About to respec from combat to watchman, needing pointers

[MikeLuvsBarb]

Hello everyone,

 

I am a level 37 Combat Sentinel. I have been reading the posts on here, and it seems 95% of you say Watchman is way more effective than Combat, and bring some very good arguments to back it up.

 

I have had less than desirable results with PvP as a Combat Sentinel, and have finally told myself its time to switch to watchman.

 

I think the initial reason I specced Combat originally was because it seems way less complicated than watchman, and I figured I could succeed and be the top man every time. Boy was I wrong.

 

So...with all that being said, I need some major help transitioning to watchman. The only thing I know about watchman so far is that I will be using Zen from now on instead of transcendence, and that the major key to success in fights is managing DoTs. DoTs seem very complicated to me, and that makes me a little weary, but I am a fast learner and can get something down pat after doing it a few times.

 

Can I get a breakdown on what buttons I need to press/manage, from the first force leap into an opponent, to the killing blow? I don't even know where to begin with the rotation, and need to know a baseline for what I need to do.

 

Any help you may have to offer will be appreciated!

[NovaGame]

Im not a pro or anything so im not sure i can help but i leveled up Combat my self and turned into Watchman too.

If you talk about pvp right now it might feel a bit odd but trust me it will get better as you progress with it.

 

Some changes that you might find is that you cant always have a rotation of skills to follow, i find that watchman is more like "When X then you Y " etc.

 

Overload Saber is your bread and butter,make sure you apply that asap and learn to keep an eye on it cuse its a new ability for you.

Pop Zen right after 3 OS and Cauterize so you make the most of it

What makes it awsome is the crit ticks of Overload Saber (and the healing of it )

 

You might find Watchman more focus thirsty at the start.You dont have it yet but in 40 you get Merc Slash.

Merc Slash needs 5 focus and you need to strike with it when is up so you wont let its buff (lower cd ) get away.

 

I noticed on the first days as watchman i was wasting a lot of attention/energy on cauterize cd. You must use it when is up but don't stick your eyes on the icon and do not try to force reset it by chain slashes, very soon you will get "the feel"when it is up and apply it automaticly anyway.

 

Generally i feel more powerful when in Watchman,but it all comes to personal taste,i hope you like it in the end.

 

Try for fun to Stim+Adrenal+Relic+Dots+Zen+Stasis and a Merc Slash right after ,it will give you a smile

[SteveGarbage]

On paper it's pretty simple, but in action it requires some practice and planning to make sure you keep your burns up all the time.

 

First, a couple reminders about the major points beneficial to Watchman:

-Self-healing from your burn critical hits. Zen will give your burns auto-crits and thus give you auto-healing.

-Zero range Force Leap. Cooldown on leap also reduced, allowing you to use it more often and from anywhere.

-Reduced cooldown on Force Kick, allowing you to interrupt more often.

-Burns that ignore armor.

-Two skills (Slash and Merciless Slash) that have a chance to reset cooldown on Cauterize, your primary burn.

 

The key is making sure that you're constantly applying your DoTs, which are Cauterize and Overload Saber. Cauterize costs 2 Focus and Overload Saber costs 3 focus. Cauterize is a direct attack and Overload Saber gives you three attacks and only applies a stack when you hit with a physical attack, meaning that, most notably, Force Sweep does NOT apply it.

 

It's as simple as use either of those two whenever you have available focus. The problem is making sure that you're constantly generating focus so you'll have it when you need it, not just for those two moves but for the rest of your moves. And it's made more complicated by the fact that Slash and/or Merciless can reset your Cauterize cooldown.

 

Zen will give you auto-crits on your burns, which gives you healing. When you pop Zen is a matter of opinion to a lot of people. General consensus seems to be that it's best to drop it when you have ALL of your burns applied at the same time. I haven't done a lot of testing with it, but that's usually what I roll with too.

 

Watchman is about flow. Where Combat was build up a bunch of focus and then dump it real fast, Watchman is more constant. In PvE you can get into a normal rotation of skills, PvP is more hectic and requires more on-the-flow modification. Just remember that your general priority should be Cauterize>Overload Saber>Everything Else.

