Blizzard is really unclear about this, and for some specs that’s actually a really important distinction.
Specifically, I’m talking about damage calculation based on player buffs. If I have a stacking DPS buff that ticks up to 5 and it goes from 3 to 4 while my projectile is in the air, how am I supposed to know how much to expect on hit? The 3-stack buffed version or the 4-stacked one?
I read online someone claiming it was different for every single ability, but I’m not sure I believe that considering it was a reddit post from 2 years ago. Apparantly no one’s popped this question recently.
From my experience, it doesn’t seem to matter at any point of the cast or projectile-in-motion about buffs. Only when an ability hits the target is when damage is calculated and buffs/effects are taken into account.
Do I have proof? No. Just observed gameplay via mages and shamans (however, shamans lava burst/flame shock combo can be an example of this as casting lava burst and while burst is in motion, cast flame shock for a critical).
The short answer is Yes
The long answer is Yes, it is one of those things and no one can agree on which one
Probably different between abilities with travel time and no travel time but I don’t know.
On my fire mage, I’ve found that I need to be sure to use Combustion before the fireball I’m casting has left my hands. If I use it while in flight, critical strike isn’t guaranteed.
Critical strike calculation may be different from damage calculation, and different abilities might have different mechanics, but it’s one data point at least.
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It’s very different on certain abilities.
Example: Fire Mage and Destro Lock- Greater Pyroblast and Chaos Bolt. Both these abilities deal damage once the animation of the spell hits the target. Easily visible with how long it takes a G-pyro to hit the target.
This is the same for spells such as normal Pyroblast,fireball,frost.
Unlike spells like arcane blast and fireblast that are instant and on target since they have no travel time. Same for scorch.
Aim shot and the like also have travel time and have delay when they deal damage.
Damage is calculated after the spell is cast. Much like the poster above after a spell is cast it’s already been calculated for what it should do, if it should crit or not, if it will proc a secondary or not.
It’s really weird how it works, just remember how lava burst for shaman was changed early in bfa in a way you could still get a guaranteed critical if you applied flame shock AFTER casting lava burst.
Some abilities are on hit while others are when the spell completes
Some like lava burst are further unique in that if you get a proc for a free one mid cast your in progress one isnt affected. Fire mages largely play around this with the timing of abilities to cheese out crits
Depends on the ability. I’m not sure if someone has ever created a database or something for public use.
It seems many if not most are calculated on hit. Since you can avoid spells mid air with some abilities, if they were calculated prior to that then they would deal damage anyway. It feels like the game first determines whether you actually hit the target or not.
If you successfully hit it, then it determines modifiers. If there was an ability in place that prevented the damage, then it doesn’t matter.
Just observational though.
Anecdotal, but I always assumed it was calculated on hit considering a paladin can bubble while a spell is in transit (after being cast) and be immune when it connects. Same with spell reflects and absorbs.