DPS · Moderate to level
Mage
Portals, conjured food, and the best AoE farming in the game.
Why play it
Mages are the convenience class: free food and water, portals to every capital, and frost control that makes solo play safe. AoE farming turns them into gold machines — but launch-week farming spots will be contested.
Leveling reality check
Frost is the safe solo spec: slows, blocks, and efficient AoE once you have the toolkit. Fire is a later, group-oriented pick.
Dual spec at 40
Frost for AoE farming and solo, Fire for single-target raid damage. Swap after 40 when the second spec arrives.
Dual-spec rules are community-tracked from the beta. Confirm costs and switching rules with the trainer at 40.
Group value
Pure damage classes trade group flexibility for raw output. Your value shows up in cleave, control, or utility rather than in the group finder.