Annihilation | Watchman 4.0 Guide

[Arkillon]

Sorry, forgot to write that I play sent watchman, but considering that last time I swtiched some crit to alacrity (had 1.5k crit I think) it boosted my dps for like 500 points, guess I should take your advice and switch some more Thanks

 

 

I specifically chose the watchman BiS 224 gear since that's what you needed judging by the comment the previous person made about your parse, you DEFINITELY want to work on the speed at which you execute your rotation. 39 APM is very low, you want to get it to 45+! Make sure you know the rotation well enough to plan 3-4 moves ahead. I'd suggest practicing until 30%, then learn what you change in the execute phase.

 

Also, make sure that when you parse, that you: use adrenals, have a stims, the 1.5mil dummy health debuff, and lastly the 20% armor reduction debuff

[oofalong]

Sorry, forgot to write that I play sent watchman, but considering that last time I swtiched some crit to alacrity (had 1.5k crit I think) it boosted my dps for like 500 points, guess I should take your advice and switch some more Thanks

 

Sorry, a 500 point swing in your DPS should not occur from switching some crit to alacrity. I guarantee there were other changes - most likely in rotation. A parse has a number of variables: each ability has a damage range, crit %s vary, and deviation from a strict rotation - not to mention changes in APM - will all have a much larger impact DPS than going from 1,500 crit to 1,300 crit. And, +/- 200 points in crit will not affect DPS by 500.

 

Think of parsing and testing different builds like a science experiment. You want to eliminate or control for as much variance as possible.

 

...judging by the comment the previous person made about your parse...

 

 

Lol, I don't post in MY thread for 2 months and I'm relegated to anonymity

[Arkillon]

Lol, I don't post in MY thread for 2 months and I'm relegated to anonymity

 

No idea who this is, sorry!

[AnuYul]

Sorry, a 500 point swing in your DPS should not occur from switching some crit to alacrity.

 

Well, may be I exaggerated it a little

[Sameria]

No idea who this is, sorry!

He is the GREAT Oofalong!!!

 

He has theory crafted and examined more parses for Marauders\Sentinel then anyone else and the writer of many anni\watchment guides.

 

Better Recognize!!

 

@ AnuYul - Excellent advice by both Oofalong and the other guy.

[oofalong]

He is the GREAT Oofalong!!!

 

He has theory crafted and examined more parses for Marauders\Sentinel then anyone else and the writer of many anni\watchment guides.

 

Better Recognize!!

 

@ AnuYul - Excellent advice by both Oofalong and the other guy.

 

Lol, thanks. I didn't really expect name recognition except that I created this thread to share my guide, which I kinda assumed meant people had read it

[Bryanseven]

Nah, too modest Oofalong, us old timers remember your name in the running for mara class rep...ill fated program that it was.

[Vitalremainz]

Hey Oofalong hope you're doing well. Since your last tip for me I've been parsing 6.5-6.7k now thanks a ton! I'm wondering your opinion on the current state of annihilation in 4.1, and the new accuracy stimulant. Bant and his quick update on optimal stats show a 2 dps difference using the accuaracy stim vs mastery/power to favor enhancement stats over the normal mastery/power boost. I'm seeing a total of a little over 1000 alacrity rating in the setup for annihilation with the accuracy stim. However it almost destroys our ''keep the 224 as is'' and would most certainly need multiple 224 tokens to reach the optimal stats. However would that amount of alacrity increase our dps in short burstier fights better you think as well as reduce overall amp up time for our dps? Also I now see Carnage has the #2 spot and with it's burst type damage and now higher end dps would it be more viable to just run carnage now in raid vs annhi? That would make me sad although I do love carnage, Annihilation will always be my #1. Just curious on your thoughts on the latest patch basically. thanks again

 

Arkturian - Sith Marauder - The Harbinger

[oofalong]

Hey Oofalong hope you're doing well...Just curious on your thoughts on the latest patch basically. thanks again

 

Hi and thanks. To be honest this week has been incredibly busy for me IRL & with Valentine's Day this weekend I doubt Mrs. Oofalong will let me do much SWTOR stuff. I expect to have some time early next week to analyze and update everything.

