DRK openers and how to keep C&S on cooldown

[Giantbane]

DA + PS is kinda meh. As I understand it, it just changes the PS multiplier from 5.5 to 6.5, not a huge boost for that much mp spent.

No reason not to use passenger on CD unless you've completely boned your mp and/or you are expecting adds within the next 30 seconds.

It is far, far more mp efficient than DA>SE.

It's the most mp efficient thing we have that's off the GCD. Better than DA + C&S.

[spelley]

DA + PS is kinda meh. As I understand it, it just changes the PS multiplier from 5.5 to 6.5, not a huge boost for that much mp spent.

The idea is that, for most content, DAing Power Slash is basically enough to never use your aggro combo again throughout a fight (maybe twice depending on how awesome your DPS are). It's to encourage you to use your Syphon Strike combos more, which regain you MP, which encourages you to freely use DA more. It's a pretty well-designed setup.

[Allyrion]

DA + PS is kinda meh. As I understand it, it just changes the PS multiplier from 5.5 to 6.5, not a huge boost for that much mp spent.



It's the most mp efficient thing we have that's off the GCD. Better than DA + C&S.

DA + CS is more efficient.
Dark Passenger is second.

Dark Passenger's mana is 884 for 150 potency.
884/150 = 5.893 mana per potency.

Dark Arts costs 1768 for C&S's 350 potency gain.
1768/350 = 5.051 mana per potency.

I know your reasoning is probably that if you don't use C&S with DA then you'll gain mana.
Hence using DA + C&S isn't as mana efficient if you take into account the mana you lost because you used Dark Arts.
That's true.

Still, in a rotation where you always use DA + C&S then you always spent less mana per potency than you would've for Dark Passenger.

Effectively each mana gen is roughly 1/3rd of a DA.

Are you talking about Syphon Strike?
It's exactly half of DA.
I get 884 mana back from Syphon Strike, 2 of them is exactly the cost of DA - 1768 mp.

While I agree -
if you're doing Savage and you're DPS aren't pulling from you without a double PS start, then you're probably not going to meet the dps checks (or their openers just aren't good).
Sometimes I can get away with just 1 PS, but it's risky with my DRG's burst. I do 2 (usually only one with DA though) and never touch it again most of the time.

[Falgern]

While I agree -
if you're doing Savage and you're DPS aren't pulling from you without a double PS start, then you're probably not going to meet the dps checks (or their openers just aren't good).
Sometimes I can get away with just 1 PS, but it's risky with my DRG's burst. I do 2 (usually only one with DA though) and never touch it again most of the time.

I have to agree with this many times over. Especially in SA3, 2 combos are enough for the dps but as our WHM is solohealing the first phase he's the guy who generates the most enmity. I have to weave in more enmity combos just to make sure he doesn't snap it off me if he has to do some burst heal.

[Giantbane]

DA + CS is more efficient.
Dark Passenger is second.

Dark Passenger's mana is 884 for 150 potency.
884/150 = 5.893 mana per potency.

Dark Arts costs 1768 for C&S's 350 potency gain.
1768/350 = 5.051 mana per potency.

I know your reasoning is probably that if you don't use C&S with DA then you'll gain mana.
Hence using DA + C&S isn't as mana efficient if you take into account the mana you lost because you used Dark Arts.
That's true.

Still, in a rotation where you always use DA + C&S then you always spent less mana per potency than you would've for Dark Passenger.

Efficiency only comes into play when you're starting to get low on mp for whatever reason. If you ever have to decide on Dark Passenger vs. DA + C&S because you don't have enough MP, you should probably choose Dark Passenger & C&S (without DA) because it's more mp efficient.

But under normal circumstances where you've got enough MP to do both, this doesn't matter. All that matters is both of them are a better use of MP than DA + SE, so those should take priority. Both should be used on cooldown. Priority goes to DA + C&S because it's higher DPS.