Being able to sustain or cast for longer periods is an advantage but for an equal period of time neither burst nor DPS is different.
That is incorrect. For an equal period? We're always talking about equal periods here to compare them properly.
Question really is: short or long period?
If you say instead that:
"Being able to sustain or cast for longer periods is an advantage but for a shorter period of time neither burst nor DPS is different."
You're correct. In the example this short period where neither burst nor dps is different is 6 seconds.
The first two premisses are correct. Premise 1: Damage per second of spells is equal for weapons of different speed.
As long as you're casting the same spell yes ofc, same weapon dps, same spell-> same dps Conclusion2: Damage per arcane power point is higher for slower weapons
Yup and in a strange manner.
Premise 3: Weapon speed affects how long you can cast before you run out of resource but does not increase DPS assuming an equal duration
(...)
Conculsion: You get to cast longer (10s vs 3s) if you're on a slow weapon and will have a higher cumulative damage, all other factors held constant, however you do not do higher DPS. The DPS at the 3s mark is equal.
Again: what equal duration?
The dps is the same as long as... it's the same? well...yea
Let's talk about bringing a boss down. A boss takes more than 3 seconds. If you have a wizard, and you're using ray of frost, you can chose to use a slow weapon and do more damage in the fight or use a fast weapon and do less damage.
Conculsion: You get to cast longer (10s vs 3s) if you're on a slow weapon and will have a higher cumulative damage, all other factors held constant, however you do not do higher DPS. The DPS at the 3s mark is equal.
Very right.
If the weapon dps is equal, the skill dps will be equal, weapon speed is irrelevant (well it is already calculated in dps). The speed does however change the cost of the spell over time, which is what the op is trying to get across (I think).
The cost does not change the dps of the skill while it is being cast. Cost only changes how long you can cast the spell. Thus weapon speed changes your resource management.
That is useful information, but the way it was presented is fairly confusing.
On a related mark. The concept of DPS is somewhat tricky. I think it's usually defined as the slope of the function describing the cumulative damage done over a period of time. This means DPS is not defined for a time interval but merely for any specific moment in time. If we're talking about the DPS over a period of time what we mean is the average DPS.
For the wizard perhaps we can use the slope of the function describing
1. Total damage (one shot spells)
2. Cumulative damage (channeled spells or single cast duration based spells)
That is useful information, but the way it was presented is fairly confusing.
I agree. I could have stated: wizards, try to use slow weapons if you're channeling.
Or i could have said: faster weapons will drain your arcane power way faster than it should while you're channeling due to an inconsistency. Please be aware of it.
Something like that. It's oversimplification but it's true.
What do you think we should use for spells that do damage on proc or onhit like the armor spells. We would need to estimate cumulative damage to assign DPS.
From the data the OP posted, it seems that AP cost is modified based on weapon speed. The example for channeled spells is pretty straightforward now but what about single cast spells? Take for example wave of force
Spell: Wave of Force
Type: Single Cast
Cost: 25 Arcane Power
Modifier: 200% weapon damage
OP suggested that for channeled spells, damage is dealt on every attack speed cycle. Eg. A weapon with 1 speed on a 280% channeled spell would deal 280% dmg every 1 second and deduct the AP cost every 1 second.
This would imply having more attack speed increases the average AP cost and does damage in a faster period.
Spell: Ray of frost
Weapon Speed = 1 (1 attack per second)
AP cost per second = 20
Damage per second = 280%
Now when we add IAS to increase the attack speed to 2 attacks per second
Spell: Ray of frost
Weapon Speed = 2 (2 attacks per second)
AP cost per second = 40 (20 per 0.5s)
Damage per second = 280% (140% per 0.5s)
You deal damage faster (0.5s ticks vs. 1s ticks) and drain AP faster (20 per 0.5s vs. 1s)
===
However for single cast spells like wave of force things look different. Consider the following
Wave of force (200% dmg multiplier)
Fast Weapon: (50 dmg at 2 attacks a second for 100 DPS)
Base Arcane Cost per cast = 15 AP
Damage per second (from above) = 200% of 50 = 100 VS 200% of 100 = 200 (2 possibilities)
Slow Weapon: (100 dmg at 1 attacks a second for 100 DPS)
Base Arcane Cost per cast = 15 AP
Damage per second (from above) = 200% of 100 = 200
Here you don't have the option to deal damage faster, there is only 1 hit after all. You don't have the option to drain AP faster, there is also only 1 hit. Unless there is a modifier to the AP drain, resource management does not change for weapon speed on single cast spells. Damage for single cast spells may or may not change depending if they use the final DPS value (which includes IAS) or the base damage value (which doesn't include IAS).
