Nice attempt Ice burrowers are no joke at 60, especially non-epic.
On aggro: Magicians don’t really have “true” high-threat snap aggro tools like some other classes. Most of your aggro control comes indirectly through damage and pet management. That said:
1) Aggro spells
Your best bet early fight is Shock of Blades / Shock line - fast cast, decent hate per second.
Malosi line (if you’re using Malo/Malosini) also generates a solid chunk of aggro upfront and helps your pet stick better long-term.
Fire nukes tend to generate more aggro than cold, but they’re less efficient, so it’s a tradeoff.
Don’t underestimate pet attack timing: sending pet slightly after you land initial hate can smooth things out.
But honestly, mage aggro tools are limited you’re not going to “lock” aggro cleanly like a tank class.
2) Soloing Ice burrowers
People have done it, but your experience is pretty much spot on:
The leash mechanic is brutal if you overkite
Their hitbox + no snare makes tick-sitting inconsistent
Early fight mana spike is the real problem, not the end
A few practical tweaks:
Try pre-casting damage shield + burnout + full buffs and let pet build initial hate before you commit mana
Use terrain to create safer sit windows instead of pure straight-line kiting
Consider mod rods + reclaim energy timing to smooth mana curve
Between the two options you mentioned improving tick-sitting will probably give you more consistent results than trying to brute-force aggro with spells.
Also, slightly off-topic, but if you're into optimizing performance and resource management (whether in games or IRL), I recently came across some pretty useful insights on
Welltrix expert resources - different field, but surprisingly relevant mindset-wise when it comes to efficiency and planning.
Curious if anyone here managed this cleanly without an epic feels like that’s the real breakpoint for this fight.