Question to top tier paladins

[Pyroclastic]

So there is something that is doing my head in.

According the math, Holy Spirit should be getting priority over Goring Blade, from a pure DPS point of view (OT'ing for example).

Here is my napkin math: (160+240+250+420)/3= 356.6 potency/GCD when doing a Goring Blade combo, right? While Holy spirit has a base potency/GCD of 400, without the Requiescat buff!

So why am I seeing top paladins starting with a goring, into holy spirit in raids (when OT'ing)? Is there something I am missing or not getting? I know it's intuitive to start with your dots, because they normally are the highest potency/GCD skills you got, but isn't this case an exception?

TL;DR: Shouldn't OT paladins be starting with Requiescat + Holy spirit into FoF +goring blade? Because Holy spirit has a higher pot/GCD output than goring blade?

[FallenWings]

Raid buff windows usually start 3ish GCD's in iirc.

It's pretty much just using your strongest attacks in that window.

[Pyroclastic]

Ohh right, of course, completely forgot about that. So bascially, on a dummy parse you'd instantly start with Req + Holy spirit, though, right?

[Pence]

Ohh right, of course, completely forgot about that. So bascially, on a dummy parse you'd instantly start with Req + Holy spirit, though, right?

What in the world.

[FallenWings]

Why though? The point of dummy parse is to simulate a rotation you would be using in content with a party.

[Pyroclastic]

Why though? The point of dummy parse is to simulate a rotation you would be using in content with a party.

Yeah, fair enough. (too used to dpsmain mindset)

[BorisDaBlade]

You’d be missing 2 dots with a req opener. Everyone forgets about CoS.

And in pug setting, a req opener would never build enough aggro.

[Reinhardt_Azureheim]

Not a top-tier Paladin myself, but my OT opener (2.42 GCD timer):

<START>
1-2x Holy Spirit -> Fast -> Riot -> FoF -> Goring -> Spirits -> Circle -> Royal Combo -> Royal Combo -> Goring Combo -> Requies -> 5x Holy Spirit -> Goring Combo

Repeat Goring-Royal-Royal until Spirits + Circle is up, use it in between ASAP so it is ready for the next FoF.

Enter Fight or Flight with a Goring Blade and finish it with another + Requiescat. Make sure you don't toast the timing for the Requiescat buff by using it closer to Holy Spirit than Goring Blade, but still in FoF.

Prevent overcap MP similar to Dark Knights, though slightly less hectic. Use Holy Spirit while Goring is up and you are not in a FoF phase, ideally you are about 2000-2400MP off cap before entering FoF phase since you use 4x Riot Blade in it (600MP x4). If you enter FoF-Goring fluidly without delaying it or spending seconds without using it (excluding phase transitions or boss jumping around) you are doing good.

[akisya]

The buffs you'll snapshot from party buffs for goring DoT and CoS are battle voice, chain strat, and battle lit from the meta comp in the opener, you open with goring because you want dots (FoF DOES effect DoT potency, test this yourself before you even say anything) to be ticking while you holy spirit. Ignore every party buff after the opener and just continue the FoF and Req rotation. Optimizing PLD is pretty simple compared to the other tanks.

[Aletin]

While you're correct in saying the potency per GCD for Goring is less than Holy Spirit in 3 GCDs. If you do the math over let's say 8 GCDs (all 5 HS and Goring application). Assume 2.5GCD
Goring First:
160+240+250+480+480+480+480+480+(4x60 from the 4 ticks of goring that hit)
= 3390/8 = 423.75ppGCD

HS first:
480+480+480+480+480+160+240+250+(at most 1x60 from goring ticks)
= 3110/8 = 388.75ppGCD

It's not really about doing the highest ppGCD at the start of the fight, you want to do your strongest thing first, in PLD case, Goring Blade, and then follow with the weaker things as it allows you to get back to your stronger things sooner. And because Gorings combined potency is 670 (420 from the DoT alone) and a Req HS is 480 potency, it is quite superior to get the DoT up to tick while you do Req+HS