[Arkillon]

Hi and thanks. To be honest this week has been incredibly busy for me IRL & with Valentine's Day this weekend I doubt Mrs. Oofalong will let me do much SWTOR stuff. I expect to have some time early next week to analyze and update everything.

 

Mrs Axon also won't let me do much, rip. Bant did the math, the dps difference with new accuracy stim is like 1 dps for carnage, maybe 2 for anni, anni is now the highest parsing spec, carnage is 2nd. WE ARE THE APEX PREDATORS BOYZ

[WayOfTheWarriorx]

Mrs Axon also won't let me do much, rip. Bant did the math, the dps difference with new accuracy stim is like 1 dps for carnage, maybe 2 for anni, anni is now the highest parsing spec, carnage is 2nd. WE ARE THE APEX PREDATORS BOYZ

 

Bout friggen time!

[Vitalremainz]

Hi and thanks. To be honest this week has been incredibly busy for me IRL & with Valentine's Day this weekend I doubt Mrs. Oofalong will let me do much SWTOR stuff. I expect to have some time early next week to analyze and update everything.

 

That's kool man have good time out with your lady. I can say I've went from parsing 6.5k - 6.7k to 6.8k-7.2k in annihilation so our DPS is stronger than ever after the patch. Like above quoted APEX PREDATOR indeed.

 

Arkturian - Sith Marauder / The Harbinger

[oofalong]

Mrs Axon also won't let me do much, rip. Bant did the math, the dps difference with new accuracy stim is like 1 dps for carnage, maybe 2 for anni, anni is now the highest parsing spec, carnage is 2nd. WE ARE THE APEX PREDATORS BOYZ

 

We've been the apex predators for much of 4.0. The problem with being at the top is the only place we can go is down

 

I think everyone should delete their highest parses and upload one that are 15% less...

[bbare]

Good Guide, but a little suggestion would be to make a list of the bosses in which Annihilation is preferred over Carnage. Annihilation is obviously more suited for single-target continuous fights with little interruption like TFB Dread Guards or S&V Cartel Warlords. However, It wouldn't be as suited for KP Fabricator or S&V Styrak, because burst is much more important. Edited February 13, 2016 by bbare

[g_mK]

We've been the apex predators for much of 4.0. The problem with being at the top is the only place we can go is down

 

I think everyone should delete their highest parses and upload one that are 15% less...

 

That is what I've been telling them all expansion long, don't load up combat parses, otherwise they might think the spec is too good

[Ardarell_Solo]

Good Guide, but a little suggestion would be to make a list of the bosses in which Annihilation is preferred over Carnage. Annihilation is obviously more suited for single-target continuous fights with little interruption like TFB Dread Guards or S&V Cartel Warlords. However, It wouldn't be as suited for KP Fabricator or S&V Styrak, because burst is much more important.

 

Fabricator actually IS an Annihilation boss: http://parsely.io/parser/operations/heavy-fabricator/8/HM/dps/sentinel/all/all/live/0/

 

You can select all other bosses from the drop down menu there and check how the two specs perform.

 

I tend to run Annihilation on all bosses, because the spec is very good atm and I'd rather improve my skills at target switching and burst to iron out the weaker spots of the spec - and because it's good enough to clear stuff.

 

Even in NiM I haven't yet seen a boss where Annihilation doesn't work: Raptus NiM challenge is no problem in Anni, even Calphayus orbs are better in Anni, since dot duration is perfect for it and the debuff given by Annihilate improves dps of all four people more than the 10K dps you do more in Carnage I found. Which btw goes for a lot of bosses: If you're the only one in your raid group capable of applying the Annihilate debuff, the spec is the way to go no matter what, if you're looking at total raid dps.

 

I've also been running Concentration on Highlighted HM a bit just for laughs, but as everyone says, it's not competitive (though you can clear any boss with it in 224s - except for Master / Blaster of course).

 

Btw: Always repect da Oof, the man surely deserves it :-)

Edited February 14, 2016 by Ardarell_Solo

[oofalong]

Good Guide, but a little suggestion would be to make a list of the bosses in which Annihilation is preferred over Carnage. Annihilation is obviously more suited for single-target continuous fights with little interruption like TFB Dread Guards or S&V Cartel Warlords. However, It wouldn't be as suited for KP Fabricator or S&V Styrak, because burst is much more important.

