Destruction Lock Help

[Luvsponge 0]

Hey, first time posting. Would love some insight on my dps.

 

I took a 6 month break and trying to get back into my rotation.

 

Armory: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/arthas/Luvsponge/simple

Logs from tuesday's heroic run: http://www.warcraftlogs.com/rankings/character/294335/latest/

 

Posted all of them for a good overall look at my dps on fights.

 

There are a few locks in my guild that are beating me every fight. One in particular that runs Destro most of the time.

 

Armory:http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/arthas/Ninkasi/simple

 

I feel like my dps should be above 350k on most fights and it seems to be impossible for me to even get near.

 

Thanks.

[Phenax 12]

By comparison with the other locks I can see a few things:

1) Your immolate uptime is very low and is most likely one of your biggest problems. I looked at your May 11 kill of Malk and saw 54% uptime- best case scenario is the 98-99% range but realistically you're going to have to build up on this. 75% on protectors is just as questionable as you can multidot here.

 

2) I only looked at the sha kill for this issue, but mit was able to get 29 chaos bolts off while you only got off 20. When I looked at your burning ember level throughout the fight it seems like you were capped for quite a bit at a time. Make sure to use any trinket proc you get to your advantage as I see there are some unused procs on that malk attempt when you had 2 embers and you ended up capping a bit after.

 

3) On protectors I saw eight uses of havoc on a seven minute fight, so you are not glyphing it yet are still casting it at a close frequency to one who was glyphing. Havoc is bonkers on this fight if you are destro and if you aren't using it as often there may be similar problems with other fights. I see similar windows on gal where you could be using havoc but aren't.

 

Unforuntately you die on jugg so I am not able to make much comment on single target, but these are the most visible problems to me.

 

Edited May 14, 2014 by Phenax

[Gnar 26]

I am at work so I'm gonna go based off what Phenax read from your logs and reported.

 

Immolate - Need to be at the 98-99% uptime level.  The damage it does is not trivial but its not required that you maximize its damage like affliction or demo.  Your main focus with immolate is to get it to hit more often (haste proc) or more critically (crit proc, DS, more ticks in general).  Crits generate embers and that's really all Immolate is worth unless you have the time to maximize it.

 

EMBERS - Your bread and butter is in your CB usage alongside any and preferably every proc (preference to intel and crit procs).  Embers should be saved for times when you know trinkets will proc after long breaks.  In general, any trinket proc is enough to justify using your ember pool unless you sense another proc coming during the first trinkets uptime. If you have more than 3 embers try to use a CB on something even as small as a Jade Spirit or Lightweave proc.  If you are for sure about to cap, let one fly.

 

Havoc - The difference between a good and bad destro lock.  This spell is so simple but has tons of utility.  It can be great for a burst of ember gain generating 2-4 times as many embers as you could have gotten single target as each hit can crit.  It is also a mega burst if used with CB or even better SB.  Try your best to think about this when you use it on cooldown on any 2+ target fight:

Dual CB - both targets are at high health and will take full damage, few exceptions

Dual Incin spam - No embers but Havoc is ready; One target won't live through a CB (finish with SB if you have charges post 20%) (if you will cap embers during this time, waste a CB after you Havoc the higher health target, then swap targets)

(PREFERRED AND SHOULD DELAY HAVOC IF POSSIBLE) Dual SB spam - if you can do this and only have two targets, save 3 embers; if more than two targets and some will die to SB, do that and only save one-two embers as they will regenerate quickly

Glyph Havoc in a case where many adds come out in waves of time >= 1 min (Sha, Thok)

 

Feel free to message me with other questions.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Gnar

[Luvsponge 0]

Awesome, thank you so much for the fast responses. When viewing these logs how do you know I'm ember capped. I know I do it but during the raid I never notice it. Figured I got check times and see what I'm doing.

Thanks for advice on havoc.

If you see anything else please comment.

[Zilthy 36]

As far as noticing those things in raid, this is where Weak Auras are your friend.  You can set up more obvious visual queues as to how many embers you have, or even an audio sound to indicate when you hit 4 (although, 3 would be better, so you know you have to cast before you cap, rather than after).

 

I tend to use audio cues myself, but more for things like trinket procs.  Basically, for important things that I really want to pay attention to when they happen, but do not feel like micro-managing and watching for all the time. 

[Phenax 12]

Awesome, thank you so much for the fast responses. When viewing these logs how do you know I'm ember capped. I know I do it but during the raid I never notice it. Figured I got check times and see what I'm doing.

Thanks for advice on havoc.

If you see anything else please comment.

http://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports/7jcLaG6HzBMwFtVX#fight=2&type=resources&source=9&spell=114

Go to your name, look at resources tab, click burning embers.

[Luvsponge 0]

http://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports/7jcLaG6HzBMwFtVX#fight=2&type=resources&source=9&spell=114

Go to your name, look at resources tab, click burning embers.

