Originally Posted by
zamm
If RV were to never drop off then the available RV pool would keep increasing, and the ticks would be bigger
No, it wouldn't. It will cap out at an amount where the amount you can add to it within the duration of a tick is equal to one tick.
RV ticks 4 times over 8 seconds for 25% of its pool on each tick. For simplicity of maths, let's say that between each tick we always add 4000 to the pool. Here are two sample pools: one where we are establishing the pool, and another where we've built a bigger than normal pool using damage increasing effects that have now worn off:
S _Pool _Tick | S _Pool _Tick
02 00000 | 02 20000
04 04000 0 | 04 19000 5000
06 07000 1000 | 06 18250 4750
08 09250 1750 | 08 17688 4563
10 10938 2313 | 10 17266 4422
12 12203 2734 | 12 16949 4316
14 13152 3051 | 14 16712 4237
16 13864 3288 | 16 16534 4178
18 14398 3466 | 18 16400 4133
20 14799 3600 | 20 16300 4100
22 15099 3700 | 22 16225 4075
24 15324 3775 | 24 16169 4056
26 15493 3831 | 26 16127 4042
28 15620 3873 | 28 16095 4032
30 15715 3905 | 30 16071 4024
32 15786 3929 | 32 16053 4018
34 15840 3947 | 34 16040 4013
36 15880 3960 | 36 16030 4010
38 15910 3970 | 38 16023 4008
40 15932 3977 | 40 16017 4006
42 15949 3983 | 42 16013 4004
44 15962 3987 | 44 16010 4003
46 15971 3990 | 46 16007 4002
48 15979 3993 | 48 16005 4002
50 15984 3995 | 50 16004 4001
52 15988 3996 | 52 16003 4001
54 15991 3997 | 54 16002 4001
56 15993 3998 | 56 16002 4001
58 15995 3998 | 58 16001 4000
60 15996 3999 | 60 16001 4000
As you can see, the ticks inevitably rise or fall to the point where RV ticks for the same 4000 we are adding.
In real situations RV will never tend to a precisely fixed amount of damage due to our crits not being fixed, but over an extended series the average tick of RV will be no higher than 30% of our average crit damage. (The actual point will be a little lower, as we have to build up the pool and the vagaries of luck say we won't always be able to refresh RV between ticks.)
This is where 2pc T9 comes in. To get the most out of it, we have to stay at the equilibrium point at all times when we are not using CDs to go above it. To continue with the simplified example: if we miss a refresh, the pool will drop to 8000 after the next tick then restore to 12000 with the next crit. That means the tick following will only be for 3000, plus there will be further reductions to following ticks until equilibrium is restored. Each one of those ticks that crits represents a loss of DPS from what we would get if we maintained equilibrium throughout.