Spark

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Tasonir wrote:

Now that spark has 4 projectiles by default, wouldn't hooking it up with multiple projectiles (level 1) actually decrease your damage? 25% more projectiles, -30% damage. Obviously at higher levels it would be positive again, I am just wondering if there is going to be some change to make spark less affected by the damage penalty similar to how it is less affected by added damage, or if it's just not intended that players will use spark + multiple projectile?


Or does spark + MP scale really well at high levels of spark? I have not yet tested that personally, just theorycrafting.

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Strill wrote:

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Tasonir wrote:

Now that spark has 4 projectiles by default, wouldn't hooking it up with multiple projectiles (level 1) actually decrease your damage? 25% more projectiles, -30% damage. Obviously at higher levels it would be positive again, I am just wondering if there is going to be some change to make spark less affected by the damage penalty similar to how it is less affected by added damage, or if it's just not intended that players will use spark + multiple projectile?


Or does spark + MP scale really well at high levels of spark? I have not yet tested that personally, just theorycrafting.

Level 16 Multiple Projectiles is +4 projectiles, so it's twice as many projectiles and -30% damage, for a 40% increase overall. However, the fact that you're hitting more often means you get more benefit from Shocked.

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MDragoon wrote:

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Strill wrote:

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Tasonir wrote:

Now that spark has 4 projectiles by default, wouldn't hooking it up with multiple projectiles (level 1) actually decrease your damage? 25% more projectiles, -30% damage. Obviously at higher levels it would be positive again, I am just wondering if there is going to be some change to make spark less affected by the damage penalty similar to how it is less affected by added damage, or if it's just not intended that players will use spark + multiple projectile?


Or does spark + MP scale really well at high levels of spark? I have not yet tested that personally, just theorycrafting.

Level 16 Multiple Projectiles is +4 projectiles, so it's twice as many projectiles and -30% damage, for a 40% increase overall. However, the fact that you're hitting more often means you get more benefit from Shocked.

Running the numbers you get a 5% increase at the second spark, which is nice, and then a 22.5% increase at the third.

Projectile speed + Multi + Pierce + Faster casts + chaos might be the way to go, or drop faster casts for cold damage. depends on what your build will attempt to accomplish.

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How did you just "run the numbers"? You need to know the crit chance and shocked chance to be able to figure that out.

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UristMcDwarfy wrote:

I've just recently attained chaos with my frenzied projectile spell ranger (video here). I attempt to use Ice Spear, Fireball, and Spark, all depending on what the situation is. I've been slowly discovering that Spark with the Pierce support gem usually performs as well as, if not better than, Fireball and Ice Spear with the low-mana supports I have for them. This seems to hold up even when using it on rares in the open field, which makes no sense to me, as Spark clearly isn't designed for this.

I know there are a lot of factors here, including my cast speed bonus from frenzy charges that lets me cast spark more than twice a second. This will result in crits more quickly, which build shocked stacks quickly for more overall damage. But this is one of the main features of spark, and has been for as long as I have used it.

But this doesn't account for why Spark seems to have better damage output against lightning resistant rares that I can rarely even cause a shocked effect on. Usually, I would try to use Ice Spear + Increased Critical Damage at range. It does a pretty good job at keeping most rares frozen and often kills normal mobs in chaos with one or two hits. But often this combo can't outpace spark's damage even without terrain to bounce my sparks for rebound damage.


This leads me to the conclusion that the combination of 4 projectiles, high crit rate, faster base cast speed than other spells, and cheap mana cost make the new spark too powerful in comparison to the other projectile spells.

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Strill wrote:

Why is mana cost even a consideration for you? Aren't your flasks enough?

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Brixtan wrote:

This is more of a minor gripe with the skill, but would it be possible to change the impact on rocks and treasure chests so the sparks go OVER them instead of bouncing off them and shooting backwards away from you?

The reason I ask is because there are many times when mobs are coming at you from the opposite side of the screen (duh) and you are positioned between them and a boulder or chest. Firing off spark doesn't yield any hits because they all bounce off those objects, meanwhile the mob is pounding on you and you're dying, not them - not fun.

I understand the rational behind having spark bounce off certain objects, but you'd think that a witch would be able to cast a spell over a 1-foot tall chest/boulder.