How to use ZEN as watchman? PVP

[JohnyHoward]

Do I apply my burn effects via Overload sabre then hit ZEN?

Hit ZEN then apply the burn effects via overload sabre?

Or is it better to use ZEN in conjunction with cauterize?

 

I only just noticed that cauterize uses all 5 stacks of ZEN got it's DOT ticks.....

Which method is best for self heals?

 

And on another note.... Watchman still the best for pugs?

 

thx.

[PoliteAssasin]

Watchman is definitely better if you're pugging. You want to zen before popping your burns, whether you use OS or Cauterize. You can Zen > OS > use the 3 stacks with abilities, then pop a cauterize. Or you can just Zen > Cauterize. The former will give more dps than the latter. Heals are the same for both.

[JediMasterSLC]

Do I apply my burn effects via Overload sabre then hit ZEN?

Hit ZEN then apply the burn effects via overload sabre?

Or is it better to use ZEN in conjunction with cauterize?

 

I only just noticed that cauterize uses all 5 stacks of ZEN got it's DOT ticks.....

Which method is best for self heals?

 

And on another note.... Watchman still the best for pugs?

 

thx.

 

The best method for most heals is to always pop zen when you have 30 stacks (so that the charges get consumed as soon as possible and you can start building centering), and to use cauterize on CD. Best method for damage is to wait till the target has 2 or 3 OS stacks stacks, then pop zen, then cauterize. Or cauterize then zen, it doesn't really matter as long as you one right after the other. The main point is that using cauterize in conjuction with zen is a must, and combining that with OS stacks is preferred.

 

Zen has 6 charges in any spec, I'm assuming that's a typo. Oh and Focus is pretty good for pugs too. Combat's the spec that's bad for carrying bad pugs.

[AsiriusNazriel]

So here's the truth of it. Watchman is better if you do any kind of solo/rambo plays.

 

Otherwise as far as pugging goes, you can definitely use Rage, as long as you perfect the rotations. I recommend building any rotation and bindings using the WZ dummy as your target. That way you're not in an environment which is hostile or stressful.

 

The best spec is the one which you are most comfortable with and where you perform best. I can pug and destroy healers as Annihilation, or I can pug and AOE destroy everything, and put so much pressure on healers that they can't heal in time and my teammates are able to clean up the messes. I definitely recommend Watchman because it is a very very good and reliable spec.

 

As far as Zen, whenever it becomes available and your opponent has any dots on them, pop Zen. It doesn't matter if it's 1 or 2 or 3 stacks of saber, if you try to time it, more often than not you will screw up your rotation. So just go with the easier option.

 

As far as self heals go, it doesn't matter. If it's a dot and it crits, it heals. So any dot whatsoever will be healing you.

 

Good Luck.

Edited November 4, 2012 by AsiriusNazriel

[PoliteAssasin]

The biggest most common mistake people make is popping zen as soon as its available. That will not help you in to long run. Use it strategically, not as soon as you have it. That's the truth of it. Edited November 5, 2012 by PoliteAssasin

[Kurugi]

As far as Zen, whenever it becomes available and your opponent has any dots on them, pop Zen. It doesn't matter if it's 1 or 2 or 3 stacks of saber, if you try to time it, more often than not you will screw up your rotation. So just go with the easier option.

 

I find, in both PvE and PvP, if I try to wait for OS to reach 3 stacks before popping Zen, most of the Zen ends up getting wasted as the target dies too fast. When soloing this is usually a waste unless I'm fighting an elite (I don't use Zen at all against normal mobs, and against strongs I'll just pop it with any dot on the target).

 

In PvP I find that by the time I get all my OS stacks on the target it's usually close to dead, but I tend to try and go after targets being focused. It might be better to stack dots on a secondary target that isn't being focused down, but doing it that way feels like a lot of extra setup time and makes me feel a lot more vulnerable.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Kurugi

[Lanja]

One of the nice things about Centering is that, so long as you go back into combat before a stack of 30 points expires, you can keep that full stack in your back pocket. I generally hold it for one of the bigger/tougher individuals in an area rather than just popping it on the first available mob. That said, if you've got Valor (2) and Defensive forms (2) you're going to build Centering again quite quickly, so there's no need to be too stingy with Zen.

 

One question I have is whether the 6 charges of Zen apply their 100% crit bump and heals bump on a per attack basis (i.e. to all DoT ticks for 6 attacks separate melee attacks benefit until all damage is applied), or on a per DoT tick basis (i.e. 1 charge per tick for 6 ticks, applying the crit and heal bonus to all DoTs on the target each tick), or on a per DoT per tick basis (i.e if you have 3 DoT attacks burning on target, you expend all 6 charges in 2 ticks)?

 

Knowing which of those is the case would be useful in getting the most out of each Zen pop. Reading the languge on Torhead makes it seem like the first option is the case, but if I hit OS, then lay ZS-CZ-MS on target, then pop Zen the charges seem to evaporate in a heartbeat, which makes me think it may be the third option above. Insights anybody?

[planet_J]

In my experience option 3 seems most likely

[BlznSmri]

One of the nice things about Centering is that, so long as you go back into combat before a stack of 30 points expires, you can keep that full stack in your back pocket. I generally hold it for one of the bigger/tougher individuals in an area rather than just popping it on the first available mob. That said, if you've got Valor (2) and Defensive forms (2) you're going to build Centering again quite quickly, so there's no need to be too stingy with Zen.

 

One question I have is whether the 6 charges of Zen apply their 100% crit bump and heals bump on a per attack basis (i.e. to all DoT ticks for 6 attacks separate melee attacks benefit until all damage is applied), or on a per DoT tick basis (i.e. 1 charge per tick for 6 ticks, applying the crit and heal bonus to all DoTs on the target each tick), or on a per DoT per tick basis (i.e if you have 3 DoT attacks burning on target, you expend all 6 charges in 2 ticks)?

 

Knowing which of those is the case would be useful in getting the most out of each Zen pop. Reading the languge on Torhead makes it seem like the first option is the case, but if I hit OS, then lay ZS-CZ-MS on target, then pop Zen the charges seem to evaporate in a heartbeat, which makes me think it may be the third option above. Insights anybody?

 

Zen charges are only spent by the Player's Cauterize and Overload Saber burn ticks. And each burn tick from both spends a Zen charge.

 

Essentially you can spend all 6 charges in about 3 seconds.

[planet_J]

That's exactly what I suspected...I normally stack the 2 and Zen is done before cauterize finishes