Carnage vs Annihilation play style?

[gizbug]

From someone who played both builds/styles in pvp, can you offer how the play style differs between the 2? Currently Carn and going to switch soon, i think, to Annih.

[Garroda]

From someone who played both builds/styles in pvp, can you offer how the play style differs between the 2? Currently Carn and going to switch soon, i think, to Annih.

 

Are you more PvE or PvP oriented? This is really important, because the need for mobility in PvP is not really their in PvP. Rage and agro managment is more your PvE focus.

 

I won't discuss which is *Better* because that was not your question.

 

You already play Carnage...so the focus is really all about your Massacre -> Gore -> Force Scream rotation. Berzerk in Carnage is meh...use it for Predation or Blood Rage.

the +15% movment is really nice because you are required to have Time on Target (ToT) to be effective. Carnage lends itself to a anticipate and execute playstyle.

 

Anni is more about stacking your bleeds (Dots). Annihilate ability itself hits like a truck and Berzerk actually is a fundamental part of the playstyle (Increased Bleed Crits). You have more ways to build Rage and Fury so, that is not as much of an issue. You also have better survivability based on Force Camo and Blead heal abilities. However, since you also have more abilities to weave that are situational, you have to have good ability selection based on the priority at that moment. Basically, you have lots of things to keep track of. This allows Anni to be an analyze and react playstyle.

 

This is an oversimplification, but hope it helps.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Garroda

[mmjarec]

carnage is more direct and mitigated by armor, anihi is not. fundamental difference, bleeds arent as easily mitigated.

[CrazyAl]

for playstyle, i would stay that carnage feels a bit more ... smooth, you have this "combo" so to speak, and it almost feels choreographed and flows nicely

 

annihilation is much more frenetic, you really need to keep annihilation on a 3 stack and sometimes you it feels like that window to keep it up is very small so it seems like you have to rush to get it refreshed, and DS being off GCD adds to the hectic feel

[excaliburhc]

was carn up to last week - trying out anni for awhile. (until carnage is buffed)

 

as stated above carnage is smoother .

 

the 15% move buff is nice as are the control skills - i.e ravage / vicious throw cc'ing people.

 

anni is a tad more frantic - but offers way more survivability i find.

 

for example - as carnage in one on one it can be a close affair - no mistakes or you are flucked ,

 

anni on the other hand is much more forgiving - the heals while not adding much - do add and the dot damage is nice - especially when you rupture 1 target - then annihalate then switch to another enemy dot them ,switch back finish first and so on.

 

 

i prefer carnage just for how it feels but anni to me is way more effective.

 

easiest way i can put it - hutball - damage as carnage - normally 150 to 200 k with 4/5 medals -

as anni - normally 230 to 260 k with 7 medals.

that is after roughly 3 days playing it and it can only get better.

to be honest i seriously think anni is op but that could just be because i compare it to carnage.

Edited March 13, 2012 by excaliburhc

[Omophorus]

to be honest i seriously think anni is op but that could just be because i compare it to carnage.

 

I think the problem is that Carnage is underpowered, moreso than that Annihilation is overpowered.

 

But yes, Anni is definitely more "frantic" because the priority list is more complex and there are a number of factors (time, talents, etc.) that can impact what the correct next action is. There's more quick decisions to be made between GCDs and a goodly bit of planning ahead to manage resources for Annihilate and bleeds.

[Mosene]

From someone who played both builds/styles in pvp, can you offer how the play style differs between the 2? Currently Carn and going to switch soon, i think, to Annih.

 

Carnage is easy and bad.

Ani is hard"er" and good.

Rage?

 

Hope it helps

Edited March 16, 2012 by Mosene

[Elaeno]

well all i can say is that the nut above me dont know what he is talking about .... but ye it depends on what you want to do .... me for PvE i prefer carnage beacouse the burst allows me to do about the same dmg as a anni when the anni stands on the boss all the time while as i can move and do it

 

on SoA for instance i can say from experience that anni is rly hard as you need to keep the dots up and thats extremely hard with a boss that shields himself all the time....

 

anni however is quite nice on bosses where you know that the moving is kept to a minimum

 

in pvp however the lads above does have a point ... the dmg aswell as the defensive abilities and heals are quite nice when facing players ... i have played carnage most tho and the only thing that angers me at all is that vs a player the force scream dont allways crit after a Gore which it is intended to do ....

 

but as a end to this comment by me is ... play what suits you ... dont listen too much coz we all play differently so for me carnage might be insanely good while as the guys above might be divine with annihilation GL in your search

[Wire_Razors]

well all i can say is that the nut above me dont know what he is talking about .... but ye it depends on what you want to do .... me for PvE i prefer carnage beacouse the burst allows me to do about the same dmg as a anni when the anni stands on the boss all the time while as i can move and do it

 

on SoA for instance i can say from experience that anni is rly hard as you need to keep the dots up and thats extremely hard with a boss that shields himself all the time....