 

To be honest, this wasn't really an area I cared that much about. I was specifically trying to answer the question of how to better gear and better play my Mara. And, I wanted to be able to prove everything I recommended, which is all about controlling variables.

 

At this point, I don't believe any of the content requires optimal DPS to beat (although I haven't tried NiM Brontes since 4.0). Thus, whether its Carnage or Annihilation you'll do fine. If someone tells you that your preferred spec won't work for a particular fight, they are likely not a very good player and I wouldn't suggest listening to them. (This assumes you are capable of playing your preferred spec.)

 

Finally, I think one of the most interesting things is figuring out how to optimize your outgoing damage for each boss. We have lots of tools in bag to help us overcome any situation - Berserk, DoT Spread, careful use of Deadly Saber as well as a great # of CDs.

[EenVooral]

Are you guys adhering strictly to Bant's guide re stats or are you running more crit over alacrity, etc. Am 2 implants (and one relic, LOL) away from full 224, but am debating running a higher crit build than what Bant has indicated but don't want to screw myself up w/getting the wrong implants when the time comes. Just curious...thanks.

[josephinec]

Not sure if this is the right thread to ask in, but can any of you folks give me advice for a lowbie Annihilation Mara? My first Mara started as Annihilation(back in 3.0[?]) but I switched her to Carnage after Taris because it felt so...clumsy? And it took me forever to build up Fury. I just made an Anni Mara and would like to get comfortable with the spec because I don't want every single Sent/Mara I make(I have 3 as opposed to 6 Juggs/Guards) to be Carnage/Combat(which I love).

[oofalong]

Not sure if this is the right thread to ask in, but can any of you folks give me advice for a lowbie Annihilation Mara? My first Mara started as Annihilation(back in 3.0[?]) but I switched her to Carnage after Taris because it felt so...clumsy? And it took me forever to build up Fury. I just made an Anni Mara and would like to get comfortable with the spec because I don't want every single Sent/Mara I make(I have 3 as opposed to 6 Juggs/Guards) to be Carnage/Combat(which I love).

 

My guide is definitely target at end game play unfortunately. For leveling, Anni is fine although probably the slowest of the 3 (although stuff dies so quick anyways). Still, I think a simple Force Charge followed by Rupture then Smash to DoT spread will be a good enough strategy for leveling.

 

Are there specific parts/issues you are struggling with?

[josephinec]

My guide is definitely target at end game play unfortunately. For leveling, Anni is fine although probably the slowest of the 3 (although stuff dies so quick anyways). Still, I think a simple Force Charge followed by Rupture then Smash to DoT spread will be a good enough strategy for leveling.

 

Are there specific parts/issues you are struggling with?

 

Mostly, it's the rotation. I took her through Black Talon and two of the Dromund Kaas heroics with no issues, but I'm concerned about doing serious bosses once she reaches endgame.

 

I'll definitely look into your guide.

[henrykvpio]

Hello.

 

I read the Oofalong guide on dulfy.net and carefully watched this video:

but I dont understand what the rules are in annihilation

Could someone something about it?

I would be very grateful for some good rotation.

 

Thanks all for response.

Edited April 18, 2016 by henrykvpio

[oofalong]

Hello.

 

I read the Oofalong guide on dulfy.net and carefully watched this video:

but I dont understand what the rules are in annihilation

Could someone something about it?

I would be very grateful for some good rotation.

 

Thanks all for response.

 

 

This is linked in my guide in case you didn't see it - maybe it will help. The opener in that video does not seem very good.

[Mozivicus]

Great guide. Thank you very much. I can't wait to perfect my glowbat toon.

[oofalong]

Wonder what you theorycrafters think about this opening rotation:

 

Charge+Overload => Force Melt => MercSlash => Cauterize => Then either Zelaous or your can skip it and go BD => Twin saber throw

 

Generally point is that you use your MercShal earlier.

 

And yes it is possible to use Cauterize right after MercShash because you generally will have Focus points by that time from talents.

 

Not worth it...

 

It may result in more damage in the first 15-20s, but you'll have ability conflict in later GCDs which costs you DPS in the long run. Somewhere over the last 15 pages I believe this was already discussed.