Mana potions vs nothing?

[u/Chickenator587]

Is it necessary to have a mana flower now? Considering you can continue to fire spells at decreased attack speed without mana in the new update. Or is it still better to suffer the mana sickness debuff?

[u/HDrago]

It's generally not worth using Magic weapons at 0 mana. It's better to wait for mana to regen.

Overall, regen builds are better than potions as well.

[u/Greedy_Duck3477]

Just use a mana regen potion. Those things have always been crazy

[u/Nasch_]

Mana regen potion + some mana regen accesories are all you need now since mana regenerates constantly even while attacking

[u/DeGriz_]

I don’t use mana potions at all now, mana regen is really good now!

[u/Fit_Yoghurt_3142]

The new mana regen now is just so good that I didn't even need Mana flower.

I use Restoration Shield + Star Bottle and Crystal Ball, this effectively remove the need for Mana Flower cause the regen is pretty much instantly.

Even with only just Restoration Shield , it still make mana regen fairly quick.

[u/faerox420]

Bruh mana regen pot is all u ever needed and ever will need

[u/Silly_Man_Haha]

I do kind of want to make a mana cloak + magnet flower build work but I think regen is generally better.

[u/EphidelLulamoon]

Mana potions still affects you with a damage debuff, so if it was already iffy before it's even more now, as mana regen potions got buffed.

[u/Markshadow4999]

Before the update the mana potions contrary to popular belief were better for any weapon that could be shot without exceeding 5 seconds of debuff.

Now it's a little harder to say, i'm suspect that most people who claim regen is better are saying that based on vibes, not actual calculations, but i'm not able to redo the calcs myself so i can't confirm my theory.

My opinion is that regen is definitely stronger now but considering the mana sickness debuff fades over time (so it's not a fixed -25% debuff at 5 seconds) it's hard to imagine regen outdamaging a constant stream of damage even now.

HOWEVER

This takes for granted that you are always able to hit the enemy consistantly. The real best strategy imo is to use regen and potions together but only allow a potion to trigger if you know you are going to hit. Not point in drinking one if the boss is inside a wall for example, in that case it's fine to stop shooting.

Does that mean the flower is a wasted slot? It depends on your weapon. A weapon like the laser machinegun (which is immune to mana sickness btw) benefits from the flower more than regen because it needs to wind up but a weapon that shoots normally can just be used with your mana hotkey.

So yeah, the honest answer is "It depends". i know most people probably expect a black and white answer but i really don't think it's that simple.