 

Also as a Watchman, you should mostly be ignoring Blade Storm. The cost of Slash is reduced, it does nearly as much damage and has a chance to reset Cauterize. The main benefit of Blade Storm in comparison is its range, but overall, you're better to bench it in favor of Slash.

 

Before jumping back into PvP stuff, I'd suggest taking some time in some PvE content to get a feel for how your skills work and how you need to build and spend your focus.

[Zag_Stratos]

The post above me is pretty spot on but I wouldn't ignore Blade Storm.

 

However, do not use it in Melee range, use it when you're out of Melee range and have no other way to hit the guy.

[MikeLuvsBarb]

To the above posters: thanks for the tips they helped out a lot. Last night my switch to Watchman was fun and frustrating at the same time.

 

Since the switch to watchman, I am killing elites a lot easier in PvE. I don't find myself heavily relying on Doc like I was when I was Combat. Saw the difference almost right away.

This rotation seems to work like magic for me: Force leap. Overload saber. Zealous strike. Strike. Slash. Cauterize. Force stasis....for the longer fights I was popping zen and noticed better longevity.

 

PvP....totally different story! After the first warzone was over, I hung up my keyboard in frustration and called it a night. Maybe it will take some time to get into the groove, but wow! I killed 0 people and got killed 10 times. Maybe it was the circumstances...I had a bad team, almost all my fights were 3 v 1 or worse. I couldn't even get a quarter-way into the above roation without getting pulverized. I never even had time to build zen even once.

 

Anyone have any pointers for me with PvP? Or is this just something I'm going to have to get used to? When I was Combat, I was pretty formidable in PvP....I was hoping to be twice as good with Watchman. Any advice?

[KruelhandJorb]

you'll love watchman at 40 when you can take Merciless Slash... it's just one ability but for me Watchman wasn't really 'fun' until I was 40 and then it just took off!

 

I mean who doesn't like an ability that can hit people for 3k with ease in a WZ?

[witelightnin]

I think the most important thing to a good watchman build is a solid rotation and the ability to fill in skills when you need to. For instance, almost EVERY fight I'm in starts w/ Leap, OS in air, Merciless, Cauterize, Master Strike. For groups of mobs I take out master strike and throw in a force sweep at some point, then pommel strike a weak mob to instantly take them out of commission.

 

Really it's the utility OUTSIDE of this set rotation that makes watchman so versatile. Adding things into your rotation like force stasis and the move that reduces accuracy for 6s can be CRUCIAL against tougher mobs.

 

Timing is also essential to the build. If you are fighting a mob that spams moves w/ activation times, being able to kick > leap > kick > stasis > kick > camou can literally save your butt in almost any situation. Obviously you still want to throw damage moves in between when you can in these situations, but being able to completely shut down an opponent that charges attacks is pretty OP if you ask me.

 

Basically, spend a LOT of time just fighting trash mobs so you can work out a good rotation and get used to using ALL of your skills. Honestly, there are only about 2-3 skills total that I don't use in PvE (crippling throw and leg slash come to mind). After your comfortable with your rotation, start working your way up. With Doc healing, you should eventually be able to solo pretty much anything but some of the larger 4-man heroic pulls.

[SteveGarbage]

To the above posters: thanks for the tips they helped out a lot. Last night my switch to Watchman was fun and frustrating at the same time.

 

Since the switch to watchman, I am killing elites a lot easier in PvE. I don't find myself heavily relying on Doc like I was when I was Combat. Saw the difference almost right away.

This rotation seems to work like magic for me: Force leap. Overload saber. Zealous strike. Strike. Slash. Cauterize. Force stasis....for the longer fights I was popping zen and noticed better longevity.

 

PvP....totally different story! After the first warzone was over, I hung up my keyboard in frustration and called it a night. Maybe it will take some time to get into the groove, but wow! I killed 0 people and got killed 10 times. Maybe it was the circumstances...I had a bad team, almost all my fights were 3 v 1 or worse. I couldn't even get a quarter-way into the above roation without getting pulverized. I never even had time to build zen even once.

 

Anyone have any pointers for me with PvP? Or is this just something I'm going to have to get used to? When I was Combat, I was pretty formidable in PvP....I was hoping to be twice as good with Watchman. Any advice?

 

I'm a strictly PvE player, but there is a marked difference between PvE and PvP combat. In PvE combat you don't have to worry about mobs running around in circles, doing major damage and breaking your rotation up. PvE is much easier in that respect.

