Raw input for myself:

[code][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zRZvbeg.png[/img][/center]

If you have any questions, please either comment here and someone will answer or head over to the Mage Discord at https://discord.gg/makGfZA

If you think any improvements can be made, please message me on Discord at Glynny#0001.

The guide is still currently under construction. Things to add:

[list=]
[*] Link spell names to WoW Head links
[*] Better graphics to make it look more presentable.[/list]

[list=1]
[*][goto=Introduction]Introduction[/goto]
[*][goto=SS]Spell Summary[/goto]
[*][goto=Talents]Talents[/goto]
[*][goto=Rotations]Rotations & Builds[/goto]


[list=a]
[*][goto=Standard]Standard Rotation[/goto]
[*][goto=FO]Frozen Orb Build[/goto]
[*][goto=NOIL]No Ice Lance[/goto][/list]
[*][goto=Azerite ]Azerite [/goto]
[*][goto=Essences]Essences[/goto]
[*][goto=Gems]Gems, Enchants & Consumables [/goto]
[*][goto=Addons]Macros, Addons & Weak Auras[/goto]
[/list]


[anchor]Introduction[/anchor]
[size=150]Overview[/size]

In this guide I hope to cover everything you will need to know about raiding as a Frost Mage. This guide will include the standard rotation and the recent niche rotations that came to light with the additions of Azerite i.e. No Ice Lance and Frozen Orb builds

Frost has always been a good spec for sustaining a good level of damage. However, with the recent discoveries of the No Ice Lance and Frozen Orb Builds, it now has an option for very high single target burst or sustained two target DPS as well has good sustained damage.

Like all Mage specifications, Frost has excellent movement capabilities with spells such as Simmer & Ice Floes and a good selection of instant cast spells for short movement.


[anchor]SS[/anchor]
[u][size=150]Spell Summary[/size][/u]

Frost has a range of offensive, defensive and utility based spells all of which will be covered below. Including procs (Programmed Random Occurrence). Below is a list of commons spells as well as a description.

Before I go in to more detail about the abilities, I should mention a key mechanic all Frost Mage's should be aware of and is frozen enemies and shatter.

Enemies who are frozen or treated as frozen benefit from shatter. An enemy can be frozen multiple ways, either by being rooted using some Frost specific spells such as Frost Nova or treated as frozen by certain spells and passives such as Winter's Chill.

Shatter increases the critical strike chance of frost spells by (character crit * 1.5) + 50% for example if a player had 10% crit chance it would be (10*1.5)+50 = 65

[b][u]Abilities[/u][/b]

Blizzard drops Ice shards that pelt the target area, dealing Frost damage over 8 sec and reducing movement speed by 50% for 3 sec. Each time Blizzard hits an enemy, the cooldown of Frozen Orb is reduced by 0,5 seconds.

Cold Snap resets the cooldown of your Ice Barrier, Frost Nova, Cone of Cold, and Ice Block.

Cone of Cold targets in a cone in front of you take  Frost damage and have movement slowed by 70% for 5 seconds.

Flurry unleash a flurry of ice, striking the target 3 times for a total of  Frost damage. Each hit reduces the target's movement speed by 70% for 1 sec. While the passive Brain Freeze is active, Flurry applies Winter's Chill, causing your target to take damage from your spells as if it were frozen.

Frostbolt launches a bolt of frost at a enemy, causing Frost damage and slowing movement by 50% for 8 seconds.

Frozen Orb launches an orb of swirling ice up to 40 yards forward which deals up to Frost damage to all enemies it passes through. Grants 1 charge of Fingers of Frost when it first damages an enemy. Enemies damaged by the Frozen Orb are slowed by 30% for 3 sec.

Ice Barrier Shields you with ice, absorbing damage for 1 min. Melee attacks against you reduce the attacker's movement speed by 50%.

Ice Lance quickly flings a shard of ice at the target, dealing Frost damage. Ice Lance damage is tripled when the target is frozen.

Icy Veins accelerates your spellcasting for 20 sec, granting 30% haste and preventing damage from delaying your spellcasts.

Invisibility turns you invisible over 3 sec, reducing threat each second. While invisible, you are untargetable by enemies. Lasts 20 sec. Taking any action cancels the effect.

[b][u]Passives[/u][/b]


Brain Freeze - Frostbolt has a 25% chance to empower your next Flurry to be instant cast and deal 50% increased damage. Once you have the Brain Freeze buff, Brain Freeze causes your next Flurry to  apply Winter's Chill to the target. Winter's Chill causes the target to take damage from your spells as if it were frozen.

