In this clip, I cast the super while literally touching the opponent, but he simply walks backwards, avoid all damage, and guns me down before I can even move. That's just silly.
Fist of Havok is a comparable roaming super with an attack on cast, and it does not get this reduced AoE on cast. It also does not require charge up time to deal its attack like Nova Warp. I think it is reasonable to change the initial Nova Warp cast blast to be the large version, or to increase the cast animation speed.
edit: I would add that changing the initial blast is not the only solution or issue with Nova Warp. The whole super could stand some tuning. Currently it is a very high skill, very high risk, and at best normal reward for the effort super compared to basically everything else, imo. I don't mind it being a difficult-to-use super, but I do mind that is does not seem to have a commensurate level of reward for the effort required.
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The problem with Nova Warp is, it has no armor (or sure as hell feel like it has no armor) whatsoever in comparison to the other "melee" supers. As you said, First of Havoc ON CAST can literally clear a room and then go on about it's day. If anything Nova Warp is terrible up close as on cast it just Ragdolls people back 5ft giving them more time to blast you with their guns while you sit there like an idiot trying to charge up again. I honestly don't see Nova Warp ever being better than how it is now. Bungie straight nuked it into oblivion and spent the better half of 2 years making it usable again (same with Shadebinder). It just seems like Warlocks aren't meant to have any "fun" supers outside of Top Tree Dawnblade. I mean you literally don't see any Warlock supers at all in pvp outside of Dawnblade and Nova Bomb. Outside of Mayham, I haven't so much as seen any Arc Supers or even Shadebinder at all in months. Then they'll probably nerf Dawnblade when Solar 3.0 comes out so I dunno.