 

 

Thank you.

[Gnar 26]

Feel free to post your updated logs after you take what you've learned to raid  !

[Lockybalboa 618]

I saw you posted on our guild forums for the log analysis, check back there tomorrow once Zag's had time to go though it. 

[Zagam 1,982]

Working on a contract negotiation atm - might have some time later.  Will ABSOLUTELY get to it no later than 8p tonight.

[Luvsponge 0]

Feel free to post your updated logs after you take what you've learned to raid :) !

Will do thank you all for your time and help! We raid Sunday Monday and Tuesday. Sunday night I'll update the logs.

Again thank you all!

[Luvsponge 0]

Working on a contract negotiation atm - might have some time later.  Will ABSOLUTELY get to it no later than 8p tonight.

Take you're time I'm going to the beach this afternoon until Sunday.

[Zagam 1,982]

Take you're time I'm going to the beach this afternoon until Sunday.

Lucky son of a bi...I mean, enjoy your time!  I'll have a complete analysis done and ready for you.  How's Sunday at 6pm sound?

[Luvsponge 0]

Lucky son of a bi...I mean, enjoy your time!  I'll have a complete analysis done and ready for you.  How's Sunday at 6pm sound?

Haha will do. That's should be perfect.

Again thanks for everything. Great group of locks around here!

[Luvsponge 0]

http://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports/khWVcbtzpPyqBv6T#source=18

 

Updated logs from Thok and progression on Seige.

[Zagam 1,982]

Nice job on Thok - we brought you up past 2 of the other 3 Warlocks - we'll get you over the last one soon! 

 

As for Siegecrafter, holy moly does your melee love that Purification Beam.  NOMNOMNOM.  A couple of attempts is tolerable to let them calibrate - 10 straight wipes of the Purification Beam being the cause is a little concerning.  Hopefully your raid group doesn't get tolerant of that. 

 

If your raid group doesn't know, offer the following tip - the Purification Beam ALWAYS has the opening shift one spot to the left in Heroic mode.  If you picture each Purification Beam wave with 5 positions, 4 will be filled with 1 opening.  For example,

 

1-2-3-x-5 where x is the opening.  The very next wave, it will be...

1-2-x-4-5 where x is the opening.  The very next wave, it will be...

1-x-3-4-5, etc. 

 

Once your raid knows that, dying to the Purification Beam is a personal mistake that needs called out.  You're going to hear a LOT of excuses.  Tolerate none.  I sound harsh to make the point, but hope your raid is one of two things: patient or skilled. 

[vaeevictiss 17]

is destro better for Thok than Aff? Ive been using aff due to its shorter casts and slightly better movability factor. Even with Aff i feel like im chasing him a lot during the fixate phase. How do you manage chaos bolts on him with the interrupts and movement?

[Liquidsteel 279]

Both are fine. Play what you are most comfortable with.

Devotion Aura and Glyphed Unending Resolve provide plenty of free casting time to do your thing.

I advise low haste and just cast one incinerate between roars at high stacks. Backdraft allows for quick chaos bolts too.

Movement wise is not an issue because you shouldn't get fixated. Leave that to classes who don't need to babysit a gateway.

[vaeevictiss 17]

oh...didnt know there was a way to avoid getting fixated lol

[Zagam 1,982]

oh...didnt know there was a way to avoid getting fixated lol

1st Fixate = farthest person within 20 yards (someone 22 yards away won't get picked).

2nd Fixate = farthest person within 40 yards.

3rd Fixate = farthest person within 60 yards.

...etc.

 

To avoid Fixate, make sure someone is behind you at all times.  If you're unlucky, you'll be exactly 40 yards away and no one else will be closer than 41 yards and you'll get picked.  A good way to gauge this is if you can hit the boss because your range is 40 yards.  Gauge appropriately.

[Luvsponge 0]

Yea lastnight was first time on seige. Hope we down took Sunday and can get some progression on him. I'll let them know about the beams.

[Luvsponge 0]

Downed Spoils and Thok tonight. Still having some problems on Spoils, trying my hardest to shadowburn but the fight is moving so fast for me at times its hard to focus on everything. Few more runs and I can hopefully get it down better.

 

Logs from fights, if you see anything please let me know what im missing.

 

http://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports/1P2CQY78VFcBpgHA#type=summary&boss=-2

[Nalar 0]

If you are having problems with shadow burn are you using the stop casting shadow burn macro for this fight , it's invaluable for this fight

#showtooltip Shadowburn

/stopcasting

/cast Shadowburn

It also cycles through all mobs when they need SB

[Luvsponge 0]

Yes. What do you mean it cycles through?

[Nalar 0]

When you keep pressing it it cycles through the mobs that are in range and regardless will attempt to SB them down if they can, rather than the actual SB will only 'flash' and notify you of the mob you are targeting that it is ready for shadow burning !!.

That's the easiest way of saying it...