Mana management was removed from all dps spec (except Arcane Mage) because it was limiting to encounter design, melee specs and some casters could dps forever and others couldn’t so what happened was any fight long enough to make those specs that couldn’t dps forever caused them to be deemed “useless” by players.
The problem was that it was true, if a class can’t keep its dps going the whole fight then bringing them is a mistake. So after adding more and more mana management to specs until it got to the point that with normal play almost no spec could ever run out of mana. That however created other problems with hybrids being able to heal forever because they had so much better mana regen then other specs, it was quickly nerfed whenever people tied but the problem kept coming up.
So they shifted to the current system where dps spells tend to use something like .01-.1% mana and healing spells use 1-30% mana for dps specs, and healing specs get huge boosts to total mana pool.
Frankly at this point there really isn’t much reason for mana to exists for most specs besides being a legacy stat and a used as a tool to limit utility spell usage. Healing output is so tightly tuned anyways that outside of stupidly using your least mana efficient spell for everything most healing specs never have much mana problems. They could achieve the same effect by just giving the current high mana cost spells a charge system instead, as that is all mana really acts as.
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Healers can run out of mana, Classes like druids and paladins that have healing capabilities as DPS have mana so their self healing is limited. Arcane still exists. It has its place.
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Beat me to it. Dont think to be nice and heal others if you’re not in healing spec. You can do 3 to 4 heals tops before OOM…
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There’s no good reason for dps spells to have mana costs attached for fire/frost/warlocks/etc anymore. Limit on utility is fine. But the token mana cost on dps abilities is pointless (or breaks the spec if your haste gets too high).
Well actually every mana using spec in the game can go OOM. CC abilities and debuffs will usually OOM you if you spam them, like mage Spellsteal or warlock Fear. Non-healer specs using healing spells or affects like Flash Heal or Drain Life will OOM you. Healers OOM all the time. Hell, there’s even some situations where your basic rotation will OOM you, but that requires an obscene amount of haste, as Warlocks will attest.
Otherwise for DPS specs it’s all about managing secondary resources, like soul shards, DK runes, spriest insanity, frost mage icicles, etc
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melee don’t get an exhaustion mechanic… wanding till you get mana isnt fun.
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Currently my TBC mage casts frost bolt x2, arcane barrage and fire blast and then I start wanding like a madman cause OOM.
Granted l use the high rank spells, but I make sure not to be engaging in 3+ mobs.
One Blizzard can take it down a lot, but I don’t AoE like that unless I’m in a group.
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Yes they still cost mana which is why i’m asking WHY If i’m not going to run out of mana whats the point of having it? Not saying they replace mana just saying have it not regen as fast or increase cost so its something that I actually have to be conserned about.
- Level squish
- Stat squishes
- Ability pruning
- Mana adjustments
- Mythic difficulty
All of those are evolutions within the game.
Whether it’s been good or bad, the game has definitely evolved.
the point is going right over your head. Yes they have changed the game quite a bit but the point is Mage’s mana pool is something that has been forgoten.
Don’t get me started on the level squish. I mean they said that was so leveling coudl be more meaningful but i managed to level to max level in even less time then when we had 120 levels.
Those are changes not evolutions btw. An evolution would be something like a natrual change of a class like how Warlocks evovlved from their classic couterpart. There is a clear natrual progression.
Mages are pretty much the same with the exception of spell changes and mana not being an issue anymore.
No it’s not. I’m quoting your point below this sentence and responding to it, just the same as I did before. You’re choosing not to read what I’m saying.
Arcane specialization still has to manage their mana.
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I still miss my mana. WTB Hunter mail with spirit & int. 
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Except that part of the limiter is that if you truly burn yourself out of mana spamming utility, you also can’t use a few of your dps spells for a GCD or so. Doesn’t matter much in PVE, can actually impact PVP.
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I miss mana on hunters sometimes too and then I go OOM on my hunter in classic and go “Yeah, focus is better.”
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It was actually a thing in Legion for Warlocks, of all things.
Basically, all of the spells consumed mana, but Chaos Bolt returned it.
As long as you were just doing generic Destro rotation 101, it was fine.
But I recall doing something like the Imp quest in Broken Isles. Basically, nothing big enough to even warrant a CB, and I’d run out of mana. So I had to “manage” my mana by tossing in a CB now and again.
Really odd mechanic.
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Man, the ‘forgetting that shaman has specs other than resto’ thing is getting out of hand. ;-;
@OP; Enhancement and Elemental can go if they spam their utility/healing spells.
Same with retribution and prot.
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Spam spellsteal on mage and watch what happens lol.
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Mana is relevant for utility for DPS specs (and Arcane but who counts them when fire and frost is better and easier) and healers
And healers will almost certainly be caring more about mana in mythic+ next season when they don’t have Pride giving them “endless” mana and a crapton of free sustained party healing for the clutch bosses/pulls. In most groups I’ve seen, healers maybe drink 1-2 times and often just for a few sips at that.
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It’s one of those ancient mechanics that are still around more to punish healers than anything else.
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I ran out of healer levelling as a holy paladin, yeh I don’t know how either, but it happened.
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