SSoulBound

Arcane Mage

Arcane Mage — DPS

Mana as a damage resource — burn hard, then conserve to refill.

Last updated 8/28/2026 by Guild guides

Log sample

Overview

Arcane is the only spec where mana is an active damage lever rather than a background constraint. You cycle between burn phases, where you dump mana for maximum damage, and conserve phases, where you rebuild it. Playing it well means planning those cycles around the fight rather than reacting to your mana bar.

How this spec operates

Strengths & weaknesses

Strengths
Weaknesses
  • Very high burst during burn phases
  • Strong control over when damage happens
  • Excellent utility — Blink, Alter Time, and a raid-wide intellect buff
  • Mana mismanagement flattens your damage for a long stretch
  • Cast-heavy and punished by movement
  • Weak while rebuilding mana

Burn phase

Priority order
  1. 1Touch of the Magi
  2. 2Arcane Surge
  3. 3Arcane Blast
  4. 4Arcane Missiles
  5. 5Arcane Barrage
  6. 6Evocation
  7. 7Arcane Charges

Left to right — use the first ability that is ready. Detailed notes for each step are below.

  1. 1
    Build Arcane Charges to maximum with Arcane Blast.
  2. 2
    Touch of the Magi to open the window.
  3. 3
    Arcane Blast repeatedly, using Arcane Missiles on Clearcasting procs.
  4. 4
    Arcane Barrage to dump charges as the window closes.
  5. 5
    Use Evocation to refill and extend if the fight calls for it.

Burn phases should line up with raid cooldowns and boss vulnerability windows.

Conserve phase

Priority order
  1. 1Arcane Blast
  2. 2Arcane Barrage
  3. 3Arcane Missiles
  4. 4Clearcasting

Left to right — use the first ability that is ready. Detailed notes for each step are below.

  1. 1
    Arcane Blast to four charges, then Arcane Barrage to reset.
  2. 2
    Spend Clearcasting procs on Arcane Missiles — they are free.
  3. 3
    Keep mana high enough that Mastery is still paying you.

What top logs actually run

Sampled from Warcraft Logs via Archon · updated 2026-08-27T12:00:00Z · 396482 parses

Spec & Hero Popularity
63.1%
Keystone Level
+19
DPS
257.9k

External references

Arcane Mage on Wowhead ↗Arcane Mage on Icy Veins ↗