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  1. #1
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    Any use of Drain Life in PvP/PvE as Affliction lock?

    When do you use it? It only heals you for 6% of total health over 3 seconds (without bonuses). If healing is barely noticeable, then i would expect increased damage. So how much stronger is SB or MF (Shadow priest) vs DL?

  2. #2
    Well what do you use instead?
    It deals dmg, heals, increases chance to proc instant shadowbolt and refreshes a dot...

  3. #3
    SB all the way. Personally I find DL to be laughably weak. Even in the few times solo questing that I've found a new for health, it just don't help. Will have 3 dots and haunt on target and spam it every time it stops and get nothing.

    Same seems to be true with the pet heal. Does almost nothing. If your pet is tanking for you and you need to heal it, your going to be spamming it over and over and over. Useless spells, but I still keep them on bar and try.

  4. #4
    Tbh its very situational..at the moment im using it on Eradication procs for fast damage and chance of insta SB...thats pve.

    in pvp there are a million and one chances to use it...im suprised people ask about it in pvp :S

  5. #5
    Wait 'til you get enough resili and watch as you drain tank a warrior through his colossus smash.

    It got a little absurd on beta, not gonna lie.
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  6. #6
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    I personally use DL as a filler instead of SB as my PvE affliction spec.
    Guess it's down to personal preference, but I feel it suits the play-style more, not to mention it alleviates the stress on the healer on intense fights.

  7. #7
    DL can help ofset your need for Lifetap and also help the healer out in heavy AOE damage situations. 1 less player to worry excessively about is a big help.

  8. #8
    The Patient
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    I use Drain Life when high AE damage is incoming and when the healers are struggling.

  9. #9
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    I don't understand, in pvp and lvling, I very very rarely use a sb that isn't a nighfall proc,
    they're different mechanics, sb is better dps yes, but it takes a full 2-2.5 seconds + travel time to do any damage, DL does damage every second, which makes grinding far quicker I find.

    And in pvp, 6% of 120k+ hp is more than enough with some decent resi, how anyone cam claim it's bad in pvp is beyond belief, it deals damage per second, so when you have to stop casting so you don't take that silence it's still done a tick or more of damage, as well as following your target out of LOS.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by boazjuggalo View Post
    SB all the way. Personally I find DL to be laughably weak. Even in the few times solo questing that I've found a new for health, it just don't help. Will have 3 dots and haunt on target and spam it every time it stops and get nothing.

    Same seems to be true with the pet heal. Does almost nothing. If your pet is tanking for you and you need to heal it, your going to be spamming it over and over and over. Useless spells, but I still keep them on bar and try.
    lolwut? lolwut?
    Demon armor, Drain life spam. Never die.

    Drain life is very useful, it's to be the middle cast between refreshing the damage over times that need refreshed. Like haunt, unstable affliction, and the bane of your choice. I say bane of choice, some like agony, some like doom, either way.
    Haunt, UA, Corruption, Bane, Curse, Drain life. Watching your Damage over Time effects timers. Let them tick all the way down to about a second or two left before refreshing them for the best damage output.

    Besides, If you're an affliction lock. You should already know that MASTERY increases damage of drain life, +Drain Life damage also = +Healing from it.

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  11. #11
    Stood in the Fire
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dalroth View Post
    I don't understand, in pvp and lvling, I very very rarely use a sb that isn't a nighfall proc,
    they're different mechanics, sb is better dps yes, but it takes a full 2-2.5 seconds + travel time to do any damage, DL does damage every second, which makes grinding far quicker I find.

    And in pvp, 6% of 120k+ hp is more than enough with some decent resi, how anyone cam claim it's bad in pvp is beyond belief, it deals damage per second, so when you have to stop casting so you don't take that silence it's still done a tick or more of damage, as well as following your target out of LOS.
    I cant check at the moment, but last I remember Affdrain and Affliction with SBs were less than 10 dps apart.
    In terms of pve, affdrain is superior because of the self healing... even if its just 6%. Healers are struggling a bit at the moment. However, its also harder to play and even less forgiving than SB spam. (easy to lose SE if you're slow with haunt/unlucky with nightfall procs)

    With that said, I'm not sure I would want to run around with drain life in pvp. The visual is a big flag screaming to get interrupted and locked out of our shadow school.

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  12. #12
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    Lillah, Best way to drain life in PVP is to Soulburn it. It hits so fast that most classes are like. "Oh snap where is it, there it. Damn not casting it no more." Then Realize they've been death coiled and are still being drain life'd to death.

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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lillah View Post
    I cant check at the moment, but last I remember Affdrain and Affliction with SBs were less than 10 dps apart.
    In terms of pve, affdrain is superior because of the self healing... even if its just 6%. Healers are struggling a bit at the moment. However, its also harder to play and even less forgiving than SB spam. (easy to lose SE if you're slow with haunt/unlucky with nightfall procs)

    With that said, I'm not sure I would want to run around with drain life in pvp. The visual is a big flag screaming to get interrupted and locked out of our shadow school.
    Although you're right in terms of pure numbers, you have to take latency and human error in to account, with anything over 0 latency it becomes almost impossible to time drain life perfectly, and human error is going to cost you much more than it would with SB.

