Top Spec for Raiding 8.1?

[Hayduke]

I'm one of the few that actually likes affliction.

That being said, I always want to do the most damage. I'm seeing posts/logs about demo/destro being higher than affliction after the patch.

Discuss

[AwkwardSquirtle]

https://www.warcraftlogs.com/zone/st...s/19/#sample=1

Demo's performing very well. It's our best spec on every fight except Mythrax, where Destro beats it. It's the highest performing spec in the game on Vectis so far this week. Some of this will likely change a little with tuning.

[Liarparadox]

If you mean for this tier i'd take a look at the logs.

But I assume you mean for the next tier. If so it's too early to tell. Take the Uldir logs with a grain of salt. Lots of this stuff is on farm. That has an impact on numbers. And as stated above, there will likely be a bit of tuning before or just after the release. I could see Aff getting another nerf just to make sure it isn't top dps for locks.

[Deleted]

It wouldn't hurt to practice Demonology or hunt good artifact pieces for it, the spec is being pushed towards viability in the next raid tier.

[Hayduke]

My guild is currently 4/8 mythic Uldir and learning mythic Fetid. I'm usually top dps on Fetid as affliction. Should I try to learn demo for my raid Sunday?

[Inci]

My guild is currently 4/8 mythic Uldir and learning mythic Fetid. I'm usually top dps on Fetid as affliction. Should I try to learn demo for my raid Sunday?

Topping DPS on Fetid means nothing, However, damage on adds and CD distribution on add waves is how you kill that boss.

Aff is only good on big adds.
Destro is an uber spec there, you can assign him anywhere and still do extremely well.
Demo is one of these specs who I believe can't do that much to adds compared to aff and destro.

[Hayduke]

Topping DPS on Fetid means nothing, However, damage on adds and CD distribution on add waves is how you kill that boss.

Aff is only good on big adds.
Destro is an uber spec there, you can assign him anywhere and still do extremely well.
Demo is one of these specs who I believe can't do that much to adds compared to aff and destro.

I'm not stupid, I was referring to the entire encounter, not JUST Fetid

[xpose]

I'm usually top dps on Fetid as affliction.

I'm not stupid, I was referring to the entire encounter, not JUST Fetid

Affliction is pretty weak at the moment due to all the burst needed for multiple adds. Affliction could be better in the next raid since there are multiple boss encounters like the jadefire masters

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Topping DPS on Fetid means nothing, However, damage on adds and CD distribution on add waves is how you kill that boss.

Aff is only good on big adds.
Destro is an uber spec there, you can assign him anywhere and still do extremely well.
Demo is one of these specs who I believe can't do that much to adds compared to aff and destro.

Why say a statement like this when you can easily look at logs that prove otherwise.

[Gaidax]

Don't compare farm where at this point everyone can do whatever the fuck they want with 8.1 progression.

I am pretty sure that new raid it will be Aff first and then Destruction second. And yes I'm aware about how logs look now, it means nothing.

[Tramzh]

Bilescourge bombers is infernal on 30 sec CD boys

[Tehterokkar]

Some of the fights look movement intense and with lots of spread cleave, so most likely Destro and Affli will both see play during progress. Farm might be a different story.

Also tuning might happen to Warlocks as has been tradition for the last few raid tiers after 1st heroic week.

[xpose]

Don't compare farm where at this point everyone can do whatever the fuck they want with 8.1 progression.

I am pretty sure that new raid it will be Aff first and then Destruction second. And yes I'm aware about how logs look now, it means nothing.

What are you even talking about? People are still progressing in mythic and normal will start out at at same item level in the next raid. I'm not talking about roffle stomp heroics. I'm talking 99th percentile mythic parses. If Demo is doing good now they are going to scale up and as I've said the next raid has more spread than current stack and cleave which will benefit affliction and destro

[Deleted]

What are you even talking about? People are still progressing in mythic and normal will start out at at same item level in the next raid. I'm not talking about roffle stomp heroics. I'm talking 99th percentile mythic parses. If Demo is doing good now they are going to scale up and as I've said the next raid has more spread than current stack and cleave which will benefit affliction and destro

What you're saying doesn't add up.

If it's progression, people are really overgearing the content plus they have stacks of RA. These are some real casual people if they aren't at least 7/8.. On top of that you take 99% parses which for sure aren't progression, these are people who are bored out of their mind farming and they're cheezing stuff to keep themselves amused.

[Gaidax]

What are you even talking about? People are still progressing in mythic and normal will start out at at same item level in the next raid. I'm not talking about roffle stomp heroics. I'm talking 99th percentile mythic parses. If Demo is doing good now they are going to scale up and as I've said the next raid has more spread than current stack and cleave which will benefit affliction and destro

You are saying stuff that would made me wonder whether it's your first new raid tier or something. It's not, so I find what you said even more amusing.

