Sorcerer "Rotation"

[DrFaroohk]

I currently play a healing sorc, running around with khem val and fighting the forces of good, and I have a few questions about my combat "rotation", as it were.

 

For a short easy fight, I just blast lightning at things. If it's a slightly longer fight with a strong mob in there with the trash, I usually dot everyone, and then either heal khem if he needs it, or start alternating between force lightning and shock until everyone's dead. If mobs get close to me, I'll use my ground pound thingie to knock them all back. If it's a gold-starred mob or something, usually I just sit back and focus on healing khem val. seems to work.

 

What should I be doing different? I notice that I have "Lightning Strike", but I don't really see where to fit it into my rotation. Should I substitute that for Shock? Use all three? I dunno what do to. Would like to be as efficient as possible. I may even spec different, into lightning or madness, or stay healz, whichever is best for solo pve leveling.

[Iwipe]

Honestly I pretty much did what you did there at early levels. Didn't had use for Lighting strike much.. Only time I really used Lighting strike was when both Force Lighting and Shock are on cooldown.

 

Once you get force storm things gets a bit more interesting.

[Sasheria]

I personally love Madness for CC ability vs lightning (which is a fav in terms of high initial damage output vs DoT in madness tree)

 

Couple of things why I like Madness for solo/group DPS

 

 

Force Lightning (channel)- no cooldown with skills + force return. This is a boon when you are tossing in a couple of heals and shield when needed.

 

Whirlwind target upto THREE (instead of default one) if they are within 8m of each other. This is GREAT to take out 3 in a group of 4 and just take them out one by one. This is awesome skill. They are not attacking you = healing less = save force = doing more damage with force lightning

 

There are other threads which does a much better job in terms of comparing lightning tree vs madness tree for leveling.

 

I did start of in healing tree, but like ALL healing in any MMO, it is going to be the slowest way to level IMO.

[terryn]

Madness:

Very force heavy to apply full dots on the target. While there is a force return on force lighting, it basically makes it a free ability if all ticks go off (when specked properly). In soloing, or 4 man instances, it seems like a slightly better tree just due to a higher "30 second burst" timer due to the way dots will line up, which is what most fights last in these zones.

 

As far as a rotation is concerned, I've seen that you start off with affliction, creeping terror, then use death field in the most effective way possible. Apply crushing darkness immediately after, then force lightning. Use the consumption only to one debuff to still retain some decent force regen, and to keep too much damage on yourself to make the healers sweat ^^;;. After this its keep dots up > use lightning strike when the instant cast is up > force lightning.

 

Lightning:

Much more force neutral in longer fights simply due to a half-cost proc on ANY crit from a force ability, and having force regen set to a passive 10.4 with talents (and has a near 100% up time). This spec seems much more reliant on the surge stat, due to many abilities having an increased crit chance, or a flat 100% crit on thundering blast in the ideal situation. This spec seems to be slightly more gear dependent, but much more favorable to the "end game raiding" situation from what numbers i have been seeing.

 

For a rotation, I've kind of been using something loosely like this. Affliction > Thundering blast on CD > Chain lightning on proc > Lightning strike. Obviously use polarity shift in conjunction with relics for maximum DPS output.

 

 

As far as PVP is concerned, madness is by far the better spec simply because of the crowd control abilities, and the amount of instant cast abilities that lightning does NOT offer.

Edited January 18, 2012 by terryn

[BrowncoatSoldier]

Though I (as well as many other inquisitors looking at this thread) appreciate the advice you guys gave, your straying away from the OP's original request, and that is a rotation specifically in the healing tree. I'm also interested (being a healer myself) in other opinions.

 

My 2cents: I use force lighting followed by lighting strike, and dots while I heal khem. I typically don't use shock unless I'm dealing with mobs that I can get the full effect with it (weak mobs). If there's a group that has melee fighters, I will continually shock the range mobs, use khem to distract the others (to lessen the dps on khem, therefore lessening the needed heals) and force lighting the melee mob (which if they are weak, they will just stand there and take it) and put a affliction after it ends since I have the talent tree points to decrease the movement speed of the targets affected with affliction. That's usually my favorite method.

