QUICKEN - Why?

Kheledon

Kheledon

Well-known member
Someone please explain to me the value of the Quicken metamagic feat.

Nearly every spellcaster build that I have seen calls for it, and I keep taking it with my Wizards and eventually just turn it off because it's a massive spell-point drain. I am not even sure that it works. I generally don't have problems with my spells getting interrupted, but, admittedly, I put a lot of points in concentration. Is Quicken desirable because it allows you to allocate skill points elsewhere and ignore concentration?

If Quicken halved the cool-down time of my spells, it would be awesome, but it doesn't. In fact, I seriously doubt that it does anything more than speed up the animation when I am casting a spell. If I am wrong, here, please educate me. I sense that I am missing something important.
 
Dandonk

Dandonk

Beater of Dead Horses
Quicken is nice for speeding up casting animations, for one thing. Sure, it doesn't let you cast the same spell more often, but you can fit in more spells in a given time, leading to more mayhem... or CC, or whatever.

Also, while concentration has been revamped and is actually pretty decent now, it still doesn't guarantee that you'll get the spell off, especially on higher difficulties.

It does cost some spell points, as you note. This can be a problem in lower levels, for sure, but in epics it quickly becomes a non-issue, even if you turn on every single meta you have.
 
unbongwah

unbongwah

Well-known member
Kheledon said:
I generally don't have problems with my spells getting interrupted
Click to expand...
Then you aren't running hard enough content where Concentration isn't enough to prevent spells from being interrupted. That's not a criticism - play how you want to play - it's just a reflection of game mechanics: what works on lower difficulties won't cut it at higher ones.

Early on, I don't Quicken every spell. I Quicken all my SLAs (since it doesn't increase their SP cost) and my slow-casting spells such as Sleet Storm, Reconstruct, etc. Eventually you should have enough SPs and temp SP generation that you won't notice Quicken's 10-SP "tax" (or lower if you pick up Efficient Quicken) on all your spells; but presumably you're not there yet.
 
Last edited:
L

l_remmie

Well-known member
The cost benefit ratio of quicken is simply to good to pass up for most builds.
It is mostly QoL and some safety tough. If you are light on feats and spellpoints it's perfectly reasonable to ditch it. You can always grab it later or visit Fred.
 
Mokune

Mokune

Well-known member
It is essential on every caster build I do to prevent gouging out my eyes at the slow casting animations. By endgame with improved meta magics the extra SP drain hardly noticed.
 
Dunspartacus

Dunspartacus

Well-known member
Because it lets other casters pretend to be sorcs, and it lets sorcs pretend to be SUPER sorcs.

Joking aside it is actually very beneficial to get spells, especially ones with healing, CC effects, or high damage value out faster. Every frame your character is winding up a spell is a frame closer that doom reaper gets to someone. Also its just makes gameplay a feel a lot more fluid for a lot of people.
 
Lazuli

Lazuli

Well-known member
I can't stand the slow casting of a no-sorc without quicken. Not really. Even the sorc has some annoying spells to cast without quicken.

On high difficulties concentration does nothing, the damage is too great. Quicken is a must there.
 
D

Dom

Well-known member
You can also manually turn off quicken for select spells. In the early levels I often turn quicken off on my buffs (except for SLA buffs) to save those spell points.
 
T

Tanyajanfel

Well-known member
i think everyone else said it better. as they said, quicken does, pretty much, just lessen the casting time. early on, in heroics, this in not as much of an issue, as most of the spells are basically instant anyway. if you are looking to see a difference. put two versions of sleet storm, or meteor storm, ?dancing ball? or a few other longer spells, quicken one, and not the other, and watch the casting speed. i generally make little use of it until late heroics, when i start using those spells more.

its really nice for any healing spells, reconstruct if you are warforged, or some of the epic healing. once you have a wider spell selection, you have a wider spell rotation, which makes the spell cool down less of an issue, and the faster casting time helps dish out some dps. there are options in the tree's heroic, and epic, to lessen quicken, (and maybe even make it free) so, as a few people said, other then it costing a feat. (not as much of an issue for a wizard) it becomes a non issue.

again, if you are in low heroics, and finding you don't need it. don't use it. i usually don't worry about taking it until about 12, or 15, unless i have nothing better to take, or really want it for my sla's.

also, as they said, you can right click on the spell on your hot bar, and individually turn quicken on, or off, for each spell. (didnt find this out until much later in my ddo life, so just like to throw that out there just in case)
 
W

WielderofGigantus

Well-known member
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top