OP suggested that for channeled spells, damage is dealt on every attack speed cycle. Eg. A weapon with 1 speed on a 280% channeled spell would deal 280% dmg every 1 second and deduct the AP cost every 1 second.
This would imply having more attack speed increases the average AP cost and does damage in a faster period.
Spell: Ray of frost
Weapon Speed = 1 (1 attack per second)
AP cost per second = 20
Damage per second = 280%
Now when we add IAS to increase the attack speed to 2 attacks per second
Spell: Ray of frost
Weapon Speed = 2 (2 attacks per second)
AP cost per second = 40 (20 per 0.5s)
Damage per second = 280% (140% per 0.5s)
You deal damage faster (0.5s ticks vs. 1s ticks) and drain AP faster (20 per 0.5s vs. 1s)
===
However for single cast spells like wave of force things look different. Consider the following
Wave of force (200% dmg multiplier)
Fast Weapon: (50 dmg at 2 attacks a second for 100 DPS)
Base Arcane Cost per cast = 15 AP
Damage per second (from above) = 200% of 50 = 100 VS 200% of 100 = 200 (2 possibilities)
Slow Weapon: (100 dmg at 1 attacks a second for 100 DPS)
Base Arcane Cost per cast = 15 AP
Damage per second (from above) = 200% of 100 = 200
Here you don't have the option to deal damage faster, there is only 1 hit after all. You don't have the option to drain AP faster, there is also only 1 hit. Unless there is a modifier to the AP drain, resource management does not change for weapon speed on single cast spells. Damage for single cast spells may or may not change depending if they use the final DPS value (which includes IAS) or the base damage value (which doesn't include IAS).
Exactly. The OP raises a valid point, but only regarding AP costs. Faster weapons burn your resources faster. Thats true for all classes.
But thats not a problem, you are supposed to alternate between generators, free skills, signature spells, etc, and expenders
This is a REALLY old debate. Faster weapons consume proportionally more AP than slower weapons. Slower weapons hit harder on "on death" procs (ie runed Shock Pulse). However, faster weapons also gain more from flat +Damage affixes (which are very common in D3) and give more chances to activate "on hit" or "on crit" procs.
Overall it's a wash. Some skills are stronger on faster weapons while other skills are stronger on slower weapons. The large amount of Wizard-focused affixes on Orbs may skew things in favor of Wand/Orb, and all known Wands have a fast attack speed.
The "resource efficiency" phenomenon doesn't exist for a Barbarian, Monk, or DH. Because they rely heavily upon "generator" abilities to replenish their Fury/Spirit/Hatred, having a faster attack speed both generates and consumes resources proportionally faster. They are therefore neither more or less resource-efficient. However, because faster weapons have a huge advantage in +Damage affixes and "on hit" procs, melee classes will generally do more singletarget DPS with dual wield than with a 2H. This is counterbalanced by the longer reach of a 2H, which greatly increases the effectiveness of melee-AoEs like Cleave and Whirlwind (and arguably makes it slightly easier to hit singletargets too).
That is useful information, but the way it was presented is fairly confusing.
I agree. I could have stated: wizards, try to use slow weapons if you're channeling.
Or i could have said: faster weapons will drain your arcane power way faster than it should while you're channeling due to an inconsistency. Please be aware of it.
Something like that. It's oversimplification but it's true.
Fast weapon drain your AP faster, but they deal the same dps as slow weapons up until your AP is spent. You also have to take into consideration that time spent at max AP is a dps loss (since your regen is effectively wasted). Using a slow weapon on a high movement encounter will almost certainly be a dps loss vs a faster weapon. Why? Because being able to dump your AP faster before having to move will allow you to fully utilize your regen.
I really doubt most boss encounters are going to allow you to sit there and channel a spell onto a boss for a significant amount of time.
Why? Because being able to dump your AP faster before having to move will allow you to fully utilize your regen.
I really doubt most boss encounters are going to allow you to sit there and channel a spell onto a boss for a significant amount of time.
Remember that it takes at least 8 secs to regen from 0ap while running. 8 secs running is...a lot.
I think an optimal setup would be ~ one that you could cast ray of frost for 12-15 seconds before running out. Above 15 you may be ap capped while moving, dps loss, bellow this you may be ap starved while standing.
