Skill tree Anihilation vs Carnage

[Vellecks]

So I started the game Carnage spec and switched to Annihilation played most the game this way I am now 35 and spec'ed back to carnage to check it out.

 

Let me start with maybe I missed something but:

First the trees are lacking at best in this game but carnage is pointless solo wise and to state otherwise I just won't believe. I have great gear and huge crit chance and even with that I am getting rolled by elites now. Where with Annihilation I didn't run into nearly as many problems.

 

Maybe I am not doing something right but carnage wise I go

 

Charge> rage builder> Gore> Ravage > Scream.

 

which to my understanding is the correct chain and although I do good dmg it still pales to annihilation for procs and DoT seems to do more dmg overall.

 

Think with carnage Im getting roughly 4k-6k dmg though the carnage tree on my first chain

where Annihilation you get 5k-8k just over time but you get the life steal through your bleeds so you have 1k or so return to last the fight.

 

Does any one use the carnage tree for leveling? Am I doing something wrong here or is this tree just retarded for leveling and I need to suck it up and pay for the respec?

[AmedusTOR]

Oh no, not our weekly Annihilation vs Carnage thread!

 

I like both specs. I love how Carnage plays much moreso. Fast and deadly. But I'm more effective with Annihilation, especially in WZs. Less time on target is required for optimal DPS.

 

You gain greater surivivability with Annihilation, but a handful of raiders will tell you that Carnage is better in PVE for damage. (However, I have no doubt theres some nerd chomping at the bit to post his wall of rage text about how retarded I am for daring to say Carnage is in any way better than his precious Annihilation spec)

 

Honestly, for PVE they're both viable specs if played well. For PVP, I find Annihilation to be better due to less time required on target and less button spamming required. However, there's some very, VERY good Marauders (notably Kibaken) that can absolutely kick butt with Carnage in WZs.

 

So the answer? Find the spec that works for your playstyle and stick with it. They're all viable in the right hands.

 

And now the Annihilation/Carnage pissing match for the week can begin!

[Tannak]

Ok, I'll bite. The short answer is, "You're probably doing it wrong". I have my second marauder to 47 (guild rerolled on a new server) and have played both exclusively as carnage so I can't make any head-to-head comparisons vs anni, but I can say from my own experience leveling with the spec that it is definitely viable I like my chances vs any same-level single-target (standard, silver, or gold).

 

You didn't mention which companion you're using. I've found that a well-geared dps companion (Vette or Jaesa) is more effective than Quinn. For me, the key to this spec is to accept how squishy you are, and that you need to unleash as much damage in a short time as you can to kill things before your health bar ticks down to zero. If the fight lasts longer than 20-seconds you're in trouble. Fortunately, 20-seconds is more than enough to take down most mobs.

 

You're going to want medpacks and stims. If you can't afford, or don't want to purchase, then Biochem is a good choice for reusable packs/stims.

 

My current opening rotation looks like this, and with dps companion, can burn down same-level silver elite in a single cycle.

 

Cloak of Pain -> Force Charge -> Battering Assault (build rage) -> Massacre (gets Blood Frenzy rolling for guaranteed Force Scream crit) -> Gore -> Force Scream -> Ravage.

 

my pre-massacre rotation was identical, minus massacre.

 

After that, I keep Force Scream, Ravage, Gore, and Battering Assault on cooldown (trying to time gore->fs, or gore->ravage where possible) with Massacre and Retaliation as rage dumps.

 

Typically a silver strong is dead or very nearly so by the time the first ravage ends. Against gold elites (and champions too, if you were so inclined I suppose), you need to be a little more aware of your cooldowns and make sure you interrupt big damage casts/channels. Use force camo when you get low and let the mob beat on your companion for a bit.

 

For difficult encounters, be creative and use some strategies. Use terrain to your advantage. Many casts/channels are interrupted when you break line-of-sight by hiding obstacles. Against some of the boss encounters in quests, accept that you may die and work that into your strategy by making sure you take out the henchmen/guards first, so that when it comes time for the main-event it's just you and the bad guy (or good guy, since technically WE a are the bad guy here...). On short instanced quests, I'll often take out the guards/henchmen, leave my companion as a decoy and head back to the entrance to reset the boss, then head back in for the main-event.

 

So without getting into Anni vs Carn (because I've yet to try Anni), I can say without a doubt that there's no reason you can't succeed and have fun solo with Carnage. What I've described may not be the best way or most efficient way to do things, but it's worked well for me across two toons.