Extra Crit or Slight Increase to Raw Damage

kawaiijen

So BMs Seekers and Barbs are generally DPH classes when it comes to PVP (There of course are some exceptions where some APS but that's not what I'm after atm)

My Question is for Full R9 users.

Is the Primeval Stones a viable option in your weapon over Garnets.

I can understand this is purely situational, but I ask because as an archer I'm more of a mix between DPS and DPH so I was curious how pure DPH work.

Since you guys also get the zerk proc on your weapons for a potential x4 damage if you crit as well.

Would you rather have the constant raw damage boost of about 600 damage from garnets, or would you be willing to sacrifice it for the 2% crit gain for an increased chance of a zerk crit?

augustfinknottle

Jen, Y U MAKE NO POLL? Anyway, as I said in the other thread, I don't trust my luck so much, so I'd rather have the constant damage. (Main is a full R9 barb)

truekossy

Garnets. If my crit is low 2% more while it only shines in a zerkcrit really doesn't help much. If my crit is mid-high, I have multiple skills to boost it enough to just hope for zerk if I fight something I need zerkcrit to kill.

Physic$ - Archosaur

i went for Dex build on my seeker , but i prefer to use garnet on weapon , and restate 40 point from str to dex for the crits as you also get more Accuracy and Evasion , i've 32% crit base , 47% with Rewinding Gesture witch work just fine for me, and help takin high geared ppl faster in tw. but i think str build will work better for pve players.

Jaabg - Sanctuary

There are other bms who are competent at this math than myself. I go with the logic, crit is a % chance, gof is a % chance, both those happening together is multiplicative, so chance goes lower.

BM's are str build, so even if a normal flawless garnet is added, once it passes through the attack multipliers, the damage is increased.

For me, if i can increase my base damage, and when, (if i get the weapon b:sad) the weapon procs, that base damage get increased by the garnet gems, gets affected by the multipliers, and that number goes to increase the damage of the zerk+crit.

BMs have low crit rate compared to the rest, the gains from increasing it by 2% does not help any more to make it a tipping thing. Maybe if timed with purify form cleric, use dragon bane, use genie skills, it would be something to think about. But a 2% increase still seems small.

It might be, that my thoughts are tinged by the fact that when i am 5 aps, with 25% crit, i still see quite a few misses on bosses. And crits don't really happen 25% of the time on average, granted boss fights are often short. Similarly in PVP (which i don't do), i wouldn't want to bank everything on the chance, but do everything else to make bm dd more. If a zerk crit happens, well b:victory b:dirty. It just like using purge pole, sometimes it happen on first hit, other times the buff will wear off without the pole purging. I would rather have a veno than rely on the purge pole purging for everything.

Maelael - Heavens Tear

All DoT with Crit stones in the Axes = Win.

Actually I think the BMs on HT with DoT have Garnets. Fail.

TheDan - Sanctuary

I'd have to go with the increase in raw damage because BMs just simply don't have any good DPH skills to complement a crit DPH build. Sure, they have a ton of AoEs, but their damage is relatively low compared to a Barb's Armageddon. If BMs actually had strong DPH skills, the crit path might actually be viable.

The BM's highest DPH skills are complete jokes compared to barb damage. HF is 100% weapon damage + 5975, GS is 100% weapon damage + 8504. Their raw DPH output potential is only half of a Barb's Armageddon according to the Damage Rankings (without counting the amp from HF).

For BMs to even come close to the DPH output of any other class, they pretty much require HF.

Nigoshi - Raging Tide

i'd deffinitly go with the increased base dmg than hoping and praying for that lucky zerk crit that will probably proc at the wrong time b:tired