Alternative to VMA bow?

BooPerScOOper

Mister_DMC wrote: »

I play a khajiit Stam DK so sustain is rough with a light attack rotation. I've always used a mixed rotation with just as many heavies as I need. Without the psijic skill I top out at just under 46k DPS solo on the dummy. Relequen was a large buff as I'm using garbage traits in purple right now and it was 5k higher than the previous setup (VO)

What is the top out for Stam DK on live right now?

about 45K +/- 3K

Mister_DMC

BooPerScOOper wrote: »

Mister_DMC wrote: »

I play a khajiit Stam DK so sustain is rough with a light attack rotation. I've always used a mixed rotation with just as many heavies as I need. Without the psijic skill I top out at just under 46k DPS solo on the dummy. Relequen was a large buff as I'm using garbage traits in purple right now and it was 5k higher than the previous setup (VO)

What is the top out for Stam DK on live right now?

Sept. 23rd - 57K/6mil
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5IqGexRT2N0

Liko...on pts. With Minor savagery and minor berserk with outside source of fracture 😑

I said on live (Wolfhunter) and solo.

BooPerScOOper

Mister_DMC wrote: »

BooPerScOOper wrote: »

Mister_DMC wrote: »

I play a khajiit Stam DK so sustain is rough with a light attack rotation. I've always used a mixed rotation with just as many heavies as I need. Without the psijic skill I top out at just under 46k DPS solo on the dummy. Relequen was a large buff as I'm using garbage traits in purple right now and it was 5k higher than the previous setup (VO)

What is the top out for Stam DK on live right now?

Sept. 23rd - 57K/6mil
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5IqGexRT2N0

I said on live (Wolfhunter) and solo.

Opps I misread that... Corrected

El_Borracho

John_Falstaff wrote: »

@sudaki_eso , that's an important omission; sustain's world apart between redguards and the runners-up. As a non-redguard (so, DCT as food and small+big piece enchanted for health), I was getting ~36-37k without vMA bow, with Hunding's and VO, and two heavy attacks on front bar - so rotation definitely can be looked at, there's a lot of space to improve over 30k, even omitting Relequen. Heavy rotation is clunky, but at least it gives sustain.

I haven't had sustain issues since switching, it was only when I tried to work in the Asylum Bow before checking out the Claw of the Mad God build. It was a bad combo of skills/rotation that depleted too much stam before switching back to DW. It wasn't a huge problem, just had to work in the occasional heavy attack, and it was a rotation problem, not an armor set problem. Going to give the Mad God build a go.

I will try out @kylewwefan's suggestions for vMA as well as @Mister_DMC's for vDSA. Now, just need to find the time. Thanks everyone.

Mister_DMC

El_Borracho wrote: »

John_Falstaff wrote: »

@sudaki_eso , that's an important omission; sustain's world apart between redguards and the runners-up. As a non-redguard (so, DCT as food and small+big piece enchanted for health), I was getting ~36-37k without vMA bow, with Hunding's and VO, and two heavy attacks on front bar - so rotation definitely can be looked at, there's a lot of space to improve over 30k, even omitting Relequen. Heavy rotation is clunky, but at least it gives sustain.

I haven't had sustain issues since switching, it was only when I tried to work in the Asylum Bow before checking out the Claw of the Mad God build. It was a bad combo of skills/rotation that depleted too much stam before switching back to DW. It wasn't a huge problem, just had to work in the occasional heavy attack, and it was a rotation problem, not an armor set problem. Going to give the Mad God build a go.

I will try out @kylewwefan's suggestions for vMA as well as @Mister_DMC's for vDSA. Now, just need to find the time. Thanks everyone.

What platform are you on?

Mister_DMC

BooPerScOOper wrote: »

Mister_DMC wrote: »

I play a khajiit Stam DK so sustain is rough with a light attack rotation. I've always used a mixed rotation with just as many heavies as I need. Without the psijic skill I top out at just under 46k DPS solo on the dummy. Relequen was a large buff as I'm using garbage traits in purple right now and it was 5k higher than the previous setup (VO)

What is the top out for Stam DK on live right now?

about 45K +/- 3K

It's nice to know that I'm nearing the top of what they can do, no wonder I've been asked for videos numerous times lately. I think people think I'm lying cause everyone thinks Stam DK is garbage. It's just a shame that currently everything is so far behind nightblade. Looking forward to the murkmire changes.

El_Borracho

@Mister_DMC I'm on PS4

Mister_DMC

El_Borracho wrote: »

@Mister_DMC I'm on PS4

NA?

El_Borracho

Mister_DMC wrote: »

El_Borracho wrote: »

@Mister_DMC I'm on PS4

NA?

