reed Strand, Swamp of Sorrows. Map.

4.3 Neutral Locations

Level 45-50: Lost Rigger Cove, Tanaris. Map.
Southsea Freebooters can shoot you. In the face.
Level 50-54: Sorrow Hill, Western Plaguelands. Map.
Level 54-58: Dalson's Tears, Western Plaguelands. Map.
Blink fast, as some of the mobs can fear.
Level 58-62: Valley of Bones, Hellfire Peninsula. Map.
Level 62-67: North of Falcon Watch, Hellfire Peninsula. Map.
Level 67-70: South of Area 52, Netherstorm. Map.
Level 70-77: Around Galkarond's Rest, Dragonblight. Map.
Level 77-80: Malykriss: The Vile Hold, Icecrown. Map.

Сообщение от Fizzles

5. FAQ
Got questions? No problem. Just leave a comment and I'll answer best I can.

How fast can I expect to level?
In pre-TBC areas, you can expect to level about 6 times every 24 hours.
Should I pull with or without Frost/Ice Armor?
Good question. It's simply a matter of personal preference. Experiment with and without armored. Just use the one you feel most comfortable with.
If you prefer to pull without Frost/Ice Armor, you could try pulling with Mage Armor and Molten Armor in later levels.
Is Shatter/Ice Shards good?
Somewhat. As of Patch 3.0.3, Blizzard can crit. Ice Shards can boost this damage, and Shatter can boost the critical strike chance. Keep to the spec in the first 40 levels, and if you feel like it, put some points into it. Both of these talents work in perfect synergy with Fingers of Frost.
I have a mage at 39 and i am thinking about leveling her up. would AoEing be viable after level 40 too? or is this more of a lowbie-thing? -guffene
It is viable up until level 80.
How fast can I expect to level?
Quite fast. In old world areas, you can expect to get 6 levels every 24 hours of play.

Сообщение от Fizzles

6. Glyphs, Macros and Misc.
6.1 Glyphs
Glyphs can make any difficult pulls easier. Picking the right Glyph, though, is quite difficult.

Glyph of Frost Nova
If you're having trouble with your Frost Nova breaking early due to Blizzard damage, this Glyph is for you.
Glyph of Blink
Useful after you put points in Arctic Reach. More range = more damage.
Glyph of Ice Armor
If you prefer to pull with armor, this is useful. More Mana after you pull the mobs.
Glyph of Ice Block
It's a second Cold Snap if a mob resists your Frost Nova, and you didn't use Ice Block in your pull. Very useful.

6.2 Macros
Cast Icy Veins + Blizzard
#showtooltip Blizzard
/run SetCVar("Sound_EnableSFX","0")
/cast Icy Veins
/run SetCVar("Sound_EnableSFX","1")
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()
/cast Blizzard
You won't get the "Spell isn't ready yet" error messages or sounds.
Freeze on the Hotbar
#showtooltip
/cast Freeze
Simply puts Freeze on your Hotbar if you have Water Elemental.
Ice Block on/off
#showtooltip
/cancelaura Ice Block
/cast Ice Block
Casts IB on one click, takes it off on the second click.

6.3 Profession Guide
Profession in World of Warcraft offer many bonuses in certain ways. Below is a list of professions, with the bonuses.
Main Professions

Alchemy
Allows you to create Potions and Elixirs using herbs found with the Herbalism skill.
At level 50 skill you gain Mixology, a passive ability that increases the effect of Potions and Elixirs you are able to make (note that you don't have to make the Potion/Elixir yourself)
Blacksmithing
Offers very little for the Mage class as a whole, let alone AoE.
Enchanting
Allows you to Enchant your gear with bonuses to certain stats.
Allows you to Disenchant your old gear.
Allows you to create Wizard and Mana Oils.
Engineering
Not too useful in lower levels, but with powerful goggles and enchants in the higher levels.
Inscription
Allows you to create Scrolls and Glyphs, to make play easier.
Jewelcrafting
Allows you to create powerful jewelry. Useful if your gear is lacking slightly.
Allows you to create Stone Statues, which heals you a certain amount. (Stone Statues share a cooldown with Mana Gems.)
Leatherworking
Aside from cloaks and armor kits, there is nothing of use for Mages.
Tailoring
Very useful. You will get a lot of Cloth while leveling, allowing you to upgrade your gear for very cheap.

