Watchman Change Discussion

[LifeOfMessiah]

Just a couple changes I would like to discuss with those of the watchman spec

 

1. Change Mind Sear to finish the cool down of Overload Saber instead of Cauterize:

 

Reason: Cauterize doesn't stack, so the only thing that getting an extra cauterize does is extend the cooldown of the current DoT.

 

2. Take Merciless Slash off the Global Cooldown

 

Reason: Too many times I am either wasting precious DPS so that I can get another tick of Merciless Slash, or I loose the cooldown buff because I can't click it due to the Global Cooldown.

[witelightnin]

Just a couple changes I would like to discuss with those of the watchman spec

 

1. Change Mind Sear to finish the cool down of Overload Saber instead of Cauterize:

 

Reason: Cauterize doesn't stack, so the only thing that getting an extra cauterize does is extend the cooldown of the current DoT.

 

2. Take Merciless Slash off the Global Cooldown

 

Reason: Too many times I am either wasting precious DPS so that I can get another tick of Merciless Slash, or I loose the cooldown buff because I can't click it due to the Global Cooldown.

 

Cauterize is a pretty short duration DoT (6 seconds I think) on a relatively long cooldown (either 12 or 15s, can't remember)... so I actually love having the reset to cauterize.

 

For Merciless Slash, there is a 3s window you have to keep the buff up the first time so it's ok if you're a second off from a GCD. At least, I never have a problem with button presses. Merc Slash off GCD would be another buff to sent due to us just spamming the button when it's near cooldown and getting that HUGE chunk of damage without a GCD. That would be a pretty large damage boost for sent, and it's really unnecessary.

[LifeOfMessiah]

Cauterize is a pretty short duration DoT (6 seconds I think) on a relatively long cooldown (either 12 or 15s, can't remember)... so I actually love having the reset to cauterize.

 

For Merciless Slash, there is a 3s window you have to keep the buff up the first time so it's ok if you're a second off from a GCD. At least, I never have a problem with button presses. Merc Slash off GCD would be another buff to sent due to us just spamming the button when it's near cooldown and getting that HUGE chunk of damage without a GCD. That would be a pretty large damage boost for sent, and it's really unnecessary.

 

Yeah, but with overload saber, it turns EVERY melee attack into it's own cauterize, and it stacks THREE times, which more than makes up for what cauterize does. If cauterize stacked, I could see the need for finishing the cooldown.

 

As far as Merciless Slash, I don't see how it can be spammed, since you still have to wait for the cooldown, so with the global cooldown, you either STOP attacking so that the GCD doesn't interfere with getting the next tick before the buff disappears, or you risk missing the buff because of the GCD sometimes.

[witelightnin]

Yeah, but with overload saber, it turns EVERY melee attack into it's own cauterize, and it stacks THREE times, which more than makes up for what cauterize does. If cauterize stacked, I could see the need for finishing the cooldown.

 

As far as Merciless Slash, I don't see how it can be spammed, since you still have to wait for the cooldown, so with the global cooldown, you either STOP attacking so that the GCD doesn't interfere with getting the next tick before the buff disappears, or you risk missing the buff because of the GCD sometimes.

 

I understand that, I just don't think it's necessary at all. I like how it is now. It makes sense that by the time cauterize cooldown is reset the duration is over so I can basically reapply the entire DoT. It just makes sense. Also, since OS damage added up is more than cauterize it just means we'd be getting another damage buff, and sents absolutely don't need one.

 

My point with Merc Slash is that if you remove it from the GCD, you can spam it as soon as it's up like rebuke or the acc debuff move. It also does not reset the GCD, so you can spam a skill right after that. This would be an enormous damage buff to sents as it would basically remove the GCD time from each Merc. Slash rotation. Especially on bosses where it's easy to keep merc. slash to it's lowest cooldown, that would be a tremendous DPS boost.

Edited May 1, 2012 by witelightnin

[LifeOfMessiah]

I understand that, I just don't think it's necessary at all. I like how it is now. It makes sense that by the time cauterize cooldown is reset the duration is over so I can basically reapply the entire DoT. It just makes sense. Also, since OS damage added up is more than cauterize it just means we'd be getting another damage buff, and sents absolutely don't need one.

 

My point with Merc Slash is that if you remove it from the GCD, you can spam it as soon as it's up like rebuke or the acc debuff move. It also does not reset the GCD, so you can spam a skill right after that. This would be an enormous damage buff to sents as it would basically remove the GCD time from each Merc. Slash rotation. Especially on bosses where it's easy to keep merc. slash to it's lowest cooldown, that would be a tremendous DPS boost.

 

We already spam Merciless Slash as it is. That's the point of that move, is the hit it as SOON as it becomes available. Removing it from the GCD would only increase the amount of times we spam it slightly, if it all. It's expensive, unlike resolve, awe, and force kick, so it won't be spammed as much as you think.

[Quor]

We already spam Merciless Slash as it is. That's the point of that move, is the hit it as SOON as it becomes available. Removing it from the GCD would only increase the amount of times we spam it slightly, if it all. It's expensive, unlike resolve, awe, and force kick, so it won't be spammed as much as you think.

 

Only in PvE. If I had a Merc Slash off the GCD in PvP I would destroy things even harder than I do now. I could time it with a Dispatch to create absolutely insane burst. If you think people are complaining about Sents now, imagine what it would be like if you could drop ~7k damage on a single target instantly.

 

As for Cauterize vs OS, keep in mind that while OS stacks three times, Cauterize deals more damage per tick than a 1 or 2 stack of OS, and just slightly less than a 3 stack of OS. Also keep in mind that Cauterize requires 2 focus instead of 3 for OS, and can be applied instantly instead of taking 3 GCD's to achieve maximum effect.

 

Both skills and the talent linked to Cauterize are fine the way they are now.

[SteveGarbage]

So essentially you want to further increase the DPS output of the highest outputting tree of (arguably) the best DPS class? Don't mind me saying that's ludicrous.

 

Now that players have had time to play the game for a couple months, I think everyone is starting to realize how dangerous Sentinels can be. There's no reason to be making tweaks to start pumping our damage even more off the charts. Watchman already piles out DPS as it is without trying to add more burn stacks or making Merciless Strike even more deadly.

 

Here's how you handle Mind Sear - insert one other attack in between. The ticks on Cauterize go so fast anyway that by the time you reset it with Merciless and then drop one more attack in between (I actually like to use Master Strike as my buffer) Cauterize is ready to go again. Besides, the CD on Force Leap and Overload Saber are in sync, so I can ALWAYS use them together. That's a good system.

 

As for Merciless Strike, if you're having problems keeping the self buff up, you're obviously not prioritizing Merciless very much. I use it the second it's off CD. If you don't have the right amount of focus built up or you're missing it, then you're not preparing it correctly. The window between the CD and the first stack expiring is narrow, but if you're paying attention to what you're doing, you shouldn't miss it.