Also remember the wizard can pop mirror image and cast for a while, pop diamond skin and cast for a while. As usual, you want to minimize movement and be able to stand and cast.
Using a faster weapon definitely decreases the amount of time you can spend channeling a Ray of Frost or Disintegrate... but keep in mind that you have Signature spells that are not AP dependent (or in some cases even restore AP or proc additional effects).
If you are concerned about purely maximizing a single high-AP cost spell like Meteor or Disintegrate then it may make sense to wield a slow 2her... otherwise you're probably okay with a wand or a 2h.
Using a faster weapon definitely decreases the amount of time you can spend channeling a Ray of Frost or Disintegrate... but keep in mind that you have Signature spells that are not AP dependent (or in some cases even restore AP or proc additional effects).
If you are concerned about purely maximizing a single high-AP cost spell like Meteor or Disintegrate then it may make sense to wield a slow 2her... otherwise you're probably okay with a wand or a 2h.
It wouldnt make sense at all, the orbs (wizard only) will "always" give pure min-max dmg and stats so most likely the higest dps we will have will come from that, not a slow high end dmg two hander they tought of everything
... but keep in mind that you have Signature spells that are not AP dependent (or in some cases even restore AP or proc additional effects).
If you read some posts back you'll see that using signature spells is quite a dps loss.
On the 2h vs 1h i wouldn't take the 1h+orb victory for granted. Both can be quite good, it depends quite a bit on what items you actually have, gems, build etc.
You can reliably get up to around 30AP per crit, and it's also fairly attainable to get 50% crit chance as well.
So you can safely increase your attack speed to just over 2.4APS and still have neutral AP use.
You are perfectly correct, except in the fairly attainable part. Remember that the best gear possible will be lvl63 gear obtained in Inferno Act3-4. I wouldn't expect such huge amounts of ap per crit on earlier gear. I would expect 20-25 in a perfect act2 gear, 15-20in a perfect act1gear and 10-15 in a perfect inferno gear. And i also wouldn't expect such a huge crit chance early on.
Let's say you have a more modest set. With 15ap per crit and 33% crit chance. With that gear you could sustain a neutral ap cast of the weaker ray of frost, that deals 215%dmg and costs 12ap. But the 20ap one would be pretty unbearable.
Now note that if you have 2.4 speed and you can spam ray of frost you're dealing a ridiculously huge amount of single target damage, even with the initial inferno gear, even more with the final.
Initial inferno gear, 215% ray of frost spam:
2.4 x 215%= 516% weapon damage per sec
Final inferno gear, 280% ray of frost spam:
2.4 x 280%= 672% weapon damage per sec
HUGE numbers, and we're not applying any other bonus damage, like passives and such.
Yes, arcane power on crit is pretty powerful. And yes, you can have a really fast set that still works with ray of frost. You just gotta make the numbers work for you.
One really important thing you have to factor in here.
You won't be standing still more than 5-10 seconds at a time in Inferno. If you do, it's either because there's not much danger (only a few monsters) or you have an extremely survivalist build/gear.
The 5-10 seconds figure is arbitrary at this point since the game's not out but it is close and also helps illustrate how being able to maintain 30 seconds (or anything close to that) of a channeled skill is very unlikely.
Diablo is very heavy on hit and run. Being able to dish out damage on the move is extremely useful.
My whole point is that your work is only theoretical DPS with 2 Wizards standing still firing at something not fighting back. Otherwise, I would probably take something that hits harder but can only cast for 6 seconds over something that doesn't hit as hard but can be maintained longer.
...Also, you can probably maintain high dps while recharging by using signature spells...
This too.
This shows that other things need to be taken into account like I mentioned. For example, it may be equal to or better DPS to use the faster, "weaker" weapon, and weave signature spells in between the "short" channel times.
I realize that goes beyond the scope of your findings, but it's the reality of the game. We can't just look at 1 skill (Ray of Frost) in 1 situation (standing still) and conclude that a particular weapon type is always better (slower APS).
@Glowyrm, i wouldn't be so sure about the "you can't sit and cast 10 seconds on inferno". You'll find very different situations. Sometimes you won't be able to sit for long, you'll have to move to avoid or kite. Sometimes you will be able to sit for a very long time, have no doubt about it.
Imagine you're doing an elite/boss with a group. They have a lot of hp, it's a long fight. Some fights will require movement, others not so much. When you're in a fight where you have the chance to cast a lot while the enemy is busy with your teamates, well, you better do a lot of dmg, the most dmg you can of the situation, right?