Yep. West coaster

Mister_DMC

@kylewwefan do you feel like teaming up and dragging this poor guy through vdsa to get a bow?

kylewwefan

Every time I go through there it’s a training run. This wouldn’t be any different really

kylewwefan

I just got home. Turned the PlayStation on. And there’s some system update. I guess it was PSN problems people were experiencing yesterday. They have to act quick to fix these things. Unlike some companies. Hmmmm

FrancisCrawford

kylewwefan wrote: »

If you’re looking for a VMA build to help you get the maelstrom bow, there is no better combo than VO/Hundings IMO.

Relequen is trash in VMA in my experiences.

Also, I used one cost reduction, one Weapon Damage and one Recovery glyph with Dubious and the lover mundus and sharpened Bow/ nirn Infused Daggers and a good bit of points into pen and thermaturge. And Dawnbreaker/Ballista Ult.

Skoria is also a good Monster Set to use even on a stam toon. Keep your hardened armor up, use wings, maybe corrosive armor here and there, possibly meteor.

You would probably be best off with that in VDSA as well IMO. Maybe change Ult around per fight.

All the dummy testing stuff goes out the window when trying to do something other than trials. Like using the standard for more damage. It’s a terrible Ult on bosses that move or go invulnerable.

Why isn't Chains useful in VMA? Too costly?

Mister_DMC

Better use of Magicka skills, don't see the point of running chains in VMA. Movement is King.

Mister_DMC

kylewwefan wrote: »

Every time I go through there it’s a training run. This wouldn’t be any different really

Difference is you'd be running it with me and hopefully another experienced person. If you're comfortable with tanking I can dps but if not I can tank. I've cleared it many times as a healer, DPS and tank.

Mister_DMC

For those that are interested my setup for VMA for dw/bow is Venomous claw, rending slashes, shrouded dagger, deadly cloak, vigor and corrosive armor.

Bow bar, Hail, trap, poison inject, caltrops (or volatile armor if you're struggling with sustain and damage) and Dragon fire scale, with Ballista. You could use the other morph of wings but I'm just too lazy to swap it.

For what it's worth I've got flawless conquerer on my Stam DK.

El_Borracho

@Mister_DMC appreciate the offer. I'll won't be able to do any running before Friday. I'll hit you then. Thanks. And if you don't have the time, no prob.

Oreyn_Bearclaw

El_Borracho wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

As far as I know, VMA Bow>Masters Bow> whatever you have on your front bar. For pure single target, VMA and masters bow are basically a wash (but I believe VMA is slightly ahead). VMA gives a lot more cleave damage, however, which is why its the meta choice as almost no fights are pure ST.

To be candid, if you are only pulling 30k on a stam toon, your gear is not the issue. You need practice with your class and rotation. If you want to master your rotation, well that's what dummies are for. If you want to really master your class in PVE, well VMA is a great place to start. 2 birds with one stone.

I fully acknowledge my rotation is a work in progress. I was just wondering if there was a suitable replacement for the VMA bow for doing stuff like VMA and to be more effective in vet DLC trials.

Everything I have read says VMA is a nightmare for stam melee, and to date, my experiences in there have proven that to be correct. I don't blame my gear or the game, I know I need to improve. And I know the VMA bow is not the magic bullet that will get my DPS up to 40K. But every little bit helps

I also am giving that Mad Claw build a go. Again, I'm open to all suggestions.

VMA is going to be rough you first time no matter what class you choose. Is the learning curve on Stam perhaps a bit steeper, sure, but it’s perfectly doable. I actually think it’s easier once you get the hang of it because you have so much up front damage. The hardest thing about VMA on Stam is getting VO gear. It’s so good in there. Haha.

I won’t say Stam DK is the easiest Stam clear, but it’s better than you might think. Wings are mighty useful in there and trivialize some of the tougher parts of the arena. You also have a great panic ultimate if you need it. Honestly the hardest thing about Stam DK is sustain, but damage is so high now that you can build for extra sustain without issue. Through a healthy glyph on one of your big pieces and 1-2 regen enchants on your jewelry the first few times. 30k is PLENTY of damage to nuke everything that needs nuked. You are still going to have to learn the mechanics and kill priorities of each stage, but again, that’s true of any class/spec. Lastly, be very liberal with your sigil use. They respawn every round, no reason to avoid them until you have the spawns memorize. Like your wings, sigils can trivialize a lot of the tough spots.

TLDR: Don’t let forum whiners discourage you from VMA.

RABIDxWOLVERINE

@Ramber I could use some vMA tips for a Stam DK. Ive only been able to make it to the 5th or 6th level/room.

John_Falstaff

@RABIDxWOLVERINE , basically @Oreyn_Bearclaw already outlined the main strengths. Make Joy's Guide your manual first of all; as for sDK-specific things, then... Wings go a long way; there are so many things in arena to reflect, and while six seconds feel underwhelming, it's a life saver in so many situations. Corrosive Armor is your ultimate - eleven second of god mode and boosted damage often make decisive difference (to the point where you can just use the ultimate and burn robot spider or last boss after crystal phase without being bothered by anything). Sustain is indeed an issue (can't rely on dropping ultimate regularly), so move to Dubious Camoran Throne and health enchants to get your health to comfy levels (I use ~17.5k for arena, can opt for more).

