Master Strike

[Crabbok]

Do you use this?

 

 

I pretty much never use it anymore. Takes too long and in that time I could use abilities that both do damage, AND generate Focus or Centering.

[Fascion]

Encounter permitting, I use it every time it is up. Never once even considered not using it. Reason being... without it, as you yourself stated, I can do one of two things; generate focus or burn focus. Typically that means 1 Strike and 1 Slash, which sit comfortably lower than the DPS generated by a Master Strike.

 

In PvP, I also find that Master Strike is good for generating burst. You get that one big, heavy hit right at the end of the channel, which can be followed up on with the likes of a MercSlash or Dispatch.

Edited January 17, 2012 by Fascion

[Xaxxus]

I'm a marauder so I have a different version of that skill (it does the same stuff though). It's purpose really depends on your spec.

 

As annihilation spec (dots) its used as a filler for when my rage builder is on cd and I have no more rage.

 

One of the specs makes it immobilize your target so it's a great ability for killing a wounded foe in pvp.

[Dagimpster]

if they are rotted or stunned i will uses it, but i am not going out of my way to use it.

[Crabbok]

Encounter permitting, I use it every time it is up. Never once even considered not using it. Reason being... without it, as you yourself stated, I can do one of two things; generate focus or burn focus. Typically that means 1 Strike and 1 Slash, which sit comfortably lower than the DPS generated by a Master Strike.

 

In PvP, I also find that Master Strike is good for generating burst. You get that one big, heavy hit right at the end of the channel, which can be followed up on with the likes of a MercSlash or Dispatch.

 

Yes but spending focus grants centering stacks. I am watchman specced so if I'm not applying dots, I'm building focus and merc slashing. If my focus gets full I'm burnig all my focus to get centered and then rinse repeat. Master Strike has no place in my order since it generates no focus, no centerring, and takes 3 full seconds.

[SuperPancho]

I use it for PvE, PvP I never bother with it, which sucks cuz that IS our nuke

[MBirkhofer]

Considering MS doesnt really scale with any talents, I don't really see a place for it.

 

combat generates a good amount of focus. Blade rush with 100% ataru proc, at 2 focus, building centering, and +30% surge, and 7% crit chance on ataru procs is absolutely more dps. Even if we are talking strike+bladerush instead of 2 bladerush's.

 

Focus has so many tools, I dropped ms out of rotation as well. Again, force moves get +30% surge, and 7% crit. slash gets its crit% and+damage, leaving MS behind.

 

Maybe watchman. As bladestorm is weak there, it gets no slash buffs, save cd reset on cauterize.

[Fascion]

Yes but spending focus grants centering stacks. I am watchman specced so if I'm not applying dots, I'm building focus and merc slashing. If my focus gets full I'm burnig all my focus to get centered and then rinse repeat. Master Strike has no place in my order since it generates no focus, no centerring, and takes 3 full seconds.

That is certainly a fair argument; however, don't forget that there is a 6 second lull in your rotation that occurs any time MercSlash or Slash triggers a reset of your Cauterize cooldown. 1.5 seconds of that will be consumed in the reapplication of Cauterize, so 4.5 seconds. Depending on your ZS and Leap (encounter permitting) cooldowns, it may be more advantageous to use Master Strike during this period to generate some free DPS and neither have cooldowns ticking down, nor lingering around.

 

 

This is not the case for me, even as a fellow Watchman.

 

Ready for some blasphemy? I don't actually use Mind Sear in my build. "WOAH," right? "Giant noob," right? It is because of all of the above that I have opted against taking what would otherwise be considered a must-have. When I used Mind Sear, I always felt as though I was having to watch my bars more than I was the fight, just to attain maximum DPS. Cooldowns like ZS and Master Strike were being left up far too long between uses just to appease the Cauterize gods. And worst of all, I wasn't enjoying the class like I used to; it became a chore.

 

Quite honestly, I don't feel as though my DPS is much the worse because of it. I traded using MercSlash for Cauterize resets for using MercSlash for MercSlash. I traded tirelessly grinding centering for the next Zen for sitting on centering for Transcendence. I traded staring at my hotbars for actually paying attention to the encounters/PvP, affording me better timing when using defensive cooldowns and Centering buffs.

 

In my books, completely and totally worth it...

[Jhayden]

if a pvper is dumb enough to stay in one place while i fight him. i definitely use it. if i am behind someone that is standing, i use it. There are allot of times in PVP that i can get it off honestly, so i keep it in my rotation.

[Lomerell]

Do you use this?

 

 

I pretty much never use it anymore. Takes too long and in that time I could use abilities that both do damage, AND generate Focus or Centering.

 

It's a good one-shot versus trash that stuns them (as long as you aren't bugged by the Debilitation talent).

