DPS Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Frost Mage abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: The War Within (11.2.5).

Single Target

Pre-cast Frostfire Bolt 2 seconds before pull.

• Icy VeinsView detailsActivate on pull.
• FlurryView detailsUse after Frostfire Bolt to apply Winters Chill.
• Comet StormView detailsUse after Flurry.
• Ray Of FrostView detailsUse if Winters Chill is active.
• Glacial SpikeView detailsCast at 5 Icicles, ideally during Winters Chill.
• Frozen OrbView detailsUse on cooldown.
• Shifting PowerView detailsUse when major cooldowns are unavailable.
• Ice LanceView detailsUse with Fingers Of Frost or Winters Chill.
• Frostfire BoltView detailsUse as a filler.

Start with Icy Veins and Flurry to apply Winters Chill. Prioritize Comet Storm, Ray Of Frost, and Glacial Spike during Winters Chill. Use Frozen Orb on cooldown and Shifting Power when other cooldowns are unavailable. Fill with Ice Lance and Frostfire Bolt.

AoE

Start with Icy Veins and Blizzard.

• Frozen OrbView detailsUse on cooldown.
• BlizzardView detailsRe-cast when available.
• Comet StormView detailsUse after Blizzard.
• Cone Of ColdView detailsUse after Comet Storm.
• Ice LanceView detailsUse with Excess Fire or Fingers Of Frost.
• Glacial SpikeView detailsUse if it can be shattered.
• Shifting PowerView detailsUse for cooldown reduction.
• Frostfire BoltView detailsUse as a filler.

Open with Icy Veins and Blizzard. Use Frozen Orb and Blizzard on cooldown. Follow with Comet Storm and Cone Of Cold. Use Ice Lance with procs, Glacial Spike if it can shatter, and Shifting Power for cooldown reduction. Fill with Frostfire Bolt.

Cooldowns

• Icy VeinsView detailsUse on pull or during burst phases.
• Frozen OrbView detailsUse on cooldown for AoE and cleave.
• Shifting PowerView detailsUse to reduce cooldowns when major abilities are unavailable.
• Ray Of FrostView detailsUse during Winters Chill for max DPS.
• Comet StormView detailsUse after Flurry to shatter.

Use Icy Veins during burst phases, Frozen Orb on cooldown, and Shifting Power to reduce cooldowns. Maximize Ray Of Frost and Comet Storm by using them during Winters Chill.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.