World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide
Arcane Mage: Races
Every race Arcane Mage can be, ranked against each other: best first, with how much the choice matters.
Best races for Arcane Mage in PvE
Race matters a lot
Mana decides Arcane Mage. 
Undead 
Cannibalize returns 35% of mana every 2 minutes between pulls, while the damage racials are within about 1 to 2% of each other, so no race has a large damage edge. 
Gnome is the best Alliance pick. Undead is the best Horde pick.
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Undead S tierCannibalize gives Undead the strongest damage and mana here, which makes it the best pick for Arcane Mage.
Why S, and its scores
Cannibalize restores 7% health and 7% mana every 2 seconds for 10 seconds (35% of each) every 2 minutes near a corpse, and Arcane is the mana-limited mage spec. 
Touch of the Grave adds about 1% damage, an estimate. 
Will of the Forsaken removes Charm, 
Fear and Sleep every 2 minutes, and Cannibalize heals 35% of health between pulls. Safety scores 4 of 5 for Arcane Mage. Cannibalize restores 35% of health and mana near a corpse every 2 minutes, which cuts drinking and eating time. Leveling scores 5 of 5.It has no race ahead of it. The next race,
Gnome, trails by 1.20 and sits in tier C. It falls short on damage and mana (
Expansive Mind against Cannibalize, 3 of 5 to 4), leveling (Expansive Mind against Cannibalize, 3 of 5 to 5) and safety (
Escape Artist against Will of the Forsaken, 3 of 5 to 4).Scores for Undead for Arcane MageCriterion Weight Score The spec's job 55 4 Survival and utility 25 4 Leveling and downtime 20 5 Weighted score 4.20, the best for this spec, which is S tier.
What would move it: It would lose first place if testing showed Expansive Mind on Gnome worth more than the estimate for Arcane Mage now, or if Cannibalize were cut in a patch.
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Gnome C tierGnome's Expansive Mind trails Undead's Cannibalize on damage and mana.
Why C, and its scores
Expansive Mind adds 5% maximum mana, a longer pool worth an estimated 1 to 2% effective output for a mana-limited spec. 
Eureka! adds about 0.67% on non-periodic damage. Escape Artist frees you from movement impairment and gives 3 seconds of immunity, every 2 minutes. Safety scores 3 of 5 for Arcane Mage. Expansive Mind adds a larger resource pool, and Escape Artist helps with kiting. Leveling scores 3 of 5.Ahead of it:
Undead. The best, Undead, is 1.20 ahead because it is stronger on damage and mana (Cannibalize, 4 of 5 against 3), leveling (Cannibalize, 5 of 5 against 3) and safety (Will of the Forsaken, 4 of 5 against 3). Tier C covers up to 1.50 behind; tier B needs 1.17 or less.Scores for Gnome for Arcane MageCriterion Weight Score The spec's job 55 3 Survival and utility 25 3 Leveling and downtime 20 3 Weighted score 3.00, 1.20 behind the best race for this spec, which is C tier.
What would move it: Closing about 0.03 of weighted score, through a higher tested value for Expansive Mind or a change to Cannibalize on Undead, would lift it to tier B.
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Human C tier
The Human Spirit trails Undead's Cannibalize on leveling.Why C, and its scores
Ruthless adds 2% crit, about 1% damage on spells because Arcane has few crit-damage talents (an estimate). The Human Spirit adds 5% Spirit, which helps casting regen. 
Will to Survive removes all stuns on a 3 minute cooldown, and 
Perception detects stealth for 20 seconds. Safety scores 3 of 5 for Arcane Mage. The Human Spirit adds 5% Spirit, which helps regen a little. Leveling scores 2 of 5.Ahead of it:
Undead and Gnome. The best, Undead, is 1.40 ahead because it is stronger on leveling (Cannibalize, 5 of 5 against 2), damage and mana (Cannibalize, 4 of 5 against 3) and safety (Will of the Forsaken, 4 of 5 against 3). Tier C covers up to 1.50 behind; tier B needs 1.17 or less.Scores for Human for Arcane MageCriterion Weight Score The spec's job 55 3 Survival and utility 25 3 Leveling and downtime 20 2 Weighted score 2.80, 1.40 behind the best race for this spec, which is C tier.
