That's just an extreme build, though. Here's what I'd be aiming for if I were a mage:

http://ctprofiles.net/1372676

Compared to your build:

-24 damage
-2.4% crit
-4 mana/5

+1% hit
+32 sta
+35 int
+36 spi

I don't know about you, but that sure seems worthwhile to me.

Yeah, i was thinking about full Frostfire. Im just historically against full sets - Arcanist before last revamp had some god-awfull pieces, and ive nether seen NW pants drop. Also i dont buy (yet) Frostifre 6p and 8p bonuses. 8p for obvious reasons, 6p for being a debuff that could possibly be consumed by other spells, or even overwrited.

Btw, ive found info on changes of frostfire, not sure if they are latest iteration.

Head: -12 spirit, +2 damage
Belt: -1 int
Gloves: +1dmg
Bindings: -1%spellhit, +10 spell penetration
Leggings: Unchanged
Robe: +13 Spell Penetration
Sandals: +5 dmg
Shoulders: Unchanged

... wtf?

The bindings I can understand, but the rest of the changes... not really.

*rant mode on*

STOP PUTTING SPELL PENETRATION ON PVE GEAR.

*rant off*

Ahem, sorry for that, but this is getting ridiculous now. Either someone at Blizzard doesn't realise the stat isn't working, or else it's effect is so minor as to be not parseable on literally weeks of parsing with this stuff in vE content.

Putting a completely, pure PvP stat on the suppossed best PvE gear is ridiculous. Either the stat needs fixing so its stops the wierd "partial resists" you get from level 61+ mobs, or it shouldn't be put on this stuff. It serves no purpose being on mage gear that you get from Naxxramus - I can see the point on AQ gear, a lot fo that stuff was PvP dedicated. But putting it onto Naxx gear just makes me think Blizzard thinks this stuff is working differently to how it actually is "in game".

No, they need to stop putting raid mobs in the game with low resistances. It's silly that most progression raid mobs, even when fully AC-debuffed, still have 20-30% melee mitigation, but one warlock curse is enough to completely zero out the magical mitigation and thus devalue spell penetration as a stat.

As far as I can tell, you don't even need CoE once your through MC.

Most bosses simply have 0 resists across the board. It's strange that they used this in MC on themed mobs (Lucifron and Gehennas having some shadow resists, for example), and then seem to have completely abandoned it elsewhere.

Of course, now all damage is balanced against mobs having 0 resists and melee having 20 to 30% mitigation - suddenly start introducing large numbers of mobs that have 100 resists say, and you drop your caster dps quite significantly. Introducing a stat and then creating mobs just to make that stat useful is a bit of a no win situation. Far more useful would be the stat having some effect on it's own in the first place. (Again, it should affect the wierd level based partial resists - which Blizzard don't even acknowledge as existing. I worry that they don't even realise these are happening - or that they think spell penetration gear gets rid of them)...

Some people enjoy PvP, but it is strange that the PvE Mage set has so much of it.

That said, it is useful in PvE if you had a lazy Lock that didn't use CoE.

If your have locks who aren't putting CoE on mobs, I suspect you won't be getting Tier 3 anyway... :)

It is useful. With +5 ranged you require significantly less +hit and gain 0.2% crit.

I would be completely fine with that, but as it stands penetration is about as useful as strength and the more of it blizzard piles onto my gear, the more annoyed I get. But hey, at least I can own the meters in....MC! @_@ *sigh*