When is the damage of a projectile spell calculated?

[Deleted]

Hello,

Just a quick question that I was wondering about today: When is the damage of a projectile spell like wrath or Starsurge calculated? When they hit or when they leave the character? What about spells that hit instantly like Starfire. Are they calculated when they hit or when you start casting?

regards,

Dizzy

[Dechno]

When your cast has finished.

[Deleted]

Agreed with Dechno.

I played lock for all MoP so was imperative to know this. It's definitely calculated when cast finishes

[huth]

Initial impact is on spell cast completion, but DoTs and channeled spells are also calculated every time they tick.

Additionally, while you can delay the actual effect of projectile spells by running away, they will take effect after a few seconds after cast even if the projectile never hits you (Some projectiles are so slow that you can outrun them on a flying mount. You'll still take damage even though they do not visibly reach you and do not despawn).

[Erdluf]

I believe new buffs and debuffs on the target can take effect after the spell was cast, but before it hit, and those do modify the damage.

[rijn dael]

I believe new buffs and debuffs on the target can take effect after the spell was cast, but before it hit, and those do modify the damage.

Buffs/debuffs on the player are calculated at casttime. Buffs/debuffs on the target are calculated at impact. Easiest way to demonstrate this used to be curse of elements amplifying a spell you already cast, but the rules haven't changed.

[Deleted]

So when the damage of a dot is calculated when they tick, do dots still snapshot haste? Or how is haste calculated into them?

[Serzha]

If you get a haste proc, any remaining ticks will tick more often, but for the same total duration. So if you have 10 seconds left, with a 0% haste and 4 ticks left (9, 6, 3, 0), then at 9 seconds you get a proc that makes your DoT tick twice as often, you suddenly get a tick at 7.5, 4.5 and 1.5 as well as the previous ticks.

[huth]

So when the damage of a dot is calculated when they tick, do dots still snapshot haste? Or how is haste calculated into them?

Tick timer is recalculated every time it does damage.
I.e. only haste changes that are still active when the DoT ticks again have an impact on it. Since our tick timers are quite short, that's not much of an issue, but Demo-locks will notice.

Total length is fixed, you will always get a tick when the DoT runs out which does damage proportional to how close you were to the next regular tick. (i.e. the closer you are, the more damage it does, capping at 100% when it ends exactly on a regular tick)

[rinleezwins]

Tick timer is recalculated every time it does damage.
I.e. only haste changes that are still active when the DoT ticks again have an impact on it. Since our tick timers are quite short, that's not much of an issue, but Demo-locks will notice.

Total length is fixed, you will always get a tick when the DoT runs out which does damage proportional to how close you were to the next regular tick. (i.e. the closer you are, the more damage it does, capping at 100% when it ends exactly on a regular tick)

Long story short, dot classes are a faceroll compared to what they used to be, You apply the dot and don't worry about it anymore. I am not saying it's a bad design or the previous one was better, I actually love this change, but dot snapshotting was the thing that separated the good players from the bad ones.

[Keiyra]

but dot snapshotting was the thing that separated the good players from the bad ones.

Meh - doubtful - all it did was separate those who couldn't follow an addon and those who could...Snap shotting was not super skillful for the most part

[huth]

Meh - doubtful - all it did was separate those who couldn't follow an addon and those who could...Snap shotting was not super skillful for the most part

And it created huge issues with temporary proc power. Whether you like it, or not, it was a necessary change.

[Pyrodevil]

I've often found ill cast Starsuge and while the missle is in the air cast an instant roots via treant (which will instantly break when the starsurge hits). If the damage is being applied AFTER the cast and after a subsequent spell does that change when it's being calculated ?

[huth]

No. Roots breaking is resolved when a unit takes damage, not when you cast a spell.

[Juvencus]

I've often found ill cast Starsuge and while the missle is in the air cast an instant roots via treant (which will instantly break when the starsurge hits). If the damage is being applied AFTER the cast and after a subsequent spell does that change when it's being calculated ?

Damage calculated =/= Damage applied

Damage calculation is always the same; When the cast ends

Damage application changes depending on Instant/Travel time.