Connecting the DoTs: A Summoner Guide

[Judge_Xero]

I feel it would be impossible as well since you are forced to sometimes to prematurely refresh your Dots.

All things considered I think this should be addressed as a QOL issue for all dots if they keep the server ticks instead of individual timers. Maybe something as easy as adding 2 seconds to the Dots to account for this variance as its a significant difference for SMN overall.

So probably not worth adding it to your info, but rather I'll just post it in a new thread as a QOL issue for dots in general.

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Edited: Lol, I'm dumb. Not sure what I was thinking about but you still get all your ticks regardless.

0s - 1.5s (tick), 4.5s (tick), 7.5s(tick), 10.5(tick), 13.5(tick), 16.5(tick) - 6 Ticks
0s - 2s (tick), 5s (tick), 8s (tick), 11s (tick), 14s (tick), 17s (tick) - 6 Ticks

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It is just a clipping issue not knowing when the ticks will happen.

[ShinryuReishiki]

For openers, I use a bit of an in between of the traditional and Bio openers. The plus of this opener is having 2 DoTs ticking immediately, as well as getting a second Bio under Raging Strikes (Clipping initial Bio at 1-2s), but I can't really say it's better/worse than the traditional or Bio openers; I think it's all very close... Just putting it out there as a consideration.

This is with Ifrit-egi.

X-Potion > Raging Strikes > Bio II (Hit as boss is pulled) + Obey during cast > (Move towards boss) Bio > Rouse + Spur > Miasma > (Move closer if still needed) Swiftcast > Fester > Shadow Flare > Enkindle > Ruin II (X-Potion end)> Poison Pot > Ruin II > Bio > Fester (Raging Strikes end) > Ruin > Ruin > ...

[Hakmatic]

Yo we wiped 2 minutes in. Hak-1 min on pb guys. Avalen- 27 minutes on enkindle guys :/

[Sunako]

What you think about using swiftcast? Shadow flare cast time is only 0.5 sec longer than recast time. In 5 minute fight you save 2.5sec that is worth of one ruin. After all that is only 1 - 1,7 dps increase. I think it is not worth use it after opener for shadow flares if you are not moving while casting it. Sometimes your dots may drop out at the same time like if miasma and bio2 have 3 sec left. It is worth cast bio2 -> swiftcast miasma so you can maintain both of your dots that have cast time? I usually save swiftcast for mobility so I can apply dots while moving.

[Havenchild]

What you think about using swiftcast? Shadow flare cast time is only 0.5 sec longer than recast time. In 5 minute fight you save 2.5sec that is worth of one ruin. After all that is only 1 - 1,7 dps increase. I think it is not worth use it after opener for shadow flares if you are not moving while casting it. Sometimes your dots may drop out at the same time like if miasma and bio2 have 3 sec left. It is worth cast bio2 -> swiftcast miasma so you can maintain both of your dots that have cast time? I usually save swiftcast for mobility so I can apply dots while moving.

I make this call based off how the fight progresses. Regularly, there is not much use in using Swiftcast for other abilities specifically. However, if we were talking about maintaining the 3 main DoTs solely, I would think that to fully flesh out the limits of the DoT timers in relation to the server tick, using Swiftcast to apply DoTs regularly is in fact good. More to the point if a DoT is falling off (3 seconds or so) in a situation where movement is currently being forced. I roughly find that if a mechanic is happening, it does not last more then 4-5 seconds, in regards to you positioning yourself in a safe area.

Now often for myself in T13, I find that Miasma I is roughly at like 5 seconds when the Earthshaker marks are disappearing. If I am selected, by the time the earth shakers finish and I'm safely able to cast, Miasma has fallen off for about 1 - 3 seconds before it is reapplied, this mind you is with a Fester at the ready. To get around this, I simply refresh it with stutter step as well, right before the earthshaker hits. This will save me at the least 1 server tick of the DoT but depending on the timing, possible two from preventing it from falling off.

Using this same instance,let's make a controlled enviorment. Let's say you are in charge of taking down the Shadow of Meracydia alongside another DPS. Shadowflare needs to be replenished when Megaflare is casting as well as recasted again at a different location and the boss is constantly being moved away from the Meracydia into these new locations. I would argue that for the sake of the overall situation, Hardcasting those two ShadowFlares, and using Bio II -> Bio -> Swiftcast -> Miasma to burst down the Shadow is more beneficial to what is happening. I wouldn't be able to easily tell you if this was a DPS gain or loss though.

