Wards and the time limit.

[Sarkoris]

<DIV>Just curious about the time restriction on our wards. 1st let me preface this question with my background. My main is a 59 Necromancer but I have a Level 31 Iksar alt. In the early days the Necromancer class has a ward line that lasted 15 minutes or until damage exceeded. They then changed it to semi-permanent (12 hour) with the same damage exceeded removes criteria. That sepll line was eventually changed entirely to be a Pet defensive stance.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>All this leads to my question. Why do our wards have a short expiry timer. Why can't they just be used as a standard damage deterrant without the limitation. I find the limitation does one of a few things. I line up a mob, cast my ward and the mob takes 15 seconds to path to me, so 15 seconds later the ward expires without warding anywhere near the damage it can. Or I don;t cast until the mob arrives, having pulled with another spell such as a debuff. I then have to cope with interrupts, as well as the fact that I am wasting time warding myself when I could be doing damage to the mob.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Would it be so unbalancing if we could ward in advance of battle, then only have it expire as the damage is exceeded. If the mob isn't damaging us much and the ward isn't expiring then we didn't really need the ward up anyway. If we are getting hit hard we will be spamming our ward anyway, hence we will not be doing anything different. The only change that will occur is that the ward will always get the chance to absorb its full listed damage and not some percentage based on a hardcoded time limit.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am not sure if this has been covered before, my search didn't find anyway. The old Necromancer ward proves the system can cope with extended duration wards that persist across zones. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Any input or possible exploit I am missing appreciated.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Sark on behalf of Krarn the Level  31 Iksar Defiler.</DIV><p>Message Edited by Sarkoris on <span class=date_text>12-28-2005</span> <span class=time_text>10:38 AM</span>

[Ishnar]

<DIV>unused ward converts to health so it is most efficient to cast after the target takes some damage.  Debuff or dot at the beginning, esp for pulling.  Take some damage, then cast ward.  Especially in groups, casting ward on the tank before the battle can have the mobs ignoring the tank and zeroing in on you, for a really short battle.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'd say they have a short timer because shaman wards convert to health. A ward that converts to health 15 minutes later won't be very useful since you would have healed to max way before.   As a shamman class, our wards are our most mana efficient heals so I would prefer they not be changed to long duration forcing us to use our mana inefficient heals.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>We do have a long expriation ward, but it doesn't ward for a lot.  Then again, it doesn't convert to health either.</DIV>

[Sarkoris]

<P>Thanks for that - and yes I have forgottena bout the conversion of the unused portion of the ward into a heal. Just at my level its annoying to often have the ward only absorb 1/2 its potential before expiring. I will try casting after I am damaged more often (yes I mainly solo) and see how my focus holds up (yes it is maxxed for my level).</P> <P>Sark.</P>

[SunT]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Ishnar wrote:<BR> <DIV>unused ward converts to health so it is most efficient to cast after the target takes some damage.  Debuff or dot at the beginning, esp for pulling.  Take some damage, then cast ward.  Especially in groups, casting ward on the tank before the battle can have the mobs ignoring the tank and zeroing in on you, for a really short battle.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'd say they have a short timer because shaman wards convert to health. A ward that converts to health 15 minutes later won't be very useful since you would have healed to max way before.   As a shamman class, our wards are our most mana efficient heals so I would prefer they not be changed to long duration forcing us to use our mana inefficient heals.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>We do have a long expriation ward, but it doesn't ward for a lot.  Then again, it doesn't convert to health either.</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Do the group wards convert as well?  I thought it was only single target that did.

[devir]

just read your spell description, grp ward does not. <div></div>

[Sarkoris]

<P>The more I think about it the more it bugs me. Now I know this won't apply to end game raiding, but if it is only the unused portion of a ward that is converted to a heal at the end of its duration, would not a ward that stayed in place until it took its full damage amount to the same thing.</P> <P>For example:</P> <P>Timed ward:</P> <P>Defiler wards MT for 800 hp damage at beginnning of fight. MT takes 700 hp damage, ward timer expires and MT is healed for 0 as he has not yet taken damage.</P> <P>Untimed ward:</P> <P>Defiler wards MT for 800 hp damage at beginning of fight. MT takes 700 hp damage, fight ends. MT still has 100 hp of warding in place.</P> <P>Its a simplistic view I am sure. The bad points would be if the 100 hp of warding that was still in place on the MT could not be overriden by a new ward between fights. In the above example both fights ended with the MT not needing healing, but in the untimed ward example he still had a partial ward in place.</P> <P>As I said, I understand this to be simplistic but I can't fault the logic from a newbie asoloist point of view. The other added bonus of the untimed ward is that you can have it up when running through a dangerous area, safe in the knowledge that if you are attacked you don't have to stop to drop a ward, its already in place. This form would more than likely require a concentration slot though.</P> <P>Sark on behalf of Krarn the clueless re ward usage.</P>

[devir]

if you are lookin at it from a raid perspective, your ward will never outlast the timer, raid mobs hit for too much, too quick. also, most the time, you dont pre-ward, especially fighting mobs that resist taunt, like orange mobs.  many times at the beginning of this xpac i died from preward, and simply hard do it anymore. <div></div>

[SunT]

<P>Untimed ward sounds good in theory but I think you would be disappointed.</P> <P>EQ1 Chanters got a few wards that were untimed, I think they were called runes.  They worked great but the problem was you never knew how much was left on them.   You see the icon but it may only have 1 pt of absorbtion left on it.  I would be counting on the ward for a charm break or something and would find my self doing a CR instead.  I ended up always recasting it anyway.  Just to be sure I had full effect.</P>