What would move it: Closing about 0.23 of weighted score, through a higher tested value for Ruthless or a change to Cannibalize on Undead, would lift it to tier B.
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Skyborne High Order C tierSkyborne (High Order)'s 
Walk on Air trails Undead's Will of the Forsaken on safety.Why C, and its scores
Wind Blessed adds 3% haste, but Arcane is capped by mana, so faster casts burn mana sooner. The estimate is only 1 to 2%. Walk on Air is a 10 second glide on a 90 second cooldown, and that is the whole safety kit. Safety scores 1 of 5 for Arcane Mage. 
Read Ley Line doubles health and mana regen (15 minutes at a ley line, 30 seconds elsewhere) and can be cast while moving. Leveling scores 4 of 5.Ahead of it:
Undead, Gnome and Human. The best, Undead, is 1.50 ahead because it is stronger on safety (Will of the Forsaken, 4 of 5 against 1), damage and mana (Cannibalize, 4 of 5 against 3) and leveling (Cannibalize, 5 of 5 against 4). Tier C covers up to 1.50 behind; tier B needs 1.17 or less.Scores for Skyborne (High Order) for Arcane MageCriterion Weight Score The spec's job 55 3 Survival and utility 25 1 Leveling and downtime 20 4 Weighted score 2.70, 1.50 behind the best race for this spec, which is C tier.
What would move it: Closing about 0.33 of weighted score, through a higher tested value for Wind Blessed or a change to Cannibalize on Undead, would lift it to tier B.
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Orc D tierOrc's 
Hardiness trails Undead's Cannibalize on leveling.Why D, and its scores
Blood Fury lines up with 
Arcane Power and is worth about 1% on a pull, an estimate. 
Savage adds 1% crit. Mage already has 
Remove Lesser Curse, so Shatter Curse adds little, and Hardiness cuts stun duration 20%. Safety scores 2 of 5 for Arcane Mage. Hardiness helps against stuns, and little else helps leveling. Leveling scores 2 of 5.Ahead of it:
Undead, Gnome, Human and 1 more. The best, Undead, is 1.65 ahead because it is stronger on leveling (Cannibalize, 5 of 5 against 2), damage and mana (Cannibalize, 4 of 5 against 3) and safety (Will of the Forsaken, 4 of 5 against 2). Tier D covers up to 1.83 behind; tier C needs 1.50 or less.Scores for Orc for Arcane MageCriterion Weight Score The spec's job 55 3 Survival and utility 25 2 Leveling and downtime 20 2 Weighted score 2.55, 1.65 behind the best race for this spec, which is D tier.
What would move it: Closing about 0.15 of weighted score, through a higher tested value for Blood Fury or a change to Cannibalize on Undead, would lift it to tier C.
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Troll F tierTroll's 
Berserking trails Undead's Cannibalize on damage and mana.Why F, and its scores
Berserking adds 10% casting speed for 10 seconds, about 0.6% on average, and it burns mana faster during Arcane Power. 
Rapid Regeneration heals 50% of maximum health over 6 seconds, but any movement, action or damage cancels it. 
Regeneration adds 20% health regen. Safety scores 2 of 5 for Arcane Mage. Regeneration adds 20% health regen (20% of it works in combat), and 
Beast Slaying adds 5% damage to Beasts. Leveling scores 3 of 5.Ahead of it:
Undead, Gnome, Human and 2 more. The best, Undead, is 2.00 ahead because it is stronger on damage and mana (Cannibalize, 4 of 5 against 2), safety (Will of the Forsaken, 4 of 5 against 2) and leveling (Cannibalize, 5 of 5 against 3). That is beyond 1.83 behind the best, which is tier F.Scores for Troll for Arcane MageCriterion Weight Score The spec's job 55 2 Survival and utility 25 2 Leveling and downtime 20 3 Weighted score 2.20, 2.00 behind the best race for this spec, which is F tier.
