[1.8] Raid DW DPS - The Gladiator (38 Para/22 Champ/6 RB)

[Asteldian]

38 Para/22 Champ/6 Riftblade
http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0c...xz.E0czV0ob.-5

(Before I start talking about the above build, I would like to again give credit to Azunia from the Rift forums. Azunia clearly has put in the work to test this and a number of other builds for their post 1.8 DPS)

Introduction

Having talked 2h DPS for the upcoming patch 1.8, it is time to share good news with the Dual Wield lovers among you. After being shunned for so long, DW is now a viable spec for the future.
It’s worth noting that there are about 6 or 7 builds within 100DPS of each other for single target, which means there is a lot of flexibility for ones playstyle – ther are iable builds for 2h and DW for the raid setting. The only thing Warriors don’t have is a viable ranged spec (but then with a 20m ranged cap we likely never will)
This guide will look at the best of the DW specs (and indeed the highest single target of all builds), I give this build the name Gladiator (If anyone has watched the Spartacus TV series they will understand why - there is no name more fitting for a DW spec than the killing machine that is the Gladiator Gannicus). But for most of you it will just be called ‘that uber DW spec’

Strengths of this build are as follows:

Best Single Target DPS of all builds
Excellent Raid scaling
Good mobility – Thread the Trees, Fleet of Foot, Bull Rush
Decent short term ranged capability (good for brief disconnects)

Weakness of the build are:

Poor AOE damage
More awkward rotation (5 Finishers, though most are in one macro)
Reliance on Rising Waterfall (it’s big damage so any error is notable DPS loss)

Gear wise, you want to be using the Paragon HK crystal (if you don’t have the crystal then your rotation will be adjusted) and obviously 2 very good 1h weapons. If both your weapons are not of the same tier that your 2h is (very possible as most Warriors have been 2h till now) then this spec is not worth using.
For buffs you will be using Way of the Wind, Slayers Bearing and Stormblade.

Macros

This build has a number of macros to use. It is probably the most Finisher intensive of all builds.

Builder:

#show Dual Strike
suppressmacrofailures
cast Dual Strike
cast Path of the Wind
Cast Flamespear

This build doesn’t have a spam macro as you alternate between this builder and the next. To ensure your DPS is maximised you need to be sure not to get trigger happy with this macro as after each use you should use the one below. Note there is no Off Global Cooldown attack in this macro, this is because it risks being used at the wrong time and as a result will prevent you from being able to use your Follow up attack which as noted earlier, is a DPS loss. Obviously the ranged attacks will never go off when in melee, but when unexpectedly disconnected from boss, this macro will allow you to continue attack with the same rotation as if you were in melee

Follow Up:

#show Rising Waterfall
suppressmacrofailures
cast rising waterfall
cast path of the Hurricane
cast path of the Raptor

This is your Follow Up macro to be used after the Builder macro everytime. You NEVER want to cut off your Follow up attacks, so even if you have 3 Attack Points already, be sure to use this before your Finisher. Again, there is no Off Global Cooldown attack here to ensure you don’t mess up the Follow up attack opportunity.
Usually a Follow up attack is out of macro due to macro lag, however, due to the fact you only ever use this when your Follow ups are active there is no issue having all your Follow Ups in one macro – it’s very useful for when you go out of melee range unexpectedly either Hurricane or Raptor will activate to minimise DPS loss.

Finisher 1)

#show strike like iron
suppressmacrofailures
cast Strike like Iron
cast Icy Burst
cast Fiery Burst
cast Frenzied Strike

This is your main Finisher macro – you must always keep Strike Like Iron buff up. While a rotation will be mentioned in the next section, if for whatever reason you are out of sequence, always prioritise reapplying the SLI buff and just restart from there.

Finisher 2)

#show Shifting Blades
suppressmacrofailures
cast Frenzied Strike
cast Shifting Blades

This finisher is added into your rotation if you have the Paragon HK 4 piece bonus. If you don’t then ignore this macro.

Finisher 3)

#show Reaping Harvest
suppressmacrofailures
cast Reaping Harvest
cast Frenzied Strike

This finisher is also only really used if you have the Paragon crystal, if you don’t then you will be sticking with the first Finisher macro

Rotation and Tactics

Without the Paragon Crystal, the rotation is actually pretty simple – it still relies on you not to miss out on a Follow Up attack, but otherwise it’s pretty simple – and indeed, if you have been using the 2h 38 Para/26 Champ/2 RB then it will be identical macro pressing, just the skills are called something different.
So, without the Crystal you are looking at:

Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Strike Like Iron
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Icy Burst
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Fiery Burst

Basically it’s just Builder, Follow up, Finisher 1 rinse and repeat. The Finisher has your Off Global Cooldown ability (hence the Finisher/Frenzied Strike) so you essentially double tap your Finisher move

If you have the 4 piece HK synergy Crystal bonus, then the rotation becomes more complex, but damage vastly increases:

Once you have just used Strike Like Iron (either by using the Builder, Follow Up and Finisher macro, or by having 3 Attack Points when fight starts)

Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Shifting Blades
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Reaping Harvest/Frenzied Strike
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Strike Like Iron

Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Icy Burst
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Fiery Burst
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Icy Burst
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Strike Like Iron

Rinse and repeat. The beauty of this build is that if you are forced to go ranged for a period in the fight nothing really changes from the base rotation – Builder, Follow up, Finisher 1.

I won’t go into detail regarding AOE because this build just isn’t designed for it, but basically it’s Mighty Blow, Path of the Hurricane, and your Finisher 1 macro

So, there you have it, if you like DW, this spec is the king for single target damage.
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Before finishing the guide, it’s worth briefly mentioning an alternative build to this.

44 Para/22 Champ/0 RB
http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0c...M..E0czV0ob.-5

This build tends to be higher DPS in smaller groups (such as 10 man or less) as it relies less on raid buffs.
The downside to this build is the reason it does not rely on other buffs – it does not scale with raid buffs as much as the 38 Para version, which is why the Gladiator build is a better build for max DPS. On the Brightside, this build still is top end DPS, has an easier rotation than the Gladiator build and for a nice change it does not involve any RB Finisher – that in itself can make it worth using!

The macros for the build are:

Builder:

#show Paired Strike
suppressmacrofailures
cast Paired Strike
cast Dual Strike
cast Path of the Wind

Follow up:

#show show Rising Waterfall
suppressmacrofailures
cast rising waterfall
cast path of the Hurricane
cast path of the Raptor

Finisher A:

#show Reaping Harvest
suppressmacrofailures
cast Strike Like Iron
cast Reaping Harvest
cast Frenzied Strike

Finisher B:

#show Shifting Blades
suppressmacrofailures
cast Frenzied Strike
cast Shifting Blades

Rotation

Once you have just used Strike Like Iron (either by using the Builder, Follow Up and Finisher macro, or by having 3 Attack Points when fight starts) the rotation is:

Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Shifting Blades
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Reaping Harvest/Frenzied Strike
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Strike Like Iron

Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Frenzied Strike/Reaping Harvest
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Reaping Harvest/Frenzied Strike
Dual Strike -> Rising waterfall -> Strike Like Iron

As you can see, it’s a simplified rotation, simply weaving in Shifting Blades every two Strike Like Irons. As mentioned before, 100% up time of Strike Like Iron is key to the builds if that means having to throw in an additional Builder while the last second or 2 of SLI cooldown wears off, then so be it.