Ray of Frost (unruned) is 29 AP/sec. Runed with a 'Cold Blood' (golden) rune reduces the cost to 3 AP/sec. Now I wonder if I chose Storm Armor as another skill and socket it with a 'Power of the Storm' (golden) runestone, which decreases all skills by 7 AP during the spell's duration. Does this make Ray of Frost 0 AP/sec while storm armor is active? If so I would simply choose these 2 skills and never run out of mana (provided that I'm spot on with casting storm armor).
On the theorycrafting side, this would also free up one of those signature spell slots, which is chosen simply because it can be cast when oom (or should I say ooAP in d3 lol?) and/or to regenerate AP if socketed accordingly. These weaker spells would no longer be required. As such, a more utility-type spell could be used. More to come later...and correct me if I'm wrong with my 0 AP/sec logic.
The thing is, with AP regeneration, 3 AP/sec may be free meaning you don't even need the armor. The uber passive already provides 2 AP/sec meaning you only need 1 AP/sec from anything else.
Well I think you don't regenerate any AP while channeling spells. Besides, even if it does cost 0 AP with golden Storm Armor, you'd still be a sitting duck the whole time. But either way its certainly interesting. And as far as I can tell your 0 AP logic lines up.
Hmmmm good find. Although if you look at the base damage on Ray of Frost, and if you rune it with 'Cold Blood' (golden) rune is 142-168 + slow effects.
However a Crimson Runed Magic Missile is 88-135 dmg and costs 0 AP already without needing additional skills or passives, and with the passive Prodigy will actually gain you 5 AP per casting.
So if you think about it, Signature Spells are not "weaker" spells. I think with the passives and runes, they are on par or better than other skills. Just depends on the combos you pick.
Well I think you don't regenerate any AP while channeling spells. Besides, even if it does cost 0 AP with golden Storm Armor, you'd still be a sitting duck the whole time. But either way its certainly interesting. And as far as I can tell your 0 AP logic lines up.
Based off of Diablo II this wouldn't be the case. Of course that was Mana and this is AP and we'll really have no idea until we can actually test all this out.
You can't really pick ray of frost and use it as a nuke skill unless you crimson it.
With that said I wonder if there are any plans for +resource regeneration affix on items/runes.
Yes for wizards, there was a screen shot of an orb that would regen 1 AP per kill or per sec (can't remember), it was a rare but it did have the regen affix.
Hmmmm good find. Although if you look at the base damage on Ray of Frost, and if you rune it with 'Cold Blood' (golden) rune is 142-168 + slow effects. However a Crimson Runed Magic Missile is 88-135 dmg and costs 0 AP already without needing additional skills or passives, and with the passive Prodigy will actually gain you 5 AP per casting.So if you think about it, Signature Spells are not "weaker" spells. I think with the passives and runes, they are on par or better than other skills. Just depends on the combos you pick.
I think you are absolutely right - although there is something else to consider and that is spell casting speed (spell global cooldown). The channeling spells like ray of frost do a set amount of damage per second (and as far as I know channeled damage doesn't scale any further with increases in casting speed from gear, etc). This means that although ray of frost might do more damage per second than per magic missile cast, if the casting speed is increased through gear to allow more than one magic missile per second, the actual damage per SECOND (not per CAST) of magic missile can exceed that of ray of frost.
I think you are absolutely right - although there is something else to consider and that is spell casting speed (spell global cooldown). The channeling spells like ray of frost do a set amount of damage per second (and as far as I know channeled damage doesn't scale any further with increases in casting speed from gear, etc). This means that although ray of frost might do more damage per second than per magic missile cast, if the casting speed is increased through gear to allow more than one magic missile per second, the actual damage per SECOND (not per CAST) of magic missile can exceed that of ray of frost.
Amirite?
It depends. Using WoW as an example, they made it so that haste increases the damage of Mind Flay (a channeled spell). In Diablo II with Inferno I don't think increased casting speed increased the damage.
I would imagine that they'll make casting speed do something for Disintegrate and Ray of Frost, otherwise they'll quickly be outstripped by cast spells and never used.
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On the theorycrafting side, this would also free up one of those signature spell slots, which is chosen simply because it can be cast when oom (or should I say ooAP in d3 lol?) and/or to regenerate AP if socketed accordingly. These weaker spells would no longer be required. As such, a more utility-type spell could be used. More to come later...and correct me if I'm wrong with my 0 AP/sec logic.
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However a Crimson Runed Magic Missile is 88-135 dmg and costs 0 AP already without needing additional skills or passives, and with the passive Prodigy will actually gain you 5 AP per casting.
So if you think about it, Signature Spells are not "weaker" spells. I think with the passives and runes, they are on par or better than other skills. Just depends on the combos you pick.
With that said I wonder if there are any plans for +resource regeneration affix on items/runes.
Based off of Diablo II this wouldn't be the case. Of course that was Mana and this is AP and we'll really have no idea until we can actually test all this out.
I think you are absolutely right - although there is something else to consider and that is spell casting speed (spell global cooldown). The channeling spells like ray of frost do a set amount of damage per second (and as far as I know channeled damage doesn't scale any further with increases in casting speed from gear, etc). This means that although ray of frost might do more damage per second than per magic missile cast, if the casting speed is increased through gear to allow more than one magic missile per second, the actual damage per SECOND (not per CAST) of magic missile can exceed that of ray of frost.
Amirite?
It depends. Using WoW as an example, they made it so that haste increases the damage of Mind Flay (a channeled spell). In Diablo II with Inferno I don't think increased casting speed increased the damage.
I would imagine that they'll make casting speed do something for Disintegrate and Ray of Frost, otherwise they'll quickly be outstripped by cast spells and never used.