Balance Druid Opener

[Ploto]

Hello guys,

Does anybody use the starfire opener on any fight in HFC. If so, please state why and explain the theory behind it.
I personally open using SS on every fight like this : (Trinkets are DSI HC WF and SoC HC)

3 sec prepull: Inc + pre-pot at the last bit of the Inc GCD
1 sec prepull: SS
0 sec: CA + Moonfire
>> SF x2 > SS > SFx2 > SS > SFx1 > refresh dots> SF > ...etc

Much Thanks

[Albimoo]

Thats fine for every fight. You have the option of precasting starfire but in practice its a marginal DPS increase for having to start your rotation 4s early on the pull.

I use the starfire opener sometimes but only on fights where the will only be 1 target the entire duration of my cds (fel lord). By using the starsurge opener you run a higher chance of having CA up for adds spawning on various other fights which will obvs be a dps increase.

[Dimmune]

I use the opener you said Ploto. I find it very easy to use on progression and do very good burst with it. I'd rather use this opener than the SF opener as it's possible to prepull and mess everyone else up or mess up yourself.

[wing5wong]

I use that opener, but use the CA with your Starsurge

[Deleted]

Is it worth refreshing dots before CA ends, or is it better to get another SF in? With this opener I enter solar cycle just as Sunfire runs out, so I can refresh it immediately. Same with Moonfire.

[Dimmune]

I refresh, I don't know if it's better but I do it for the QoL. Sunfire doesn't fall off by the time you gain Solar Peak thus allowing for GCDs towards Wrath/Starsurge.

[Juni]

It's not worth refreshing at the end of CA in most situations, u will get to solar before it drops off so u can just refresh then.

[theburned]

Is it worth refreshing dots before CA ends, or is it better to get another SF in? With this opener I enter solar cycle just as Sunfire runs out, so I can refresh it immediately. Same with Moonfire.

You will never have an issue to do both, but if you can possibly get a starsurge instead (with no empowerment charges left ofc.) Also its against a non CA starfire vs refreshing dots, and still it is considered better to just throw out that starfire.

[Seikusa]

you can refresh it on coucil fight.
Start with the fad guy, dot the woman and at the end of CA dot the blademaster which will refresh sunfire on the fad guy as well.
or is this bad math?

[Russia]

you can refresh it on coucil fight.
Start with the fad guy, dot the woman and at the end of CA dot the blademaster which will refresh sunfire on the fad guy as well.
or is this bad math?

You dot all 3 at the start, refresh sunfire on all 3 right after CA (only 2 casts).

[itchy]

It's not worth refreshing at the end of CA in most situations, u will get to solar before it drops off so u can just refresh then.

Yeah. If I have no SS changes and < 2 seconds on CA then I refresh, that's about it

[Seikusa]

You dot all 3 at the start, refresh sunfire on all 3 right after CA (only 2 casts).

Doting all three at the start will make you have less time to casts starfire while in CA.
So maybe using the last gcd of CA(since your starfire would end when CA has already ended before) to dot the third target to add 1 moonfire, should result in 1 additional starfire.

[Deleted]

I use this rotation but with CA at the same time as pre-pot (just at the end of the GCD from incarnation)

[Albimoo]

I use this rotation but with CA at the same time as pre-pot (just at the end of the GCD from incarnation)

Don't think it would be worth losing potentially an extra buffed starsurge or starfire during CA to send off one starsurge with CA with no trinket procs etc.

Plus opening like that just wastes time with because the dots tick at least one less time with CA buff.

Wouldn't be a HUGE DPS loss, but definitely think it would be a loss.

[Hildrande]

Starfall can also be precast, perhaps preferrable to Starsurge on for example Council.

[Seikusa]

since you have SOC you will almost always autoproc starfall

[kayin60]

I got this opener for Nagura (Method's Druid)

4.5-5 sec pot/inc -> 3 sec cast wrath and SS right after -> CA/berkserk if your a troll and begin your normal rotation.

[Treenutz]

opening with wrath is technically best if ring is popped immediately and wrath/ss hit after it's popped. Other than that I don't think it overly matters what you cast on the pre pull. Whether it is Starfire, Wrath, or Starsurge.

[Seikusa]

starfire will hit immediatly and therefore pulling the the boss if you also wanted to have a starsurge flying towards the boss

[Hildrande]

I finally wrapped my head around how to simcraft openers; it's actually pretty straightforward, all you have to do is change "actions.precombat+=/starfire" to "actions.precombat+=/wrath", "actions.precombat+=/starsurge" etc in the rotation script and compare the numbers on a short fight. The numbers you get is DPS over the whole fight so you should multiply the differentials with the length of the fight in seconds to get the actual damage output difference.

For me on single target, at 703 with no Archie trinket, ring or set bonuses, the Starsurge opener gives me an average loss of around 250k damage to using Starfire, which is only slightly ahead of Wrath.