So I’ve seen alot of ideas of how to fix Devouring Plague and then I remembered a mechanic from a old MMOs whose name I can’t remember (everyone had wings) that I feel would shine here.
What if whenever you apply DP while DP is already on the target, instead of just clipping it, the old DP would be fully removed and the remaining dmg from it would instantly be dealt to the target and the new DP would be applied at it’s regular duration? It would give an incentive to apply DP as fast as you can, and would prevent dmg from being wasted. Would also let you plan for burst phases by letting you pool lots of insanity and then dumping it on back to back DP.
I called it “pop” the previous DP remaining dot duration damage with the new DP. But I think the more appropriate term would be to “Detonate” the previous DP dot ticks in 1 lump sum at the same time as the new DP instant damage application.
I didn’t mean it to come across as “hey that’s my idea! give it back!” if that is how you took it.
I was just trying to convey that I had a similar idea and it’s nice to know others have that same thought as I think its the best route to take. However… acting lie an ignite mechanic would also work as that’s how it worked in WoD. Bit I have my own reasons why I don’t “prefer” the ignite route but… I am okay as long as 1 of those 2 were implemented as other options like “stacking dots” or “increasing duration” have additional problems.
I think it should pop for 50% remaining damage. So it’s not a straight loss in single target damage, but it still incentivizes seeking out a second target. This simple tweak teaches new players to seek out a second opponent, naturally wiring them into favoring our iconic council fighting style.
That only lessons the “feels bad for using too many DP’s in short timeframe”.
Meaning every single target encounter, you will be having to constantly rethink your timings of DP just so you don’t clip or clip as rarely as possible. I just think that’s unneeded and unwarranted time we should be spending while playing the spec.
This sums it up fully for me. Rather than reducing the amount of dmg it pops for, we should tie in some miner proc to our DP. Like “Each time DP deals dmg, .5 seconds it taken off voidform CD” or “Each time DP deals dmg, you have a chance that MF or MS will deal increased dmg with their next cast”
Also, I think both VT and SW:P have procs tied to them and other synergies, so our reason to multidot is already super high.
I don’t like the idea of increasing the reason to use MF more as the sole “benefit” from DP application. Because once the spec gets rolling and your getting enough insanity coming in, you use Mind Flay less and less.
This is why I think Devouring Plague procing Dark Thoughts as a baseline amount (like 15% per tick) would be better as we can fit in MB by itself on the move or in the channeling window of flay/sear.
Then that baseline amount + the normal amount from Mind Flay + dots would be “supercharged” during DP + MF window to almost always grant you at least 1 proc. But if you have to move, then you still get proc chance from DP alone. Just not as high when combined with other dots and Mind Flay.