Fingers of Frost - Frostbolt has a 15% chance and Frozen Orb damage has a 10% to grant a charge of Fingers of Frost. Fingers of Frost causes your next Ice Lance to deal damage as if the target were frozen. Maximum 2 charges.

Mastery: Icicles - casting Frostbolt or Flurry grants you an Icicle. Casting Ice Lance causes all Icicles stored to begin launching at the target, each dealing (0.1% of Spell power) Frost damage. Up to 5 Icicles can be stored. Any excess Icicles gained will be automatically launched. Increases the damage of Frozen Orb by 15%.

Winter's Chill unleashes a flurry of ice, striking the target 3 times for a total of Frost damage. Each hit reduces the target's movement speed by 70% for 1 sec. While Brain Freeze is active, Flurry applies Winter's Chill, causing your target to take damage from your spells as if it were frozen.

[b][u]Pet Spells[/u][/b]

Summon Water Elemental summons a Water Elemental to follow and fight for you. Once summoned, you gain access to the following abilities.

Freeze - Blasts enemies in a 8 yard radius with frost, freezing them in place for up to 8 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.


[anchor]Talents[/anchor]
[u][size=150]Talents[/size][/u]

Below is an image of the Frost Mage talent tree. Below the image is a description of each talent and the spells it affects and interacts with.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/mwon91F.png[/img]

[u][b][i]Tier 15[/i][/b][/u]

[b]Bone Chilling[/b] - Whenever you attempt to chill a target, you gain Bone Chilling (buff), increasing the damage you deal by 0.5% for 8 seconds, stacking up to 10 times.

[b]Lonely Winter[/b] - You can no longer summon your Water Elemental, but Frostbolt, Ice Lance and Flurry deal 25% increased damage.

[b]Ice Nova[/b] - Causes a whirl of icy wind around the enemy, dealing Frost damage to the target and Frost damage to all other enemies within 8 yards, and freezing them in place for 2 sec.

[u][b][i]Tier 30[/i][/b][/u]

[b]Glacial Insulation[/b] - Ice Barrier increases your armor by 200% while active, and Ice Block applies Ice Barrier to you when it fades.

[b]Shimmer [/b]- Blink now has 2 charges, is off the global cooldown, and can be cast while casting.

[b]Ice Floes[/b] - Makes your next Mage spell with a cast time shorter than 10 sec castable while moving. Unaffected by the global cooldown and castable while casting.

[u][b][i]Tier 45[/i][/b][/u]

[b]Incanter's Flow[/b] - Magical energy flows through you while in combat, building up to 20% increased damage and then diminishing down to 4% increased damage, cycling every 10 sec.

[b]Mirror Image[/b] - Creates 3 copies of you nearby for 40 sec, which cast spells and attack your enemies.

[b]Rune of Power[/b] - Places a Rune of Power on the ground for 10 sec which increases your spell damage by 40% while you stand within 8 yards.

[u][b][i]Tier 60[/i][/b][/u]

[b]Frozen Touch[/b] - Frostbolt grants you Fingers of Frost and Brain Freeze 20% more often.

[b]Chain Reaction[/b] - Your Ice Lances against frozen targets increase the damage of your Ice Lances by 3% for 10 sec, stacking up to 5 times.

[b]Ebonbolt [/b]- Launch a bolt of ice at the enemy, dealing (200% of Spell power) Frost damage and granting you Brain Freeze.

[u][b][i]Tier 75[/i][/b][/u]

[b]Frigid Winds [/b]- All of your chilling effects reduce the target's movement speed by an additional 15%.

[b]Ice Nova[/b] - Frost Nova now has 2 charges.

[b]Ring of Frost[/b] - Summons a Ring of Frost for 10 sec at the target location. Enemies entering the ring are incapacitated for 10 sec. Limit 10 targets.

[u][b][i]Tier 90[/i][/b][/u]

[b]Freezing Rain[/b] - Frozen Orb makes Blizzard instant cast and increases its damage done by 50% for 12 sec.

[b]Splitting Ice [/b] - Your Ice Lance and Icicles now deal 5% increased damage, and hit a second nearby target for 80% of their damage. Your Ebonbolt and Glacial Spike also hit a second nearby target for 80% of its damage.

[b]Comet Storm[/b] - Calls down a series of 7 icy comets on and around the target, that deals up to [7 * (40% of Spell power)] Frost damage to all enemies within 6 yards of its impacts.

