5.4 Affliction Tips & Quirks

[Zagam 1,982]

I'd go Bindings + Breath.  Replace Breath with Black Blood once you get it, or push to get a Wush.  Stacking trinkets are amazing for snapshotting DoTs.  I personally am using Wush + Black Blood, and I saw my spell power hit 80k with both trinkets at 10 stacks.  The numbers were INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE.

[Twinkielock 15]

Wushy + Hydra

Would that passive portion of ULVS still be better than Hydra? Obliviously it will be the first one to replace, but even with the nerf is ULVS still the way to go?

[sbVital 2]

Would that passive portion of ULVS still be better than Hydra? Obliviously it will be the first one to replace, but even with the nerf is ULVS still the way to go?

 

I thought about that as well, the passive bonus for UVLS vs Breath is what kind of made me rethink it. I could see Wush since it stacks and you can snapshot that 10th stack.

[mediocregatsby 18]

what's the optimal opener on a fight like protectors? i'm guessing SB:SS one target, MG until everything procs, then blow cooldowns and SB:SS it again and then use normal SS to drag those DOTs onto the other 2 targets and proceed to haunt+MG?

 

now how about a fight like nazgrim. you're maintaining dots on the boss and periodically adds come out. do you ALWAYS use normal SS to copy dots from the boss onto adds, or are there situations to SB:SS the adds?

[Omaric 246]

what's the optimal opener on a fight like protectors? i'm guessing SB:SS one target, MG until everything procs, then blow cooldowns and SB:SS it again and then use normal SS to drag those DOTs onto the other 2 targets and proceed to haunt+MG?

 

now how about a fight like nazgrim. you're maintaining dots on the boss and periodically adds come out. do you ALWAYS use normal SS to copy dots from the boss onto adds, or are there situations to SB:SS the adds?

 

For Protectors I recommend hard casting DoT's followed by MG until you get your procs, then SB:SS to max duration and begin spreading with SS.

 

For Nazgrim SB:SS'ing adds isn't an issue as long as you resupply your shards with Drain Soul, but it also depends what kind of DoT's you have rolling on Nazgrim at the time.

[Vile 9]

For Nazgrim SB:SS'ing adds isn't an issue as long as you resupply your shards with Drain Soul, but it also depends what kind of DoT's you have rolling on Nazgrim at the time.

You should always SS dots off of Nazgrim to adds imo to maintain the 10 stack Agony. Then refresh them with SB:SS if they're about to fall off.

[idmaxguy 2]

When reforging your haste according to having the Bindings (6%,7%,8% etc) haste bonus, make sure to have the trinket unequipped if using an addon like reforgelite. 

 

Unequip > reforge to 12720 (8%) > equip bindings > haste@ ~13737

 

Might seem obvious, but I derped on this lol. 

[zombiecurse 0]

When reforging your haste according to having the Bindings (6%,7%,8% etc) haste bonus, make sure to have the trinket unequipped if using an addon like reforgelite. 

 

Unequip > reforge to 12720 (8%) > equip bindings > haste@ ~13737

 

Might seem obvious, but I derped on this lol. 

 

I'm gonna have to go back and check, but when I did it I think it accounted for me having the bindings on.

[litex2x 0]

I'm getting a little flustered when managing procs and dot refreshes reactively post opener. I know this is a little subjective but what is good rule of thumb between refreshing by SB:SS and hard casting in relation to gaining/falling procs?

[Zagam 1,982]

Use Affdots.  If you cast Corruption at 8 stack of Wush/BBoY, UA at 9 stack, Agony at 10 stack.  If you have a trinket proc and your buffs will wear off soon, consider using SB and SS.  It's subjective...there is no fundamental rule...it's all reactivity.  This is really the last step in optimizing Affliction DPS.  You'll get a feel for it.  You'll either be like 'wow, that was close, almost missed a proc' or 'damn it, I shouldn't have wasted a shard there."

[Rakupenda 15]

I'm getting a little flustered when managing procs and dot refreshes reactively post opener. I know this is a little subjective but what is good rule of thumb between refreshing by SB:SS and hard casting in relation to gaining/falling procs?

As Zag said, Aff dots helps with tracking this.

 

Do you have three to four shards and a massive int proc up? If yes, then you may want to SB:SS and then roll Haunt to amplify the new dots until they fall off (especially if Dark Soul or another haste proc is up/about to expire). If it's your last shard, you may want to apply manually and use a Haunt to amplify instead.

 

If you're flowing in shards (lots of adds dying) then you are more free to SB:SS with new procs and SS them to other targets.

[Kazistrasz 216]

If I get a proc by itself, or two close enough together that I have a while before one of them drops off, I try to wait until the last moment to reapply my DoTs in hopes of getting another proc in there too. Nothing feels worse than getting your DoTs up when you get an Int proc for your LMG to proc right after while there's still time on the Int proc.

 

As far as hard cast vs. SB:SS, that totally depends to me on the time window I have to work with and where my DoTs are.

