WoW TBC Arena

Best Race for Mage — TBC Classic

The strongest race for a Mage depends on faction and whether you focus arena PvP or raid PvE. Here are the picks that matter, with alternatives.

Mage PvP (arena)

PvP · Hordehorde

Undead

Will of the Forsaken breaks Fear/Sleep and is the best defensive racial for a PvP mage. Blood Elf silence is the aggressive alternative.

  • Blood Elf: Arcane Torrent AoE silence + mana return.
PvP · Alliancealliance

Gnome

Escape Artist frees you from roots/snares to reset kiting, and Expansive Mind adds mana. The best Alliance PvP mage.

  • Draenei: Gift of the Naaru heal for extra survivability.

Mage PvE (raid)

PvE · Hordehorde

Troll

Berserking is the strongest DPS racial for a mage, scaling directly with your cast speed.

  • Blood Elf: Arcane Torrent mana return helps long fights.
PvE · Alliancealliance

Draenei

Heroic Presence's +1% party hit is strong raid utility; Gnome's Expansive Mind is the DPS-selfish alternative.

  • Gnome: Expansive Mind +5% mana and Arcane resistance.

Mage gear & talents

Picked your race? Line up the rest: MageBiS & talents.