OK VS, here is where I stand. Afk is currently a Frost Specked mage, I have a few points in fire but not enough to really matter. I have done many many instance runs with Frenial lately and holy shit can that mage pump out the dps. And I sit back, and hit them a bit, sort of like that annoying mosquito that just wont go away! I keep em moving slow, I keep em froze in place alot of the time, and sit back with my little ice shield up and hope they don't see me. Now after seeing Frenial blow shit up over and over again, I am wondering if this is more useful to the guild than me sitting in the background and hiding? So VS I am down on my knees, I am begging you for some advice! I know this guild is all about playing our characters how we want to play them, but in this case I JUST DONT KNOW!!!! So hit me with all the advice you've got please :) I am all boobs eeerrr I mean ears!

Frenial dies a lot. As much as I like the DPS, I inevitably have to bail his ass out. Sometimes that can be a hassle. (No Fren, I'm not suggesting you change)

On Malai I love playing as a fire mage. But I always figured on a more balanced Fire/Frost build once I hit 60. Maybe somithing like this: http://tinyurl.com/kzbdv

The other thing to keep in mind is that a fire mage will be handicapped if we do a fire-based instance. So having mages that span the spectrum is to a raid's advantage.

Oh Afkasec, do not change! I personally love seeing a frost mage at work; it seems to me that while the pure dps of a fire mage is awesome, a frost mage's ability to keep the mobs sluggishly alive and sullen permits for other people to help tag. (I speak here as a warlock who also kind of taps in mosquito-style.)

I think you should stay with a Frost build; I think you play it very well, and also consider how attractive and popular you will be once we start punching Molten Core in the face!

I love being a frost mage. Love it. I will never change. I've topped the dps chart a few times (I have enough plus crit/plus to kill undead/plus frost spells gear) and I'm fine if I don't top it...I'm always close. Also, I really don't die all that much. Ice sheilding and Ice blocking are the BOMB. Don't be sad if there is a mage in your group doing more damage. Just do what makes you happy.

Really I feel that it, like anything else, depends on your playstyle and what you most enjoy doing. And I can say that, I DO have a lvl 60 mage on Ysera. :) Frost spec mages definitely do have their uses. They are great in PVP if you like going on the defense, especially in AV, and of course they're fantastic in 40 man instances like MC where many of the mobs you face are fire elemental based. There are raiding guilds that REQUIRE their mages to be frost spec just for MC, sadly enough. With that said, I'll give you just my personal 2 cents opinion - I think Arcane mages with some fire are the way to go in 5-20 man instances, as long as you can control your aggro (which means not casting as fast as you can :D). That's not necessarily correct, it's just my own experience and opinion. The mage I play is 31 arcane 20 fire. That allows a LOT of arcane talents for a great deal more mana, a lot more CC for Polymorph (reducing mob resist), increasing wand damage, and of course the awesomeness that is POM and AP. In the fire area, that allows for much more damage on crit hits and of course Pyroblast, which when combined with POM and AP is a devastating spell damage-wise.

But, again, it depends on your playstyle. Do you WANT to be high on the DPS chart, whether in PVE or PVP? Then Arcane/Fire is pretty much the way to go. However, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of things to do with Frost Spec, and I'll definitely say that while Frost Spec is not even close to the DPS of the other builds, you DO die a lot less as a frost spec mage than you do as a DPS spec mage, since you can turn yourself into an ice cube frequently. With that in mind, Frost Spec has a lot more survivability built into it.

Gleja has a strong point: as much fun as I have blowing stuff up, it incurs huge threat. I try not to throw too much at things at once, but it only takes a couple crits at the start of a fight to pull agro, and if that happens I go squish. (I'm getting better at the ice block thing and managing too many crits, but the former has its own disadvantages and the latter takes practise.) Part of the reason the Strat and BRD runs we did were so successful is Esoteric's skill at throwing a shield on me when needed. Even if forewarned though, it's a tricky situation to manage. (Witness the start of the Strat run with uber potions and a couple quick deaths as a result.) Frost mages may not do as much damage as fast, but it's controlled, far less likely to draw agro and less risky if it does. You can run away from a slowly moving blue mob faster than a flaming red one. There are also many instances where being a fire mage is a major drawback: MC and Onyxia's lair are the obvious ones, UBRS is one that's not so obvious. (The dragonkin are all fire immune or highly resistant, as are many of the orcs, though to a lesser extent.) The only instance I can think of which is bad for a frost mage is Naxx (and even that is only from rumour). I'm also jealous of the frost mage mob farmers who can round up a dozen mobs and sit back and blizzard them into the ground without getting hit.

That's the nice thing about the talent specs for WoW: there's no obvious "this build is better than that build".

I think cute little AFK should stay just the way she is. :)

I like you just the way you are also. <3 BUT if you ever find yourself really, really wanting to throw those fireballs, YOU SHOULD DO IT.

Thanks for all the input guys!!! You see I like being my frost mage, I like poking at the elites and slowly pissing them off. But sometimes when I see a fire mage send in one of their volleys of fireballs something inside me crys out to blow shit up!!!! But I think in the long wrong I would only like it for a mob or two then would be crying for my ice shield :)

Play like you want. You do enough DPS to make you a valuable addition to a mage.

PLUS you can do things like Ice Block pull which a fire mage can't.

Don't look at DPS meters solely to determine the use of your character. There's a place for fire mages and ice mages in any group. In some cases, that extra dps makes them shine. In others, you're spec will make you a star.

Just come sit next to me on the Frost Mage bench and we can talk shit about the Fire Specs and you'll feel better.

You can talk about how Frenial's robes make him look fat.

See this wasn't meant to be a pick on Fren post :) I like running with Fren we did strat undead twice in a row last night. And must say Eso and I both got our pants. I am just saying that sometimes watching him kill and blow shit up. Its like watching a really good gangster movie, and watching me pick away at them is kinda like watching a Ben Affleck Action Flick...you know?

I'll be all "Yeah, he gets epixx but have you seen his epic ASS? Maybe burn a little off the SIDES, FRENIAL! WITH YOUR FIREBALLS OF DEXATRIM! ...oh what? Phft, Afk said that. I'm just sitting here. *Iceblock* "

Oh, I know, Afk! You are a nice person. I just like picking on Fren because then he turns right around, smiles sweetly, and proceeds to upstage me without breaking a sweat. It's kind of awesome.

**giggle**

Viraj,

Duel him and see how impressive he is.

I don't duel!

When I was a weesterlock of 23, Jam dueled me with his druid and ate me for lunch, so now I am soured on them for life. I only like things I win effortlessly.

Thus playing a Warlock.

I KNOW RIGHT

Being a 60 warlock is like playing on easy mode.

If you're considering the change, I heard Thailand does the best job.

Thailand (and Brazil) scares me.

Just a LITTLE TOO much alcohol and I might find myself in a situation I'd find pretty fucking uncomfortable.

Next morning...

"Um, is that a yam bag?"
<Giggle>
"FUCK!"

Thank you, Urbandictionary.com!

I think Valneron is the most educational person I've ever come across.

Whatever you do Afk, DON'T CHANGE YOUR AVATAR. Carry on.