In previous expansions, there was an aura that predicted whether using Ice Lance would consume a stack of Winter’s Chill or not. Is there a way to configure the current Freezing stacks indicator so that the stacks drop immediately after casting Ice Lance?
When fighting bosses with large hitboxes or simply standing far away from the target, there is enough delay that, with one GCD available, we cast an extra Ice Lance that won’t consume the stacks, because they will be consumed by a previous cast that hasn’t reached the target yet.
I don’t feel like Fingers of Frost matters as much anymore. If you don’t have enough stacks of Freezing on the target, you’re sort of wasting FoF by hitting ice lance, so I pretty much ignore the FoF aura and look at the stack count on the nameplate of the mobs that I am hitting to see if I should build more stacks or start consuming them.
The FoF aura definitely didn’t feel like it was working accurately when I was setting up my mage in late January. So what you are saying could be true.
I’m not saying I completely ignore FoF, so if I see it pop up and I have enough Freezing on the targets, I might throw a lance or two earlier than I would otherwise. Keeping high stacks on the target without overcapping gives me more mobility options, which tends to be helpful now that Ice Floes is gone (maybe that’s why they took it from us).