Before you get your hate-inspired Nerd Rage on and spam the comment section with “nOOb” “lul l2p” or w/e form of nerd rage vernacular you might care to use, just hear me out. I know and understand that frost spec is the most commonly used spec,   and also the most widely accepted spec for PvP.  I want to talk about fire and the insane amount of pwnage that goes on with this spec after level 50. I know 50 levels of sucking hard and dieing a lot because you keep missing your target even though its only 1 level above you is enough to roll a Warlock (or even a LOLadin)…ugh.

I’ve leveled Salsaverde as fire from day one, and let me tell you – it was tough.  I normally don’t instance until Outlands and Northernd, so gear in Azeroth is scarce at best, but it’s there if you know where to look and or have higher level friends that can run you through instances.  You shouldn’t really have any trouble getting decent gear.  If not, you may want to check out Wowhead.com or just use google to find other related sites. I’d at least try to run RFC if you are Horde (Alliance, I’m sorry you guys will just have to quest). The problem really comes in when most other classes start to hit their stride, about level 25-30ish. “Miss”, “Avoid”, “blah,blah” these 2 words become more common then a balance Druid spamming OOM!

Well, when I started this little blurb about my fire mage, she had just gotten into Outlands at level 58 with level 40-ish gear but now that I’m 63 almost 64 with full Outlands greens and some blues, (armory link) fire spec is picking up very nicely. Once you hit 50 and get Dragon’s Breath things start to happen. Proc’s start proc’ing more, your mana pool starts to diminish even faster, but at the same time mobs start to die, and die with style and grace, one after the other! Its really glorious!

Time to get into some analysis on why I decided to level as fire instead of frost.  It all started with my rogue 3 years ago. I was leveling combat as was the status quo then.  My friend (who was also leveling a rogue) had gone a different route since he was more proficient with the game then I was at the time.  It was better suited for him to try other specs and see what he liked. In fact all of my Wow friends were PvP’ers, which is probably how I became so addicted to PvP.

My friend was subtlety spec and really just had an eye and understanding for what worked for him.  In PvP I’d watch him dance circles around other players 3-4 levels higher than him, and it was just really something to see.  Knowing that being the odd spec can throw off your opponent, most players will assume that you are the most common or popular spec out there. This gives you an advantage and handicap all in one cup.  Other players will know what to expect and how to counter your most powerful moves, given the chance. The other side of  the spectrum is playing the less popular spec, which in turn may or may not be as versatile, causing you to be the underdog in PvP.

Here is a pretty decent fire mage video, hope you enjoy it:

The Element of surprise can be a tide turning effect. Given some class and gear imbalances that are currently present in Wow, you will more than likely need to get re-adjusted to your new spec. Practice, practice and more…practice!  I know that for now I’m loving fire spec, and that its good for raiding too, so that holds promise for saving on a re-spec at level 80. I also plan to test out Arcane Shatter spec which has been getting some attention in the mage forums and some mage blogs I’ve read.  By the time I reach max level I’m sure that a new patch and talent/ability adjustments will have made AS a passing spec. So it should work out perfectly for me.

Final thoughts on leveling as a Fire Mage: Meh.   It’s OK.  To be completely honest, I’d stick to frost until 50 or 60, and then go fire as you will have the talents/gear to really have a Blast! I’ll be Posting more on my Mage and other Wow related topics, until I pick up another game that interests me, or until something tickles my fancy that I feel inclined to write about.  Side Note: I’d really like to shoot some footage of my mage in BG-pvp and world pvp, but my PC is in a craptastic state right now, and am in the processes of looking into a Alienware M16 or M17. I’m not sure which one is the really good one that is out right now, but I have hopes on either getting a desktop replacement comp or going with a custom built rig for gaming. Maybe for Christmas I’ll get some extra $$ to splurge on one!

Here’s to wishful thinking.

~Kaldeem