Mastering the Mage: A Comprehensive Guide to Level 25 Gameplay in PvE and PvP

Frost Mage, I would say, would be around A or B tier for me. I think it’s going to do decent damage, but I don’t think it’s going to be top tier. Frost Mage has a few things that make it really strong.

Frost Mage Performance

Frost Mage gets “Fingers of Frost”, which allows them to act as if the target is frozen, so that they basically get their increased crit chance. I don’t even know if Frost Mages get that increased crit chance yet at level 25.

Frost Mage’s Strengths and Weaknesses

They get Icy Veins, which also increases your haste. I feel like Frost Mage is the weakest though. I think Frost needs a lot more levels. At 25, I think you have to go fire or Arcane. I would like to put it in B tier, not dumpster fire tier, but I think just the other mage classes or specs feel a lot stronger.

Frost Mage in PVP and PVE

You might even still use burnout as well. For Frost, you’re just getting 15% crit. Everything costs 1% more base Mana. They do get Ice Lance, they’re going to be crazy for PVP, but for PVE directly, if we’re looking directly at, like, Raiden situation for PVE, I think Frost goes into a relatively B tier right now.

Fire and Arcane Mages Comparison

Fire and Arcane are looking like some of the strongest things. Arcane is like both healer and damage. The only issue I could see Mages having is going to be Mana or hit percentage. Casters need hit against bosses. For Arcane, you have one Talent right now that gives you 10% hit, that’s the most busted Talent of all time. Fire Mage worrying about Mana, the Nerf to Red paladins may have actually bumped them up a bit. I would put fire in a solid S tier, and Arcane would be right next to fire.

Arcane Blast Mechanics

I actually completely agree. I think, I mean, we have yet to see like the way Arcane Blast works. It isn’t the same as in any other version of the game. Arcane Blast doesn’t just get spammed to do more damage itself and cost more Mana. It costs more Mana every time you use a subsequent Arcane Blast, and then it buffs the other abilities that are Arcane.

Fire Class Evaluation

So, I think fire looks really good. It gets some really fun runes. It’s definitely a very solid class, I think in the S tier for sure. Paladin used to be in gigachad tier, and I like that whoever made this tier list thing was like, “By the way, it’s wheelchair because it’s wheelchair in every single version of the game.”

Rogue and Paladin Comparison

And as a Rogue main for almost most versions of WoW, oh, it’s always like the slowest, yep. Why are we so slow? I mean, to me, for Rhett, even after the Nerfs, I still think Rhett is going to be an absolute pumper. I don’t think it’s gigachad tier anymore. I would personally have as S, but I think it may still be above Mage, if that makes sense.

Paladin’s Strengths and Weaknesses

I think single Target DPS for Rett right now is still above Mage, especially with seal twisting. The big caveat I have is they took a quite large damage loss from in single Target from losing the frequency they can use Crusader Strike, like 4 seconds to 6 seconds. It’s only two seconds longer, but that’s literally 50% of the entire CD, so you get to use it way less often.

If they change it so that Crusader Strike does not proc seals, they’re going to get really a lot weaker. The best thing for paladins is the weapon they have access to. R paladins in classic never really got much of abilities anyways; they were Auto attack simulator and changing that with these runes literally already just changes them to be able to do things.

Paladin Gameplay and Tactics

So, I think, yeah, Paladins are going to be fun. You can still run around and delete people, probably in PvP. You won’t have like crazy crit rating, you know, and you can’t Reckoning bomb them yet, but you’re having a great time.

Oh yeah, you’ll have Wind Fury, your Casino Crusader strike, Divine storm, judgment – it’s like a lot of buttons to press, honestly, for Paladin, which is so different from what you used to have where you literally had like nothing to press. Like, you can Exorcist anyone, you can Exorcist any demons to crit them, sorry Warlock.

Meta and Paladin Strategy

I really think this is probably going to be, have a macro where you swap to a shield really fast to Avenger shield and then swap back. Yeah, a little G closer, exactly. And then, I don’t know, with weapon swings, if like Crusader strike would then start a weapon swing timer, which is like a thing.

Advanced Paladin Techniques

Like when you weapon swap as a rogue, you would always do it right after a weapon swing and you would weapon Swap and use an ability right away, so you didn’t feel like you’re having much downtime. You would do a similar thing with like weaving weapons, which is getting way more technical than probably most people need to know right now.