[u][b][i]Tier 100[/i][/b][/u]

[b]Thermal Void [/b]- Icy Veins' duration is increased by 10 sec. Your Ice Lances against frozen targets extend your Icy Veins by an additional 1 sec.

[b]Ray of Frost[/b] - Channel an icy beam at the enemy for 5 sec, dealing Frost damage every 1 sec and slowing movement by 60%. Each time Ray of Frost deals damage, its damage and snare increases by 10%. Generates 2 charges of Fingers of Frost over its duration.

[b]Glacial Spike[/b] -  Conjures a massive spike of ice, and merges your current Icicles into it. It impales your target, dealing (297% of Spell power) damage plus all of the damage stored in your Icicles, and freezes the target in place for 4 sec. Damage may interrupt the freeze effect. Requires 5 Icicles to cast. [b]Passive:[/b] Ice Lance no longer launches Icicles.


[anchor]Rotations[/anchor]
[u][size=150]Rotations & Builds[/size][/u]

Below will list each individual build, the rotations, the enabling azerite traits and stat priorities. Unless otherwise stated, it is assumed that the rotation follows the standard rotation and deviations from this will be mentioned in each section of the builds.

The rotations will be listed in order of priority taken from simulation craft. A small description will be provided for the rotation at the bottom of each section.


[indent][anchor]Standard[/anchor]
[size=120]Standard Rotation[/size]

Precombat:

The rotation at its core is fairly basic, we are going to spend the majority of your time casting Frostbolt, followed by Flurry with a Brain Freeze Proc, followed by an Ice Lance.

Below is a list of spells with a small explanation in priority order.


[list=1]

[*] Flurry  should only be cast if you have a Brain Freeze and should always be cast after one of the following spells if you [b]do not[/b] have Glacial Spike talented: Ebonbolt (if talented), Frostbolt. If you do not have Ebonbolt talented, Frostbolt should be before Flurry if you have a Brain Freeze proc.

If you do have Glacial Spike talented, the usage of Flurry changes. Cast Flurry If you have 5 stacks of Mastery: Icicles after casting Glacial Spike, or if you have less than 3 stacks of Mastery: Icicles cast it after Frostbolt. If you will have >=4 Mastery: Icicles at the end of your Frostbolt cast you hold Brain Freeze for Glacial Spike.

[*] Always cast Frozen Orb off cooldown.

[*] Blizzard should cast if there are currently 2 or more active targets.

[*] Always Ice Lance if you have a Fingers of Frost proc.

[*] If talented, you want to cast Ray of Frost off cooldown if Frozen Orb is not currently travelling to or damaging the target.

[*] cast Comet Storm off cooldown (if talented)

[*] Cast Ebonbolt (if talented) on cooldown followed by Flurry then Ice Lance. However, if you have Glacial Spike talented you will save the Brain Freeze generated from Ebonbolt to shatter your Glacial Spike if you have 4 or more Mastery: Icicles

[*] Blizzard is used as low priority filler against 2 targets. When using Freezing Rain, it's a medium gain to use the instant Blizzard even against a single target, especially with low mastery.

[*] If enabled, you cast Glacial Spike when available and only when you have a Brain Freeze. However, if you have Splitting Ice talented and there is more than 1 target you should cast Glacial Spike when available, even without a Brain Freeze

[*] Cast Ice Nova

[*] Cast Frostbolt


[*] Use Icy Veins  off cooldown.

[*] Use Mirror Image (if talented)  off cooldown.

[*] Rune of Power is used if the target will die is greater than 10 seconds + the cast time of Rune of Power and the time until the boss dies is less than 25 seconds

[*] If you have Rune of Power talented, cast Rune of Power if you can cast Glacial Spike with a Brain Freeze proc, casting Rune of Power, Glacial Spike, followed by Flurry and finally Ice Lance. If you have Ebonbolt talented and you can cast Glacial Spike then you cast Rune of Power followed by Ebonbolt. If at the end of the Ebonbolt cast you already have a Brain Freeze proc then you follow Ebonbolt with a Flurry and Ice Lance then you cast Glacial Spike followed by Flurry and finally Ice Lance. However, if at the end of your Ebonbolt cast you do not already have a Brain Freeze  proc you will save the proc for Glacial Spike and cast Glacial Spike, Flurry (shattering the Glacial Spike) and finally Ice Lance.

