This is a companion to the Mage leveling thread, focused on where to AoE grind once you can do it. AoE grinding means pulling a large pack of mobs, freezing them, and killing the whole group at once. Done well it is faster than questing for stretches of the mid game. Done wrong it kills you, so start with smaller pulls than you think you need.
What you need first
Frost Nova, Blizzard or Cone of Cold, Arcane Explosion, and Blink. You want enough Frost talents that Frost Nova roots reliably and your mana lasts a pull. Before that, just quest.
The loop
Gather a pack, Frost Nova to root it, drop Blizzard or spam Arcane Explosion in the middle, Blink out when the root is about to break, re-root, finish. Keep an Ice Block or a Frost Ward for when a pull goes wrong, and it will.
Spots by level
- Around 30-40: humanoid camps with tight spawns, like the Syndicate and ogre camps in Arathi and Alterac, and the murloc shores along the coasts. Soft mobs, close together.
- Around 40-50: Zul’Farrak in Tanaris is the classic. The packs on the steps and the troll groups inside come in large, beatable clumps.
- Around 50-55: Maraudon has dense element and plant packs in the purple and orange wings.
- Around 55-60: the undead and plant packs in the Plaguelands, and the satyr and furbolg camps in Felwood, if you can hold the pull size.
A caution
The named spots are popular, so you will share them. AoE pulls are also unforgiving when a wandering add joins late, so watch your edges and keep Blink off cooldown. If you are dying more than you are saving time, the pull is too big or the spot is too high level for your gear.