Question about Contagion: Slimy Doom and Nature's Warden

[EnjoyTheJourney]

3rd level druid spell, Contagion: Slimy Doom -- Does it work fairly well while leveling up? If mobs will usually fail their saving throws when having it cast on them, then it looks like a good source of additional damage for boss fights and also a "fire and forget" one-shot kill -- even if mobs take a while to keel over. Overall, it looks pretty SP-efficient, if it will generally land.

Enhancement, Nature's Warden: Does nature's warden trigger for each tick of damage from direct damage spells, or only when a mob is first damaged by a direct damage spell? The difference in effectiveness would clearly be quite pronounced, especially when using wall of fire, ice storm, and other DOT attacks.

Thank you in advance for clarification.

[moriedhel]

Would be interested in answers based on actual testing too. Otherwise this is my opinion (without actually testing)

slimy doom is too low dps to be worthwhile, 6d6 every 6 seconds means you are likely to see it go off once, maybe twice, for around 80 damage a tick (quick math, no max, no emp, endgame acid spell power 200-300). In ~12 seconds the mob will likely be dead killed by something/somebody else, or if you solo it will have likely caused you enough damage to cost you more sp healing than you would ever save using this spell.

Since I haven't seen anyone ever get that nature warden enhancement I suppose it only procs on first tick from a spell, and even then I think it wasn't always triggering.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Well, I experimented with Contagion on a Cleric way back when Con damage could kill things... and back when this spell did not cause agro.

Yes, things died. Took a long time between tics. Too long to ever use in a group IMO.


Now... Con damage no longer kills.

so.. in DDO no one will ever die from disease or poison!
Sad.....

[EnjoyTheJourney]

Thank you for the replies.

I'll try to find a way to avoid both of them. Nature's Warden seems particularly unattractive if it's just the first tick of damage and it doesn't even work reliably.

The main attraction of using Contagion: Slimy Doom would be to have an acid damage, fort save spell that is SP efficient, for those occasions when other elemental damage wouldn't be useful. Also, I could potentially cast it, then wander off and let whatever was hit die on its own, then return afterward to look for a collectable. It also has some potential as extra damage that has a low cast time for damage done, when fighting bosses. Still, it's a niche spell and a successful save means nothing happens, and so I'll look for another alternative, instead.

[butlerfamilywa]

Natures Warden does in fact tick every time your damage spell ticks.

Look at it this way.......

ANY time your spell does direct damage, lets say searing light for example (I know its not a druid spell). It would only add extra damage once, as the spell only damages once.

Any spell you have that is a D. O. T. (Damage Over Time), that do damage more than once, would add the extra damage EVERYTIME that the DOT does damage. It is a nice boost to your dps, but it isn't huge.

My opinion, Great for leveling, probably not so good for end-game.

(I've only gotten to level 12 on my druid so far)

[Manatha]

Natures Warden does in fact tick every time your damage spell ticks.

Look at it this way.......

ANY time your spell does direct damage, lets say searing light for example (I know its not a druid spell). It would only add extra damage once, as the spell only damages once.

Any spell you have that is a D. O. T. (Damage Over Time), that do damage more than once, would add the extra damage EVERYTIME that the DOT does damage. It is a nice boost to your dps, but it isn't huge.

My opinion, Great for leveling, probably not so good for end-game.

(I've only gotten to level 12 on my druid so far)

Believe warden was required for one of the Pre but not 100% certain, so I think it was worth getting.

Firewall definitly adds the extra damage, so it's going to proc on everything. Unless you have something better to spend it on as a caster druid, I'd suggest getting it (maybe even as a melee druid, though I didnt get it on my druid15/rogue2 and probably never will for that character as I have points into my two rogue levels for traps/eva bonuses).