ARMS Warrior - suboptimal DPS

[Deleted]

Hello fellow Warriors!

I am currently progressing to Heroic Raiding, and I feel I need to step up my game significantly in terms of DPS to stay in the top half of the Raid damage (so I feel I am earning my spot etc)

I am ilvl 942, I have 4/4 T21, I have stacked Mastery as much as possible, whilst still having +10% Haste, and I think I am doing 'OK' in terms of damage at 1.1million average single target, but I feel this should be at closer to 1.5 million (simming at 1.3 apparently), not counting the big fat sexy DPS boost we get during the Execute phases.

So, the big question: how do I get the extra, sustained, 400k DPS I need?

Armory page here: worldofwarcraft.com/en-gb/character/alonsus/machiavoriel

Traits listed are a bit off right now (i was experimenting last night before I logged off) but I usually run:

Sweeping Strikes (great all round cleave boost)
Double Time
Rend
Bounding Stride
Titanic Might
In for the Kill
Opportunity Strikes

I have read the Arms Compendium, cover to cover, three (+) times, I have tried multiple builds and setups, but no matter what I do I can't seem to make FoB work, because I don't have the gloves yet, so I am out of Rage most of the bloody time, and the other builds just feel like I'm missing 'something'

I would really appreciate it if you fine people could help me optimise my DPS - if I am doing something fundamentally wrong, I'd rather someone was blunt about it so I can fix it!

Thanks all in advance!

- Mach

[Drtydeeds]

Well first off you're talking about ST damage and you're spec'd in the sweeping strikes, which doesn't help ST at all.

If you don't have the gloves, you might as well not run the FoB/Trauma build. What legendary items do you have available to you? Do you have a link to any parses?

Also there's a stickied thread in this warrior forum specifically meant for posts like this.

Sims take the execute phase into account, so you're not easily going to stack up against a sim. You can wear down the dummies in Skyhold to execute range, so it's not impossible, but you've really not given us enough information to advise you.

[ljdeboer]

Hello fellow Warriors!

I am currently progressing to Heroic Raiding, and I feel I need to step up my game significantly in terms of DPS to stay in the top half of the Raid damage (so I feel I am earning my spot etc)

I am ilvl 942, I have 4/4 T21, I have stacked Mastery as much as possible, whilst still having +10% Haste, and I think I am doing 'OK' in terms of damage at 1.1million average single target, but I feel this should be at closer to 1.5 million (simming at 1.3 apparently), not counting the big fat sexy DPS boost we get during the Execute phases.

So, the big question: how do I get the extra, sustained, 400k DPS I need?

Armory page here: worldofwarcraft.com/en-gb/character/alonsus/machiavoriel

Traits listed are a bit off right now (i was experimenting last night before I logged off) but I usually run:

Sweeping Strikes (great all round cleave boost)
Double Time
Rend
Bounding Stride
Titanic Might
In for the Kill
Opportunity Strikes

I have read the Arms Compendium, cover to cover, three (+) times, I have tried multiple builds and setups, but no matter what I do I can't seem to make FoB work, because I don't have the gloves yet, so I am out of Rage most of the bloody time, and the other builds just feel like I'm missing 'something'

I would really appreciate it if you fine people could help me optimise my DPS - if I am doing something fundamentally wrong, I'd rather someone was blunt about it so I can fix it!

Thanks all in advance!

- Mach

There are a few things that I can't tell you because i'd have to sim your character with multiple different setups. I've looked at your logs and there are a few mistakes I see.

1.) Macro Battle Cry with Mortal Strike to optimize your DPS during this short window.
- Example of how to use this . Pre pot < Charge < Colossus Smash < Battlecry/Mortal strike
- Example of full rotation Battlecry/Mortal Strike < Whirlwind < Whirlwind < WarBreak/Colossus Smash < Mortal Strike

2.) Stop Using Blade Storm, This is going to be a damage loss in most cases. If your low on rage you should be waiting for auto attack swing < run out < charge back in .

