How to Be a Successful Mage in World of Warcraft

Mages are one of the most entertaining classes to play! You can zap enemies from afar, turn monsters into sheep and they have some of the best Area of Effect spells to be had. They are also highly reliant on mana, have low hit points and can only wear cloth armor. They are also hampered by the lack of a pet, but playing a Mage is still a rewarding experience!
Step 1Get used to being a vending machine. Mages have the ability to conjure food and water. This makes them extremely popular with...well, everyone. Lots of people exhibit extremely rude behavior toward Mages in their attempts to coax Mages into conjuring food and water for them. This is a facet of Mage life that unfortunately must be accepted, as nearly all Mages will encounter it at one time or another.

Step 2Run away if you need to! Mages have three spells that make running away a breeze for them: Blink, Frost Armor and Frost Nova. Blink instantly teleports you a short distance, quickly increasing the amount of real estate between you and danger, while Frost Armor slows enemies and Frost Nova stops them in their tracks.

Step 3Find the sweet spot with your Frost Nova. This is the point at which you can hit an enemy with Frost Nova and continue attacking them, but are far enough away so that they cannot attack you.

Step 4Learn to conserve mana! ALL of your abilities are dependent upon mana! If you run out of it and have no Mana Potions, you are virtually defenseless!

Step 5Take 'em all on! Mages have some of the best crowd control around. Frost Nova, combined with several area-attack spells, allow Mages to take on large groups of enemies and eliminate them quickly.

Step 6Learn to sheep-pull! A Mage in conjunction with a Rogue can successfully control and pull a fairly large mob. Have the Rogue sap one enemy, use Polymorph on another, then Frost Nova the remainders and pick them apart, safe in the knowledge that you have a little time before your Sheep and Sap wear off.

Step 7Be sure to maintain your First Aid skill! Spells in abundance you may have, but you will find yourself lacking in healing skills. You can regenerate mana easily enough, but make sure you keep your First Aid skill high! If you run out of potions and are still unable to eat, bandages become your best friend!

Step 8Learn to keep your damage relative. Mages have tremendous damage-dealing potential, but this is a double-standard. It means that you can dish out a lot of hurt really quickly, but also that you generate a huge amount of threat. If you hurt a large monster too much too fast, your tank will loose aggro and the monster will come after you! Several mods actively display your threat generated, so grab one and make sure you're practicing some damage control.