The larger the sample size the better the data. You can skew the results quite badly with a 1.5. So do you want to improve as a DPS, or do you want to croon over high numbers?

Sadly I think this is the answer. There's zero reason to take a Jugg/Guardian along for DPS when a gunslingers possess their 'unique' (e.g. - Armor debuff) and more. Being able to stand outside of near-boss AoE effects, ensuring a higher uptime on bosses while also providing additional raid utility (damage reduction bubble), it's clear that if raid leaders have a choice they would prefer a gunslinger over a Guardian. And failing that, a Sentinel. Being more tanky as a DPS is a dubious trait. It might help you save a wipe occasionally, but it doesn't assist a Guardian in doing what he's there to do: DPS. I do agree that raid leaders should bring players over classes, because finding good players is rare. But if that player has a Sentinel or Gunslinger alt, I would definitely want those over his Guardian main in my raids. Offtopic: I am back, but probably not for long. Raiding is still badly designed.

I'm wondering what a Guardian brings to the raid's utility outside of armor debuff (which a Gunslinger can apply). Through utility points you can get a local-body AoE sprint for people around you, but that's about it, and I don't think that would be massively gamechanging like other classes' raid cool downs. Even Vigilance's unique their debuff (beatdown) only works against melee attacks, and you will at most have only one other melee hero. Sentinel's comparable debuff works on all elemental and internal attacks, which is much more ubiquitous and common.

Hello, I am a raid leader on a non PvE server, who is suffering from low and spotty attendance. I was wondering what the raid ecosystem is like here, and how easily it would be to get progression level raiding group put together from the available population. We would need perhaps a tank, and DPS. How hard is it to find people to fill spots on progression teams? Are there any guilds out there with competent players who can't consistently raid, and would like to expand to two raid teams? Etc, thanks in advance.

Beastly! Congrats!

I believe the most recent changes just straight remove all positional requirements to backblast, with no cooldown and no triggering off Shoot First.

With scamper losing it's energy cost, and with the most recent changes to K.O., gap closing and positioning is going to be problems of the past. At most, only unique terrain problems (can leap, can't run/roll to the target) will prevent a Scrapper Scoundrel from doing it's rotation any less than a Guardian/Sentinel. Well, unless you don't think two scampers can't get you the same distance as a leap. At most you're losing one global cooldown.

Beastly! Do you think Scoundrels could use a small downward adjustment, making them on par with Sentinels/Gunslingers? Because I certainly feel that way about Guardians now.

Unless the hybrid spec can't be performed on a majority of boss fights (like the old gunslinger spec separation), then I don't think you should. In fact, not doing so raises the profile that Bioware should do something to improve the pure specs. Also, thanks for the update! edit: And congrats on getting stickied!

I have one oriconian implant to replace. Other than that, full dread forged.

No, but my previous parse isn't an example of my exceptional skill or setup. I just got lucky. Look at the crit rate on Dispatch. That's > 20% higher than it has any right to be. Look at overhead slash, that is at least 10% higher. I did a very good parse, and the RNG was with me. If you want to know how I set up, I run with 1 crit/surge enhancement, and I have 100.45% accuracy, with 470 accuracy rating. edit: crit/power changed to crit/surge.

... I think I'm losing perspective.

I actually parse worse whenever I use adrenals. I don't mean numbers wise, I make more mistakes that I keep cringing at as I'm making them. I become too nervous, afraid of wasting valuable Ops Group Attempt resources. Even after we've cleared everything and we don't need the adrenals to continue clearing, nerves overtake me and I choke every time. Then I do another parse with no adrenals, and shave a few seconds off my time. edit: Sometimes I just parse to relax though. Have a show on in the background, and I'll parse for the 20-25 minutes that 'The Daily Show' from yesterday takes. And I get amazing parses like this. ps - Also I feel that the World Leaderboard sits on a throne of lies, and as much as I love getting great numbers and putting them up here, there it feels like I'm deliberately going for statistical outliers, instead of just improving all my DPSing reflexes and familiarity.