 

Assuming current stats are better:

 

If they're all in pandemic range and I have 3 seconds left, I'm gonna SB:SS. If I had UA and Corruption in Pandemic range and Agony is a couple seconds out with 3 seconds, I'll still likely SB:SS. If I have 5 seconds to go, I'll just manually re-cast them. If I three seconds with UA/Corruption in or very near pandemic range but very recently re-cast Agony, I'll just hard cast UA and Corruption.

 

Assuming current stats aren't better for one or more DoTs:

 

This is where it gets really fuzzy. If I can get a 10-stack Wush proc on a DoT and AffDoTs is showing me 90, but I'm running out soonish, I'll likely reapply then. If all my DoTs are the same way, I'll probably try to SB:SS that 10-stack. If one of them is showing 50, I'll try to hard cast the other two, especially if one of them is UA where I can cast UA such that it goes off during the 10-stack and the subsequent instant cast of Agony/Corruption is also in that 10-stack.

 

Basically, for me to overwrite a powerful DoT with a weaker proc, it needs to not be that much weaker (i.e., 85+ or so is usually what I look at), and the current DoT needs to be near enough to running out that I doubt I'll get another proc beforehand.

[Biradon 0]

These questions are about Soul Swap. Sorry if they has been asked before, but I really couldn't find anything on it. 

 

1) Assume that target X has 2 dots ticking on it and target Y has all 3 dots. If I Soul Swap from X to Y, does Soul Swap extends the duration of 2 existing dots (from Pandemic) or does it overwrite them? 

 

2) How does the new Soul Swap interact with trinket procs?  Eg, I have all 3 dots rolling on target X ( without any procs), and my trinkets activate. If I Soul Swap the dots from target X to target Y, will the dots on Y tick with modified stats (haste/spellpower) or will it retain the stats from the original application (i.e the one without any modifiers)? 

 

My reason for asking was to find out if there is a better way to respond to procs and roll empowered dots on >=2 targets. Currently, I refreshed all the dots on the existing target before I Soul Swapped to the other.

 

Cheers.

[Lockybalboa 618]

1) It over writes them. Target Y will LOSE the 3rd DoT and only take on the two dots from target X.

 

2) It's a simple snap shot. Since target X had no procs, target Y will have no procs. It's a simple copy from X and apply to Y, all procs and durations remain the same regardless of what is on the new target or what procs you have up.

 

Using SS is fairly easy once you get in to the rhythm of it. Put phat dots up on target A then SS those dots to targets B-Z. Do this most ricky tick fast and you'll keep almost the full duration from target A to target Z. 

 

Depending on the amount of adds up I normally like to keep one target as my main target. The one that I aim to put all of my really good dots on in the first place. I get a 10 stack Wush on it, BoTH, pot, DS, everything I can I try to use the best on it. Then I use that as my jumpping off point for all of my SSing. I SS from it to target X, X to Y, Y to Z, etc. Then when I get new procs or I see that my first target is running short, I reapply/refresh on him and then start the chain over again. This helps me keep it a bit more organized and clean.

 

Also if you're using AffDots, it's a little broken right now. If you throw up a full set of 10 stack Wush, BoTH, JS, DS on a target then SS those dots to a NEW target, AffDotswon't know that the new target has phat dots and will try to tell you that you need to refresh those dots as soon as you get a new proc of anything, when really you'd be overwriting AMAZING dots that you shouldn't overwrite. That's why I like to keep one target as my base target, that way the AffDots on him will always be right and I can use him to tell truly what I should be doing.

 

If I was smarter I could just eye ball it all, but I find that when I'm doing progression and such that I try to keep my thinking down to a min so I can put that brain power in to the 100 other things I'm trying to do. My way of doing it might not be the perfect min/max, but it gets the job done in a very clean and organized manner and I find that normally gets me better DPS then if I put all of my work in to min/maxing.

[Wolland 1]

Depending on the amount of adds up I normally like to keep one target as my main target. The one that I aim to put all of my really good dots on in the first place. I get a 10 stack Wush on it, BoTH, pot, DS, everything I can I try to use the best on it. Then I use that as my jumpping off point for all of my SSing. I SS from it to target X, X to Y, Y to Z, etc. Then when I get new procs or I see that my first target is running short, I reapply/refresh on him and then start the chain over again. This helps me keep it a bit more organized and clean.

 

Last night on shamans I decided to manually refresh the always-too-short UA on both targets, and only use SS in other more obvious cases (i.e. trinkets, etc).

 

I'm not sure this is optimal, but that was the mood I was in last night. What do you guys think?

[Wolland 1]

Question 1: on AD vs KJC when having 2PC T16: isn't it worth taking KJC on this scenario? I've recently gotten 2PC and I observed that it procs very often, so I decided to go with KJC and abuse of the Empowered Grasp. Thoughts?

