Wizards bolts should have a high chance of being blocked, when the target they are cast on currently is in melee with others. Didn't happen to me at least once.. Maybe there is a chance, but it seems way too low.
Standard miss rate should be 15%
don't know the missrate in combat - in combat it should be a message something like ( "your target is in combat, you miss"
some info from a uthgard BT issue (by Holsten): https://www2.uthgard.net/tracker/issue/414/@/The_X_is_in_combat_and_your_bolt_spell_misses.
Working as intended in patch 1.65, as long as the mob is already actively attacking. A bolt should have a very high miss rate (always?) on a target that is actively attacking in combat.
Evidence:
http://camelotherald.wikia.com/wiki/Patch_Notes:_Version_1.52
"A NOTE ON BOLTS
A quick note of explanation about bolt spells. As every "robe" caster knows, bolt spells are intended to hit targets that are not in combat. They do much more damage than direct damage spells, but they are usable only in certain situations. A bug was fixed in 1.52C which changes how the game determines if a player or monster is "in combat"*now to be truly flagged as in combat, you must actively be attacking someone (or something) else. Previously, large numbers of players would be flagged as "in combat" when they were in fact not actively engaging someone. So, theoretically, that change made bolts easier to use in RvR, although they still will not be usable in all situations."
http://cesspit.net/drupal/node/1354/
"Now those two goals hint to a lame solution that they used on the fireballs. An absurd mechanic that I’m sure everyone who played DAoC still remembers and that just MAKES NO SENSE: if you fire a fireball at a target not engaged in combat, the fireball hits and deals damage. If the fireball is fired at a target engaged in combat, it misses."
http://camelot.allakhazam.com/db/skills.html?cskill=9
"[...]
My boyfriend has a scout that is the same level as I am. I have a fully spec'd fire wizzie. I group with him and only with him. Know why? He'll target an oj or red, then will hit with first arrow for max damage + critical hit. Then, while he's letting his second arrow go, I'm casting my first bolt. For some reason, after that the mob is "in combat and your bolt missed"[...]"
This got changed later on: http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/new-patch-notes-some-bolt-changes-1-84g.250231610/
" Bolts have been changed so that they will no longer fail to hit a target in combat unless the target is being melee attacked by an enemy who is within a range of 200 units. In such cases, there is a 20% chance of failure for each attacker within a range of 200 units."
And the miss rates got lowered again in 1.89:
http://camelotherald.wikia.com/wiki/Patch_Notes:_Version_1.89
"- Miss rates of bolt spells on the Eldritch, Wizard, Runemaster and Shaman Classes have been greatly reduced."
And even the Message seems to be correct:
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/remove-you-were-strafing-in-combat-and-miss.250225618/
"better yet, lets remove "your target is in combat and your bolt misses" crap! I know my target in combat, thats why i am firing a bolt at him!"
Up for this bug.
I created a shaman up to level 10 and my bolt lv1 never seems to miss, not even when the mob is in melee with a mate.
The bolts dont seem to ever miss btw.. leveled some time solo now on orange/yellow mobs, not a single bolt missed
Standard miss rate should be 15%
don't know the missrate in combat - in combat it should be a message something like ( "your target is in combat, you miss"
some info from a uthgard BT issue (by Holsten): https://www2.uthgard.net/tracker/issue/414/@/The_X_is_in_combat_and_your_bolt_spell_misses.
Working as intended in patch 1.65, as long as the mob is already actively attacking. A bolt should have a very high miss rate (always?) on a target that is actively attacking in combat.
Evidence:
http://camelotherald.wikia.com/wiki/Patch_Notes:_Version_1.52
"A NOTE ON BOLTS
A quick note of explanation about bolt spells. As every "robe" caster knows, bolt spells are intended to hit targets that are not in combat. They do much more damage than direct damage spells, but they are usable only in certain situations. A bug was fixed in 1.52C which changes how the game determines if a player or monster is "in combat"*now to be truly flagged as in combat, you must actively be attacking someone (or something) else. Previously, large numbers of players would be flagged as "in combat" when they were in fact not actively engaging someone. So, theoretically, that change made bolts easier to use in RvR, although they still will not be usable in all situations."
http://cesspit.net/drupal/node/1354/
"Now those two goals hint to a lame solution that they used on the fireballs. An absurd mechanic that I’m sure everyone who played DAoC still remembers and that just MAKES NO SENSE: if you fire a fireball at a target not engaged in combat, the fireball hits and deals damage. If the fireball is fired at a target engaged in combat, it misses."
http://camelot.allakhazam.com/db/skills.html?cskill=9
"[...]
My boyfriend has a scout that is the same level as I am. I have a fully spec'd fire wizzie. I group with him and only with him. Know why? He'll target an oj or red, then will hit with first arrow for max damage + critical hit. Then, while he's letting his second arrow go, I'm casting my first bolt. For some reason, after that the mob is "in combat and your bolt missed"[...]"
This got changed later on: http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/new-patch-notes-some-bolt-changes-1-84g.250231610/
" Bolts have been changed so that they will no longer fail to hit a target in combat unless the target is being melee attacked by an enemy who is within a range of 200 units. In such cases, there is a 20% chance of failure for each attacker within a range of 200 units."
And the miss rates got lowered again in 1.89:
http://camelotherald.wikia.com/wiki/Patch_Notes:_Version_1.89
"- Miss rates of bolt spells on the Eldritch, Wizard, Runemaster and Shaman Classes have been greatly reduced."
And even the Message seems to be correct:
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/remove-you-were-strafing-in-combat-and-miss.250225618/
"better yet, lets remove "your target is in combat and your bolt misses" crap! I know my target in combat, thats why i am firing a bolt at him!"
Up for this bug.
I created a shaman up to level 10 and my bolt lv1 never seems to miss, not even when the mob is in melee with a mate.
The bolts dont seem to ever miss btw.. leveled some time solo now on orange/yellow mobs, not a single bolt missed