Is blade storm worth it for sentinel? Watchmen specifically

[SuperomegaOP]

I heard somewhere that it would be better to just spam slash than blade storm because it cost less

 

should i still use blade storm?

[Derian]

I heard somewhere that it would be better to just spam slash than blade storm because it cost less

 

should i still use blade storm?

 

No it's typically not worth it. SOmetimes there is a situation that calls for it, but that is very rare

Edited March 25, 2012 by Derian

[ShawnSixtyTwo]

It's used to stun standard enemies to either set up a pommel strike or keep them from running to Doc. Other than that... no, it's not worth choosing over slash for dealing damage.

[SuperomegaOP]

what about force sweep? it only costs 1 focus(talented) but it only does 600-800 at lv 11 while slash does 1000-1200

[Tiresias]

Force Sweep should be used on-cooldown. It's 1 focus for good AoE damage and 4 stacks of Centering.

 

I only use Blade Storm when approaching a target while snared or if I am swimming in Focus because of procs from being hit and my DoTs. I use it more in PvP because it is quite a heavy hit of damage and can lead to a nice burst when used while both Cauterize and Overload Saber are running.

[besbin]

Not on my hotbar as watchman.

[bliapis]

I use it to finish off enemies or stun enemies and micro-manage adds.

 

No, its not used in the rotation, albeit it does more damage than slash.

 

You use slash (and merciless damage) to reset the cooldown of cauterize.

 

In pvp is also nice to keep on the pressure on ranged or get away players.

 

Its definitelly on my main hotbar.

Edited March 25, 2012 by bliapis

[Asphen]

No matter what spec or form I am in, I will forever love you Bladestrom!

 

 

Thou must never listen to the bad players who don't love you. Continue to bring me soild 2000-2500+ ranged hits when I call upon you, often leaving my ranged foe weakened to the buzzsaw justice of Dispatch.

 

 

Forever Bladestorm! <3 <3 <3

[bionamaster]

No matter what spec or form I am in, I will forever love you Bladestrom!

 

 

Thou must never listen to the bad players who don't love you. Continue to bring me soild 2000-2500+ ranged hits when I call upon you, often leaving my ranged foe weakened to the buzzsaw justice of Dispatch.

 

 

Forever Bladestorm! <3 <3 <3

 

I love Bladestorm too, and I'm not even at max level.

[IronFirewind]

Only bad players refuse to use it. Once you get Dispatch it becomes less useful but remember that it is your only ranged attack and is very useful for setting up a Pommel Strike if Force Sweep is on CD. It also hits like a truck and is useful as a finisher when Dispatch is on CD.

 

For PvE = Situational but not useless. You're usually better off using Slash or Force Sweep though since they are more efficient and Slash will apply stacks of Overload Sabre.

 

For PvP = Very useful ability to punish kiters that aren't in Dispatch range. It also has perfect accuracy and can't be defended against unlike Dispatch and Merciless Slash. Keep it on your hotbar at all times.

[Metaspark]

I find a lot of use for Blade Storm as a Combat sentinel, to the point that it's always off its cooldown

 

10 meters isn't much, but it's still very helpful when closing in on your target

 

 

especially considering that (at the current time) my only other alternative is a MUCH weaker attack that should only ever need one use, and only if there is a healer nearby

[Mal-Sharran]

Only bad players refuse to use it. Once you get Dispatch it becomes less useful but remember that it is your only ranged attack and is very useful for setting up a Pommel Strike if Force Sweep is on CD. It also hits like a truck and is useful as a finisher when Dispatch is on CD.

 

For PvE = Situational but not useless. You're usually better off using Slash or Force Sweep though since they are more efficient and Slash will apply stacks of Overload Sabre.

 

For PvP = Very useful ability to punish kiters that aren't in Dispatch range. It also has perfect accuracy and can't be defended against unlike Dispatch and Merciless Slash. Keep it on your hotbar at all times.

