As mentioned, the 4pc was...highly lacking. I don't normally post about upcoming changes, but...
With the upcoming patch, our 4pc is now slated to increase damage by 10% in addition to the cooldown that is already on starsurge. In short, the new set bonus will make more sense to pick up now, beyond just for the ilvl upgrades.
Showing posts with label moonkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moonkin. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Gearing Strategy - Boom/DragonSoul
DS has been around a bit, we've had time to do a bunch of tests with gear and gear sets, etc.
There are 2 things to consider when playing with gear.
1) We're on the edge of a haste breakpoint with new gear, and you can get over it with certain combinations of gear. This is huge for multi-dot fights and a slight improvement for single target fights.
2) Our 4 pc in the new tier is...rather sad. As a result, if you have heroic from prior tier, hang onto the 2pc from it (I suggest hands and chest, as they're fairly well itemized) until you can get to 4pc Heroic of the current tier. Neither tier is great for shoulders and are a lot better than what you had before if you had tier (and there really aren't other options for the new tier), or don't break your set if you had a non-tier there. The new legs and head are very well itemized, and great places to upgrade, even from heroic in the prior tier. If you are coming in with normal prior tier, I suggest not loosing the old 2 pc until you can go 4pc as well, though it is good to do this as quickly as possible, even with raidfinder gear.
Regarding the haste breakpoint, I'll simply mention the numbers around where we currently are.
With DI: 2639 will get you +5 ticks
Just with NG up: 3102 will get you +5 ticks
With DI: 3783 will get you +6 ticks (this isn't possible without a bunch of heroic t13 gear and some other item choices that would go against normal max ilvl gearing)
If you're on the edge (within 50 or so) of those breakpoints, it is worth gemming some reds to reckless orange to get over that cap, or swapping in a slightly less ilvl item that has more haste on it (as in if you have the raid finder version of the haste/mastery ring, but not the normal, and are replacing a ring without haste on it naturally, such as shanox's heroic).
If you're not on the edge of the haste cap, do as usual, go for ilvl and then reforge into haste and stay at hit cap.
Note: When getting new tier, you may find some of it hard to upgrade without swapping 2 peices, rather than just 1, since they changed where the spirit is on the gear (from legs/hands to shoulder/chest). In the end, we will want 5 tier, but the chest will likely be resto to pick up haste instead of mastery, so don't use the chest to get to 4pc.
There are 2 things to consider when playing with gear.
1) We're on the edge of a haste breakpoint with new gear, and you can get over it with certain combinations of gear. This is huge for multi-dot fights and a slight improvement for single target fights.
2) Our 4 pc in the new tier is...rather sad. As a result, if you have heroic from prior tier, hang onto the 2pc from it (I suggest hands and chest, as they're fairly well itemized) until you can get to 4pc Heroic of the current tier. Neither tier is great for shoulders and are a lot better than what you had before if you had tier (and there really aren't other options for the new tier), or don't break your set if you had a non-tier there. The new legs and head are very well itemized, and great places to upgrade, even from heroic in the prior tier. If you are coming in with normal prior tier, I suggest not loosing the old 2 pc until you can go 4pc as well, though it is good to do this as quickly as possible, even with raidfinder gear.
Regarding the haste breakpoint, I'll simply mention the numbers around where we currently are.
With DI: 2639 will get you +5 ticks
Just with NG up: 3102 will get you +5 ticks
With DI: 3783 will get you +6 ticks (this isn't possible without a bunch of heroic t13 gear and some other item choices that would go against normal max ilvl gearing)
If you're on the edge (within 50 or so) of those breakpoints, it is worth gemming some reds to reckless orange to get over that cap, or swapping in a slightly less ilvl item that has more haste on it (as in if you have the raid finder version of the haste/mastery ring, but not the normal, and are replacing a ring without haste on it naturally, such as shanox's heroic).
If you're not on the edge of the haste cap, do as usual, go for ilvl and then reforge into haste and stay at hit cap.
Note: When getting new tier, you may find some of it hard to upgrade without swapping 2 peices, rather than just 1, since they changed where the spirit is on the gear (from legs/hands to shoulder/chest). In the end, we will want 5 tier, but the chest will likely be resto to pick up haste instead of mastery, so don't use the chest to get to 4pc.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Firelands 101 - The whole nutshell
OK, it has been a while, and I've been short on time, so I'm going to make one large post with all you need to know for FL.
Spec - not changed much, but drop lunar shower, picking up aoe or utility talents along with dreamstate (for when you multidot a lot, since it no longer costs less mana).
Gear - Originally, we were to keep t11 4pc until we got the full t12 4pc of the same lvl (heroic to replace heroic). Thanks to the t11 4pc nerf though, go ahead and go to 2pc 2pc when you can. The shoulders are still the slot to go non-tier with spirit/haste instead. We still have the same stat priority as well.
Boom Boss DPS Strats
Shannox - Any way your raid decides to do this, multi-dot everything while going through your rotation on your main target, including if somebody is stupid enough to get stuck in a trap.
Beth'tilac - This is where you can shine with dreamstate and having removed your lunar shower. Stay on the bottom. Get to solar and double dot every spinner and the drone. Mushroom and typhoon the spiderlings, then use normal rotation once Beth'tilac drops down. For filler, use starfire so you don't push out of solar until the burn phase.
Lord Rhyolith - Stack with everybody in middle, just stay solar, shroom the little adds and double dot/starfire the larger adds. When called to help turn the boss, starfire the correct leg. Enter normal rotation for burn phase. You won't be top damage here on normal mode, let the single target and channeled aoe folks have the fun.
Alysrazor - We are ok to fly, but fire mages and spriests are much better (and aflic locks are great too). If you're flying, do your normal rotation as much as you can until wrath is more than haste capped, then get into solar for double dotting and spam starfire...when dropping down, dot up the hatchlings as you fly past. If you're not flying (which is the usual), run through your normal rotation and dot up both hatchlings while killing the add on your side, and double dot alysrazor while it flys by each time. During tornado phase, have picked up at least 1 feather prior and try to get through the fire hoops on the ground to pick up the haste buff, even if you weren't flying. During burn phase, solar beam an add so it can't channel power into Alysrazor and pop every cooldown you have during this phase for maximum dps.
Baleroc - Pure dps burn, just go through your rotation and pop your cooldowns as they make sense to. If you're called to be a shard soaker it won't hurt dps, but be sure to use barkskin each time your stacks get higher to make healing much easier.
Majordomo Staghelm - Keep dps on him with your rotation the whole time. Throw a dot, or two if they live long enough, on the secondary adds during cat phase (Especially as you transition him since the dots will keep ticking while everybody is stunned).
...and that leaves Ragnaros - "TOO SOON!"
Phase 1 - Burn him
Transitions - As ranged you'll probably have 2 adds to worry about further from the hammer. This is cake as a boom. Set up shrooms under where the closest one will spawn that you're handling. Pop starfall just as it is about to spawn, blow the shrooms when it spawns, then double dot it. Double dot your second add while backing up, and then be ready to typhoon. Sometimes I get dots off on another add to help somebody else and then typhoon 3 or 4 adds (including my 2nd one).
