3.13.2006

1.10 Darkmantle Set

Here is a link to the new 1.10 Darkmantle Set.

The set graphics looks great and the stats fits very well between Nightslayer and Shadowcraft. The 4 piece set bonus of +35 Energy proc sounds extremely promising. I am particularly interested in DM Boots due to the stealth bonus.

5/5 MoD gives 15 Stealth Skill Points.

DM Boots gives 8 Stealth Skill Points according to WoWGuru.
NE Racial gives 5 Stealth Skill Points.
Stealth Enchant gives Lesser Stealth (5 Stealth Skill Points).
So DM Boots + NE Racial + Stealth Enchant = 18 Stealth Points, better than MoD 5/5.

Haven't I argued that MoD is useless since last January?

None of the speed enchant bonuses stacks besides Camo thus valuing 5/5 Camo higher than 5/5 MoD simply due to the unavailability/un-stackability of speed improvement enchants/gears.

On a side note,
  1. We got to C'Thun phase 2 on our third week of AQ40. 15 min corpse run + buffs between attempts fucking sucks.
  2. Each BS miss consumes 11 energy while each SS miss consumes 7 energy.
  3. My Excel spreadsheet calculator has progressed smoothly and should be ready *soon*.

3.04.2006

I Slap Myself in the Fase. 1% Chance to Gain Extra Attack = 1.5% Hit

I retract my eariler statement that +2% Hit and +2% Chance for an Extra Attack have no material differences after some discussion with Pj. We have come to an agreement that 3% Hit = 2% Chance to Gain Extra Attacks. This is some logic flaw on my part. My apologies.

So 5/5 Sword Spec is effectively 6.5% Hit. HoJ is effectively 3% Hit + 20 AP.

My 03.03.06 post regarding my calculation assumptions still holds true, except flawed logic in interpreting the results.

On a side note, grats to my guild Eminence on Twin Emp kill. Gate opened 02/27/06. Twin Emperor down on 03/03/06. Good progress. Now where the fuck is me on the group shot. :S

My Excel Calculator v0.4.3 is well in progress. Now I just have to make the Data Table work so they display the correct value. > <

3.03.2006

HoJ/Sword Spec Procs? Pfft. Get +Hit

First of all, I've shown a 0.5% increase in DPS from 2% hit to 2% for an extra attack. That's far from 50% improvement from the comment.
  1. 2.4 MH and OH Speed Assumption I assumed 2.4 speed for both MH and OH. Most MH sword speed ranges from 2.6 to 2.9. There are only 4 epic sword that has speed less than 2.4: Blackguard(craftable), Ravencrest's Legacy(AQ Gate Quest), Maladath, Runed Blade of the Black Flight(BWL), Warblade of the Hakkari(ZG). Most uses Brutality Blade(MC) for OH. 2.4 speed for both hands is a fairly reasonable assumption.
  2. Sword Spec or HoJ procs are additive and will slightly decrease total number of MH attacks as they cancel out attack-in-motion. And although you gain more chance to proc extra MH attacks through HoJ/Sword Spec, but you also have less chance to miss on BOTH your MH and OH attacks for +2% Hit.
  3. Aggression won't change the results. Extra 6% damage on SS does not have anything to do with extra MH attacks gained through +Hit or +Chance to attack.
  4. Slice and Dice won't change the results either as it benefit both the same way. Neither will Blade Flurry skew the results.
  5. Duel Wield spec will only reinforce my argument further. OH DPS weights 75% instead of 50% of the white DPS, thus the damage from MH extra procs will be reduced as a % of overall damage.
Extremely minor details I should say.

3.02.2006

+2% Chance for an Extra Attack Has No Material Benefit Over +2% Hit

Known Facts:
HoJ procs off both special attacks and normal attacks.
HoJ can proc on another HoJ proc.
HoJ proc triggers an extra Main Hand attack.

Now assume a normal 5% hit 30% crit rogue (20% miss rate on normal attacks, 0% miss rate on special attacks) SS spamming over the course of 100 seconds using two 2.4 speed weapons. Further assume 250 non-crit white attacks and 318 non-crit SS for simplicity.

Default:
Total # of white attacks = (2*100/2.4)*(100%-20%) = 66.7
Damage from white attacks = 66.7 * (250+250*0.5) /2 * 1.3 = 16,258
Total # of SS = 25
Damage from SS = 25 * 318 * (0.7+0.3*2.3) =11,051
Total # of attacks = 91.7
Damage Total = 27,309

2% Hit:
Total # of white attacks = (2*100/2.4)*(100%-20%+2%) = 68.3
Damage from white attacks = 68.3 * (250+250*0.5)/2 * 1.3 = 16,648
Total # of SS = 25
Damage from SS = 25 * 318 * (0.7+0.3*2.3) =11,051
Total # of attacks = 93.3, or 1.74% more attacks than the original.
Damage Total = 27,699, or 1.43% improvement over the original.

