Blood DK Runeforging!

[Lykeios]

Hi guys,

I want to get your opinion on Blood DK Runeforging!

With the 4.3 armor buff we gain 15% armor. Personnaly I gain around 7k armor.

So with Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle, I gain around 280 armor + 2% stam.

With Rune of Swordshattering, as you know, we gain 4% parry.

In 4.2 I was using the 4% parry but in 4.3, i'm questionning myself : is the new Stoneskin values woth it.

your opinion -->

Thx!

[frownface2000]

The choice between Stoneskin Gargoyle and Swordshattering still comes down to the same question as it did before: Are you a Mastery DK Tank, or an Avoidance DK Tank?

Mastery = stacking Stamina and Mastery, forgoing dodge and parry.
If you are mastery, you still want Stoneskin Gargoyle.

Avoidance = Stacking dodge and parry, and putting mastery and stamina in the back seat.
If you are avoidance, you still want Swordshattering.

[SSHA778]

You want SS regardless of whether you're a mastery or avoidance tank.

SSG became slightly more valuable with the patch boost, but it's still 1/3rd as effective as SS on an overall scale.

[Sentientsix]

You want SS regardless of whether you're a mastery or avoidance tank.

SSG became slightly more valuable with the patch boost, but it's still 1/3rd as effective as SS on an overall scale.

Fairly sure SSG > SS in heroic firelands... and with the boost to armor, it's not even a contest.

[SSHA778]

SSG is slightly over 2% less damage per hit relative to the hit you take without SSG. While every little bit helps, 2% and the HP bonus isn't going to suddenly save you from being two-shot.

[hyperionx]

The stam bonus is worthless in regards to being 2 shot, the armor has and always will be a joke on SSG.

I used SSG in H firelands mainly because I didn't want to dodge incoming attacks and I didn't feel like runeforging for heroic rag attempts. I haven't seen what the breakout of damage is in madness, but i'm likely to goto SS because of blackthorn and stay SS. He simply hits too fast when devestate procs to DS it. I think most of zono'zz damage is burst magical when orbs explode so it's predictable and so you can use CD's.

When you get to high gear levels, it almost becomes a matter of preference. There are times you want a large shield but can't get it because your actually avoiding too much incoming damage at the wrong times. I found that happening on every 10MH fight in firelands 'cept Rag, so that's why I just went with SSG.

SSG will still be preferred for constant magic damage fights when the extra stam is more valuable.

[Deleted]

Its really a matter of preference.

On paper, 4% parry is obviously stronger from a stat value point of view. On the other hand, you cant really put a value on armor and obviously, having avoidance doesnt prevent unlucky bursts from happening (which SSG helps slightly with).

For my opinion, in hardmode progression, use SSG. Otherwise, SS.

[Maxweii]

I think most of zono'zz damage is burst magical when orbs explode so it's predictable and so you can use CD's.

Zono'zz gets a stacking damage/attack speed increase, the orb should be switched between melee (dps/heals) and the ranged. Shouldn't have to make a tank eat the extra damage, from what i've seen your already taking plenty of it.

[Keile]

I really hope Blizz overhauls our Runeforges.

SSG seems rather weak since HP isnt as valuable (compared to avoidance) in Cata as it was in WotLK. They really ought to make it a Mastery/HP or Mastery/Armor rune >.>

[obscurede]

The choice between Stoneskin Gargoyle and Swordshattering still comes down to the same question as it did before: Are you a Mastery DK Tank, or an Avoidance DK Tank?

Mastery = stacking Stamina and Mastery, forgoing dodge and parry.
If you are mastery, you still want Stoneskin Gargoyle.

Avoidance = Stacking dodge and parry, and putting mastery and stamina in the back seat.
If you are avoidance, you still want Swordshattering.

Exactly my thought. And I am avoidance tanking, so I prefer the SS over SSG.

[Lykeios]

Well, thx for your feed back guys, helps me a lot!

[elderamy]

As mastery stacking DK tank I prefer SSG in current content, since it brings me higher in HP and passive damage reduction versus increased parry providing more spike reductions... but might depend on the fight, ofc... (remember baleroc )

[Sinoro]

I'm a mastery stacking DK, and I also prefer SSG currently.

[Cronik]

SSG Hands down

Majority of the damage in 4.3 is magic, and the extra armor,etc. far outweighs the parry.

[SSHA778]

Majority of the damage in 4.3 is magic, and the extra armor,etc. far outweighs the parry.

The majority of the damage in 4.3 is most certainly not magical damage.

-Morchok is almost entirely physical.
-Zon'ozz is <30% magical.
-Yor'sahj is dominantly magical.
-Warmaster is <15% magical.
-Hagara is <20% magical.
-Ultraxion is pretty evenly split, but his aura pulse is not threatening to you.
-Spine is <10% magical.
-Madness is somewhere around a 60% physical / 40% magical split, depending on how quickly your group can kill the oozes. Limb Tendon aura pulse is not threatening. Tetanus can do some damage, but is predictable.

That's 1 fight where magical damage is dominant, and 2 potentially even splits, neither of which has threatening magical damage (you can tank swap Tetanus after 1 is dead).

Parry far outweighs the armor on the overall scale.

[Cronik]

Even if i was remotely off, I'd still say the changes to armor,etc outweigh the 4% parry.

I know SSG has been a much more significant change for me

[SSHA778]

Even if i was remotely off, I'd still say the changes to armor,etc outweigh the 4% parry.

They don't. The armor change only slightly raised the mitigation from SSG. SS is still ~3 times better on the overall scale. If you're running into EH issues, then swap to a stamina trinket, because that's more than what SSG will give you. If you're already running double stamina trinkets and gemming for stamina, then SSG isn't a bad choice.

[Darsithis]

Even if i was remotely off, I'd still say the changes to armor,etc outweigh the 4% parry.

I know SSG has been a much more significant change for me

No...no it doesn't. SSG is a DR-ignoring flat 4% to parry chance. SSG does not ignore DR, and the armor buff has made SSG even less attractive. Plus, with the 667+ stamina trinkets with some great procs (Soulshifter Vortex, for instance) you never need that extra stamina. I'm sitting at 220.8k buffed at this point in raid, which is more than sufficient for the content.

[Cronik]

I run double stamina trinkets (haven't had a chance to pick up anything else).
Maybe that's why it's such a significant change for me.

[Healing Enso]

I have 4 different class of healers & a Prot Pally & a Blood DK - over ilvl 390. I suggest you consider your healer. On my Holydin or Shammy I may just let you die if you are a blatant stam stacker - I despise them. In PvP or a 5 man it ain't so bad. But run a stam stacker in a long fight & we wipe.

My holydin heals about 25K forever in raids. If your DPS taken < my HPS, we live forever. So load avoidance until you're capped, THEN stack stam. I can handle a few 100K 1-hits.

The only time I would say different is on my resto druid or, to a lesser extent, my Holy priest. When I'm predominantly using HOTS, I need time to respond to the 100K 1-hit. But even then, I think it's more a case of having a weak healer, that is underpowered. My Resto druid sucks. Sorry.


And Yes, I have let tanks die, that were stam stackers - one was a 383 Prot Pally with 210K - around that time, my prot pally was 185K at 387, with far more avoidance.