Phase 2 - shroom the stacks, typhoon when folks need to move the stack off of fire to give more survivability, starfall during the packs when it is up.
Phase 3 - Just burn him down, make sure to save cooldowns towards the end of p2 for this. Thanks to the extra adds (scions) in the last transition you should have starfall up again by the time you fully enter p3, even if you use it during the transition. Dot both of the scions and rag while doing normal rotation on the appropriate scion, then rag as you push into full p3.
And that...is all of FireLands normal in a Boomkin nutshell.
Spec - not changed much, but drop lunar shower, picking up aoe or utility talents along with dreamstate (for when you multidot a lot, since it no longer costs less mana).
Gear - Originally, we were to keep t11 4pc until we got the full t12 4pc of the same lvl (heroic to replace heroic). Thanks to the t11 4pc nerf though, go ahead and go to 2pc 2pc when you can. The shoulders are still the slot to go non-tier with spirit/haste instead. We still have the same stat priority as well.
Boom Boss DPS Strats
Shannox - Any way your raid decides to do this, multi-dot everything while going through your rotation on your main target, including if somebody is stupid enough to get stuck in a trap.
Beth'tilac - This is where you can shine with dreamstate and having removed your lunar shower. Stay on the bottom. Get to solar and double dot every spinner and the drone. Mushroom and typhoon the spiderlings, then use normal rotation once Beth'tilac drops down. For filler, use starfire so you don't push out of solar until the burn phase.
Lord Rhyolith - Stack with everybody in middle, just stay solar, shroom the little adds and double dot/starfire the larger adds. When called to help turn the boss, starfire the correct leg. Enter normal rotation for burn phase. You won't be top damage here on normal mode, let the single target and channeled aoe folks have the fun.
Alysrazor - We are ok to fly, but fire mages and spriests are much better (and aflic locks are great too). If you're flying, do your normal rotation as much as you can until wrath is more than haste capped, then get into solar for double dotting and spam starfire...when dropping down, dot up the hatchlings as you fly past. If you're not flying (which is the usual), run through your normal rotation and dot up both hatchlings while killing the add on your side, and double dot alysrazor while it flys by each time. During tornado phase, have picked up at least 1 feather prior and try to get through the fire hoops on the ground to pick up the haste buff, even if you weren't flying. During burn phase, solar beam an add so it can't channel power into Alysrazor and pop every cooldown you have during this phase for maximum dps.
Baleroc - Pure dps burn, just go through your rotation and pop your cooldowns as they make sense to. If you're called to be a shard soaker it won't hurt dps, but be sure to use barkskin each time your stacks get higher to make healing much easier.
Majordomo Staghelm - Keep dps on him with your rotation the whole time. Throw a dot, or two if they live long enough, on the secondary adds during cat phase (Especially as you transition him since the dots will keep ticking while everybody is stunned).
...and that leaves Ragnaros - "TOO SOON!"
Phase 1 - Burn him
Transitions - As ranged you'll probably have 2 adds to worry about further from the hammer. This is cake as a boom. Set up shrooms under where the closest one will spawn that you're handling. Pop starfall just as it is about to spawn, blow the shrooms when it spawns, then double dot it. Double dot your second add while backing up, and then be ready to typhoon. Sometimes I get dots off on another add to help somebody else and then typhoon 3 or 4 adds (including my 2nd one).
Phase 2 - shroom the stacks, typhoon when folks need to move the stack off of fire to give more survivability, starfall during the packs when it is up.
Phase 3 - Just burn him down, make sure to save cooldowns towards the end of p2 for this. Thanks to the extra adds (scions) in the last transition you should have starfall up again by the time you fully enter p3, even if you use it during the transition. Dot both of the scions and rag while doing normal rotation on the appropriate scion, then rag as you push into full p3.
And that...is all of FireLands normal in a Boomkin nutshell.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Power Auras Boomkin Update
I've gotten a lot of requests for help with noticing things, or having a UI that tracks cooldowns and procs. Quite frankly, the built in UI sucks. It will show you a starsurge proc, but everything else only shows up for a split second when you proc it, with no information as to if you're still in it or not. This is an updated set of power auras, it includes moonfire/sunfire as a combined dot, newer trinkets (sorry only the ones I've been using, which are the Witching Hourglass and Theralion's Mirror) and the Power Surge enchant. Personally I usually run with the dot tracking turned off, as I prefer xperl's target and target of target frames for that, so feel free to turn off any of these you don't like, the rest will still keep working.
If you have a specific one you'd like to add in place of those, it is pretty simple to do inside of Power Auras. Just look at the buff your trinket/enchant gives you for a name, then edit one of the proc detectors with that name instead of what I put in, and then go to the animations section and adjust the animation to be the length of the buff. Tada, updated for your own items. :)
So, here's the strings (type /powa, click import set, and paste this in):
As a bonus, a lot of people need to move out of the group faster on Val and Ther when they're exploding. This should help (just perform a single import):
If you have a specific one you'd like to add in place of those, it is pretty simple to do inside of Power Auras. Just look at the buff your trinket/enchant gives you for a name, then edit one of the proc detectors with that name instead of what I put in, and then go to the animations section and adjust the animation to be the length of the buff. Tada, updated for your own items. :)
So, here's the strings (type /powa, click import set, and paste this in):
Set=Boomkin@
Aura[1]=Version:4.3; b:0.898; icon:Spell_Nature_NaturesBlessing; buffname:Nature's Grace; r:0.949; groupany:false; unitn:Only for raid/group.; texture:4; symetrie:3; isResting:0; stacksOperator:=; size:1.5; y:0; finish:0@
Aura[2]=Version:4.3; target:true; icon:Spell_Nature_StarFall; buffname:Moonfire/Sunfire; x:64; bufftype:2; alpha:0.5; owntex:true; isResting:0; mine:true; stacksOperator:=; exact:true; combat:true; size:0.19; y:62; timer.h:1.56; timer.Texture:Monofonto; timer.enabled:true; timer.cents:false; timer.y:22; timer.x:64; timer.Transparent:true@
Aura[3]=Version:4.3; b:0.6431; g:0.4392; icon:Ability_Druid_Eclipse; buffname:Ability_Druid_Eclipse; r:0.349; begin:1; groupany:false; unitn:Only for raid/group.; texture:5; isResting:0; stacksOperator:=; exact:true; wowtex:true; combat:true; size:0.5; y:100@