The Ever-Changing Game Meta

Literally next week, something we talk about today could be completely irrelevant, but that, I guess, is just the fun of it, right? Like Shadow being dumpster tier, Shadow could be gigachad next week. They could decide, “Shadows, we don’t love you right now, but we really, really love you.” Homunculi looks like one of the most fun Runes of all time. It gives you like three mini versions of yourself, and they put up all of the debuffs that matter: armor debuff, attack speed debuff, and one more.

Shadow Priest Class Analysis

How do you rate Shadow priest? I feel like they, at level 25, are in a rough spot. Personally, I don’t think anything is really dumpster, but they may be bottom B tier, in my opinion. They’re going to do damage, right, but I don’t think that they’re going to do competitive damage. Like, I honestly think Frost Mage would do more damage than Shadow priest.

Shadow Priest’s Mana Issue and Future Potentials

Shadow priest is going to have like crazy burst, and I used to have a level 29 twink Shadow priest because at in TBC, you could get the enchant Soul Frost at 29 from a quest in Alter or Arathi Basin that counted as a level 36 weapon. Their issue right now is Mana. If you’re looking at it, their issue right now at this level is mana. I know the changes to Shamans really help that. I don’t know if it’s enough yet, so I think Shadow priests at this level are missing some things.

Class Tier Assessment at Level 25

I agree, I think they go into this B tier, and the difference between all of these is really small. At level 25, the difference between an A and S tier DPS is like seven DPS or something. That was the logic behind my tier list.

I did just like a S, A, and B. I mean, everything is going to feel good compared to what it was before, and everyone is going to do damage.

These differences might not be that big, and we’re here for like six weeks or something. Level 25 is so fast; just play all the classes and whatever the root of the class you really like, you can use a lot more towards the higher levels.

Rogue Class Evaluation

On that note, I talk about Rogue. Assassination Rogue, interestingly, you will run assassination Rogue if you’re the mutilate build, and then you’ll run combat if you’re any of the other two builds. So, Rogue, you can combine all of the Rogue and combat and assassination as just Rogue if we were looking at it at tier list specifically, because the DPS differentials are really small.

Rogue Guide and Simulation Corrections

I do want to let everyone know that saw my rogue guide, I went over all the rotations and all the specs. There was one thing wrong with the simulations: it was counting saber slash buff or debuff on each spec, and that has been adjusted. Rogue feels really strong single Target. They have one Rune that is my favorite Rune ever, but it has no support from any of the other runes.

Class Choice and Meta at Level 25

If anyone’s just listening to this, don’t chase the meta at 25. Play the class that speaks to you. So much is going to change between now and 60. Rogues have ranged kidney shot, they have a range slow. As a rogue player, I’ve seen a lot of people say that they think Rogue feels weak, but I think Rogue feels really good. For single Target DPS, I think Rogue will be competitive as one of the very top.

Class Comparison: Rogue, Paladin, and Mage

I don’t know, I mean, because then you would take other classes, right? Like Paladin, Fire Mage, these classes that will have decent single target DPS and some cleave, and a nice amount of AOE. In my opinion, they would still be ranked higher because they have a little bit of both. So maybe Rogue would be like a tier or behind Paladin and Mage in S, but I think that the lack of AOE and cleave would be the only thing holding them back from being like true S tier.

Tier Rankings and Gameplay Dynamics

I kind of like the idea of having like a tier anyway.It makes sense, right? Their damage is like S tier single target but without cleave and AOE. There’s got to be something to differentiate between Mages and Red Paladin that do have a little bit of both, and a decent amount of both actually.

Mage Class Strengths and Boss Fight Dynamics

Overall, if we’re looking at it generally, this is like a very solid Mage. Mages already have a ton of AOE. We’re level 25 again, right? These boss fights are like 2 to 5 minutes long. Some of them have cleave, some of them won’t. Rogues just feel nice and it feels very genuine to the classic Rogue experience.

Rogue Skills and Wind Fury Mechanics

As someone who used to min-max Rogue to such obnoxious levels, it’s so funny because it’s such a small thing. Rogue has Sinister Strike or Backstab, and then you keep up Slice and Dice, and like you have your CDs with Blade Flurry and Adrenaline Rush.

The difference between the top Rogues and anyone else was really big. Now that we have Wind Fury for Alliance and Horde, this is a big thing. Wind Fury procs reset your weapon swing, which means you have to track your weapon swings and use all of your abilities right after a weapon swing.

This is going to be a small DPS thing at low levels, and a larger DPS thing at higher levels, adding some skill to it, which is so fun.

