Classic Mage DPS Gear and Best in Slot

Naxxramas is the final destination of the original World of Warcraft, and as such carries the best gear and the most difficult bosses.

Mage Tier 3, Frostfire Regalia looks amazing and has great stats, but its set bonuses are, unfortunately, very weak. We will be listing multiple pieces of this set below, regardless, as their raw stats more than make up for the lack of useful set bonuses.

In Naxxramas, all bosses are undead except for Grand Widow Faerlina and Maexxna. This makes specialized anti-undead items such as Rune of the Dawn, Mark of the Champion and the Regalia of Undead Cleansing set really effective. Consider any of these items and the full set of undead cleansing to be a top 3 piece of gear for its slot.

The main focus of this BiS list is on AQ40. However, it also contains some gear from older raids, and PvP gear, when warranted.

Also, while we are only listing the Horde versions of these quests / PvP sets and PvP reputation gear, equivalent versions can be found on the Alliance side, with the same requirements, cost and stats.

You may also use the full T2-set, as it is only slightly worse than the regular BiS and far less contested, your AoE radius is increased (which is very good if it hits additional enemies a non-T2 mage would not hit) and you only have to replace the set during Naxxramas.

Downsides of the full T2 set are, that the 8-Set proc gives you a temporary buff that can overwrite (world) buffs, if you are at the buff cap (32 buffs), and that you need a lot of hit gear. Furthermore, you performance is proc-dependant.

The main focus of this BiS list is on Zul'Gurub and Blackwing Lair gear. However, the list below also contains some gear from older raids, and PvP gear, when warranted.

Also, while we are only listing the Horde versions of these quests / PvP sets and PvP reputation gear, equivalent versions can be found on the Alliance side, with the same requirements, cost and stats. If you are a Tailor, the full Bloodvine set is superior, if you are not a tailor, the PVP shoulders + boots are superior.

You may also use the full T2-set, as it is only slightly worse than the regular BiS and far less contested, your AoE radius is increased (which is very good if it hits additional enemies a non-T2 mage would not hit) and you only have to replace the set during Naxxramas.

Downsides of the full T2 set are, that the 8-Set proc gives you a temporary buff that can overwrite (world) buffs, if you are at the buff cap (32 buffs), and that you need a lot of hit gear. Furthermore, you performance is proc-dependant.

* Will of Arlokk is a special case in that you swap to it specifically for added Mana regeneration while using Evocation, when out of Mana or when there are no enemies you can attack. Due to its extremely high Spirit value, you can gain a huge amount of extra Mana by swapping to it at the right times.

While the main focus is on Blackwing Lair gear, the list below also contains some gear from older raids, PvP gear and world bosses, when warranted, in order to create a good list for players who regularly clear the raids up to Tier 2.

Also, while we are only listing the Horde versions of these quests / PvP sets and PvP reputation gear, equivalent versions can be found on the Alliance side, with the same requirements, cost and stats.

You may also use the full T2-set, as it is only slightly worse than the regular BiS and far less contested, your AoE radius is increased (which is very good if it hits additional enemies a non-T2 mage would not hit) and you only have to replace the set during Naxxramas.

Downsides of the full T2 set are, that the 8-Set proc gives you a temporary buff that can overwrite (world) buffs, if you are at the buff cap (32 buffs), and that you need a lot of hit gear. Furthermore, you performance is proc-dependant.

This is the (Frost) gear we recommend you to chase in the current end game: Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair.

*These items have random suffixes. You will be looking for of Frozen Wrath, which gives +Frost Spell Damage. Since you need both the item and the correct suffix to drop, these are often hard to farm, so make sure you have reasonable alternatives until you can get the correct drop.

This is the (Frost) gear we recommend you to chase in the current end game: Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair.

*These items have random suffixes. You will be looking for of Frozen Wrath, which gives +Frost Spell Damage. Since you need both the item and the correct suffix to drop, these are often hard to farm, so make sure you have reasonable alternatives until you can get the correct drop.