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Role of the Mage in PvP
The mage’s most combat effective role for their group is the ability to crowd control, control, control, AOE and control. As such the mage is most effective in PvP encounters as a behind the front lines crowd control support character because of their low hit points and long cast times. While the mage can be an effective front line single target killing machine with certain talent builds, such builds necessarily weaken the mages role as the King of crowd control.

Mages have several crowd control abilities from which to choose. For single targets they have the Polymorph spell. For multiple nearby targets, they have Frost Nova, Blast Wave and Instant Arcane Explosion. For multiple targets at a distance mages can use Flamestrike to reign down massive amounts of AOE fire damage, or they can call upon an incredibly powerful slowing Blizzard which can bring virtually any advancing force to its knees.

Now, there are mages who like to be in the thick of things during PvP encounters. One popular technique is to run into an unsuspecting cluster of enemy combatants and hit them with several blasts from the mages Improved Arcane Explosion (IAE) spell, an insta-cast AOE spell (assuming the appropriate number of talent points are invested in it). Such endeavors can be quite fun and rewarding at times, but unless they are supported by other players, the mage will most likely earn a quick death. Group effort attacks fare much better on clusters of combatants. Combined with timely Frost Novas and some well timed IAEs, followed by a well timed Ice Block, a mage or two can effectively break a cluster of all but the best coordinated PvP opponents while dramatically increasing their own survivability.

Mage talents will add to their combat effectiveness. Various builds will be discussed later in greater depth, but they are only a start, mages are encouraged to tweak their own builds to suit their own play style. In addition as of patch 1.11 there will be a mage talent re-write so pay close attention to the changes.

Let’s now review the races that are capable of grasping the arcane arts of the Mage.