3.) Execute phase: Do not save Colossus Smash for 2x execute proc. EVERY time Colossus Smash procs you should be using it. either with execute or ONLY with 2x execute debuff Mortal Strike

4.) Your Talent choices arn't recommended. Your using sweeping strikes on most encounters. This should only be used on heavy cleave encounters otherwise dauntless is your go to choice. I'd also be using Trauma over Rend and unless your sims are saying Titanic Might is stronger ( totally possible since you dont have gloves) i'd be rocking 80% increased Whirlwind damage.

5.) Your using Opportunity Strikes even on heavy cleave fights. You should be using Sweeping Strikes, Trauma, Titanic Might, and Ravager on Heavy cleave fights like Felhounds, Antoran High command, portal keeper.

Example Cleave rotation: Warbreaker<< Ravager << BattleCry (.5 seconds after Ravager cast) <<Kil'Jaedens's Burning Wish << Colossus Smash << Mortal Strike << Cleave << Whirlwind - this is the priority of abilities.

I'm sure there is much more advice that could be given but thats a start. Learn to perfect those Burst windows with Battle Cry and the Execute phase will help your dps for sure. Also make sure your optimizing your talents on every right. Its very easy to see what the best warriors are doing by checking the rankings on Warcraftlogs.com Just keep scrolling down the rankings until you find the guy with a similar setup as you.

[Deleted]

I'm prot as main spec, arms is my off spec, but the times I play it, it feels to be an RNG fest, especially in t21. Regardless I have gloves, ring and 4p t21, I'm completely in the hands of RNG Gods with Tactician. Without TM talent, there is too much downtime on CS, and losing +80% dmg on all abilities on the target for so long is a certain dps loss, that's why I don't choose FoB.

Also no matter I have the gloves and Dauntelss for single target, I run out of rage using FoB and just stand there autoattacking. I get that FoB/WW uses more rage per button press, but my experience is that it's the same to use 2 more Slams in 2 gcd-s, while you just autoattack and wait for rage to be able to use WW once. It's more fluid and satisfying for me to be able to use Slams in every gcd, than wait for enough rage for a single WW.

Good thing is that arms can catch up in execute phase.

[HavokHeart]

I'm prot as main spec, arms is my off spec, but the times I play it, it feels to be an RNG fest, especially in t21. Regardless I have gloves, ring and 4p t21, I'm completely in the hands of RNG Gods with Tactician. Without TM talent, there is too much downtime on CS, and losing +80% dmg on all abilities on the target for so long is a certain dps loss, that's why I don't choose FoB.

Also no matter I have the gloves and Dauntelss for single target, I run out of rage using FoB and just stand there autoattacking. I get that FoB/WW uses more rage per button press, but my experience is that it's the same to use 2 more Slams in 2 gcd-s, while you just autoattack and wait for rage to be able to use WW once. It's more fluid and satisfying for me to be able to use Slams in every gcd, than wait for enough rage for a single WW.

Good thing is that arms can catch up in execute phase.

I'm running FoB/Trauma build with gloves and ring and i rarely go without the cs debuff. It happens- but is definitely the exception. Waiting for an autoattack feels bad but the when the procs come in it makes up for it.

For AoE swap to weight of the earth legs and naj's vert and just leap/spin all day. Pretty awesome combo with trauma build.

[oraz4000]

I'm running FoB/Trauma build with gloves and ring and i rarely go without the cs debuff. It happens- but is definitely the exception. Waiting for an autoattack feels bad but the when the procs come in it makes up for it.

For AoE swap to weight of the earth legs and naj's vert and just leap/spin all day. Pretty awesome combo with trauma build.

Your pretty lucky if you rarely go without the cs debuff

[Kirbydude65]

Your pretty lucky if you rarely go without the cs debuff

No. No it's not lucky. If you've optimized your stats, relics, and have the correct legendaries you should have minimal downtime on CS.

[oraz4000]

No. No it's not lucky. If you've optimized your stats, relics, and have the correct legendaries you should have minimal downtime on CS.

You mean have 3x tactician relics?

[HavokHeart]

3x exploit the weaknesss and 3x precise strikes. I'm not sure the values but the proper traits are more valuable than quite a few ilvls.

[Deathcries]

3x exploit the weaknesss and 3x precise strikes. I'm not sure the values but the proper traits are more valuable than quite a few ilvls.

