Pigtail, your build is all wrong - this is part of why you're dying too much. The other reason, I would guess from your build, is that you don't yet grasp the "right strategy" for playing a mage in pve solo grinding.
I hope I can help you here.
Mobility and control, not letting the enemy hit you: this is the core power of a frost mage. You are a "glass cannon." You win if the enemy spends very little time hitting you while you land your vicious spells from range!
You must focus first on talents that improve your ability to control the target's movement! You put 2/2 in frost ward (utterly useless for you), 2/3 in the one that helps with resists (sounds very useful, but you don't want this one yet, if ever), and only 1/5 in improved frostbolt.
Always put your first talents 5/5 in improved frostbolt. Frostbolt snares your target. The faster you can cast fr-b, the faster you can get the target slowed. Also, faster cast time improves your dps. Note, you will always want to keep fb rank one on your toolbar. Why? W/ 5/5 imp fr-b, rank one can be cast in ONE SECOND - it's great for an emergency snare, when you need to get something slowed really fast.
Next, go 3/3 in Permafrost. Why? W/ this your chill (snare) effects last 3 seconds longer and slow them 10% more. Doesn't sound like much, but it is! In WOW 3 seconds is an eternity; 10% slower gives you more time to damage them while they slowly try to reach you. Makes a HUGE difference.
Now, go 2/2 in Improved Frost Nova. Why? Reduces the cooldown on FN by 4 seconds, making FN reusable much faster. FN is one of your best spells - it ROOTS the enemy while you get distance and nuke. The more you can FN and the faster you can FN, the better you will do.
You will want Ice SHards 5/5, but later on.
Okay, now, with these new talents (and I'm sorry, but you do need to respec - your current spec is ... well more on this in a moment), how do you use them?
Go out into a target-rich environment and try to start from a road, which is relatively safe - and look for something to kill. Cast your best Frostbolt at extreme range.
The second your "cast bar" turns green, hit your highest FIREBALL - yes fireball. But wait, I'm a frost mage! Why am I casting a fireball? Fireballs still do the most damage. You use frost to control the target and whatever is best to kill - and fire is often the best.
The idea is to be casting that fireball while the frostbolt is flying through the air to the target. The frostbolt should hit and should slow the target. You can probably get off TWO fireballs as target closes - target may hit you a bit while you cast second fireball.
But w/ one frostbolt and two fireballs on it, it will be very hurt. Now what?
If you have no room to move (i.e. you're in a tunnel - there are many monsters around) then use Mana Shield. Fire Blast. Frost Nova and back up just out of melee range. Fireball again. Or wand if it's about to die (to save mana). OR Frost Nova first, then Fire blast while backing up a little - then finish it off.
But if you have room to move, strafe away. Yes strafe (q and e keys). You strafe at 100% mvment speed, you back up at about 50%. As long as the target's in your 180 degree forward-facing arc, you can hit it w/ spells, even if you can't see it. So strafe right while fireblasting (get used to fireblasting on the run). And then frost nova. Strafe away a little. Frostbolt and fireball if it has lots of hit points. Fireball or wand if it's about to die.
You will need to practice this a lot to get it down. I'd go practice on low greens or even greys! So there is no stress. By hitting AE keys together or QD you can even circle things! This is "kiting" - staying on the move. In pvp you can kill things mostly by casting insta-cast spells on the run, only stopping to fireball or frostbolt when the target is FN'd or very far away and chilled (or occupied w/ someone else on your team).
But the basic drill w/ pve is: Frostbolt, Fireball, Fireball, Fireblast, Fnova, move off, Fireball or wand.
OR: Frostbolt, Fireball, Fireball, Frost Nova, Fireblast while moving off - and fireball or wand.
Or: Frosbolt, Fireball, Fireblast, Fnova, move off, Frbolt and fireball - whatever.
Or: Frostbolt, Arcane Missiles, Fnova, move off fireblasting, fireball....
You have to adjust this to the fight.
