Sub AoE rotation

[jaibird]

Sub so far is my favorite all around spec for both PvE and PvP. My ilvl is improving and I'm almost ready for Normal raids but I want to make sure I am as proficient as possible so I can excel in my future guild. I believe I have my single target rotation down but my AoE damage appears to be slacking. If a more experienced rogue could give me a run down of how to improve my overall damage, especially my AoE damage, that would be awesome! I'll explain my rotation for each.

Single target rotation:
Always stealthy > SoD > Shadow Blades (if available) > Shadowstrike to 6 combo points > Nightblade (before stealth perk ends) > Goremaw's Bite > Shadow Dance > Shadowstrike to 6 combo points > Eviscerate > repeat

I think the only real issue with single target is energy management. I have Master of Shadows perk so I generally pop my Shadow Dance around 65-70 energy so I'm maxed when I start going nuts on my enemies. If there's anything I'm missing please reply!

Now for my AoE rotation:
Always stealthy > SoD > Shurikan Fan > Here is where I am confused. I get mad combo points but I'm unsure of the best way to spend them. Is it better to attempt to drop Nightblade on multiple targets or Eviscerate the hell out of everything? Other than that I keep my rotation pretty similar to my single target one.

Any feedback/advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

[philefluxx]

Assuming by Shadow Tech you mean Nightblade, my understanding is that, if you can, get Nightblade on your targets then begin Evisc or get NB on a few of them and then begin Evisc spamming.

[jaibird]

Yes nightblade XP. My mistake, they have similar icons lol. Thanks for your response. I will try this.

What about in situations where the mobs are dropping super fast? Seems like nightblade would be useless if it only ticks 1 or 2 times before the target dies. I tend to tab target and drop nightblade on everything but occasionally the mob will die before nightblade does too much damage. Should I prioritize enemies with more health first or just tab target and choose whether to eviscerate/nightblade based on health? If that makes sense.

[Kalador]

Sub so far is my favorite all around spec for both PvE and PvP. My ilvl is improving and I'm almost ready for Normal raids but I want to make sure I am as proficient as possible so I can excel in my future guild. I believe I have my single target rotation down but my AoE damage appears to be slacking. If a more experienced rogue could give me a run down of how to improve my overall damage, especially my AoE damage, that would be awesome! I'll explain my rotation for each.

Single target rotation:
Always stealthy > SoD > Shadow Blades (if available) > Shadowstrike to 6 combo points > Shadow Tech (before stealth perk ends) > Goremaw's Bite > Shadow Dance > Shadowstrike to 6 combo points > Eviscerate > repeat

I think the only real issue with single target is energy management. I have Master of Shadows perk so I generally pop my Shadow Dance around 65-70 energy so I'm maxed when I start going nuts on my enemies. If there's anything I'm missing please reply!

Now for my AoE rotation:
Always stealthy > SoD > Shurikan Fan > Here is where I am confused. I get mad combo points but I'm unsure of the best way to spend them. Is it better to attempt to drop Shadow Tech on multiple targets or Eviscerate the hell out of everything? Other than that I keep my rotation pretty similar to my single target one.

Any feedback/advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

Many thread already have discussion on this topic but I'll give you the basics here

Builder in ShD -shuriken storm on 3+ target -shadow strike on 2 & less assuming you're playing with premed - otherwise subtract 1 target to this rule

Outside of dance you want to use Shuriken storm on 2+ target

For finisher try to put NB on as many target as possible. in AoE situations, it's okay to use NB with 4 + CP. Also target needs to live for more than 10ish sec for it to be worth it. Outside of that use evic or DFA on CD if you're playing with it talented

Don't be shy to use SD charge as they refill very quickly in AoE situations...

For big packs of small mobs use ShD shuriken storm and dump CP via DFA / evic.

shuriken storm buffed by ShD hits very hard so take advantage of that.

[scrangos]

Nightblade only scales with duration in cp, so id say 3 or even 2 cp NBs are worth it if targets are gonna drop fast. 2 NBs running with 3cp each is better than 1 6pt. Relentless will proc less though which might leave you energy starved.

[Kalador]

Nightblade only scales with duration in cp, so id say 3 or even 2 cp NBs are worth it if targets are gonna drop fast. 2 NBs running with 3cp each is better than 1 6pt. Relentless will proc less though which might leave you energy starved.

You will lose on finality dmg to has it is per cp. I think if the target is that close to dying your better with a evic to finish it. Also energy is very important in AoE situations. I won't say you wrong as I don't know if 2-3 cp NB are worth it but it would surprise me.

[jaibird]

Okay I think you guys nailed my problem. I tend to never use NB unless i have full combo points. I'll start dropping NB at 3-4 CP on multi targets and see if that will help. Sorry if posting this is redundant, i did a quick search but didn't find anything specific to sub AoE probably because of my laziness. Thanks for the replies! I'll try to let you guys know if i have any more issues.

[TheRealTish]

Okay I think you guys nailed my problem. I tend to never use NB unless i have full combo points. I'll start dropping NB at 3-4 CP on multi targets and see if that will help. Sorry if posting this is redundant, i did a quick search but didn't find anything specific to sub AoE probably because of my laziness. Thanks for the replies! I'll try to let you guys know if i have any more issues.

^^These guys nailed it pretty much, just a quick tip in ease of play in these situations. Keybind Storm to something that you can hit using a different fingers than nb and tab. If all 3 can maximaze globals independently spreading 5 3-4cp nbs while storming is pretty easy, and the faster you get them all debuffed the faster you can start storm/evis spamming each one.

(I have storm keybound to a thumb button on the mouse, tab target and nb as my 4 key so I can just hit them in order and eventually the rate you regain energy becomes pretty rhythmic lol)

[jaibird]

^^These guys nailed it pretty much, just a quick tip in ease of play in these situations. Keybind Storm to something that you can hit using a different fingers than nb and tab. If all 3 can maximaze globals independently spreading 5 3-4cp nbs while storming is pretty easy, and the faster you get them all debuffed the faster you can start storm/evis spamming each one.

(I have storm keybound to a thumb button on the mouse, tab target and nb as my 4 key so I can just hit them in order and eventually the rate you regain energy becomes pretty rhythmic lol)

Good idea! Currently my SS is bound to X because that is what I generally bind my AoE to. I may switch it though since in this case, the AoE is essential to my rotation. Thanks for the response!

[SkyOctopus]

^^These guys nailed it pretty much, just a quick tip in ease of play in these situations. Keybind Storm to something that you can hit using a different fingers than nb and tab. If all 3 can maximaze globals independently spreading 5 3-4cp nbs while storming is pretty easy, and the faster you get them all debuffed the faster you can start storm/evis spamming each one.

(I have storm keybound to a thumb button on the mouse, tab target and nb as my 4 key so I can just hit them in order and eventually the rate you regain energy becomes pretty rhythmic lol)

I moved my Shuriken Storm hotkey for this very reason. It's currently my middle mouse button and it's been a huge help in tabbing through targets and keeping NB up.

Where there are a ton of targets with lowish HP I just spam Shuriken Storm with Shadow Dance up and might weave in an occasional Evis since most mobs in this situation won't last long enough for NB to be worth it. Not sure if it's smart to do this or what the cutoff is for number of targets though.