2% Chance for an Extra Attack:
Total # of white attacks = (2*100/2.4)*(100%-20%) *1.02 + 25 * 0.02 = 68.5
Damage from white attacks = 16,258 + (68-66.7+25*0.02)*250*1.3 + = 16,843
Total # of SS = 25
Damage from SS = 25 * 318 * (0.7+0.3*2.3) =11,051
Total # of attacks = 93.5, or 1.96% more than the original, or 0.2% over +2% Hit.
Damage Total = 27,894, or 2.14% improvement over the original, or 0.7% over +2% Hit.

I have ignored proc on proc since those have very marginal benefit (2% for proc, 2.04% for proc on proc, 2.0408% for proc on proc on proc, etc).

Conclusion:

  • Is +2% chance for an extra attack better than +2% hit? Yes.
  • Is the difference significant? No, unless you consider 0.2%/0.7% more swings/damage material.
  • For modeling purposes, it's easier to proximate +2% chance for an extra attack to +2%

2.28.2006

AQ Item Wish List

Now that AQ gate is finally opened on Blackrock and Eminence is up to Huhuran (NR cockblock), here is my wishlist for AQ40/AQ20 in the order of desire:

Deathsting - C'Thun(?)
Anubisath Warhammer - Trash Mobs
Blessed Qiraji Pugio - AQ40 Boss Drop
Sand Polished Hammer - Ossirian the Unscarred
Deathdealer Vest - C'Thun
Deathdealer's Boots - Princess Huhuran
Ring of the Qiraji Fury - Battleguard Sartura
Barbed Choker - Fankriss the Unyielding

Yes, I am looking forward to replace my Dal'rend's set so I can grind more efficiently than using my daggers. I am not planning to dump my 5 NS bonus at the moment.

With active trinket nurf in 1.10, Earthstrike + ZHM combo won't be viable, but RCoT is still the best PvP trinket out there.

Active Trinket DPS modeling done (except ZHM is using lazy mode).

2.15.2006

SnD/Rupture and Finisher Efficiency - by Kalman (Updated 03.01.06)

Link to original post by Kalmam. And my apologies for spelling the name wrong twice. :(
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?FN=wow-rogue&T=918191&P=2

There are 3 common SnD specs: 0/3, 1/3, and 3/3 Improved. 2/3 specs are rare.

With 0/3, your timers are 9/12/15/18/21.
With 1/3, your timers are 10/14/17/21/24.
With 3/3, your timers are 13/17/22/26/30.

A 1 CP SnD is modelable as 20 energy, 0.4 CP cost.
A 2 CP SnD is modelable as 15 energy, 1.4 CP.
A 3 CP SnD is modelable as 10 energy, 2.4 CP.
A 4 CP SnD is modelable as 05 energy, 3.4 CP.
A 5 CP SnD is modelable as 00 energy, 4.4 CP.

(assumes Relentless/Ruthless)

Energy efficiency is defined as the percentage of your energy being used on damage skills (SS/BS) divided by the total energy required. It is unrelated to Imp SnD, except insofar as higher patterns may not be sustainable without it.

Energy efficiency is simple: energy spent on damage / total energy spent.

E.G., the 4 CP cycle for sword rogues is:

(3.4*40)/((3.4*40)+5) = 96%.


Energy efficiency: swords (1 CP = 40 energy)

All patterns are sustainable for a sword rogue.

1: 44% (56% wasted)
2: 79% (21% wasted)
3: 91% (9% wasted)
4: 97% (3% wasted)
5: 100% (no wasted energy, )

Energy efficiency: combat daggers (1 CP = 60 energy)

1: 54% (46% wasted)
*all higher patterns are unsustainable at 0/3*
2: 85%
*all higher patterns are unsustainable at 1/3*
3: 93.5%
4: 95%
5: 100%

I don't feel like dealing with SF daggers, but the CP/energy is easily calculable.

At 1/3, dagger specs pick up the 2 CP cycle as sustainable. At 3/3, all cycles are sustainable.

For a sword rogue, the 1 CP pattern is simply useless. You'll wind up wasting energy, or using CP on something other than SnD (and if you're going to do that, why aren't you using 5 CP to do it?).

For 3/3 Imp SnD, a sword rogue should be cycling:

5 SnD, 5 Rupture, 3 SnD, repeat. Overall efficiency for the cycle: 98%. SnD uptime? Constant.

5 SnD gives 30 seconds of SnD. 17.6 (average) will be spent getting to 5 Rupture. Rupture is zero-energy. Leaves 13.4 seconds to build to 3 pt SnD. Happily this requires 130 energy to do in worst case, technically averages at 106.

