@Thunder-The-Bright
For how much time it'd take to clump them together with a Supernova and shieldbumping, 226 even spread to 5 targets is still very weak, even when comparing it to the other Sprites.
I never meant to imply the other abilities didn't need any special effort to use maximally. I'm just saying that Drakon takes the most to even come close to performing as well as the other Sprites. You actually don't want to be really close to something with Quills; it caps at 4 per enemy (but try using a fast, multi-hit weapon with it...). Ray is definitely good on defense, and you can hide behind it as a wall even if you miss your targets completely.
See my other posts for what I think of Firestorm. I'm tired.
Concerning Brandishes being a bad comparison, I've done some more flailing around and found the same kind of results with WRH's swing-dash combo, Sealed Sword normal attacks (in the right circumstances) and charges, Alchemer charges, Leviathan/CIV/FoV charges, Dark Retribution, Dark Briar Barrage...
@Mawashimono
I think I know about as much as it's possible to know about the gameplay mechanics, and I like to think I have a good judgement when it comes to improving them. And I want them improved. Battle Sprites (or classes and abilities, rather) in particular have massive potential, as long as they're done right. I want this game to be truly fun for me again.
I have something to say.
I have recently maxed firebolt and crafted a supernova. with the right preparation, you can deal 226 (level 60,4*, charred court) on 4-5 zombies at once with firebolt. and it's not that you don't need preparation with ray of light and the quills. ray of light is a great defensive tool with the high knockdown it has, and quills deal most damage of all first skills, but ray of light can be used most effectivly on corridors and corners, and with the quills you need to be on short range because of the spread it has.
flame barrier is effectivly weak. even if you go straight for a bunch of zombies and you are dealing elemental damage, you can't deal evel 100 damage per hit, and always if you can hit the targets. it's not accurate at all.
firestorm is great for swarms of enemies, spreading damage upon most of them. except, you can't use it if enemies are immune to fire, or if enemies have high fire resistance. that's not a little if.
also, erm. comparing something to brandishes it's not good. brandishes are good all around weapons. too good at anything imo, and OP for many. like you said, you only need to aim to unleash the pain.