Eventually, to find out on a fixated target, we'll have to look at shadowflare base 3 second cast time, stack that by a certain amount of duration and then compare hardcasting a Shadowflare in comparison to a DoT tick we are saving within the same duration. Since ShadowFlare needs to be replenished every 30 seconds, we can assume that after 1 min you have in fact lost 1 second worth of GCD due to its cast time.

3mins -> 3 seconds of GCD -> 1.2 GCD
5 mins -> 5 seconds of GCD -> 2 GCD
10 mins -> 10 seconds of GCD - > 4 GCD
13mins -> 13 seconds of GCD -> 5.2 GCD

Balanced by Ruins,
3 mins -> 80 Potency
5 mins -> 160 Potency
10 mins -> 320 Potency
13 mins -> 400 Potency

Let's consider Miasma I is solely used with Swiftcast to reapply and we were saving 1 DoT tick by allowing it to reach it's lowest point of 0 seconds and then reapplied immediately. This would be 1 DoT tick (35) times number of minutes.

3 mins -> 105 potency
5 mins -> 175 potency
10 mins -> 350 potency
13 mins -> 455 potency

If these numbers have weight, assuming a Perfect World Scenario, the increase from saving a DoT and theoretically gaining a server tick via a Swiftcast will beat using a Swiftcast with Shadowflare if my math is correct.
However, it is a perfect world scenario on a standalone target and assumes the server tick will always occur the moment you refresh your DoT as soon as its falling off, to get a confirmed extra tick and not including any outside factors like mechanics or adds.

Places on average where you cannot cast a Shadowflare reliably for a decent amount of time, use it to apply DoTs. Example: T11 Add phase, and attempting to DoT up the Egg node specifically. Due to the nature of hitting the egg node, and its movement around the arena, we know that you can either get LoS'd by it or it will move out of melee range of you and is now invincible, so Swiftcast to apply DoTs here is also great. This doesn't break the chain of command in casting ShadowFlare either, as the next ShadowFlare right as soon as the add phase ends should be hardcasted.

[pandabearcat]

It takes a long time for dot clipping to negatively affect your dps. The difference between 0.5-1sec clipping and 0.5-1 sec after duration is that they both give the same dps, but in the latter you're gambling.

Losing one GCD over the course of the entire fight isn't even close enough to worry about.

[Jikillia]

I have a question:
when you re-apply dots, its optimal for dps/mana managements to apply as late as possible without letting them go off. So i cast bio 2 and miasma when dots are at 4ish seconds and bio at 2 seconds.

question is: how big issue is letting dots falling off? for example you cast bio 2 but before it is re-applied it falls of and 1 second later you re-apply it, are you losing a chunk of dps?

[Havenchild]

I have a question:
when you re-apply dots, its optimal for dps/mana managements to apply as late as possible without letting them go off. So i cast bio 2 and miasma when dots are at 4ish seconds and bio at 2 seconds.
question is: how big issue is letting dots falling off? for example you cast bio 2 but before it is re-applied it falls of and 1 second later you re-apply it, are you losing a chunk of dps?

If it happens very few times over the course of the fight and you know this then overall you have a 1/3 chance of losing 35 potency per occurrence which might not be noticeable at low amounts. However, if DoTs are consistently falling off like this, it will pull your numbers down a decent amount. So ultimately in most cases, as long as you renew in that 1-3 area you are generally fine. If you feel its happening to often, then you need to refresh a second earlier or so.

Once you settle into your rotation and feel out your cast time, you will come to know what you can get away with in any instance to prevent this from ever happening.

[pandabearcat]

IIRC server ticks are always on the minute every minute of eorzea time. If you have a mind to, you could watch the clock, and plan whether you are "safe" to wait or not.

[Judge_Xero]

IIRC server ticks are always on the minute every minute of eorzea time. If you have a mind to, you could watch the clock, and plan whether you are "safe" to wait or not.

Interesting if true. Anyone know of a good Server Dot timer overlay? ;p