Warrior OT opener

So i am trying to optimize my warrior OT opener, i think it is fine..but i also have my doubts.

Here it is:
HS(BS)-Maim-SE-HS-SS(IR)-BB(Zerk)-HS-FC-Infuriate-FC-Maim(IR)-SE(Veng)-HS-SS-FC then pacification.

Sadly SS is sorta low so have to use both IR and Vengenance..so any way to optimize this or tips in general would be awesome

Your Berserk is wasted on HS. Slot in IR + Berserk after HS, this way you will have time to do Fracture inside the 3x FC requirement. I am sure that you will drop SE buff if you queue BB combo before getting Pacification, thus you want to do SE combo before that happens. I normally do IR 1 GCD before using Berserk since I press all buffs with clicks (kinda shitty), typically going to be a DPS loss.

Your OT opener is going to vary a lot depending on the fight. For example, the normal 3x FC rotation is done in fights like Thordan, Sephirot, A1S (basically fights that don't jump/give adds for you to tank or anything like that). Different for Ravana EX where you want to delay Berserk 3x FC combo so that when Ravana changes to his next form, you are going to do way more damage. There are also fights that benefit a lot from just using Berserk early + 2x FC combo.

Note: Search for Xeno's WAR guide.

I was thinking that i was wasting berserk on that Heavy Swing.

And yea for fights with the heavy phase changes i try to do the double cleave early berserk.

Berzerk just after you hit 5 stacks and another HS. after that:
1st Cleave > Raw Intuition > [get 4 stacks] > 2nd Cleave
Infuriate > 3rd Cleave

If your Skill Speed is too low, you may need to burn Vengeance (you need 3 sec to use Infuriate + 3rd fell cleave)

If the aim is to go for a 3x FC Berserk window - if possible, always Berserk up at 4 stacks and after doing HS, thus gaining the 5th stack from Berserk itself. Delay the Berserk a bit (so you're about 0.5s away from the next GCD) or weave in double oGCDs after HS (Internal Release into Berserk). I personally do the Infuriate'd FC right after initial one, because this frees up Infuriate a good 15s~ faster, which means that if you have to use Infuriate on something during the fight, your Infuriate will be up quicker.

So, a Berserk window sequence could be: (combo finisher up to 4 stacks) -> HS (IR + Berserk) -> Fell Cleave (Infuriate) -> Fell Cleave -> SE combo (with RI or Vengeance woven in as demanded) -> Fracture* -> SE combo -> Fell Cleave (pacified). Brutal woven in wherever it is up. RI is a better use for stack if you're OTing, but if you're MTing, Vengeance is good as your reflected damage on the boss will benefit from Berserk too. Just gotta play it by the ear a bit for mitigational needs in every fight.

* better used here at 3 stacks and IR up rather than at 5 stacks with no IR, before pacified. However, this makes it so you have to double-eye under zerk. If you don't have IR up when zerking, you can and should Fracture at 5 stacks right before the last Fell Cleave.

Remember, while 3x FC is optimal and nice, in some fights you just can't do it always without going full retard and compromising on someone else's DPS (such as the healers', for blowing your cooldowns on a triple FC). So, in normal circumstances, as an OT you should be allowed the luxury of 3x FCs, but you always gotta know if there's some tanking to be done soon and such.

Also, if people have the patience (easy after wipes when waiting on CDs anyway) - do 50s pulls. This makes you use TA and Hypercharge much better with a 4 GCD ramp-up time into Berserk rather than 7 GCDs. To do this, all you have to do is Infuriate pre-pull, then extend your stacks at 1 second left with either RI/Vengeance, and then have the boss pulled when your stacks have approximately 10 seconds left.

With this pulling style, my opener is: SE combo (potion) -> HS (IR + Berserk) -> Fell Cleave (Infuriate) -> Fell Cleave (RI) -> SE combo -> Fracture (this will still be buffed and also makes it in time for Litany too) -> SE combo -> Fell Cleave (pacified).

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Originally Posted by Tranquil

-> Fracture (this will still be buffed and also makes it in time for Litany too) -> SE combo -> Fell Cleave (pacified).

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Wow wow wow. Tbh, i am using Infuraite after 1st as well, thou i prefer to have RI on usage faster, so i can use berzerk triple cleave without burning vengeance.

And in refering to that, after 2nd cleave, i have no time for fracture, or i will miss opportunity to use 3rd cleave. I am using 3rd Cleave 0.3 sec before Berzerk goes off (literally, i must be at boss all the time, one second farer than 3 yalms and i have to burn vengeance) so i have no idea, how are you managing this without burning vengeance :O
I doubt you are mistaken, so maybe skill speed? but only thing that is not 230 is axe and accessories so i doubt 100 ss would cummulate up to 2.5 sec difference here.

