Faster Cast Rate

Faster Cast Rate (FCR) causes spell based characters to attack faster. The only exception is the Assassin, as her traps benefits from Increased Attack Speed.

Cast Rate items will reduce the time it takes to cast spells. Cast Rate items stack so the more you put on, the faster you can cast spells. While you may not want to sacrifice to wear an item with Faster Cast Rate, it certainly helps to have it on any items you wear.

Faster Cast Items will not help skills with Casting Delays. A Casting Delay (or cooldown) is a period of time after a player has cast a spell during which the player cannot re-cast that spell. For example, after casting Blizzard you must wait a few seconds before you're able to cast another one. As such, the Faster Cast Rate determines how rapidly a character can make use of non-delayed spells.

Mechanics[]

Each character has a base casting value, this is not a base cast rate, rather is used to calculate the cast rate. The casting base of the characters are as follows:

The standard animation speed is 256 except in the case of the human-form Druid (208), Werewolf-form Druid (229), and Werebear-form Druid (228).

The calculation to find Effective Faster Cast Rate (EFCR) is:

EFCR = [FCR x 120 / (FCR + 120)] (rounded down)

Effective Faster Cast Rate is capped at 75, so there is no point in exceeding 200% Faster Cast Rate.

The calculation to find the cast rate frames is:

Cast Rate Frames = {256 x Casting Base / [Animation Speed x (100 + EFCR) / 100 (rounded down)]} (rounded up) - 1

A Sorceress using Lightning or Chain Lightning has a unique exception to the above calculations. These two skills will use a slightly modified formula as follows:

{256 x Casting Base / [256 x (100 + EFCR) / 100]}

Faster Cast Rate breakpoints[]

There are 25 frames per second, so as the Faster Cast Rate increases, the frames decrease.

Since frames of animation cannot be further divided into fractions, this creates "breakpoints". You will not see any change in Faster Cast Rate until you pass the next breakpoint. This means that an Amazon with 21 FCR is effectively equal to one with only 14.

As one frame is a mere .04 seconds, it may not even seem worthwhile, however in practice, even single frames can make a noticeable difference.

* Lighting and Chain Lighting are calculated differently than other skills.

Equipment[]

Slot	FCR	Item	Expansion?
Amulet	10%	Magic or rare amulet of the Apprentice	—
Amulet	10%	Tal Rasha's Adjudication set amulet (4 set items)
Amulet	5–10%	Crafted caster amulet*
Body	30%	Skin of the Vipermagi unique armor
Body	25%	Fortitude rune word armor
Body	25%	Stealth rune word armor
Body	20%	Ormus' Robes unique armor
Body	20%	Que-Hegan's Wisdom unique armor
Body	10%	Tal Rasha's Guardianship set armor (2 set items)
Hands	20%	Magefist unique gloves	—
Hands	20%	Trang-Oul's Claws set gloves
Head	25%	Griffon's Eye unique circlet
Head	20%	Magic or rare circlet of the Magus
Head	10%	Magic or rare circlet of the Apprentice
Off-hand	25–35%	Spirit rune word off-hand armor
Off-hand	30%	Darkforce Spawn unique shrunken head
Off-hand	20%	Lidless Wall unique shield
Off-hand	20%	Wall of the Eyeless unique shield	—
Off-hand	10%	Splendor rune word off-hand armor
Ring	10%	Magic or rare ring of the Apprentice	—
Set bonus	20%	Arcanna's Tricks complete set bonus	—
Set bonus	10%	Cathan's Traps complete set bonus	—
Waist	20%	Arachnid Mesh unique belt
Waist	10%	Tal Rasha's Fine Spun Cloth set belt (3 set items)
Waist	5–10%	Crafted caster belt
Weapon	50%	Spectral Shard unique dagger	—
Weapon	50%	Wizardspike unique dagger
Weapon	50%	Suicide Branch unique wand
Weapon	45%	Ondal's Wisdom unique staff
Weapon	40%	Eschuta's Temper unique orb
Weapon	40%	Heart of the Oak rune word staff/mace
Weapon	35%	Insight rune word polearm/staff
Weapon	25–35%	Spirit rune word sword
Weapon	33%	Memory rune word staff
Weapon	30%	Blackhand Key unique wand
Weapon	30%	Maelstrom unique wand	—
Weapon	30%	Mang Song's Lesson unique staff
Weapon	30%	Naj's Puzzler set staff
Weapon	30%	The Oculus unique orb
Weapon	30%	Razorswitch unique staff
Weapon	25%	Boneshade unique wand
Weapon	25%	Fortitude rune word weapon
Weapon	20%	Chromatic Ire unique staff
Weapon	20%	Death's Fathom unique orb
Weapon	20%	The Iron Jang Bong unique staff	—
Weapon	20%	Magic or rare orb of the Magus
Weapon	20%	Magic or rare rod (but not scepter) of the Magus	—
Weapon	20%	Sander's Superstition set wand
Weapon	20%	Tal Rasha's Lidless Eye set orb
Weapon	20%	Ume's Lament unique wand	—
Weapon	20%	White rune word wand
Weapon	10%	Arm of King Leoric unique wand
Weapon	10%	Carin Shard unique wand
Weapon	10%	Earth Shifter unique hammer
Weapon	10%	Magic or rare orb of the Apprentice
Weapon	10%	Magic or rare rod of the Apprentice	—
Weapon	10%	Spellsteel unique axe

*Caster Amulet can also randomly receive the Apprentice suffix for a combined total of up to +20%.

See also[]

• Faster Hit Recovery
• Faster Block Rate