1. #1

    watching abilities vs. watching the field

    So I've just dusted off my Death Knight and am beginning the process of gearing him up for Frost to be a fun alt to raid on as a change from my resto shaman main, and I've noticed that as I'm fighting enemies and bosses, I'm spending more time watching my abilities and their cooldowns (Frost Strike, Obliterate, etc.) than I am watching the floor to stay out of bad. Fortunately I use the GTFO addon so it helps me not stand in anything more than a second or two, but I'd like to not be so dependent on watching icons on bars to see when what is off cooldown.

    What do you more experienced DK's (and other melee I'm guessing) do to prevent this but still maximize your damage? Thank you for your advice.

  2. #2
    Honorary PvM "Mod" Darsithis's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    51,235
    I keep NeedToKnow just below my character where I track my buffs and BT stacks so I know what is available. I also just...pay attention, really, peripherally, to what is happening around me when I have to glance at my runes to be sure of my next move.

    You learn over time to recognize when bad stuff is around your character even when not directly looking.

  3. #3
    Deleted
    Use any fancy addon that will give you info about cds in better place so you can watch battlefield as well. I personally use TellMeWhen and I clamped it just a little bit below center of screen so I can see all my cds, diseases and keep attention to what is happening around me.

  4. #4
    You mentioned that you are looking at the individual cooldowns for your rotational abilities. One of the keys to succeeding as a DK is knowing what rotational abilities you can use based only on your current runes and runic power, rather than looking at every single ability individually. This will take time to get used to; you'll need to memorize how many and what type of runes each ability costs, and how much Runic Power Frost Strike costs.

    As far as actual cooldowns go, you'll eventually get used to the rhythm of each fight and get a feeling for when they become available. You do want to track all of them, but you don't need to stare at them always.

    Another way to keep track of things better is to move the important information you need closer to your character. For example, here is how I have my UI set up for Frost:



    It's a little bit cluttered still (work in progress) but I never have to move my eyes far away from the center of the screen. I don't have to look at any action bars ever because I have my keybinds memorized; that action bar at the bottom is only there in case I'm ever in a vehicle for a quest or something.
    Last edited by Cryopathy; 2013-11-19 at 09:12 AM.

  5. #5
    High Overlord frantik's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    148
    Quote Originally Posted by Neos300 View Post
    So I've just dusted off my Death Knight and am beginning the process of gearing him up for Frost to be a fun alt to raid on as a change from my resto shaman main, and I've noticed that as I'm fighting enemies and bosses, I'm spending more time watching my abilities and their cooldowns (Frost Strike, Obliterate, etc.) than I am watching the floor to stay out of bad. Fortunately I use the GTFO addon so it helps me not stand in anything more than a second or two, but I'd like to not be so dependent on watching icons on bars to see when what is off cooldown.

    What do you more experienced DK's (and other melee I'm guessing) do to prevent this but still maximize your damage? Thank you for your advice.
    For DKs specifically, use a rune addon and dump it near the middle of your screen. A rune addon can tell you so much more than a number on an icon on your action bars can and will allow you to plan ahead of your next few globals, which is very important to maximizing your damage. Which rune addon you use is down to personal preference, but I recommend Compact Runes. It comes with a few extras like a proc tracker and a runic power bar. It's small enough to not obstruct your view if you put it in the middle of your screen but gives you enough information to where you don't need a bulky alternative.


  6. #6
    Deleted
    Track runes, cooldowns, hp etc etc etc together close to where your char is, without being ontop of it.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •