Summoner DPS Rotation

[Hyrist]

-SNIP-

I've stayed primarily out of conversations concerning Damage Rotations mainly due to the heat usually spurred in the conversation.

If we're talking single damage rotation, I will initiate with DoTs and then move into Summoner skills while in the enhanced duration of Debuffs.

My rotation may end up looking like:

Command, AF(If down) RS, Bio II, Miasma, Bio, Fester, Thunder, Contagion, SftCst->Shadow Flare, Fester, | Spur, Rouse, Enkindle

After that, it's prioritize refreshing debuffs as they are presented. Ruin is used in situations when I have a brake in cool-downs long enough to justify it. (Usually during contagion after Enkindle Segment) Ruin II is most often used when I interrupt a spell to evade a charged attack. (At discretion, sometimes I'm on the edge of the AoE and just make a minor adjustment and resume casting the spell I had intended to. However, any evasion noting more than two steps typically merits a Ruin II.)

On Ruin II:
I'll also use Ruin II in tandem with Ruin while solo to increase initial burst, as there's plenty of off-cooldown abilities like Fester that can be used while Ruin II Is in cooldown, but not while Ruin I is in cast time. As most same-level monsters don't live long enough to merit a long term-concern, going for burst shaves a second or two off the combat time.

However in group runs, I will completely disregard the Blind component of Ruin II entirely. Effectively I see it as a self defense tool, so using it while I'm attempting to evade makes the best use of the Blind Component while at the same time shoring up the loss of DPS I suffer while being stalled to evade. Using it on behalf of another is not my concern as I've already the rotations of Virus and Eye For an Eye for this purpose.

Enemy group rotations wind up a bit differently. If cool-downs are up I lead pet buffs while allowing the tank to establish first flash, then I Enkindle followed immediately by Shadow Flare, then my debuff rotation, swapping out the first Fester with Bane (Swapping Contagion in first for a boosted duration Trio on all enemies.), then making a judgment call on whether Fester or Bane will be the better choice for the remainder of the Aether Flow cooldown. In group fights, Miasma II also becomes a viable DPS tool due the exponential growth of damage when distributed across multiple targets.

On the subject of range of combat. I do not agree that ranged combatants need to stay at a distance from the opponent as a default. Especially in cases of deviating hate and adds it is better that the monsters not roam far so the tank can reacquire hate if it is lost. In cases of boss fights without adds, it is simply a matter of knowing the enemy's most common attack patterns and evading them, staying out of easy to anticipate ranges to allow for cleaner cast times. As most bosses will have attacks that effect or even specifically target ranged opponents, it becomes a matter of case by case basis as to which boss or miniboss is best to keep at range or not.

Chimera, for instance, is rather irrelevant, as is Hydra, Titan, and Garuda's later stages. In fact you are sometimes encouraged to keep close range except for very specific points.

Anyways, that's just my view on things. I try to remain flexible in my adaptation and abilities, and not be judgmental of others.