Arcane Mage best-in-slot lists
Every slot Arcane Mage wants in TBC Classic, phase by phase, with the enchant and the gems each pick takes. The lists are wowtbc.gg’s, vendored with this site’s data.
Arcane Mage, P3, slot by slot
The P3 list, the phase this page opens on. 17 slots; one set in it (Tirisfal Regalia).
Raid consumables: the Arcane Mage checklist →
The other phases
wowtbc.gg publishes a Arcane Mage list for six phases: Pre-Raid, P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5. The P3 list is above; here is the pick for every slot in the others.
Pre-Raid, slot by slot
- Head — Incanter's Cowl
- Neck — Brooch of Heightened Potential
- Shoulder — Incanter's Pauldrons
- Chest — Spellfire Robe
- Waist — Spellfire Belt
- Legs — Kirin Tor Master's Trousers
- Feet — Boots of Ethereal Manipulation
- Wrist — General's Silk Cuffs
- Hands — Spellfire Gloves
- Finger 1 — Ring of Cryptic Dreams
- Finger 2 — Cobalt Band of Tyrigosa
- Trinket 1 — Icon of the Silver Crescent
- Trinket 2 — Quagmirran's Eye
- Back — Ogre Slayer's Cover
- Main Hand — Stormcaller
- Off Hand — Talisman of Kalecgos
- Ranged — Nether Core's Control Rod
P1, slot by slot
- Head — Collar of the Aldor
- Neck — Adornment of Stolen Souls
- Shoulder — Pauldrons of the Aldor
- Chest — Spellfire Robe
- Waist — Spellfire Belt
- Legs — Trial-Fire Trousers
- Feet — Boots of Foretelling
- Wrist — General's Silk Cuffs
- Hands — Spellfire Gloves
- Finger 1 — Violet Signet of the Archmage
- Finger 2 — Band of Crimson Fury
- Trinket 1 — Icon of the Silver Crescent
- Trinket 2 — The Lightning Capacitor
- Back — Brute Cloak of the Ogre-Magi
- Main Hand — Nathrezim Mindblade
- Off Hand — Talisman of Kalecgos
- Ranged — Eredar Wand of Obliteration
P2, slot by slot
- Head — Cowl of Tirisfal
- Neck — The Sun King's Talisman
- Shoulder — Mantle of Tirisfal
- Chest — Robes of Tirisfal
- Waist — Belt of Blasting
- Legs — Leggings of Tirisfal
- Feet — Velvet boots of the Guardian
- Wrist — Mindstorm Wristbands
- Hands — Gauntlets of the Sun King
- Finger 1 — Violet Signet of the Archmage
- Finger 2 — Band of Eternity
- Trinket 1 — Icon of the Silver Crescent
- Trinket 2 — Serpent-Coil Braid
- Back — Royal Cloak of the Sunstriders
- Main Hand — The Nexus Key
- Ranged — Eredar Wand of Obliteration
P4, slot by slot
- Head — Cowl of Tirisfal
- Neck — Brooch of Nature's Mercy
- Shoulder — Mantle of Tirisfal
- Chest — Robes of Tirisfal
- Waist — Anetheron's Noose
- Legs — Leggings of Channeled Elements
- Feet — Slippers of the Seacaller
- Wrist — Cuffs of Devastation
- Hands — Gloves of Tirisfal
- Finger 1 — Band of the Eternal Sage
- Finger 2 — Ring of Ancient Knowledge
- Trinket 1 — Hex Shrunken Head
- Trinket 2 — Serpent-Coil Braid
- Back — Cloak of the Illidari Council
- Main Hand — Tempest of Chaos
- Off Hand — Chronicle of Dark Secrets
- Ranged — Carved Witch Doctor's Stick
P5, slot by slot
- Head — Cowl of Tirisfal
- Neck — Amulet of Unfettered Magics
- Shoulder — Mantle of Tirisfal
- Chest — Robes of Ghostly Hatred
- Waist — Belt of the Tempest
- Legs — Leggings of Calamity
- Feet — Boots of the Tempest
- Wrist — Bracers of the Tempest
- Hands — Gloves of Tyri's Power
- Finger 1 — Band of the Eternal Sage
- Finger 2 — Loop of Forged Power
- Trinket 1 — Shifting Naaru Sliver
- Trinket 2 — Hex Shrunken Head
- Back — Tattered Cape of Antonidas
- Main Hand — Sunflare
- Off Hand — Heart of the Pit
- Ranged — Wand of the Demonsoul
Where these come from
A best-in-slot list answers one question: if every drop landed your way, what would a Arcane Mage be wearing? This is wowtbc.gg's answer for TBC, vendored with this site's data rather than fetched live — and it is the same list the raid checker grades a Mage against, so a page here and a verdict there cannot disagree about what BiS means.
The P3 list covers 17 slots, from the head (Cowl of Tirisfal) down. Each row names where the item comes from — the boss and the zone, the vendor, or the token it is traded for — with the enchant that slot wants and the gems the list prescribes. An empty off-hand row means the main-hand pick is two-handed.
Where the list wears two or more pieces of one set, the row says which set, how many pieces, and what each tier gives in the game's own words; a tier the list does not reach is marked as not reached rather than hidden. Where both pieces are weapons, a figure from wowsims' simulator says what replacing both hands at once costs — a pair is measured, never added.
Lists exist for six phases — Pre-Raid, P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5 — and each is a different set of drops, not a longer version of the last.