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Originally Posted by Yuni_Queen

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I don't have any uploads right now where I could show you this (seeing as I Unchained pull like everything of importance in this tier), but here's an old twitch highlight on a fun thordan farm kill a long while ago. Hopefully that answers something. I think I had sksp in the low 510 range then (and the i205 thordan axe). You can see the Fracture also makes it into pot + IR + Hyper + BL, which is neato. (TA kind of depends on everyone's sksp and openers, but with my sksp of now, it always fits in into a normal timed TA).

There's no set OT opener for WAR really, what you use largely depends on team composition (do you have BL? do you have TA? do you have Hypercharge? do you have Paen?) and mechanics (do you need to tank soon? do you need to be away from the boss soon? would your Berserk be better used on an upcoming mechanic?). Instead of going into every fight with a set opener, find out what you can actually afford to use and when you can afford to use it. I've personally never been a fan of the manual 3x FC, it takes far too long, you lose out on TA/BL during your Berserk buffed GCDs, and all for 1 more FC. However, if you're doing A7S for example and have a MCH, the manual 3x FC lines up perfectly with when you want to be away from the boss to move your bomb. So even though I don't like that opener generally, I'll use it in A7S since the situation calls for it.

Basically, don't get trapped in a pre-defined opener for all the fights you do. There's nothing wrong with getting only 2x FCs in your Berserk window if that's what works out best in the fight.

New warrior here (well level 60) Can someone explain what you mean by 3x FC. Does that mean you're ripping off 3 Fell Cleave's back to back to back? I am just trying to understand lol

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Originally Posted by DroFrehter

New warrior here (well level 60) Can someone explain what you mean by 3x FC. Does that mean you're ripping off 3 Fell Cleave's back to back to back? I am just trying to understand lol

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3 Fell Cleaves while Berserk is active.

Ok so when do you use Berserk? To get the 5th stack? Or after you have 5 and then go through your 3 FC?

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Originally Posted by DroFrehter

Ok so when do you use Berserk? To get the 5th stack? Or after you have 5 and then go through your 3 FC?

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Normal rotation is after you have done 6 GCDs where you have 4 stacks of Abandon, queue up Heavy Swing into Berserk for 5th stack and FC > Infuriate > FC > Normal Combo (get 5 stacks into FC before Berserk ends, using Fracture in between is a plus, better if you can use Fracture before 5th stack is gone for more crits). For 3rd FC, you want to use Raw Intuition and/or Vengeance depending on your SkS.

What is the skill speed threshold for getting off 3 FC? I am about 1s off of being able to get it done.

210 set should give you enough.
3 FC can be acquired with basic SS i believe.

3 cleaves can be achieved with base spd. 3 cleaves + fracture requires a minimum of around 500 spd with good connections, iirc. With my 60-70ms ping I think I have gone as low as 510 on a dummy, but since my gear progression plan from i220-230 (midas nm, crafted and lore) up to eventually (hopefully?) clearing A8S doesn't seem likely to dip below 600 spd I don't really care about it.

I usually go HS > Maim > SE > Frac > HS > SS > BB > HS > zerk+IR > FC > Infuriate > FC > Maim > SE > HS > SS > BB > Raw Intuition > FC > Frac.

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Originally Posted by Destous

I usually go HS > Maim > SE > Frac > HS > SS > BB > HS > zerk+IR > FC > Infuriate > FC > Maim > SE > HS > SS > BB > Raw Intuition > FC > Frac.

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You should move fracture to before fell cleave for the 10% extra crit from stacks, and use raw intuition earlier since you'll benefit more from the 2% extra crit affecting 5-6 skills instead of 1-2. Also using butcher combo to end your berserk means your storm's eye would drop when you're pacified, that would be a dps loss for you, the other tank, as well as the nin in your party. I prefer using eye combo twice before berserk, then follow up with butcher combo and another eye combo before the third cleave.

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Originally Posted by Destous

I usually go HS > Maim > SE > Frac > HS > SS > BB > HS > zerk+IR > FC > Infuriate > FC > Maim > SE > HS > SS > BB > Raw Intuition > FC > Frac.

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iirc, using fracture without things like Berzerk or any kind of vul up/Physical Res down is not worth one skill pushing you towards Vth stack. S not sure if you don't want to remove this 1st fracture or give addnotation to use it only if party debuff is applied.

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Originally Posted by aleph_null

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Originally Posted by Yuni_Queen

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Thanks, I'll try it out. I picked up WAR as wiggle room in statics/PuGs and haven't done much experimentation with it.