Clarity

Clarity might even have been buffed overall in 1.2. For a given skill level, it reserves more mana but also generates more mana per second. The net effect is probably that many builds will simply use Clarity at a slightly lower level, meaning they get as much mana regen as before but need less intelligence to run it, whereas big mana builds will keep running it at a high level and obtain even more insane levels of mana regen than they did before.

I agree, definitely a buff for mages. It is less likely that you will use it if you don't have high amounts of base mana pool from int. But, those people probably will and have been using blood magic.

Eldritch battery IMO is no longer as much of an attractive skill unless you want to run multiple auras in exchange for a loss in survivability (due to lack of ES). (Then again I never liked Eldritch battery)

Overall, I think the design is good.

I found that if I combined clarity and vitality I end up with no mana.
I want clarity o be % of mana pool.

I agree. Flat 40%.

It's a huge pain at lower levels being unable to level up the dang thing.

I mean, if you guys want Int and Mana% to actually matter, instead of them being nothing more than prerequisites to equip the Clarity aura.... maybe.... you should make Mana stronger instead.

Note how Life Regeneration nodes let you recover your entire life bulb in 10 seconds. To accomplish the same with Mana Regeneration rate alone, you'll need 470% increased mana regeneration rate. Not happening. 200% + Clarity = Happening.

Dynamo and Mental Fortitude are a few factors more powerful than any 8% mana node. We already know how much mana% is worth a skill point in the current system - it's around 25 to 30%. Numbers can be juggled around to make those numbers smaller - a faster base mana regen rate, nerfed Mana Regeneration nodes, and Mana% could be a stronger stat actually worth taking for anything more than Leech Rate.

Let's evaluate the current Deep Thoughts cluster

Deep Thoughts - 20% mana, 20% regen, worth around 2 skill points
Mana Node - 8% mana, worth around .4 skill points

Net value per point, 2.4 / 2 = 1.2. 0.93 if you take all three. Still a newb trap, though better than how it used to be. Where it was worth like 0.5 skill points per node.

I'd like to see a logarithmic curve for Clarity levels.

Huge mana regen gains in the lower levels, then smaller ones closer to Lvl20.

Like 18.8 regen/sec on Lvl 10 (not 15), but still 24.7 on Lvl 20.

Currently the aura is unpayable at higher levels for a non-EB build, and without crazy %regen on gear, you get nothing from it on lower levels.

i do notice that oddity around lv 7 to 12 in actual play of clarity. for most characters that i actually had used it, it was fine as i wasn't terribly mana hungry until merc. but for a character that really did need the mana and built around it (+300% ish m-regen), it was barely a change on the mid levels of clarity as boosting maximum mana gave better results (via gear messing around).

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LimitedRooster wrote:

I agree. Flat 40%.

It's a huge pain at lower levels being unable to level up the dang thing.

I mean, if you guys want Int and Mana% to actually matter, instead of them being nothing more than prerequisites to equip the Clarity aura.... maybe.... you should make Mana stronger instead.

Note how Life Regeneration nodes let you recover your entire life bulb in 10 seconds. To accomplish the same with Mana Regeneration rate alone, you'll need 470% increased mana regeneration rate. Not happening. 200% + Clarity = Happening.

Dynamo and Mental Fortitude are a few factors more powerful than any 8% mana node. We already know how much mana% is worth a skill point in the current system - it's around 25 to 30%. Numbers can be juggled around to make those numbers smaller - a faster base mana regen rate, nerfed Mana Regeneration nodes, and Mana% could be a stronger stat actually worth taking for anything more than Leech Rate.

Let's evaluate the current Deep Thoughts cluster

Deep Thoughts - 20% mana, 20% regen, worth around 2 skill points
Mana Node - 8% mana, worth around .4 skill points

Net value per point, 2.4 / 2 = 1.2. 0.93 if you take all three. Still a newb trap, though better than how it used to be. Where it was worth like 0.5 skill points per node.

That guts aura usage for builds that are trying to shore up their mana usage.

Sure there aren't any good "caster" auras other than clarity. But clarity is flat specifically so that it can stay relevant. Conversion to % significantly cuts it's actual usefulness. It means that the more mana you get the less efficient clarity becomes

As a side note: Note that 8% mana is also 8% more (numeric) mana regen. Or 8% increased. Depends on how you want to phrase it.

Mana regeneration = (0.0175) * Max Mana * (1 + Regeneration Bonus) per second

Which breaks down to

(0.0175) * (Flat mana) * (1 + Mana Bonus) * (1 + Regen Bonus) * (1 + More Regen Bonus)

Which means for all purposes which matter (raw numeric regen) 8% max mana is 8% increased regen rate. The fact that the mana system itself is completely broken is the problem. Not the nodes specifically. PoE's combat system is essentially binary either you can maintain your primary spell indefinitely or you're in the process of getting to that point.

If there was any kind of "rotation" possibility (ie spells with cooldowns vs spells without real cost) then mana nodes would be fine, with little need for buffing.

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Autocthon wrote:

As a side note: Note that 8% mana is also 8% more (numeric) mana regen. Or 8% increased. Depends on how you want to phrase it.

1.4 to 2 mana per second per node if you have +mana on every gearslot or surrender your energy shield. About 0.7 or 0.9 if you don't. Base Mana, Clarity, and a 40% increased regen node grants 12.4 mana a second.

Mana% - meaningful for Mana Shield and spam uptime; completely, totally, utterly insignificant when it comes to regeneration.

My stance has been and always will be "remove Clarity or nerf it into the ground, and make it possible to use our characters without it." Easing the lock on the so-called "chastity belt of fun" so to speak with a doubled base mana regeneration rate.

* Base mana regeneration set to require 30 seconds [1]
* Mana regeneration nodes would have to be nearly halved. 10 to 20 mana regeneration instead of 20 to 40.
* Basic mana stat should be 12% at the very least - mana will never be as strong as life.
* Skills would probably need yet another cost pass downward.


[1] I'd like to think that Diablo 2 definitively proved that requiring mana potions is rather terrible design. It was really bad in the first days, before they added them to venders. Playing a Sorceress was torture, then.

An interesting thing to note is you can crank up the regen speed to 10 to 14 seconds and that can change the mana system completely. Instead of using the terrible awkward recharge timers, that skills such as Meteor now suffer to throttle their majesty, you can instead use the mana system itself to limit their spam; dividing skills into spammable and "super skill" territory, and increasing the number of relevant attack skills you invest in from a max of 2 to 4. Mana as a stat feels a thousand times more awesome when gathering it means the difference between summoning 7 hydras at a time versus 4, for example. [2]

[2] Yes, I know this experiment in modding Diablo 2 is a lot like how the Wizard works in Diablo 3. I definitely don't consider the humble Fireball a limit break worthy skill, however..

Did some calc's, strange thing: at level 13 reserve/regen is way higher than expected. I know it's not much but for the perfectionism.

Level-Reserv-Regen-Mana reserved per point of regen
1 64 2,9 22,06896552
2 88 4 22
3 112 5,2 21,53846154
4 136 6,3 21,58730159
5 160 7,4 21,62162162
6 184 8,5 21,64705882
7 208 9,6 21,66666667
8 232 10,8 21,48148148
9 256 11,9 21,51260504
10 280 13,1 21,3740458
11 304 14,2 21,4084507
12 328 15,3 21,4379085
13 352 16 22
14 376 17,6 21,36363636
15 400 18,8 21,27659574
16 424 20 21,2
17 448 21,1 21,23222749
18 472 22,3 21,16591928
19 496 23,5 21,10638298
20 520 24,7 21,05263158



And overall - the line looks somehow unpolished.