Fire Mage leveling guide
More damage, less control. Pick this if you like big critical strikes and accept more risk. How the Fire talents play from level 10 to 60.
On this page7 sections
At a glanceOur pickOpinion, not confirmed by BlizzardOur reading of the Fire talent text, not a tested rotation.
- Build at level 60
- 0/39/12 (39 Fire, 12 Frost)
- 16-point milestone
- Hot Streak, level 25
- Last Fire talent
- Combustion, level 40
- In a group
- Damage
- Our first choice for leveling a Mage
- Frost
How Fire plays
- Fire is Fireball and critical strikes. Improved Fireball takes 0.5 sec off the cast, and Ignite makes every critical strike with a Fire spell burn the target for an additional 40% of the spell's damage over 4 sec.
- Pyroblast arrives at level 20, and Hot Streak, the milestone, shortens its cast by 25% for each recent critical strike with Fireball, Fire Blast or Scorch, up to 3 times.
- Critical strikes pay Mana back as well: Master of Elements refunds 30% of the spell's base Mana cost.
- Impact gives Fire spells a 9% chance to stun for 2 sec, and Blast Wave dazes every enemy caught in it for 6 sec. That is all the control the tree has.
- Combustion, the last talent, makes each Fire spell hit add 10% critical strike chance until you have landed 4 critical strikes.
What to press first
Most important first. Not a rotation.
- 1
Cast Fireball as the default
Improved Fireball takes 0.5 sec off its cast.
- 2
Cast Pyroblast once Hot Streak has built up
Hot Streak reduces the cast time of Pyroblast by 25% a stack, and lasts 15 sec.
- 3
Keep casting through hits
Burning Soul gives Fire spells a 70% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage, at three points.
- 4
Use Blast Wave when enemies reach you
Blast Wave dazes them for 50% reduced movement speed for 6 sec.
- 5
Press Combustion at the start of a hard fight
Combustion lasts until you have landed 4 critical strikes, however long that takes.
Talents that change how you play · 11
From Improved Fireball at level 10 to Improved Scorch at 41.
The level is when our build first takes the talent.
- Levels 10–14
Fireball casts faster.
- Levels 15–19
Critical strikes leave the target burning.
- Level 20
A new spell, and the one Hot Streak later shortens.
- Levels 21–23
Being hit delays your casts less.
- Level 25
Hot Streak16-point milestone
Critical strikes start shortening Pyroblast.
- Levels 26–28
Critical strikes start refunding Mana.
- Levels 30–32
More critical strikes: 6% at three points, and three talents already feed on them.
- Level 33
An answer to enemies standing on top of you.
- Levels 35–39
A flat 10% more Fire damage at five points.
- Level 40
Critical strike chance climbs with every Fire spell that hits.
- Levels 41–43
Scorch gets a job in long fights: it makes the target take more Fire damage, stacking up to 5 times.
Gear to look for
What the talents reward on items.
- Spell critical strike chance above all: Ignite, Hot Streak and Master of Elements all trigger on critical strikes.
- Chance to hit with Fire spells has no talent until Elemental Precision from Frost at level 49.
Groups and dungeons
In a group: damage. New group talents before 4 dungeons.
In a group these talents support damage.
- Burning Soul reduces the threat of your Fire spells by 30% at three points.
- Blast Wave hits every enemy around you. In a dungeon, look at what is standing nearby before you use it.
- Improved Scorch makes the target take more Fire damage, which is worth keeping up on a boss.
New group talents by the time each dungeon opens
Strengths and trade-offs
2 strengths, 2 trade-offs.
Strengths
- Damage that feeds itself: one critical strike burns, refunds Mana and shortens the next Pyroblast.
- Casts hold up under attack once Burning Soul is in.
Trade-offs
- Little control. The stun is a 9% chance, and this order does not reach Improved Frost Nova, from the Frost tree, until level 54.
- It lives on critical strikes, so a run without them is a slow, expensive fight.
Compare this build
Keep reading
Sources and what isn't confirmed
Not announced
- Item names and stat weights
- A leveling talent order from Blizzard
Sources
- Beta 1.60.1 talent data: every claim on this page is read from the Fire talent text. Nothing here is a published guide or a tested rotation
Updated . Talent data: beta 1.60.1. Details can change in any later build or patch.