The top question of every new player in World of Warcraft is “which spec is the best to level?” When leveling a mage, the decision is a little easier as fire is the least viable to level. Arcane and Frost both have points for, and against, them. I will give you my perspective on which one is the better spec.

Arcane

Arcane is the best spec for leveling if you will be doing a lot of single pulls. The spec is very mana friendly, and is highly viable as soon as level 15 when you can max out Arcane Stability. Arcane Stability simply allows you to cast your Arcane Missiles spell without being interrupted or having the cast knocked back, so you are guaranteed to shoot off 5 sets of missiles if your target lives long enough to survive.

Many Arcane specs will go into Fire early on for Pyroblast to give them a hard hitting spell. This also serves the benefit of giving the build a little more survivability later on when you get the talent Presence of Mind (PoM), which makes your next spell an instant cast. You can activate PoM and cast an instant cast Pyroblast to dish out quite a bit of instant damage to a target if things get rough.

This spec will lead with a Frostbolt (or Pyroblast if you spec into Fire), and then follow with another frostbolt or fireball. From there you have some options depending on your target. I liked to Frost Nova my target, jump backwards, and start casting Arcane Missiles until the target is dead. If the target is about dead you can simply start casting Arcane Missiles after the second nuke. As long as you attack one mob at a time, your mana should last at least a few fights.

Frost

Frost spec is all about AoE grinding. No doubt anyone who has leveled a character in WoW has come across a mage AoE leveling at some point or another. It is an amazing sight to see, but also frustrating knowing that you will need to probably find another area to grind.

This spec will play a lot like a fire spec early on, except you will use frostbolt to keep the distance between you and your target. It gains a lot of survivability later on to help you stay alive. Best of all, the juicy AoE talents are kept in this tree. Single target killing is slow as this spec, much like a fire spec is.

The real strength of a Frost build is in its AoE grinding ability. A combination of talents like Improved Blizzard and Permafrost keep your targets slowed combined with Frost Nova if your victims get too close.

If you can AoE grind well, frost is the faster spec. The downside is that you really need to look into bringing a priest with you to level for the shield and heals to keep things up. Deaths while leveling will greatly slow your experience per hour rate, and must be avoided at all costs. Avoiding death while AoE grinding is a delicate dance that not everyone can master (I will admit that I did not), so keep that in your mind.

The choice of your Mage Leveling spec comes between Arcane and Frost for maximum experience per hour. For the best way to speed up your experience gain, regardless of spec, buy Zygor Guides today.

Are you kidding, we are at war with the Horde! You can’t play the Horde, we’re at war with them! Ha ha, just kidding. You can play the Horde if you want. But before you start switching over to Horde or Alliance would you like to know what the difference is? Why everyone wants to be Alliance? Why so many people still choose Horde?

A lot of people say there’s no difference, just pick Alliance or Horde, and play the game and have fun doing so. But there are differences in the two that have a huge impact on how you play the game, and even how long it will take you to build honor!

Alliance characters get the benefit that Blizzard likes them, and the game is slightly designed for their advantage. I’ve heard people say that Alliance characters level faster than Horde, I don’t think this is necessarily true. Although I have noticed that it is easier to get around to the leveling areas a little faster as an Alliance player.

Also there are several times when Alliance and Horde are put into a contested area, and Alliance seem to be a little farther ahead in the game, and therefore have a slight advantage over the Horde. For example if you’re a Horde running around T-Mill you’re gonna be any where from a low level 20 to maybe a mid to high level 30 character, usually. There are exceptions, but for the majority of Horde players they fall into this category while they’re there.

Now Alliance on the other hand tends to be in the high 30 to high 40 range while going through the area. A definite advantage for the Alliance, and a fun chance to get to kill some Horde. But I wouldn’t say that Alliance is the best choice because of this. There’s still one very important thing about playing Horde characters that you must know.

Horde own the Battle Grounds. If you’re looking to play for pvp and want the honor faster, Horde may be a better choice for you. Or if you prefer you can play the Alliance and know that when you’ve achieved certain pvp status that you have done so with much hard work, and not just had it handed to you.

I would consider both of these before choosing a new character to play. They both have an impact on how you will play and enjoy the game. I enjoy characters on both factions, but currently enjoy having a main on Alliance. The choice is ultimately yours, but hopefully I helped you make the right choice, or persuaded you to try out both if you have the time.

To see all of my World of Warcraft Tips visit http://www.thebestworldofwarcraftsite.com where I give tips on making gold and much more.

No matter what some people may say, leveling in World of Warcraft can be hard at times. In fact, some classes have it much harder than others. Hybrid classes are able to heal between fights, but often have weakened DPS capabilities to counter that benefit. Straight DPS classes suffer from needing to eat and/or drink between fights to regain health and mana, slowing down the leveling process considerably.

If you find yourself asking how to level fast in World of Warcraft, I can offer a few solutions.

Keep yourself stocked with food/water – While using them causes downtime, it will be much better than trying to regain health and mana without them.
Carry a few potions for emergencies – Potions are fairly common drops in WoW. Keeping a few of them in your backpacks will be handy on close fights. Dieing and having to run back will absolutely kill your experience rate. This tip should be used at all levels, period. There is no excuse for not having at least a stack of potions on hand.
Learn all the fight paths – Moving from location to location takes enough time without having to constantly run between spots. It is better to spend a few extra minutes running to the nearest fight path before questing in an area, than to find out you forgot to after you hearth back to Ironforge.
Keep First Aid capped – Every character needs first aid, even healers. Bandages will easily cut down on your downtime. Food should only be used if your first aid cooldown is not up for maximum experience gain.

You should also consider purchasing a World of Warcraft Leveling Guide Zygor Guides answer the question of how to level fast in World of Warcraft