How Useful Are All Our Moves?

[thegraywarden]

So I am a Level 34 Sentinel, Watchman spec. I feel like I am getting down a good priority system with generating/spending focus and keeping my DoTs going. But that has left me with a few moves that I do not use very often. Leg Slash, Crippling Throw, Pommel Strike, Opportune Strike, and Bladestorm. Of all of those, I suppose Bladestorm would be the most useful from what I've read, but I would just like fellow Watchman's opinions on how useful they are and where to use them. And I do mostly PvE, if that helps.

[Hizoka]

Everything we get has a use. Just not everything can always be used.

[Wazooty]

My main gripe is that half the time there's too much to do, and half the time there's nothing to do (spamming 1...) Edited December 30, 2011 by Wazooty

[Fascion]

Everything we get has a use. Just not everything can always be used.

This about sums it up.

 

There is not a single skill we have that I don't use and use often.

Some are not necessary for every single fight, but in the "big picture" view, every last one will and should be used.

[RawlsRorty]

So I am a Level 34 Sentinel, Watchman spec. I feel like I am getting down a good priority system with generating/spending focus and keeping my DoTs going. But that has left me with a few moves that I do not use very often. Leg Slash, Crippling Throw, Pommel Strike, Opportune Strike, and Bladestorm. Of all of those, I suppose Bladestorm would be the most useful from what I've read, but I would just like fellow Watchman's opinions on how useful they are and where to use them. And I do mostly PvE, if that helps.

 

You're wise to leave those skills out of your rotation.

 

Leg Slash and Crippling throw are useful for keeping enemies from kiting you. Mobs in PvE don't try to kite you.

 

Pommel Strike is far too situational. It doesn't work on gold enemies and we don't have a reliable way to stun silver mobs. So it essentially is a skill to make easy enemies even easier to kill. Barely worth s spot on my bars.

 

Opportune strike is crap. It costs more focus than Slash and does less damage. If our dps were global cooldown limitted then it would be worthwhile skill. But since we're focus limitted instead, it is worthless.

 

An untalented bladestorm is situational at best. A talented bladestorm is awesome. As Watchman spec, you don't have any bladestorm talents. Leave it to Combat and Focus specced Sentinels.

[thegraywarden]

Thanks for the input Rorty. What about Cyclone Slash? I forgot about that one. Edited December 30, 2011 by thegraywarden

[Kyromoo]

Rorty, Opportune Slash is a 15 second cooldown freebie strike on weak/standard/strongs that are slowed or immobilized (read: force leap) that doesn't use any focus. It's one of those situational solo abilities, like Pommel Strike.

 

 

 

I think you're thinking of Riposte, which is a whole different argument entirely.

 

 

 

Edit: Cyclone Slash is our only non-cooldown AOE that i can find, and so taking 2 points of quick recovery to make both it and Force Sweep 1 focus cost seems to be almost required for high end PvE. For combat aoe, i like Precision Strike --> Cyclone Slash x3

Edited December 30, 2011 by Kyromoo

[Dekadez]

As a 45 Watchman, I don't use Riposte/Bladestorm/Opportune Strike/Leg Slash/Crippling Throw.

 

All other skills I use frequently. And I'm doing more than fine. Leg/Crippling are hotkeyed for PvP, the others aren't even on my bars.

 

Cyclone Slash is heavenly. When I can gather 3 or more melee standard mobs: Sweep, Pommel one, then spam Cyclone Slash. With less than 3 targets I simply take them one by one.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Dekadez

[Edgedy]

Riposte is useless. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

Opportune is good in PVE after a force leap.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Edgedy

[Wazooty]

Riposte is about burst. It's a little expensive for the dmg it does, but for pvp it lets you do two hits at once when it's up.

 

Burst.

[RamzaBehoulve]

Just like Combat and Focus Sentinels are wise to keep Cauterize available just in case in PvP, Watchmen would be wise to keep Crippling Throw available as well.

[Dredknut]

I am level 29 watchman spec. Obviously, I still have yet to fully experience the sentinel class, but here are my thoughts so far.

 

Most of us who have any previous mmo experience will make comparisons to WoW. I've played melee DPS classes in moderately successful raiding guilds for 5+ years. So, that being said, from my perspective I find the amount of different abilities we have to use a little daunting when compared to my experience with WoW. I find I am not using all of the abilities that are available to me as they seem unnecessary or redundant to my role in group play or even solo play. I guess that means I am not playing the class to its full potential, but I wouldn't be surprised if the amount of abilities, cd's, etc. we have gets somewhat simplified months down the road. So far, my watchman DPS is usually top in any grp I've been in. If it isn't its because I am with another talented player who understands melee DPS.

 

I am not complaining by any means, I am loving pretty much everything about this game and this class so far. I just feel that that according my style of play, I don't see the need for the amount of damage dealing abilities we have for what we do in the game. I don't want it "dumbed down" to the point where it is the same as WoW, but there is something to be said for simplicity and maintaining a balance between ease of play and making the encounters challenging.

[Wazooty]

I kind of agree with the above.

 

I have a feeling once this game has been out longer and dmg meters and theoryrafting start taking place, bioware will be made aware that half the abilities they gave us are more worthless than they realize...

 

Each combat effect does not need its own ability. With talents they should focus more on adding effects to our already long list of abilities, making the abilities we hardly use more usable. For example, rather than give us precision slash (or whatever its called), add the precision effect to cauterize, another 15 sec cd ability that seems rather lackluster. Also, IMO, I really dont like how focus works as compared to rage (wow). In wow rage built through auto attacks, but since there are no auto attack then were either spending focus or building focus. Spending focus is fun and interesting, building it is boring and dumb. If there's a 12 second rotation, for example, 6 seconds is spent doing cool fun stuff (one might say we have too much to do, even, as we have too many individual abilities), and 6 seconds is spent spamming 1 to build up focus. What we need is a middle ground between those two, where all 12 seconds are spent being fairly active.

 

IMO, the rage/focus model does not work when we have to actually worry about building the rage with our abilities. It's just not fun (half the time). Now this can be alleviated by doing something like halving the CD on zealous strike. That means (with talents) we cast zealous strike, spend 6 seconds spending it, zealous strike, 6 seconds spending it etc etc. 1 second building focus and 6 seconds spending it, making it a 7 second cycle or whatever seems a lot more fun, imo. 7 second might be a little short but you get the idea. Our slash (or was it strike? our level 1 focus builder) would be replaced by zealous essentially, then our level 1 focus builder instead becomes our situational "I've spent too much focus because x and y happened and I need some more/there's nothing else to do for this one GCD". Reactive abilities like riposte and kick would mean we spend more focus than our budget from zealous, meaning our level 1 focus builder has a role to fill, even if only for 1 attack. Only spending 1 GCD on our lvl 1 focus builder every so often beats the heck out of spamming it 3 times in a row because there's nothing else to do.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Wazooty