5.4 Destruction Tips and Quirks

[Kazistrasz 216]

Do you have to have that 10124 breakpoint to fit CB with Backdraft in the window? Will Incin fit without Backdraft?

[Zilthy 36]

I probably will sound like a newbie here, but to me, the mastery > haste > crit (demo/aff) vs mastery > crit > haste (dest) seems fairly minimal once hitting 560 ilvl or so.

 

It's pretty easy to hit haste breakpoints (+2 shadowflame etc...) or get crit up higher for bigger hits.  As long as mastery stays highest priority, I can shift between those (at least with my gear) and keep mastery as high as I can get.

 

The one thing I *do* find, however, is I do better with haste.  One is, I like the feel better, the other is, I find it is slightly more forgiving.  But, the bottom line is, 5k haste and 10k crit, vs 10k haste and 5k crit, is probably around 500 - 800 dps tops, not a game breaker or maker there.

 

As far as Thok goes, Demo is not a magic bullet, at least not like during first couple weeks when UVLS still was, well either working or OP depending on POV.   At least from what I've seen, still need to weave in Soulfire and the occasional shadowbolt and cannot rely on the instant Touch of Chaos and still hold up numbers.

 

I did toy around a bit with still using Imp Swarm, but end up giving up far too much during the blood frenzy phase, when it's pretty much open season for ranged on Thok unless focused.

[Lezzr 0]

for thok hc:

 

use glyphed havoc

use glyphed unending resolve

use KJC

 

in p1 once interrupts get fast use backdraft for empowered Chaosbolts or easily fit incinerate between interrupts

if u feel not confident u can use fel flame

use unending resolve to get off some empowered chaos bolts

keep RoF up

as stated: abuse jailer for 3-6 (6 wont happen here) shadowburns

 

kiting phase: stay close to boss and spam incinerate - he wont ever target u if u are the closest person to him. ofc dont die after he turns around for new target ;)

 

in p2 bats incing and the party begins!

 

burn the shit out of them with UE + FnB - i usually pop second pot + dark soul here

 

remember glyphed havoc and execute 6 times on bats = instant ~ 12m damage

 

destro is totally viable and alot of fun to play on thok hc.

[Errinkel 9]

I probably will sound like a newbie here, but to me, the mastery > haste > crit (demo/aff) vs mastery > crit > haste (dest) seems fairly minimal once hitting 560 ilvl or so.

No you sound like an oldbie with that comment, though this forum does have trouble convincing people that the difference is minimal. Interesting how we find one vs the other to "feel" better; much as you prefer haste, I like crit.

[Zagam 1,983]

Do you have to have that 10124 breakpoint to fit CB with Backdraft in the window? Will Incin fit without Backdraft?

Nope.  I'm at 3k Haste and had no issues.

[Zanzal 6]

I don't OS anymore.  Destruction is rock solid for all Heroic fights.

This. There are certain fights where our Affliction lock with beat me (Protectors, duhhhh) but even with my lower ilvl I'm matching him in dps on all other heroic fights.

 

[Zanzal 6]

.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Zanzal

[JvChequer 43]

Finally Got my 4tp.

 

i sacrifice an Warforged legs for it but it's OK.

 

But I feel that with 4TP crit loses a bit your value, I'm thinking about maintain at least 10k~ haste, to maintain certain uptime of the 4tp, filling up at least 1 e.bit per second.

 

 

PS: Now I play Affliction only on Protectors, Iron Jugg and Nazgrim Heroic. Thok Heroic I'll play destro for the bats probably.

Edited November 8, 2013 by JvChequer

[Muoric 3]

Well you gain an average of 3k crit from the 4 piece (with ~1/3 uptime). Considering how close crit and haste are for destro, I go for ~10k haste and then crit also. Served me just fine so far, it's all about how you play anyway. Then again I do go affli on protectors, nazgrim and thok. But that's mostly due to being more familiar with affli on those fights than a real necessity. I think out of our 4 locks the 3 others play destro on those fights also.

Personally if you're progressing just go with destro and get used to it for that fight. Works better in the long run imo. I'll prob grab destruction for those 3 fights also when we're done with garrosh. Keep my affli os purely for pvp funsies (=vicious saddle).

Edited November 8, 2013 by Muoric

[PhilColins 9]

Destruction is perfectly viable for all heroics because there are so many chances to shadowburn cleave onto the main target. Even for strictly single target, IJ I'm looking at you, GoSac destro with heroic KTT pushes 2M+ chaos bolts which is just silly.

Seriously nerf it already.

[gahhda 95]

Not let myself get interrupted.  Use Backdraft for Chaos Bolt.  Keep Immolate up.  Abuse Havoc with the Jailer to get 3 Shadowburns on the Jailer + Thok.  Use Ember Tap when necessary.  Rape the bats with Fire and Brimstone + Unending Resolve.

 

I entirely take credit for teaching him that :P, but in all seriousness affliction is better on thok in almost all cases for progression. Destruction requires perfect play to match/surpass affliction on it.

