Damage Spell Point Efficiency Analysis

The following table compares the efficiency of major damage spells in terms of Spell Point (Mana) usage in DDO.

Use of colors:

• figures in red is the highest damage of some spells for a Soc 16 with different feats
• figures in blue is Spell Point usage with different enhancements
• figures in yellow is the efficiency rate, defined as damage/sp, the higher the better

About this analysis

• This analysis is inspired by:
  • Spell Point / Damage Ratio Guide - ForwardWu
  • the Enhancement Question for Mathematically Gifted
• Objective
  • This analysis tries to get figures that are comparable among different spells.
  • This analysis also tries to get figures for comparing different level of spell efficiency enhancement for each spell
• Assumptions, Limitations and Interpretations
  • This table assumes casting each spell once without getting any critical.
  • The figures for Firewall and Acid fog assumes one and only one mob is getting hit for the maximium period of time.
  • Quickening, Heightening and spell DC is not considered. It assumes any damage spell land perfectly.
• Comments
  • "The big problem, however, is that most of the information is wrong. It is not possible to run a useful mana efficiency analysis without considering critical rate and critical damage." ~tinyelvis
    elvis' comment is valid. e.g. Casters normally have high fire/cold crit chance and multipler that make fire/cold spells deal more damage and thus more efficient than non-fire/cold spells. The above table failed address this issue.
• Other Remarks: The analysis is about mana efficiency. However, mana efficiency is not necessarily a concern in real game playing.
  • SP should not be an issue to any experienced Sorcerer. By knowing your quest (incl. rest shrine, length, map etc), cast right spells(i.e. know which spell is the best for which enemy, choose among instant kill, crowd control, damage or DD/Teleport) in right timing (e.g. let the melees take the kill count, do CC rather than Damage), applying tactic skills (e.g. pull and burn, combo like SF+FW, find a safe spot), using other resources(e.g. scrolls, traps), using branded/modern gears (skiver? glacier? dt? :-)) etc, you shouldn't need to bring any mana potion for most quests.
  • Some spells has DC, some mobs have energy resistance or immunity. These kind of factors affect the efficiency as well. e.g. against a mob with very high fire resistance, it's better to shoot one maximized+empowered fire spell then 2 maximized spells even if the latter is shown as more efficient in the table. Disintegrate is another good example. It has high efficiency rate on the table but not in real life because of the DC.
  • another factor is duration and number of mobs you are going to hit. The table refers to hiting a single target only, so for area effect spells, such as Clone of Cold, the efficiency factor significantly under-stated its value when it can deal damage to multiple mobs, however, fireball/coc may not hit high reflect save evasion monks.
  • However, mana efficiency is an issue for soloists. (such as ForwardWu who write the Spell Point / Damage Ratio Guide )
• Remarks:
  • Not all damage spells are included, e.g. Acid Fog, Force Missiles etc.