Affliction & Level 100 talents - grim of service/supremacy question

[Bombsauce 3]

So, i'm really liking the way affliction is playing right now. I'm not finding it difficult to multi-dot without soul swap. The snapshotting mechanic felt a little too exploitive and forced us to monitor procs too closely for it to be convenient. It was less about the fight and more about snapshotting buffs.  Anyways, I want to discuss the pet based talents in relation to raiding and level 100. I am excited about the possibility to use the Doomguard as a permanent pet. Will taking that talent remove the cooldown ability? Will it be possible to Have a permanent doomguard, pop GoService, AND the cooldown - giving you a 3 doomguard burst? If so....badass. I imagine this isn't the case. Also, in Tier 17 raids, will the dps from GoSupremacy outdps GoService by a substantial margin (depending on fight length of course)? Thinking about rolling affliction as my main spec for the majority of fights, with Demo and Destro rotating depending on what I would use for encounter-specific things. Since the beta is over, I would like some insider info from the people who actually played beta, since most of what i'm talking about is just a feeling. I also know that all the talents are relatively close, but I've always min/maxed and just want to do the best I can on any individual encounter. Thanks!

[Zagam 1,982]

The snapshotting mechanic felt a little too exploitive and forced us to monitor procs too closely for it to be convenient. It was less about the fight and more about snapshotting buffs.

I promise you that early on in Heroic progression, it was MUCH more about the fight and how you handled it.  Weakauras and other notifications weren't difficult to set up, were minimal to notice, and didn't require much effort to apply.  You just had to be good with your DPS AND be good at encounters.  With the removal of dynamic gameplay, some find the spec incredibly dull, so while your opinion is valid, it can be seen the other way as well.

 

 

Anyways, I want to discuss the pet based talents in relation to raiding and level 100. I am excited about the possibility to use the Doomguard as a permanent pet. Will taking that talent remove the cooldown ability? Will it be possible to Have a permanent doomguard, pop GoService, AND the cooldown - giving you a 3 doomguard burst? If so....badass. I imagine this isn't the case. Also, in Tier 17 raids, will the dps from GoSupremacy outdps GoService by a substantial margin (depending on fight length of course)? Thinking about rolling affliction as my main spec for the majority of fights, with Demo and Destro rotating depending on what I would use for encounter-specific things. Since the beta is over, I would like some insider info from the people who actually played beta, since most of what i'm talking about is just a feeling. I also know that all the talents are relatively close, but I've always min/maxed and just want to do the best I can on any individual encounter. Thanks!

You will not be able to use your 10 minute cooldown if you have a permanent Doomguard/Terrorguard.  Grimoire of Service does not work in coordination with Demonic Servitude.  So no, not badass because it's not possible. 

 

There is no "substantial" margin between talents.  All of the talents have been designed to be a decision in gameplay, not output.  Some will claim that one is better than the other, similar to races, but the gap between optimal and non-optimal is MUCH smaller in WoD.  The difference between Supremacy and Service also comes in coorelation to how long each fight is.  For fights ending at the 2:20, 4:20, 6:20, 8:20, etc mark, Service will be higher because of the higher 2nd pet uptime since it's on a 120 second CD.  For fights ending in 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, etc Supremacy will come out higher because of the more powerful pet up 100% of the time. 

 

Affliction's current best setup involves using Soulburn:Haunt in 30 second cycles.  The spec will have 0 variance in it - you won't react to procs, buffs, or anything - you'll simply use Soulburn:Haunt every 30 seconds to ensure the buff and hope that RNG replenishes your Soul Shards.  For a slightly lower amount of DPS, you can gain it passively by using a Terrorguard.  Either way, your single DPS variance isn't going to be enough for there to be a "correct" answer.

[Bombsauce 3]

Excellent Info. Thanks.