How do i increase my dps as a brd?

[Mezolitik]

I think my rotation needs CPR

I have three damage buffs (Hawk's Eye, Raging Strikes, and Internal Release). I cast one of them, stack the debuffs (Windbiter, Venomous Bite, Rain of Death), and then attack with everything available until the debuffs expire. Then, I use one of the other buffs, and repeat.

Stacking all of the buffs at once seems like such a waste, especially as you're gonna lose a few seconds on the first one casting the other two. If you cast them one at a time, with space between them, you can pretty much always have one available. It was also my understanding that the debuffs are affected by e.g. Raging Strikes, so I always buff up before casting Venomous Bite.

I don't use Straight Shot unless the Heavy Shot combo is available. I've only just noticed the critical chance though, so I can change that. And I use Bloodletter and Misery's End whenever they're available.

So, here's an abridged example:

1. >Raging Strikes > Venomous Bite > Windbiter > RoD > Bloodletter > Heavy Shot > Heavy Shot > Heavy Shot > Straight Shot
2. >Internal Release > Venomous Bite > Windbiter > RoD > Bloodletter > Heavy Shot ...
3. >Hawk's Eye > Venomous Bite > Windbiter ...
4. >Raging Strikes > Venomous Bite > ... Misery's End

Do you guys use auto-attack w/Barrage? I only use standard a-a when my aggro creeps up on the tank. Heavy Shot is my auto-attack, basically.

What about Rain of Death, Quick Nock, and Flaming Arrow? I use RoD a lot for the damage but I've never found a use for QN and FA.

Thanks!

[DeathFiend]

As a long time bard, I have found some macros to work perfectly in any situation. Also, because how macros work, it makes it easy to fire the right skill at the right time.

Obv, the main macro all bard should have is:
/micon "Blunt Arrow"
/ac "Blunt Arrow"
/p Used Silence on <t> <se.5>

Then to keep buffs up as much as possible and still pound out DPS without "human" error:
/micon "Heavy Shot"
/ac "Internal Release" <me>
/ac "Heavy Shot" <t>
Note: I keep IR on HS since it should be the most used skill.

/micon "Straight Shot"
/ac "Blood for Blood" <me>
/ac "Straight Shot" <t>
Note: SS should always be up, but not spammed, unless crit proc. So using BfB here is perfect since the 25% debuff during phases where you take damage isnt good.

/micon "Venomous Bite"
/ac "Raging Strikes" <me>
/ac "Venomous Bite" <t>

/micon "Windbite"
/ac "Hawk's Eye" <me>
/ac "Windbite" <t>

For VB and WB, it just helps to have the least used CD on them since you will need to use them at a moments notice.

FYI, I have found that using CD with GCD skills only gives a 0.5-1 sec delay between the two, so by human standards... thats a bit faster than having you constantly move your mouse to the right skill or pressing the right combination of buttons on PS3 controller.

Everything else, should be used situational such as Quelling Strike, Bloodletter and Barrage. Always use BL and Barrage as soon as they proc.. Always. Quelling Strike should only be used at the beginning of a phase change so that the tank can build aggro properly.. never should be used during max dps phase. If need to use during max dps phase.. then get a better tank.

Other skills like Rain of Death and Flaming Arrow should really be used at the beginning of a phase. This actually helps slows your DPS enough for tank to build own aggro. Repelling Shot and Silence should never be a go to skill for more DPS. BL should proc more if your DPSing right, so using those skills basically waste 3-4 secs which you could have 2 procs of BL already. If your in a bad situation and you need to jump then use Repelling Shot, other wise, keep it on CD.

Also, (For everyone NON-Bard) songs are not required from start to end of a battle. The amount of DPS I lose just to make your attack a tiny bit more potent does not equate. I go from 230-240 DPS to 200-210DPS with song up. I personally play Mage Ballad w/ Battle Voice when Healers only have less than half MP. Only play foe req during Max DPS phase when there are 2-3 DPS casters or if WHM can spam Holy. Otherwise, why waste my own MP to get +10 DPS for a single caster? Then I'm out of MP and the Healers have no MP either. WAUT DO? If you say bring potions... buy them for me then. Oh, and never ask me to play Army's Paeon... seriously, learn to maintain your TP or get better gear with less Skill Speed.

[LunarEmerald]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdLVd6R6X80

Probably the best advice you're gonna get.

[DeathFiend]

What about Rain of Death, Quick Nock, and Flaming Arrow? I use RoD a lot for the damage but I've never found a use for QN and FA.

Thanks!

Rain of Death should never be spam as its an ungodly 180 TP. Should really be used once per mob or group of mobs or free proc. The evasion debuff should only matter when tank is building aggro, otherwise build up your accuracy with gear. Also, with a group of mobs, you should spam Wide Volley over Quick Nock since you can proc for free Rain of Death which can also proc for free Quick Nock. So mathematically, if you compare 5 Wide Volley (with procs) vs 5 Quick Nock thats:

Wide Volley w/ optimal proc
(110 x5) +100 +110 = 760 Potency
760 / (160 x5) TP Cost = 0.95

Quick Nock
(110 x5) = 550 Potency
550 / (140 x5) TP Cost = 0.79

So yeah for the TP cost, you get more Potency with the procs. BTW I chose 5 since its an easier number to display, but in reality you have 15% chance of proc which is out of 6-7 Wide Volley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdLVd6R6X80

Probably the best advice you're gonna get.

