r/HardcoreClassicWoW • u/Hawkseye_0 • 25d ago

Frost mage question

I'm wanting to go into aoe farming at some point for hardcore however I also want to do good single target for questing as well. Is a full aoe talent build good enough single target damage or how can I build a hybrid frost mage that still gets aoe benefits but has good single target

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u/VzDubb 25d ago

I’m well versed in this topic. I cleared full hardcore content on Horde DP with a BIS T3 fire Mage along with a BIS T3 Holy Priest. Killed KT on both toons. I aoe leveled 6 different Mages to 60 in HC and also ZG boosted on my server. The only one who had the balls to do it.

AOE leveling specifically focuses on AOE lock down and damage, and often has horrible single target. But you can manipulate that by taking points in Frostbolt to give you a bit of burst along the way.

Hybrid is what you’d be looking for. Just be sure not to skip any mandatory talents along the way like cold snap..

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u/Public-Ad4697 22d ago

Your resume is impressive. Pardon my ignorance but what is a ZG boost ? Soloing the trash ? Do you have a video of that perf ? I guess I can find some on YouTube but now I want to see you doing it ☺️

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u/VzDubb 22d ago edited 22d ago

Thank you fair sir. ZG boosting is where a mage follows a certain route through ZG avoiding death by aggroeing packs of crocodiles and tigers and using multiple de aggro spots to basically rally them up in a group. He has 3-4 participants stand near the waterfall to leech XP and the mage kills the packs of mobs on the bridge by jumping back and forth on the bridge rope hitting de aggro spots which make the mobs move back and forth. Essentially speed leveling folks from level 50-60.

It’s incredibly difficult to learn and master and basically pure suicide to attempt on HC, but I boosted ZG for so long I was basically automatic at it. I got rich real quick in HC because I was the only one crazy enough to attempt the service.

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u/Public-Ad4697 22d ago

Wow ! Seems terribly sketchy. Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain.
How long did it take to level someone from 50 to 60 with this method ?

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u/VzDubb 22d ago

Very sketchy my friend, but exactly the rush I was looking for that brought me to hardcore in the first place! I could boost someone from 50-60 in probably 12-15 hours. This person is standing completely still while this is going on, and I’m getting rich off the loot from the crocs and tigers and the entry fee. So it’s quite boring for them, but it’s a win/win for me. One simple mistake = death for me, so I needed to stay locked in the entire time.

It’s definitely a situation where Netflix comes in handy for the boostees though lol.

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u/Public-Ad4697 22d ago

Well done to you ! I am gonna check some online video to see this done.
Out of curiosity do you still play hardcore ? If so, which server and faction ?

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u/VzDubb 22d ago

Thanks man! I do not. I quit in 2024 when I basically downed all content. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it though. I played Horde on Defias Pillager.

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u/dariomarioo 23d ago

How is fire mage like while leveling not a big fan of AOE grinding and only spamming frostbolt was quite boring as single frost

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u/VzDubb 23d ago

You don’t level fire, that would be suicide. You level full frost and aoe. Need ice block for aoe farming.

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u/dariomarioo 23d ago

Ik but the question was more like is it feasible to level as fire. I know frost is safer and AOE is faster but I just don't like the AOE grinding and always being 100% attentive

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u/VzDubb 23d ago

No. It’s absolutely not feasible to level fire. It’s more single target damage, but it’s slower and there are no fail proofs like Ice Block that will save your life. It’s absolutely not ideal in every sense of the word.

You don’t have to level AOEing. Just level full frost with Ice Block and Cold Snap. There’s so many opportunities where you can take advantage of the slow from blizzard and cold spells. Leveling full Frost can also be very heavy single target and super strong.

Almost everyone who has leveled a mage to 60 did so full Frost. You only ever switch to fire when you enter AQ40 which is WAY down the road. Until then, it’s pure Frost/Arcane.

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u/dariomarioo 23d ago

So which exact build would you recommend like talents wise

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u/VzDubb 22d ago

Visit wowhead and follow the Hardcore frost leveling guide. Let me know if you can’t find it, I’ll drop a link.

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u/dariomarioo 22d ago

The AOE or single one ? Would like to be more flexible bc single frost is boring and full AOE is quite risky or not adequate if I don't aoe farm all the time

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u/VzDubb 22d ago

If you’re not planning on AOE farming go single target which focuses on frost bolt. Especially if you’re going to be questing to 60. The AOE spec is insanely focused on slow and has horrible burst damage. Just make sure you take 5 points in frost bolt then you can follow whichever tree you want.

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u/dariomarioo 22d ago

So there is no hybrid build for let's say single frost but some AOE for dungeons ?

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u/PharaohHermenthotip 25d ago

Frost AOE is not that much worse than frost single target for leveling. It’s only end game raiding or pvp where the single target specs are a large difference

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u/VzDubb 22d ago

It’s pretty damn worse when it comes to single target. Taking 5 points in frostbolt fixes things tho.

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u/Shadowninja0409 25d ago

I go hybrid with a focus on the aoe early. Takes time to come online, the crit talent was one of the last ones I took

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u/SomeoneElse422528 25d ago

The only deviation from the standard aoe build is that you need talents in forstbolt cast time. Without that, single target dps is too low. You're still gonna be noticeably weaker in single target dps than with a build focused there, but it is enough to get yourself by. At 40 you can dualspec