Arcane Mage Review of Spellslinger Hero Talents - A Thousand Splinters of Death, Ingrained Yet Passive?

Mid-March, Blizzard gave players a sneak peek at the new Hero Talent Trees coming in The War Within expansion. As an Arcane Mage, you may be excited to learn about the Spellslinger Mage Hero Talents. In this article, we will provide a detailed review of the Spellslinger tree and discuss its impact on the Arcane Mage playstyle.

Spellslinger Arcane Mage Review

The Spellslinger tree is available for both Arcane and Frost Mages in The War Within expansion. Its main focus is to generate Splinters of raw magic from primary procs and abilities. For Arcane Mages, this means spending Nether Precision in single target situations to generate Splinters that deal damage over time. As you invest more points into the tree, certain cooldowns will be enhanced, allowing you to generate a burst of Splinters and buff your abilities. The tree also includes a capstone ability called Splinterstorm, which consumes the damage over time effects of active Splinters for additional damage and grants a Clearcasting proc.

While the concept of the Spellslinger tree is interesting, it may not have a significant impact on your gameplay as an Arcane Mage. The abilities in this tree mainly provide additional damage and visual effects, without fundamentally changing the way you play. It's worth noting that the chosen theme for the Spellslinger tree may not align with established Mage archetypes in Warcraft, such as the Lich or Kirin Tor Archmage.

• Splinters, Splinterstorm, and You!

The Splinters generated through the Spellslinger tree play a crucial role in your gameplay. Once you have 8 or more Splinters active, you will receive a Clearcasting proc through Splinterstorm. This proc will make your single target rotation smoother and more predictable during burst windows. However, it may lead to a dilemma in choosing between using Clearcasting procs for movement or consuming Nether Precision charges.

In AoE situations, the talent Splintering Orbs allows Splinters to proc off of Arcane Orbs. However, to trigger a Splinter proc, you will need to hit 8 different targets. This means that you will only get a Splinter proc every other Arcane Orb until you have enough targets to hit. This dynamic may make Splinters feel less impactful in AoE situations, especially if you don't take the Orb Barrage talent. It's worth considering redesigning the Splinter generation mechanic to be tied to Arcane Barrage instead of Arcane Orb, which would provide more consistent procs in AoE and cleave scenarios.

• Controlled Instincts

The Spellslinger tree introduces Controlled Instincts, which extends the effect of Nether Tempest when a target is under its effects. This interaction adds additional AoE damage to Splinters, potentially making Nether Tempest a more viable ability to use regularly. However, it remains to be seen if this improvement will address the overall lackluster usage of Nether Tempest in recent expansions.

• Force of What?

The talent Force of Will, unfortunately, falls short in terms of inventiveness. It offers increased critical strike damage, but it lacks interactivity with the rest of the toolkit and does not contribute to the overall gameplay experience. This talent could benefit from a revamp to make it more engaging and synergistic with the Spellslinger tree.

Choice Nodes

In the Spellslinger tree, you'll come across various choice nodes that allow you to customize your playstyle. Each choice presents unique advantages and considerations:

• Unerring Proficiency: Increases the damage of your next Supernova for Arcane Mages or Ice Nova for Frost Mages each time you conjure a Splinter.
• Reactive Barrier: Enhances your defensive capabilities by absorbing more damage based on your missing health.
• Phantasmal Image: Summons an additional clone through Mirror Image and reduces all damage taken.
• Slippery Slinging: Provides increased movement speed during Alter Time.
• Look Again: Extends the duration and range of Displacement and leaves behind a Mirror Image.

These choice nodes introduce interesting decision-making opportunities, but their effectiveness may be influenced by tuning or limited availability within the class and spec trees.

• Passive Hero

One aspect of the Spellslinger tree worth highlighting is its overall passiveness. While the tree adds visual effects and spell variance, it lacks active abilities that could enhance the feeling of being a powerful spellcaster. The inclusion of an active ability like Splinterstorm, which allows you to convert built-up Splinters into a devastating damage storm, could have added a more engaging dynamic to the tree.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Spellslinger tree offers a decent starting point for the Arcane Mage's Hero Talent options. It introduces a unique identity for Arcane Mages but also raises some concerns, particularly in terms of AoE throughput and the lack of interactive abilities. There is room for improvement, such as revamping the Force of Will talent to make it more engaging and refining the AoE mechanics. Allowing Splinterstorm to be castable could also address the passiveness of the tree and provide a more satisfying gameplay experience.

As a Mage player with expertise in Arcane, Poroma brings valuable insights to the Spellslinger Mage Hero Talents. Their experience in top-end raiding and knowledge of the Mage class make them a reliable source for WoW players. Make sure to check out their streams and join the Arcane Dream discord for more Mage-related discussions!

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