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* Mana regeneration is not affected by sitting down or standing up
 
* Mana regeneration is not affected by sitting down or standing up
 
* Maximum ''direct'' MP5 from item buffs and [[Enchantments by slot|armor enchants]] in 3.3.5 is 112:
 
* Maximum ''direct'' MP5 from item buffs and [[Enchantments by slot|armor enchants]] in 3.3.5 is 112:
** 45 {{item|icon=|Flask of Pure Mojo}}
+
:: 45 {{item|icon=|Flask of Pure Mojo}}
** 16 {{item|icon=|Mighty Rhino Dogs}}/{{item|icon=|Spicy Fried Herring}}
+
:: 16 {{item|icon=|Mighty Rhino Dogs}}/{{item|icon=|Spicy Fried Herring}}
** 10 {{item|Arcanum of Blissful Mending}} (head)
+
:: 10 {{item|Arcanum of Blissful Mending}} (head)
** 8 {{item|Greater Inscription of the Crag}}/{{loot|Enchant|Master's Inscription of the Crag}} (shoulder)
+
:: 8 {{item|Greater Inscription of the Crag}}/{{loot|Enchant|Master's Inscription of the Crag}} (shoulder)
** 10 {{loot|enchant|Enchant Chest - Greater Mana Restoration}}
+
:: 10 {{loot|enchant|Enchant Chest - Greater Mana Restoration}}
** 8 {{loot|enchant|Enchant Bracer - Restore Mana Prime}}
+
:: 8 {{loot|enchant|Enchant Bracer - Restore Mana Prime}}
** 4 {{loot|common|Magister's Armor Kit}} (hands)
+
:: 4 {{loot|common|Magister's Armor Kit}} (hands)
** 4 {{loot|common|Magister's Armor Kit}} (legs)
+
:: 4 {{loot|common|Magister's Armor Kit}} (legs)
** 7 {{loot|enchant|Enchant Boots - Greater Vitality}}
+
:: 7 {{loot|enchant|Enchant Boots - Greater Vitality}}
   
** {{loot|common|Exceptional Mana Oil}} is no longer viable, due to the item level limit.
+
*{{loot|common|Exceptional Mana Oil}} is no longer viable for max level, due to the item level limit.
   
 
== Patch changes ==
 
== Patch changes ==

Revision as of 05:00, 13 August 2010

The condition of a game character gaining mana points over time is referred to as mana regeneration. Players can gain mana from basically two sources — Spirit or direct regeneration. Spirit regenerates high amounts of mana, but is interrupted for five seconds after spending mana for a spell (see 5-second rule below); whereas direct regeneration is usually lower, but continues uninterrupted at all times.

Mana regeneration takes place once per tick, but it's measured in MP5 (Mana Per 5 seconds), because that's the unit used in the tooltips. While Spirit-based regen is measured in MP5, MP5 generally refers to direct regeneration.

Spirit-Based Regeneration

The main base stat which regenerates mana is Spirit, the next is Intellect, and the character level inversely affects regeneration. The rule of thumb that 1 Spi = 1 MP5 while not casting.

The mana-regeneration formula is uniform across all classes: [1]

 MP5 = 5 * (0.001 + sqrt(Int) * Spirit * Base_Regen) * 0.60 rounded up

Base_Regen is a variable dependent on character level and is summarized in the following table:

Base_Regen
LEVEL BASE_REGEN LEVEL BASE_REGEN LEVEL BASE_REGEN LEVEL BASE_REGEN LEVEL BASE_REGEN LEVEL BASE_REGEN
1 0.034965 15 0.023345 29 0.016581 43 0.013363 57 0.011342 71 0.008859
2 0.034191 16 0.022748 30 0.016233 44 0.013175 58 0.011245 72 0.008415
3 0.033465 17 0.021958 31 0.015994 45 0.012996 59 0.011110 73 0.007993
4 0.032526 18 0.021386 32 0.015707 46 0.012853 60 0.010999 74 0.007592
5 0.031661 19 0.020790 33 0.015464 47 0.012687 61 0.010700 75 0.007211
6 0.031076 20 0.020121 34 0.015204 48 0.012539 62 0.010522 76 0.006849
7 0.030523 21 0.019733 35 0.014956 49 0.012384 63 0.010290 77 0.006506
8 0.029994 22 0.019155 36 0.014744 50 0.012233 64 0.010119 78 0.006179
9 0.029307 23 0.018819 37 0.014495 51 0.012113 65 0.009968 79 0.005869
10 0.028661 24 0.018316 38 0.014302 52 0.011973 66 0.009808 80 0.005575
11 0.027584 25 0.017936 39 0.014094 53 0.011859 67 0.009651
12 0.026215 26 0.017576 40 0.013895 54 0.011714 68 0.009553
13 0.025381 27 0.017201 41 0.013724 55 0.011575 69 0.009445
14 0.024300 28 0.016919 42 0.013522 56 0.011473 70 0.009327
File:MP5-Chart.png