 

In PvE you can't rely on being able to execute your normal string of skills. There's just too much that can happen to break it up. In PvP you're going to want to utilize skills that you never use in PvE like Leg Slash (slow) and Crippling Throw (reduces healing) as well as trying to manage your DoTs and focus. And since you're a melee class, you have to worry about the usual things like range, knockbacks, etc.

 

I can't really give you a lot of tips about PvP since I only read about it here, besides a general keep practicing with it. Sentinel is a hard class to play well and I'd say Watchman is its spec that requires the most attention. Other people may be able to offer more tailored advice.

[EasymodeX]

DoTs seem very complicated to me, and that makes me a little weary, but I am a fast learner and can get something down pat after doing it a few times.

 

The DOTs for the Sent are very simple:

 

1. Use Overcharge when it's available.

2. Use Cauterize when it's available.

3. ????

4. Profit.

 

 

Can I get a breakdown on what buttons I need to press/manage, from the first force leap into an opponent, to the killing blow? I don't even know where to begin with the rotation, and need to know a baseline for what I need to do.

 

Priorities:

 

Zealous Strike, Overcharge, Cauterize, Merc Slash (you don't have this yet), Slash, Strike.

 

That's it for damage output.

 

Roll your face from left to right and win. Throw in Master Strike when you want to mess with peoples' heads or throw some burst.

 

Don't use Blade Storm almost ever. Unless you really need to deal damage to someone who will dodge your melee attacks.

[MikeLuvsBarb]

The DOTs for the Sent are very simple:

 

1. Use Overcharge when it's available.

2. Use Cauterize when it's available.

3. ????

4. Profit.

 

What do you mean by #3 where you put "????"

[Asherdad]

Hey man,

I can only speak from the experience of being new to the watchman spec and being frustrated in war zones. For me, I found that once I learned how to use my kick, leg slash, Camo and leap to give me an advantage in combat and keep me alive that I had higher damage and kills. Also, I had to figure out who to attack. I am most succesful when I find healers, bounty hunters and snipers off by themselves or I attack the same player as a team member and we burn the player down quick. Third, I stopped leaping in. This saved it for either a way to get back on the target or get out if needed. Finally, 30s until you get Mecr Slash is hard. That is what will get you back in the game.

[MikeLuvsBarb]

Thanks a lot everyone! I have been doing a lot better now

[Lashlarue]

Stay in the tree to the top; don't veer off to anything else until you have 31 points in Watchman. Grow an extra hand to help deal with the spammy nature of it - Combat is ALOT more straightforward and less buttony.

[DralenBrand]

Stay in the tree to the top; don't veer off to anything else until you have 31 points in Watchman. Grow an extra hand to help deal with the spammy nature of it - Combat is ALOT more straightforward and less buttony.

 

 

 

"Less buttony?" Maybe - haven't played watchman. My 46 combat specced sent has PLENTY of buttons to press, howeve,r and I am NEVER without some ability to use at any time. What combat is: situational. If you try to come up with a rotation using all your abilities, then that is why you fail. I have a mini-rotation I grind while I watch for opportunities to key up certain abilities that are more dependent on the situation.

 

It may just be me, but the problem is with combar sub-40. From level 40 on, combat has been a great spec. I like that if I finish a burst, then Blade Rush is still up 90% of the time if I pepper in focus-generating abilities over time. I can literally swing blade rush back-to-back at times. Combat probably needs a boost for comparison to watchman, but I prefer burst DPS to DOT. That's just me.

 

[valgar]

Hit 48 on my sent. Been watchman spec since i hit lvl 10. no problems at all. As somone else said you should put cauterize up right after zealous strike. so Force leap,overcharge,zeal, then cauterize.

 

My favorite class/spec in game . For me anyway! WOuld be nice to have a long range saber toss though, but can not have it all i guess!

 

Blah! also forgot to say i always use rebuk when its up just as im force leaping. So forceleap/rebk/overload/zeal/cauter.....works awsome for me anyway.

Edited March 8, 2012 by valgar

[valgar]

Oh!

and as far as PvE you have 3 interupts so boss fights are very easy. make sure you are using them and with Doc along you should never have less then 50-60% health.