A plan you can follow.
Use the point order below between runs, then use the skill priorities inside a run. Choose the checkpoint that matches your available talent points.
These are permanent talent points spent between runs, not levels reached inside a run.
No specific equipment, gear-star level, race bonus or teammate is assumed. Upgrade priorities depend on the cards actually offered.
Frostbolt and control
Frostbolt splash, slows and an absorb
Establish Frostbite and Splitting Ice before the Water Elemental capstone, then use Arcane recovery and Clearcasting as a secondary layer.
Arcane 20 Fire 0 Frost 31
Point order, skills & alternatives
Before using this plan
- Summon Water Elemental changes the opening to Frostbolt at permanent point 31. Before that, Frostbolt must actually be available; the route does not assume a capstone pet at low budgets.
Permanent talent order
Each row adds to the row above. Open a checkpoint to see every allocated rank; spend only the points your character actually has.
- 10 pointsAdd points 1–10
- Frost Warding +5Rank 5/5
- Elemental Precision +3Rank 3/3
- Improved Frostbolt +2Rank 2/5
- 20 pointsAdd points 11–20
- Frostbite +1Rank 1/1
- Piercing Ice +3Rank 3/3
- Improved Frostbolt +1Rank 3/5
- Shatter +3Rank 3/5
- Arctic Reach +2Rank 2/2
- 30 pointsAdd points 21–30
- Splitting Ice +1Rank 1/1
- Frost Channeling +3Rank 3/3
- Improved Frostbolt +2Rank 5/5
- Improved Ice Barrier +3Rank 3/3
- Shatter +1Rank 4/5
- 40 pointsAdd points 31–40
- Summon Water Elemental +1Rank 1/1
- Arcane Focus +5Rank 5/5
- Magic Absorption +4Rank 4/5
- 51 pointsAdd points 41–51
- Magic Absorption +1Rank 5/5
- Arcane Concentration +1Rank 1/1
- Arcane Meditation +3Rank 3/3
- Improved Arcane Explosion +1Rank 1/3
- Arcane Mind +5Rank 5/5
Why these points come first
- Points 1–5: Start with reduction that works before the Frost opening is available.
- Points 6–8: Add general damage without requiring a specific Frost card.
- Points 9–10: Begin support for an offered Frostbolt and open the first milestone.
- Points 11: Give Frost hits a chance to root their targets.
- Points 12–14: Improve the shared school of the intended attacks.
- Points 15: Extend Frostbolt recovery support and reach the control-damage row.
- Points 16–18: Reward damage against enemies affected by the available slows and roots.
- Points 19–20: Expand Blizzard, Frost Nova and Cone of Cold coverage.
- Points 21: Turn Frostbolt impacts into the route's named splash effect.
- Points 22–24: Add general cooldown recovery.
- Points 25: Move toward a fully shortened ordinary Frostbolt cooldown.
- Points 26: Complete Frostbolt recovery support.
- Points 27–29: Strengthen the defensive absorb before the capstone.
- Points 30: Extend controlled-target damage and complete the capstone gate.
- Points 31: At point 31, gain the Frostbolt opening, elemental companion and recurring Nova.
- Points 32–36: Begin the secondary branch with support for the Arcane Explosion proc acquired next.
- Points 37–41: Add maximum health while opening Clearcasting.
- Points 42: Allow casts to trigger a separate free Arcane Explosion.
- Points 43–45: Add steady regeneration instead of another unrelated damage spell.
- Points 46: Expand the proc's nearby coverage and meet the next row gate.
- Points 47–51: Finish with general cooldown recovery that supports the main school as well.
Skills to look for
Use this priority when the relevant choice is offered. A route does not guarantee a particular card.
- Frostbolt
Its slow, shorter cooldown and Splitting Ice splash make it the central attack once available.
If it is missing: Fireball — Keep the actual early starter functional while waiting for Frostbolt; it does not inherit Frost-only bonuses.
- Blizzard
The placed Frost area supplies repeated slowing hits and benefits from Arctic Reach.
If it is missing: Cone of Cold — Use the offered front-facing Frost slow, noting that it is not a full-circle area.
- Ice Barrier
Improved Ice Barrier explicitly supports this finite absorb.
If it is missing: Frost Nova — Use a root to make space when a shield is absent; it does not absorb incoming damage.
- Frost Nova
Its nearby root supports controlled-target damage and complements the capstone's periodic free cast.
If it is missing: Arcane Explosion — After Clearcasting is allocated, its supporting Arcane investment can also help an offered ordinary area cast.
Inside the run
- Before the frost opening
- Use the real starter and available Frost cards. The first five permanent points provide reduction even before a Frost card appears.
- Frostbolt and Splitting Ice
- Improve supported Frost coverage and keep enemies within the splash or placed Blizzard area. Save movement room rather than relying on every freeze roll.
- Capstone and shield active
- Use the elemental and periodic Nova as support, then choose between damage and shield strength based on what ended the previous attempt.
Change one thing
- Frostbolt is not offered at a low budget
- Continue with the available starter and a control spell; the changed opener is a 31-point milestone.
