Let's talk about Spirit

This is probably too rudimentary a topic for a majority of the readers here, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows what that’s about. With Spirit itemization in our future, it’s something we’ll need to stay on top of. If this is too basic a topic for you, feel free to skip this post.

Your mana regen is given in two numbers. The smaller value is your regen “while casting” and the larger is “while not casting.” Sometimes you will see these values called “in combat” and “not in combat,” respectively, but these labels are incorrect. It takes 5 seconds from your last cast to be considered not casting.

Let’s be technical. The moment you go from not-casting to casting differs depending on the type of spell. An instant or channeled spell (with a mana cost > 0) triggers the change immediately. Spells with cast time mark you as casting only when the cast completes. As soon as you are in this casting state, a 5 second timer begins. If you cast another spell during this time, the timer refreshes to 5 seconds again. After the 5 seconds pass, you return to the not-casting state.

There is a standard formula for not-casting regen for all mana users. This formula, from the wiki article, looks like this:

Mana Regen = 3 * (0.001 + sqrt(Int) * Spirit * Base_Regen )
where Base_Regen = 0.005575 for level 80.

With an Intellect of 1157 and a Spirit of 145, that gives me a not-casting regen of 82. Intellect is a factor in the formula, but because it is a square root term, it contributes much more slowly than Spirit.

What makes Shamans non-Spirit casters is that that 82 not-casting regen is the sum total of what I get from Spirit. And even that number is about 1/3 a product of Intellect. Not only do we lack tools to squeeze some not-casting seconds in during a fight, but we also lack talents that convert chunks of Spirit to something more useful.

Here are the ways Spirit synergizes with some of the other healing classes:

Druids take Intensity, which allows up to 50% of their not-casting regen to continue while casting. Omen of Clarity is a Clearcasting talent that allows periodic mana-free casts, thus not starting a 5 second counter. Living Spirit increases their Spirit by a scalar 15%. And Improved Tree of Life yields bonus healing Spellpower equal to 15% of their total Spirit.

Priests get Spiritual Guidance, which converts 25% of their Spirit to Spellpower, and Meditation, which allows up to 50% of not-casting regen while casting. Holy Concentration increases Spirit regen after a critical heal.

Patch 3.1, which Bob mentions, changed the valuation formula to combat the practice of gaming the 5 second rule. Not-casting mana regen was reduced by a whopping 40%! At the same time talents that allow fractions of one’s not-casting regen to continue while casting were increased to compensate.

Prior to that patch, Intensity and Meditation capped at 30% of not-casting regen. Combine that with 40% more regen when not-casting, and you can see why trying to squeeze in some not-casting regen during a fight was attractive to those healers.

Right now, Shamans and Paladins are both anti-Spirit healers. Stacking Spirit for us is less valuable than having a stack of water in our bags. In time that will change. Like the unified Spellpower change heading into Burning Crusade, I expect the stats on our existing gear to be revised to meet the new model.

Historically the item budget value of 1 MP5 was equal to 2.5 Spirit. A gem, for instance, would sport 10 Spirit or 4 MP5. Patch 3.2 revised this to weight MP5 a little higher, giving a weighting of 1 MP5 to 2 Spirit. If that holds true, my 573 MP5 (buffed) would convert to 1146 Spirit.

If we plug that number into the Spirit formula above, we get a not-casting regen of 734 — close to the 655 I was running then. However, presuming a Meditation talent that works like other casters, I would have a mere 367 MP5. That would be quite a blow.

At the moment, my take is this: they can have my MP5 when the pry it from my cold, blue hooves. And you people shouting that MP5 is boring? Ixnay. Straightforward does not equal boring.

Meanwhile, in Anaheim, California

Tom Chilton changes everything.

I will quote from the Wowhead post:

MP5 = GONE! Replaced with spirit, which will now be mana regen only—and non healers will have ZERO need for it.

They’re going to turn us into Spirit healers, 6 years after the game launch. It boggles the mind. My initial reaction is one of distaste. I have spent too long hating Spirit for that to change easily. And if their intention is that all healers have to start gaming the five second rule, that will break me.

Update on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 8:09PM by Llyra

The adjunct to giving us Spirit is that they’re going to build a Meditation talent into each healing tree. I had to look that one up. It’s a Discipline Priest talent. With 3 points, it allows 50% of your out of combat regen during combat. Since priests usually beat me on MP5, I’m going to guess this will work out pretty favorably.

Still though. Spirit? Blech.