Arcane Mage DPS (3.3.3)

This post is intended to help those not familiar with Arcane Mage mechanics to get a simple overview

Spec
55/0/0 is the spec

Here's the link: http://www.wowhead.com/talent#of0Vck0IzxGuhxed:Nz

Just cut and paste it. It doesnt leave alot ofpoints open for you to choose something extra, but you can swap around...

***Note: The Link has Glyphs Already in there for You***

Fire Tree
A long time ago, there was the PoM/Pyro Mage... this is that mage...

Improved Fire Blast
This would probably be just a filler talent for you going down the Fire tree, since you wont be using Fireball (and hence, wont need the points in Improved Fireball).

Incineration
Generally picked up by all Arcane Mages because it affects Arcane Blast (the main nuke)

Ignite
You wont really be casting alot of fire spells, but hey... that's not the point of Pom/Pyro is it. lol

Improved Scorch
Now this, does have overall utility because it's an extra 5% crit buff to all of you spells as long as it's up.
Frost Tree
The road more travelled.

Frostbite
Somewhat useful in getting a better hold on AoEing trash, but remember that it's bad manners to snare a group of targets that a tank is trying to wrangle together. Better than Improved Frostbolt though (considering you wont be casting Frostbolts)

Icy Floes
Best option for getting down the Frost tree, because you'll be getting Icy Veins.

Precision
This effects all your spells, and Arcane generally has the lowest hit requirements of the three classes because of this. It's not totally necessary to have though.

Improved Blizzard
Having one point in this would work with Frostbite to up your AoE damage a bit, but there isnt much else in the Frost tree beyond Icy Veins.

Arcane Tree

Arcane Focus
This reduces your hit even farther, and you shouldnt really be taking damage to suffer pushback to get Arcane Stability, and threat may or may not be an issue for you to get Arcane Subtlety. Generally, this first tier is totally up to you what to do.

Arcane Concentration
Arcane is the least mana efficient of the three specs, even if you do pick up the mana regen talent. Every proc of this also works with Arcane Potency later on. This is very useful.

Magic Absorption
Purely for reduction in magical damage taken. Up to you mostly.

Focus Magic
This is one of the two talents that mages will typically go down the Arcane tree for (the other being Torment the Weak). There's rarely a mage in a raid nowadays who wont start coordinating the Focus Magics (FM) between each other. It's basically a free 6% crit on everything (3% from FM itself and another 3% from procs).

Student of the Mind
Since Spirit now provides Crit via Molten Armor, this talent does up your dps some. But, it's worth the least to Arcane.

Spell Impact
This is excellent for Arcane since it directly ups the damage of your main nuke: Arcane Blast(which you'll be casting alot).

Torment the Weak
Despite being fairly situational... the talent is chosen by almost all specs of all mages now. It's generally considered by everyone (including Blizz) as extraordinarily OP.

Incanter's Absorption
This talent has been underestimated and overestimated by many. It's basically up to you if you want to get it, but if will increase your dps if you happen to be in the situation more often than not. The situation is... you taking any kind of damage. Even a single hit to you (as long as Mana Shield is up) will give you some 600 or more spell damage for 10 sec. It's risky to expect getting hit by something in a raid, but there's rarely a raid where the tank is the only person to take any damage.

Glyphs

Glyph of Arcane Barrage
It wont increase you damage any, and despite Arcane being notoriously mana inefficient, there are abilities to get mana back that are better than this.

Glyph of Arcane Power
It already lasts 15 sec and the extra 3 sec is probably one more ability you can perform. Generally not worth it.

Glyph of Molten Armor
It's not the best Glyph, but Cloth gear can have quite a bit of incidental spirit on it... might as well take advantage of it.

Minor Glyphs
No Mage Minor Glyphs contribute to your damage, so it's purely your choice!

Stats

Hit: you'll need 17%, or 446 hit rating (14% with Precision or Arcane Focus, 11% with Precision and Arcane Focus)

Spell Power: second most important stat after hit.

Haste: overall better than crit, because there are several talents to increase your crit.

Crit: slightly better than Int, but not nearly as good as haste.

Spirit: if it's on your gear, fine... if not, no big loss. Don't go out of your way to get it over other stats.

Intellect: not the worst stat, but slightly over crit in importance.

Armor: cloth (probably with hit, or SP/haste if hit capped)

Gems

Meta: Chaotic (+21 Crit and +3% crit dmg)
Red: Runed (+23 SP) or Veiled (+12 SP and +10 hit) if you're not hit capped
Yellow: Rigid (+20 Hit), Veiled (+12 SP and +10 Hit), but only if you're hit capped, otherwise Reckless (+12 SP and +10 Haste).
Blue: Purified (+12 SP and +10 Spirit)

Not Really Priority (Not really Rotation)

Arcane is about procs...

1 ) Use Arcane Blast until either a) Missile Barrage procs, or b) you reach 4 stacks of Arcane Blast
2 ) Cast Arcane Missiles for every Missile Barrage proc
3 ) Cast Arcane Barrage after 4 stacks of Arcane Blast, or after Arcane Missiles (this is subject to debate)
4 ) Cast Presence of Mind then Pyroblast (if you specc'ed for it LOL)

Torment the Weak is a mandatory talent. Its not situational as every tank while tanking a boss fight will apply 1 snare effect at least, giving you the extra 18% more damage.


Arcane Barrage is situational ability - only for moving segments of a fight when you cant stay and cast Arcane Blast. So it is just Arcane Blast x4, then Arcane Missiles if Missile Barrage procs. If it doesnt proc by then, you can choose to use Arcane Missiles anyway or continue doing more Arcane Blasts and hoping to get a Missile Barrage proc. However it uses alot of mana.

For anyone who isnt familiar with them, Snares and Slows (in general) are things like Earthbind Totem, Frost Trap, Crippling Poison, or a Frost Mage's Chill Effects. Anything that slows the mobs movement speed. There are only 4 Snare or Slow abilities that are usable on bosses:

Warrior Thunderclap
Paladin Judgements of the Just (talent)
Druids Infected Wounds (talent)
Deathknight Icy Touch

(For anyone's personal information Oz is not talented for this, never has been and never well be And, I dont recall Boman using Thunderclap on boss fights every single time every time it's up. Many threat based druid and paladin builds wont talent for these Slowing abilities to utilize the points elsewhere)

So, this is technically dependent on the situation, because it's not absolutely guaranteed that the boss will be Slowed or Snared. I will say, that there is a high chance that groups will have at least one DK who will be applying Icy Touch though, which is some consolation.

It's much more likely (near guaranteed) that this will affect 25man dps. The smaller the group though, the less likely this is to come into play, so it'll be interesting to see what happens with this for Cataclysm, where 10mans will be more important.