What would move it: Closing about 0.17 of weighted score, through a higher tested value for Berserking or a change to Cannibalize on Undead, would lift it to tier D.
How these are ranked
Forecast. Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed. Rated as of , build 1.60.1.70450.
For each of the 28 specs, every race that can play it, ranked against each other for that spec: what the race's racials give it in PvE, leveling 1 to 60 and then in dungeons and raids at 60. It answers one question per spec: which race should I pick for it?
A tier says how far a race trails the best race for the same spec, never how it compares with another spec's races: an S 
Dwarf Protection 
Warrior and an S Undead Fire Mage are each the best for their own spec. The best race of every spec is S. Each spec also says how much the choice matters: on some specs the best and worst races are a few percent apart, on others one racial decides it.
The scores are the racials' worth on fixed anchors (1 to 5). The tier comes from the weighted score's gap to the spec's best: 5 minus 1.5 times the gap, against the thresholds, so S is within 0.50 of the best and F more than 1.83 behind.
The racials are rated from their tooltips and the client's numbers; none has been measured in play. The percentages are estimates, and no racial is worth more than about 3% of a spec's output, so a damage spec's races are often close and its pick is a matter of a few percent.
Where a racial answers something a spec cannot do without, the gap is larger: 
Stoneform for a tank, a mana return for a healer, a fear break for a melee spec. Those specs say race matters a lot.
| Criterion | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| The spec's job | 55 | What the racials add to what the spec is for at 60: damage for a damage spec, healing and mana for a healer, survival and threat for a tank. 5: about 3% or more of the spec's output, or one racial the role leans on most fights (a tank's Stoneform, a healer's large mana return). 3: about 1 to 1.5%, or a role racial that helps on some fights. 1: nothing that adds to the spec's job. |
| Survival and utility | 25 | Racials that keep this spec alive or help its group, beyond its main job: removing or ignoring a common danger (fear, poison, disease, curse, stun), a damage cut, a threat drop, an interrupt or stun the spec lacks. 5: helps on most fights. 3: one racial that helps on some fights. 1: nothing. |
| Leveling and downtime | 20 | Makes leveling this spec quicker or easier: less eating and drinking, more health, speed, a strong solo cooldown. 5: a large help throughout. 3: helps a little, or helps some of the levels. 1: nothing. |
- S 0.50 or less behind the best
- The best race for this spec, or as good as makes no difference.
- A 0.83 or less behind the best
- A little behind the best; a fine pick if you prefer it.
- B 1.17 or less behind the best
- Behind the best, but nothing you will notice most nights.
- C 1.50 or less behind the best
- Clearly behind the best on what this spec needs.
- D 1.83 or less behind the best
- Well behind the best; pick it for other reasons.
- F more than 1.83 behind
- The furthest behind for this spec.
What the ratings assume:
- Racials as of the stated build: the client's tooltips, cooldowns and numbers, after the 15–16 Oct racial rework.
- The spec played as its class guide sets it out, in its usual group role at 60, and leveled as that spec.
- Gear: leveling gear, then pre-raid blues at 60.
- No Legacy perks and no world buffs.
- Faction is not rated. Both factions' races sit on one scale; each spec names the best pick on each side.
- The game rules of the stated build. A patch that changes a racial makes a new version.
Best races for Arcane Mage in PvP
Race matters a lot
Arcane has the biggest burst of the class and no 
Ice Block. 
Blink already frees it from stuns and immobilizes every 15 seconds, so a stun break is half redundant. What Blink cannot answer is fear and charm, and the burst window is where the Arcane Power minute is won. The gap is 1.60, so the choice matters a lot. Gnome is the best Alliance pick. Orc is the best Horde pick.