Aura[4]=Version:4.3; b:0.1961; g:0.6118; icon:Ability_Druid_EclipseOrange; buffname:Ability_Druid_EclipseOrange; begin:1; groupany:false; unitn:Only for raid/group.; texture:5; alpha:0.75; isResting:0; stacksOperator:=; exact:true; wowtex:true; combat:true; size:0.5; y:100@
Aura[5]=Version:4.3; g:0.6902; icon:Spell_Nature_Lightning; buffname:Innervate; r:0.302; groupany:false; unitn:Only for raid/group.; bufftype:7; texture:23; alpha:0.1; owntex:true; isResting:0; stacksOperator:=; exact:true; size:0.02@
Aura[6]=Version:4.3; anim1:4; g:0.5059; icon:Spell_fire_meteorstorm; r:0.2706; begin:1; groupany:false; unitn:Only for raid/group.; bufftype:9; texture:15; isResting:0; multiids:5; speed:2; stacksOperator:=; threshold:56; size:0.5; y:216; anim2:2@
Aura[7]=Version:4.3; target:true; icon:Spell_Nature_InsectSwarm; buffname:Insect Swarm; x:-64; isAlive:0; bufftype:2; alpha:0.5; owntex:true; isResting:0; mine:true; inVehicle:0; stacksOperator:=; exact:true; combat:true; size:0.19; y:62; ismounted:0; timer.h:1.56; timer.Texture:Monofonto; timer.enabled:true; timer.cents:false; timer.y:22; timer.x:-64; timer.Transparent:true@
Aura[8]=Version:4.3; b:0.1529; icon:Ability_Druid_ForceofNature; buffname:Force of Nature; r:0; begin:5; x:-64; bufftype:15; texture:23; alpha:0.35; wowtex:true; size:0.5; y:191; timer.h:1.56; timer.enabled:true; timer.y:188; timer.x:-80@
Aura[9]=Version:4.3; g:0.9922; icon:Ability_Druid_Starfall; buffname:Starfall; r:0.6745; begin:7; x:65; bufftype:15; texture:45; alpha:0.6; wowtex:true; size:0.5; y:180; timer.h:1.56; timer.enabled:true; timer.y:188; timer.x:53@
Aura[10]=Version:4.3; b:0.0039; g:0; icon:Ability_Paladin_SacredCleansing; buffname:Power Torrent; r:0.5451; x:-1; texture:23; isResting:0; duration:12; stacksOperator:=; combat:true; size:1.1; torsion:1.5; y:-155; anim2:4; timer.h:1.95; timer.enabled:true; timer.y:-180; timer.x:-17@
Aura[11]=Version:4.3; b:0; g:0.1765; icon:Achievement_Halloween_Witch_01; buffname:Witching Hour; r:0.3176; x:1; texture:23; alpha:0.65; isResting:0; duration:15; stacksOperator:=; combat:true; size:1.1; torsion:1.5; y:-225; anim2:4; timer.h:1.95; timer.enabled:true; timer.y:-247; timer.x:-17@
Aura[12]=Version:4.3; b:0; g:0.3059; icon:Spell_Arcane_Blink; buffname:Revelation; r:0.3176; x:1; texture:23; alpha:0.65; isResting:0; duration:20.75; stacksOperator:=; combat:true; size:1.1; torsion:1.5; y:-294; anim2:4; timer.h:1.95; timer.enabled:true; timer.y:-317; timer.x:-17@
Aura[13]=Version:4.3; b:0; g:0.9922; icon:Ability_Mage_ArcaneBarrage; buffname:Shooting Stars; x:144; groupany:false; unitn:Only for raid/group.; texture:143; isResting:0; speed:1.5; sound:23; stacksOperator:=; size:0.7; torsion:0.78; y:163; finish:0@
As a bonus, a lot of people need to move out of the group faster on Val and Ther when they're exploding. This should help (just perform a single import):
Version:4.3; b:0.149; g:0; icon:Spell_Holy_ConsumeMagic; buffname:engulfing magic; bufftype:2; sound:17; combat:true; size:2.09
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Important changes with 4.0.6
4.0.6 is now finally live. Along with it are a small smattering of boomkin changes.
In general:
Moonkin form looses armor bonus, gets 15% damage reduction. Cool, since it should just be spells hitting us in raids anyway.
You'll have more mana as a few things (moonfire/sunfire) cost less mana to cast now.
Planting shrooms is now instant so can be done while moving and they do more damage, very handy for raid AoE damage such as on Cho'Gall.
Starfall is now smarter (won't hit mobs you're not in combat with), except when it bugs (often), and drops more stars more quickly.
Meta gems are fixed, but we also have new ones so who cares. You should now use Burning Shadowspirit Diamond.
If you aren't a LW, enchanting now has an Int to wrist enchant, use it.
The stat priority shifts to move Mastery above crit, as our mastery got a buff, so now the priority is:
int > spirit/hit (to hit cap) > haste > mastery > crit
Really, most of these are minor for us. Our play style is the same, as is our cast priority, we just get a little more out of some of our gear and the new gems.
Also, a note: it appears as if all the glyphs got switched around on the talent tree I had posted before, so here's what you'll want to be using in almost all cases:
Prime: Moonfire, Insect Swarm, Wrath
Major: Starfall, Rebirth...optional last spot as Focus, Monsoon, or Innervate depending on fight.
Minor: Mark of the Wild, Unburdened Rebirth, Dash (all optional, as they don't affect combat, but are often helpful)
Once you reach certain gear levels, and for certain fights, the StarSurge glyph may be good to replace one of the above.
In general:
Moonkin form looses armor bonus, gets 15% damage reduction. Cool, since it should just be spells hitting us in raids anyway.
You'll have more mana as a few things (moonfire/sunfire) cost less mana to cast now.
Planting shrooms is now instant so can be done while moving and they do more damage, very handy for raid AoE damage such as on Cho'Gall.
Starfall is now smarter (won't hit mobs you're not in combat with), except when it bugs (often), and drops more stars more quickly.
Meta gems are fixed, but we also have new ones so who cares. You should now use Burning Shadowspirit Diamond.
If you aren't a LW, enchanting now has an Int to wrist enchant, use it.
The stat priority shifts to move Mastery above crit, as our mastery got a buff, so now the priority is:
int > spirit/hit (to hit cap) > haste > mastery > crit
Really, most of these are minor for us. Our play style is the same, as is our cast priority, we just get a little more out of some of our gear and the new gems.
Also, a note: it appears as if all the glyphs got switched around on the talent tree I had posted before, so here's what you'll want to be using in almost all cases:
Prime: Moonfire, Insect Swarm, Wrath
Major: Starfall, Rebirth...optional last spot as Focus, Monsoon, or Innervate depending on fight.
Minor: Mark of the Wild, Unburdened Rebirth, Dash (all optional, as they don't affect combat, but are often helpful)
Once you reach certain gear levels, and for certain fights, the StarSurge glyph may be good to replace one of the above.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Moonkin 101 for 4.0.1
OK, so 4.0.1 has entirely changed the game, here is what you need to know.
1) Go to your trainer and learn everything, lots of things need to be trained (again) such as Bear Form.
2) Use this spec: http://wowtal.com/#k=15tOzTvD.a67.druid.dyfgnz
3) Put your abilities back in your bars, and add the new one (Starsurge).
4) Sell your reagents, you won't need them anymore.
5) Visit your friendly scribe or the AH. Pick up any druid glyphs you don't have (as you now "learn" a glyph and can apply it at will).
For the glyphs, follow the above spec. You may want to swap in/out the following for Major Glyphs depending on the situation: Focus (situational), Monsoon, Hurricane. I've included Rebirth, which isn't a dps glyph, but helps a lot if you ever need to brez, which we often do.
Now that your spec is all set, let's look at gear. Follow these simple rules:
1) Take off any cloth you have.
2) Put on the highest ilevel caster leather that you have (keeping your 4pc t10 of course).
The main things you need to know about stat changes:
1) You now need the full 17% hit. You will hit cap at 446 hit.
