Cataclysm Classic Fire Mage Stat Priority

The stat priority for Fire Mage is as follows:

1. Intellect
2. Hit Rating (17% Hit Cap!)
3. Critical Strike Rating
4. Haste Rating (see break points below!)
5. Mastery Rating

Intellect becomes our new best stat by far, you can never have enough of it, the more the better. It provides Spell Power, Crit and a Mana pool increase.

Hit is our second best stat until you reach the cap of 17% hit (16% for Draenei Mages). Once you reach 17% hit chance, any further Hit Rating becomes redundant. Draenei Mages need 1640 Hit Rating to reach the hit cap, whereas other races require 1742 Hit Rating. The best way to get hit rating from Reforging is to reforge Mastery Rating into Hit Rating.

At Level 85:

• 102.44 Hit Rating = 1% Spell Hit Chance

Critical Strike Rating is a great stat for Fire Mages due to the beneficial interaction of Crit with almost all Fire talents. Back in the days of original Cataclysm, Haste Rating was considered the better stat, because "Ignite Munching" was still in place. This has been fixed, so now Critical Strike Rating is better. However, if you are close to a Haste cap (see Haste Rating section below), adding more Haste Rating can still be more beneficial than adding Critical Strike rating.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Crit Rating = 1% Crit

Haste Rating is a good stat, but Critical Strike rating is generally better. Only focus on getting more Haste Rating, if you are close to a Haste cap and can reach it by adding more Haste Rating. The Haste caps increase the frequency of your DoT ticks (particularly those of Living Bomb and the Pyroblast! DoT), giving them one more tick of damage over their duration.

The two important haste caps for Fire are the 15% and 25% caps, where you gain 1 extra tick for your biggest DPS contributor Combustion. The caps tables below assume that you have spent 3 points in the Netherwind Presence talent and gives you the values based on if you have a 5% Spell Haste raid buff ( Moonkin Form, Mind Quickening, or Wrath of Air Totem), got Dark Intent from a Warlock, and if you are a Goblin or not:

At Level 85:

• 128.05 Haste Rating = 1% Haste

Mastery is the worst stat for Fire Mage. It increases your damage via Flashburn, however, the damage increase is too low to justify stacking Mastery Rating. Reforge this stat to Hit, Crit or Haste Rating.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Mastery Rating = 1% Mastery