So for my next stupid mage trick I would like to talk a little about AoE grinding. More specifically I would like to talk about Frost AoE grinding. Yes I am fully aware that there are other types of AoE grinding but Frost is my spec, and Frost AoE is how I roll dog.
I would like to point out that yes I know AoE grinding isn’t technically a trick, nor is it stupid. Its an actual full fledged grinding technique. That said there was no where else I could think to put it than right here, and its my blog, so it goes here. I would also like to point out that this technique is not new, it is not something that I thought up or anything, this is something that has been out there for years. I am simply restating it here in the blog for any current players that may not be aware of the technique.
Frost AoE Grindage
The basic principle behind this technicque is to get as many bad guys group together in one place taking massive amounts of damage without them hurting you. That be said there are a couple of things that need to be pointed out in order to make this spec work. The first is that you need to understand that blizzard while a good spell does have some limitations. In order for it to work in this scenario we will need to spec for it properly, I will get into that in a second. The other thing you need to know about blizzard is that it is awesome up to a point, there is a line to how many mobs you can use this spell on. I think it is around 8 or 10 (I dont remember exactly what the number is) anything more than that and the damage that is coming in each wave will be spread to all the enemies and this no longer becomes effecient (mostly because anymore than about 10 mobs and you will run out of mana faster than you can kill them).
There will mainly be 4 spells that you will need to use while doing this. They are Frost Nova, Blizzard, Cone of Cold, and Blink.
Step 1
Ok, so the first thing you do is mount up or run after a group of mobs. As you are are gathering mobs up you want to run in a slow spiral getting closer and closer as you go, this will bring all the mobs into one small area an bunch them up into a little group.
Step 2
Then when they are as close together as you would like them to be, hit frost nova to lock them in place then blink away. Please note it is important that you blink away from the group, not through the group, the idea behind this frist blink is to get as far away from the group as fast as possible and blinking through them isn’t really far enough away. From here, I will usually take a couple steps back which will put you at max blizzard range.
Step 3
From here, you cast your blizzard spell making sure that the back of the aiming circle is near the back of the group. The reason for this is that by taking the talent Imp Blizzard you will get a chill effect to your blizzard which will slow all the mobs, however, your mobs will not actually get chilled until after the first wave of blizzard. so you need to let them all have the maximum contact with the blizzard at all time. Now, after you cast blizzard and the shards start coming down, they will get chilled and at about the same time the frost nova should break and the mobs will start walking towards you. By the time you finish chammeling your blizzard spell the group should be close to walking out of your first blizzard. You still have plenty of room between your mobs and you so start casting a second blizzard spell this time put the back of the spell right in front of the group of the mobs so they are walking into it. This will keep the chill effect on the mobs as they walk through the full patch of the blizzard.
Step 4
After you finish channeling this blizzard spell the mobs should be very close to you now, but they should also be almost dead. Cast a Cone of Cold spell, then click frost nova, locking them in place again. Now you are going to blink straight through the group of mobs (I know I said not to above, but here its faster than to turn around and run) and run a couple of steps, then turn around and start again with the blizzards. Most of the mobs should be dead before you start to the second blizzard, if they are not, cast a second blizzard to finish them off. Some timed people will start to run away out of the blizzard as they are almost dead, you just have to run after them and finish the rest of the back off.
Group Selection
When you are looking for groups of mobs in order to kill with this technique there are a couple of things that you need to look at carefully. First you want to work in a rather large wide open flat areas, something like Tanaris. When looking at groups of mobs you want to totally avoid casters. I know finding groups without casters is tough, but throwing a caster in the mix will just mess everything up. They will not run in a group like melee mobs will and then will be standing back taking no damage killing you while you are trying to kill this other group, so avoid them. The best starting area that I have found is in Tanaris in the pirate caves, there are usually lots of them in small to large groups you can gather, they have no casters (only a couple of ranged guys that are easy enought to avoid or solo between pulls). Yes it is rather a higher level in order to start learning (low 40s) but there are other places at earlier levels that you can find people to practice on. You will also want to find a place where you will not be bothered by wandering mobs. Adds = bad.
Talents
Must Have Talents:
Ice Floes: 3/3
Permafrost: 3/3
Imp. Blizzard: 3/3
Other Recommended Talents:
Arctic Reach: 2/2
Cold Snap: 1/1
Imp. Cone of Cold: 3/3
Ice Barrier: 1/1
Precision: 3/3
IceShards: 3/3
Piercing Ice: 3/3
Frost Channeling: 3/3
Cold as Ice: 2/2
Winter’s Chill: 3/3
Shatter: 3/3
First think you will notice with the list of Talents up there is that there is no Frostbite. Frostbite is a horrible talent, it is bad you do not want to take it. Trust me, Frostbite….BAD! Also don’t take Shattered Barrier. As a matter of fact do not take any talent in this tree that has a x% chance to freeze targets. The idea behind this technique is to keep the mobs that you are fighting together in a close ball, and moving towards you. As soon as you freeze one of them, they will fall out of the group, and will no longer be under the same chill effects that the rest of the group is under and you will have 1 solo guy chasing you around beating on you while you are trying to control everybody else. Its a headache, just don’t do it.
The next thing you will see is that I have split up the Must Have Talents from the Recommended Talents. The reason for this is because you do not need something like Ice Barrier in order to make this technique work, bowever you have it, it will make your life easier. Whereas the must haves are must haves, you will not be able to accomplish this without those talents.
The only talents that you need to have in order to make this technique is the 3 I listed above. Does that mean that as soon as you get those talents that you are ready to go out and start with the AoE grinding? No, you are not ready for that yet, those are simply the must haves for this to work optimally. I would recommend that you wait until you are at least in your 40s to start trying this. If you can find a place that meets the criteria and you are able to pull it off before then, awesome. I just remember before around 40 mana was a problem and I couldnt finish my group off before I ran out of mana. This reminds me, when you start to try this be sure that you have plenty of potions with you, when you first start you will probably get hit a bunch and the potions help. But for the most part when you get to 40, you will have a fast mount and be able to round up largish groups of mobs, you have the main talents picked and most of the recommended talents. That’s when this starts to be quick and really fun.
Enjoy!
