Quote Originally Posted by Chrono_Rising View Post
You propose TBN => Bloodspiller for the (400) potency and say there is no other GCD action that would have been better.

But this is not quite exact as it depends on what GCD I'm replacing by doing that. For the same resource costs I could have:
1) Dark Arts =>Soul Eater for a 40 potency gain + 10 blood
2) Dark Arts => Siphon Strike for a 60 potency gain (1200 mana converted to 70 potency)

However, I'm adapting this to your reasoning, I don't think of this as the potency I could have done on this GCD.

I think about this as the GCD's that are being pushed out of the phase. For example, I'm not really concerned with replacing hardslash with bloodspiller because technically I could do this every time, but then I end up pressing hard slash one GCD later. What I'm concerned with is when I push bloodspiller is what gcd will I now end on because of the extra bloodspiller. If I would have stopped on hardslash then its a gain I traded 150 potency for 260 (taking away a dark arts), if I would have ended on soul eater or siphon strike its a loss (I traded 70 mp and 250 potency for 260 potency in the case of siphon and I traded 300 potency and 10 blood for 260 potency in the case of soul eater). This is why if we use TBN people attempt to use it in intervals of three in the same phase, because then I can semi control what GCD I'm ending on, I necessarily lost a soul eater combo with every 3 TBN's that pop along with the 10 blood.
All these threads are mixed up talking about the same stuff. In a couple post scattered around I mention the use of BS is nuanced based on phase jumps etc. What you describe is that nuance. In Exdeath I know before the 1st jump I am forced to either use a heavy swing or 1 more FC. This dumps my gauge a lot and id like to use that FC when I zerk again when he lands, but its better to just use it instead of a dumpy 150 pot heavy swing. Same deal for TBN. If you KNOW what GCD you end on then you can plot out TBN to be a guaranteed DPS gain on every use. If you are in the same situation as my war in that phase, youd better TBN something to get 1 more BS just like I use that extra FC because hard slash/heavy swing are trash to end a phase on.

Obviously if you know the fights well enough to KNOW what GCD you will end on, then you can make TBN ALWAYS be a DPS gain by not cutting off combos and junk. This is just standard min maxing. If you are able/willing to min-max to this degree more power to you.

The point I'm generally pushing is that if you DONT know the fight to that degree, just using it every time you can reliably pop the shield will still (on average) break even. And breaking even while shielding people is better than breaking even with no shields. So use the damn thing. As often as possible. The avg player doesn't know fights THAT well. If you are in that category just bank on the averages and spam that shit as often as you can safely break the shield.