Feral DPS Assessment at Level 25

I think Feral DPS feels like it’s in a less amazing spot at this rank level. A lot of things are missing from your toolkit, your talents. It’s hard to decide which talents you’re going for. You grab Furor, which allows you to shift into cat form and power shift, but you only get 40 energy instead of having Wolf’s Head Helm on top of that. At level 25, like shape-shifting Mana cost is high. You’d start running into issues, probably able to shift three or four times and then be out of Mana.

Limitations of Feral DPS

You don’t have Omen of Clarity, Ferocious Bite, or some of your bleeds. I think Feral DPS is not in a great spot at 25, but the buff you bring is so great. Apparently, there’s data mined information that you might even get Tiger’s Fury, which would instantly give you a ton of energy, as well as an uncapped AOE called Thrash in the code.

Potential Game Changers for Feral DPS

If that’s a thing, that could change some stuff. Based on the information we have right now, data mining Thrash aside, just because of the buff, I would put them at the top of B tier. They really could go bottom A, but I don’t think they’re going to come close to Rogues when it comes to single target damage.

Group Dynamics and Feral Buffs

They’re going to be absolutely necessary; every group is going to want one. You’re going to fight for the Feral in your group. Let me check who I’m supposed to run with. We have to blast through this; we have 18 minutes because the guild we’re going to break the world records again, just as memes because we’re just bored. So, the Feral buff is only group wide, just like Windfury. There are some things that are raid wide, like the Shaman and Paladin Healing.

Enhancement Shaman Analysis at Level 25

I’m not even sure about the specifics, but regarding Enhanced Shaman, I feel like Enhanced Shaman is going to be okay. It’s going to be fun to play for sure, but I don’t think it’s going to really be competitive, especially compared to the Rogue tier. I do think enhance would probably be around B tier. Enhancement Shaman seems like a consistent damage class. You don’t have Windfury, but you don’t need Wind Fury for that consistent damage. B tier seems like a good place for them.

Group Synergy and Enhancement Shaman Strengths

Their damage can beat the Feral, but I think Feral bringing the Wind Fury group makes them stronger. Enhance Shamans seem to ramp up later in the game. I would put them above Frost Mage and Shadow Priest. Ellie Shaman DPS feels strong; I don’t know if they had Mana issues yet. Ellie Shamans are going to obnoxiously delete people at level 60.

Elemental Shaman Performance and Mana Management

Everyone has Mana issues, and spell hit is an issue. Ellie Shaman might be put right under F for now, mainly because of the Mana issues. You get a lot of cool spells like Lava Burst, which is awesome and makes it really fun. There’s one of these runes, Overload, that is a thing in later versions of the game where every one of your casts has a one in three chance of just casting another one for free.

Comparing Elemental and Enhancement Shamans

The big issue is you don’t have Chain Lightning. Ellie Shamans are going to be not more than just a little bit stronger at this level than Enhancement Shaman. Overload is actually ridiculous, and then you have Lava Burst and Shamanistic Rage to help you with Mana.

They’re going to do some damage. Shamanistic Rage is going to be essential or Water Shield, but you’ll run with Shamanistic Rage, get some Mana back, and it’s going to be very helpful. Balance Druids literally never run out of Mana now. I don’t think their damage is S tier, potentially I think they go into the A tier though because they can’t run out of Mana.

Balance Druids’ Infinite Mana and Wrath Spam

I agree with that for sure. The ability to just spam Wrath forever without worrying about Mana right off the bat makes Balance Druids better than B tier. For leveling, once we’re done with level 25, which is over very quickly, you’re going to level to 40 and never run out of Mana. Their Wrath costs zero but also procs their Healing Touch to be instantly cast. This is like the gigachad leveling. Arcane or Mages still are gigachad levelers, and hunters get even better at leveling, but this is super good for Druids.

Druids in PvP and PvE

When I first read that Rune, I was like, did I read that correctly? Wrath costs zero, reduces Mana cost by 100%. This is probably mostly meant for healers, but not really because it is purely like Wrath. At this level, it is your highest damage healing ability. You could just fight forever in PvP tournaments, which we’re still trying to figure out. Druid DPS are always about just outliving everyone.

Warlock Class Assessment

Warlock, especially fire destruction, is going to be a lot of damage. You have Lake of Fire, which increases your fire damage from you and your pet by 40% for 15 seconds, and then you can weave in Incinerates. Their AOE is going to be phenomenal, and their single Target is going to be good.

Warlockis totally fine going in S tier. Their AOE like a shadowbolt cleave hits five targets for 80-90% of the damage. Affliction doesn’t feel very good right now, but it will as it ramps up. Destro, the fire Destro build, is up there. The Warlock tank is always amazing.