2) Spirit becomes hit, use it instead of hit when you can, because it also gives you mana back (this won't matter now, but it will as you level).
3) Int = spellpower (weapons and some trinket procs may still have spellpower, but everything else will have int).
Your stat priority looks like this:
Int > spirit (to hit cap) > hit (to cap) > haste > sp > crit > mastery
Now, gem everything to match socket bonus if the bonus is sp. If it isn't, put a pure int (red) gem in it. You should use:
Red: Brilliant Cardinal Ruby
Blue: Purified Dreadstone
Yellow: Reckless Ametrine
You will also want to go to Wyrmrest and Hodir to pick up the old healing head and shoulder enchants. The mp5 has turned to spirit and the sp to int. The sp/crit ones stayed sp/crit (so if you're on a budget or don't have the rep, they're still ok to keep using, but not optimal).
Now comes the fun...reforging. Chances are, you have extra hit and extra spirit, and you're finding yourself with less crit and haste than you had before. There is a reforging NPC by the enchanting trainer in Dalaran. You will want to get as close to the hit cap as you can (slightly over is better than slightly under). This works by first taking your gear with hit and reforging that. Reforge to the stat priorities above, each reforge will remove 40% of the stat and let you turn it into another secondary stat (haste, crit, spirit, mastery, hit) that isn't already on that item.
There you go, now you're ready except for the "how to play" part. So, here's the way your "rotation" works.
You have 5 main abilities: Moonfire (MF) which morphs into the exact spell but called Sunfire during solar eclipse, Insect Swarm (IS), Wrath (W), Starfire (SF), and the new one Starsurge (SS) which is on a medium cooldown. You continue to have 2 long cooldowns in Force of Nature and Starfall. You also have an eclipse bar with a sun at one end and a moon at the other (just under your player portrait in the default UI). In order to do maximum dps, you will always want to keep the eclipse bar progressing one way or another.
In order to do that, you should know that only 3 spells move the bar: SF, W, SS. SF will move the bar from the Lunar side towards the Solar side and W will move the bar from the Solar to the Lunar. SS is unique in that it will always move the bar in the best direction. It is important to note that the bar will only move in one direction until it gets all the way to the other end, at which point you trigger the eclipse. You should generally treat your spells as a priority:
Instant SS > MF > IS > SS > W or SF depending on which eclipse.
There is a little debate over that vs having a more strict timing for MF (since it is what gives us the haste buff once we proc an eclipse), but in general it is better to have it ticking than to wait, and you won't waste the haste buff anyway, you'll simply trigger it at a different time...which isn't a problem since eclipses are now based on number of casts, rather than time. It is also helpful since your talents will let you clear the cooldown on SS and also turn it into an instant as a chance per dot tick. I say prioritize MF over IS because both dots are affected by haste (and crit) now, so you want to proc the haste from MF before casting IS.
A couple quick notes on spells for AoE. Hurricane and Starfall are now effected by their respective Solar and Lunar eclipses to make them more powerful. Starfall has unfortunately lost all its splash damage, so you just get 20 stars now with 2+ targets or 10 with 1.
There you have it, the basics for Boomkin in patch 4.0.1. Look for an update soon™ for Bears, as I and some others try out various proposed specs and rotations.
1) Go to your trainer and learn everything, lots of things need to be trained (again) such as Bear Form.
2) Use this spec: http://wowtal.com/#k=15tOzTvD.a67.druid.dyfgnz
3) Put your abilities back in your bars, and add the new one (Starsurge).
4) Sell your reagents, you won't need them anymore.
5) Visit your friendly scribe or the AH. Pick up any druid glyphs you don't have (as you now "learn" a glyph and can apply it at will).
For the glyphs, follow the above spec. You may want to swap in/out the following for Major Glyphs depending on the situation: Focus (situational), Monsoon, Hurricane. I've included Rebirth, which isn't a dps glyph, but helps a lot if you ever need to brez, which we often do.
Now that your spec is all set, let's look at gear. Follow these simple rules:
1) Take off any cloth you have.
2) Put on the highest ilevel caster leather that you have (keeping your 4pc t10 of course).
The main things you need to know about stat changes:
1) You now need the full 17% hit. You will hit cap at 446 hit.
2) Spirit becomes hit, use it instead of hit when you can, because it also gives you mana back (this won't matter now, but it will as you level).
3) Int = spellpower (weapons and some trinket procs may still have spellpower, but everything else will have int).
Your stat priority looks like this:
Int > spirit (to hit cap) > hit (to cap) > haste > sp > crit > mastery
Now, gem everything to match socket bonus if the bonus is sp. If it isn't, put a pure int (red) gem in it. You should use:
Red: Brilliant Cardinal Ruby
Blue: Purified Dreadstone
Yellow: Reckless Ametrine
You will also want to go to Wyrmrest and Hodir to pick up the old healing head and shoulder enchants. The mp5 has turned to spirit and the sp to int. The sp/crit ones stayed sp/crit (so if you're on a budget or don't have the rep, they're still ok to keep using, but not optimal).
Now comes the fun...reforging. Chances are, you have extra hit and extra spirit, and you're finding yourself with less crit and haste than you had before. There is a reforging NPC by the enchanting trainer in Dalaran. You will want to get as close to the hit cap as you can (slightly over is better than slightly under). This works by first taking your gear with hit and reforging that. Reforge to the stat priorities above, each reforge will remove 40% of the stat and let you turn it into another secondary stat (haste, crit, spirit, mastery, hit) that isn't already on that item.
There you go, now you're ready except for the "how to play" part. So, here's the way your "rotation" works.
You have 5 main abilities: Moonfire (MF) which morphs into the exact spell but called Sunfire during solar eclipse, Insect Swarm (IS), Wrath (W), Starfire (SF), and the new one Starsurge (SS) which is on a medium cooldown. You continue to have 2 long cooldowns in Force of Nature and Starfall. You also have an eclipse bar with a sun at one end and a moon at the other (just under your player portrait in the default UI). In order to do maximum dps, you will always want to keep the eclipse bar progressing one way or another.
In order to do that, you should know that only 3 spells move the bar: SF, W, SS. SF will move the bar from the Lunar side towards the Solar side and W will move the bar from the Solar to the Lunar. SS is unique in that it will always move the bar in the best direction. It is important to note that the bar will only move in one direction until it gets all the way to the other end, at which point you trigger the eclipse. You should generally treat your spells as a priority:
Instant SS > MF > IS > SS > W or SF depending on which eclipse.
There is a little debate over that vs having a more strict timing for MF (since it is what gives us the haste buff once we proc an eclipse), but in general it is better to have it ticking than to wait, and you won't waste the haste buff anyway, you'll simply trigger it at a different time...which isn't a problem since eclipses are now based on number of casts, rather than time. It is also helpful since your talents will let you clear the cooldown on SS and also turn it into an instant as a chance per dot tick. I say prioritize MF over IS because both dots are affected by haste (and crit) now, so you want to proc the haste from MF before casting IS.
A couple quick notes on spells for AoE. Hurricane and Starfall are now effected by their respective Solar and Lunar eclipses to make them more powerful. Starfall has unfortunately lost all its splash damage, so you just get 20 stars now with 2+ targets or 10 with 1.
