Hyper
08-19-2010, 01:55 PM
Since I'm such a nice person, I've decided to make a brief guide to answer the questions I frequently get in tells about moonkin values, stat priorities, etc.
Stat Caps
I've decided to put this first, because this is usually what everyone is asking about or concerned with.
*Hit(without Draenei): 263
*Hit(with Draenei): 237
Haste(wrath with Nature's Grace): 501
Crit(100% with Lunar Eclipse): 35% With all raid buffs
There is no hard haste cap, it's been attempted to be calculated, and estimations put it at around 6000 haste, lol.
*Hit caps can change based on the presence of Balance of Power or Improved Faerie Fire in your spec. The values provided are assuming you have 2/2 Balance of Power, adding 4% hit, and that you have 3/3 Improved Faerie Fire adding 3% hit.
Stat Priorities
For many owls, the question of critical strike rating or haste rating comes up.
Crit and haste have been proven to be pretty equal to owls, with haste being slightly better for those in mostly 10 icc / 25 icc gear. Whenever possible, owls should take the piece with haste and crit on it over a piece with spirit; spirit is a weak stat which only converts 30% into spell power, though spell power trumps crit and haste, the sacrifice is usually not worth it.
Rule of thumb: Be over 263 hit unless you have access to a draenei in your group. Take the crit/haste pieces over the spirit pieces. Crit and haste are quite equal to each other until you start talking about best in slot itemization. Many of our best in slot pieces are cloth, so don't be ashamed to bid on these, if your GM or loot master thinks you're greedy, send him/her here. Leather itemization in ICC is complete shit: three of our BiS pieces are cloth.
Best In Slot Items and Values
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/BiS.png?t=1282241080
Talents
I've filled out the basic talent tree every owl should have, with some explanations and exceptions following the tree.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/talentshell.png?t=1282241168
This is the shell that should be burned into every owl's brain. Depending on your mana issues during fights (which should be few) you can move points around accordingly. If your mana issues are few, and your haste is top notch (around 900-1000) I would suggest putting the remaining points in Owlkin Frenzy. I personally go 3/3 Owlkin Frenzy and 1/3 Celestial Focus, with this identical shell.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/OKF.png?t=1282241393
In instances like ICC and Ruby Sanctum, raid damage is pretty constant, and 15 out of 100 hits increasing your damage done by 10% is going to be more valuable than any other talent (besides celestial focus if your haste is garbage).
*If you have issues with mana management during fights, and OKF isn't going to make the difference (it very well might not make a worthwhile difference to mana regeneration), then your options are Dreamstate or Intensity.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/Dreamstate.png?t=1282241712
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/Intensity.png?t=1282241730
To decide which to choose, note that intensity is based off of your current mana regeneration. So, with full raid buffs, take 50% of that value, and see if it would be greater than 10% of your intellect. Given your itemization of spirit and intellect, they may be very different. Don't think "OMGZ 50% WHY WOULD ANYWAN PICK DREAMSTATE LOLZ."
Glyphs
There's very little leeway with these, but these are essentially the best glyphs to have:
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/glyphs.png?t=1282241931
Starfall is far too powerful not to reduce the cooldown by 30%. A well timed Starfall is essential to increasing dps, while avoiding potentially dangerous Starfall times.
DoTs are pretty weak now, but the combination of Moonfire and Starfire glyphs work well in the presence of the Improved Insect Swarm talent.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/impis.png?t=1282242124
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/moonfire.png?t=1282242645
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/starfire.png?t=1282242725
Starfire adding duration to moonfire is a great way to help yourself proc the next solar eclipse with Improved Insect Swarm increasing critical strike chance on starfire while moonfire is on your target, it should remain applied for a good 6 or 7 seconds on your target if your rotation is in shape.
The minor glyphs are equally essential, I can't stress enough how often I use dash on Heroic Sindragosa, Heroic Halion, and even Heroic Putricide. Why not get dash anyways? Glyph of the Wild is equally important to mana management while rebuffing those who have been battle resurrected, and I will explain in further detail when we get to rotation. Glyph of unburdened rebirth, why not? I hate carrying reagents, and our options for minor glyphs are slim.
Some may suggest Glyph of Insect Swarm or even Glyph of Focus. DoTs are simply too weak in this content for owls to benefit enough from Insect Swarm glyph over either of the other options; this glyph also removes the 3% hit chance debuff that Insect Swarm puts on a boss, which can be incredibly useful (HLK LOL). Glyph of Focus is a horrible idea, because the increase in dps it will bring will more than likely put you in melee range, increasing need for movement and a reduced aggro threshold, no bueno.
Rotation and Subtleties
Clearly, the rotation revolves around eclipse, but there are some subtle things that you can do to maximize your dps.
