Is the sacrifice of a small amount of dps worth the utility as a GWF??

pandapaul

So I see alot of guides been posted nowadays... All of which have a reason to be successful....

Many will know my toon pandapaul In neverwinter..

So I want some feedback... GWF is at a point where it's possible to sacrifice small amounts of dps to add a fair amount of utility... I know there is a trend where GWFs like to out dps one another.... And to be honest I'm not a big fan of this.. Generally it causes runs to be alot more rocky...
The way I have specced my toon is to take more utility in my build.. Sure if I specced differently I would be able to manage around 10-15% more dps.. But I chose to run more utility encounters and dailies just to make a run smoother and more friendly for everyone..
Frontline surge.. Not so fast... Slam.... Avalanche .... All add some utility and in the right situation can be very good...
Keep in mind I mostly run CN.. Avalanche is very good for Draco.. If the timing is right..

So what does everyone think.. Is it worth sacraficing small amounts of dps for the extra utiliy???? I think it is....

fondlez

Utility doesn't scale. That is, you can get "enough" per context.

Also, to expect players to not progress or push the limits of their character is a bit ... strange, if not offensive to some. What else are they going to do?

If you are in a fixed instance farming group against content that you overgear and the expectation is to continually improve in some particular way, e.g. farming times, then naturally the marginal improvement will come from dps.

Finally, appealing to general (or even class) forums for what is probably a very fine/small difference of opinion and results in extremely high end geared groups seems quite pointless to me since very few players will understand your perspective - unless, of course, this is some sort of veiled rant. If it is not, perhaps you can be a bit more specific as to what you are talking about?

For example, how much is a "small amount of dps" difference?

valiant4ever

I think it's important for every GWF to find their own play style in order to maximise their enjoyment of the game as well as their value within the teams they run in.

Personally I enjoy playing the "Tanky DPS" or "Heroic" spec where I have invested a lot in dps, but also in defence/holding ground making me an overall damage dealer that can pull through even the toughest of fights.

Those who have run with me (in particular with voice comms) also know I love to push through dungeons very aggressively normally taking point to absorb incoming damage as well as deal some of my own. I take pride not just in my own dps, but in drawing upon the skills of team mates and inter-linking dailies and encounters from all different classes to execute "team combinations" which in turn burn down multiple packs of mobs and of course dungeon bosses in a very effective and fun manner. My eyes are open and I notice all the little things my team mates are doing to make the run go smoother and I like being part of that intelligence and co-ordinated gameplay.

Whilst I have respect for the Iron Vanguard path, I take particular pride in being a Sword Master, which to me also involves intelligently switching up mid-battle from AoE to single target in lightening quick fashion to annihilate certain key mobs before they are able to cast something harmful (whether the party I am running with realizes what I am doing or even appreciates it is irrelevant). This means I potentially "drop dps" in places and even find myself landing in second place sometimes but it's something I can live with.

With all this in mind, I love the dps and utility of running skills such as Avalanche of Steel (aka the superman move!) mixed in with quick fire sword moves from not so fast or restoring strike which enable me to more effectively hold ground or quickly burn key targets, tied in with other dare I say it more stylish moves such as Flourish and Crescendo which give you immense satisfaction when you slice through a mob or your sword comes crashing down from a mid air lunge to finish (Michael Jordan Slam Dunks, I Crescendo).

So yeah, in conclusion dps is good and it's important to maximise it, but only right up until that point where you're still being effective and of course you enjoy what you're doing.

kolatmaster

A small sacrifice is worth anything you want it to be. To each their own...

Panda/Valiant both make astute posts/observations that DPS isn't the end all, be all. You need the skill, and ability to adjust on the fly, to be able to 'back it up' so to speak. Which they obviously can do!

As long as your desire to be Top DPS in a given Dungeon, or sacrificing a bit for more Utility for your party, does not negatively impact the group then I say it's all fair game.

Hell if you want to throw a Water Balloon at each boss prior to charging at them, go for it! Have fun, rock on, and be the best you can be for your particular group at any given moment. :cool:

jmikez

IMO it relly depends on the group you are running with. For example having 2CW's in a group is all the utility u need for any dungeon, So running full dps is the better option.

zacazu

By theory, our "paper" is damage/ be tough. we are the only class that is not classified as controller.

On the other hand, let's not get into this discussion, we do high damage now, which, in the case of the destroyer, ensures good gain determination to pve. in other words, "the machine works now," and with a degree of autonomy.

assuming that the use of encounters / Dailys is somewhat peripheral to the success of this "machine" is valid then surely try.

for example, I have used the battle fury. It's a totally new and fun experience to use the power in singularity time , that you know that is the time where everyone gather to use their best damage encounters, with maximum combat advantage.

and to be honest, I like swordmaster, not have an encounter that will do more damage than the rotation of the rest of the party with a bonus damage + my own bonus damage .

if I'm not missing with my main role, why not?

piku247

valiant4ever wrote: »

I think it's important for every GWF to find their own play style in order to maximise their enjoyment of the game as well as their value within the teams they run in.

Personally I enjoy playing the "Tanky DPS" or "Heroic" spec where I have invested a lot in dps, but also in defence/holding ground making me an overall damage dealer that can pull through even the toughest of fights.

Those who have run with me (in particular with voice comms) also know I love to push through dungeons very aggressively normally taking point to absorb incoming damage as well as deal some of my own. I take pride not just in my own dps, but in drawing upon the skills of team mates and inter-linking dailies and encounters from all different classes to execute "team combinations" which in turn burn down multiple packs of mobs and of course dungeon bosses in a very effective and fun manner. My eyes are open and I notice all the little things my team mates are doing to make the run go smoother and I like being part of that intelligence and co-ordinated gameplay.

I have same thing. I have to be first on every next pack of mobs, i want to take them all on my chest so my party mates on my back could easly take thier encounters without loosing hp. And whem i am a DPS GWF i sacrificed a bit of my dps to take more survivability.

Now when im running a CN or VT with a second GWF and when i see that, hes dont give a **** about others in party and care only about hes damage, i mean come on dude, stop saying at the end that you owned me, because all what you care about, was your freaking damage results.

pando83

Don't know what Valiant means with linking daylies from different classes, since i have not enough knowledge of the other classes to do that. I usually run ahead like Others do, to absorb the damage and gain aggro, so that my team mates can DPS freely. I usually also try to merge with their gameplay, trying to link my powers to theirs. For example, i usually wait for a CW to use singularity, then when the mobs drop down i usually IBS and then frontline the pack to keep them down. I also usually use Come and get it for 2 reasons: it's a good way to pack up mobs for a triple IBS, and it forces mobs to gather around me, preventing them from attacking my team mates for a small period of time.

I think sword master path could use a clear advantage, for example, in single target damage (buff to flourish damage may be) while IV, with threat rush and frontline, could focus more on AoE and aggro-crowd control.

kolatmaster

pando83 wrote: »

Don't know what Valiant means with linking daylies from different classes....

I believe he means knowing the other Dailies your group is running, and timing them to coincide with each other at the appropriate times to maximize usage/DPS/etc. This requires communication between the group via TeamSpeak/Raidcall/Skype/Mumble, or simply knowing your groups rhythm/skills well enough to complement each other.

At least that's how I interpret what he meant! :cool: