For PvE, imho and if used properly, yes. It doubles your burst every two minutes while Venom Rush is just not as effective except for combat (and even then it depends on bosses so that you can have max energy regen since combat is heavily reliant on energy regen), and DfA costs too much for a finisher only for 50% more damage and an animation that costs you auto attacks and poison procs, plus you won't get the Evenom proc for Assa.
I only really see it being good on trash for AoE or boss fights where intense AoE is going on.
What? That's the first I hear about it, will try.
They're not garbage. Actually they're well balanced between each other and I like Blizzard's approach here, one passive, one active cooldown, one active ability, all pretty balanced considering they are shared between PvP'ers and PvE'ers.
Unfortunately recount doesn't keep track of your shadow. But let's consider for:
- SnD is up
- Glyph of Energy
- raw damage (ilevel 614, Energy regen 10.95 + 8 from SnD)
- assume you use DfA all the time as finisher every 20 sec perfectly:
- 7.871 (DfA AoE) + 12,968 * 1.5 (Evis 5CP + 50%) = 27.323 damage every 20sec, or 163.938 damage in 2 minutes.
- You make 47.340 damage with this ability every 2 minutes expecting you use it on CD, and you only get damage from it.
- assume you use ShR and make use of the most energy for only ambushes and Evis (not even counting crit CP generation) for 8 sec:
- Start at 120 energy, 2 ambushes means 7.552 * 2 = (15.104 dmg)(3 sec)(4 CP)
- 18.95 energy/sec means in those 3 seconds you won 56.85 energ for another Ambush. Above + this = (22.656 dmg)(4.5 sec)(6 CP)
- Another 2 sec (total 5 now) for GCD and you're at 38 energ enough for Evis 5 CP (12,968). Above + this = (35.624 dmg)(5 sec)(2 CP)
- Wait 3 sec (total 8 now) and another ambush for 7.552. Above + this = (43.176 dmg)(8 sec)(4 CP)
So you do less 5k raw damage. Now take into consideration the following:
- Ambush translates into "Find Weakness" (100% armor bypass and therefor further DPS increase) and you can't vanish every time before DfA
- Ambush costs 40 energy while in ShD meaning roughly 33% more ambushes and also more Eviscerates
- Ambush crits means more CP, which means more Evis.
- More Evis = more energy regen through Relentless Strikes = more Ambush.
- Popping trinket cooldowns will increase this damage, while only increasing DfA once or twice
- If Assa you'll lose a lot of damage from Evenom procs for Mutilate and Dispatch.
Take all the above into consideration and I'm pretty sure, PvE single target boss wise, ShR wins DfA. DfA does have it's situation uses like multi pack, trashes, bosses who spawn lots of adds, and it's funny animation, but you wanted data, and there's some quick, very raw data!
Have fun all!