The Basic Rotation: Begin with Moonfire first. Moonfire can proc nature's grace, which jump starts the rest of your rotation. Throw up FF (more crit, and hit), and then IS. Begin with wrath until a lunar proc, and then rinse and repeat. Do not refresh both DoTs for shifting phases of eclipse. Refresh the buffing DoT (Based on Improved Insect Swarm). So, as your lunar eclipse is ending and you're about to proc a solar eclipse (with a few seconds left on your moonfire DoT), refresh Insect Swarm before your solar eclipse.
Heroism: Owls get sort of screwed on heroism if you don't get a lunar eclipse, because wrath will be under the GCD at this point (don't itemize around it, that would be fucking stupid, pretty much ignore the value of 501 haste). With heroism, it would be wise to have treants up, so study the fight and know when your raid will be using heroism. Study when your enhancement shaman pops heroism for his wolves again. Don't bother casting wrath unless it's to proc one lunar eclipse, once lunar eclipse is done for the heroism, continue refreshing Moonfire and casting Starfire.
Omen of Doom: Omen of Doom is the buff we get from our 2 set tier 10 bonus. It increases nature and arcane damage done for 6 seconds after every Omen of Clarity (clearcasting) proc. Get some type of buff-tracker or power aura to track this. In movement phases of fights, it's wise to refresh the buffing DoT to your current or next phase of eclipse, and also wise to cast Gift of the Wild to force an Omen of Doom proc near the end of your movement to buff your upcoming damage when you can again stand still and cast. Yes, you will need many GotW reagents, and probably a new bind for this cast. If you were thinking about casting GotW before casting treants, then I'm very proud of you. Do this if Omen of Doom is not already up, and do this before fights where you'll be using heroism off the bat to maximize treant dps. Do this before / during starfall when there are multiple targets. 15% on starfall is ridiculous.
Nature's Grace: Nature's Grace is a great way to predict eclipse shifts. Get some type of addon to track Nature's Grace in an easy way, as the buff only lasts for a short duration.
Typhoon: Don't be an owl without typhoon. It's not a useless talent in ICC. For movement phases with multiple targets (verify their eligibility to be knocked back and if you will fuck the raid by knocking them back) where you have already refreshed DoTs, and you still need some filler before casting GotW to proc Omen of Doom (which should be done at the last second of movement), use typhoon. It's also excellent for blood beasts, Funship, Valithria, Sindragosa, and LK.
Stat Caps
I've decided to put this first, because this is usually what everyone is asking about or concerned with.
*Hit(without Draenei): 263
*Hit(with Draenei): 237
Haste(wrath with Nature's Grace): 501
Crit(100% with Lunar Eclipse): 35% With all raid buffs
There is no hard haste cap, it's been attempted to be calculated, and estimations put it at around 6000 haste, lol.
*Hit caps can change based on the presence of Balance of Power or Improved Faerie Fire in your spec. The values provided are assuming you have 2/2 Balance of Power, adding 4% hit, and that you have 3/3 Improved Faerie Fire adding 3% hit.
Stat Priorities
For many owls, the question of critical strike rating or haste rating comes up.
Crit and haste have been proven to be pretty equal to owls, with haste being slightly better for those in mostly 10 icc / 25 icc gear. Whenever possible, owls should take the piece with haste and crit on it over a piece with spirit; spirit is a weak stat which only converts 30% into spell power, though spell power trumps crit and haste, the sacrifice is usually not worth it.
Rule of thumb: Be over 263 hit unless you have access to a draenei in your group. Take the crit/haste pieces over the spirit pieces. Crit and haste are quite equal to each other until you start talking about best in slot itemization. Many of our best in slot pieces are cloth, so don't be ashamed to bid on these, if your GM or loot master thinks you're greedy, send him/her here. Leather itemization in ICC is complete shit: three of our BiS pieces are cloth.
Best In Slot Items and Values
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/BiS.png?t=1282241080
Talents
I've filled out the basic talent tree every owl should have, with some explanations and exceptions following the tree.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/talentshell.png?t=1282241168
This is the shell that should be burned into every owl's brain. Depending on your mana issues during fights (which should be few) you can move points around accordingly. If your mana issues are few, and your haste is top notch (around 900-1000) I would suggest putting the remaining points in Owlkin Frenzy. I personally go 3/3 Owlkin Frenzy and 1/3 Celestial Focus, with this identical shell.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/OKF.png?t=1282241393
In instances like ICC and Ruby Sanctum, raid damage is pretty constant, and 15 out of 100 hits increasing your damage done by 10% is going to be more valuable than any other talent (besides celestial focus if your haste is garbage).
