Hey there, happy to share some thoughts:
Ref running out of SP fast:
- which level are you at?
- I'm only asking because at endgame, I personally don't struggle with spell point management, despite using quicken, heighten and embolden with all my spells
- Primal Avatar's Evergreen [T3] (requires using the PA Mantle) basically grants temporary SPs a lot of the time: it's super good, but only at epic levels ofc
- a general strategy ref metamagics:
- I don't tend to simply toggle them on and leave them on all the time
- I right click the mouse on each individual spell and select 'Always on' for the specific metamagics I want it to use
- for some spells, I also tend to drag 2 copies of the same spell to my quickbar:
- one without any metas toggled (for when your mana is low)
- the other with the key metas I normally want on
- for some spells (e.g. DoTs) even a third copy with full on all metas, for boss fights
- depending on mana levels, I decide which of these to use
- my strategy in heroics is mostly:
- use quicken only on key offensive spells at first
- despite my build picking the feat at level 1, I don't use it on all my spells from level 1
- my build acquires heighten at level 9, which is when you start casting level 5 spells
- I tend to enhance key CC/insta-kill spells mostly:
- e.g. lvl 1 Entangle, level 2 Web, level 3 Salt ray, etc.
- Finally, I suppose personal playstyle would affect mana management to a great extent
- being a hybrid, this build can be a bit click heavy, but it's also about knowing what to click
- if you play it mostly/exclusively like a caster for the majority of the time, then you might want to consider a different build
- if you only play melee (which doesn't seem to be the case, as you wouldn't run our of mana), I'd recommend the same: a different spec/build
- this build works best if you
- keep using the active attacks (e.g. Go for the Kill, Jaws of Doom, Blighted Charge, Throat Rip, Baiting Bite, Coordinated Strike etc), and in between, aim for the following:
- use Wildhunt Howl as you close in (big de-buff to saves = big boost to your DCs)
- throw CC (mostly if no other CC in group)
- chuck the AoE insta-kills
- while they are on cooldown, and for the mobs that don't die
- throw passively recurring dmg spells (e.g. Energy vortex, Shard Storm, Storm of Vengeance, acid rain, cloud kill, Black Dragon bolt): not all of them in one go, cause then you'd definitely drain your mana too quick!
- depends of the difficulty, number of mobs, how long things are generally taking to die
- throw single-target insta-kills while not on cooldown
Your dmg is like passively recurring spell dmg + your melee attacks
And in between, you chuck insta-kills here and there
Some of the passive recurring spells can be thrown as you walk towards combat: Shard Storm and Energy Vortex are 2 quick clicks once I spot a group of mobs, and Blighted Charge will get you there super fast (and blind mobs for you making them helpless too lol)
Don't underestimate Howl of Terror: it's super good.
Sorry for lengthy reply, hope this was somewhat helpful!
