Drain Soul noob question!

[Rajidon]

As affliction, when do you drain soul?
I know your use it during execute, I know to use it on adds as they go down for shards.

But, my question is, when do you drain for shards? Is it when you throw out your last shard with haunt?
In other words

This:
(Last soul shard used for haunt) -> MG during haunt -> Drain Soul while keeping 3 main dots up

Or:
(Last soul shard used for haunt) -> Drain Soul with that haunt up

If I have all 3 buffs up for decent duration, its simple to get 3 shards up from the drain soul. I'm just wondering what the best route is! Thanks

[Vexeer]

considering you use DS only when the boss is <20% HP + every theorycraft there is concerning MG and DS + what the spells actually do (can't put links in comments yet, sorry ):

MG = Deals 214 (+ 20% of SpellPower) Shadow damage and causes all of the Warlock's other periodic Affliction damage effects to instantly deal 50% of their normal periodic damage, every 1 seconds.
DS = Deals 417 Shadow damage and causes all of the warlock's other periodic Affliction damage effects to instantly deal 100% of their normal periodic damage, every 2 seconds.

results in DS = MG + 1 shard refreshed every 2 seconds ( even if the shard refresh is not in the tooltip, you just know that's the way DS works).

hence, to answer your question : Last shard for haunt, DS + shard regeneration, another shard for haunt, DS, SB:SS if one of your dots is about to fall off, DS if haunt > 2s remaining OR haunt if <2s remaining, continue DS, ???, profit.

[Deleted]

results in DS = MG + 1 shard refreshed every 2 seconds ( even if the shard refresh is not in the tooltip, you just know that's the way DS works).

Surely you mean every 4 seconds? DS ticks every 2 seconds, and every 2 times it deals damage it refreshes a shard.

Or am I misunderstanding the tooltip entirely?

[Vexeer]

yep, every 4 seconds, sorry, had a brainfart there and read the tooltip wrong.

[Rajidon]

Vexeer, thanks! So... Then why ever use MG? Or when should I use MG?

[Elmi]

DS only sub 20%.
DS>20% doesn't cause Dots to extratick.

NEVER use DS over 20% except you need the shards for special actions such as bursting adds on Elegon.

[Rajidon]

DS only sub 20%.
DS>20% doesn't cause Dots to extratick.

NEVER use DS over 20% except you need the shards for special actions such as bursting adds on Elegon.

OK, so to clarify. If you are on single target boss, regular DPS phase, and you are out of shards, just keep dots up, MG, until you get shard proc for another haunt? I was just wondering if I was ever supposed to drain soul to get shards.

Thanks for this

[Vayshan]

Vexeer, thanks! So... Then why ever use MG? Or when should I use MG?

MG is your 'filler' and every 1 sec, when Malefic Grasp deals damage, it causes all of your other periodic Affliction damage effects to instantly deal 50% of their normal periodic damage. DS doesn't do that for you. Also Corruption has a chance to proc you a new shard.

But like many have alrdy said:
target HP is over 20% -> MG
target HP is below 20% -> DS

[Jenerena]

OK, so to clarify. If you are on single target boss, regular DPS phase, and you are out of shards, just keep dots up, MG, until you get shard proc for another haunt? I was just wondering if I was ever supposed to drain soul to get shards.

Thanks for this

If you know you're going to need shards and you can't get them from draining an add at sub 20%, always pool one or two shards depending on how many you need. On single target fights with no additional adds, there's really no reason to sit on shards and there's no reason to DS any back either.