Spell casters need single-target DPS

It seems since the release patch spell based damage has been pretty weak in comparison to physical or even elemental damage through melee and ranged weapons. Perhaps the most annoying thing about spells however, is the lack of a good single target option. With any weapon based ability such as spectral throw, you have access to single target abilities that scale off of potentially ridiculous weapons. Unfortunately spells don't work the same and can't really be manipulated to be powerful single target abilities.

I think a lot of the reason for spells being limited has to do with the way multiple projectiles work in this game. Removing shotgunning from the game would be a great start to smoothing things out. It's silly that the best option to do more damage to one target with a spell is to use LMP or GMP and stand right next to a mob so that all the projectiles of my RANGED attack hit. Make LMP and GMP work like spectral throw where the projectiles don't shotgun and buff all spell damage across the board to compensate. LMP and GMP should give your ability a greater spread for AoE and nothing else. This mechanical change would also make maps less frustrating since a majority of high level deaths is due to one-shots from stacking projectiles.

Other new spell options built around single target wouldn't be a bad thing either. But I think a single-target fireball or ice-spear should be strong damage as well. Maybe new support gems could be designed around this idea, as Melee has gems like multistike, melee phys etc.

Seems counter productive for sure.

Elemental Hit, Freezing Pulse, Incinerate, and Fireball are all excellent single target spells. Elemental hit isn't a spell, but it benefits wonderfully from all elemental damage nodes.

He does have a point: there actually isn't a single "spell" keyword skill which affects only one target. All the following have an AoE, multiple target, and/or piercing component:

• Arc
• Fireball
• Ice Spear
• Freezing Pulse
• Arctic Breath
• Incinerate
• Spark

About the best you can do from a pure mechanics standpoint is Ice Spear's secondary form. If you want single-target effectiveness, though, Fireball + Fire Penetration + Concentrated Effect is pretty darn good.

There is, however, Bear Trap, which is technically classified as a spell and is single-target (though physical damage)

Contrast with attack skills, of which there are a myriad of single-target abilities (all of which can be transformed to AoE with Melee Splash or LMP):

• Heavy Strike
• Dual Strike
• Double Strike
• Infernal Blow
• Frenzy
• Burning Arrow
• Elemental Hit
• Flicker Strike
• Puncture
• Viper Strike
• Glacial Hammer

nvm

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Flickerstreak wrote:

He does have a point: there actually isn't a single "spell" keyword skill which affects only one target. All the following have an AoE, multiple target, and/or piercing component:

• Arc
• Fireball
• Ice Spear
• Freezing Pulse
• Arctic Breath
• Incinerate
• Spark

About the best you can do from a pure mechanics standpoint is Ice Spear's secondary form. If you want single-target effectiveness, though, Fireball + Fire Penetration + Concentrated Effect is pretty darn good.

There is, however, Bear Trap, which is technically classified as a spell and is single-target (though physical damage)

Contrast with attack skills, of which there are a myriad of single-target abilities (all of which can be transformed to AoE with Melee Splash or LMP):

• Heavy Strike
• Dual Strike
• Double Strike
• Infernal Blow
• Frenzy
• Burning Arrow
• Elemental Hit
• Flicker Strike
• Puncture
• Viper Strike
• Glacial Hammer

very nice, neatly written post but I'd like to address a few things.

Fireball + Conc effect does not increase single target damage, its stated somewhere in the fireball thread. The explosion is separate from the fireball actually hitting a target, try it with pierce and you'll see.

Bear trap is not a spell as it doesn't benefit from spell damage. It's also awkward to use and very underwhelming for any EK character where EK will very quickly begin to out DPS it.

Oh I'm actually wrong it looks like conc effect DOES work on a single target. Still, a conc-effect fireball does not just single-handedly solve spell-caster issues. Plus it's still based off an inherently AoE ability

Before Storm Call was revealed, some of us speculated that it could be a "magic missiles" type of skill that locks on to your target. In fact, barrage seems like the type of skill it would be, having LMP/GMP add to the number of "missiles" for example.

We got Storm Call instead, which is pretty nice, but its not exactly the "heavy strike/power siphon/frenzy" that spell casters were looking for.

I'd actually also like to see shotgunning removed from spells.

As it is, we got pretty lackluster projectile spell damage in order to avoid them being too good when you use multiprojectile gems. So, currently, it's either mp supports or bust.

I mean, just look at the multiprojectile gems: less damage for more coverage, so, you are supposed to tradeoff single-target damage to tackle crowds. But we don't, we get both area and single-target damage with one gem, no tradeoff involved, and that's plain bad design that promotes 'one skill wonder' playing style.

Agree with OP