Puzzled Warlock

[ColdFyre]

Heya folks. New to the boards here and glad to be a member.

I have a 2 part question. So please, bear with me :P

1) Trinkets: I have 4 now that I think are good (please, don't tell me what I -should- get. :P I KNOW I should have quag's eye at least and the icon of silver crescent... I just don't run enough heroics to get 'em.) Anyhow, they are:
1)Scryer's Bloodgem
2)The Lightning Capacitor
3)Xi'ri's Gift
4)Void Star Talisman
To increase my overall DPS, what 2 are optimum?
(I use the following macro with my shadowbolts to pop the trinkets whenever they are up too.

#showtooltip
/use 13
/use 14
/cast Shadow Bolt

I'm thinking that 3/4 is the best combo... I'm just not sure. I guess if I have a lotta crit (which I don't really) then the capacitor may be better, but until then...

2) Lack of DPS on bosses. It seems my dps has been suffering of late and I don't know why. I am NOT a lazy loc nor do I consider myself unknowables about my class. I have dotTimers and keep 'em up 90%+ of the time (last few times we killed Void Reaver, my dps ranged from 624 to 731 (thank you WoW Web Stats!) but with my gear and cast order I think I should be above that)

My cast order is (typically):
Cos/CoE
trinket
UA
Corr
Siphon Life
Shadowbolt (with above trinket macro) until UA has 2 sec or less left

I have 1092 spell damage unbuffed (well, with fel armor, but that's a self buff so it doesn't count :P). That's more than any of our other locs, but yet I seem to lag behind 'em (and some have some odd looking builds) and other dps classes a bit too much for my taste. I don't mind taking a hit on my personal DPS to increase the raid's overall damage, that's why I took Malediction, but I just know I can perform better. I just don't know how.
I've asked a similar question on the 'official' forums but the only advice I got was 'drop immolate' from your cast order." I did and saw a slight increase, but not significant imo.

Please take a look at my armory and build. ANY tips or advice or questions would be more than welcome.

[vukodlac]

One thing I see that is confusing is, you are a UA lock, but spent 5 points in devastation and 2 points in dest reach. Dest reach I think is a wasted 2 points because I cant think of a single raid/instance that you would not be able to be close enough to spam your sb. I cant get to your armory, but what is your crit at? How often do you crit? IF not much at all WITH devastation, then get rid of devastation. If so, that would add 7 points to your pool. How often do you life tap?? When I'm raiding spec and I use the imp as my mana battery, I dont life tap at all. If you are the same way, get rid of that.. now you have 9 points. What are you raiding? What is your +hit? Have you figured if you can drop that 1 point? My goal would be to get rid of what you can and work down demo to fel armor. I think you would benefit a lot more from the added SD you get from FA than the few times you crit, the destructive range, the few times you probably use life tap if you use imp as mana battery. Thats all my opinion though. THoughts??

V

[Coud]

armory hates me atm ( i see your stats but tooltips won't load =.=' )

i'm reading you having 123 hit raiting

123/12.6 = 9.76% hit

let's say 9.8

2/5 suppression = 4%

9.8+4 = 13.8%

you are not hit capped for anything, use the scryer bloodgem.

include immolate in your cast sequence.

[doogless]

Originally Posted by vukodlac

One thing I see that is confusing is, you are a UA lock, but spent 5 points in devastation and 2 points in dest reach. Dest reach I think is a wasted 2 points because I cant think of a single raid/instance that you would not be able to be close enough to spam your sb. I cant get to your armory, but what is your crit at? How often do you crit? IF not much at all WITH devastation, then get rid of devastation. If so, that would add 7 points to your pool. How often do you life tap?? When I'm raiding spec and I use the imp as my mana battery, I dont life tap at all. If you are the same way, get rid of that.. now you have 9 points. What are you raiding? What is your +hit? Have you figured if you can drop that 1 point? My goal would be to get rid of what you can and work down demo to fel armor. I think you would benefit a lot more from the added SD you get from FA than the few times you crit, the destructive range, the few times you probably use life tap if you use imp as mana battery. Thats all my opinion though. THoughts??

V

Destructive Reach is for the threat reduction.

Devastation is both a good personal and raid DPS increase. You should be taking the talent regardless of your crit without it.

Even with Dark Pact, you still have to Life Tap. The OP also only has 42 points in Affliction, so you can only remove 1 point from Affliction and keep UA.

Heading down Demo to Demonic Aegis is impossible if you want to keep Bane. Trust me, you want to keep Bane.

Talents and gear are fine. If you're having problems with DPS, it's due to playstyle. The only gear improvement would be buying a Scryer's Bloodgem and switching Potent Noble Topaz to Veiled Noble Topaz until you're at the hit cap. Use Immolate, stop macroing your trinkets so you can use them when you'll be applying all your DoTs while they're active, and make sure you're always casting *something* - casting a Shadow Bolt and having to reapply Corruption 1 second late is better than sitting there for 1.5 seconds and applying Corruption perfectly.

[SavageBT]

Pretty much everything Doogless said. Use the bloodgem and either VST or Xi'Ri's.

With the 'on use' trinkets activate them manually when you will be reapplying all of your dots in it's duration - these are your highest damage per cast time spells, and will get the most out of the trinket's use.

Even if you are using full FSW and the orb of the soul eater offhand and a soulfrost enchant still cast immolate - the damage it puts out for only 1.5sec cast is much higher than shadowbolt. Lifetap/dark pact only once your dots are applied but not when you have a trinket active, lifetap/dark pact early so that you're not oom when your dots run out. It's better to leave a dot inactive for a second or two than overwrite it or be inactive yourself - as stated use the time to lifetap or start a shadowbolt. The only time it's good to renew early is when you will be away from the boss and unable to reapply - use your judgement here.