In regards to his buff macro w/ all in one list, id would only agree to this if I have 1 dedicated key on my keyboard/mouse while im using mouse for skill. That being said switching back and forth between that 1 macro and other skill for 12secs can get a little hairy in fights where you have to constantly be moving.

[Viridiana]

I think my rotation needs CPR

I have three damage buffs (Hawk's Eye, Raging Strikes, and Internal Release). I cast one of them, stack the debuffs (Windbiter, Venomous Bite, Rain of Death), and then attack with everything available until the debuffs expire. Then, I use one of the other buffs, and repeat.

Stacking all of the buffs at once seems like such a waste, especially as you're gonna lose a few seconds on the first one casting the other two. If you cast them one at a time, with space between them, you can pretty much always have one available. It was also my understanding that the debuffs are affected by e.g. Raging Strikes, so I always buff up before casting Venomous Bite.

I don't use Straight Shot unless the Heavy Shot combo is available. I've only just noticed the critical chance though, so I can change that. And I use Bloodletter and Misery's End whenever they're available.

So, here's an abridged example:

1. >Raging Strikes > Venomous Bite > Windbiter > RoD > Bloodletter > Heavy Shot > Heavy Shot > Heavy Shot > Straight Shot
2. >Internal Release > Venomous Bite > Windbiter > RoD > Bloodletter > Heavy Shot ...
3. >Hawk's Eye > Venomous Bite > Windbiter ...
4. >Raging Strikes > Venomous Bite > ... Misery's End

Do you guys use auto-attack w/Barrage? I only use standard a-a when my aggro creeps up on the tank. Heavy Shot is my auto-attack, basically.

What about Rain of Death, Quick Nock, and Flaming Arrow? I use RoD a lot for the damage but I've never found a use for QN and FA.

Thanks!

You want to stack them, but you weave them in between your other attacks while the GCD "spins." So, your #1 should look like this:

Straight Shot - (Raging Strikes) > Windbiter - (Hawk's Eye) > Venomous Bite - (Blood for Blood) > Heavy Shot - (Internal Release) > Heavy Shot - (Barrage) > Heavy Shot, etc.

This way, you don't lose any time on the first ones, and, if you start with the longest lasting ones first, you get maximum overlap. As a note, I usually wait for the second "iteration" before popping my buffs. This lets me make sure I'm not messing up any positioning and usually allows the tank ample time to build threat.

For Flaming Arrow, that should be part of even your single-target rotation. If used against one enemy, it takes ~15 seconds for it to do more damage than Bloodletter. Over the full 30 seconds, it becomes one of your highest potency attacks. Again, that's against one enemy; more enemies there are, the better it scales.

Quick Nock is more damage than Rain of Death, at less TP, and the debuff on RoD is useless since 2.1. The only time you should be using RoD is when you get a free cast of it from hitting Wide Volley. Wide Volley is a lot of BRDs' go-to ability for AOE, but it should be noted that QN is slightly better if you can meet the positional requirements.

Regarding Barrage: your auto-attack is constantly firing. As such, Barrage can be as powerful as ~800 potency before you take other buffs into account. To say that it's powerful is putting it lightly.

[Ooshima]

You want to stack them, but you weave them in between your other attacks while the GCD "spins." So, your #1 should look like this:

Straight Shot - (Raging Strikes) > Windbiter - (Hawk's Eye) > Venomous Bite - (Blood for Blood) > Heavy Shot - (Internal Release) > Heavy Shot - (Barrage) > Heavy Shot, etc.

This way, you don't lose any time on the first ones, and, if you start with the longest lasting ones first, you get maximum overlap. As a note, I usually wait for the second "iteration" before popping my buffs. This lets me make sure I'm not messing up any positioning and usually allows the tank ample time to build threat.

Shouldn't BFB be used first before applying the 2 DoT?

[Warrlordd]

I see people using internal release after DoT's are applied. If you would read your bloodletter trait you'd realize this is wrong. and so your opening rotation should look like, and for any time u need to burst a target down, it should look like this

Quelling>Straight>InternalRelease>Wind Bite>Hawk's>Venemous>Raging>True>BfB>True>Barrage>True>Flaming>True>Straight>Wind>Venemous>Straight(spamspamspam)

All proc's should be used immediately, I use bloodletter procs any time it pops up, if it happens in my CD rotation, pop CD>Bloodletter>continue rotation.

BTW, Barrage does lotsa damage so I'd really try focus on stacking CD's for that, over and above the weak DoTs. The dots are only there as a mechanic to proc Bloodletters, which are the other bread and butter of ur dps. Don't forget that barring mechanics where positioning is restricted/silences needed, Blunt arrow and Repelling shot are valid offGCD attacks and can really help your dps.

Edit: mixxed up names of CD's... my B

[Viridiana]

Shouldn't BFB be used first before applying the 2 DoT?

Ideally, yes. Like I mentioned, I usually wait for the second go-round before popping CDs, specifically to avoid this. I'd rather start popping them in the Heavy Shot section so that they all hit the second set of dots than I would start popping them during the first set of dots and screw with the rotation itself.

All proc's should be used immediately, I use bloodletter procs any time it pops up, if it happens in my CD rotation, pop CD>Bloodletter>continue rotation.

Every CD you have is worth more than 150 potency. Bloodletter can wait.

[Warrlordd]

Proc class 101: use procs immediately, it could very well proc again

[Viridiana]

Proc class 101: use procs immediately, it could very well proc again

I'd much rather make sure that my Barrage has 100% overlap with all my other buffs, rather than squeeze in 1-2 extra Bloodletters. Especially if, as I've seen happen, I get 6 Bloodletter procs in a row.