Warrior changes are unwelcome.

[Izsha]

WAR in Defiance will do much less damage overall because SE is now only 10% instead of 20%. So that means instead of .75+20% (90% damage total) we now have .75+10% (or 82.5% damage total). That's a straight up nerf of 7.5% damage while in Defiance. The potency buffs and increased numbers of Fell Cleave do *not* account for a loss of 7.5% damage. Much less the outright loss of 10% damage over the course of a fight from Berserk.

While the "uptime" phase of WAR dps may or may not be "better" overall, the actual holistic package that is the WAR job has been nerfed. This wouldn't be a big deal if A.) they left SE as is, or B.) they weren't constantly pushing DPS checks and enrage timers that implicitly encourage tanks to DPS as hard as possible in order to beat the check. But every fight of significance in SB has had an enrage timer, so I highly doubt the new Omega or Byakko will be any different.

You can look at war in 3 basic ways now.

1.Full time Defiance.
2.Full time Deliverance
3. Stance dance.

*Full time Defiance, you loose (actually its 8.25% damage lost from eye, not 7.5%), but then you add in the potency buffs which is where the ~5% damage loss number comes from) you get to use IR and unchained which dramatically increases overall damage and should easily negate the 5%. Remember you can stack unchained and IR now for the DH Crit IBs. You still benefit from enhanced infuriate and will generate more IBs than currently overall. Defiance war with IR stacking unchained and more IBs easily counters 5% damage and becomes MUCH tougher. All those extra IBs and IR IBs are HP and mitigation you didnt have before. 5 DH Crit IBs? Why yes I would like to bene myself.

*Full time deliverance is what much of the discussions are about so I wont repeat that stuff.

*Hybrid stance dance: Unchained and IR are separated. Nuff said. If you stance danced before, you couldnt use unchained well....ever. Now you can. You still generate more IB/FCs overall on top of that. You still get your deliverance IR burst window. This 'version' of war actually made the most gains.

Its really much simpler than it all sounds. Look at each change


*Eye: -8.25% damage lost from Eye accross the board. All stances. Everything.

*Potency Buff: +~3ish % damage from the boosted potency. Varies a bit depending on stance and exact rotation Putting baseline damage at around -~5%.
*Additional FCs under new system. We will get at least 3 FCs minimum per 90 sec rotation. (onslaughts become FCs, New IR gives more gauge than old IR.) I suspect the additional enhanced infuriate procs from those FCs will counter the 'opportunity cost' of lost gauge GCDs from those extra FCs and nuetral out more but I need to do some more maffs with the holistic rotation. 1 FC every 30 sec (+310 potency over base combo rotation) should negate the 5% damage loss between burst windows. 30sec=12 GCDs. Base rotation for 12 GCDs with new potencies is ~210*12=2500. free 310 potency is bout 12%. Yes the natrual FCs bring that down but not by moreo than HALF which is what it would take to be a net loss. The extra FCs more than make up for the GCD eye nerf and start to cut into the AA damage nerf some. Ultimately we are going to be talking about a couple % if any. Ill know more when i finish the full rotation math.

Non burst DPS will be VERY close to what it currently is.

*Burst Windows: Ill just expand on a previous post i made on comparing the current optimal Zerk/IR windows with the new one. Based on my math in another thread:
Net potency gain of new IR is roughly 4148 pot/90 sec. 2765 potency/Min.
Net potency gain of current IR+Zerk (both windows combined) 5200 pot/2min. 2600pot/Min. This is the PERFECT zerk and zerk IR windows mind you. (2 onslaughts, 1 upheaval, 6FCs for IR etc).
Current IR/zerk are slightly undervalued as I did not account for natural DH/Crits. However even with that they would be very close to break even and we all know you dont perform perfect windows every time which drops it back down anyway.

Burst dps will be VERY close to what it currently is.

Deliverance war will be VERY close to what it currently is while any use of tank stance get very nice offensive and defensive enhancements.

War will be fine. Not as much fun imo, but not nerfed.