 

I use it to bridge the gap if I'm focus-starved and Zealous Strike and Force Stasis are both on cooldown. It's more damage than just Striking and you can get better bang-for-buck by hitting Master Strike and then Zealous Strike afterwards as it comes off cooldown.

[Lomerell]

if a pvper is dumb enough to stay in one place while i fight him. i definitely use it. if i am behind someone that is standing, i use it. There are allot of times in PVP that i can get it off honestly, so i keep it in my rotation.

 

There is a PvP talent in the Combat tree called Debilitation which IMMOBILIZES targets of Master Strike.

 

So it forces your PvPer to be "dumb enough to stay in one place". Unfortunately, a bug causes the stun portion of MS to no longer work in PvE. So choose which you'd rather have; the stun is great for trash during dailies. The Immobilize is great for PvP.

[Garrlor]

If you are combat specced, it is worth using it a lot, though you do have to align your cooldowns to use it to its full potential in PVE and PVP. Trust me, I can burn through a caster 50 who has Exp gear in no time at all with this little rotation.

 

Zealous Strike to Open, followed by a Blade rush, and then a precision Strike. Then use Master Strike. With the 100% armour Debuff, I am hitting for over 2000 damage a strike just on my main hand, without Ataru Form procs. Ataru form has a 50% chance to proc during your MS, and can proc off both MH and OH damage (from what I have seen). It can also crit, usually around 500 or so, with a normal Ataru being around 250 ish.

 

By the time your MS has finished, you should just have enough time to fire off a 100% crit chance Force Storm while the 100% armour pen buff is up. With a Surge Adrenal and my Surge/Crit Relic I have a 98% bonus crit damage, with my highest crit I noticed with this ability being around 4500 on a fully geared PVP healer. He survived the intial impact of everything due to his HOT, so i just used Force Stasis to finish him off, to add insult to injury.

 

The fact Combat has a talent that causes MS to root its target is awesome in PVP, and only affects your mobility for a few seconds, nothing major.

[Aznryoga]

As focused specced I use masterstrike alot in pvp, Exhaust -> masterstike deals alot of damage

Otherwise, when you're fighting another melee character, they're not going to run out of range while you channel it and run back in later...(master strike can't be interrupted)

[MBirkhofer]

If you are combat specced, it is worth using it a lot, though you do have to align your cooldowns to use it to its full potential in PVE and PVP. Trust me, I can burn through a caster 50 who has Exp gear in no time at all with this little rotation.

 

Zealous Strike to Open, followed by a Blade rush, and then a precision Strike. Then use Master Strike. With the 100% armour Debuff, I am hitting for over 2000 damage a strike just on my main hand, without Ataru Form procs. Ataru form has a 50% chance to proc during your MS, and can proc off both MH and OH damage (from what I have seen). It can also crit, usually around 500 or so, with a normal Ataru being around 250 ish.

 

By the time your MS has finished, you should just have enough time to fire off a 100% crit chance Force Storm while the 100% armour pen buff is up. With a Surge Adrenal and my Surge/Crit Relic I have a 98% bonus crit damage, with my highest crit I noticed with this ability being around 4500 on a fully geared PVP healer. He survived the intial impact of everything due to his HOT, so i just used Force Stasis to finish him off, to add insult to injury.

 

The fact Combat has a talent that causes MS to root its target is awesome in PVP, and only affects your mobility for a few seconds, nothing major.

 

+6f zstrike.(combat focus now, or 1.5s later on bladerush) -2f blade rush 1.5s,-3f prec.3s.

4.5s prec buff, 0f MS 6s. if combat focus proced on zstrike, you have 2 focus for blade storm, and you can get that blade storm baring no animation jitter on bladestorm, and target is not far away creating too long of a travel time. (do need to test to see if long travel results in buff dropping off. it might not) if, focus did not proc, you would have to wait.

That would be a situation to use it in though, if you didn't leap with leap. or simply strike once prior. Also, not using crippling throw to debuff or root.

 

In terms of raw damage however, blade rushx2 is more. And given the screwed up animation and travel time on blade storm. (Constant canceling) getting bladestorm out earlier is better then later.

[SteveGarbage]

I'm a Watchman and I still use it pretty regularly. I suppose I haven't look at the damage output of it. Typically I end up going Leap-Overload Saber-Zealous Strike-Cauterize-Master Strike on strongs or higher. It gives some time for leap and ZS and Cauterize to cool without me having to rely on spamming Slash and Strike.

[AeetesSixFive]

I use this ability whenever its up no matter what spec I am. If I'm watchman I try to line up overload saber with it, although its not a big deal. With combat I make sure I have prec slash up for when I use MS. This ability deals a ton of damage if you can get it off, whether it be PvE or PvP, also I really like the work they did for it animations are really cool.