Gathering Professions

Herbalism
You gain Lifeblood, a powerful HoT, and insanely overpowered in lower levels.
Mining
You gain a passive ability, Toughness, granting you a bonus to your Stamina. Good, but not brilliant.
Skinning
You gain a passive bonus to your Critical Strike Rating through Master of Anatomy. Don't be fooled by the supposedly low rating. It is quite high for levels below 30.

All passive and active abilities granted through Gathering Professions are automatically gained at 75, 250, 225, 300, 375 and 400 skill levels. There is no need to train them.

6.4 Pulling: Armored or not?
It is argued that pulling without Frost/Ice Armor is bad. Truth is, pulling with armor is neither better nor worse than pulling without it.
If you prefer to pull without Frost or Ice Armor, you can spec into Frostbite, as it will only proc off of Blizzard, boosting your damage nicely.

6.5 Heirloom Guide
Heirloom items are items which Blizzard implemented with Wrath of the Lich King. They scale to your level, and are on par with superior quality items of your level. You can buy most of them with Stone Keeper Shards, Emblem of Heroism or Champion's Seal.
Here is a list of Heirlooms Mages may find useful.

PvE Heirlooms
These Heirlooms are the 'good' Heirlooms, and are bought with Emblems of Heroism and Champion's Seal

Dignified Headmaster's Charge
Cost: 65 Emblems/95 Seals
You'll want to Enchant this with Spellpower or Major Intellect. A cheaper alternative is Healing Power, which is good if you're not swimming in money.
Tattered Dreadmist Robe
Cost: 40 Emblems/60 Seals
Throw either Major Mana or Greater Stats on it.
Tattered Dreadmist Mantle
Cost: 40 Emblems/60 Seals
Enchanting this is hard. You need to be Exalted with Zandalar Tribe on your main, and buy a Zandalar Signet of Mojo. Enchant the shoulder and send it to your Mage. Before level 55, the Enchant will be inactive. Once you reach 55, however, the Enchant will become active, granting you +18 Spell Power.
Swift Hand of Justice
Cost: 50 Emblems/75 Seals
A very nice item, and one of 3 BoA Trinkets available. Personally, I would reccomend 2x Discerning Eyes of the Beast over this, but it's mostly down to personal preference.
Discerning Eye of the Beast
Cost: 50 Emblems/75 Seals
A truly amazing Trinket. If you have 2 of these equipped, the effects stack, granting 4% of your total Mana per Killing Blow. A definate must-have for reducing down-time.

PvP Heirlooms
These are the 'bad' Heirlooms, bought from Knight Dameron for the Alliance or Stone Guard Mukar for the Horde, when your faction controls Wintergrasp.
They are 'bad' in the sense that the items sacrifice valuable DPS stats for useless Resilience.

Grand Staff of Jordan
Cost: 325 Shards
Again, +9 Itellect or +30 Spell Power is best here. +29 SP is still an option if you're short of money.
Excusisite Sunderseer Mantle
Cost: 200 Shards
The Enchant (see above) won't become active until level 55.
Inherited Insignia of the Alliance/Dread Pirate Ring
The Dread Pirate Ring is one of 2 rewards from the Kalu'ak Fishing Derby, and cannot be bought by Emblems, Seals or Shards.. You can only have one equipped at a time, unfortunately.

The increased experience from the chest, shoulders and ring all stack, meaning a total increased experience gain of +25%. This too stacks with zone buffs, like Essence of Wintergrasp, for added bonus experience

Сообщение от Arideni

Might want to check for spelling errors, I saw a few. I don't have time to read the entire thing right now, but it looks good so far. What do the rest of you think?