Polly got a question

[Pollycracker 0]

Hello everyone,

I've been enjoying my mage and I am definitely loving the changes in WoD.
However I probably have the same question as many others, but here goes,

Why Frost Bomb?

I picked up Ice Nova on launch day and haven't even considered changing it back yet. The instant burst on your main target, as well as the splash, is just fantastic, and 2 charges to top it all off.

I've seen huge numbers because of this spell in combination with Frozen Orb and Prismatic Crystal. Yet i still see on forums and guides to pick up FB instead. Is it literally just because of single target encounters that bomb takes off?
Even so, Nova on single target can easily rack up a good 60k+ dmg (non crit-both charges) And also in aoe, Nova will get you a solid 100-150k+dmg. Does FB still scrape by? hmm

I also see other reputable mages picking up Ice Nova like myself, so im basically just stuck and don't know what to pick in order to maximize my outgoing dps/dmg.
 

Also, one more thing to throw out there. What is a solid dps at this stage in WoD?
I've averaged pretty high, but due to mechanics and/or circumstances, it becomes relatively standard. According to some rankings: ilvl 630 Frost = just over 19k. Is this an accurate/realistic?

Thanks ahead of time,

 

 

 

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/the-forgotten-coast/Pollycracker/advanced

[Berlinia 168]

The guide on IV picks Frost Bomb because in Single Target Frostbomb gets ahead with more gear. Right now Frost Bomb =~ Ice Nova. I know Dutchmagoz for example prefers Ice Nova, whereas I enjoy Frost Bomb more. They both do amazing dps.
In my opinion the reason Frost Bomb takes off in certain AoE situations is it's synergy with Frozen Orb. You generate so many FoF Charges with it, that FB deals just insane amounts of damage.

 

Frost right now has an insanely strong burst, but falls off on sustained single target and AoE (it's not bad, just not amazing). 
19k is accurate and realistic.

[Potaetoe 1]

Hello everyone,

I've been enjoying my mage and I am definitely loving the changes in WoD.

However I probably have the same question as many others, but here goes,

Why Frost Bomb?

I picked up Ice Nova on launch day and haven't even considered changing it back yet. The instant burst on your main target, as well as the splash, is just fantastic, and 2 charges to top it all off.

I've seen huge numbers because of this spell in combination with Frozen Orb and Prismatic Crystal. Yet i still see on forums and guides to pick up FB instead. Is it literally just because of single target encounters that bomb takes off?

Even so, Nova on single target can easily rack up a good 60k+ dmg (non crit-both charges) And also in aoe, Nova will get you a solid 100-150k+dmg. Does FB still scrape by? hmm

I also see other reputable mages picking up Ice Nova like myself, so im basically just stuck and don't know what to pick in order to maximize my outgoing dps/dmg.

 

Also, one more thing to throw out there. What is a solid dps at this stage in WoD?

I've averaged pretty high, but due to mechanics and/or circumstances, it becomes relatively standard. According to some rankings: ilvl 630 Frost = just over 19k. Is this an accurate/realistic?

Thanks ahead of time,

 

 

 

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/the-forgotten-coast/Pollycracker/advanced

I disagree with Berlinia's depiction above. He's not wrong about the synergy. But his answer I feel misses the mark.

I feel the reason the guide points at Frost Bomb is fairly simple. Frost Bombs damage is greater when there is more than 1 mob. The majority of pulls and bosses in heroics/raids are not single target fights. There is at least 1 add somewhere in the fight. This makes Ice Nova not as powerful, where as Frost Bomb deals good Single Target and Multi-Target damage. 

He even linked the below article:

http://altered-time.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=749

 

Which if you notice shows that currently on single-target IN+MI+PC as the best talents to take. Please note it's only a 200 dps increase over FB+MI+PC. Which amounts to very little.

 

I say play what you prefer. I feel there is more downtime with FB than there is with IN as FB has a cast time and uses a GCD.