The rogues duty – staying alive and maintaining DPS.

As my guild progressed through the heroic content of ICC I started to realize that while staying alive as a rogue has always been important, that the specialized mechanics, huge DPS load, and overall “hand-offs” made by raid leaders when it comes to rolling with three healers or pulling out that extra DPS has become the most important priority.

Does this mean a reduction in the amount of DPS that is possible to come out of an exploding rogue?  I don’t think so.  In this case, we can be sure that it is possible to maintain a high level of DPS while avoiding damage.  Especially with the most recent patch (4.0.3a) additions to damage over time poisoning, with a 30% increase to base and AP damage from deadly poison and an additional increase to Venomous wounds there is no reason you can’t be dodging, moving, hiding, and running to reduce your total damage overload while maintaining 10-20 seconds of serious rogue punishment on any target.

While maintaining a 5CP rupture, with 5pts of Deadly Poison, you have the potential to regain 80 energy and boost your DPS by 500-600/s.  And that is before you account for the increase given by AP and any other procs that have stacked for you.

What does this mean?  For me this means I now have the extra energy to be maintaining SnD, Rupture, standing happy with pretty continuous mutilates.  All the while, utilizing a Glyphed Feint to make sure I always have a 50% reduction in my AoE damage at all times.

How does this translate to ICC heroic mode battles?

Lord Marrowgar – Feint significantly reduces the damage from ColdFlame (from 11000 each tick to 5500).   Combination with evasion and Cloak of Shadows during Bone Storm means you can stay ON TOP of him without dying, maximizing DPS for the fight.

Saurfang – Feint significantly reduces the damage of Mark of the Fallen Champion – consider that this could be a reduction of 3,000 to 3,200 for each tick against Boiling Blood or Blood Nova, should you be the unlucky victim.  That means a reduction of 12,000-15,000 damage during this fight for every  6 second Feint – which adds up to well over 100,000 if you use Feint each time.  That healing can then be channeled to your tanks.

Lady Deathwhisper – The most obvious benefit of Feint here is for Death and Decay – this reduction means standing in DnD is only a 3000 damage tick.  Meaning if you happen to get caught in it (and what rogue doesn’t?) you receive less damage while moving out.  In this case you come back to the DOTs that have been greatly improved for rogues – which will allow you to maintain roughly 40-60% of your on target DPS while you are not on (if you can manage to have Rupture and DP up while you step away during DnD).  This also means, that since you are looking at less DPS from DnD than in a regular that your healers may be able to heal you through it, while you continue to open up on the Lady – and bring down those all important Kicks.

Festergut – This should be too obvious to mention – but a majority of this fight is related to the AoE damage that will be done.  Feint effectively reduces the damage from Gaseous Blight to truly manageable levels (if your raid is having any issues) while also allowing you to greatly reduce the amount of damage taken from Pungent Blight (in case your raid is going for heroic achievements.  In this case the higher value Assassintation DOTs will also allow you to maintain most of your DPS while you run out of the group with your spore, should you be so chosen.

Rotface – Feint shouldn’t be helping you reduce damage to much during this fight, as you should be moving about to prevent almost all of the damage you might be taking.  But the improved DOT abilities will be helping you maintain DPS while you are running about the room dragging those little oozes to the big ooze.

The Professor – Feint will greatly help you during Phase Three while you are most likely standing in goo for a second or two while your tank is moving the Prof around the room.  You’ll still be using Cloak of Shadows to reduce your overall damage taken.  And probably enjoying the benefit of Vanishing during Tear Gas for phase transitions.  Either way, your DOTs will assist the raid during transitions and will allow you to also maintain DPS while you are chasing down the Gaseous Bloat and Volatile Ooze mobs.

Princes – Feint will reduce your damage taken from Kinetic Bombs and Shock Vortex, which is nice.  DOT are not as effective here as they might be, since the Princes share their lifeforce.  So don’t feel the necessity to waste CP dropping a second rupture if you haven’t switched to a new target yet, a single rupture should be enough to bounce you to the next Prince.

Blood Queen – Feint will reduce your damage taken from Swarming Shadows and Bloodbolt Whirl.  This means an average reduction in damage of 4.5-6k per second.  During the air phase DOTs become more important, so make sure you had her stacked full to 5P DP and 5pt Rupture as she about to rise up and send you running around the room.

Dreamer – Feint will reduce your damage taken from Lay Waste as well as, any Frostbolt Volleys your unlucky enough to be standing in.  This means you can utilize your Cloak of Shadows to get rid of the Frostbolt debuff and keep driving down those Blazing Skeletons and Suppressors.  Your DOTs are not necessary in this fight, as creatures won’t live long enough to benefit from them.  Do feel free to forgo Rupture and focus your CP on envenom and recuperate (so your healers can focus on the dreamer and not you).

Sindy – Feint will reduce the damage from potential mistakes from Unchained Magic, but hopefully you won’t be experiencing that.  In addition, you should be able to Cloak and Vanish through Blistering Cold, so you never have to stop DPS.  Your DOTs are gain important as she starts to go into Air Phase, as they mean fewer air phases and a shorter fight in all.

LK – Feint is important in this fight.  It reduces your amount of Infect damage taken by ~3k while also reducing your damage taken from Pain and Suffering.  In the event that your ranged can’t handle the Ice Spheres, your feint will reduce your damage taken here to only 5k, which is much more manageable even if heals are not directly available.  It would probably reduce your damage from Defile as well, but if you’re dumb enough to be standing near defile, this post won’t help you anyway…  But! Your DOTs on the LK will be helpful to make this a shorter fight for all (isn’t that always important) while you are punching Valks in the face and making sure to stay spread out for defile.

Moral of this story – Feint is free, use it!  DOTs are good, when in doubt, rupture.  I hope someone finds this helpful.  With the latest and greatest Assassination rogue updates I’m happy to report higher than expected DPS output and excitement as my 10 man team marches towards heroic LK.