Spell Plague Damage (After Pub 69)

[Luke Carjacker]

First thing I should do is describe how I interpret what triggers secondary spell plague explosions (according to the pub notes). As I understand it, only spells should trigger secondary spell plague damage, and I believe the Devs said no other types of damage.

I've been testing a few things since the publish, and I can say for certain that poison ticks can in fact trigger spell plague secondary explosions still. I also found that a pet cu sidhe can trigger secondary explosions as well. Cu Sidhe do not cast spells, but they do have a bleed attack, so I'm not sure if it was the melee damage or the bleed damage that was causing it, but spell plague damage was triggered in this manner.

So, again maybe I'm misunderstanding how it's supposed to be working, but wasn't the change supposed to be that only spell damage triggers secondary spell plague explosions? Non-spell things that come to mind include damage over time and delayed damage things like poison, bleed, explosion & conflag potions, death strike, and of course the big one that I think was the root of this change, nerve strike damage. Haven't been able to test them all, but I wanted to understand the rule first before doing any more testing.

 

[Winker]

Some speacials set it off too. I noticed Nerve strike sets it off too. Wonder of death strike will set it off?

 

[Viper09]

Hmm, well specials use mana to use. Maybe that's the reasoning behind it? It acts as a spell?

 

[Luke Carjacker]

Yeah, the more I think about it the more I believe this must be a mistake or was simply overlooked in development. I looked up the official final publish notes, which say damage "Now triggers only on spell damage".

Various things require mana, but to me weapon specials like armor ignore and double strike simply to not qualify as spell damage. Same with nerve strike, which is just a weapon special that requires a different underlying skill (bushido instead of tactics). These are special moves that augment weapons; they are not spells.

Now, things like death strike, ki attack and lightning strike are somewhat different, because they are in fact spells (ninjitsu & bushido), but are really augmentations of weapon attacks rather than spells of their own. And it's not fair to count those as spells and leave out things from other professions like consecrate weapon, curse weapon, immolate weapon and enchant. Really, I don't think these are the spells they had in mind when they stated "triggers only on spell damage".

Then, there's the damage over time stuff like poison and bleed. These are clearly not spells (well, I guess poison can originate from a spell or special attack, but it's no different that the poison as if you drank some) but their damage over time ticks currently trigger spell plague effects.

Then, the last thing is actually something I've been wondering about since I first read about the change. What about hit spells on weapons? Now, to me these are actually the closest things to spells among all the stuff mentioned so far, however I really believe that the actual intention of the change is to make it so damage is triggered only by spells that are cast, with casting delay, etc; not other spell-like effects.

I mean, does someone who uses lightning strike with a hit velocity, hit fireball weapon have 3 chances to trigger up to three spell plague explosions with one swing? I really think we need some clarifications from the Devs on what is intended, so we can then test to figure out of it is working as intended.

Right now, I'm gonna say no, spell plague does NOT "trigger only on spell damage" as stated in the publish notes. Lots and lots of things can trigger additional explosions still.

 

[Merion]

Ok, if nerve strike still triggers spell plague, then the whole thing was for naught!

 

[Sevin0oo0]

maybe they could tone some of that crap down for monsters - since They don't follow the same rules we do. It's too much fun getting ganked-spammed by mages, such as the ones in the wisp dungeon.
And if the Caster dies, so should spell effects. They have insta cast, then I have to wait 2mins for it to wear off, Boooring

 

[WarUltima]

Ok, if nerve strike still triggers spell plague, then the whole thing was for naught!

LoL, yes nerve strike indeed triggers off spell plague. I've been stating it on TC forum the day the publish was released to TC. But many people who has no clue wtf they are talking about denied, and many of those dudes instantly tried to redirect the whole subject. Well only thing I can say is they did a good job in preventing DEVs to find out the truth.

I dont even know why would they change SP to "trigger on spell only" but still let nerve strike to set it off... isnt it the whole point of why this change is brought up in the first place?

Anyways, let me tell you something since it looks like many has no idea how SP currently works. Here's my findings (btw SP proc rules are very very inconsistant)

Spell Plague will trigger on
Hit Magic Arrow/Harm/Fireball/Lighting
Velocity
Nerve Strike (the nerve direct damage counts as spell)
Death Strike (the direct damage counts as spell)
Bleed ticks
Poison ticks
Fire Fields
Conflagration Potions
Dreadmare Firebreathe
Super Dragon Firebreathe
Bane Dragon poison breathe (seems to work on all "breathe attack")
Rage Attack
Dismount (the "dislodged" direct damage portion sets it off also if you are lucky I've seem a double proc on 1 single dismount shot)

Ok now from the lists as you would assume "direct damage" would set off Spell Plague... but then again NO, Armor Ignore doesnt set off spell plague. It's simply so inconsistent.

Well I guess that qualifies samurais using nerve strike and ninjas using death strike as (spellcasters). So next time when someone tell you to "play a mage" you can tell them, I am already playing one and you just got outplayed pure spellcaster style nub!!! then start nerve striking/death striking his friends.

