Specific Arms questions (read the guide)

[Snowcat 0]

Hey all,

I'm normally a Fury Warrior but decided to give Arms a try since I heard it's better in raids.

I read the guide but have a couple of specific questions:

- It says to use Colossus Smash (Ill go ahead and call is CS from now on) first and then use Warbreaker if CS isn't active. Does that mean I should open by first applying Warbreaker and then CS, or do I immediately go for CS and only use Warbreaker later in the fight if CS happens to not be active?

- Unless the target still has CS applied, CS is to be kept on cooldown without hesitation right? Or should it only be used in specific circumstances?

- What about Avatar, since I talented that. Also on cooldown all the time?

- Should Battle Cry be kept on cooldown too? I have Deadly Calm talented so maybe I should only use it when rage-starved?

- Execute is to be spammed when the target <20% (or when that thing procs, but I don't have that piece of gear yet), or is it only to be used as a rage-dump when you have more than a certain amount of rage, much like Heroic Strike back in the days?

- Perhaps the most important: at what point should one use Focused Rage? Should I just mash it 3x as soon as I have enough rage for it to gain 3 stacks? Do you immediately use it when opening?
I use WeakAuras and I want to set up an aura that suggests when to use it, but I'm not sure what criteria to set up.

I read that Focused Rage is advanced and that one should go for the more "simple" spec first. But if I'd do that, is it worth switching from Fury to Arms? Would my DPS not become crap?

Sorry for this volley of questions, but guildies told me Arms is challenging, but very powerful and I like a good challenge :-)

Edited October 18, 2016 by Snowcat

[Tiberium 0]

1. dont use warbreaker to open. you should only use it if CS debuff is about to fall off and CS is on cooldown. 

2. generally i try to keep good uptime on CS rather then spam it on cooldown. CS gives you Shattered Defenses so as a rule  you always want to have 3 stacks of focused rage and shattered defenses up before casting mortal strike. Arms atm feels like hits really weak unless CS is up and mortal strike feels really weak with out 3 stacks of FR. 

3. if using anger management you can line up BC and Avatar more often so try aim for that. generally the 3rd bc you can use both together again.

4. Yes you want to keep BC on CD. with anger management and deadly calm you want to spend as much rage as possible in the BC window as you will be lowering the cd and you will end the window with alot of rage to work with. i find as i start to become rage starved BC is coming of CD and thus giving you a big rage boost again. Arcane torrent (blood elf racial) also gives some rage so that helps.

5. <20% you want to try have BC and Avatar ready and a cs. pop everything and spam execute and focused rage then mortal strike. you will have a ton of rage now and very likely resets on cs to aim to do it again. 

basically try keep good uptime on cs, land as many 3 stack FR mortal strikes during cs windows and use BC on CD.

arms feels really swingy too... i have had 350-400k dps kills on single target fights then <250k the next week due to low resets.

hope this helps

[MarcHethrusWaters 7]

-Use CS on CD. Save warbreaker for when CS buff is not on boss or for aoe

-avatar and battlecry on CD when you'll be hitting something for the correction.

-in execute range spam it, but do CS before if possible. When in execute range and deadly calm is active spam both execute and FR(focused rage) together. At 3 stacks of FR for MS over execute.

-When outside of deadly calm do 3 stacks or FR OR until MS is off CD. Never hold CS or MS. If you reach 3 stacks of FR with no tactician proc then use slam until it procs.

-during deadly calm you will spam FR/slam constantly until tactician procs. You will then CS/MS combo and continue the spam.

 

So it'll look like..

Boss pulls

-Charge

-battlecry/avatar

-CS/MS

-FR/slam until tactician proc

-CS/MS

-deadly calm wears off.

-FR until 3 OR tactician proc.

-if proc CS/MS and return to previous step. If no proc maintain 3 FR stacks and use slam until reset.

-Repeat until battlecry off CD and repeat.

EXECUTE RANGE

-Battlecry/avatar

-CS/Execute

-FR/execute until tactian proc

-CS/MS if 3 stacks of FR, otherwise CS/execute

-deadly calm wears off

-CS/execute

 

Do it right and you'll see a noticeable increase over fury damage.

[Snowcat 0]

Thank you, kind sirs :)