Not only in groups. Playing solo you pop Diamond Skin and cast for 6seconds, you can pop Mirror Image and cast for 7seconds, etc etc.
Also note that with a good amount of defense (armor, resistances, health, etc) and lifesteal you'll be able to sit and cast while mobs hit you, at least when they're not doing using some nasty ability.
If you dish a lot of dmg, and fast, you'll be able to benefit quite a bit from lifesteal and life on hit.
That reminds me of an interesting question. Ray of Frost as you folks might notice is divided into minor ticks. You don't actually land a single big 215% hit every cicle, you actually land various ticks that sum 215% over that period of time. Question is: does +life on hit applies for every tick or just for the whole cicle? Even if it's only for each cicle, you'll be able to recover a lot of health with a high attack speed. Now if actually procs for every single tick...you'll recover a ridiculous amount of health every second while casting rof.
The problem is when you look at the weapons in a vacuum... Stats exist on non-weapons that increase attacks per second... so unless defensive stats are really really good, you will always want as much of that as you can get.
It might seem extreme when you are comparing 1.0 wep speed vs 1.4 wep speed.... but after you add tons of increased speed and increased attacks you could be looking at 5.0 vs 5.5.. your 40% faster weapon changed to being only 10% faster after +3 attacks per second and a 25% speed increase was added.
All that isn't even factoring in things like... the 8% stun on electric attacks which could be greatly enhanced by a fast weapon, or arcane on hit/crit.
It is possible slower weapons will be better for a variety of reasons, but the discussion can't be boiled down to such simplistics.
but after you add tons of increased speed and increased attacks you could be looking at 5.0 vs 5.5..
rofl
Ok the example might have been a little extreme but according to the hero planner you can get +25% on wand, +17% on rings, amulet, and gloves or +93% as well as +0.7 attacks per second on wep, and +0.15 on rings/amulet or +1.15...
Going back to the example of 1.0 vs 1.4 (a 40% difference) we know have
4.15 vs 4.92 or 18.5% (assuming it adds and then multiplies)
Anyways, what I was trying to say is just because the gap on the base item is high doesn't mean it maintains that throughout after a variety of items (both ap generating and speed changing) are included.
It was my finding that ray of frost was basically unusable in beta for a variety of reasons..
The slow wasn't enough to keep high health monsters off you for long enough, when you get moved by knockback, or kiting, or any other reason you didn't get your money's worth, and the big part, the cost is too high to sustain for a sufficient amount of time. With a 1.4 sec wand as a weapon you could cast for only 5.5 seconds
Once you add in something like Astral Presence(the +20 max and +2 per second) that increases the time to 7.5 seconds. Add in some ap on crit and +max ap and you can really bring it to a level that wasn't feasible in the beta. There is also energy armors -3 AP cost on all abilities, and the familiar that reduces cost by 2.
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That is incorrect. For an equal period? We're always talking about equal periods here to compare them properly.
Question really is: short or long period?
If you say instead that:
"Being able to sustain or cast for longer periods is an advantage but for a shorter period of time neither burst nor DPS is different."
You're correct. In the example this short period where neither burst nor dps is different is 6 seconds.
The first two premisses are correct.
Premise 1: Damage per second of spells is equal for weapons of different speed.
As long as you're casting the same spell yes ofc, same weapon dps, same spell-> same dps
Conclusion2: Damage per arcane power point is higher for slower weapons
Yup and in a strange manner.
Again: what equal duration?
The dps is the same as long as... it's the same? well...yea
Let's talk about bringing a boss down. A boss takes more than 3 seconds. If you have a wizard, and you're using ray of frost, you can chose to use a slow weapon and do more damage in the fight or use a fast weapon and do less damage.
Very right.
If the weapon dps is equal, the skill dps will be equal, weapon speed is irrelevant (well it is already calculated in dps). The speed does however change the cost of the spell over time, which is what the op is trying to get across (I think).
The cost does not change the dps of the skill while it is being cast. Cost only changes how long you can cast the spell. Thus weapon speed changes your resource management.
That is useful information, but the way it was presented is fairly confusing.
For the wizard perhaps we can use the slope of the function describing
1. Total damage (one shot spells)
2. Cumulative damage (channeled spells or single cast duration based spells)
I agree. I could have stated: wizards, try to use slow weapons if you're channeling.
Or i could have said: faster weapons will drain your arcane power way faster than it should while you're channeling due to an inconsistency. Please be aware of it.
Something like that. It's oversimplification but it's true.
An elegant solution.