Going down to improved fel armour will only ever get you +30 damage. This is about 2 extra damage on a corruption tick. Spend your points in destro - ISB helps ALL shadow users, yourself included. Bane is probably one of the most important raid talents, considering how large a portion shadowbolt is of even an affliction lock's dps. Keep devastation - 5% crit is 5% crit whether you are on 10% or 30%, its still 2.5% more dps on the shadowbolts, and more ISB procs. Destructive reach is of course for the threat reduction but I can think of plenty of fights where staying at 30 yards is dangerous, repositioning to spam SB loses you dps time as well.

I guess the biggest thing here is hit rating - I can't see your armory but if you haven't already use veiled noble topaz' in every yellow/red slot, and make sure you complete any set bonuses that give you +hit. Recheck your hit with the bloodgem equipped, and add pointes to suppression until you're at 16%. As your gear improves start removing points from suppression until you have flat 16% to hit for all spells.

BTW can you link a WWS of a fight or two with you and the other locks, let us know what else was in their groups (ele shammy etc), and maybe even some armory links. Could simply be the difference between hit ratings, more favourable groups or even the lack of the use of CoD on your part.

[Gritz]

Lightening cap is garbage for locks (imo), and VST is really only useful for FG specs. 1 & 3 are your best options.

Also, add immolate to your cast rotation - the DPCT is excellent.

[ColdFyre]

Originally Posted by vukodlac

One thing I see that is confusing is, you are a UA lock, but spent 5 points in devastation and 2 points in dest reach. Dest reach I think is a wasted 2 points because I cant think of a single raid/instance that you would not be able to be close enough to spam your sb.

2/2 dest reach =10% less threat generated by dest spells. That's a good thing, no? I'm not worried about the cast distance as much as I am with threat.

Originally Posted by vukodlac

I cant get to your armory, but what is your crit at? How often do you crit? IF not much at all WITH devastation, then get rid of devastation. If so, that would add 7 points to your pool.

Last Void Reaver I was at 21% crit, although my armory says 15.43%

Originally Posted by vukodlac

How often do you life tap?? When I'm raiding spec and I use the imp as my mana battery, I dont life tap at all. If you are the same way, get rid of that.. now you have 9 points.

I lifetap when necessary.. I dunno how often that is, but I use Dark Pact to get some back then 1 or 2 lifetaps to top off... by the time I'm running low again, the imp usually has mana back. (I don't get AI/wiz on the imp curently, though I will on our next raid)

Originally Posted by vukodlac

What are you raiding?

SSC, The Eye

Originally Posted by vukodlac

What is your +hit?

hit is 123.. but I do have gear for more. I can get it up to about 160-180 or so. Also tack on 4% because I have 2/5 suppression.

[ColdFyre]

Originally Posted by SavageBT

BTW can you link a WWS of a fight or two with you and the other locks, let us know what else was in their groups (ele shammy etc), and maybe even some armory links. Could simply be the difference between hit ratings, more favourable groups or even the lack of the use of CoD on your part.

thanks for all your posts... gives me stuff to think about. I did fudge with my gems a lil bit reciently but I can't remember why :P I'll go back and see about re-socketing them.

here's a WWS link as well:
Loading...



oh, and to whoever moved this thread... thanks! sorry for posting it in the wrong area

[Coud]

VR........

I can only compare you against, Amanos. everybody else is either using curses ( for warlock, Aiment ) or had a better party composition ( looking at your mages ) compared to you.

Amanos is wearing his pvp gear atm looking at armory but according to WWS his sbolts is hitting for ~100 more damage then yours, like wise for his dots. perhaps he's outgearing you? i'm not sure...

[SavageBT]

OK, looked like you were actually getting relatively few resists. Keep up the hit rating but this is looking good already.

You VS Aiment: He out-damaged you by 50K, but had 63K worth of CoD. Doing good so far.

You VS Amanos: He out-damaged you by 11K. Looks like he got off 9 less immolates, but 20 more shadowbolts (should have gone the immolates imo) - This says he is either cutting it finer or got luckier with the orbs, MUCH luckier. He took 1 more orb hit than you, this is probably not worth noting but it may indicate that he is cutting it finer. Looks like he out-gears you too - I can see the Icon in his buffs list.. Nothing to be ashamed of really, a difference of 10k in 300k is just randomness.

Not sure what I can say about the mages, maybe they are just really good? Lets take a look at Chiyochan: Looks like has an Icon too, and managed to stay near his boomkin where none of the locks did. Only 1 orb taken. Could be more careful, or more lucky, not sure.
Lets see - 1 evocate @8 seconds, 5 seconds of arcane missiles and 98 @2.5sec each frostbolts is a total of 258 seconds of dps time for him.
You - 43 shadowbolts @2.5sec, 19 UAs at 1.5sec, 15 immolates at 1.5sec is 158.5 sec of standing and casting. 21 corruptions at 1.5sec, 16LT/5DP at 1.5sec each is 63 seconds of casting possibly while mobile. Assuming worst case that you stood there and cast all of your instants while stationary you still only had 221.5 seconds of dps time. Basically there was 36.5 seconds of time where Chiyochan was spamming damage while you were running doing nothing which says he was either much better at managing the orbs, or got a lot luckier. This time doesn't entirely make up for the difference in your damage done.... actually if you add CoD and this lost damage time to your damage you come out about 10k ahead... Factor in gear and group differences and they aren't really looking so hot after all.

You're doing fine, don't stress it. Maybe look out for some non-raid upgrades, maybe try to work out how you can minimise the effect of the orbs on you (don't stand with other people, don't run unnecessarily far), but your dps is fine.

Savage