We all know the buff tomorrow (today-ish) to LB should make it superior on purely ST, but is that going to make it worth using on fights that have one additional target? I've looked through threads, and all I keep finding are small tidbits of information from everyone spread out across random threads (none even having bombs as the focus).
SO, no more! I'm making a thread for it.
Keep the topic purely to Mage Bombs. Feel free to differentiate between specs, what fights/# of targets which bomb is best on each, etc., just please, keep it to Bombs and their usage in 5.3.
Any testing from the PTR/Live testing once the patch goes through, would be great and very helpful. [if you plan to do so, include your Haste rating unless the numbers all drastically lean towards one side]
Edit 5/25: Looks like it's official that LB outweighs NT for PURELY single target fights. I've compiled a few lists below for which bomb "wins" on each fight. Something to keep in mind though is I'm only 2/13H (with experience in 4H, and knowledge of 7H), so if I get something wrong, don't come to my house with pitchforks and torches >_>; just say something and I'll update it!
LB Wins
- Jin'rohk (N/H) [One target]
- Megaera (N/H) [One target]
- Ji-Kun, as a NON-FLIER ONLY (N/H) [One target]
- Durumu (N) [One target; occasional adds that are too far to cleave with NT]
- Primordius (N/H) [There are adds, but once you get your buffs, there's only one target]
- Iron Qon (N/H) [One target] [HEROIC ONLY: For the beginning of P4, NT is better in that brief moment. If you need higher DPS JUST for that section, take NT instead. LB will yield higher DPS overall though, just not during that period]
- Lei Shen (N/H?) [I don't know H LS at all. Will edit once I know more]
NT Wins
- Horridon (N/H) [Adds. Adds. Adds. Multidotting + Cleaving? It's what NT is known for]
- Council (N/H) [Even moreso when they're all stacked up on N]
- Tortos (N/H) [There's just so many turtles and bats around that you're bound to cleave with it, though Frost Bomb would be a viable choice on Normal if your group is having problems with the bats] [Update 5/26: Most Mages play Frost on Tortos, and Brain Freeze procs more often with NT than LB. This coupled with the fact that slowing Turtles and burst DPSing them being vital components points to NT being better than LB, especially on Heroic where Ranged DPS need to step it up a notch]
- Ji-Kun as a FLIER ONLY (N/H) [Bird cleave, and even better, egg cleave]
- Durumu (H) [Ice Walls]
Still Debatable or Preference based
- Dark Animus [Completely preference based, or depends how your guild does this fight. I think it's pretty safe to say that NO amount of math will really say which is better overall, but if you're only concerned about DPS on Animus, LB is your choice]
- Twin Consorts [Probably leaning towards LB, but it's in the air on this one]
Unless you need to squeeze out EVERY last drop of DPS though, over the course of a raid, it probably won't affect you too much if you prefer LB or NT. Now if you pick FB, that's when you should consider a new bomb.
As far as RPPM goes, some of you have been reporting a higher RPPM proc rate with LB over NT, but I don't get how that would be the case, unless people are specifically changing from Haste to Mastery (for Fire) when using LB over NT. NT = (almost) 3x the proc rate of LB, so Blizzard's RPPM system scales NT down to having 33% the chance to proc, but still having the average procs throughout. More testing will be needed on this using the same specialization. (Testing LB as Fire and then NT as Frost, for example, won't net good RPPM results, even moreso on the legendary)
Current Issues and Questions
- Brain Freeze procs more with NT than LB. This is an important component of Frost's damage, and something easily overlooked
-- Yes, RNG plays a bigger role in procs, but 9% x3 = 27%, while LB = 25% a tick, and between LB Haste breakpoints, NT scales even better with BF
^- Is Arcane Missiles similar, or are proc rates similar through all bombs? Either way, NT also procs higher amounts of AM than LB does (Significantly more if proc rates are the same, unlike BF where it's a small-decent sized difference)
TL;DR section
- LB is flat out better on purely ST fights. NT is better on fights with adds/cleaving/AoE. It's questionable on DA, TC, and LS.
- Reports of higher RPPM uptime with LB. More research, testing, and/or theorycrafting required.
- Using NT or LB for all 12 (13) fights won't make or break you unless your raid requires every extra drop of DPS. Since you're not competing for World Firsts anymore, it really shouldn't make a difference, especially with VP upgrading and higher leveled gear.
- Many people still hate L90 talents. Actual news at 11.
Changelog 5/26
- Added a "Current Issues and Questions" section
- Decided to start making Changelogs because I edit this shit near daily due to new information being fed constantly
- Additional information on Tortos
- Added Durumu Heroic from (no section) to NT
- Primordius changed from NT to LB
- Iron Qon Heroic information updated
- Lei Shen changes from Debatable to LB
- I decided to make things a bit more colorful