Okay, you will lose the 2/2 in the one that helps against resists. What if target resists first frostbolt?? Well, first fireball should land. If you feel worried, Frost Nova and move away. Start over, but in shortened form. Now Frostbolt, Fireball, Fireblast - mana shield if needed - fireball --- or if you can just kite them in a safe area, keeping them slowed with frostbolt rank one - and fireblasting on the run whenever that's available (later on you can mix cone of cold w/ this) - fNova and finish them off if needed.
If worse comes to worse, sheep and run. Or nova and run. Get away, let them reset, come back and start over.
Get Cold Snap 1/1 next. Resets your cooldowns. Lets you FN in an emergency - killer talent. Next I'd get 5/5 ice shards and not imp bliz yet. Then I'd get 3/3 in imp bliz. Hard to AoE w/ bliz until lvl 28 or 32, anyway.
Next I'd get 5/5 in shatter. W/ shatter and ice shards, you can seriously hurt frozen targets! Don't get Frostbite at all if you want to AoE. It messes it up (some will stay in place, others will pursue you - your cluster of targets is broken up - and you can't neatly kill them all, trust me).
So, do you really need to redo your build? Frost Ward is utterly useless to you pve. 2/3 in Elemental Precision is useful. Will even things out by reducing resists - and will be handy when doing hte AoE thing, yes. But that 2/2 in frost ward will hurt you badly. It costs 1g to reset - I would.
Maybe go 5/5 imp fr-b, 3/3 Permafr, 2/2 imp fr nova, then 1/1 Cold Snap, 2/3 or 3/3 Elemental Precision, 3/3 Imp Bliz, then go 5/5 Ice shards and 5/5 Shatter.
But mostly work on MOVING in combat and CONTROLLING your target. Be heads-up. Am I in a safe place to kite or move around? If not, I can still Fnova, but I can only move a teeny bit away - or I get an add. I need to rely on Mana Shield to live maybe. If I can move, then I need to keep target chilled/snared and nova'd (rooted) while I nuke it from range.
You need to move around effectively to AoE kill w/ bliz.
Here's a trick: w/ permafrost you can kill green-con ELITES, solo! Maybe yellows (it's hard). You only use Frostbolt and fireblast. It takes a while, have a mana potion just in case. And you need room to move. Basically pull the elite to a safe zone to kite. Keep it chilled/snared - use frost bolt rank 1 maybe. And fireblast whenever fireblast is usable while strafing from it. If you have the mana you can nova, strafe off, and fireball twice. Learn when to do this and when not. (try not to let the elites hit you, especially if they can stun! Learn the range of Fnova - to cast it right before they can hit you, but not too early, missing them).
Even if you don't respec, or even if you respec fire - you should not be dying. The basic: open w/ frostbolt, then fireball (or arcane missiles) while mob closes, frost nova, fireblast while moving away, fireball again - this kills most yellows quite nicely. Never just stand there and let them pummel you while you try to cast on them if you can at all help it.
And if you die because of adds, you must add a new mindset to your thinking: escape. Many players think they can't run. I just don't get this. Dying in the Barrens is a PAIN, you often res about 40 miles away. Don't die. If you get an add you can't handle, Nova, or sheep, or frostbolt rank 1 and RUN. Always know where your safe route is! Usually it's bakc to the road. Roads are often clear of monsters. If u are oom rely on your frost armor to chill and slow them as they hit you - always have that buff up (the one that chills whatever hits you - I forget its exact name).
If you get one add in a fight - sheep it if you can. Kill the one you are on, then back off, FIRST AID IF YOU ARE HURT (you can't eat and drink, you're still in combat - but you can FA) - and kill the sheep. If you can't sheep, strongly consider running. Practice fighting low level undeads (or things you can't sheep) two at a time - when you can bliz you can switch over to AoE tactics when you get unexpected adds.
But you should not be dying as a mage. Mages die all the time, but this is because they are played wrong. Learn "right play," and you'll conquer! GL!
P.S. You are right that Frost = good survivability. But you have to pick the talents that give you this and understand how to use them! These are, again: controlling the ability of your target to reach you and speeding up the casting time (and lowering the cooldowns) of your handy, frost spells. To recap: use frost to control - use fire or whatever is best to damage.
Edited, Feb 4th 2007 3:30pm by IponemaGirl