*If you have issues with mana management during fights, and OKF isn't going to make the difference (it very well might not make a worthwhile difference to mana regeneration), then your options are Dreamstate or Intensity.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/Dreamstate.png?t=1282241712
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/Intensity.png?t=1282241730
To decide which to choose, note that intensity is based off of your current mana regeneration. So, with full raid buffs, take 50% of that value, and see if it would be greater than 10% of your intellect. Given your itemization of spirit and intellect, they may be very different. Don't think "OMGZ 50% WHY WOULD ANYWAN PICK DREAMSTATE LOLZ."
Glyphs
There's very little leeway with these, but these are essentially the best glyphs to have:
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/glyphs.png?t=1282241931
Starfall is far too powerful not to reduce the cooldown by 30%. A well timed Starfall is essential to increasing dps, while avoiding potentially dangerous Starfall times.
DoTs are pretty weak now, but the combination of Moonfire and Starfire glyphs work well in the presence of the Improved Insect Swarm talent.
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/impis.png?t=1282242124
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/moonfire.png?t=1282242645
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy225/hyperisterrible/starfire.png?t=1282242725
Starfire adding duration to moonfire is a great way to help yourself proc the next solar eclipse with Improved Insect Swarm increasing critical strike chance on starfire while moonfire is on your target, it should remain applied for a good 6 or 7 seconds on your target if your rotation is in shape.
The minor glyphs are equally essential, I can't stress enough how often I use dash on Heroic Sindragosa, Heroic Halion, and even Heroic Putricide. Why not get dash anyways? Glyph of the Wild is equally important to mana management while rebuffing those who have been battle resurrected, and I will explain in further detail when we get to rotation. Glyph of unburdened rebirth, why not? I hate carrying reagents, and our options for minor glyphs are slim.
Some may suggest Glyph of Insect Swarm or even Glyph of Focus. DoTs are simply too weak in this content for owls to benefit enough from Insect Swarm glyph over either of the other options; this glyph also removes the 3% hit chance debuff that Insect Swarm puts on a boss, which can be incredibly useful (HLK LOL). Glyph of Focus is a horrible idea, because the increase in dps it will bring will more than likely put you in melee range, increasing need for movement and a reduced aggro threshold, no bueno.
Rotation and Subtleties
Clearly, the rotation revolves around eclipse, but there are some subtle things that you can do to maximize your dps.
The Basic Rotation: Begin with Moonfire first. Moonfire can proc nature's grace, which jump starts the rest of your rotation. Throw up FF (more crit, and hit), and then IS. Begin with wrath until a lunar proc, and then rinse and repeat. Do not refresh both DoTs for shifting phases of eclipse. Refresh the buffing DoT (Based on Improved Insect Swarm). So, as your lunar eclipse is ending and you're about to proc a solar eclipse (with a few seconds left on your moonfire DoT), refresh Insect Swarm before your solar eclipse.
Heroism: Owls get sort of screwed on heroism if you don't get a lunar eclipse, because wrath will be under the GCD at this point (don't itemize around it, that would be fucking stupid, pretty much ignore the value of 501 haste). With heroism, it would be wise to have treants up, so study the fight and know when your raid will be using heroism. Study when your enhancement shaman pops heroism for his wolves again. Don't bother casting wrath unless it's to proc one lunar eclipse, once lunar eclipse is done for the heroism, continue refreshing Moonfire and casting Starfire.
Omen of Doom: Omen of Doom is the buff we get from our 2 set tier 10 bonus. It increases nature and arcane damage done for 6 seconds after every Omen of Clarity (clearcasting) proc. Get some type of buff-tracker or power aura to track this. In movement phases of fights, it's wise to refresh the buffing DoT to your current or next phase of eclipse, and also wise to cast Gift of the Wild to force an Omen of Doom proc near the end of your movement to buff your upcoming damage when you can again stand still and cast. Yes, you will need many GotW reagents, and probably a new bind for this cast. If you were thinking about casting GotW before casting treants, then I'm very proud of you. Do this if Omen of Doom is not already up, and do this before fights where you'll be using heroism off the bat to maximize treant dps. Do this before / during starfall when there are multiple targets. 15% on starfall is ridiculous.
Nature's Grace: Nature's Grace is a great way to predict eclipse shifts. Get some type of addon to track Nature's Grace in an easy way, as the buff only lasts for a short duration.
Typhoon: Don't be an owl without typhoon. It's not a useless talent in ICC. For movement phases with multiple targets (verify their eligibility to be knocked back and if you will fuck the raid by knocking them back) where you have already refreshed DoTs, and you still need some filler before casting GotW to proc Omen of Doom (which should be done at the last second of movement), use typhoon. It's also excellent for blood beasts, Funship, Valithria, Sindragosa, and LK.