How effective is Zen Strike?

[TalonShar]

Here is my build:

 

I'm a 23 Guardian and I'm trying to work my tree out and I think 3 points for an ability that only has a 30% chance to work every 15 sec in the first place is a little high. Feel free to tell me how ignorant I am?

[Jjciantar]

at lvl 3 the effect can occur every 9 seconds and it is a lot better now as it refunds 2 focus when you use overhead slash or plasma brand if it procs and resets the cd on our now hardest hitting ability

 

personally i would take the points from narrowed focus and gather strength for it as zen strike does not rely on outside events (eg. enemy target aoe'ing/snaring/rooting you)

[Marqhill]

Here is my build:

 

Feel free to tell me how ignorant I am?

 

Challenge accepted sir. Haha! Well, it requires a little bit more of an understand of how the spec works as a whole before you truly understand how valuable of an ability Zen Strike truly is. First and foremost I'd like to clear up 1 thing about the "every 15 seconds" thing. It initially starts out at every 15 seconds but every point that you take beyond the first reduces that limitation by 3 seconds. So when you have a full 3 points in Zen Strike it becomes every 9 seconds that this can happen. Which, as it so happens, is the exact cool down of Plasma Brand and Overhead Slash, which are the exact attacks that you'll be spamming anyway because you need to be spamming these abilities to proc Force Rush, which gives you your automatic critical hit Dispatch/Blade Storm. They also buffed it. So Zen Strike now generates 2 focus when it procs. Which means that when it procs then at that point Plasma Brand will have only cost you 2 focus and overhead slash will have only cost you 1.

 

You see how that's good? For using the attacks that you're going to be using anyway, you'll get the cool down rest on Master Strike and 2 focus. This diversifies your single target damage rotation quite a bit because after using Plasma Brand or Overhead Slash you'll be able to choose between a Blade Storm crit, a Dispatch crit or a freshly reset Master Strike. It all flows extremely seemlessly.

[TalonShar]

Thanks that helps a lot.

[Andrew_Past]

Challenge accepted sir. Haha! Well, it requires a little bit more of an understand of how the spec works as a whole before you truly understand how valuable of an ability Zen Strike truly is. First and foremost I'd like to clear up 1 thing about the "every 15 seconds" thing. It initially starts out at every 15 seconds but every point that you take beyond the first reduces that limitation by 3 seconds. So when you have a full 3 points in Zen Strike it becomes every 9 seconds that this can happen. Which, as it so happens, is the exact cool down of Plasma Brand and Overhead Slash, which are the exact attacks that you'll be spamming anyway because you need to be spamming these abilities to proc Force Rush, which gives you your automatic critical hit Dispatch/Blade Storm. They also buffed it. So Zen Strike now generates 2 focus when it procs. Which means that when it procs then at that point Plasma Brand will have only cost you 2 focus and overhead slash will have only cost you 1.

 

You see how that's good? For using the attacks that you're going to be using anyway, you'll get the cool down rest on Master Strike and 2 focus. This diversifies your single target damage rotation quite a bit because after using Plasma Brand or Overhead Slash you'll be able to choose between a Blade Storm crit, a Dispatch crit or a freshly reset Master Strike. It all flows extremely seemlessly.

You, sir, have put into words why I love vigilance. It all just flows so seamlessly together to produce a constant stream of damage. Plus, you get talents that make you stronger if you do get attacked.