BH full Arsenal Skill Rotation Suggestions.

[TICHRIUS]

Hi guys, I now have a level 50 Arsenal and I was just wondering if you can suggest a good skill rotation so I don't build up heat as fast as a speeding Ferrari. I seem to have a problem with it especially during prolonged boss fights. All inputs are greatly appreciated, thanks.

[StevenStarkill]

If you're simply looking for how to manage heat later on in the fight, it's not a rotation you need it's understanding priority. You need to get a feel for how much heat each shot costs and know by a mere glance at your heat bar if using another heat costing shot would push you past 40 heat, thereby losing full heat degeneration if even only a short time. It helps to think of yourself as only having 40 heat to work with unless you are burning hard and have Vent Heat available.

 

This is a simple way to break it down. Put a Rapid Shots between every Heat costing shot. If you crit with either Unload or Tracer Missile, this allows you often to then do 2 heat costing shots in a row before the next Rapid Shots because of the Terminal Velocity heat reduction. Sometimes you can do even more between Rapid Shots. You have to get a feel for it and constantly monitor your heat bar so you can change the next shot you would do on the fly.

 

Here is the priority I use.

 

Rapid Shots(only if the next shot would push you over 40 heat)

Heatseeker Missiles(wait for 5 stack of heat signatures if in starting rotation)

Unload(if Barrage has procced)

Rail Shot(at 5 stacks of Tracer Lock)

Tracer Missile

 

My starting rotation usually looks like this:

 

Tracer

Tracer

Tracer(5 stacks of heat signature have now applied and Barrage has most likely procced)

Heatseeker Missiles

Unload(only if Barrage has procced otherwise do another Tracer)

Tracer

Tracer

Rail Shot

 

After this you may have a ton of heat, or it may only be at the halfway mark or so, it depends on crits etc. You want to keep pushing the heat to full and then dump it with Vent Heat in a starting rotation on a boss. This gives you tons of upfront burst and puts VH on cooldown for future use if the fight is long.

 

Following the starting rotation it's all about shot priority. There is no rotation. Use the priority I posted up above the starting rotation and you should do well. Try to use Heatseeker Missiles the moment it comes off cooldown if possible for maximum dps, but dont go over 40 heat to do it. Don't be shy about using Thermal Sensor override, especially when AOEing(Fusion Missile is a great option to use TSO on).

 

Now having said all this, once you gear gets really good and your crit is high, you can start testing out new boundaries for heat. If you can start to depending on Terminal Velocity triggering almost every 3 secs, then it might be better to push for 50 head instead of 40 but that's hard to say. Hope I was helpful.

[ReFlexionn]

tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer tracer

OVER HEAT, clean a bit of heat and repeat

[Kadin]

If you're simply looking for how to manage heat later on in the fight, it's not a rotation you need it's understanding priority. You need to get a feel for how much heat each shot costs and know by a mere glance at your heat bar if using another heat costing shot would push you past 40 heat, thereby losing full heat degeneration if even only a short time. It helps to think of yourself as only having 40 heat to work with unless you are burning hard and have Vent Heat available.

 

This is a simple way to break it down. Put a Rapid Shots between every Heat costing shot. If you crit with either Unload or Tracer Missile, this allows you often to then do 2 heat costing shots in a row before the next Rapid Shots because of the Terminal Velocity heat reduction. Sometimes you can do even more between Rapid Shots. You have to get a feel for it and constantly monitor your heat bar so you can change the next shot you would do on the fly.

 

Here is the priority I use.

 

Rapid Shots(only if the next shot would push you over 40 heat)

Heatseeker Missiles(wait for 5 stack of heat signatures if in starting rotation)

Unload(if Barrage has procced)

Rail Shot(at 5 stacks of Tracer Lock)

Tracer Missile

 

My starting rotation usually looks like this:

 

Tracer

Tracer

Tracer(5 stacks of heat signature have now applied and Barrage has most likely procced)

Heatseeker Missiles

Unload(only if Barrage has procced otherwise do another Tracer)

Tracer

Tracer

Rail Shot

 

After this you may have a ton of heat, or it may only be at the halfway mark or so, it depends on crits etc. You want to keep pushing the heat to full and then dump it with Vent Heat in a starting rotation on a boss. This gives you tons of upfront burst and puts VH on cooldown for future use if the fight is long.

 

Following the starting rotation it's all about shot priority. There is no rotation. Use the priority I posted up above the starting rotation and you should do well. Try to use Heatseeker Missiles the moment it comes off cooldown if possible for maximum dps, but dont go over 40 heat to do it. Don't be shy about using Thermal Sensor override, especially when AOEing(Fusion Missile is a great option to use TSO on).

 

Now having said all this, once you gear gets really good and your crit is high, you can start testing out new boundaries for heat. If you can start to depending on Terminal Velocity triggering almost every 3 secs, then it might be better to push for 50 head instead of 40 but that's hard to say. Hope I was helpful.