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Gnome S tierGnome leads Arcane Mage: Escape Artist adds breaks to the best burst, from Eureka!
Why S, and its scores
Breaks scores 4 of 5:
Escape Artist frees you from any movement impairment and gives 3 seconds of immunity on a 2 minute cooldown. Escape Artist answers roots and slows that Blink also covers, so it doubles the escapes every 2 minutes. Burst scores 5 of 5: Eureka! adds 10% non-periodic damage and cuts costs 10% for 8 seconds on a 2 minute cooldown, but does nothing for DoTs or channels and fails in stealth. The 8 second Eureka! window lines up with Arcane Power, but 
Arcane Missiles are channeled and excluded. Defensives scores 1 of 5: Gnome has no defensive racial. Mobility scores 2 of 5: Gnome adds only 5% more mana, energy or rage.No race is ahead of it. The next race,
Orc, is 0.25 behind and sits in tier S. It falls short on breaks (Escape Artist, 4 of 5, against Hardiness, 3) and mobility (its resource bonus, 2 of 5, against 1 here).Scores for Gnome for Arcane Mage Criterion Weight Score Breaks and escapes 30 4 Burst 25 5 Defensives 25 1 Mobility and detection 20 2 Weighted score 3.10, the best for this spec, which is S tier.
What would move it: It would lose first place if testing whether Eureka! covers channeled spells such as Arcane Missiles went against it, or if its Eureka! were cut in a patch. Orc is 0.25 behind, so a small change could close it.
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Orc S tierOrc stays close to Gnome for Arcane Mage: Blood Fury keeps it in tier S, short on breaks and mobility.
Why S, and its scores
Breaks scores 3 of 5:
Hardiness cuts stun duration 20% at all times, and Shatter Curse removes curses. Hardiness is always on, and Shatter Curse answers 
Curse of Tongues and 
Curse of Exhaustion. Burst scores 5 of 5: Blood Fury adds 10% attack power and spell power for 15 seconds on a 3 minute cooldown, and Savage adds 1% crit. Blood Fury raises spell power for 15 seconds, lining up with Arcane Power. Defensives scores 2 of 5: Shatter Curse cuts magic damage 5% for 8 seconds. Mobility scores 1 of 5: Orc has nothing here.It is 0.25 behind
Gnome, the best race for this spec, and sits in tier S. The gap comes from breaks (Escape Artist, 4 of 5, against Hardiness, 3) and mobility (its resource bonus, 2 of 5, against 1 here). It does lead on defensives (2 of 5 against 1).Scores for Orc for Arcane Mage Criterion Weight Score Breaks and escapes 30 3 Burst 25 5 Defensives 25 2 Mobility and detection 20 1 Weighted score 2.85, 0.25 behind the best race for this spec, which is S tier.
What would move it: Settling whether Blood Fury's cooldown is 3 minutes (older notes say 2) could close the 0.25 gap to Gnome: one more point on burst is worth 0.25.
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Undead A tierUndead stays close to Gnome for Arcane Mage: Will of the Forsaken keeps it in tier A, short on burst and mobility.
Why A, and its scores
Breaks scores 4 of 5:
Will of the Forsaken removes Charm, Fear and Sleep on a 2 minute cooldown. Mages have no answer to fear, and Blink does not remove it, so Will of the Forsaken fills the largest hole. Burst scores 2 of 5: Touch of the Grave has a 20% or 30% proc chance and drains up to 5% of your health on a 25 second internal cooldown, worth about 1 to 2% damage as an untested estimate. Defensives scores 2 of 5: Touch of the Grave heals a little, and Cannibalize restores 7% health and mana every 2 seconds for 10 seconds but only after a kill near a corpse. Mobility scores 1 of 5: Undead has nothing here.It is 0.70 behind
Gnome, the best race for this spec, and sits in tier A. The gap comes from burst (Eureka!, 5 of 5, against Touch of the Grave, 2) and mobility (its resource bonus, 2 of 5, against 1 here). It does lead on defensives (2 of 5 against 1).Scores for Undead for Arcane Mage Criterion Weight Score Breaks and escapes 30 4 Burst 25 2 Defensives 25 2 Mobility and detection 20 1 Weighted score 2.40, 0.70 behind the best race for this spec, which is A tier.