What do you think we should use for spells that do damage on proc or onhit like the armor spells. We would need to estimate cumulative damage to assign DPS.
Spell: Wave of Force
Type: Single Cast
Cost: 25 Arcane Power
Modifier: 200% weapon damage
Using the same 2 weapons
Fast: 50 Dmg, 2 APS, 100 DPS
Slow: 100 Dmg, 1 APS. 100 DPS.
How would damage and AP cost scale for weapons of different speed?
Edit: Typo correction
This would imply having more attack speed increases the average AP cost and does damage in a faster period.
Spell: Ray of frost
Weapon Speed = 1 (1 attack per second)
AP cost per second = 20
Damage per second = 280%
Now when we add IAS to increase the attack speed to 2 attacks per second
Spell: Ray of frost
Weapon Speed = 2 (2 attacks per second)
AP cost per second = 40 (20 per 0.5s)
Damage per second = 280% (140% per 0.5s)
You deal damage faster (0.5s ticks vs. 1s ticks) and drain AP faster (20 per 0.5s vs. 1s)
===
However for single cast spells like wave of force things look different. Consider the following
Wave of force (200% dmg multiplier)
Fast Weapon: (50 dmg at 2 attacks a second for 100 DPS)
Base Arcane Cost per cast = 15 AP
Damage per second (from above) = 200% of 50 = 100 VS 200% of 100 = 200 (2 possibilities)
Slow Weapon: (100 dmg at 1 attacks a second for 100 DPS)
Base Arcane Cost per cast = 15 AP
Damage per second (from above) = 200% of 100 = 200
Here you don't have the option to deal damage faster, there is only 1 hit after all. You don't have the option to drain AP faster, there is also only 1 hit. Unless there is a modifier to the AP drain, resource management does not change for weapon speed on single cast spells. Damage for single cast spells may or may not change depending if they use the final DPS value (which includes IAS) or the base damage value (which doesn't include IAS).
Exactly. The OP raises a valid point, but only regarding AP costs. Faster weapons burn your resources faster. Thats true for all classes.
But thats not a problem, you are supposed to alternate between generators, free skills, signature spells, etc, and expenders
Overall it's a wash. Some skills are stronger on faster weapons while other skills are stronger on slower weapons. The large amount of Wizard-focused affixes on Orbs may skew things in favor of Wand/Orb, and all known Wands have a fast attack speed.
The "resource efficiency" phenomenon doesn't exist for a Barbarian, Monk, or DH. Because they rely heavily upon "generator" abilities to replenish their Fury/Spirit/Hatred, having a faster attack speed both generates and consumes resources proportionally faster. They are therefore neither more or less resource-efficient. However, because faster weapons have a huge advantage in +Damage affixes and "on hit" procs, melee classes will generally do more singletarget DPS with dual wield than with a 2H. This is counterbalanced by the longer reach of a 2H, which greatly increases the effectiveness of melee-AoEs like Cleave and Whirlwind (and arguably makes it slightly easier to hit singletargets too).
Fast weapon drain your AP faster, but they deal the same dps as slow weapons up until your AP is spent. You also have to take into consideration that time spent at max AP is a dps loss (since your regen is effectively wasted). Using a slow weapon on a high movement encounter will almost certainly be a dps loss vs a faster weapon. Why? Because being able to dump your AP faster before having to move will allow you to fully utilize your regen.
I really doubt most boss encounters are going to allow you to sit there and channel a spell onto a boss for a significant amount of time.
I think an optimal setup would be ~ one that you could cast ray of frost for 12-15 seconds before running out. Above 15 you may be ap capped while moving, dps loss, bellow this you may be ap starved while standing.
Also remember the wizard can pop mirror image and cast for a while, pop diamond skin and cast for a while. As usual, you want to minimize movement and be able to stand and cast.
If you are concerned about purely maximizing a single high-AP cost spell like Meteor or Disintegrate then it may make sense to wield a slow 2her... otherwise you're probably okay with a wand or a 2h.
It wouldnt make sense at all, the orbs (wizard only) will "always" give pure min-max dmg and stats so most likely the higest dps we will have will come from that, not a slow high end dmg two hander they tought of everything
On the 2h vs 1h i wouldn't take the 1h+orb victory for granted. Both can be quite good, it depends quite a bit on what items you actually have, gems, build etc.
Let's say you have a more modest set. With 15ap per crit and 33% crit chance. With that gear you could sustain a neutral ap cast of the weaker ray of frost, that deals 215%dmg and costs 12ap. But the 20ap one would be pretty unbearable.
