What changed from Classic Mage AoE farming?

The important difference is control over the enemies chasing you. Classic Frost farming can combine slows and distance to damage a pack while avoiding its melee attacks. In episode 2 of the official Forever podcast, the developers describe changing Blizzard and shortening Cone of Cold's slow to create moments when a pursuing pack can move freely and reach the Mage.

That explanation concerns continuous snare coverage, rather than a general removal of AoE spells. A route that depends on keeping every creature slowed throughout the pull faces a different risk in Forever. An AoE spell used against enemies held by a tank has a different job: the Mage needs damage and threat management, rather than enough control to replace the tank.

A pale-haired Mage casts frost over goblins in a torchlit icy dungeon while Dee protects the party with a large shield and a dwarf supports them with a crossbow.
Forever changes the safety of sustained kiting while preserving a place for group AoE.

Why Blizzard also shortened Cone of Cold

The team tested dungeon kiting after the Blizzard change and found that testers could still achieve it with Cone of Cold. Changing only one spell had left another route to the same outcome. The shorter Cone of Cold slow was meant to create a gap during which the Mage is vulnerable, so the pack cannot be permanently held at a safe distance through those slows.

This is the clearest answer to the question of why Cone of Cold was affected by a Blizzard nerf. The developers were examining how the control tools worked together. Learning one changed tooltip is useful, but a Classic farmer also needs to reconsider the timing between casts, the escape path, and what happens when control expires before the next tool is ready.

Dungeon bots and tankless groups drove the decision

The developers identify Frost Mage dungeon kiting as a major method used by gold bots and say protecting the economy is a central reason for the changes. They also describe a Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary leveling pattern: several Frost Mages and other ranged AoE characters clear dungeon trash without a tank, leave, reset, and repeat. The team wants to discourage that pattern.

These are two related design concerns: repeatable gold production that relies on safe solo control, and group leveling that bypasses a normal tank's role. The podcast does not accuse ordinary Mage players of botting. It explains why a mechanic familiar to legitimate Classic farmers can be changed when the same mechanic supports patterns the developers consider harmful to the wider game.

Can Mages still deal strong AoE damage?

Yes, that remains the stated goal. When asked whether Mages should still have strong AoE in raid situations, the developers agree, then warn that the tank must have threat. The discussion about tanks controlling a limited pack should not be read as an announced hard target cap on Mage spells; the podcast gives no such universal Mage cap.

For a dungeon party, the practical implication is to coordinate the pull and allow the tank to establish control before committing to area damage. A healer's available resources and the group's control tools also affect the pull. These are planning considerations, not proof of a best party composition or a measured damage ranking for the finished game.

Is solo AoE farming still possible in Forever?

The podcast does not provide a farm-by-farm answer. Its target is the ability to maintain enough slowing coverage to avoid damage continuously while clearing a large pack. That does not establish that every outdoor AoE pull, small dungeon pull, or alternative farming route is impossible. It also does not prove that a particular Classic boosting route still works.

If you are testing a route, start with a smaller pull and pay attention to the moment the slow expires, the space you have left, and the cost of recovering from a mistake. Treat video demonstrations as evidence for the build and conditions shown. A level-limited beta example cannot establish a dependable level 60 gold rate, and copying a Classic route without testing the current control timings is a poor basis for planning income.

PvP suggestions are not announced spell changes

The developers acknowledge that shorter Cone of Cold control could matter in PvP. They discuss a possible approach in which the first target receives a longer slow than additional targets, preserving more of its duel behavior while limiting AoE control. The segment then explicitly closes with nothing to announce. Those proposed durations should not be presented as the live mechanic.

The official October 8 notes make further Mage adjustments, including changes to early Frostbolt, Fireball, and Arcane Missiles ranks, but do not announce that proposed PvP treatment or a reversal of the kiting policy. As checked on October 10, use the podcast to understand the intention and the current beta notes to identify shipped changes. Our Mage talent article covers the broader tree changes; this page focuses on farming, control, and group AoE.

Still to come

Not yet settled by our sources or tested in game:

  • Any announced PvP-specific Cone of Cold treatment; the first-target example in the podcast was only a possible solution.
  • Route-specific solo farming evidence at higher beta levels, including safe pull sizes and recovery costs on the tested build.

Sources

Beta notes are dated because Forever is still changing.