The single most frustrating part of playing a caster in group content is watching a two-second Chaos Bolt / Pyroblast / Starsurge evaporate because the mob it was aimed at got deleted by melee before the projectile even left my fingers.
Meanwhile, every Warrior or Rogue in the party keeps swinging on the next mob automatically thanks to the built-in melee retarget system. No GCD lost, no ramp-up wasted, no feels-bad moment.
Give spells the same safety net melee enjoys. If the primary target dies mid-cast and there is still a legal enemy in range/LOS, automatically redirect the spell to:
The caster’s current focus/soft-target (if any).
Otherwise, the highest-threat enemy in range.
If nothing qualifies, then cancel and refund the resource (or at least the cooldown).
“auto-retarget if a valid target exists within X yards of the original target, otherwise cancel the cast” might do the trick. not perfect but vastly preferable to “just do nothing”
Melee swings are instant. Cast time spells are not.
If I start to cast Moonfire on something that dies, it auto targets the next mob, whether I’m in combat with it or not. Because instant.
But a cast time spell? Eh… that’s getting into some pretty tricky territory there with threat, exploits, etc. Because I’m sure someone will figure out how to exploit that on something.
Im all for it. That way its not just hunters that get yelled at for accidental tab pulling. Let casters get yelled at too for their pyroblast or whatever going to that group we were skipping
No this is not only a bad idea, but horrid in concept as well IMO
Melee getting pummeled by adds is the reason for not needing to switch, the mob literally hit the player, just like it does with you.
I’m sorry why you don’t understand a targeted spell should suddenly auto-target another mob, but the system should stay as is, after all, this isn’t Diablo thankfully
I guess I’m talking mostly about action targeting which will instantly switch targets when your target dies. For ranged, that cancels the ability which is not something melee ever deals with. I think this makes melee more fun because it’s getting thrown off in one less way. I think there would be a simple way to code it that wouldn’t cause trolling like pulling outside of the active pack. Spells would still cancel if that was the last target within the pack and/or combat was dropped.
So the problem here is that sometimes there are things you want to remain untouched, whether for mechanical reasons or for achievements or whatever. Your suggestion takes agency away from the player when the game decides to send a big fat Chaos Bolt to that target next.
Yeah and they are adding a single button rotation, what is your point? What’s the problem with adding in an additional feature, that is optional like every other feature in the game, that would reduce the number of canceled spell casts? Do you like it when your spell casts are canceled in combat when you could’ve hit something else?
Can you do anything other than strawman my idea? I’ve said multiple times that it would remain only to currently aggroed mobs. Use your imagination for a second: if you were a mage casting firebolt and your target dies, unless you’re braindead, you’re going to redirect the fireball to something else.
I’m responding to exactly what you said in your post.
“the same coding that functions when you press tab” does not have that restriction you suggested they add.
Well, I would need to imagine casting a spell that doesn’t exist. I can’t think of any wow spell that summons a flying broomstick.
But also, does this mean that the hunter will be able to re-direct arrows in flight? Are ground targeted spells supposed to follow the mobs that were in the targeting circle at the time of cast?
Backing up to this, what exactly are you referring to? action targeting? Ranged can use that.
Having damage that comes at the end of the GCD/cast is part of the tradeoff for having range. Ret paladins don’t get anything if the mob dies while their judgement is mid flight.