Mage

First build to test in duels, BGs and the open world: slows, freezes, Ice Block and Cold Snap.

Frost: Improved Frostbolt 5/5; Elemental Precision 1/5; Permafrost 3/3; Frostbite 3/3; Improved Frost Nova 2/2; Ice Lance 1/1; Piercing Ice 3/3; Frost Channeling 1/3; Ice Block 1/1; Shatter 3/3; Cold Snap 1/1; Fingers of Frost 2/2.

No 31-point Ice Barrier. Ice Lance, Ice Block and Cold Snap require talents here.

Alternative for pressure and burst during CC windows; choosing rank 1 Frostbolt is still a manual decision.

Fire: Improved Fireball 5/5; Ignite 5/5; Flame Throwing 2/2; Impact 3/3; Burning Soul 3/3; Pyroblast 1/1; Heating Up 1/1; Blast Wave 1/1.

Frost: Improved Frostbolt 5/5.

No Ice Block or Cold Snap. Heating Up doesn't automatically include the final-tier Hot Streak.

Compare damage and control with Presence of Mind, improved Counterspell and Arcane Blast.

Arcane: Arcane Focus 5/5; Arcane Concentration 5/5; Magic Absorption 2/2; Arcane Resilience 2/2; Arcane Blast 1/1; Arcane Impact 3/3; Improved Counterspell 2/2; Missile Barrage 1/1; Arcane Meditation 3/3; Presence of Mind 1/1; Arcane Mind 1/5.

No 31-point Arcane Power. Lacks Frost's talented defensives; Arcane Blast requires mana management.

Stops your cast and attack; requires a valid target. Doesn't remove DoTs that could break the CC.

Stops your castShift: focusMouseover: enemy

#showtooltip Polymorph
/stopcasting
/stopattack
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][nomod,@mouseover,harm,nodead][nomod,harm,nodead] Polymorph

Cancels your cast to prioritize the interrupt. Doesn't automatically wait for your opponent to cast.

Stops your castShift: focusMouseover: enemy

#showtooltip Counterspell
/stopcasting
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][nomod,@mouseover,harm,nodead][nomod,harm,nodead] Counterspell

Damage and slow tool. Doesn't assume rank 1 triggers the same talented effects in Forever.

Shift: focusMouseover: enemy

#showtooltip Frostbolt
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][nomod,@mouseover,harm,nodead][nomod,harm,nodead] Frostbolt

Instant damage for your chosen window; doesn't fire it on every cooldown.

Shift: focusMouseover: enemy

#showtooltip Fire Blast
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][nomod,@mouseover,harm,nodead][nomod,harm,nodead] Fire Blast

Close-range CC; use it when the root helps separate enemies or set up damage.

#showtooltip Frost Nova
/cast Frost Nova

Your opponent needs to be inside the cone; the macro doesn't turn your character.

#showtooltip Cone of Cold
/cast Cone of Cold

Stops your cast and attempts Blink. Doesn't promise to cross any terrain or break every CC.

Stops your cast

#showtooltip Blink
/stopcasting
/cast Blink

Requires the Frost talent. Alt deliberately cancels the buff; normal attempts to activate it. Don't cancel it by pressing the key again.

Stops your castAlt: alternative

#showtooltip Ice Block
/stopcasting
/cancelaura [mod:alt] Ice Block
/cast [nomod] Ice Block

Requires the talent. Check which Frost cooldowns it resets; doesn't reset Counterspell or arbitrary racials.

#showtooltip Cold Snap
/cast Cold Snap

Requires the Frost talent. Choose a frozen target or valid proc according to the tooltip; the macro doesn't detect them.

Shift: focusMouseover: enemy

#showtooltip Ice Lance
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][nomod,@mouseover,harm,nodead][nomod,harm,nodead] Ice Lance

Requires the Fire talent. Doesn't detect Heating Up or decide when an instant cast is available.

Shift: focusMouseover: enemy

#showtooltip Pyroblast
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][nomod,@mouseover,harm,nodead][nomod,harm,nodead] Pyroblast

Requires the Arcane talent. Separate button from the spell you want to cast next.

#showtooltip Presence of Mind
/cast Presence of Mind

Requires the Arcane talent. Watch the cost and stacking effect.

Shift: focusMouseover: enemy

#showtooltip Arcane Blast
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][nomod,@mouseover,harm,nodead][nomod,harm,nodead] Arcane Blast

In Forever it removes a Curse or Bane, not every magic debuff.

Mouseover: ally or unitAlt: self

#showtooltip Remove Lesser Curse
/cast [mod:alt,@player][@mouseover,help,nodead][help,nodead][@player] Remove Lesser Curse

Recover when you can sustain the channel; doesn't protect against damage or interrupts.

Doesn't interrupt channels

#showtooltip Evocation
/cast [nochanneling] Evocation

Normal uses Mana Agate if you have one; Alt attempts to create it. Check item availability and rules.

Alt: alternative

#showtooltip
/cast [mod:alt] Conjure Mana Agate
/use [nomod] Mana Agate

Use the armor rank available at 30; doesn't include Mage Armor, listed at level 34.

#showtooltip Ice Armor
/cast Ice Armor

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

Their threat is keeping you in melee. Watch Charge/Intercept, Hamstring and shield swaps; an available Berserker Rage can shut down a fear. A brief gap doesn't mean a safe reset.

Frost: slows, Nova and staggered separation. Save Blink for the next gap closer; a freeze doesn't mean you've already gained distance.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

Separate their immunity, CC and healing windows. Save an answer for the next heal after they've spent a defensive; don't pour all your offensive resources into an active immunity.

Wait for Freedom before committing all your CC. Polymorph can set up recovery if no damage will break it.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

Range and pet are two separate threats. Watch slows and traps; CC'ing the pet doesn't remove the Hunter's damage. Avoid chasing in a straight line through prepared ground.

Control the pet or Hunter to cast; don't expose yourself to both. Frost keeps defensives these Fire/Arcane builds lack.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

The opener can chain CC; manage your CC break and defensives to survive the dangerous stretch. DoTs make resets harder, but can also break your own CC if applied carelessly.

Frost is the first defensive test. Don't reflexively use Blink and Ice Block together; create a window to regain control.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

They can dispel and recover health while draining your mana. Choose which heal to interrupt instead of answering every cast; pressure without resources can play into their attrition plan.

Counterspell should force a real damage opportunity. Avoid a resource war if you can no longer capitalize on CC.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

Identify totems and shocks before committing. Don't hard-cast a long heal into an available Earth Shock without creating space or baiting the interrupt. Prioritize totems that actually interfere with your plan.

Identify the totem interfering with your spell. Bait Earth Shock before an important cast, and save Counterspell for heals.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

Track Blink, roots and, if their build has them, Ice Block/Cold Snap. Don't commit your entire offense around one root when they can create another gap. Polymorph can give them recovery time.

Frost lets you compare control and defensives. Don't use every Counterspell to try to interrupt an instant spell that's already happened.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

Respect Fear, DoTs and demon utility. A Voidwalker, Succubus or Felhunter changes the plan; don't assume level 36 Spell Lock or that every build has Soul Link.

Remove effects preventing recovery if you have a valid tool. Control the demon or Warlock without breaking Polymorph with pending damage.

First test: Frost PvP · 0/0/26.

Expect shapeshifting, heals and mobility. Their current form reveals immediate options, not their whole build. Don't chase without resources while they recover; interrupting a heal in caster form can open a window.

Pressure them in caster form and manage roots around shapeshifts. Save an answer for the next heal rather than chasing without mana.