[*] If you have Rune of Power talented and you are about to cap on the charges available, the will use a charge of one of the following spells in this order of priority: Frozen Orb, Ebonbolt (if talented), Comet Storm (if talented), Ray of Frost (if talented)
[/list]

[anchor]FO[/anchor]
[size=120]Frozen Orb Build & Rotation[/size]

As previously mentioned, this section will only cover the differences from the standard rotation. Additionally, there are some enabling factors to the build:

[list=]
[*] You need Packed Ice, ideally 3
[*] You want 1 Flash Freeze for the Fingers of Frost proc chance. It is advised to only get one of these as the proc chance is mediocre when stacked.
[*] You want 2 Whiteout, try to get at least 1 for the cooldown reduction
[*] As little mastery as possible
[/list]


[b][u]Talents[/u][/b]
[list]
[*]Lonely Winter
[*] Rune of Power
[*] Chain Reaction
[*] Splitting Ice / Freezing Rain
[*] Thermal Void / Ray of Frost
[/list]

The main differences of the rotation are as follows:

[list=1]
[*] When Frozen Orb is not active, do standard Frost rotation with the exception of using Blizzard as filler instead of Frostbolt
[*] If you have enough Whiteout traits, you might want to use Finger of Frost over Brain Freeze as well
[*] Try to save one Finger of Frost before using Frozen Orb
[*] Save Ray of Frost for Frozen Orb
[*] Cast Rune of Power right after you cast Frozen Orb
[*] During Frozen Orb, cast as many shattered Ice Lances as possible by using the following priority
[*] Cast Ice Lance if you have Finger of Frost
[*] Cast instant Blizzard (If Freezing Rain talented)
[*] Cast Flurry if you have Brain Freeze and follow it up with Ice Lance
[*] cast Ray of Frost, cancel it early if you cap on Fingers of Frost
[*] cast Blizzard
[*] cast Frostbolt
[/list]


[anchor]NOIL[/anchor]
[size=120]No Ice Lance Build & Rotation[/size][/indent]


As previously mentioned, this section will only cover the differences from the standard rotation. Additionally, there are some enabling factors to the build:

[list]
[*] You need 3 copies of the Flash Freeze Azerite Trait
[*] Other Azerite Traits such as Treacherous Covenant, Tradewinds etc are very good. Try to avoid anything that directly buffs Ice Lance e.g. Whiteout as you will not be casting Ice Lance much.
[*] Stack as much mastery as you possibly can.
[/list]

[b][u]Talents[/u][/b]
[list]
[*] Bone Chilling
[*] Incanter's Flow
[*] Ebonbolt
[*] Comet Storm / Splitting Ice
[*] Glacial Spike
[/list]

The main differences of the rotation are as follows:

[list=1]
[*] Never cast Ice Lance after Flurry
[*] Only cast Ice Lance with Fingers of Frost if you have Splitting Ice and there's another target in range
[*] Always save Brain Freeze for Glacial Spike
[*] Only cast Ebonbolt if you have 5 Icicles and no Brain Freeze proc
[*] Cast Blizzard starting at 3 targets
[*] Cast Glacial Spike with Brain Freeze or if it's going to hit during 5 stack Incanter's Flow
[/list]

[anchor]Azerite[/anchor]
[u][size=150]Azerite[/size][/u]

With the power of some azerite traits, they now become build enablers. I would advise looking over the build sections of this guide to see what azerite traits you should be aiming for. Additionally, other traits that are not mentioned vary a lot so it is recommended to sim them using Raidbots. It's a very easy interface to use: https://www.raidbots.com/simbot/topgear

[anchor]Essences[/anchor]
[u][size=150]Essences[/size][/u]

Essences are a new addition to 8.2 and bring some interesting combinations. Hero Damage has saved everyone a lot of time and effort by creating regularly updated sims for the entire community. Below is a snapshot of Frost No Ice Lance essences per rank. I would high advise referring to HeroDamage.com to have an updated list of all Essences. Click the following image below:

[url=https://www.herodamage.com/mage/essences/1ta-t24-frost][img]https://i.imgur.com/b4SUs0j.png[/img][/url]


[anchor]Gems[/anchor]
[u][size=150]Gems, Enchants & Consumables[/size][/u]

Your gems, enchants and comsumables will always depend on the build you are playing.

No Ice Lance:

[list=]
[*] Rings: Enchant: Accord of Mastery
[*] Weapon: Enchant: Masterful Navigation / Enchant: Torrent of Elements
[*] Gems: Masterful Sea Currant [/list]

[anchor]Addons[/anchor]
[u][size=150]Addons, Macros & Weak Auras[/size][/u]

Coming soon[/code]