Tamriel Foundry

Any other spell that requires magicka, not off itself.

Thank you i thought so... damn.

Crumb. I might have to tweak a DPS build over that revelation.

There's kind of a Catch 22 with proccing Crystal Frag with itself.  You need it to proc to cast it to proc itself, or you end up channeling it over, and over to get 1 instant proc.  Even if it did, it'd be more time efficient to use instants to proc it to an instant.

Psiberzerker wrote on March 13, 2014

There’s kind of a Catch 22 with proccing Crystal Frag with itself. You need it to proc to cast it to proc itself, or you end up channeling it over, and over to get 1 instant proc. Even if it did, it’d be more time efficient to use instants to proc it to an instant.

This thing is still one of, if not the hardest hitting spammable spell in the game. Just using it is good. If it procced off of itself you'd be able to machinegun someone to death before they could say "buff stamina builds".

Shinimas wrote on March 13, 2014 This thing is still one of, if not the hardest hitting spammable spell in the game. Just using it is good. If it procced off of itself you’d be able to machinegun someone to death before they could say “buff stamina builds”.

Actually, no.  Mages' Fury is more spammable, does more damage, and even costs less than half as much, if they're below 20%.  Ahah!  That makes it situational, right?  Right, but that illustrates my point, Crystal Frag is situational as well.  Either you channel it, and stop DPSing while you wait for the KD (Your Magicka also isn't recovering while you're casting) or you wait for your pink ball, spamming actually spammable spells to get that proc.  Either way, CF turns out to be hard hitting When It Hits.  That's the situation.  If it were spammable, I'd agree with you, but the caveats actually demote it to an about avererage DPS spell, if you don't count the KD.

That's why I use Vcurse instead, because it takes longer to tick down, but throughout that duration, You Can Continue To DPS.  Which means it's damage is added onto whatever else you're doing.  So does CF, but I can cast VC reliably, every single time it goes off to tell me it's time to cast another.  I have to keep checking for my pink ball to see if it's actually worth casting CF, so I don't even morph it, use it as an opener instead of Snipe, and use something more spammable pretty much for the rest of the fight.  The bulk of the Spell damage is actually VC on single targets, until I can spam Endless Fury.  (On single targets, like a Boss.)  Actually, most of the damage comes from attacks.

But that's me, I basically don't like stopping to cast something, or waiting for it to be castable.  If I want to knock someone down, I want to do it right now.  Otherwise, it ain't exactly hard to deal 30 damage in 1.3 seconds.

wow so magicka doesn`t regen while casting? this makes it even worse... i kind of wanted a class with some kind of nuke you can spam for single target

Regen should affect in combat, why have it otherwise lol. Out of combat resource regeneration seems quite automatic (i.e. your hp flying up back to full after u exit combat lol). Maybe he meant your bar will never recover in combat if you keep trying to spam it.

alexeso98721 wrote on March 13, 2014 I kind of wanted a class with some kind of nuke you can spam for single target

Sorcerer has many, including CF, but you can't reliably cast just that with consistent results.

 

Spamming Mage's Fury is a good way to drain your entire magicka pool and not do much damage.  It's only worth casting as a finisher.

I concur that the better option is Velocious Curse, because it's an efficient direct damage alternative.  The main issue is it takes time to hit, and you have to be able to survive long enough for it to hit enough, and for your other methods of damage to outpace enemy burst DPS.

Crystal Fragments?  Best nuke in the game.  You just need to find more creative ways to cast it in combat which don't rely on blind luck.

Well in PvE you can just morph it for AOE i guess and spam it as much as you can...

In PvP i guess that is its weakness... it can be interrupted. Just wish they would allow it to self proc i mean its stupid not to its cast time is already its weakness.

taurran wrote on March 13, 2014 Spamming Mage’s Fury is a good way to drain your entire magicka pool and not do much damage. It’s only worth casting as a finisher.

I know, which is why I said as much.

I concur that the better option is Velocious Curse, because it’s an efficient direct damage alternative. The main issue is it takes time to hit, and you have to be able to survive long enough for it to hit enough, and for your other methods of damage to outpace enemy burst DPS.

3.5 seconds is not that long, especially compared to most of the decent DoTs in the game.  Again, my point was it's not just it's nominal damage, but all the damage you can deal in that 3.5s while it ticks down.  Basically, there is no 1 cast for a Sorcerer, that's not how the actives are set up.  However, starting with CS/DC, then sustaining on Poison Arrow/Tapattacks/Curse, and then finishing with Fury Spam melts Bosses.  That's how I DPS with a Sorcerer.  The easy answer is spam Crystal Frag, but it's just not that easy, is it?

Spamming anything isn't a good strategy as a Sorc.   That's why I'm playing one.  I feel like there's so much flexibility and strategy with builds and play styles, I love the class.

As far as CF - I'm certainly not going to be spamming it, but I will be casting it at every available opportunity.  As I said earlier, the trick is to make opportunities for it.

Psiberzerker wrote on March 13, 2014

Shinimas said on March 13, 2014 :

This thing is still one of, if not the hardest hitting spammable spell in the game. Just using it is good. If it procced off of itself you’d be able to machinegun someone to death before they could say “buff stamina builds”.

Actually, no. Mages’ Fury is more spammable, does more damage, and even costs less than half as much, if they’re below 20%. Ahah! That makes it situational, right? Right, but that illustrates my point, Crystal Frag is situational as well. Either you channel it, and stop DPSing while you wait for the KD (Your Magicka also isn’t recovering while you’re casting) or you wait for your pink ball, spamming actually spammable spells to get that proc. Either way, CF turns out to be hard hitting When It Hits. That’s the situation. If it were spammable, I’d agree with you, but the caveats actually demote it to an about avererage DPS spell, if you don’t count the KD.

That’s why I use Vcurse instead, because it takes longer to tick down, but throughout that duration, You Can Continue To DPS. Which means it’s damage is added onto whatever else you’re doing. So does CF, but I can cast VC reliably, every single time it goes off to tell me it’s time to cast another. I have to keep checking for my pink ball to see if it’s actually worth casting CF, so I don’t even morph it, use it as an opener instead of Snipe, and use something more spammable pretty much for the rest of the fight. The bulk of the Spell damage is actually VC on single targets, until I can spam Endless Fury. (On single targets, like a Boss.) Actually, most of the damage comes from attacks.

But that’s me, I basically don’t like stopping to cast something, or waiting for it to be castable. If I want to knock someone down, I want to do it right now. Otherwise, it ain’t exactly hard to deal 30 damage in 1.3 seconds.

Magicka doesn't regenerate while casting? Are you sure about that? Looked like it was to me, but I won't argue.

Daedric Curse also has a cast time, even though it's instant, it can an animation, like all skills, which takes time. And what are you going to use while it's ticking? That's right, Crystal Frags. There are very few true spammable single target DPS spells in the game, but Sorc has the best one (Maybe Biting Jabs can compete, I dunno), so why not use it, especially considering the huge mana sustain the Sorc's got?

Shinimas wrote on March 13, 2014 Magicka doesn’t regenerate while casting? Are you sure about that? Looked like it was to me, but I won’t argue.

It didn't for me over a month ago, I'll know again in less than 48 hours.

And what are you going to use while it’s ticking?

Poison Arrow, and tapattacks, didn't you just quote me saying that?  No, I used Crystal Shard as an opener, and to unlock Encase.

 

I wound up using Force Shock fairly regularly to proc Crystal Fragments.