Using Starsurge as the example:
A well geared player has 1000-1300~ hit points baseline, and that spell is dealing 250-300 damage non crit. Assuming health vs damage ratios stay relatively the same as we level up, we can expect Starsurge to keep doing roughly 1/4 your HP per cast. This is just the most apparent example at 25.
Other examples that are in the game, but not quite “online” yet due to talents include:
- Ice Lance spam into rooted targets, or with Fingers of Frost once Shatter is fully unlocked
- Shadow Word: Death once SP’s have all their damage boosts
- Not in the game yet but seeing what they’ve pulled from future expansions some honorable mentions would include instant cast procs for stuff like Pyroblast and Lava Burst.
Melee abilities deal high instant damage because the trade off is that they have to connect and have uptime to use them. Ranged instant spells aren’t supposed to be your highest damaging, and in the case of Starsurge most mana efficient move, because you’re able to use them on the run and maintain distance. There needs to be a downside.
Every casters highest damage scenario should be when they are able to plant their feet and cast and the mini game becomes creating that distance in the first place vs melee, or avoiding the interrupts from other casters so you can get your nuke off.
Being able to W key away from people as you chip them down with instant casts turns every ranged spec into a different flavor of warlock / priest because that’s what they’re known for.
Blizz, please keep this in mind as we move forward.
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I get some of your argument, but you’re trying to apply this silly ‘tax’ on classes for no reason. It has a 6 second CD. Melee attacks have a more generous application of resource to their instant attacks… most of which don’t have a 6 second CD.
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These devs just don’t understand basic game design so don’t hold your breath.
Bruh, we have the highest hitting damage ability in the game right now. Druids hit otherwise like wet noodles.
I’ll accept the instant tax if you remove all the new gap closers / CC runes from the melee classes.
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…That requires setup (getting within 20yd to apply Flame Shock) and a 2 second cast which is subject to pushback, can be interrupted, or ranged (30yd). There’s trade off. (I’m assuming you’re talking about Lava Burst)
Shamans are incredible at CC’ing in this bracket tho, you need to get better at setting up your lava bursts. Especially while having the world buff, you get in slight range of your first tick of earth bind, kite away and then cast. Also even if you have 1-2 enemies on you, they are then in range for your lava burst, Earth Shock, and then frost shock combo (which one shots most classes). We are by far the most op spell caster 1v1 right now. Do not complain about starsurge lmao.
We are the only class right now that can one shot combo someone in 2 gcds.
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Lava burst is so good in pvp it’s my win condition, i play 2h enh i open with lava burst, then i give them some footsies some dancing then i flame shock and earthbind totem getting to mid range is childsplay so you dont have to worry about that much pushback cause when that spell finishes the opponent is gone
The devs are prioritizing the only part of the game that matters (dps rankings while killing the same bosses every three days)
The pushback is the issue, for sure.
Yeah, but alls i gotta do is apply one of 2 slows and give you some dancing then its shamehameha time
cool when my 3 sec casts dont turn into 6 sec casts due to you simply auto attacking me, than we can talk about that being the case. instant casts are the only things actually going off right now and most casters do not have nearly anything to “create distance”. warriors charge in combat now, rogues stealth up to u, feral is fast asf boy, etc etc. on lock what, fast a 3sec fear that turns into a 6 sec cast? juke a kick on top of that cause every melee has an interrupt now thru runes… naw bud, ill keep my instant cast dmg high thanks.
I get your point. Mortal strike on my claymore hit for about 300 to another plate user and had a 6 second cooldown. I understand what you’re saying, but if you notice making instant cast abilities deal high damage creates more rotations instead of spamming one ability all the time.
Imagine if weaving fire blast on a mage is actually a dps increase? Instant spells should do high damage to offset the dps loss from the GCD. Right now boomkin has an interesting rotation where it’s starsurge > moonfire > starfire > insect swarm > repeat. Use wrath in between. That’s 5 different buttons for a caster. I wish they did something similar for the rest of the cast