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Anyone who cares about min/maxing their new mage is going to want to know what the best race for mage is. Picking based on looks is great, but if you either like all the races or just don’t care, picking based on racials is the best option. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of each of the three Alliance mage races.

First to bat is human. They have a few talents that make them awesome choices for PvP mages. Every Man for Himself acts as a PvP trinket…meaning you can now equip two normal trinkets. Given the massive power of top-end PvE trinkets, this is an enormous bonus for any PvP mage. Add in Perception for busting rogues out of stealth, and you have a great PvP race.

But while they shine in PvP, Human is somewhat less amazing in PvE. Every Man for Himself will let you get back to DPSing on the occasion where you get CC’d, but overall it just doesn’t mean much. The only other thing worth noting is the 3% spirit bonus…and since Spirit is a terrible stat, it doesn’t really help pull human out of the pit as far as PvE goes. Skip them if PvE is your main focus.

Next option for potential alliance mages is gnome. Escape Artist is another great PvP racial with limited PvE uses, as is Arcane Resistance…but Expansive Mind is an amazing all-around racial that will impact heavily on both PvE and PvP mages. So gnome is a great all around choice for anyone rolling mage.

The final option on the Alliance side for mages is Draenei. Gift of the Naaru, a fairly-powerful HoT racial, is pretty handy for PvP and even has some use in PvE; not dying is great for improving your DPS. And even if you aren’t in risk of dying, taking pressure off raid healers can be good for the raid as a whole.

But the thing that is really worth noting on the Draenei racial list is Heroic Presence. This 1% hit bonus is great for PvP and PvE; miss the wrong spell in PvP and you’re dead, and in PvE no stat is a bigger improvement on DPS if you are under the hit cap. Add in their last racial, a 2% passive shadow resistance, and Draenei is another decent mage race.

So all we’ve really concluded is that unless you are rolling a human for PvE, you probably will do alright. But what is the BEST race for mage? For PvP, human is easily the best. The only thing better than one powerful trinket is two, and human can equip two thanks to Every Man for Himself handling all your CC busting needs.

And PvE? Heroic Presence doesn’t stack…so go Draenei only if you know you won’t be partied with other Draenei. Otherwise, roll a gnome and enjoy the massive Intellect bonus from Expansive Mind and you’ll do well for yourself.

And that’s all for Alliance mages! Hope you know which race is best suited for your purposes now, and that you don’t have any lingering unanswered questions. Be sure to check out my guide to Horde races when that comes out, soon!

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