Best/most fun spec for questing and tmog runs?

[Jammies-draenor]

I’m a pretty casual player and I want to start levelling a mage. I’m fairly stuck between which of the 3 specs to main though. I don’t plan on raiding or doing anything too high end. Just questing and running older content for transmog.

Any advice such as pros and cons of each spec would be much appreicated.

[Coolgroove-defias-brotherhood (Coolgroove)]

For questing - pick what you enjoy the most. Yeah, not very helpful - but it’s the best advice anyone can give on this matter, imo.

For transmog runs - Arcane.

1. Arcane explosion. Gather a pack and insta clear. Clearing on the run, etc.
2. Arcane Barrage + Chrono Shift talent. Boost your movement speed with every hit. Very convenient for running dungs/raids faster.
3. Shimmer + Displacement. A lot of mobility, and ability to displace back can help to gather all packs in the room faster.
4. Spammable Spellsteal/Slow. Does no damage, but agroes mobs. Very useful when you need to get all mobs so you don’t have to run around the place looting one by one.
5. Good burst with Charged Up / AP + PoM insta ABs + Missiles to take down bosses in Mists/Draenor faster.
6. Arcane Orb travels fast and good for faster clearing encounters with waves of mobs.
7. Amount of instant casts give very good value from Quick Thinking trait to heal you when trying to solo Legion content. Cauterizing Blink also helps.
8. Mana is not an issue when doing older content, so you wouldn’t have to waste much time for to Evocate.

Basically of all 3 specs - it’s a farming machine, with probably only DH and Druid better.

Hope it helps.
Have fun!

[Minnji-eonar]

Questing: If your op use fire or arcane for their burst, if not use frost to slow adds and keep them off you.

[Parza-tarren-mill (Parza)]

I would totally say fire, with the scorch talent you get extra movement speed which is pretty much the only affecting factor when running low lvl raids with a high lvl character, but fire might not be the best for levelling (then again it could be, i honestly have no clue).

[Minnji-eonar]

Blazing speed and scorch is casted while moving and gives +30% speed.

Arcane barrage and chronoshift is instant cast and +50%.

Only just realised this myself. Arcane ftw

[Vrakkis-argent-dawn]

Fire is awesome and arguably the best spec for levelling up (if you consider speed and downtime) to around Pandaria where mob health gets a huge boost. Prior to this with firestarter taken, so long as you line up hot streak to be active whenever you pull, you just fireball > pyro > fblast the mob and its dead, appropriately timed means all three spells crit, giving you hot streak for the next pull. Repeat. In the up to 60 bracket you don’t even need to fireblast, ball and pyro do the work especially if you take tinder as warmode trait.

Rune of power works exceptionally well for making this work on bigger mobs too.

I’ve stayed fire even later. Yes this cheese is far less effective come Wod where it will only take around 40% of a mobs hp off. I switched to the scorch talent at this point. Its more helpful to be able to quickly execute mobs whilst staying away from them and setting up hot streak for opener next pull.

Fire is also insanely good at killing group quest mobs solo. I haven’t met a draenor quest boss I couldn’t solo yet. Combustion with rune of power brings most mobs to just above 30% and then scorch does the work. Only had to use garrison ability once or twice when I got adds with scorch kiting.