What would move it: Reaching Gnome means making up 0.70. One more point on burst is worth 0.25, so settling how large Touch of the Grave is in practice (untested) would not be enough by itself. It would take a patch to its racials.
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Human C tierHuman trails Gnome for Arcane Mage on burst and breaks, and Will to Survive does not make up the difference.
Why C, and its scores
Breaks scores 2 of 5:
Will to Survive frees you from all stuns on a 3 minute cooldown. Will to Survive covers stuns when Blink is on cooldown. Burst scores 2 of 5: Ruthless adds 2% crit. The 2% crit works out to about 1% spell damage. Defensives scores 1 of 5: Human has no defensive racial. Mobility scores 2 of 5: Perception is a 20 second stealth detection on a 3 minute cooldown, and Spirit is 5% higher.It is 1.35 behind
Gnome, the best race for this spec, and sits in tier C. The gap comes from burst (Eureka!, 5 of 5, against Ruthless, 2) and breaks (Escape Artist, 4 of 5, against Will to Survive, 2).Scores for Human for Arcane Mage Criterion Weight Score Breaks and escapes 30 2 Burst 25 2 Defensives 25 1 Mobility and detection 20 2 Weighted score 1.75, 1.35 behind the best race for this spec, which is C tier.
What would move it: Reaching Gnome means making up 1.35. One more point on breaks is worth 0.30, so settling how often stuns chain on Forever (diminishing returns there are undocumented) would not be enough by itself. It would take a patch to its racials.
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Skyborne High Order C tierSkyborne (High Order) trails Gnome for Arcane Mage on breaks and burst, and Wind Blessed does not make up the difference.
Why C, and its scores
Breaks scores 1 of 5: Skyborne has no break from control. Burst scores 3 of 5:
Wind Blessed adds 3% haste at all times, and whether it speeds DoT ticks and channels is untested. The haste can be used while moving, and Read Ley Line regeneration helps with mana. Defensives scores 1 of 5: Skyborne has no combat defense, only Read Ley Line, which doubles health and mana regeneration out of combat. Mobility scores 2 of 5: Walk on Air is a 10 second glide on a 90 second cooldown, and Read Ley Line can be cast while moving.It is 1.40 behind
Gnome, the best race for this spec, and sits in tier C. The gap comes from breaks (Escape Artist, 4 of 5, against 1 here) and burst (Eureka!, 5 of 5, against Wind Blessed, 3).Scores for Skyborne (High Order) for Arcane MageCriterion Weight Score Breaks and escapes 30 1 Burst 25 3 Defensives 25 1 Mobility and detection 20 2 Weighted score 1.70, 1.40 behind the best race for this spec, which is C tier.
What would move it: Reaching Gnome means making up 1.40. One more point on burst is worth 0.25, so settling whether Wind Blessed's 3% haste speeds channels and damage-over-time ticks would not be enough by itself. It would take a patch to its racials.
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Troll D tierTroll sits well behind Gnome for Arcane Mage: it is short on breaks and burst, and Berserking cannot cover it.
Why D, and its scores
Breaks scores 1 of 5:
Troll has no break from control. Burst scores 3 of 5: Berserking adds 10% attack and casting speed for 10 seconds on a 3 minute cooldown, and per player reports does not speed DoT ticks or channels, which is untested. Berserking may not speed channeled spells. Defensives scores 1 of 5: Rapid Regeneration heals 50% over 6 seconds but any damage, action or movement cancels it, so it works only out of combat. Mobility scores 1 of 5: Troll has nothing here.It is 1.60 behind
Gnome, the best race for this spec, and sits in tier D. The gap comes from breaks (Escape Artist, 4 of 5, against 1 here), burst (Eureka!, 5 of 5, against Berserking, 3) and mobility (its resource bonus, 2 of 5, against 1 here).Scores for Troll for Arcane Mage Criterion Weight Score Breaks and escapes 30 1 Burst 25 3 Defensives 25 1 Mobility and detection 20 1 Weighted score 1.50, 1.60 behind the best race for this spec, which is D tier.
