DRK openers and how to keep C&S on cooldown

[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.

[pandabearcat]

I said 1/3rd in practice because of all the other stuff you're doing (the time it takes for 3 combos, for example, is almost exactly the time required for darkside to soak ~1 syphon's worth of mp).

[Molic]

OT Opener:


DA > wait > plunge > scourge > pot > hard slash > C&S > Syhpon strike > DA + Salted Earth > Souleater > Blood weapon
Hard slash > low blow > Syphon strike > Dark Passenger > Delerium
Hard Slash > Dark arts > Syphon strike > Souleater

Cont. till dots and cd are up. should keep you at 900+ dps without a war or ninja or food/party buff and above 1k+ with war or ninja until your tp runs out. after the 2nd bloodweapon wears off you might be a little low on mp, so just doing a regular delirum combo between each DA souleater combo for a bit.

Depends on your connections but you should be able to fit 2 ogcd between all your gcd, since dark arts is a instant cast, you can clip that with another ogcd easier than doing two ogcd that are melee attacks


MT: rotation depends on content, if its like normal alexander or primals, just use OT rotation. If its savage i go

Since i wear a few fending acc for savage:
Grit + Darkside > DA + Unmend > Plunge > Hard > low blow > SPinning > Salted > power > turn off grit > Hard > Da > Syphon > pot > C&S > Delirum >
Hard > Dark passenger > syphon > delerium
Hard > DA > syphon > souleater with oGCD between. blood weapon yea. Switch back into grit when needed and take it off when you can for bloodweapon + dmg. also put sole survior on any add thats gonna die.

Example: Shouldnt need grit besides the first hate combo for a1s till the .5 pops, then i usually turn grit back one after he shoots out the lasers since healing needs to heal others at this point, i turn grit off again, during the giant lasers after the tank busters, before the jump and dps in that + bloodweapon. and turn darkside off during jump. should have about full mp again when they land.

[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.

[Freyyy]

Good stuff

^ this.
/10char