Arcane Mage PvP Guide — Dragonflight Season 4

Arcane Mage is the most unique Mage specialization in PvP; unlike the other two specs that focus on consistent damage and crowd control, Arcane focuses heavily on using its utility and damage abilities to outsmart opponents. This is accomplished by using abilities like Spellsteal to disable your enemies while receiving Clearcasting to deal large amounts of damage. With the new expansion, Arcane has received significant changes to the toolkit as well as the way damage is dealt.

Strengths

• Great mobility
• Strong single-target damage
• Great control and utility
• Strong Survivability

Weaknesses

• Only one major casting school
• Predictable burst damage
• Although hard to kill, very weak after using Ice Block

• Polymorph health regeneration reduced by 50%.
• Polymorph now breaks based on a small damage threshold instead of any damage.
• Enlightened has been updated – Arcane damage dealt is increased based on your current mana, up to 6% at full mana. Mana regen is increased based on your current mana, up to 20% when out of mana.
• Temporal Shield (PvP Talent) has been removed.
• New PvP Talent: Overpowered Barrier – All barriers absorb 100% more damage and have an additional effect, but last 5 seconds.
  • Ice Barrier – If the barrier is fully absorbed, enemies within 10 yards suffer massive Frost damage and are slowed by 70% for 4 seconds.
  • Blazing Barrier – Reflects 100% of damage absorbed.
  • Prismatic Barrier – If the barrier is fully absorbed, gain Time Warp for 4 seconds.
• Ring of Fire (PvP Talent) has been redesigned – Now disorients enemies who enter for 3 seconds and burns for 3% of their maximum health over its duration (was 18%). Cooldown increased to 45 seconds (was 30 seconds). Overrides Ring of Frost.
• Alter Time is now affected by healing reduction effects, such as dampening.