Reading a bit about my favourite game, stumbled over Ice Grinder, wizard spell 104. Is it a big nuke with 1.5 cast and 1.5 cooldown, no strings attached, so that it can be cast almost continously?
Its a root spell with a nuke component added onto it. Personally I haven't used it yet. Essentially it is the same as Ice Slab with a nuke added to it also. Ice Slab Rk. IIIClasses: WIZ/99 Skill: Alteration Mana: 240 Target: Single Range: 200' Resist: Cold -70 Reflectable: Yes Focusable: Yes Casting: 1.5s, Recast: 1.5s, Rest: 1.5s Duration: 3m (30 ticks), Dispelable: Yes 2: Root Ice Grinder Rk. IIIClasses: WIZ/104 Skill: Alteration Mana: 1642 Target: Single Range: 200' Resist: Cold -70 Reflectable: Yes Trigger Spell DS: Yes Focusable: Yes Casting: 1.5s, Recast: 1.5s, Rest: 1.5s Duration: 3m (30 ticks), Dispelable: Yes 1: Decrease Current HP by 33054 2: Root From my experience the DD wasn't focused when cast. It may be different now, since I only played with it on Beta. I still use Ice Slab (in kiting/soloing/moloing), same spell minus the 33k DD for 1402 mana less. In the group game its worthless almost to use this spell for DPS. Claw spells are almost the same mana and more beneficial.
While I have not confirmed it for myself, another wizard was telling me that if the root component resists, the DD component will as well and that it resisted too often. Rank 2 has a -65 resist check (cold) but the wizard I spoke with said it had too many resists for his taste. He was not grouped with a class that could debuff cold.
It's a decent root spell and I haven't noticed a problem with resists but it is definitely not going to help your dps if that's what you're thinking. It crits, which is nice, but without being focused by anything it's not that great. Mine doing way less damage than claw or even nerandi's which both have the same cast time.
It doesn't focus, but it does crit. Also, since it's a root spell, it doesn't activate any of your weapon dd procs. And in a group, I guess it depends on what you're doing, sure, but root kiting? Why would you use Ice Slab over this? 33k DD for 1402 mana difference is pretty efficient, and it has the same resist check. I agree that Claws are more beneficial, but if you're already rooting, why not add in the extra damage? It's a situational spell that fits its particular niche pretty well.
Because the refresh on our AA ice root is long, I occasionally load a spell root to fill the gap. As a root, grinder is as good as any other spell root. The real reason Ice Grinder is good because it can be used to kill a mob in a tight spot in a dungeon when you have zero room to operate otherwise. As I've soloed my way through a lot of partisans in droga, chardok and lab I've come to appreciate the spell. The DPS is painful... for some mobs it can take a hundred chain casts to kill something. But if you're patient, you can kill almost anything in a tight dungeon environment with it. Often if I have a little room, I will just use grinder during the time AA root is refreshing. Then once AA root is available I'll use the big nukes and aa root without having to await the dreaded GCD. I only have rk2 of it atm. So I guess it'll get a lil better on the dps front. Other than that, you can pop crit discs to improve it's dps. I would like the DPS on such a spell improved, twincastable, proc generating or focused somehow. If the dps was better it'd be a real asset I think. But I'd also like AA root refresh time reduced next expansion.