There you have it, the basics for Boomkin in patch 4.0.1. Look for an update soon™ for Bears, as I and some others try out various proposed specs and rotations.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Keeping track of procs/cooldowns - Power Auras
I've recently talked with several boomkin who have had trouble getting up their dps, even in gear with little enough haste that continual spell queuing is still possible. After some analisys, I noticed that they didn't cast as many starfall, treants, etc...or didn't make smart use of a haste pot in a non-bloodlust fight. To help with that right now, I want to talk about an addon, PowerAuras.
I also suggest you get used to this style of tracking, since it is built into the Cataclysm WoW client.
Let's take the no-addon person first. To catch procs, you're constantly scanning through different spots in your buff table, looking for icons and their durations, and hoping not to miss one. For cooldowns, you're looking at the opposite side (bottom) of the screen for when your abilities become available again, all while trying to watch what the boss is doing and where you are. Clearly, this is horrible from the perspective of getting the info you need.
Second, let's take somebody using any of the various cooldown tracker addons. Most of these, including the wonderful squawk and awe, use bars to show you how long you have something up, or how long you need to wait. This at least puts everything in one place for you, lets you see cooldowns (which you had no way of seeing except for your castable abilities). Much better, and viable, but not the easiest way to get information since we're still comparing many bars and trying to find which one is what we want info on right now.
So now let's look at Power Auras. We can display pictures (and timers) for things, along with sounds if desired. In my case, I always used to forget about starfall and treants long enough to miss getting them up anywhere near as much (something that apparently is common). I also used to drop my dots (back when we always wanted them both up all the time, like it seems we will again in cataclysm). I also found it really REALLY annoying to move, not proc eclipse, and then have wasted an eclipse, or tried to proc the wrong one (thinking it was off of cooldown, or thinking that I still had time before I could proc). I would also occasionally miss the eclipse if a lot was going on, or think another boomkin's eclipse that was stacked with me was my own. To solve this, I've turned to PowerAuras. I display a larger eclipse type graphic above my head, with a countdown timer, eclipse cooldown graphics smaller near it, treant and starfall availability (or countdown to being available), my haste procs on crit to make sure hurricane is hasted, and various trinket/ability procs stack up below (though I don't watch their cooldowns). This makes it really easy to see what's going on and keep things up that need to be (like insect swarm for mitigation on progression content).
Note: I track DFO, but not other trinkets (since I don't have them), the ooc t10 proc, and the ring proc. If you wish to track others, you can simply duplicate the item in power auras and use your proc's name instead. You can also track debuffs, but I leave that up to your own fooling with the mod, as that is usually more of a per-boss thing.
If you want to try my setup, here's how:
1) type /powa to open up power auras
2) click on the import set button
3) paste in the following and click ok. (wall 'o text incoming)
I also suggest you get used to this style of tracking, since it is built into the Cataclysm WoW client.
Let's take the no-addon person first. To catch procs, you're constantly scanning through different spots in your buff table, looking for icons and their durations, and hoping not to miss one. For cooldowns, you're looking at the opposite side (bottom) of the screen for when your abilities become available again, all while trying to watch what the boss is doing and where you are. Clearly, this is horrible from the perspective of getting the info you need.
Second, let's take somebody using any of the various cooldown tracker addons. Most of these, including the wonderful squawk and awe, use bars to show you how long you have something up, or how long you need to wait. This at least puts everything in one place for you, lets you see cooldowns (which you had no way of seeing except for your castable abilities). Much better, and viable, but not the easiest way to get information since we're still comparing many bars and trying to find which one is what we want info on right now.
So now let's look at Power Auras. We can display pictures (and timers) for things, along with sounds if desired. In my case, I always used to forget about starfall and treants long enough to miss getting them up anywhere near as much (something that apparently is common). I also used to drop my dots (back when we always wanted them both up all the time, like it seems we will again in cataclysm). I also found it really REALLY annoying to move, not proc eclipse, and then have wasted an eclipse, or tried to proc the wrong one (thinking it was off of cooldown, or thinking that I still had time before I could proc). I would also occasionally miss the eclipse if a lot was going on, or think another boomkin's eclipse that was stacked with me was my own. To solve this, I've turned to PowerAuras. I display a larger eclipse type graphic above my head, with a countdown timer, eclipse cooldown graphics smaller near it, treant and starfall availability (or countdown to being available), my haste procs on crit to make sure hurricane is hasted, and various trinket/ability procs stack up below (though I don't watch their cooldowns). This makes it really easy to see what's going on and keep things up that need to be (like insect swarm for mitigation on progression content).
Note: I track DFO, but not other trinkets (since I don't have them), the ooc t10 proc, and the ring proc. If you wish to track others, you can simply duplicate the item in power auras and use your proc's name instead. You can also track debuffs, but I leave that up to your own fooling with the mod, as that is usually more of a per-boss thing.
If you want to try my setup, here's how:
1) type /powa to open up power auras
2) click on the import set button
3) paste in the following and click ok. (wall 'o text incoming)
Set=Boomkin@
Aura[1]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.89803921568627; anim1:nu1; g:nu1; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Nature_NaturesBlessing; size:nu1.5; torsion:nu1; r:nu0.94901960784314; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu0; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:bofalse; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu4; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu3; owntex:bofalse; isResting:nu0; duration:nu0; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:bofalse; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:bofalse; id:nu1; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:nu0; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stNature's Grace; y:nu0; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu0@
Aura[2]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu1; anim1:nu1; g:nu1; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:botrue; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Nature_StarFall; size:nu0.18999999761581; torsion:nu1; r:nu1; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu48; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:st; bufftype:nu2; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu1; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:botrue; isResting:nu0; duration:nu0; mine:botrue; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; id:nu2; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:botrue; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stMoonfire; y:nu-80; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu2; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:bofalse; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu-74; timer.h:nu1; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:bofalse; timer.Transparent:botrue; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu30; timer.Texture:stMonofonto@
Aura[3]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.64313725490196; anim1:nu1; g:nu0.43921568627451; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Ability_Druid_Eclipse; size:nu0.5; torsion:nu1; r:nu0.34901960784314; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu1; x:nu0; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:bofalse; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu5; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:nu0; duration:nu0; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; id:nu3; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:botrue; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:botrue; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stAbility_Druid_Eclipse; y:nu100; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu3; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:botrue; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu27; timer.h:nu1.5; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:bofalse; timer.Transparent:botrue; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu-9; timer.Texture:stMonofonto@
Aura[4]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.19607843137255; anim1:nu1; g:nu0.61176470588235; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Ability_Druid_EclipseOrange; size:nu0.5; torsion:nu1; r:nu1; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu1; x:nu0; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:bofalse; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu5; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:nu0; duration:nu0; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; id:nu4; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:botrue; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:botrue; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stAbility_Druid_EclipseOrange; y:nu100; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu4; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:botrue; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu27; timer.h:nu1.5; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:bofalse; timer.Transparent:botrue; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu-10; timer.Texture:stMonofonto@
