Fresh 50 WAR, critique me!

[Makado]

Hello, I'm a fresh 50 WAR (been a career T5 winning PLD). Just wanting some advice on best combo when your not main tanking? What I usually have been doing (literally just hit 50 last night) is staying out of Defiance, and using Fracture - Storm Eye combo - x2 Butcher combos - repeat, using the Crit Boost skill and Berserk together when they are both up and refreshing Fracture as needed.

Basically I'm just looking for the best combo out there!

[Versiroth]

If you're off tanking a boss, make sure to rotate in your storms path combo to help out the MT with the -10% damage debuff. I normally do Path, Eye, BB, Eye, Path, Eye, BB, Eye, Path, etc.

[Makado]

Alright yeah I guess I was letting my WAR bloodthirst get the best of me and not thinking of the MT. Will be adding that in.

[SpookyGhost]

Most damage possible without Fracture:

Defiance -> Infuriate -> Unchained -> HS -> Berserk -> Maim -> Internal Release -> Storm's Eye -> HS -> SS -> BB -> Inner Beast -> Defiance off -> BB combo -> SE combo -> 2x BB -> Repeat. Use Internal Release on cooldown, save Berserk to couple with Unchained (it's worth it). I haven't checked whether it's worth going into Defiance for 2x IB (+Vengeance), but I imagine it's worth it. Keep in mind that Defiance has a 10s cooldown, so Unchained + IB is more damage efficient than IB + IB, but Unchained has a 120s cooldown which meansssssssssss you won't have it for the next Infuriate. So either go for 2x IB or save Infuriate for when Unchained is up again.

With Fracture you'll just want to apply it after the initial SE and put it up again whenever it falls off.

Even though SE + BB is max damage, you are likely to rip hate off the MT with it, so it's best to just replace BB with SP and go SE -> SP instead of SE -> BB -> BB. It's not that big of a DPS loss, though, so it's nothing to sweat over.

[Kuwagami]

I usually jst do SP=>SE=>SP=> fracture=> SE and repeat. Not that much to do besides poping berserk whenever it's up

[whiskeybravo]

Snip

Likely to pull off MT with that opening combo :/

No real need to be in Defiance as OT, you don't need the aggro nor the damage penalty. Only time to (as OT) to stay in Defiance is if there are tank swaps, or certain mechanics like eating the bombs on Ultima HM. However, even on fights like Ultima I tend to pop in and out of Defiance as needed.

When you just want to get straight down to business: HS > Maim > SE > Berserk > BB combo > Repeat

Throw in the Storms Path debuff and keep it up as needed, this combo works perfectly: HS/M/SP > HS/M/SE > BB Combo. SP debuff is 20 sec, SE debuff is 15 sec, this rotation keeps them both up right as they fall off.

[SpookyGhost]

SE -> SP in Defiance + Unchained shouldn't pull aggro off the MT... unless your weapon > their weapon...

A MT should either open with FoF -> Shield Lob -> SW -> FB -> CoS -> SB -> RoH -> RoH combo x infinity or Infuriate -> Unchained -> Tomahawk -> BB combo x1 or x2, potentially with Berserk if you can afford to use it then. You won't rip aggro off a MT with Infuriate -> Unchained -> SE -> SP unless your weapon is like... i90 and theirs is i55.

[kukurumei]

Taken from a war's mouth that runs with an i90 pld. Even non BB combo attack can take threat off MT. Don't risk it.

But ya wars can really take threat big time simply being a war.

[whiskeybravo]

SE -> SP in Defiance + Unchained shouldn't pull aggro off the MT... unless your weapon > their weapon...

A MT should either open with FoF -> Shield Lob -> SW -> FB -> CoS -> SB -> RoH -> RoH combo x infinity or Infuriate -> Unchained -> Tomahawk -> BB combo x1 or x2, potentially with Berserk if you can afford to use it then. You won't rip aggro off a MT with Infuriate -> Unchained -> SE -> SP unless your weapon is like... i90 and theirs is i55.

I just said it was likely.. You'd be in Defiance with all offensive buffs and pulling a BB combo around 6 GCDs in.. Sure the MT could have threat established by then, but not always. I just tend to not burn Infuriate>Unchained unless I'm pulling as MT. The only difference is getting off an IB.

[Makado]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm going to work out the highest strength build I can and work off of Fracture - SP - SE - BB repeat tossing CD in before my BB combo.