WoW Classic Frost Mage AoE Guide

Vanilla WoW AoE Mage Grinding Guide
  • Author: Furious
  • Date: April 28, 2019
  • Updated: June 15, 2023
  • Expansion: WoW Classic

There are few things as amazing as killing a group of level 50+ Elites in World of Warcraft Classic without taking any damage at all. Back in the pre-TBC days Faxmonkey was pretty much a legend of AoE farming and posting their videos on warcraftmovies.com. Before we get into the guide, take a look at some of the amazing stuff you can do after you’ve mastered the art, hit level 60, and geared up.

Is that all you do all day? Just run around and kill random mobs while you listen to dance music?

AoE Talents

Frost Mage AoE Talent BuildTalents – 7/0/44

In order to AoE grind effectively, you need to have the right talents and at the same time make sure that you don’t select others that will cause issues.

  • Frostbite: Do NOT put points into this talent, as it will cause issues with being able to properly clump the mobs together.
  • Improved Blizzard: You should only put 2 points into this talent otherwise it will cancel out your snare from Cone of Cold. Since the snare with Improved Blizzard is very short, it is better to keep the snare from Cone of Cold even though it’s slower, it lasts longer.
  • Improved Cone of Cold: This should have all 3 points in it, as you will be using Cone of Cold rather frequently and the 35% increase in damage is very helpful.
  • Ice Barrier: One of the easiest ways to round up mobs is to put on Ice Barrier and run around them on your horse until they are grouped enough to cast Frost Nova and begin your AoE.
  • Arctic Reach: This allows you to cast Blizzard from further away and also increases the area of effect for Cone of Cold and Frost Nova.
  • Permafrost: Increases the duration of your chill effects by 1 second and reduces the target’s speed by 4% for every point added.

AoE Technique

There are some best practices that come into play when AoE farming, things that you can do to improve your chances of not dying that we’ve outlined below.

  • If you are still leveling you should only AoE grind on mobs that are your level or lower in order to reduce the chance that they will resist your spells.
  • Avoid ranged mobs or casters as they can not usually be grouped and you can not avoid damage.
  • Clear any patrols or casters that may cause issues during the pull.
  • Pick areas with a lot of open space (see our picks below).
  • Don’t forget that you have Ice Block and Cold Snap, make sure you create Mana Gems.

The best way to start is to put on Ice Barrier if you have it and mount up! At lower levels you will have to settle for less mobs until you acquire a mount and Ice Barrier. Run past the mobs and then around them in a wide circle (not so wide that they reset!) until they are in a tightly packed group. Dismount and cast Cone of Cold then Frost Nova in quick succession so that they are frozen in place. Use Blink to quickly get to max range, then turn and cast Blizzard. Blizzard should be positioned so that the mob in the very back is at the very edge of the back of the circle (see screenshot).

You should be able to get in 2 Blizzard casts before they reach you, at which point you cast Cone of Cold again, then Frost Nova and repeat. Note that as you are learning you will die, and you will die a lot.

Frost Mage AoE Technique

To Summarize

  1. Ice Barrier & mount
  2. Run past mobs to aggro them
  3. Go in a circle around them until they are in a group
  4. Cast Cone of Cold on all mobs
  5. Cast Frost Nova on all mobs
  6. Blink to max range, turn as quickly as possible, and cast Blizzard
  7. Let the mobs walk through Blizzard and cast again
  8. When they reach you cast Cone of Cold again
  9. Cast Frost Nova and repeat until either they’re dead or you’re dead

Mage AoE Locations

https://wowwiki.fandom.com/wiki/Mage_area_of_effect_locations?oldid=324431

 

About the Author

Furious

If I'm not working or spending time with the family I'm probably gaming. Some of my favorite recent games I've played are Far Cry 5, World of Warcraft Classic, and 7 Days to Die.
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Deschutes
Deschutes
2 years ago

Why do you use Cone of Cold before Frost Nova? With Shatter, would it not be better to use Frost Nova and THEN Cone of cold? Or why use it at all? You could just use Frost Nova, blink or run away then cast Blizzard twice, then frost nova again, back up and use Blizzard one more time, then Cone of cold to finish off stragglers?

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