rdfs:comment
| - A three-minute mage referred to a mage with a talent spec that combined the Presence of Mind and Arcane Power abilities with a powerful burst damage spell, usually Pyroblast. This designation got its name from the fact that Arcane Power and Presence of Mind have 3 minute cooldowns. Since Cataclysm, to get Pyroblast you have to choose the Fire tree at level 10, and before being allowed to spend points in Arcane to get Presence of Mind and Arcane Power you have to get the 31-point talent Living Bomb. Since you won't have enough talent points to even get to Presence of Mind, let alone Arcane Power, the Cataclysm actually killed this spec.
- A three-minute mage refers to a mage with a talent spec that combines the Presence of Mind and Arcane Power abilities with a powerful burst damage spell, usually Pyroblast. This designation gets its name from the fact that Arcane Power and Presence of Mind have 3 minute cooldowns. It may also include the newly added Icy Veins and Mirror Image abilities. Typically, the mage will also have one or more damage-enhancing trinkets, such as [Icon of the Silver Crescent] or [Hex Shrunken Head]. The technique is to combine many abilities for a short period of maximum burst damage. The three-minute mage will activate all of these abilities and trinkets at once, and unleash a single, instant nuke such as Pyroblast for a large amount of damage.
|
abstract
| - A three-minute mage referred to a mage with a talent spec that combined the Presence of Mind and Arcane Power abilities with a powerful burst damage spell, usually Pyroblast. This designation got its name from the fact that Arcane Power and Presence of Mind have 3 minute cooldowns. Since Cataclysm, to get Pyroblast you have to choose the Fire tree at level 10, and before being allowed to spend points in Arcane to get Presence of Mind and Arcane Power you have to get the 31-point talent Living Bomb. Since you won't have enough talent points to even get to Presence of Mind, let alone Arcane Power, the Cataclysm actually killed this spec.
- A three-minute mage refers to a mage with a talent spec that combines the Presence of Mind and Arcane Power abilities with a powerful burst damage spell, usually Pyroblast. This designation gets its name from the fact that Arcane Power and Presence of Mind have 3 minute cooldowns. It may also include the newly added Icy Veins and Mirror Image abilities. Typically, the mage will also have one or more damage-enhancing trinkets, such as [Icon of the Silver Crescent] or [Hex Shrunken Head]. The technique is to combine many abilities for a short period of maximum burst damage. The three-minute mage will activate all of these abilities and trinkets at once, and unleash a single, instant nuke such as Pyroblast for a large amount of damage. The three-minute mage technique is most prevalent in PvP situations. The large burst damage is often enough to kill a player without retaliation. The drawback is that this burst damage is only usable once every three minutes, due to cool downs. Also, the talent spec leaves out many survivability talents, leaving the mage vulnerable when the burst combo is not available. However, good mages can make up for defensive deficiencies with skill, and the extra talent points at level 70 round out the talent specs that were limited at level 60. The term often has a negative connotation with other players. A player at the receiving end of a Three-Minute Mage has little recourse once the fiery ball of death is headed his way. Thus, the technique is often viewed by non-mages as "overpowered," requiring little skill to hit a single macro to kill a player with no risk. Mages with this combination are often accused of not knowing how to play, and are accused of only engaging in PvP every 3 minutes. Other mages see it as a crutch for unskilled players, who give the mage class a bad name with their brute force approach. They claim that other specs such as Frost or Elementalist require skill, finesse and acute awareness to succeed in PvP. Calling someone a 3-minute mage is considered an insult, even if that mage is not specialized such. The insult is often leveled at mages who use any cool down in battle, but especially Arcane Power. Despite negative feelings, the technique has situational advantages in PvP. Three-minute mages are appreciated in Warsong Gulch for their ability to quickly turn a flag carrier into a flaming corpse, even if he is surrounded by many defenders.
|