TSO dungeons really killing my dps...

Leandrizzle · 02-04-2009, 01:10 AM

I'm not really sure how to adapt to fighting so many encounter mobs. I'm parsing zonewides like 3.5k on a good day, and an average of around 2.5-3.0k. On single nameds, I can get like 4.5-8k depending on whether it's tank and spank or if some strategy and moving around is required.

This is my shit:
EverQuest II Players - Profile for Leandrin
not the best, but ok for a non-raider, I suppose.

With encounters, I stealth as the tank pulls, then open up with Stealth Assault. Then I invis again and then do another aoe. After this, I just use 1 or 2 CAs on the mobs as the tank switches. 1 or 2 hits are all I get to hit. The whole time I pretty much just target through the tank. Don't really konw what else to do...

I also kinda have trouble in dungeons where the tank continuously pulls - even with single mobs. Say the tank pulls Mob #1, I put up dots, CAs and then unleash my concealment chain and finish it off with a Death Blow. It's fine, I do high damage and dps like 5K+. But right afterwards, the tank pulls again and pretty much all my CAs, dots and steath attacks are down, and I find myself just autoattacking for some time before my CAs start popping up again. Sometimes, if I'm in a decent group that kills fast, I only get like 2 CAs in on Mob#2 before it dies and I score like 2k dps. And if the tank still pulls right after, most of my CAs are up for Mob#3 and I dps high again... It jsut continues like this, not really sure how to adjust.

(I haven't tried this and it just occurred to me, but should I try alternating between CAs and my concealment chain? Mob1, use dots and CAs; Mob2 concealment chain with Death BLow; Mob 3 dots+CAs again, etc...Anyone actually use this strategy?)

So yeah, to sum it up, what's your strategy in TSO dungeons for dealing with encounter mobs, AND for dealing with tanks that chain pull?

Hoss · 02-04-2009, 01:24 AM

For TSO heroic dungeons I spec stamina. works really good if you have your mythical. Also, don't target through the tank, pick your own targets and they might last ling enough to put some CAs on them. Also target one, dot it up and switch to another and let that one die. Only other thing I can think of is look for the one with the most ^ and taget that one while the swashies and warlocks are taking out the easy ones.

Davngr · 02-04-2009, 01:27 AM

space out your buffs so your using them when conceal is not up that way you're always got something up to help your dmg. use one buff at time and use two buffs on names if up.

spec for AE attack sometimes in instances ill do nothing but auto attack on multiple encounters and still parse well.

Leandrizzle · 02-04-2009, 02:08 AM

Thanks, I'll try my own targeting tonight. And yeah with buffs, I usually use only 1 buff per fight, and all of them for boss battles.

What about dealing with a tank who chain pulls? Will the strategy that I wrote in parenthesis work?

Vlix_Oasis · 02-04-2009, 02:33 AM

On large encounters with Conceal up, use Slate on INC, then Conceal to Stealth Assault. You can use autoattack to get into stealth after hitting Conceal. Cuts out alot of deadtime that your causing by casting Stealth+Slate. Thats what 3 seconds of no DPS?

When Conceal isn't up but Assault is, Pre stealth on pull then Assault on INC.

When neither are up: use a temp buff.

Caustic > Hemo in short burst fights and pretty much every instance. Pop on some Hemo when you get to the names that last for some duration.

Learn to use the F8 key and hit it just before the mob dies. This way you can continue casting while also changing targets to the closest mob to you. Saves time from running around to find the assist target on large encounters (tanks tend to find the mob farthest away from you) like the ones in Befallen and alike, you can kill those mobs easily solo. Helps ya continue those Conceal chains on mobs that die in 2 seconds too.

I see alot of new players do this, but don't waste your time debuffing a mob that isn't going to live longer than 10 seconds. Just kill it.

The rest is just press buttons fast and yeah STA spec is nice for some dungeons.

Most of the time, I am lazy and I just spam the F8 key and put all my CA's (except masked+pin and conceal) on a single macro and spam the shit out of that. That's just me.

Corto · 02-04-2009, 06:12 AM

I have the STA spec on my mirror for stuff like Ykesha's Outer Stronghold.

Personally, I find these AE instances completely fucking lame and one giant bigass time sink on those ring events in YOS.

Yeah, yeah, warlocks got their shit finally, but I don't really care... :P

eladan · 02-04-2009, 07:50 AM

I tried STA but didn't like it. Since betraying I didn't like the slower casting speed and playing ranger for 2 yrs I really got used to it

.

Yes, I won't win AE encounter but I'm usually grouped with a Conj friends anyway and let him parse away.

Some peeps seem to border on obsession when its comes to winning every parse lol.

Chillipalmer · 02-04-2009, 08:42 AM

You also need to get more aa and fill out the shadow tree, Killing blow, Mark, Poison mastery and Stealth mastery. If your grouping with folks that have 180 AA (mages) they are taking all your dps. i found myself doing 7 to 11k in instances at the beginning of TSO to seeing that cut in half when when everyone supassed me in AA.

JAime · 02-04-2009, 10:11 AM

The primary problem with the way they designed TSO heroic zones, is that the melee hitrates are terrible. I have checked ACT in many zones zonewides, and on average, rogues / assassins are at 60-70 % auto attack hit rate and mages are at 90-98 % hit rates.

This is just retardedness...in Crucible I have been as low as 45 % auto attack hit rate on some nameds.

The only thing I can recommend is always bringing a dirge, preferably with 6 piece VP set on for 10 % group accuracy and/or a brawler with 5 % group accuracy. This will help, but the fact remains that the melee hit rates are shitty and prolly worse than avatar hit rates, LOL.

Slippery

Hoss · 02-04-2009, 11:31 AM

eladan, don't give up poise for sta. give up the intelligence line. When we say to spec sta, we don't mean to get the endline ability. Just put 8 points in the AE ability.

I also forgot to mention the temp buffs. If you are sta spec'd, deadly focus, honed reflexes, and front load all work better with big groups. Exacting doesn't help so much, so save that for names or ^^^s. And hemo kicks ass for those large groups, cause it can be ticking away on those mobs no one is even hitting yet.

If your tank doesn't keep them bunched up, don't be afraid to bitch at him. Tell the fucking casters to stand on top of the tank if they keep pulling them away and stringing everything out.