Mana Regen Chart

The above chart was generated using these data. The formula shows that regeneration increases linearly with Spirit and with the square root of Intellect. The base regeneration decreases as level increases. Under analysis, it appears that levels 1-10 have one curve, 11-60 another, and 61-70 have a jagged but almost linear decrease which seems to have been tweaked by hand.

Together, these design elements seem to enforce balanced stats, so that stacking Spirit to the detriment of Intellect is to be avoided. It seems that 1 spirit = 1 MP5 was the target of the game designers. A level-70 caster needs about 460 Intellect to reach this point.

Five-Second Rule

After a character expends mana in casting a spell, Spirit-based regeneration is interrupted for 5 seconds. This is commonly referred to as the five-second rule (FSR or 5SR).

Channeled spells are handled a little differently. The FSR starts when the spell's channeling starts; i.e., when mana is expended. The interruption continues for at least five seconds, and longer if the channeling takes more than five seconds. For example, Mind Flay channels for 3 seconds and interrupts regeneration for 5 seconds (from the moment the spell cast starts), while Tranquility channels for 10 seconds and interrupts regeneration for the full 10 seconds, but no longer.

Several effects allow a portion of Spirit-based regen to continue inside the FSR, including:

Effect Percent of Spirit-based regeneration granted
Spell shadow siphonmana [Arcane Meditation] and Inv misc volatilefire [Pyromaniac] (Mage talent) 17%-50%*
Intensity (Druid talent) 17%-50%*
Spell nature sleep [Meditation] (Priest talent) 17%-50%*
Spell magearmor [Mage Armor] (Mage spell) 50% (70% glyphed)
Spell shadow requiem [Spirit Tap] (Priest talent proc) 50% (and increases mana regeneration to app. 200%)
Inv misc ticket tarot bluedragon 01 [Darkmoon Card: Blue Dragon] proc (Aura of the Blue Dragon) 100%
Inv jewelry necklace 27 [Bangle of Endless Blessings] proc (Meditation) 15%
Spell nature lightning [Innervate] (Druid buff) 100% (and regenerates mana equal to 450% of the casting druid's base mana)

* Depending on rank

Multiple effects stack, but not above 100%.

Spells which don't cost mana do not start the FSR. This includes spells with a normal mana cost of zero (e.g. Spell nature ravenform [Nature's Swiftness]), but also spells whose effective cost is reduced to zero by some effect (e.g., by Clearcasting or an item ability or proc like Spell shadow unholyfrenzy [Eye of Gruul]).

Prior to Patch 1.4, regeneration was also interrupted during a spell's cast time (since then it's only interrupted when mana is expended). For this resaon, in-game textual references to the FSR still read "while casting" where they actually should read "after expending mana to cast".

Direct Regeneration (MP5)

Many sources (gear, gems, enchants, etc.) generate mana directly, without increasing Spirit, and this is usually referred to simply as MP5. Sources of this mana display "Restores X mana per 5 sec" or "+X Mana every 5 seconds" in the tooltip. Druids can talent for MP5 with Spell unused [Dreamstate].

Other

Other sources of mana include instant (such as Mana Potions), sporadic (such as Inv misc gem diamond 06 [Insightful Earthstorm Diamond]), and temporary (such as Ability hunter harass [Second Wind]).

Spirit vs. MP5

Because of the many variables, there is no clear advantage to either. Strictly for mana-regeneration, MP5 is preferable as it is not subject to the FSR. However, there are benefits from Spirit not found with MP5, such as the Warlock's Spell shadow felarmour [Fel Armor] and the Druid's Ability druid improvedmoonkinform [Improved Moonkin Form]. In general, MP5 is worth 2.5 times more than Spirit. For example, the top two mana-regeneration enchants for chest items yield either 15 Spirit or 6 MP5 ([Enchant Chest - Major Spirit] and [Enchant Chest - Restore Mana Prime]) - this shows the factor of 2.5 very clearly.