 

Well written post and I have to say I've been following this exact same mentality for quite a bit now. The thing with Heat not going over 40 is key. You really must keep it at that or below or you'll be hating it if Vent Heat is on cd.

[Yazule]

If you're simply looking for how to manage heat later on in the fight, it's not a rotation you need it's understanding priority. You need to get a feel for how much heat each shot costs and know by a mere glance at your heat bar if using another heat costing shot would push you past 40 heat, thereby losing full heat degeneration if even only a short time. It helps to think of yourself as only having 40 heat to work with unless you are burning hard and have Vent Heat available.

 

This is a simple way to break it down. Put a Rapid Shots between every Heat costing shot. If you crit with either Unload or Tracer Missile, this allows you often to then do 2 heat costing shots in a row before the next Rapid Shots because of the Terminal Velocity heat reduction. Sometimes you can do even more between Rapid Shots. You have to get a feel for it and constantly monitor your heat bar so you can change the next shot you would do on the fly.

 

Here is the priority I use.

 

Rapid Shots(only if the next shot would push you over 40 heat)

Heatseeker Missiles(wait for 5 stack of heat signatures if in starting rotation)

Unload(if Barrage has procced)

Rail Shot(at 5 stacks of Tracer Lock)

Tracer Missile

 

My starting rotation usually looks like this:

 

Tracer

Tracer

Tracer(5 stacks of heat signature have now applied and Barrage has most likely procced)

Heatseeker Missiles

Unload(only if Barrage has procced otherwise do another Tracer)

Tracer

Tracer

Rail Shot

 

After this you may have a ton of heat, or it may only be at the halfway mark or so, it depends on crits etc. You want to keep pushing the heat to full and then dump it with Vent Heat in a starting rotation on a boss. This gives you tons of upfront burst and puts VH on cooldown for future use if the fight is long.

 

Following the starting rotation it's all about shot priority. There is no rotation. Use the priority I posted up above the starting rotation and you should do well. Try to use Heatseeker Missiles the moment it comes off cooldown if possible for maximum dps, but dont go over 40 heat to do it. Don't be shy about using Thermal Sensor override, especially when AOEing(Fusion Missile is a great option to use TSO on).

 

Now having said all this, once you gear gets really good and your crit is high, you can start testing out new boundaries for heat. If you can start to depending on Terminal Velocity triggering almost every 3 secs, then it might be better to push for 50 head instead of 40 but that's hard to say. Hope I was helpful.

 

excellent read, the fusion with TSO tip is critical as that guy is a heat beast.

 

a couple of comments on this and it is my philosophy as well

 

toss in a couple of rapid shots here and there, once you hit 30% crit and 80% surge you should be going for power as well and rapid shots is a nice 1-1.5k hit and helps cooldown.

 

Unload is pretty much heat neutral, meaning from start to finish your heat is about the same due to its duration, throw in the 30% damage bonus (specced in) and the 25% bonus from TV (which will almost always proc before your cooldown goes away) and it is a "free" beast of damage. I make unload #1 priority once into my rotation. Don't attack too soon on unload, the last big tick comes at the end of the bar and if you fire something and get the *canceled* note on the bar you lost free dps.

 

So he is right, no rotation, just a "starting rotation" and if you want to get a huge end burst i recommend

 

explosive dart/tm/HS/unload ... it uses a lot o heat but all 4 hit within .5 seconds of each other followed by the streaming unload, if that dont work to drop them hopefully you have rail ready for a finisher (you may need TSO to use it if the combo overheated you)

 

fyi the 30%/80% from earlier is commonly accepted as the beginnin of soft cap.

 

I have the tonese 2 set piece for 15% TM crit buff so i run my crit up to 35% just so i can be warm and fuzzy with my 50% crit on TM... it vents heat like a beast now (specced in)

Edited January 23, 2012 by Yazule

[_Brutil]

one thing of note when using TSO:

if you are using TSO on a "casted" ability (fusion missile, or Tracer) you can weave in an instant on the end of it without haivng to pay for the heat. I find this best used with either Fusion into Explosive, or on single target ill time it so my HS is just off CD by the end of my fusion cast.

I'm sure this is not intended, and may be fixed at some point in time, but until it is, its free heat. doing this will usually allow your heat to drop to 0 from 40, anything over 40, it will still drop it a considerable ammount. Happy Hunting

[The_Duck]

yeah, instant-cast and no-heat Fusion Missile. Always.

I think that is the best use of that combo other than a free instant-heal or something.

 

When does Barrage proc? I forget what the icon looks like.

[Snagulus]

Something else to think about: Several of the operation fights have spans of the fight that you can't spend heat during. Entering these phases with extra heat is free damage done, as long as you make sure you'll bleed all the heat by the time you need to DPS again.