Okay KeyboardNinja, now you can avail the everliving **** out of me. Once again: Not an adrenal used. I think this puts me at the #4 spot on the overall DPS leaderboard. edit: Whoa, correction, #3, by 0.661 seconds. pps. Uhh, further correction, it looks like Atrixx improperly staked out the times in his parse, and he actually beat me by 0.624 seconds, if I'm not making any errors. He chose the start time for when his double-saber throw was cast, but not when it hit the dummy, adding 0.637 seconds to his parse. His DPS, with H / T = D should be ~3757.845. ppps. - Should I be cropping to the end of combat, or the dummy death? I just discovered that sometimes I exit combat a fraction of a second before the recorded death of the dummy, which is odd. My DPS for this parse, if adjusted for that will go down to 3744.878, with a 'Time To Kill' of 6:40.547.

Got some more gear, so yet another parse. Beat my last parse by ~1.3 seconds Additionally: Still no adrenal use. I'm a miser. edit: Wait that means I'm on the overall top 5?!?! KeyboardNinja, I beseech thee! Render unto me recognition!!! pps: Wait, no, the world is still ****** guys. Slaffen has me beat for the top 5 with his ~3734 Scoundrel parse. Congrats I GUESS.

Mostly in select NiM fights. Not saying a specific class/spec is mandatory, but you had better bring good AoE DPS if you want to do NiM Wriggling Horror, for example. And consensus doesn't mean you're correct. I wasn't saying that single target DPS is mandatory either, but I was pointing out that were arguing 'you get a benefit out of AoE on those fights' in response to his argument that scrapper does just fine on those fights.

While AoE can be advantageous on all those fights, I wouldn't say it's terribly mandatory on Bestia, Grob'thok, or Calphayus. Especially Calphayus, depending on what side you go into. Sure, you want good AoE DPS going first into the past, then into the future, but the other side is nothing but single target burn. Quick single target burn, where you need upfront burst damage, which Scrapper excels in. Bestia, there are very few opportunities to really get massive AoE going. At best you'll stack a Dread Monster on a Tentacle, and catch a little add as it is zipping around the room, but that's only if you run with a more mobile strat (like my raid team), but there are far more raid teams I've subbed in with that have static tank and healer positions. And for Grob'Thok, if you have a gunslinger in the raid you don't need anyone else doing damage to the adds. It's useful to get them down quickly but they certainly don't need to be burned down with expediency. AoE damage is just a nice bonus, and there are plenty of times I don't bother respeccing to Focus from Vigilance because it's more trouble to respec than it is to just focus most of my DPS on the boss and let Vanguards or Gunslingers burn down the adds. edit: His list of fights weren't fights where AoE DPS is pointless, but rather fights where you can get the sustained 'ops dummy analogue' DPS in a raid environment, even if it isn't 100% uptime, you can still get that 'sit in one spot and dish out damage' results.

Once he takes a good look at your parse-log, he'll pick up all the tricks you're using. Also I wouldn't be surprised if guardians and Scoundrels get nerfed a bit, to be on par with Sentinels/Gunslingers.

Yeah looking at your parse I have many more number of hits on my DoTs. You don't have quite the DoT up-time that I do, which is why our APM are so close, but I have more hits. Well, anyways, I decided to parse again. Look ma, no adrenals! edit: Oh almost forgot. Order up for Slaffen! pps - Whoops, actually forgot to link the parse!

There's something slightly wonky with how the parsers interact with the parsing dummy, I believe. Sometimes it won't register the final hit that kills the dummy, not even in the combat log, cropped or otherwise. It just disappears, and the last strike isn't recorded. I believe that's why KeyboardNinja is ranking things on the length of time it takes, rather than the calculated DPS. I have no way to account for that. Slight difference in rotations? edit: Also looking at the parses, you have overall more damage, but I have the kill barely quicker.

AS I WAS SAYING! (3659 uncropped) T = ~410.233 H / T = D D = ~3656.459

T = 410.864 0.35 ahead of me. Well played Enalis, you'll have to do better than that to outdo me for long. ... Game on.

STOP THOSE PRESSES! Because now, other Guardians DINE ON CROW! (3644.84 uncropped DPS) Max Health of Operations Dummy (H) = 1,500,000 Total Time to Kill = ~6:51.214, or ~411.214 H / T = D Actual DPS (D) = ~3647.505 note: this is a mere 0.593 seconds quicker than the current top parse

... Sooooo... ... Uhhh, uncropped (3627.9) The time, uh... Time to kill is... 6:53.317... Which is a whole 0.132 seconds better... ... 413.317 seconds... H / T = D Real DPS (D) = ~3629.176 ... Maybe I should start using adrenals.

Oh don't be a *****. If you can't think of something nice, etc.