We had a scenario come up tonight, and im hoping we can find the answer here.

If a mage throws up a ignite on say loatheb before he gets the spore buff, and its kept up the entire fight. Will that mage always be getting agro or will the ignite stop causing threat as soon as he gets the buff?

Thank you for your time... i hope i explained that right ^_^

The threat should occur on-tick (meaning a tick after the "spore buff" creates no aggro)... because in general, programmers are not that good at predicting the future, unlike some cartoon artists according to this NBC show i'm watching. Then again real-time animation is a major strain on the artists wrist.

Are you 100 percent sure on that?

afiak, the threat is generated when the mob receives damage, threat modifications are calculated at that same time as well.

I'd bet my money on the fact that the starting ignite will determine if you get aggro from it or not, if the person starting the ignite doesn't have the spore debuff it will continue to give aggro on that person. I'd believe this based on that they reworked how +dmg works from ZHC/ToEP, it seems in line with that kind of thinking/programming.

Well, definitely the ignite holder gets the aggro, the question is if it is the full amount throughout or reduced if an aggro-reduction effect comes into play. I'd presume the latter but without a fetish I can't really test it out easily.

I'm not sure if ignite is coded to work like a DoT or not but as far as I recall DoT damage builds agro by tic, not front loaded agro.

Though I could be horribly wrong and I welcome someone to show me the err of my ways.

Surely it's a DoT and the Threat is generated each tick because noone will know how often it will tick on First-Apply-Time.

The still unanswered question is "Do threat-reducing/-boosting effects which are applied while the Ignite keeps going work for the ignite or is the threat-modification at the beginning of the Ignite persistent through it's entire lifetime?"

I personally would guess the first option more viable, would be inline with the game mechanics imho.

From experience, I would say that ignite gives aggro on the ticks. Sadly, I was never able to get a hold of a fetish to test wether it's your current aggro reducing effects that count, or those active when the ignite was started, but I would presume the former, seeing as how the mages in my guild who do have a fetish activated it on their 3rd - 4th ignite ticks if they saw a huge roll coming, and they never had any problems with aggro.

I, on the other hand, have managed to pull Heigan up to our beloved platform several times. Well, I mean, I would've, if I hadn't selflessly blinked into melee range to suicide every time it's happened! That fight gives new meaning to the words "Combat ress on Ecthelion".

I am fairly confident that ignite aggro does indeed increase with the ticks. Logically it has to be since doing it up-front would be trying to predict the future as Quigon mentioned. Moreover my own experience tells me it is that way. Consider this:

Your Ignite hits Deathtalon Overseer for 10.000 fire damage. (Or something).
Your Ignite hits Deathtalon Overseer for 10.000 fire damage. (Another couple mages add) ->
Your Ignite hits Deathtalon Overseer for 14.000 fire damage.

AGGRO From Deathtalon Overseer!

I've had this happen, aggros coming at me as late as tick 5-6-7.

clearly you get threat from damage done when you do the damage. The question the OP is asking is whether you can change your threat modifiers and it will apply to new ticks of a currently stacking dot.

I'm fairly certain this does work. i had a dim memory of trying this with a warrior, changing stances after applying rend or deep wounds, and the numbers worked out that the modifiers changed.

As pointed out above, there was a change made previously that the effects of +spell damage were fixed at the casting of the dot, so that changing gearr after casting would no longer increase the ticks. However i see this as being a different mechanic and therefor not indicative of the threat model.

From what I've personally experienced, ignite ticks appear to generate their aggro each time they tick instead of being constant throughout.

The only way i've lived through some thaddius fights was through the use of my Eye of Diminution, changing the 20,000 ignite down to a 13,000 ignite in terms of aggro. It really is noticeable going from that large of ignites vs not so large but still high ignites, just from experience with pulling aggro on that fight a few times =/

Alright heres another noob question ; / I'm rather sure it doesn't work this way but... the 3/8 NW bonus on fireballs, does that apply to the ignite ticks too? or just the upfront dmg (as we've no eye's drop and only 2 fankeriss trinkets, a druid and priest got them :( but no one really cared as that was way back in the day)

Netherwind's 3 piece bonus is a flat -100 threat.

Actually, the 3/8 varies slightly across the spells affected. Since it is only -100 in total it doesn't really matter but it's not quite a flat -100 on-cast.

Or at least that is my understanding of the spelldat.