 

anni however is quite nice on bosses where you know that the moving is kept to a minimum

 

in pvp however the lads above does have a point ... the dmg aswell as the defensive abilities and heals are quite nice when facing players ... i have played carnage most tho and the only thing that angers me at all is that vs a player the force scream dont allways crit after a Gore which it is intended to do ....

 

but as a end to this comment by me is ... play what suits you ... dont listen too much coz we all play differently so for me carnage might be insanely good while as the guys above might be divine with annihilation GL in your search

 

I'm dedicated to Carnage, although I've shelved my Marauder for a while. I tried Annihilation, it it just ... didn't feel right. You lack in some things for PvP, perhaps, but I know it well enough to generally keep a high DPS output and escape. Really, the numbers don't matter, so long as you win. It's nice getting the 4 medals, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it so long as my team wins (for the daily missions).

 

I used to be somewhat of a hard-head in other MMO's, trying to take specs that others said were bad, and forcing them to change their minds afterwards. Truth is, there's no bad spec, just bad players.

 

Heck, respec doesn't cost much and resets every week anyway. Sometimes it's just fun to experiment to breathe new life into a toon you've been playing for awhile. Go NUTS!

 

Heh, I'm half-tempted to play around with a completely average and hybrid spec, just for the heck of it. Just have to figure out an easy way to change forms on the fly. Man, that would be a rotational nightmare!

[bountyhunterzzzz]

Popping berserk gore massacre spam will kill anything in front of you, played properly it's a very good spec specially for locking down carriers.

[Nessirin]

Popping berserk gore massacre spam will kill anything in front of you, played properly it's a very good spec specially for locking down carriers.

 

But how does it fair against battlecruisers and broodlords?

[iknoghostmagic]

I really can understand how people even discuss this still annihilation is the best marauder spec period for everything currently, there is to argument it offers the best Damage,Utility and tools and best survivability

 

Annihilation

Insane dps

Selfhealing

6 second disrupt instead of 8

45 cd obfuscate instead of 1min

No minimum range on charge

12sec charge cd vs 15

80% predation vs 50%

With shortfuse talent you get 30secs of frenzy cd and build fury twice as fast

100% damage reduction while forcecamo is active

Juyo form scaling

Edited March 19, 2012 by iknoghostmagic

[mrHaterade]

I really can understand how people even discuss this still annihilation is the best marauder spec period for everything currently, there is to argument it offers the best Damage,Utility and tools and best survivability

For you. Not for everyone. Some perform better with Carnage as it suits their play style better.

[Dacer]

I really can understand how people even discuss this still annihilation is the best marauder spec period for everything currently, there is to argument it offers the best Damage,Utility and tools and best survivability

 

Annihilation

Insane dps

Selfhealing

6 second disrupt instead of 8

45 cd obfuscate instead of 1min

No minimum range on charge

12sec charge cd vs 15

80% predation vs 50%

With shortfuse talent you get 30secs of frenzy cd and build fury twice as fast

100% damage reduction while forcecamo is active

Juyo form scaling

 

 

I see you haven't read the 1.2 patch notes.

[coldserpent]

I like Carnage. To me, it flows smoother, and just feels...natural. Granted, I played an enhancement shaman in that other game a looooong time ago.

 

I don't know how to explain it, other than it feels like a fluid dance. It may not get the crowd going with huge flashy moves(I'm looking at you, Mr. Hip Hop break-dancing Rage), or that frantic feel to it(And to you, Mr. Dance Dance Revolution XR9000 Annihilation spec), but it works for me.

[VictorLototskyy]

Thing I missing most at Carnage is additional interrupt with Chrage. It's really hard to kill good healer without it.

[tiznasty]

I thin u all have it wrong about carnage see what u all don't know is with carnage there is stacks and burst damage which destroys annialation. Plus annialation only has a specific damage and can really be stacked its more of a survivability spec and has no chance with carnage when it comes to dps. Carnage is stacked easily and just kicks butt in pvp and pve and annialation is ok but it lacks a lot in my opinion. Annialation has bleed damage but that's not that affective because of cc. I fought a maurader annialation spec same level and gear and I kicked his ***. I was carnage of course, but I got my stacks which annialation can't get so well first and I killed him in seconds.