    As for pvp, it's a bit of a difficult question to put an answer to, it's very situation specific, as is everything in pvp, but i dont think anyone could reasonably argue it was bad in pvp.

  14. #14
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    Drain Life = my friend

  15. #15
    Stood in the Fire
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dalroth View Post
    Although you're right in terms of pure numbers, you have to take latency and human error in to account, with anything over 0 latency it becomes almost impossible to time drain life perfectly, and human error is going to cost you much more than it would with SB.

    As for pvp, it's a bit of a difficult question to put an answer to, it's very situation specific, as is everything in pvp, but i dont think anyone could reasonably argue it was bad in pvp.
    Fair enough, that's true. In practice it probably will be lower dps than SB spam.

    Thanks Sokogeka<3

  16. #16
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    It's affliction we're talking about!
    Remember that Drain Life Benefits from Mastery, Shadow Bolt does not. To check yourself. Go to the level 80 target dummy of any city. Cast 1 shadow bolt. See the damage it does. Open the recount window, and channel 1 complete drain life. See which is higher. If you have any mastery, Drain life will do better damage.
    and why the level 80 dummy? Because you won't miss anything. You could hit the 60, 70, or 85 dummys too. Won't make a difference. Just checking the actual number damage to see which would come out higher.

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  17. #17
    I really do hope for the sake of originallity of both Priest and Afflicition Warlock that they don't buff Drain Life.
    Affliction Drainer is more similar to Shadow than I originally thought in terms of abilities and mechanics.

    Drain Life - Filler. Channeled. Treated as DoT. Refreshes Corruption.
    Mind Flay - Filler. Channeled. Treated as a DoT. Refreshes Shadow Word: Pain.

    Haunt - Burst Damage, (Debuff) Increases Shadow Damage taken.
    Mind Blast - Burst Damage, (Buff) Consumes orbs to increase Shadow Damage done.

    Unstable Affliction - Hardest Hitting 15sec DoT.
    Vampiric Touch - Hardest Hitting 15sec DoT.

    Corruption - Utility DoT, procs Nightfall and Eradiction. Refreshed by filler. 18sec DoT.
    Shadow Word: Pain - Utility DoT, increases damage of Mind Flay and Mind Blast on target. Refreshed by filler. 18sec DoT.

    Bane of Agony - 24sec DoT with fun mechanic. Gets stronger over time.
    Devouring Plague - 24sec DoT with fun mechanic. Returns HP to Priest ever tick.


    I'm not saying the two specs are the same but there's some really strong simularities. A Shadow Priest's signature spell is Mind Flay and is already very similar to Drain Life.

  18. #18
    Stood in the Fire Tamato's Avatar
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    1 Minor exception, Drain life can be buffed by Demon Armor. Where Mind Flay/Vampiric Embrace is sorta capped at 6%.

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  19. #19
    today was doing VP HC. drake boss 2 dps dies after 10 secs, left are only tank, healer and me - affli lock. We were fighting for almost 6 mins. To save healers mana (and my life) I was using drain life as a filler. + shadowburn drain life.. That saved our asses.. The same in SFK HC, last boss when we had healer struggling with mana.
    There are numerous moments that DL comes in handy. Talking only about numbers is pretty much pointless.. It's like "never extend UA with Fel Flame, it's DPS loss".. while most of the fights you more move than stand.. >.<

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robula View Post
    I really do hope for the sake of originallity of both Priest and Afflicition Warlock that they don't buff Drain Life.
    Affliction Drainer is more similar to Shadow than I originally thought in terms of abilities and mechanics.

    Drain Life - Filler. Channeled. Treated as DoT. Refreshes Corruption.
    Mind Flay - Filler. Channeled. Treated as a DoT. Refreshes Shadow Word: Pain.

    Haunt - Burst Damage, (Debuff) Increases Shadow Damage taken.
    Mind Blast - Burst Damage, (Buff) Consumes orbs to increase Shadow Damage done.

    Unstable Affliction - Hardest Hitting 15sec DoT.
    Vampiric Touch - Hardest Hitting 15sec DoT.

    Corruption - Utility DoT, procs Nightfall and Eradiction. Refreshed by filler. 18sec DoT.
    Shadow Word: Pain - Utility DoT, increases damage of Mind Flay and Mind Blast on target. Refreshed by filler. 18sec DoT.

    Bane of Agony - 24sec DoT with fun mechanic. Gets stronger over time.
    Devouring Plague - 24sec DoT with fun mechanic. Returns HP to Priest ever tick.


    I'm not saying the two specs are the same but there's some really strong simularities. A Shadow Priest's signature spell is Mind Flay and is already very similar to Drain Life.
    This is why i believe drain life will never be allowed to be higher dps than SB, even if it remains reasonably close.

    Although i do think theres a case for using it on very high mobility fights as a filler, i'm not sure how it would play out, but it might be reasonable if you're not able to stand around for a full sb cast very often at least you'll get a tick or two of DL in.
    Last edited by mmoc938eb18a14; 2010-12-13 at 10:28 AM.

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