New Ice Storm... wow!

[Krag]

This may become our new go-to kiting dps spell.

Getting crit tics of 400+ on just the bludgeoning protion, ice similar numbers.

No slow so far for either me or the mobs that I have noticed, despite the description.

How many ticks per extended Ice Storm?

[Cartheron]

It cannot be extended. Ticks are more or less at same time intervals as with fw, couldnt count tick when i testaed because stuff died to fast Maybe ill go somewhere epics and test there.

Tested - 14 ticks/1 cast.

Since now spells check chance for crit on every tick, it almost killed epic gnolls in wizking in 1 cast they where left with about 5-15% of hp, and it was done in 30 seconds... nice results

[Spisey]

Thank You Devs!!!

[butlerfamilywa]

Keep in mind, Ice Storm = 28 seconds, Firewall - 50 something seconds, before extend...

at nearly the same cost :O

[Cartheron]

Keep in mind, 1 tick of fw is about 150-170 tops. 1 tick of ice storm is about 170 bludgeon and about 150 ice (mor or less). Basicaly, damage/sp is similar, but ice storm deals damage quicker, so it gives better dps.

[herdisleah]

I'm still wondering - enemies in gianthold who had Freedom of Movement on em (the dwarf clerics in Stormeye) were totally completely immune to ice storm. Maybe a hold-over from the old version, but...

[Aethene]

.... But what i really wanna know is....

DOES IT KILL GOLEMS?!

[Therilith]

So...

Wall of Fire was already borderline OP, and Ice Storm is even better?

Add to that the fact that fire resistance is more common than cold resistance and that IS is half physical...

No. Just... no.

[Cartheron]

Wait a second...firewall is not OP. Its extremally efficient sp wise, thats it. It has pretty low damage/second. Ice storm is better enough to wonder if its not OP, but since they in the same time taken away the ability to recast these spells as long you get a crit one, lowering possible casters dps, addition of such powerful spell is easier to understand. Most important thing this spells does is giving a choice. A choice of not casting firewall and using something else, especially in epics, where every single other damage spell is a waste of time and sp...

[Astria]

After checking ice storm out in Amrath...I vote that the spell graphic be changed to falling frost mauls instead of chunks of rock and the spell name be changed to: hammer barrier, oppenhammer, or possibly hammer time. The name difference will avoid player confusion by separating the new version from the regular D&D version.

[Therilith]

Most important thing this spells does is giving a choice.

Between Wall of Fire and Wall of Cold?

[dunklezhan]

Most important thing this spells does is giving a choice. A choice of not casting firewall and using something else, especially in epics, where every single other damage spell is a waste of time and sp...

So it gives you a choice between fire & cold spec, and... fire & cold spec?

Great choice you're offering us there, Turbine.

But at least it will allow for variation on endlessly casting firewalls. That much I can agree with.

But there really ought to be a similarly powerful acid or lightning spell, to give alternate spec casters something to play with. I'd rather have seen that than this.

[Templarion]

Finally some good dps spells for arcanes.

Not sure is it good that arcane just became a dps class but at least it is a change.

Change is always refreshing. I hate firewall because I use it so often. It is boring spell.

[Xenus_Paradox]

Upgraded Acid Fog would be nice.

[Recared]

Can anyone please help me crunch the damage output numbers of Ice storm?

Per spell description: "Great magical hailstones pound down, dealing 8 to 12 cold and 12 to 18 bludgeoning damage and slowing the movement speed of targets within the area."

How does the aforementioned become: "-damage is somehow affected by caster level - at lev 10 bludgeoning part deals about 50 dmg with superior freeze IV, at lev 20 its over 70 (no metamagic active)"?? No metamagic active??

Some input will be greatly thanked as I am planning the next TR and might want to go an arcane route.

[Jiipster]

An intresting thing to note here is that the Ice-part and the Bludgeoning-part counts as separate spells - meaning that every tick, you've got 18% chance for the ice-part to crit (with major lore and max enhancements), and 18% chance for the bludgeoning-part to crit (with same as above). Very, very tasty.

[Cartheron]

I would guess that +1dmg/caster level was added into equation. Same with duration = probably 10seconds +1/caster level. But since I only have lev 10 and lev 20 caster on Lamannia, I cannot confirm that. "no metamagic active" means I turned off all metamagics during numbers checking to avoid mistakes (like empower active on one toon and not on the other).

[Recared]

Thanks Cartheron,

I understood that about the "no metamagic active" :-D I was just surprised how high the damage output was without them actually active. The +1 dmg per caster level seems to me a reasonable explanation and would make it match the results shown.

PS: the bludgeoning part of the spell damage looks to be affected by the fire-cold damage enhancement line and "x" freeze IV and above clickies. Is it so?

[bradleyforrest]

Thanks Cartheron,

I understood that about the "no metamagic active" :-D I was just surprised how high the damage output was without them actually active. The +1 dmg per caster level seems to me a reasonable explanation and would make it match the results shown.

PS: the bludgeoning part of the spell damage looks to be affected by the fire-cold damage enhancement line and "x" freeze IV and above clickies. Is it so?

It is, but this should come as no surprise. If you tested Meteor Swarm with Inferno IX and/or Fire Enhancements you'd see that the bludgeoning damage dealt by the meteors was being affected. This is simply an extension of previously existing functionality.

[Zachski]

So basically, Wall of Fire is now sustained DPS, and Ice Storm is now burst DPS

This I like. This I like a lot. Now I don't have to feel pigeonholed into fire-elemental stuff as an arcane