It's always been single-target. The large area shows the size of the ward's effective coverage once it has been activated. This lets you get close to the target without having to be precise. (View Post)
This reminds me of the Black Ice arms in Mod 3 - lots of people ran HEs in IWD for months never to get a drop (including me). By the time I got one, it was no longer needed as newer gear had come out… (View Post)