[Drafty53 17]

@ Zagam, in your current low hast/high crit build, do you find you have to consume 3 backdrafts in your opener to get a second chaosbolt in under those 10 second procs?? Or between the meta gem and troll racial you can do still get it? For whatever reason I am having trouble getting that second chaosbolt off before the proc from my KTT where's off. I hate that it procs so fast (usually when I apply CoE) and my second chaosbolt is usually a second late. I have the troll racial, meta gem and about 5,500 haste.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Drafty53

[Zagam 1,983]

I try not to, but I use Berserking, so it's no problem.

[Drafty53 17]

Sorry to sound like a noob, but I'm still working on it here at dummy's...Between 2x Conflagerate and 4 Incins before the two Chaosbolts how is it possible that your guys are getting off your second chasobolt before the KTT procs end?

[Omaric 246]

Generally by sacrificing 3 charges of Backdraft to fit in the 2nd.  I sacrifice 3 charges for CB's pretty liberally when I've got a lot of procs going.

[Muoric 3]

What Omaric said. Found myself using a lot of backdrafts on garrosh for cbs just to get them off before I had to move (annihilate, desecrate etc). With current gear levels (570 atm) I wouldn't worry too much about backdrafts.

[Simplexity 0]

Finally got my first Rank 1 this tier! H malk

 

http://worldoflogs.com/reports/rt-gjh3qyk7q9ejprhf/sum/damageDone/?s=7094&e=7383

[vladMTL 1]

Generally by sacrificing 3 charges of Backdraft to fit in the 2nd.  I sacrifice 3 charges for CB's pretty liberally when I've got a lot of procs going.

 

hey

doing quite the same, however, speaking of openers and procs, do you guys have issues sometimes as destro having "shit" procs in the beginning of the fight without doing any trash whatsoever etc ? KTT does his job and proc like the rest of the shit also but the damn bindings ... meh

 

o/

[Oldtrout 7]

Bindings is just the most awkward little bitch. Sometimes I think it's anti-social and is afraid to appear when other procs are about. "Is the coast clear? Hi mate! Oh no, where are your embers? :("

Edited November 14, 2013 by Oldtrout

[Nytemare 2]

I know both my trinket are still LFR, we just did 13 bosses in 2 nights, and back to garrosh and no trinket drops or from rolls either. I find my KTT to proc but PBI just will not proc for anything, seems to only proc when I don't have other things lined up, like it proc after I used DS and everything, and don't have another DSI to use on it. I wish it would proc with KTT so I get max damage from my CB.

[Kazistrasz 216]

I dare to say that, outside of getting 2 CBs in the first 10 seconds, you should really try to avoid using backdraft on CB. Things like Annihilate and Desecrate, if you're handling correctly, should not cause you to have to race against the clock to get your CB off. You work out the timing on when to do it. In the case of Desecrated Weapon (at least in the first two phases), you can be using your Circle and Gate to quickly be out of the way the moment he targets someone with it. This means no worrying about "crap I need the time to move out". For Annihilate, you shouldn't be casting CB so late into it that you will possibly have to move if he targets you. Wait until he's targeted somewhere that isn't you and that's when you start your CB, not when he's just finished the ability.

 

Even when you have procs, you don't generally need to rip a CB immediately and give up backdraft. If you happen to have three embers with three stacks and are quick enough to catch the immediate start of your 10-second KTT proc, that's one thing. Most of the time, you're going to have two embers ready when a proc happens. Finish using Backdraft on Incinerate first.

 

As Zagam confirmed (with some assistance from Locky and myself), using Backdraft is a good way to cause yourself to clip the GoSac DoT on your CB. Now, granted, we're talking about losing maybe 500k in the course of a 80mil damage fight. But, that's still half a CB in lost damage from doing it too much. Using Backdraft for Incin also helps keep your mana steady and a quick rate of ember generation. Having to hard cast Incinerate because you used your stacks on CB makes your next CB take longer to get to. Rare circumstances and opener excluded, just don't use Backdraft on Chaos Bolt.

[Omaric 246]

hey

doing quite the same, however, speaking of openers and procs, do you guys have issues sometimes as destro having "shit" procs in the beginning of the fight without doing any trash whatsoever etc ? KTT does his job and proc like the rest of the shit also but the damn bindings ... meh

 

o/

 

Yeah, PBI can be a bastard.  There isn't a whole lot you can do about the opener, but after that I save my Dark Soul for when PBI decides to proc.

[Omaric 246]

As Zagam confirmed (with some assistance from Locky and myself), using Backdraft is a good way to cause yourself to clip the GoSac DoT on your CB.

 

Let's not forget Soulzar who brought it to everyone's attention to begin with.  :D

[Djargo 4]

Finally got my first Rank 1 this tier! H malk

 

http://worldoflogs.com/reports/rt-gjh3qyk7q9ejprhf/sum/damageDone/?s=7094&e=7383

39% uptime on ktt oh god now i want it even more, but it wont drop :(

[Kazistrasz 216]

Let's not forget Soulzar who brought it to everyone's attention to begin with. 

Touche. I forgot who it was that had brought it up :'( TOO MANY NAMES TO KEEP UP WITH I CAN ONLY HANDLE IT WHEN I HAVE EXPANDED MIND PROC