Aura[5]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu1; anim1:nu1; g:nu0.69019607843137; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Nature_Lightning; size:nu0.019999999552965; torsion:nu1; r:nu0.30196078431373; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu0; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:bofalse; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu7; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu23; slot:nu51; alpha:nu0.10000000149012; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:botrue; isResting:nu0; duration:nu0; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; spec1:botrue; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; randomcolor:bofalse; InactiveDueToState:bofalse; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; id:nu5; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:nu0; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stInnervate; y:nu-30; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1@
Aura[6]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu1; anim1:nu4; g:nu0.50588235294118; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\icons\Spell_fire_meteorstorm; size:nu0.5; torsion:nu1; r:nu0.27058823529412; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu1; x:nu0; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:bofalse; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:stOnly for raid/group.; bufftype:nu9; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu15; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:nu0; duration:nu0; mine:bofalse; multiids:st5; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu2; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; spec1:botrue; InactiveDueToState:bofalse; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu56; exact:bofalse; id:nu6; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu2; wowtex:bofalse; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:nu0; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:st???; y:nu216; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1@
Aura[7]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu1; anim1:nu1; g:nu1; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:botrue; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Nature_InsectSwarm; size:nu0.18999999761581; torsion:nu1; r:nu1; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu-48; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:st; bufftype:nu2; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu1; alpha:nu0.75; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:botrue; isResting:nu0; duration:nu0; mine:botrue; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; id:nu7; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:bofalse; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:botrue; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stInsect Swarm; y:nu-80; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu7; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:bofalse; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu-74; timer.h:nu1; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:bofalse; timer.Transparent:botrue; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu-30; timer.Texture:stMonofonto@
Aura[8]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.15294117647059; anim1:nu1; g:nu1; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Ability_Druid_ForceofNature; size:nu0.5; torsion:nu1; r:nu0; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu5; x:nu-64; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:st; bufftype:nu15; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu23; alpha:nu0.34999999403954; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:bofalse; duration:nu0; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; spec1:botrue; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st>=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:bofalse; id:nu8; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:botrue; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:nu0; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stForce of Nature; y:nu191; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu8; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:botrue; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu120; timer.h:nu1; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:botrue; timer.Transparent:bofalse; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu-51; timer.Texture:stDefault@
Aura[9]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu1; anim1:nu1; g:nu0.9921568627451; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Ability_Druid_Starfall; size:nu0.5; torsion:nu1; r:nu0.67450980392157; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu7; x:nu65; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:st; bufftype:nu15; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu45; alpha:nu0.60000002384186; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:bofalse; duration:nu0; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; spec1:botrue; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st>=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:bofalse; id:nu9; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:botrue; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:nu0; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stStarfall; y:nu180; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu9; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:botrue; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu120; timer.h:nu1; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:botrue; timer.Transparent:bofalse; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu34; timer.Texture:stDefault@
Aura[10]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.43921568627451; anim1:nu1; g:nu0.15686274509804; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Shadow_BurningSpirit; size:nu1.0999999046326; torsion:nu1.5; r:nu0.46666666666667; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu-1; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:st; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu23; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:nu0; duration:nu6; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:bofalse; id:nu10; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu4; wowtex:bofalse; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:botrue; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stOmen of Doom; y:nu-155; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu10; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:botrue; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu-115; timer.h:nu1.25; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:bofalse; timer.Transparent:bofalse; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu-11; timer.Texture:stDefault@
Aura[11]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.94117647058824; anim1:nu1; g:nu0.33333333333333; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Spell_Holy_MindVision; size:nu1.0999999046326; torsion:nu1.5; r:nu0; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu1; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu0; unitn:st; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu23; alpha:nu0.65000003576279; aurastext:st; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:nu0; duration:nu6; mine:bofalse; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu1; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:bofalse; id:nu11; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu4; wowtex:bofalse; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:botrue; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stFrostforged Sage; y:nu-225; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:bofalse; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1; timer.a:nu1; timer.HideRequest:botrue; timer.id:nu11; timer.InvertAuraBelow:nu0; timer.cents:botrue; timer.HideLeadingZeros:bofalse; timer.Showing:bofalse; timer.enabled:botrue; timer.y:nu-158; timer.h:nu1.25; timer.ShowOnAuraHide:bofalse; timer.Transparent:bofalse; timer.UpdatePing:bofalse; timer.ShowActivation:bofalse; timer.x:nu-11; timer.Texture:stDefault@
Aura[12]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.67058823529412; anim1:nu4; g:nu0.074509803921569; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Ability_Druid_Eclipse; size:nu0.15999999642372; torsion:nu1; r:nu0.35294117647059; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu65; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu30; unitn:st; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu5; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:stLunarCooldown; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:bofalse; duration:nu15; mine:botrue; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu0.5; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st>=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; id:nu12; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:botrue; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:nu0; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stAbility_Druid_Eclipse; y:nu119; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:botrue; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1@
Aura[13]=Version:st3.0.0J; gcd:bofalse; b:nu0.011764705882353; anim1:nu1; g:nu0.30588235294118; optunitn:bofalse; ignoremaj:botrue; Instance25ManHeroic:nu0; stacksLower:nu0; target:bofalse; icon:stInterface\Icons\Ability_Druid_EclipseOrange; size:nu0.15999999642372; torsion:nu1; r:nu0.59607843137255; Instance5ManHeroic:nu0; begin:nu0; x:nu-65; customsoundend:st; customname:st; groupany:botrue; isAlive:botrue; timerduration:nu30; unitn:st; bufftype:nu1; stacks:nu0; focus:bofalse; Instance10ManHeroic:nu0; raid:bofalse; texture:nu5; alpha:nu0.75000005960464; aurastext:stLunarCooldown; InstanceBg:nu0; symetrie:nu0; owntex:bofalse; isResting:bofalse; duration:nu15; mine:botrue; multiids:st; inVehicle:bofalse; speed:nu0.5; Instance5Man:nu0; sound:nu0; InactiveDueToState:botrue; stacksOperator:st>=; realaura:nu1; randomcolor:bofalse; threshold:nu50; exact:botrue; id:nu13; HideRequest:bofalse; textaura:bofalse; Active:bofalse; anim2:nu0; wowtex:botrue; groupOrSelf:bofalse; customsound:st; soundend:nu0; beginSpin:bofalse; InstanceArena:nu0; inParty:nu0; tooltipCheck:st; GTFO:nu0; aurastextfont:nu1; stance:nu10; spec2:botrue; Instance10Man:nu0; customtex:bofalse; PvP:nu0; spec1:botrue; Instance25Man:nu0; isSecondary:bofalse; thresholdinvert:bofalse; inRaid:nu0; combat:nu0; Showing:bofalse; UseOldAnimations:bofalse; buffname:stAbility_Druid_EclipseOrange; y:nu119; off:bofalse; texmode:nu1; inverse:botrue; ismounted:bofalse; targetfriend:bofalse; party:bofalse; finish:nu1@
Speed tip confirmed
So, I took myself to task to up my DPS, as it seemed fairly far off from spreadsheets, rather than somewhat close.
The last post was the result of that and some dummy testing. So how did I do?
Well, I did quite well. I went from being about 85% for ranking status on most 10 mans to being a top record holder on many of the fights (as according to World of Logs). Needless to say, faster fingers do wonders when dealing with below GCD haste levels.
The last post was the result of that and some dummy testing. So how did I do?