 

Question 2: on Dark Soul: Misery when running with AD: when are you guys using the 2nd charge of Dark Soul exactly? I usually use it after the first time that I have extended the last set of 3 empowered dots (i.e. affdots starts showing 100% on dots), and I'm not sure I'm doing this right.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Zagam 1,982]

Question 1: on AD vs KJC when having 2PC T16: isn't it worth taking KJC on this scenario? I've recently gotten 2PC and I observed that it procs very often, so I decided to go with KJC and abuse of the Empowered Grasp. Thoughts?

 

Question 2: on Dark Soul: Misery when running with AD: when are you guys using the 2nd charge of Dark Soul exactly? I usually use it after the first time that I have extended the last set of 3 empowered dots (i.e. affdots starts showing 100% on dots), and I'm not sure I'm doing this right.

 

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1: while KJC's tooltip doesn't say it adds damage like AD or MF, you have to assign a theoretical number to how much DPS you are gaining by being able to move and cast MG.  It varies per fight, but it IS a significant amount on high movement fights.  I've observed around a 60-65% uptime on Empowered Grasp on single target fights and higher with more targets to keep UA up on.  I wouldn't say you're 'abusing' Empowered Grasp...but you absolutely need to be putting yourself in a situation where you maintain high DPS.

 

Answer 2: Look at AD as a 'bonus' charge of Dark Soul.  You get one bonus use SOMEWHERE in the fight.  The shorter the fight, the greater the effect of AD.  The longer the fight, the less beneficial it becomes.  This will COMPLETELY depend on how strong your guild is.  A guild able to down a boss in 2:20, 4:20, 6:20, etc will get natural uses in those fights of 2, 3, and 4 uses respectively.  AD adds a bonus use, so you can use it with procs.  I wouldn't extend it as soon as your first one wears off as most of your procs will still be on CD.  If you have the choice, just roll with your normal use and pocket that bonus use for execute phase.

[Wolland 1]

Great stuff Zagam! Thanks a bunch!

 

My guild is struggling to progress (7/14N), unfortunately we lost some good dps, so your comment on taking in account the length of the fights is spot on!

 

I'm the kind of guy that continuously repositions during fights, I'm not sure why! it's the way I was raised! So subconsciously I'm possibly favouring KJC over spamming Fel Flame as it is more troublesome ;)

 

I'm going to be considering your feedback on each of our fights, that'll help me chose the best talent for that particular occasion.

[Rakupenda 15]

Would you recommend KJC for any of the bosses that come before Siegecrafter?

 

It's not just a free charge of Dark Soul, it's the ability to use it when you want with cooldowns, stack phases, or whatever. You aren't forced to lose time (and potentially another charge) by holding onto it for a specific phase.

 

It's not like not having KJC to cast MG on the move means you're doing no damage, you still have Fel Flame + your dots ticking in the background. MG does some damage + 30% of your dots ticks per tick. So the question how much movement do you need to be doing so that the MG + 30% dot effect > Fel Flame + Dark Soul.

 

With 2P increasing MG effects by 15%, that means they tick for 34.5% of their damage instead of 30%. And how much movement for that? (less required than without, of course)

 

Spread sheeting tonight to try and figure this threshold out, I promise...

[Lockybalboa 618]

Would you recommend KJC for any of the bosses that come before Siegecrafter?

 

Heroic Jug, that's about it.

[schmearcampain 0]

 

With 2P increasing MG effects by 15%, that means they tick for 34.5% of their damage instead of 30%. And how much movement for that? ..

Tooltip says it ups MG from 30% to 45% and DS from 60% to 75%.

[vladMTL 1]

Use Affdots.  If you cast Corruption at 8 stack of Wush/BBoY, UA at 9 stack, Agony at 10 stack.  If you have a trinket proc and your buffs will wear off soon, consider using SB and SS.  It's subjective...there is no fundamental rule...it's all reactivity.  This is really the last step in optimizing Affliction DPS.  You'll get a feel for it.  You'll either be like 'wow, that was close, almost missed a proc' or 'damn it, I shouldn't have wasted a shard there."

 

hello

 

is affdots working properly now taking into account procs & stuff ... a while ago ppl were complaining about it not working properly.

 

thanks

[Zagam 1,982]

Tooltip says it ups MG from 30% to 45% and DS from 60% to 75%.

Tooltips are wrong and won't update until there is a major client update.  The correct values are as they say in the patch notes which are 30% for MG, and 60% for DS.

 

hello

 

is affdots working properly now taking into account procs & stuff ... a while ago ppl were complaining about it not working properly.

 

thanks

Affdots works for one target, but it gets confused when you use Soul Swap.

[Rakupenda 15]

Tooltips are wrong and won't update until there is a major client update.  The correct values are as they say in the patch notes which are 30% for MG, and 60% for DS.

I think he meant for 2p Empowered Grasp?

[Zagam 1,982]

The tooltip for MG and DS wouldn't adjust with the buff up, because the tooltips are already wrong.  You just get a buff that says 'MG and DS do 15% more blah blah'...but yeah, that's essentially what the buff does.