 

[Picus at the office]

Well I guess that qualifies samurais using nerve strike and ninjas using death strike as (spellcasters). So next time when someone tell you to "play a mage" you can tell them, I am already playing one and you just got outplayed pure spellcaster style nub!!! then start nerve striking/death striking his friends.

That's the only way I play.

 

[longshanks]

LoL, yes nerve strike indeed triggers off spell plague. I've been stating it on TC forum the day the publish was released to TC. But many people who has no clue wtf they are talking about denied, and many of those dudes instantly tried to redirect the whole subject. Well only thing I can say is they did a good job in preventing DEVs to find out the truth.

I dont even know why would they change SP to "trigger on spell only" but still let nerve strike to set it off... isnt it the whole point of why this change is brought up in the first place?

Anyways, let me tell you something since it looks like many has no idea how SP currently works. Here's my findings (btw SP proc rules are very very inconsistant)

Spell Plague will trigger on
Hit Magic Arrow/Harm/Fireball/Lighting
Velocity
Nerve Strike (the nerve direct damage counts as spell)
Death Strike (the direct damage counts as spell)
Bleed ticks
Poison ticks
Fire Fields
Conflagration Potions
Dreadmare Firebreathe
Super Dragon Firebreathe
Bane Dragon poison breathe (seems to work on all "breathe attack")
Rage Attack
Dismount (the "dislodged" direct damage portion sets it off also if you are lucky I've seem a double proc on 1 single dismount shot)

Ok now from the lists as you would assume "direct damage" would set off Spell Plague... but then again NO, Armor Ignore doesnt set off spell plague. It's simply so inconsistent.

Well I guess that qualifies samurais using nerve strike and ninjas using death strike as (spellcasters). So next time when someone tell you to "play a mage" you can tell them, I am already playing one and you just got outplayed pure spellcaster style nub!!! then start nerve striking/death striking his friends.

well done sir.

 

[Mervyn]

Spell plague only being triggered by spells was the main selling point of this patch,

Now on release we discover that it doesn't work so you can do 50 damage deathstrikes that do physical damage that doesn't get reflected with rpd and spell plague.

PATCH FAIL

 

[Sunchicken]

Spell plague only being triggered by spells was the main selling point of this patch,

Now on release we discover that it doesn't work so you can do 50 damage deathstrikes that do physical damage that doesn't get reflected with rpd and spell plague.

PATCH FAIL

I dont think this was a patch fail. I havent really played since the patch, but if it fixes magic arrow neither bolt spam i consider it a positive patch. I relize nervestrike mystic dexxers still have the big stick so to speak, but it at least puts these mages that think they are hard **** cuz they can spam two first level spells in their places.

Because eveyone should know dexxer pvp is just a fast rolling crap game.

 

[spoonyd]

I dont think this was a patch fail. I havent really played since the patch, but if it fixes magic arrow neither bolt spam i consider it a positive patch. I relize nervestrike mystic dexxers still have the big stick so to speak, but it at least puts these mages that think they are hard **** cuz they can spam two first level spells in their places.

Because eveyone should know dexxer pvp is just a fast rolling crap game.

Glad to see someone that posts here knows what they're talking about. MA NB spam ruined mage pvp. At the same time I'm glad to see plague wasn't nerfed to the point of being useless. It's still VERY much toned down esp against 120 resist.

 

[Elden of Baja]

Glad to see someone that posts here knows what they're talking about. MA NB spam ruined mage pvp. At the same time I'm glad to see plague wasn't nerfed to the point of being useless. It's still VERY much toned down esp against 120 resist.

Right, now I just use magic arrow Fireball, plus the hit fireball off my boomerang. Much less dangerous.

Definitely a fail in terms of Nerve Strike being able to set off Spell Plague.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

Nerf Mysticism as much as you like, I soulstoned it after the latest Publish.

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

I did not even bother to read this whole thread, so if I am repeating something that has been said then sorry.

Where did they say only "spells" would cause it? I read that only magic damage would, in which case A lot of different things use magic as the damage type. Basically anything not a melee weapon. So the spell procs from melee hits, a good portion of the special attacks that do not use physical damage (Such as nerve strike), and poison, since that is a magic damage type.

 

[Mervyn]

Devs, is this fix going to be fixed?

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

Devs, is this fix going to be fixed?

Are you asking them to make so only Actual casted spell damage sets of spell plague? Just wondering, wouldn't affect me any...don't use my mystic in pvp currently, and even if I do it is a Necro/mystic so Won't exactly affect me.

 

[Mervyn]

Won't affect you? I'll remember that if i ever see you get deathstriked for 50 damage plus spell plagued.

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

Won't affect you? I'll remember that if i ever see you get deathstriked for 50 damage plus spell plagued.

Well for one I said if you mean for it to be only casted spells damage to make it go off it would not affect me since My mystic uses only spells. I did not say the current way doesn't affect me.

I asked you a question and then stated if that was the case it wouldn't affect me any, and I only said that so you didn't think I was crying about your suggestion.