To definitively determine which is better for your regeneration, first find out your time spent inside the FSR (using an add-on like Muse or RegenFu). Measure under realistic conditions - the time spent inside the FSR while grinding is typically much lower than during a boss fight. Some players argue that, in a tight situation, it's safe to assume that the FSR is in effect 100% of the time. It is possible to calculate the percentage of time which has to be spent outside the FSR so that 2.5 points of Spirit are more effective than 1 point of MP5. Examples:

Average lvl-70 Priest with maxed Spell nature sleep [Meditation]: 2.5 Spirit returns 2.5 MP5 outside the FSR, and 0.75 MP5 inside:

2.5 * x + 0.75 * (1 - x) = 1
1.75 * x = 0.25
x = 0.14

So if that Priest spends 14% percent of the time outside the FSR, the enchant with 15 Spirit yields a higher regeneration than 6 MP5. If the time inside the rule is 86% or more, 6 MP5 is more efficient.

For lvl-70 characters without Spirit regeneration inside the FSR:

2.5 * x = 1
x = 0.4

That is they have to spend 40% of their time outside the rule for Spirit to be better than MP5.

Formulas

(NOTE: These calculations and everything in this section are based on formulae before the change to Spirit-based regen.) The following formulas relate Intellect, Spirit, and MP5 to mana regen both in and out of FSR in an attempt to help establish a relative value between them depending on your current stats.

Based on the formulas for Spirit-based regeneration above...

ManaRegen(Int,Spirit,MP5) = [0.001 + sqrt(Int) * Spirit * 0.005575] * 5 + MP5
ManaRegenCasting(Int,Spirit,MP5) = [0.001 + sqrt(Int) * Spirit * 0.005575] * 5 * Coeff + MP5
 where Coeff is the decimal percentage of Spirit-based mana regeneration that is allowed to continue while casting

The mana regen benefit per 1 point increase of Spirit, Intellect, or MP5 can be calculated as...

While not casting:
 NC_RegenPerInt = 0.027875 * Spirit * [sqrt(Int+1) - sqrt(Int)]
 NC_RegenPerSpirit = 0.027875 * sqrt(Int)
 NC_RegenPerMP5 = 1

While casting:
 C_RegenPerInt = Coeff * NC_RegenPerInt
 C_RegenPerSpirit = Coeff * NC_RegenPerSpirit
 C_RegenPerMP5 = 1

Notes

  • Mana regeneration is not affected by sitting down or standing up
  • Maximum direct MP5 from item buffs and armor enchants in 3.3.5 is 112:
45 [Flask of Pure Mojo]
16 [Mighty Rhino Dogs]/[Spicy Fried Herring]
10 Ability warrior shieldmastery [Arcanum of Blissful Mending] (head)
8 Spell arcane teleportorgrimmar [Greater Inscription of the Crag]/[Master's Inscription of the Crag] (shoulder)
10 [Enchant Chest - Greater Mana Restoration]
8 [Enchant Bracer - Restore Mana Prime]
4 [Magister's Armor Kit] (hands)
4 [Magister's Armor Kit] (legs)
7 [Enchant Boots - Greater Vitality]

Patch changes

  • Wrath-Logo-Small Patch 3.1.0 (2009-04-14): Mana Regeneration: The amount of mana regeneration derived from Intellect and Spirit has been reduced by 40%; however, talents that allow for mana regeneration while in combat have been increased. As a result, in-combat regeneration for classes with those talents will stay the same, while out-of-combat regeneration will be lower.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.4.0 (2008-03-25): Spirit-Based Mana Regeneration: This system has been adjusted so that as your Intellect rises, you will regenerate more mana per point of Spirit.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.4.0 (2005-04-19): Mana regeneration is now disrupted when a spell has completed casting rather than at the start of casting. It will resume normally five seconds after the last spell cast. This change increases the total time spent regenerating mana and therefore increases the total contribution from Spirit for mana-based classes.

References

 
  1. ^ Whitetooth 2008-02-11. Intellect -> Spirit Conversion on the PTR. ElitistJerks. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.

External links

See also: Spirit