One question that always plagues people looking to start a new class is what race they should pick. While some will tell you just to pick something you like the look of, there are those of us who want every edge we can get in PvE and PvP. We’ll discuss each races pros and cons, and figure out which Alliance race is the best race for mage.

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.

The second race up on the board is Gnome. They’re another great choice for PvP thanks to Escape Artist and a passive resistance to Arcane. And the 5% Intellect bonus racial, Expansive Mind, is an amazing racial for any mage, be it PvE or PvP. Gnomes make excellent mages for any purpose.

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.

What Draenei has that really makes them shine is Heroic Presense. This free 1% hit for all party members is a great bonus for PvP and PvE; missing key spells is horrible in PvP, and no stat improves PvE damage more than hit prior to the cap. Add in their 2% shadow resistance and Draenei is a solid choice all around.

So none of the Alliance races is really a bad option, except for humans for PvE…but what is the best race for mage? Human wins handily in the PvP category; being able to toss on two high-end trinkets and blast away is just too amazing to pass up.

How about for PvE? Well, Heroic Presence doesn’t stack, so if you are goign to be running with other Draenei then it is kinda useless. And Expansive Mind really is a great racial. So gnome is usually going to be the best PvE race for mage.

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!

Enjoy this article? then read my blog about everything related to WoW gold at http://wowgoldspot.blogspot.com. For more about mages in particular, then read my guide to Mage Gold!

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