 

This is just me speaking, but I've never once, ever in the history of my Sentinel, had Dispatch not hit. Just sayin.

[Keja]

Only bad players refuse to use it. Once you get Dispatch it becomes less useful but remember that it is your only ranged attack and is very useful for setting up a Pommel Strike if Force Sweep is on CD. It also hits like a truck and is useful as a finisher when Dispatch is on CD.

 

Crippling Throw also has a 10m range (yes, I know it doesn't hit as hard).

 

Blade Storm may hit hard, but as a Watchman, it costs twice as much focus as Slash and does about the same amount of damage (with 3/3 in DWM) with no chance to finish the cooldown on Cauterize.

 

 

For PvP = Very useful ability to punish kiters that aren't in Dispatch range. It also has perfect accuracy and can't be defended against unlike Dispatch and Merciless Slash. Keep it on your hotbar at all times.

 

Dispatch and Blade Storm both have a range of 10m, and Dispatch gets a 5m boost with PvP gear. It does not have "perfect" accuracy, and can miss or be resisted like any other force attack.

 

 

As a Watchman, there are very, very few times when it is worthwhile to use Blade Storm, but it does have some use. It certainly has no place in a regular rotation, and if you find yourself using it more than a once or twice a Warzone (if that much even), you should reconsider your strategy.

 

This is just me speaking, but I've never once, ever in the history of my Sentinel, had Dispatch not hit. Just sayin.

 

If that is the case, you're incredibly lucky. Dispatch has the same hit chance as any melee attack. (You never tried Dispatch on a Knight/Warrior with Saber Ward up and missed?)

Edited March 27, 2012 by Keja

[nachoman_randy]

I find a lot of use for Blade Storm as a Combat sentinel, to the point that it's always off its cooldown

 

10 meters isn't much, but it's still very helpful when closing in on your target

 

 

especially considering that (at the current time) my only other alternative is a MUCH weaker attack that should only ever need one use, and only if there is a healer nearby

 

Ehmmm...lol?

[Ashraman]

I heard somewhere that it would be better to just spam slash than blade storm because it cost less

 

should i still use blade storm?

 

As a Watchman Sentinel, I find it useful only occasionally in PvP if I am being kited or otherwise can't close the gap and another ranged attack is not available or is not optimal for the situation.

[Derian]

Only bad players refuse to use it. Once you get Dispatch it becomes less useful but remember that it is your only ranged attack and is very useful for setting up a Pommel Strike if Force Sweep is on CD. It also hits like a truck and is useful as a finisher when Dispatch is on CD.

 

For PvE = Situational but not useless. You're usually better off using Slash or Force Sweep though since they are more efficient and Slash will apply stacks of Overload Sabre.

 

For PvP = Very useful ability to punish kiters that aren't in Dispatch range. It also has perfect accuracy and can't be defended against unlike Dispatch and Merciless Slash. Keep it on your hotbar at all times.

 

There's also crippling through. I'd rather toss crippling throw than blade storm.

[Sevvy]

Dispatch and Blade Storm both have a range of 10m, and Dispatch gets a 5m boost with PvP gear. It does not have "perfect" accuracy, and can miss or be resisted like any other force attack.

 

Dispatch does white energy damage. Are you sure it can be resisted? I'm pretty sure it can be parried. But I dunno about resisted.

 

I could be wrong. I don't have the ability on my Sentinel yet, and I don't play my Jugg enough to notice.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Sevvy

[Xarheim]

I think blade storm is very useful in certain situations. It shouldn't be used all the time but it isn't useless either.

 

For instance, I'll open up with force leap then overload saber right away. Get 2 stacks of overload on the target then cast valorous call then zen (so my bleeds crit). Once I do that, I'll cast blade storm for 1-2k damage plus the extra 2 ticks of OS on the target (usually about 800 dmg per tick for me with 2 stacks). After that I'll get cauterize on so the time on OS can reset to full with one extra stack and then use master strike/merciless slash or whatever else.