Demonology Warlock and Community Reaction

I want to put Demonology down here just so that if someone ever sees this and screenshots it, they can get mad at me. Yeah, I agree. I do, with all my chagrin. It’s a bit of a controversial placement, but it’s part of the fun to see how the community reacts.

Fury Warrior Assessment

Fury Warrior, you want to know the interesting thing? I think Fury Warrior is insane. If you play it correctly with the new Wind Fury and play with the right runes, like the ones I showed earlier, Fury Warriors are going to be super strong. Especially if you’re playing around that 80 rage, they’re going to be really strong. Fury Warrior also presents a challenge for the classic team to tone things down. They have decent single-target damage, especially with heroic strike queuing and cleave for trash packs.

Fury Warrior in the S Tier

Most of this is just a raw damage buff, so I would say S tier. Where in the S tier would I rate them? I want to put Fury Warriors at the top of S, even though I know people are going to go crazy about it. Warrior felt very weak early on, especially with rage generation, but if you play it correctly, it’s going to be really strong.

Warrior Viability and Hunter Class Position

Getting hit from the 4% hit from the BFD sharpening stones is going to make them middle of the pack in PvP. They don’t get much other than Warbringer right now in PvP. You can never discount Fury Warriors in Fight Club; they figure it out.

Also, with leatherworking and crafting physical DPS gloves, you get another hit, and the on-use effect of those gloves is 10% haste, which is pretty nutty.

That just leaves us with Hunter. Hunter.was up there with Paladin, sitting like, “Hey, we’re Giga Chads and we can kill anything,” and then Blizzard read the guide.

Game Balancing and Spec Analysis

Instead of 30% crit, let’s make it 10%; instead of 25% damage, let’s go for 15. I still believe they’re top-tier. Looking at the whole spectrum of specs, I’d definitely place the hunter in the S tier. Sniper training, for instance, only affects your shots, not autos, so the impact isn’t as significant.

Another nerf to consider is Lone Wolf, reduced from 25% to 15%. This doesn’t affect the viability of running a second hunter. Multiple hunter specs remain viable in the S tier. Beast Mastery, for example, could perform exceptionally well.

Analyzing Hunter’s S-Tier Viability and Comparisons in Classic WoW

There’s also increasing support for melee weaving and carve, an uncapped cleave ability that’s incredibly powerful. The Wowhead Talent calculator has the latest updates. Imagine contributing to Wowhead – would that imply a lack of skill in the game? That’s an interesting thought. I rate the hunter as S tier personally.

There’s discussion about traps no longer requiring being out of combat, but that’s unconfirmed. Comparing hunters to fire destruction warlocks, hunters seem poised to outperform, especially considering the lack of a miss chance for hunters and the hit rating mechanics for deathro locks.

If we’re discussing hit rates, Arcane might rank higher than fire in my list. Yet, fire might edge out Arcane due to its inherent 6% hit bonus, which is significant in classic World of Warcraft for those who haven’t played in a while.

Comparative Strengths in Game Classes

When considering the overall strength of different classes, hunters stand out, potentially outperforming fire destruction warlocks. The absence of a miss chance for hunters gives them an edge, especially in comparison to deathro locks, where hit rating is a critical factor.

If we analyze based on hit rate alone, Arcane might surpass fire in terms of effectiveness. However, fire mages receive a notable 6% hit bonus, which could tilt the scales in their favor.

This aspect of hit rating is particularly significant for players not familiar with the classic version of World of Warcraft. These nuances in class mechanics and abilities play a crucial role in determining their relative strengths and viability in various game scenarios.

Analyzing Game Class Strengths

One crucial aspect to consider for almost every class is the importance of the hit stat, which remains the strongest until the hit cap is reached. For spellcasters, achieving this cap can be particularly challenging.

When evaluating the relative power of different classes, I suggest placing hunters above fire destruction warlocks but below mages. This ranking is tentative and could change in the future, reflecting the dynamic nature of game balancing.

For instance, the status of Fury Warriors as S tier is a topic of debate. If this turns out to be accurate, it would be a significant development, underlining the principle of never underestimating warriors. Their potential for figuring out effective strategies in the game is notable.

Ongoing Game Class Discussions

This discussion about game classes is ongoing and subject to change, especially as new game updates are introduced. The current opinions, although somewhat speculative, provide a snapshot of the current state of game class dynamics.

The debate over whether Fury Warriors deserve an S tier status is particularly intriguing. If proven wrong, there are humorous stakes involved, such as participating in the “Hot Ones” challenge. It’s important to note that these class rankings are likely to evolve as the game itself changes.

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