Now note that if you have 2.4 speed and you can spam ray of frost you're dealing a ridiculously huge amount of single target damage, even with the initial inferno gear, even more with the final.
Initial inferno gear, 215% ray of frost spam:
2.4 x 215%= 516% weapon damage per sec
Final inferno gear, 280% ray of frost spam:
2.4 x 280%= 672% weapon damage per sec
HUGE numbers, and we're not applying any other bonus damage, like passives and such.
Yes, arcane power on crit is pretty powerful. And yes, you can have a really fast set that still works with ray of frost. You just gotta make the numbers work for you.
Thank you for the elucidation Alouu
You won't be standing still more than 5-10 seconds at a time in Inferno. If you do, it's either because there's not much danger (only a few monsters) or you have an extremely survivalist build/gear.
The 5-10 seconds figure is arbitrary at this point since the game's not out but it is close and also helps illustrate how being able to maintain 30 seconds (or anything close to that) of a channeled skill is very unlikely.
Diablo is very heavy on hit and run. Being able to dish out damage on the move is extremely useful.
My whole point is that your work is only theoretical DPS with 2 Wizards standing still firing at something not fighting back. Otherwise, I would probably take something that hits harder but can only cast for 6 seconds over something that doesn't hit as hard but can be maintained longer.
This too.
This shows that other things need to be taken into account like I mentioned. For example, it may be equal to or better DPS to use the faster, "weaker" weapon, and weave signature spells in between the "short" channel times.
I realize that goes beyond the scope of your findings, but it's the reality of the game. We can't just look at 1 skill (Ray of Frost) in 1 situation (standing still) and conclude that a particular weapon type is always better (slower APS).
Imagine you're doing an elite/boss with a group. They have a lot of hp, it's a long fight. Some fights will require movement, others not so much. When you're in a fight where you have the chance to cast a lot while the enemy is busy with your teamates, well, you better do a lot of dmg, the most dmg you can of the situation, right?
Not only in groups. Playing solo you pop Diamond Skin and cast for 6seconds, you can pop Mirror Image and cast for 7seconds, etc etc.
Also note that with a good amount of defense (armor, resistances, health, etc) and lifesteal you'll be able to sit and cast while mobs hit you, at least when they're not doing using some nasty ability.
If you dish a lot of dmg, and fast, you'll be able to benefit quite a bit from lifesteal and life on hit.
That reminds me of an interesting question. Ray of Frost as you folks might notice is divided into minor ticks. You don't actually land a single big 215% hit every cicle, you actually land various ticks that sum 215% over that period of time. Question is: does +life on hit applies for every tick or just for the whole cicle? Even if it's only for each cicle, you'll be able to recover a lot of health with a high attack speed. Now if actually procs for every single tick...you'll recover a ridiculous amount of health every second while casting rof.
It might seem extreme when you are comparing 1.0 wep speed vs 1.4 wep speed.... but after you add tons of increased speed and increased attacks you could be looking at 5.0 vs 5.5.. your 40% faster weapon changed to being only 10% faster after +3 attacks per second and a 25% speed increase was added.
All that isn't even factoring in things like... the 8% stun on electric attacks which could be greatly enhanced by a fast weapon, or arcane on hit/crit.
It is possible slower weapons will be better for a variety of reasons, but the discussion can't be boiled down to such simplistics.
Ok the example might have been a little extreme but according to the hero planner you can get +25% on wand, +17% on rings, amulet, and gloves or +93% as well as +0.7 attacks per second on wep, and +0.15 on rings/amulet or +1.15...
Going back to the example of 1.0 vs 1.4 (a 40% difference) we know have
4.15 vs 4.92 or 18.5% (assuming it adds and then multiplies)
Anyways, what I was trying to say is just because the gap on the base item is high doesn't mean it maintains that throughout after a variety of items (both ap generating and speed changing) are included.
It was my finding that ray of frost was basically unusable in beta for a variety of reasons..
The slow wasn't enough to keep high health monsters off you for long enough, when you get moved by knockback, or kiting, or any other reason you didn't get your money's worth, and the big part, the cost is too high to sustain for a sufficient amount of time. With a 1.4 sec wand as a weapon you could cast for only 5.5 seconds
Once you add in something like Astral Presence(the +20 max and +2 per second) that increases the time to 7.5 seconds. Add in some ap on crit and +max ap and you can really bring it to a level that wasn't feasible in the beta. There is also energy armors -3 AP cost on all abilities, and the familiar that reduces cost by 2.