[tiznasty]

I thin u all have it wrong about carnage see what u all don't know is with carnage there is stacks and burst damage which destroys annialation. Plus annialation only has a specific damage and can really be stacked its more of a survivability spec and has no chance with carnage when it comes to dps. Carnage is stacked easily and just kicks butt in pvp and pve and annialation is ok but it lacks a lot in my opinion. Annialation has bleed damage but that's not that affective because of cc. I fought a maurader annialation spec same level and gear and I kicked his ***. I was carnage of course, but I got my stacks which annialation can't get so well first and I killed him in seconds.

[Adwynyth]

I thin u all have it wrong about carnage see what u all don't know is with carnage there is stacks and burst damage which destroys annialation. Plus annialation only has a specific damage and can really be stacked its more of a survivability spec and has no chance with carnage when it comes to dps. Carnage is stacked easily and just kicks butt in pvp and pve and annialation is ok but it lacks a lot in my opinion. Annialation has bleed damage but that's not that affective because of cc. I fought a maurader annialation spec same level and gear and I kicked his ***. I was carnage of course, but I got my stacks which annialation can't get so well first and I killed him in seconds.

Um...look at the date.

 

You're replying to a six-week-old post. That was before 1.2 came out, which changed the balance of Carnage vs Annihilation quite a bit. I think it's generally agreed that Anni got a slight nerf while Carnage is a bit stronger now, although I wouldn't presume to speak for everyone. There are lots of opinions out there.

[kyllinghest]

But how does it fair against battlecruisers and broodlords?

 

Obvious hardcounters to marauders, try to mix in marines and vikings!

[aRtFuL]

I think the problem is that Carnage is underpowered, moreso than that Annihilation is overpowered.

 

But yes, Anni is definitely more "frantic" because the priority list is more complex and there are a number of factors (time, talents, etc.) that can impact what the correct next action is. There's more quick decisions to be made between GCDs and a goodly bit of planning ahead to manage resources for Annihilate and bleeds.

 

I think it is more of an issue of difference in playstyle between Carnage and Anni.

 

Anni, as you said, is more abilities centric - you got a lot of abilities at your disposal to cause harm, and you got a lot of survivability, but you have to use them at the right time. You can however linger in a fight, draw it out and win through attrition.

 

Carnage is more target centric - abilities are simpler and more straightforward, that and lower survivability means your focus should be on picking the right targets (our vast amount of snares and roots really shows this to be the case - to prevent escape) and be quick and sure you can finish it, or get out quickly. Carnage really don't have the survivability to draw it out.

 

In "other games" terms, I think Anni plays more like Death Knight whereas Carnage feels more like combat rogue.

Edited April 27, 2012 by aRtFuL

[TupacLives]

I thin u all have it wrong about carnage see what u all don't know is with carnage there is stacks and burst damage which destroys annialation. Plus annialation only has a specific damage and can really be stacked its more of a survivability spec and has no chance with carnage when it comes to dps. Carnage is stacked easily and just kicks butt in pvp and pve and annialation is ok but it lacks a lot in my opinion. Annialation has bleed damage but that's not that affective because of cc. I fought a maurader annialation spec same level and gear and I kicked his ***. I was carnage of course, but I got my stacks which annialation can't get so well first and I killed him in seconds.

 

Burst damage will only destroy anni if the player is bad/if he doesn't have any defensive cooldowns. Carnage has a SIX second window to burst someone down, because without Gore, they've got nothing. I think it's been proven time and time again(Even post 1.2) that Anni does indeed have more dps potential over time. Annihilation is FAR better when cc is added to the equation, because once your dots are applied, you don't need to be on your target.

[Meleemadness]

So they need to fix Carnage!!! I hope they do!

[Omophorus]

I think it is more of an issue of difference in playstyle between Carnage and Anni.

 

Anni, as you said, is more abilities centric - you got a lot of abilities at your disposal to cause harm, and you got a lot of survivability, but you have to use them at the right time. You can however linger in a fight, draw it out and win through attrition.

 

Carnage is more target centric - abilities are simpler and more straightforward, that and lower survivability means your focus should be on picking the right targets (our vast amount of snares and roots really shows this to be the case - to prevent escape) and be quick and sure you can finish it, or get out quickly. Carnage really don't have the survivability to draw it out.

 

In "other games" terms, I think Anni plays more like Death Knight whereas Carnage feels more like combat rogue.

 

Just to note... again... this is a 6 week old thread and my comments on Carnage were pre-1.2 at which time all were accurate.

[EugeneYap]

I like Carnage mech due to tons of useful passive skills but when comes to pvp Annihilation is better despite it a lot hard to use becuz you have to used up all the cds, they a break easily like a wet toilet paper, recent nerfs in 1.2. Becuz Annihilation has ever so slightly more mobility and skill gets active skills cast ever so slightly faster.