Well, I did quite well. I went from being about 85% for ranking status on most 10 mans to being a top record holder on many of the fights (as according to World of Logs). Needless to say, faster fingers do wonders when dealing with below GCD haste levels.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Are you fast enough?
This question is a larger question than you might think, and all aspects of it are valid to ask and discuss.
Firstly, are you fast enough to be observant?
Then, are you fast enough to move (usually out of the way of something bad)?
Are you fast enough to react to a raidlead's instruction (brez, adjust, etc)?
For these 3, and other similar issues, please see my previous post on raid awareness, much of it applies to how quickly you are aware, reducing the time it takes you to do everything else.
Can you move fast enough to get out of said problem?
AKA, do you use tustkar's or cat's swiftness? Do you make use of travel form, sprint/dash, blink, rocket boots?
If you can't say yes to any of the above...you need to.
Lastly, and my main focus and inspiration for this, are you fast enough to do max dps?
Let's assume you can stand in 1 spot and never have to move (since all of that is covered in the above areas).
You will have 3 main things that determine how fast you can cast and get a spell out.
1) Do you have enough haste?
Make sure you're at LEAST at the soft haste cap (roughly 400 as a boomkin with full raid buffs).
Get more, more is better.
2) Is your ping/latency low enough?
There are many ways that people go about dropping this, but they all boil down to network settings changes. The simple and easy answer is to look up leatrix latency fix for you Windows users, their faq also has info on how to do the same via command line on Mac. Sometimes it helps, other times it doesn't. Some folks, especially in other countries from their game server, will use a third party game proxy service. You're aiming for something in the <50 range, but even 200 is playable. If you have huge latency, especially as a boomkin, use crit instead of haste once above the soft cap, or just pure SP (as most do anyway).
3) Do you understand how spell queueing works? How about for instants or shorter than GCD casts?
Let's take the easy example of Starfire (since it will pretty much never be non-queued).
When you cast starfire, it takes longer than the GCD. Once the GCD is done AND the spell is about to finish, you can press it again and it will be queued. This lets the server start casting it as soon as the other spell is done, for a net result of no lost cast time. The most effective way to get this to happen is simply to spam your cast key, so you'll get into that queue window asap, even if you have bad latency.
Now let's look at a spell like wrath (which will drop below the GCD cast time easily once in mostly 264 gear, when you proc on crit, if not before). I'll use me as an example. wrath takes .7 sec to cast, the GCD is 1 sec, so I have a minimum theoretical time of .3 sec every sec of not being casting. This is how any kind of dps spreadsheet or RAWR will look at things, for the most part.
Now let's look at how this is implemented, technically. You press the wrath keybind (you're not clicking are you?), your client checks to make sure you're not inside the GCD...if you are it throws away the keypress, then it checks to see if you're CC'd or unable to cast for some other reason...if so it throws out the keypress, then it checks to see if you're casting...if you are, and you're not in the queueable window, it throws away the keypress...then it sends the wrath command to the server (internet latency), then the server checks to make sure you're not doing anything else, then the server executes your command. This is where a lot of people end it, but it is important to note the next step too. Your client doesn't start the GCD (local on the client) until the server tells your client (internet latency), that your command has started.
Now that you know how it works, let's talk about speeding up Wrath casting. The average button spammer hits the keyboard about 4-5 times per second. For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to use 5 times/sec, which means you hit the key every .2 seconds on average. So, looking at our wrath example, you cast, get back a gcd, at which point you need to INSTANTLY hit the wrath button. In our average situation, you're going to miss by anywhere from almost nothing to .2 seconds. .2 sec on a spell that only takes 1 sec (only because of the GCD) is fairly significant...making it up to a 20% increase in cast time used for 1 cast. Clearly, the answer is to "FACEROLL HARDER!" Seriously though, we need to generate more wrath commands faster, so that we loose less time doing nothing. Bliz has stated that programable keyboards and such are violations of the ToS and User Agreement, and can result in a ban...but there is an easy answer. Most people can use 2 fingers alternately, almost as effectively as a single one. So, if you use...say, 2, as your wrath button. Put wrath into the 3 slot as well and use 2 fingers to mash on it. You won't be consistant with 1 vs the other, one will probably end up slower sometimes or get you off pattern, but just try to get comfortable with alternating fingers to hit the keys. This can bring your tap time down easily to about .1 sec instead of .2...which means now you do 10% more dps while casting wrath (assuming your latency is reasonable).
This is applicable to any chain casting class that is hitting the GCD with the same spell, including restos using intants and mouseover targets. Please let me know if this helps you too! :)
Firstly, are you fast enough to be observant?
Then, are you fast enough to move (usually out of the way of something bad)?
Are you fast enough to react to a raidlead's instruction (brez, adjust, etc)?
For these 3, and other similar issues, please see my previous post on raid awareness, much of it applies to how quickly you are aware, reducing the time it takes you to do everything else.
Can you move fast enough to get out of said problem?
AKA, do you use tustkar's or cat's swiftness? Do you make use of travel form, sprint/dash, blink, rocket boots?
If you can't say yes to any of the above...you need to.
Lastly, and my main focus and inspiration for this, are you fast enough to do max dps?
Let's assume you can stand in 1 spot and never have to move (since all of that is covered in the above areas).
You will have 3 main things that determine how fast you can cast and get a spell out.
1) Do you have enough haste?
Make sure you're at LEAST at the soft haste cap (roughly 400 as a boomkin with full raid buffs).
Get more, more is better.
2) Is your ping/latency low enough?
There are many ways that people go about dropping this, but they all boil down to network settings changes. The simple and easy answer is to look up leatrix latency fix for you Windows users, their faq also has info on how to do the same via command line on Mac. Sometimes it helps, other times it doesn't. Some folks, especially in other countries from their game server, will use a third party game proxy service. You're aiming for something in the <50 range, but even 200 is playable. If you have huge latency, especially as a boomkin, use crit instead of haste once above the soft cap, or just pure SP (as most do anyway).
3) Do you understand how spell queueing works? How about for instants or shorter than GCD casts?
Let's take the easy example of Starfire (since it will pretty much never be non-queued).
When you cast starfire, it takes longer than the GCD. Once the GCD is done AND the spell is about to finish, you can press it again and it will be queued. This lets the server start casting it as soon as the other spell is done, for a net result of no lost cast time. The most effective way to get this to happen is simply to spam your cast key, so you'll get into that queue window asap, even if you have bad latency.
Now let's look at a spell like wrath (which will drop below the GCD cast time easily once in mostly 264 gear, when you proc on crit, if not before). I'll use me as an example. wrath takes .7 sec to cast, the GCD is 1 sec, so I have a minimum theoretical time of .3 sec every sec of not being casting. This is how any kind of dps spreadsheet or RAWR will look at things, for the most part.
Now let's look at how this is implemented, technically. You press the wrath keybind (you're not clicking are you?), your client checks to make sure you're not inside the GCD...if you are it throws away the keypress, then it checks to see if you're CC'd or unable to cast for some other reason...if so it throws out the keypress, then it checks to see if you're casting...if you are, and you're not in the queueable window, it throws away the keypress...then it sends the wrath command to the server (internet latency), then the server checks to make sure you're not doing anything else, then the server executes your command. This is where a lot of people end it, but it is important to note the next step too. Your client doesn't start the GCD (local on the client) until the server tells your client (internet latency), that your command has started.