In case you did not realize it yet, new raid tier is effectively a gear reset - all your fabled gear amounts to just about Normal level gear in new raid (with key pieces being effectively worse because of extra azerite rings, new trinkets and new raid buff).

New Mythic raid will not be tuned around ilvl 370, it will be tuned around ilvl 400 with 3 extra azerite abilities at that. You won't be waltzing into mythic and stomping nerfed bosses in half the time they initially took, while standing in half the shit in raid because much of it by this time has effectively been reduced to inconvenience as opposed to actual dangerous mechanic.

Heck, you won't even really have you reflexes passively set around timings and positioning either, because aside from a couple of dozens who tested this shit to death you don't even know what will hit when and how to react to it in optimal way as opposed to clumsily stumbling your way out of it or dying, which is called... progression.

I'm not even talking about the most obvious thing - Dazar'alor is not Uldir.


You think these circumstances won't affect current Uldir spec standings and spec such as Affliction which is super flexible about damage application and convenience of doing it, won't be able to do what it does every time and skyrocket during progression? It will, while Demo which basically has no useful raid perks will be back to struggling to cast its shit with the world burning all around it.

I expect Aff to be back on top for a good several weeks, Destro will likely be very good thanks to various cheese it has and Demo at best will be average. Reasons: all the above.

[valky94]

all 3 are currently viable so play whatever you personally prefer

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My guild is currently 4/8 mythic Uldir and learning mythic Fetid. I'm usually top dps on Fetid as affliction. Should I try to learn demo for my raid Sunday?

speaking from experience, dont play demo on fetid, unless you are on the big adds

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Why say a statement like this when you can easily look at logs that prove otherwise.

that obviously depends on what you are doing in the fight, if you are on the big adds, sure you can play aff/demo, but if you are on the small adds, demo falls behind, and destro rises up

[Deleted]

What are you even talking about? People are still progressing in mythic and normal will start out at at same item level in the next raid. I'm not talking about roffle stomp heroics. I'm talking 99th percentile mythic parses.

I imagine he means that those 99th percentile mythic parses are probably not coming from people still progressing in mythic.

A spec that can look incredibly good on a Fetid / Vectis kill that is being taken down in record time isn't representative of a spec you'd want to play on progression of that fight, let alone next tier.

[Albert the fish]

For now it may well be demo, but that's minimally useful information.
Either you play demo because you enjoy it like myself and the meta doesn't matter or the current meta applies to an 85% outdated raid.

Once dazalor drops we will have much more relevant information.

[xpose]

I imagine he means that those 99th percentile mythic parses are probably not coming from people still progressing in mythic.

A spec that can look incredibly good on a Fetid / Vectis kill that is being taken down in record time isn't representative of a spec you'd want to play on progression of that fight, let alone next tier.

They are still competing against people also not progressing even if that is the case. The fact they hold their own across most ilvl brackets and percentiles since the patch update means its a strong spec for that type of raid and will most likely continue to be strong since the majority of the bosses next tier are not council type fights.

[Deleted]

They are still competing against people also not progressing even if that is the case. The fact they hold their own across most ilvl brackets and percentiles since the patch update means its a strong spec for that type of raid and will most likely continue to be strong since the majority of the bosses next tier are not council type fights.

The ability to tunnel Fetid where you can bloodlust at the 50% mark and ignore the adds - putting CDs more or less wherever you want them for maximum boss output is an entirely different fight from progression where you need to ration out CDs because you have 3 sets of adds that need killing and the boss was secondary to that.

It's completely unrepresentative of progression performance and I'm surprised anyone in the warlock section would think otherwise. Destruction has often parsed poorly but been THE go-to progression spec if you actually want to kill the boss because, while it can't tunnel a boss as hard as affliction, it could actually target switch and bring decent priority target damage in expansions where affliction couldn't.

[muto]

https://www.warcraftlogs.com/zone/st...s/19/#sample=1

Demo's performing very well. It's our best spec on every fight except Mythrax, where Destro beats it. It's the highest performing spec in the game on Vectis so far this week. Some of this will likely change a little with tuning.

Destro is not better than Affliction on Mythrax. Affliction annihilates Xalzaix which is the top priority on the fight.

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Don't compare farm where at this point everyone can do whatever the fuck they want with 8.1 progression.

I am pretty sure that new raid it will be Aff first and then Destruction second. And yes I'm aware about how logs look now, it means nothing.

This. Affliction is a better prog spec.