What would move it: Reaching Gnome means making up 1.60. One more point on burst is worth 0.25, so settling whether Berserking speeds channels and damage-over-time ticks would not be enough by itself. It would take a patch to its racials.
How these are ranked
Forecast. Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed. Rated as of , build 1.60.1.70450.
For each of the 28 specs, every race that can play it, ranked against each other for that spec in PvP: what the race's racials give it at level 60 in open-world fights and battlegrounds, against players of similar level and gear. It answers one question per spec: which race should I pick for it in PvP?
A tier says how far a race trails the best race for the same spec, never how it compares with another spec's races. The best race of every spec is S. Each spec also says how much the choice matters.
The scores are the racials' worth on fixed anchors (1 to 5). The tier comes from the weighted score's gap to the spec's best: 5 minus 1.5 times the gap, against the thresholds, so S is within 0.50 of the best and F more than 1.83 behind.
The racials are rated from their tooltips and the client's numbers; none has been measured in play, and diminishing returns on control in this build are not yet confirmed.
A break from the control a spec suffers most weighs most: a stun break for a melee spec that must stay on its target, a fear break for a spec that can't answer fear itself. Where a spec already has its own answer, the racial is worth less to it.
| Criterion | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Breaks and escapes | 30 | Racials that free this spec from the control it suffers most. 5: an on-use break from a whole family of control (all stuns, or all fears and charms) on a cooldown of 2 to 3 minutes, or an always-on cut to control that works every fight. 3: a break for a narrower family (roots and slows, or one effect type such as curses or poisons), or one that only partly fits how this spec is controlled. 1: nothing. |
| Burst | 25 | Racials that raise this spec's damage (or a healer's healing) against players in its burst window. 5: about 10% or more, lined up with its own cooldowns, or an always-on gain the spec uses fully. 3: a smaller gain, or one the spec only partly uses (a physical bonus on a mostly spell spec). 1: nothing. |
| Defensives | 25 | Racials that keep this spec alive against players. 5: one that turns a losing fight: a large damage cut or immunity on use, more health, or healing in combat that a player can't stop. 3: a small or narrow one: a few % cut against one school, a small health or dodge gain, a heal that damage interrupts. 1: nothing. |
| Mobility and detection | 20 | Tools that win fights outside the numbers. 5: an area stun or interrupt the spec lacks, stealth or stealth detection that changes its fights, a lasting speed boost that works in combat. 3: one such tool, or several small ones (a short sprint, a safe fall). 1: nothing. |
- S 0.50 or less behind the best
- The best race for this spec, or as good as makes no difference.
- A 0.83 or less behind the best
- A little behind the best; a fine pick if you prefer it.
- B 1.17 or less behind the best
- Behind the best, but nothing you will notice most nights.
- C 1.50 or less behind the best
- Clearly behind the best on what this spec needs.
- D 1.83 or less behind the best
- Well behind the best; pick it for other reasons.
- F more than 1.83 behind
- The furthest behind for this spec.
What the ratings assume:
- Racials as of the stated build: the client's tooltips, cooldowns and numbers, after the 15–16 Oct racial rework.
- The spec in a PvP-minded build, as its class's open-world PvP research sets it out.
- Gear: pre-raid blues. No honor gear yet.
- Opponents of any class and race, so a racial is worth what it does against the whole field, not one matchup.
- Faction is not rated: population, queue times and which faction's classes are stronger are not part of the score. Each spec names the best pick on each side.
- The game rules of the stated build. A patch that changes a racial makes a new version.