First off... happy holidays everyone!
I am aware of an existing thread discussing Sub in PvE come 5.2, but it turned into a "Sub is behind in dps (5.1), no one plays it, etc." I would like this thread to be about a friendly discussion about the upcoming changes and what other improvements you would like to see before the patch launches.
I am ecstatic for this coming patch and hoping to return to Subtley full time for PvE (without feeling like I am completely gimping my raid's overall dps by choosing an inferior spec, because of its harder rotation, positional requirement and lack of niche).
So, whats coming up for Sub improvements come 5.2?
5.1 Change:
-Vanish reduced to 2 mins (was 3).
(old, but still a plus for Sub... a higher increase in terms of dps for Sub than the other two specs.)
5.2 Changes:
-Preparation is now a baseline ability
(Very huge for PvP, but allows for another quick re-vanish for a bursty spot in a boss fight in PvE.)
-New Level 90 Talent: Marked for Death - Marks a target and instantly generates 5 combo points. When that target dies, Marked for Death's cooldown is reset. This talent has a 1 minute cooldown.
(Still trying to wrap my head around this one. Will be good for any fight with lots of adds, but with how HaT works, I can't see many Sub rogues choosing this over Anticipation).
-New Level 60 Talent: Cloak and Dagger - Ambush, Garrote, and Cheap Shot now have a 30 yard range, and will cause the Rogue to teleport behind the target.
(Best for Sub than any of the other specs, because of Dance. But I am not sure how well it would perform in PvE, since most bosses are stationary. Even with an add fight, I suspect Shadowstep would still be better. You won't always be able to get into stealth/dance to perform those abilities).
-Blade Flurry now deals 75% less damage.
(clearly not a Sub talent, but this means a rogue doesn't feel "required" to play Combat for fights like Windlord, Garalon, etc.)
-Sanguinary Vein now increases the damage the target takes by 20% (was 16%).
(a simple buff for a Sub Rogue! yay!)
I am by no means a huge theorycrafter (and haven't played sub for some time, unfortunately) ... so let me know what you guys feel with these coming changes (if they go through) in terms of Sub in PvE. Perhaps I am miss reading a talent or may have missed something. Or just need to sit tight until people can test out the changes on the PTR.
:-)
---------- Post added 2012-12-25 at 01:33 AM ----------
now that I re-read Marked for Death... is it saying you are guaranteed 5 combo points the moment you activate the ability? So even on non-add fights, everyone minute you can get 5 free combo points? And any fight with adds allows for more usage of Marked for Death?
Sounds even better!