[BrowncoatSoldier]

anyone?

[Seiferhazdemonz]

It depends on what level you are at the moment. I leveled my Sorcerer with a build i threw together because it seemed awesome for leveling efficiency and offheals in flashpoints. I started out in the lightning tree till level 25. I then switched to madness, grabbing points in anything that boosted up force lightning, grabbing death field as well. With those 16 points in the tree, all the way up to wrath, i moved back into the lightning tree, grabbing increased force, lowered force cost, etc., anything that came off as "efficient" to me. I also grabbed 2 points in faster dark infusion, to toss out those big heals when necessary.

 

If you plan on going this build, i recommend using Khem for most of your story, as he makes an awesome tank, at least as far as holding aggro. If you want to go the healing spec route, which i am currently at 50, i recommend using a dps companion, as you have way more options of keeping them alive, but lack the damage of a dps build. Using this system, i was extremely self sufficient, only needing to group for 4 man heroic quests/area's and flashpoints. Keep your companions gear up to par as much as possible, as well as your own. People that complain about khem dying fast, or companions getting torn up, are either lacking severely in gear, or not tossing out cc/heals/shields when necessary.

[gannonmoss]

I currently play a healing sorc, running around with khem val and fighting the forces of good, and I have a few questions about my combat "rotation", as it were.

 

For a short easy fight, I just blast lightning at things. If it's a slightly longer fight with a strong mob in there with the trash, I usually dot everyone, and then either heal khem if he needs it, or start alternating between force lightning and shock until everyone's dead. If mobs get close to me, I'll use my ground pound thingie to knock them all back. If it's a gold-starred mob or something, usually I just sit back and focus on healing khem val. seems to work.

 

What should I be doing different? I notice that I have "Lightning Strike", but I don't really see where to fit it into my rotation. Should I substitute that for Shock? Use all three? I dunno what do to. Would like to be as efficient as possible. I may even spec different, into lightning or madness, or stay healz, whichever is best for solo pve leveling.

 

 

 

Always target weaker mobs first. Rule of MMO's, if it's dead it can't do damage/heal. So kill the weakest ones first. Makes any fight easier.

 

3-5 Weak Mobs

 

(Shield on Khem Pre-Fight, send to engage mobs) Lightning storm spam, heal Khem if needed.

 

1 Silver, 2 Weak

 

(Shield, Khem engage) Burn down the two weak adds first with Lightining, Shock, Affliction and Lightning blast. Have Khem help you. Switch to Silver mob, Electrocute, Consuming Darkness, Affliction, Lightining, Shock, Strike etc.

 

1+ Elites/Gold

 

(Shield, Khem Engage, Whirlwind extra mobs) Recklessness, Consuming Darkness, Affliction. Wait for the mob to use its first cast and interrupt with Jolt. Lightning, Shock, Strike. Use Electrocute for next cast. Keep up Consuming Darkness and Affliction and then Jolt third cast. If the mob is not dead, refresh Khem's shield and throw a HoT on him.

[MAKODRA]

1 Silver, 2 Weak

 

(Shield, Khem engage) Burn down the two weak adds first with Lightining, Shock, Affliction and Lightning blast. Have Khem help you. Switch to Silver mob, Electrocute, Consuming Darkness, Affliction, Lightining, Shock, Strike etc.

 

 

One this one, I like to Shield Khem and send him at the silver, while I burn down the two weak. By the time I burn down the 2 weak, I just reshield Khem throw him a heal, then help Khem burn the silver down.

[Petrus]

My ground pound thingie...

 

Is that the scientific terminology for Overload?

[KittyPrawn]

Is that the scientific terminology for Overload?

 

Yes.

 

Also, I don't think you have force storm yet. But, when you get it, just lightning ALL the things until victory happens.

[Halefthaut]

You need Subversion in the Lightning tree to be effective in PVE. Keep the 3 stacks rolling

 

Rotation on single target is LSx3>FL(wrath proc)>LS(keep it rolling, stack falls fast)>CD+Affliction>LS>FL>LS>FL>LS>dots again

 

You could also skip dots and LSx3 then FL>LS>FL all the boss, at will.