The rest is class-agnostic. Doing it on stamDK is more difficult than on magicka (I compare between my main, stamDK, and magblade I switched to for the purpose of vMA runs), but quite doable.

RABIDxWOLVERINE

@John_Falstaff Thanks lll look into it. Yea @Oreyn_Bearclaw is the man he helped me a long time ago get my stam dk to perform so much better he doubled my DPS. I might need your help doing that again lol Im so out of practice and havent really put any effort into my main stam dk but plan to once I get my sets again and get my Stam dk for PVP up to 50 and maybe my stam sorc. If I remember correctly before I stopped playing I was enjoying my stam sorc

El_Borracho

@Oreyn_Bearclaw Thanks for the advice. Its been a while since I took another crack at vMA. The ice level has been the bane of my existence. I'll give it a shot with that, and some other tips from others in here. Obviously, I want to beat it. And truth be told, I like the challenge. Just was looking for a suitable placeholder until that day comes

Oreyn_Bearclaw

RABIDxWOLVERINE wrote: »

@John_Falstaff Thanks lll look into it. Yea @Oreyn_Bearclaw is the man he helped me a long time ago get my stam dk to perform so much better he doubled my DPS. I might need your help doing that again lol Im so out of practice and havent really put any effort into my main stam dk but plan to once I get my sets again and get my Stam dk for PVP up to 50 and maybe my stam sorc. If I remember correctly before I stopped playing I was enjoying my stam sorc

Stam Sorc is definitely the easiest stamina clear. Crit Surge plus hurricane just melts stuff while giving you a ton of passive heals. Main problem with Stam Sorc is that the ST DPS is the worst of any Stam class. Plenty for VMA, but you don’t see them in high end raids.

Another thing to consider is the healing morphs of rending slashes and rapid strikes. Only time I would even consider using RS or its morphs are in VMA, but they are useful for the self heals. Lastly, remember, vigor is NOT a burst heal. It is a short Heal over time. Like wings, think of it as a short duration buff that you keep up most of the time. In other words, it’s better cast before you take damage than after.

On a DK, if you are getting stuck on stage 5, you aren’t using your wings. Remember trolls are always your first priority, especially on the final boss. It’s really the first spot most people will get seriously stuck because you can take a lot of ranged damage very quickly. Wings (or the shield sigil) helps a lot.

The boss is actually really easy once you understand the mechanics. He spawns two adds at 90, 60 and 30 percent health, and he blows up the islands at 75, 45, and 5 percent health while also spawning one more add. The trick is to not push him through more than one threshold at a time. Once he hits 90, stop damage and kill adds. Then push to the next threshold where he starts to blow up the island (get away) kill the neried at repeat. The only threshold you can ignore is the last island explosion at 5%. Once you kill the adds at 30%, just push him.

As to 6, the trick here is controlling pillars. I recomend not actually trying to clear all 5 until the final boss. Make it your goal to keep 4 uncovered at all times, that way if you miss one of the spiders that covers them, it’s not a huge deal. There are a few tough mini bosses, but don’t be afraid to kite them or use ultimates. You also have a multi archer spawn, again, wings or a shield sigil makes this easy.

As the the boss, honestly it can be nuked. The safest way IMO is to start the fight with 4 pillars cleared. Burn the boss to 60-70%, kill adds that spawn as needed, and then use the pillars to stun. Once he is stunned, ulti bomb and burn him.

kylewwefan

Well, It’s Friday!!! Later tonight we shall start our journey through the Dragonstar Arena. Slogging our way through 9 levels of glorious combat to a final matchup with Hiath the Battlemaster.

the crowd roars


Starting at 9:00 pm eastern the show begins for all the contestants involved.

Your Champion

Mister D M C, supported by backup all star Kylewwefan will lead El Borracho and some other random Dude or Dudette through

Dragonstar Arena

The following acts have been performed by trained professionals, don’t try this at home kids


Is that too much?

Mister_DMC

kylewwefan wrote: »

Well, It’s Friday!!! Later tonight we shall start our journey through the Dragonstar Arena. Slogging our way through 9 levels of glorious combat to a final matchup with Hiath the Battlemaster.

the crowd roars


Starting at 9:00 pm eastern the show begins for all the contestants involved.

Your Champion

Mister D M C, supported by backup all star Kylewwefan will lead El Borracho and some other random Dude or Dudette through

Dragonstar Arena

The following acts have been performed by trained professionals, don’t try this at home kids


Is that too much?

Lol I love the enthusiasm, sadly I have a flight to catch tonight at 8.30pm est. Won't be available until Monday now 😕

md3788

I wish I could send you mine. I have 3 and don't play stam. Still no inferno staff

kylewwefan

Gonna let Hiath start smack talking before the show even starts. SMH. Live to fight another day El Borracho

Mister_DMC

Lol