 

I usually end up getting 2500-3000 more damage in 2 seconds from blade storm plus dmg from OS.

[FlyinSpaghetti]

Blade storm is a long range attack, slash is short range so you'll use them both in different situations.

 

Blade storm is useful when you've been knocked back a few meters with an interrupt.

[codfishjyk]

Only bad players refuse to use it. Once you get Dispatch it becomes less useful but remember that it is your only ranged attack and is very useful for setting up a Pommel Strike if Force Sweep is on CD. It also hits like a truck and is useful as a finisher when Dispatch is on CD.

 

For PvE = Situational but not useless. You're usually better off using Slash or Force Sweep though since they are more efficient and Slash will apply stacks of Overload Sabre.

 

For PvP = Very useful ability to punish kiters that aren't in Dispatch range. It also has perfect accuracy and can't be defended against unlike Dispatch and Merciless Slash. Keep it on your hotbar at all times.

 

Blade Storm is not your only ranged attack. Crippling throw I would say is more useful than Blade Storm, mainly due to the Trauma effect that it induces. A healing debuff (the only healing debuff in the game, mind you) puts a lot of pressure on key targets, especially in PvP.

 

That being said, Blade Storm is not without its uses. It is a good ability for enemies who are trying to kite you or in PvE when you have nothing to do with your extra focus. I used it in my main rotation before I got Merciless Slash, but after that, there's no point in using it in your main rotation at all. The damage increase from (regular) Slash is not enough to justify the 4 focus cost and, with the right talents, Slash refunds one focus, making it effectively cost only 2 (though you still need 3+ to cast it). Merciless is 5 focus, but the damage and self-reducing cooldown, plus the talent to immediately finish the cooldown on Cauterize make it a much better option.

 

All in all, there's no reason not to use Blade Storm, but there's no real compelling reason to use it. If it's there, if you've got the focus, if the situation calls for it, go ahead, no one's going to stop you or hate you (besides the people you shouldn't pay attention to, anyway). Do I think it's a main hotbar ability? Probably not. I've got it there because it got auto set there and I haven't found a need to reorganize my hotbars yet, but when I do, it'll probably go to one of the side hotbars.

 

And, by the way, don't listen to people who say "Only bad players __________..." In reality, the only bad players are the ones that don't think there's something else for them to learn. Always keep an open mind about everything, because everyone plays to their preference. Just because you do things differently, it doesn't mean that your skill level is any lower or higher than the next player. That goes for everyone.

[Dawginole]

I find a lot of use for Blade Storm as a Combat sentinel, to the point that it's always off its cooldown

 

For Combat Blade Storm is our bread and butter in Combat imho. Depending how your final spec is, Zen+Blade Rush usually triggers Combat Trance. And now once Combat Trance is up you have 100% chance of crit'ing Blade Rush and with Saber Storm you get a 30% crit damage bonus.

 

So once I pop Zen and run off one Blade Rush and see Combat Trance pop up, I go straight to Precision Slash for the 100% armor penetration proc to Blade Storm for a 100% chance 30% crit damage bonus which always lands for over 2,500, and then I spam Blade Rush for the rest of my focus, and by the time I'm out Blade Storm is usually back up if the opponent is still alive if you have Swift Blade for the 3 sec CD reduction.

 

I love Combat. It's a really fun spec to play. I wish it did closer damage to Watchman though. Maybe after 1.2.

[Zag_Stratos]

As Watchmen, Blade Storm is not on top of our priority abilities. However, L50 full Champion/Battlemaster gear, non crits on cloth goes for around 1.8k and crits will go around the 2.8k. So yes, I think it's a good move to use if your dispatch is on cooldown and you need to get that extra hit within the next 2 seconds.

 

I use it a lot and the results are good. I will start using it mid battle.

