With the arrival of Cataclysm, the talent system received a massive overhaul, changing from the 71 talent points system to a more compact 41 points system. As such, many of the old talents were either completely removed or changed, resulting in fewer possible build variations. One key aspect of the new system is that you must use at least 31 points in your main specialization to use the remaining 10 points in a secondary specialization.
Talent Builds
The talents shown above are generally considered mandatory for Frost Mages in raids.
One point in Permafrost should be enough to keep your Water Elemental alive. The points in Reactive Barrier could be swapped out if you need one of the freeze or chill effects talents for handling trash or adds.
Glyphs
Prime Glyphs
- Glyph of Frostbolt
A solid buff to your main filler spell. It loses some value if you’re crit capped, but it’s still better than any alternatives.
- Glyph of Deep Freeze
Another straightforward buff to one of your main spells.
- Glyph of Frostfire
The strongest third option. You shouldn’t need slows in a raid setting, so the tradeoff in this glyph isn’t a big deal.
- Glyph of Ice Lance
For the most part you will want to use the three glyphs listed above, but this one could prove useful on fights where you will be moving a lot.
- Glyph of Cone of Cold
Not worth it over the other glyphs listed above.
- Glyph of Molten Armor
This glyph can get you closer to the Crit cap if you’re not there yet, but you’ll be better off sticking with the first 3 glyphs we listed.
Major Glyphs
- Glyph of Evocation
This glyph gives you a way to heal yourself, which is something you don’t otherwise have. It’s recommended to always have this active.
- Glyph of Blink
A great default option if you don’t need the glyph slot for something more specific below.
- Glyph of Invisibility
This glyph can turn your Invisibility spell into an extra mobility cooldown.
- Glyph of Ice Barrier
This glyph offers a nice boost to your survivability if you need it.
- Glyph of Icy Veins
Mandatory for niche situations where you need to be able to remove slowing effects, but those will be few and far between.
Minor Glyphs
- Glyph of Arcane Brilliance
This one reduces the mana cost of your buff spell so it’s not as costly if you need to rebuff someone during combat.
- Glyph of Conjuring
This glyph will save you a decent chunk of mana if you need to summon another Mana Gem in combat.
- Glyph of Slow Fall
You won’t need to worry anymore about whether you have Light Feathers in your bag when you cast Slow Fall.
About the Author
Luxrah
I've been playing World of Warcraft on and off since vanilla, usually as a healer or caster and often as a guild leader. I play both retail and classic. I also love RPGs, sandboxes, and sims.