- A boss escapes control quickly
- Expect shorter boss roots and keep a route clear. Control bonuses do not establish permanent boss lockdown.
- Your shield repeatedly breaks immediately
- Prioritize movement and an offered barrier improvement before collecting another attack; the absorb is finite.
- The split is 31 Frost and 20 Arcane, with no Fire milestones. Clearcasting is a chance-based nearby burst, not a substitute for Frostbolt coverage.
- Blizzard remains where it is placed, and a front-facing Cone of Cold does not cover enemies behind you.
The point order follows the checked 0.125.0 client requirements. Spell priorities and gameplay suggestions are editorial and have not been combat-tested. A legal allocation does not establish the strongest build or a proven clear rate.
Ignite into Pyroblast
Fire criticals, Hot Streak and kill explosions
Keep a Fireball opening useful while building Ignite and Hot Streak, then switch to the Pyroclasm opening and add Arcane recovery support.
Arcane 20 Fire 31 Frost 0
Point order, skills & alternatives
Before using this plan
- Pyroclasm changes the opening to Pyroblast only at permanent point 31. Before that, Hot Streak is a conditional free cast after the required Fire criticals, not a guaranteed starter.
Permanent talent order
Each row adds to the row above. Open a checkpoint to see every allocated rank; spend only the points your character actually has.
- 10 pointsAdd points 1–10
- Improved Fireball +5Rank 5/5
- Flame Throwing +2Rank 2/2
- Improved Flamestrike +3Rank 3/5
- 20 pointsAdd points 11–20
- Ignite +1Rank 1/1
- Incinerate +3Rank 3/3
- Impact +1Rank 1/5
- Critical Mass +3Rank 3/3
- Master of Elements +2Rank 2/3
- 30 pointsAdd points 21–30
- Hot Streak +1Rank 1/1
- Fire Power +5Rank 5/5
- Improved Blast Wave +3Rank 3/3
- Master of Elements +1Rank 3/3
- 40 pointsAdd points 31–40
- Pyroclasm +1Rank 1/1
- Arcane Focus +5Rank 5/5
- Magic Absorption +4Rank 4/5
- 51 pointsAdd points 41–51
- Magic Absorption +1Rank 5/5
- Arcane Concentration +1Rank 1/1
- Arcane Meditation +3Rank 3/3
- Improved Arcane Explosion +1Rank 1/3
- Arcane Mind +5Rank 5/5
Why these points come first
- Points 1–5: Support the ordinary Fireball opening before the capstone switch.
- Points 6–7: Expand the covered ground of Fire spells.
- Points 8–10: Improve the available Fire area options and reach Ignite.
- Points 11: Add the explicit burn caused by Fire criticals.
- Points 12–14: Support Fire Blast as a direct Fire alternative.
- Points 15: Add a chance of Fire control and complete the next row gate.
- Points 16–18: Increase critical chance before taking the critical-count milestone.
- Points 19–20: Increase direct critical damage.
- Points 21: Add a free Pyroblast after the required Fire criticals.
- Points 22–25: Improve the shared school of the selected attacks.
- Points 26–28: Shorten ordinary Blast Wave and Pyroblast recovery.
- Points 29: Complete Fire damage support.
- Points 30: Complete critical damage and reach the capstone gate.
- Points 31: At point 31, gain the Pyroblast opening and conditional Fire kill explosions.
- Points 32–36: Begin the secondary branch with support for the Arcane Explosion proc acquired next.
- Points 37–41: Add maximum health while opening Clearcasting.
- Points 42: Allow casts to trigger a separate free Arcane Explosion.
- Points 43–45: Add steady regeneration instead of another unrelated damage spell.
- Points 46: Expand the proc's nearby coverage and meet the next row gate.
- Points 47–51: Finish with general cooldown recovery that supports the main school as well.
Skills to look for
Use this priority when the relevant choice is offered. A route does not guarantee a particular card.
- Fireball
Early Improved Fireball keeps the ordinary opening useful and provides a Fire attack for Ignite and Hot Streak.
If it is missing: Pyroblast — At a full allocation, support the actual Pyroblast starter rather than waiting for Fireball to return.
- Pyroblast
Hot Streak adds free casts, Improved Blast Wave shortens ordinary recovery, and Pyroclasm supplies the opening.
If it is missing: Fire Blast — Use the offered Fire hit to continue the school focus; it chooses a random target and is not a guaranteed finisher.
- Flamestrike
Improved Flamestrike and Flame Throwing support its placed Fire area.
If it is missing: Blast Wave — Use the supported nearby burst and slow when enemies are moving through your position.
- Blast Wave
Its slow creates space and both the early damage talent and later cooldown talent name it.
If it is missing: Ice Barrier — Take a real absorb if damage pressure is ending the run; it is defensive utility without Frost-tree amplification here.
Inside the run
- Before Pyroclasm
- Support the real Fireball opening and take useful Fire coverage. Do not wait for a free Pyroblast before the Hot Streak milestone exists.
- Ignite and Hot Streak active
- Favor meaningful Fire upgrades and the available attacks that keep dealing damage. The critical counter and its trigger limit make free casts conditional.