You think exploit weakness is better than damage on WW? I have three precise strikes. I do go CS starved sometimes. However I'm looking at Atro's sticky post above and it said to take the Many will fall over exploit.

[Deleted]

Also no matter I have the gloves and Dauntelss for single target, I run out of rage using FoB and just stand there autoattacking. I get that FoB/WW uses more rage per button press, but my experience is that it's the same to use 2 more Slams in 2 gcd-s, while you just autoattack and wait for rage to be able to use WW once. It's more fluid and satisfying for me to be able to use Slams in every gcd, than wait for enough rage for a single WW.

This. So much. To me the FoB battle build feels terrible, even with the optimal gear. Having CS drop off without being able to do anything about it drives me nuts

[Drtydeeds]

You can significantly mitigate the lowpoints in rage with charge. That is to say if you're not actively running out and charging back in, you're doing this iteration of Arms wrong.

Arms isn't meant to be a GCD locked spec, if you want that, play Fury... which is also quite fun.

[Deleted]

You can significantly mitigate the lowpoints in rage with charge. That is to say if you're not actively running out and charging back in, you're doing this iteration of Arms wrong.

Arms isn't meant to be a GCD locked spec, if you want that, play Fury... which is also quite fun.

Meh. I don’t enjoy fury and I don’t enjoy leaping out and charging in again. Feels like we just happen to have a mobility tool we can waste to overcome a resource problem.

Have the devs said anything explicit on this? You don’t need to leap/charge if using slam and archavons. Not sure if you do without them at current gear levels as I haven’t taken them off in months.

[Drtydeeds]

Meh. I don’t enjoy fury and I don’t enjoy leaping out and charging in again. Feels like we just happen to have a mobility tool we can waste to overcome a resource problem.

Have the devs said anything explicit on this? You don’t need to leap/charge if using slam and archavons. Not sure if you do without them at current gear levels as I haven’t taken them off in months.

You don't leap out, you run out - like I said.

You get a swing timer, immediately after you make an auto attack, you run out and charge in, retaining leap for mechanics or whatever else you might use it for.

Go read the description of the Arms warrior on the WoW page and then see if you think it should be a GCD locked spec, or something that plays more methodically, biding time to exploit an enemy's weakness (imagine that, there's a trait by that very name) and deliver a... mortal strike... with the precision of an executioner...

[Boo8]

I also suck at Warrior....

Boodada US Korgath if anyone wants to help

[HavokHeart]

You think exploit weakness is better than damage on WW? I have three precise strikes. I do go CS starved sometimes. However I'm looking at Atro's sticky post above and it said to take the Many will fall over exploit.

Getting cs reset is central to the spec being good- I may be wrong but it feels better to get strings of resets then to spam ww till rage starved.

[Zertloc]

I run a the exact same talent set-up when I am casually doing lfr, or reclears; so don't fret about your lower damage.

You should actively be changing your talents based on the encounter in front of you, so keep a stack of tomes with you. Dauntless is your best friend for pure single target fights, such as Garothi, Felhounds (most don't cleave them), and Varimathras. Other than those fights, I almost always use SS. Rend build, though slightly less effective than FoB on aoe, can be competitive on cleave fights. So from there you have to sim yourself and see which is best for your current gear/legos/relics, and then make the decision about whether you want to play one or the other. Once you start getting a smidge more gear, your dps will start improving, right alongside mastery of your build and the fights themselves. Just think of all the secondary mastery stats on gear that can upgrade 20ilvl for you

[LazyCoding]

Also no matter I have the gloves and Dauntelss for single target, I run out of rage using FoB and just stand there autoattacking. I get that FoB/WW uses more rage per button press, but my experience is that it's the same to use 2 more Slams in 2 gcd-s, while you just autoattack and wait for rage to be able to use WW once.

When you have Fervor of Battle talent WW does more damage per rage. So no it is not the same. If you only use WW or Slam , WW will do more damage despite the down times.
With Dauntless and Gloves I rarely rage starve and when that happens I leap/charge this usually gives me a proc. But when I don't have/wear both dauntless and gloves the rage starvation is really at an annoying level.

[Azerate]

Your problem is luck, or lack thereof. T21 arms without the gloves is pretty bad and very depressing

[Deleted]

30% haste made it a lot better for me.