How to Maximize Your DPS as a Mage

Select DPS-friendly skills when leveling up, especially ones that increase damage, reduce cooldown and boost mana gems. For example, the Presence of Mind skill allows you to cast high-casting time spells instantaneously for a brief period. Arcane Tactics boosts your entire party's damage on all attacks to 100 percent for 60 seconds.

Cascade skills and spells, called ABC (Always Be Casting), so that cooldown timers are exploited for their maximum effect. Spell-casting characters have two taskbars, one for skills and one for spells, which can be bound to hotkeys on the keyboard. These can be customized so that buff spells and skills are in the first slots and damage spells take up the rest of the slots. In the final slot, there should be a consumable, skill or spell that replenishes your spell-casting ability. Going in sequential order on both taskbars simplifies the casting process to ensure that you never have to think about which spell or skill to cast next in the heat of battle. This principle is the basis of skill in the Mage class, as constant casting of spells maximizes DPS, combined with the correct gear and spell buffs that minimize casting penalties and heighten damage.

Keep mana refreshed so you aren't surprised by being unable to cast spells. This is accomplished by stocking up on consumable items before raids and having gems, potions and especially food, which can keep a mage buffed with extra damage for the entirety of a raid.