- Groups versus an isolated boss
- Let kills provide Pyroclasm explosions in waves, but evaluate ordinary damage and survival separately once no additional targets are dying.
Change one thing
- Few Fire criticals are happening
- Keep ordinary Fireball or Pyroblast casts productive; do not treat Hot Streak as a fixed timer.
- Enemies leave Flamestrike
- Favor direct Fire attacks or the nearby Blast Wave slow until the placed area has useful targets.
- You are overwhelmed before a kill chain begins
- Choose space or an absorb rather than relying on death explosions from enemies that are not yet dying.
- 31 Fire and 20 Arcane include no Frostbite, Shatter or improved Ice Barrier. Any barrier card is ordinary defensive utility.
- Pyroclasm is kill-dependent and rate-limited; its wave explosions do not demonstrate boss performance.
The point order follows the checked 0.125.0 client requirements. Spell priorities and gameplay suggestions are editorial and have not been combat-tested. A legal allocation does not establish the strongest build or a proven clear rate.
To compare attempts, keep version, class, zone, difficulty, permanent equipment and account bonuses fixed. Record your chosen skills and the point where the run failed. Use the run comparison checklist →
Recommended spell connections.
These are all the priority spells from the routes above. Their references also describe alternative talents; check your chosen point plan to see which connections are active. The complete class spellbook follows below.
Open the Mage talent planner →
Use frost coverage and recurring casts to manage the approach, then add an absorb option if the remaining hits end the run.
Frostbolt
Shortens Frostbolt's cooldown. Adds damage around Frostbolt's impact target.
Improved Frostbolt / Splitting Ice / Frostbite
Blizzard
Increases the reach of Frost Nova, Cone of Cold and Blizzard. Frost spell hits can root their targets in place.
Arctic Reach / Frostbite
Ice Barrier
Increases the amount Ice Barrier can absorb.
Improved Ice Barrier
Frost Nova
Increases the reach of Frost Nova, Cone of Cold and Blizzard. Adds a Water Elemental and recurring free Frost Novas while starting the run with Frostbolt.
Arctic Reach / Summon Water Elemental
Fireball
Shortens Fireball's cooldown. Fire critical strikes add a damage-over-time burn to their targets.
Improved Fireball / Ignite
Pyroblast
Fire critical strikes add a damage-over-time burn to their targets. Shortens the cooldowns of Blast Wave and Pyroblast.
Ignite / Improved Blast Wave / Hot Streak
Flamestrike
Fire critical strikes add a damage-over-time burn to their targets. Increases Flamestrike and Blast Wave damage.
Ignite / Improved Flamestrike
Blast Wave
Fire critical strikes add a damage-over-time burn to their targets. Increases Flamestrike and Blast Wave damage.
Ignite / Improved Flamestrike / Improved Blast WaveYour opening priorities.
Confirm the opener on the picker. Talent choices can change it; a Frost route and an Arcane Missiles opening are different setups.
Support Frostbolt’s cooldown and impact interaction before adding unrelated fire or arcane spells.
Use Blizzard’s reach and Ice Barrier as separate decisions: one changes coverage, while the other absorbs damage you still take.
When the plan stalls.
Choose the row that describes your last attempt.
Frostbolt lands, but enemies around its target remain.
Try this Inspect the talent that adds damage around Frostbolt’s impact.
That interaction addresses nearby targets. A shorter cooldown repeats the attack more often but is not the same coverage change.
The route is open until a gap between casts.
Try this Compare Frostbolt cooldown support with Quick Strike Ring.
A frequency change targets downtime. Keep the spell plan steady so you can see whether the gap actually shrinks.
A few unavoidable hits end an otherwise productive run.
Try this Compare Ice Barrier and its absorb upgrade with another area choice.
Arctic Reach expands listed area spells; it does not supply the absorb provided by the barrier.
Give your gear a purpose.
Cooldown and area effects are useful comparison points; the exact tooltip decides which spell benefits.
Quick Strike Ring 
Ring of Spell Power 
Heavy Dark Iron Ring A trap to avoid.
Assuming every frost pick provides safety, then ignoring movement while collecting more damage spells.
Do not read a frost theme as automatic safety. Movement and access to the relevant talents still matter.
All 13 Mage spells.
FireballRanged Fire hitFrostboltRanged Frost slow
Arcane MissilesRandom-target missilesFrost NovaSurrounding root
Arcane ExplosionLocal Arcane burstBlizzardSlowing ground damageFlamestrikeRanged Fire area
Fire BlastRandom Fire hit
Cone of ColdSlowing frontal coneBlast WaveArea damage and slowPyroblastHeavy Fire hitIce BarrierAbsorb protection
PolymorphHit-triggered crowd controlSources & scope
Talent allocations and named interactions use original-client snapshot v0.125.0. Every point order is checked against its rules. Build recommendations and skill priorities are editorial; no combat trial, clear-rate benchmark or optimal ranking is claimed.
Game client and version recordGameplay reference: original client v0.125.0, rechecked October 29, 2026. Live v0.127.0 was also observed that day; interface descriptions were compared, but talent execution rules and combat balance were not revalidated for the newer build.