Now that you know how it works, let's talk about speeding up Wrath casting. The average button spammer hits the keyboard about 4-5 times per second. For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to use 5 times/sec, which means you hit the key every .2 seconds on average. So, looking at our wrath example, you cast, get back a gcd, at which point you need to INSTANTLY hit the wrath button. In our average situation, you're going to miss by anywhere from almost nothing to .2 seconds. .2 sec on a spell that only takes 1 sec (only because of the GCD) is fairly significant...making it up to a 20% increase in cast time used for 1 cast. Clearly, the answer is to "FACEROLL HARDER!" Seriously though, we need to generate more wrath commands faster, so that we loose less time doing nothing. Bliz has stated that programable keyboards and such are violations of the ToS and User Agreement, and can result in a ban...but there is an easy answer. Most people can use 2 fingers alternately, almost as effectively as a single one. So, if you use...say, 2, as your wrath button. Put wrath into the 3 slot as well and use 2 fingers to mash on it. You won't be consistant with 1 vs the other, one will probably end up slower sometimes or get you off pattern, but just try to get comfortable with alternating fingers to hit the keys. This can bring your tap time down easily to about .1 sec instead of .2...which means now you do 10% more dps while casting wrath (assuming your latency is reasonable).
This is applicable to any chain casting class that is hitting the GCD with the same spell, including restos using intants and mouseover targets. Please let me know if this helps you too! :)
Friday, April 23, 2010
HELP! GEAR DROPPED! WHAT SHOULD I DO!?
I get this question so often, even from people not my class, that it is no longer funny, nor something I can often be helpful with in a time frame they hope for (while rolling on 1 item vs another).
I could tell you that you should always grab this stat vs that stat, or to tell you to take higher item level gear, or to always use your set bonuses, or to roll on everything usable...but all of those would be wrong answers (I may try to generalize for different gear situations though in the future). The truth is, there is no "easy" way to judge what gear and stat is better (though I think it is plenty easy right now, if you understand how your character works). This is because what stat is better for you will change based on the other stats you currently have.
Let me use a real example for me from recently.
There are 3 trinkets in icc that casters care about: Dislodged Foreign Object (haste with a sp proc on cast), Phylactery of the Nameless Lich (crit with sp proc from dot tick), and Muradin's Spyglass (crit with continual refreshing stacking sp).
When I was in my 3 pc t10 and 2 pc t9, glyphed for insect swarm, my moonfire dots could crit, and my insect swarm did more damage. Now, in 5 pc t10 I'm glyphed for starfall instead of insect swarm, and moonfiire dots can no longer crit, so I don't keep dots up as often. When you look at that, and being at more than 50% crit when raid buffed now, it is no surprise that while Phylactory was by far my BiS (Best in Slot) trinket then...it no longer is, and DFO is now my BiS by a good chunk. The trinkets didn't change, but my gear, stats, and bonuses did.
That being said, since I'm still using Eye of the Broodmother...either one is a HUGE upgrade, so I should, and will, roll on both (I already have Muradin's). I'd love to go get Reign of the Dead, but it just never drops, and the one that would beat out these is the Heroic version...which I doubt I'll be going back to get anytime soon.
So, how does one know? Well, if you're not math oriented, there are a lot of tools out there to help you out. The easiest one though, which helps very quickly answer the "which is better for me now?" question is to go use RAWR. It used to be download and run only, but now has a pretty handy web interface as well (though unfortunately it requires MS Silverlight to use it that way). You can find Rawr here:
Once you load it up, go to the file menu and choose Load from Armory, put in your realm and character, and go forth. When you want to compare things, just choose that slot from the drop down on the right (just above the gear list that looks like a bar graph).
For dps, it is pretty simple...the larger the bar, the better the item is for you right now.
For tanking it can be a little bit different, as you have threat, survivability, and mitigation. You can sort by all of them, depending on what you need/want more of at that moment, as well as how the items are overall (which uses all 3 rankings).
I'm not going to go into the details of everything you can do with Rawr at this point, likely I will in a later post...but this should allow you to look at the gear you want to compare, and with reasonable certainty, know if it is better, similar but different, or worse.
The Short Version:
Don't trust a BiS list, or that Blizard's tier items are going to be the best. Figure out the math, or use a modeling tool like Rawr, to see what is actually helping you the most.
I could tell you that you should always grab this stat vs that stat, or to tell you to take higher item level gear, or to always use your set bonuses, or to roll on everything usable...but all of those would be wrong answers (I may try to generalize for different gear situations though in the future). The truth is, there is no "easy" way to judge what gear and stat is better (though I think it is plenty easy right now, if you understand how your character works). This is because what stat is better for you will change based on the other stats you currently have.
Let me use a real example for me from recently.
There are 3 trinkets in icc that casters care about: Dislodged Foreign Object (haste with a sp proc on cast), Phylactery of the Nameless Lich (crit with sp proc from dot tick), and Muradin's Spyglass (crit with continual refreshing stacking sp).
When I was in my 3 pc t10 and 2 pc t9, glyphed for insect swarm, my moonfire dots could crit, and my insect swarm did more damage. Now, in 5 pc t10 I'm glyphed for starfall instead of insect swarm, and moonfiire dots can no longer crit, so I don't keep dots up as often. When you look at that, and being at more than 50% crit when raid buffed now, it is no surprise that while Phylactory was by far my BiS (Best in Slot) trinket then...it no longer is, and DFO is now my BiS by a good chunk. The trinkets didn't change, but my gear, stats, and bonuses did.
That being said, since I'm still using Eye of the Broodmother...either one is a HUGE upgrade, so I should, and will, roll on both (I already have Muradin's). I'd love to go get Reign of the Dead, but it just never drops, and the one that would beat out these is the Heroic version...which I doubt I'll be going back to get anytime soon.
So, how does one know? Well, if you're not math oriented, there are a lot of tools out there to help you out. The easiest one though, which helps very quickly answer the "which is better for me now?" question is to go use RAWR. It used to be download and run only, but now has a pretty handy web interface as well (though unfortunately it requires MS Silverlight to use it that way). You can find Rawr here:
| Downloadable: | http://rawr.codeplex.com |
| Web usable: | http://www.elitistjerks.com/rawr.php |
Once you load it up, go to the file menu and choose Load from Armory, put in your realm and character, and go forth. When you want to compare things, just choose that slot from the drop down on the right (just above the gear list that looks like a bar graph).
For dps, it is pretty simple...the larger the bar, the better the item is for you right now.
For tanking it can be a little bit different, as you have threat, survivability, and mitigation. You can sort by all of them, depending on what you need/want more of at that moment, as well as how the items are overall (which uses all 3 rankings).
I'm not going to go into the details of everything you can do with Rawr at this point, likely I will in a later post...but this should allow you to look at the gear you want to compare, and with reasonable certainty, know if it is better, similar but different, or worse.
The Short Version:
Don't trust a BiS list, or that Blizard's tier items are going to be the best. Figure out the math, or use a modeling tool like Rawr, to see what is actually helping you the most.
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