Low-level mage one-hand weapons

[ScratchMonkey]

I'm leveling a mage with inscription, and one of the features of
inscription is a variety of nice off-hand books. Unfortunately, I'm having
trouble finding main-hand caster weapons to pair with my tome. Currently my
level 30 frost mage is carrying green level 21 Battle Knife of Fiery Wrath
paired with Tome of the Dawn. I'd like to upgrade the knife so I can use
higher level weapon oils on it, but all I see on the AH are melee weapons
with melee stats.

Can anyone recommend one-handers to look for at this level?

(I know of Hypnotic Blade from SM, but that requires level 34, and an often
hard-to-get instance run.)

[Peter Knutsen]

ScratchMonkey wrote:
[...]

Post by ScratchMonkey
Can anyone recommend one-handers to look for at this level?

I often search the AH for all handed weapon types that my Warlock, Mage
or Druid can use, which includes daggers (I think also swords for the
Warlock), but I've never been able to find anything appropriate for
their levels (25-33 or so), except possibly some blue items long ago
when I wasn't rich enough to afford them.

Maybe we've just both had bad luck, but if not, then you'll have to wait
until higher levels, and just accept that Blizzard wasn't good at making
up magic items early on and also accept their unwillingness to go back
and fix things once they figured out how.

[Thomas Jespersen]

Post by ScratchMonkey
Can anyone recommend one-handers to look for at this level?
(I know of Hypnotic Blade from SM, but that requires level 34, and an
often hard-to-get instance run.)

I tried setting up a filter on wowhead:

http://www.wowhead.com/?items=2&filter=minrl=25%3bmaxrl=35%3bub=8%3bcr=23%
3bcrs=1%3bcrv=0

There isn't much. Only I could see was [Claw of the Shadowmancer] which
got a proc effect that is useless to a mage. There is also a green dagger
from a Dustwallow Marsh quest, but its not exceptional in any way. Zealot
Blade is also an option.

If you change the filter to spellpower:

http://www.wowhead.com/?
items=2&filter=minrl=25;maxrl=35;ub=8;cr=123;crs=1;crv=0

Only option beside Hypnotic Blade and a weapon that doesn't exist anymore
there is this blacksmithing weapon:

http://www.wowhead.com/?item=12260

[Tim]

There is a level 25 Honed Stilleto of Healing with +(5-6) Spell Power
or of Frozen Wrath with +(6-7) Frost Spell Damage.

Vendors sell a level 27 green dagger, Broad Bladed Knife (+5
stamina).

When they added the offhand items for Inscription, they seem to have
forgotten to add some better one handers for casters to go with them.

The best weapons for casters at that level are mainly staves, such as
the level 28 PVP staff with +11 stamina, +7 intellect and +5 mp5.

Others are:

- level 28 Bloodscalp Channeling Staff (+15 spellpower)

- level 29 Acrobatic Staff of Frozen Wrath +(19-20) Frost Spell Damage

- Nimboya's Mystical Staff (+8 Intellect, +15 Spirit, +16 spell power)
from a level 30 horde-only quest.

[Peter Knutsen]

Tim wrote:
[...]

Post by Tim
When they added the offhand items for Inscription, they seem to have
forgotten to add some better one handers for casters to go with them.

Very much so, yes.

I have seen some daggers with +STA or +Spell Power (sometimes Daggers of
Healing or something) but they aren't very powerful, and those may be
too low level for the OP.

Post by Tim
The best weapons for casters at that level are mainly staves, such as
the level 28 PVP staff with +11 stamina, +7 intellect and +5 mp5.

[...]

[ScratchMonkey]

Post by Tim
- Nimboya's Mystical Staff (+8 Intellect, +15 Spirit, +16 spell power)
from a level 30 horde-only quest.

Having just hit 30, I think I'll go to this 2-hander temporarily until some
1-handers become available in the later 30's. I'll have to get a higher
level to help me run that quest chain.

[Catriona R]

Post by Tim
There is a level 25 Honed Stilleto of Healing with +(5-6) Spell Power
or of Frozen Wrath with +(6-7) Frost Spell Damage.
Vendors sell a level 27 green dagger, Broad Bladed Knife (+5
stamina).
When they added the offhand items for Inscription, they seem to have
forgotten to add some better one handers for casters to go with them.

Agreed entirely, my lowbie mage used Hypnotic Blade for a long time
but below 34 was no good, just had to use random "of Stamina" blades
:-/ Doesn't matter now anyway, since I had a million stone keepers
shards to burn and got the heirloom staff with them, but without that
I'd end up struggling until Outland.

I'm hoping Cataclysm will bring some nice reitemisation on low level
pieces; they're changing so much with the stats system that they'll
need to, and there's a few areas which are very problematic atm (such
as shamans and druids being forced to wear cloth until 60 if they want
to take the caster route)

[Jamie Kahn Genet]

Post by Thomas Jespersen

Post by ScratchMonkey
Can anyone recommend one-handers to look for at this level?
(I know of Hypnotic Blade from SM, but that requires level 34, and an
often hard-to-get instance run.)

http://www.wowhead.com/?items=2&filter=minrl=25%3bmaxrl=35%3bub=8%3bcr=23%
3bcrs=1%3bcrv=0
There isn't much. Only I could see was [Claw of the Shadowmancer] which
got a proc effect that is useless to a mage. There is also a green dagger
from a Dustwallow Marsh quest, but its not exceptional in any way. Zealot
Blade is also an option.
http://www.wowhead.com/?
items=2&filter=minrl=25;maxrl=35;ub=8;cr=123;crs=1;crv=0
Only option beside Hypnotic Blade and a weapon that doesn't exist anymore
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=12260

I've had the Hypnotic Blade on a couple early mages, but really it
doesn't matter. You'll be higher level before you know it and caster
type one handers abound. I really wouldn't sweat so-so gear at your
level, unless you're a PvP twink.