(Occasionally you'll wind up with bad misses, or unlucky on your Ruthless/Relentless procs. Adjust your cycle as needed, but the 5/5/3 cycle is very, very good.)

A combat dagger rogue at 3/3 will cycle:

5 SnD, 1 CP Rupture, repeat. This cycle is almost perfectly sustainable (30.45 seconds SnD. 4.4 average for the 1 CP Rupture, 26.4 average for the 5 CP SnD, means there's 0.35 un-SnDed. Drop the Rupture if you need to.) Energy efficiency here is effectively 100%, as Rupture energy is damage as well, but if you want to count Rupture as inefficiency, efficiency is 93.5%. I.E. as efficient as a 3 cycle, with a slight DPS boost from the rupture.

Unless you didn't improve SnD, 1 CP SnDs are wasting energy.


- Post Made by Kalman on Rogue Forum, Taken for My Personal Note.

2.01.2006

Trinket DPS Calculations

It's really hard to compare active trinkets (ZHM, VT, etc) to passive trinkets (DFT, BB, etc) using some reasonable basis. Quality can only be compared when you can quantify their effects and that's what I've been trying to attempt.

Drake Fang Talisman

Listing the DPS for DFT for comparison basis. Since I am trying to use Excel spreadsheet to model DPS, I am going to do it in lazy mode by simply adding 2% hit and 56ap to my model and take the difference in DPS.

With my current set-up, DFT contributes about 11.5 DPS.

Hand of Justice

Listing the DPS for HoJ becuase this trinket is generally being overvalued by the public. "2% chance on hit to gain 1 extra attack" is extremely similar to +2% hit. Yes, 2% hit to gain 1 extra attack is slightly better. No, the difference is not material to use different numbers for either of them.

Earthstrike
Use: Increases your melee and ranged attack power by 280. Effect lasts for 20 sec.

Since I am trying to use Excel spreadsheet to model DPS, I am going to do it in lazy mode. Calculating each individual attack's benefit from ES is a major pita and varies dramatically depending on specs.

DPS = Damage Dealt / Time
= (Total DPS after +280 Attack Power - Total Original DPS) * 20 / (120 for sustained, 20 for burst)
~ 6.6 DPS sustained
~ 39.8 DPS burst, according to my gear set-up

Another method of calculation is to pro-rate it to its cooldown. So +280 attack power for 20 seconds every 2 minutes can be scaled into 47 attack power over 2 minutes. So Earthstrike can be treated as a 47 attack power trinket for sustained damage purposes.

Renataki's Charm of Trickery
Use: Instantly increases your energy by 60.

DPS = Average Backstab Hit / (Trinket Cooldown for Sustained)
= 1000 / 180
= 5.6 DPS

The Burst DPS for Renataki's Charm of Trickery is meaningless due to its instant nature. 1000 damage / 1 second = 1000 DPS anyone?

Venomous Totem
Use: Increases the chance to apply Rogue poisons to your target by 30% for 20 sec.
Simple and straight forward calculation

DPS = Total # of Landing Hits * 30% * Poison Damage / (Trinket Cooldown for Sustained | 20 Second for Burst)
= { [(Activating Energy + 20*10)/(Hemo 35 | SS 40 | BS 60) * 30% * (130 | 150 Viled Poison) * [100% - max(5% - Hit Rate, 0)] + [(20/MH Weapon Speed) + (20/OH Weapon Speed)] * 30% * (130 | 150 Viled Poison) * [100% - max(24% - Hit Rate, 0)] } / (300 | 20)

Example: Assuming 1.8 Speed MH, 1.6 Speed OH, 5% hit, Backstab and duel wield Instant Poison VI with no Viel Poison talent and activate trinket at full (100) energy.

VT Sustained DPS = [5 * 0.3 * 130 + (11.11 + 12.5) * 0.3 * 130 * 0.81]/300 = 3.1
VT Burst DPS = [5 * 0.3 * 130 + (11.11 + 12.5) * 0.3 * 130 * 0.81]/20 = 47.1

Zandalarian Hero Medallion
Use: Increases your melee and ranged damage by 40 for 20 sec. Every time you hit a target, this bonus is reduced by 2.

Worst active trinket to proximate DPS. Period.

However, I am a lazy fuck and I adhere to KISS principle, so here is the very proximate evaluation of ZHM:

Total Damage Added ~ [(1+20)*10/2]*2 = 210
Total Damage Added after Crit/Hit Effects ~ 210 * [(1 - Miss Rate + Hit Rate) + 2 * Crit Rate)]

Assuming 5% Hit and 27% Crit
Total Damage Added after Crit/Hit Effects = 281.4

DPS = 281.4 / (20 for burst, 120 for sustained) = 14.1 burst DPS or 2.3 sustained DPS

Since this method ignores special attacks and all the talent perks, I will give it a 2x ratio to make it 28.2 burst DPS or 4.6 sustained DPS.