 

ex:

 

Master Strike - Merc Slash - Zealous - Blade Storm - Dispatch. That's one of my favorit way to drop someone from 3/4 to nothing.

[EasymodeX]

Using it regularly is a horrible idea.

[Chessack]

Blade Storm may hit hard, but as a Watchman, it costs twice as much focus as Slash and does about the same amount of damage (with 3/3 in DWM) with no chance to finish the cooldown on Cauterize.

 

Level 50 Watchman here. I don't ever PVP so my comments can only be taken in terms of PVE. That said...

 

At least in PVE, I really am not in a situation where I have to worry that much about something costing an extra point or two of focus. I usually have PLENTY of focus to do whatever I want to do. So to me the argument "Blade Storm does more damage and is ranged but Slash costs less focus" is silly. I'm hardly ever "hard up" for focus.

 

Between Blade Storm, Saber Throw, Dispatch, and Stasis you have 4 good ranged attacks as a Sentinel. I really don't see why one wouldn't use them when there is a foe at range and Force Leap is still on CD. It's far LESS efficient to either wait for the leap CD to finish (not doing any damage while you wait) or to hoof it to the NPC (not doing any damage as you run). At a minimum I fire off a BS while I am running to the target.

 

But often times in a typical 3-normal-NPC spawn, one can leap in and melee kill #1, then ranged kill #2 with BS and some combo of saber throw, dispatch, stasis, and then Leap is up again and you can leap to #3 and melee kill him. It's fast, it's efficient, and you should have plenty of focus to do it.

 

I'm not convinced that running around doing Slash/slash/slash/strike/strike/slash/slash (which is what a lot of Watchmen seem to do) is going to net better results vs. normal spawns than using your ranged attacks while Leap is on CD.

 

I'm also not convinced that there is any reason whatsoever for a Watchman to use burn attacks vs. 3-normal or even 5-normal NPC spawns. They die in like 2 hits, what's the point of starting a burn on them? And you won't need your burn heals since they die so fast you don't take enough damage to need it.

 

To sum up... Blade Storm has a permanent home on my hotbar, right next to my other 3 ranged attacks. I use it often. Not every single fight -- just when I need it. Which is either (1) a ranged foe and leap is not up, which happens LOTS of times, or (2) one BS will down the foe but one Slash will not, which also happens plenty of times.

 

This is one of those very frequent cases where just calculating the damage divided by the focus used is not going to tell you how useful a power is. There are several "utility" features to Blade Storm like the stun and the range that give it a value higher than the damage per focus ratio.

[witelightnin]

I'm not convinced that running around doing Slash/slash/slash/strike/strike/slash/slash (which is what a lot of Watchmen seem to do) is going to net better results vs. normal spawns than using your ranged attacks while Leap is on CD.

 

Any sent who is doing that needs to just stop playing the class. With the amount of damaging moves we have there should NEVER be a situation where you have to spam slash/strike.

 

I'm also not convinced that there is any reason whatsoever for a Watchman to use burn attacks vs. 3-normal or even 5-normal NPC spawns. They die in like 2 hits, what's the point of starting a burn on them? And you won't need your burn heals since they die so fast you don't take enough damage to need it.

 

Let me convince you. On easy mobs, jump > OS > sweep (pommel if up). Now you've got 3 dudes with all > half health still. Cauterize one, swap, zealous the next (w/ OS), merciless the 3rd. By the time you merc the 3rd, the DoT's from the first 2 should finish them. You are now maximizing your kill speed and DPS. If there are 5, it's even more common sense to use it, especially in zombo w/ zen for the crits.

 

Also, you realize that if you don't pop zen you're missing out on more than just heals right? That's 6 crit hit DoT's. Perhaps for a group of 3 trash mobs that's overkill, but w/ how easy it is to build centering in a watchman build (plus valorous call), there is no point to NOT use it whenever its up. You are just hurting your own DoT and kill speed.

Edited March 27, 2012 by witelightnin