Theory Craft Challenge: Build for Carpal Tunnel DPS

Gnortranermara · December 2019

Major_Lag wrote: »

Is this kind of DPS suitable for vet content? No.
Is that relevant? No, because the OP specifically stated that they do not care about that type of content.

Yes. You're not a real theorycrafter unless you can create builds that meet a given set of conditions. Creative thinking requires breaking out of max DPS tunnel vision.

Anyway, for OP:

If you can specify a few details it'll be easier to design a rotation that fits your needs. Mouse + keyboard or controller? And what kind of controller? Have you tried a back paddle for easier bar swapping? (This will let you run 2 bars if it works well for you, raising DPS quite a lot.) How many skills can you activate per rotation? Which buttons are easiest for you to hit regularly? Are you chugging Spell Power pots for Major Sorcery and Prophecy, or do you need to get those from skills?

That'll help us pick the right skills and passives, and the best place to slot them for a particular key/controller configuration.

Asardes · December 2019

I don't have carpal, but sometimes my wrists hurt from too much key mashing. So I weave heavy attacks like a pleb:
Stam DK: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Special:EsoBuildData?id=82439
Mag DK: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Special:EsoBuildData?id=71272
Mag Sorc: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Special:EsoBuildData?id=52316
Mag Templar: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Special:EsoBuildData?id=52324

You can use MS if you don't have IA - I already had it for a long time so it took no extra effort; MS has a named infused Lightning staff from a quest, and purple jewelry is cheap, 15-20K tops. I'm not sure which one is better but for solo runs or dungeons where you don't have Minor Vulnerability the debuff from IA is decent and the other set bonuses are good. I don't like Undaunted Infiltrator because it's medium armor so you need to transmute the jewelry, 1 out of 4 bonuses is useless (weapon critical) and also it lacks Minor Slayer which you have on IA.

Kesstryl · December 2019

SidewalkChalk5 wrote: »

Major_Lag wrote: »

Is this kind of DPS suitable for vet content? No.
Is that relevant? No, because the OP specifically stated that they do not care about that type of content.

Yes. You're not a real theorycrafter unless you can create builds that meet a given set of conditions. Creative thinking requires breaking out of max DPS tunnel vision.

Anyway, for OP:

If you can specify a few details it'll be easier to design a rotation that fits your needs. Mouse + keyboard or controller? And what kind of controller? Have you tried a back paddle for easier bar swapping? (This will let you run 2 bars if it works well for you, raising DPS quite a lot.) How many skills can you activate per rotation? Which buttons are easiest for you to hit regularly? Are you chugging Spell Power pots for Major Sorcery and Prophecy, or do you need to get those from skills?

That'll help us pick the right skills and passives, and the best place to slot them for a particular key/controller configuration.

I use a mouse and keyboard. I can bar swap reasonably ok as I already do this with tanking and healing. I mouse with my left hand and keyboard with my right hand and already do things like have all my important keys near WASD like toggle autorun and synergies. Constant light attacking does kill my mouse hand. It does seem like a dot/heavy attack rotation would be better suited for my dps toons. I'm grateful for the many suggestions. I can do the Craglorn trials on vet on my main healer and tank so getting IA is not hard for me, and I already use that set on my healers to buff my groups. I have one magplar dps toon that has been using burning spellweave and mothers sorrow. I have a stamsorc, stamden, and stamblade. I will probably invest in leveling a magsorc once I figure out a character that fits with that theme (I like very light RP as in all my toons have a reason for being who they are, I don't actively RP with the RP community so I don't consider myself an RPer except in my head). Mag DK sounds interesting also and I might swap my DK healer to one of those as DK healers are not great in group content which is too bad because they're fun to play as an off meta healer. I was hoping to find some less thought of options for my current dps toons so I can help out in group content that is at least vet base game and non-vet everything else, and not suck, lol. I really appreciate those who are putting a lot of thought into this and offering suggestions.

SirLeeMinion · December 2019

Lughlongarm wrote: »

Werewolf builds can work, you mostly auto attack everything and the damage is good.

Oddly enough, I've found that WW builds are the absolute worst for carpal tunnel. Back when the first WW nerfs were in the patch notes but not yet in game, I was trying to run vMA nightly on a WW character. The light attack spam was too much for me and I had to quit due to pain. At a guess it was because I was clicking LA 2-3 times per second for 50 minutes straight (gotta keep form, right?) rather than weaving them 1 per second and taking breaks between arenas.

YMMV, of course, but I would highly recommend against WW for carpal tunnel. If someone tries it anyway, I did find that binding light attack to the mouse wheel as well as mouse 1 allowed for a different motion that made it somewhat more bearable.

Gnortranermara · December 2019

Kesstryl wrote: »

I use a mouse and keyboard. I can bar swap reasonably ok as I already do this with tanking and healing. I mouse with my left hand and keyboard with my right hand and already do things like have all my important keys near WASD like toggle autorun and synergies. Constant light attacking does kill my mouse hand. It does seem like a dot/heavy attack rotation would be better suited for my dps toons. I'm grateful for the many suggestions. I can do the Craglorn trials on vet on my main healer and tank so getting IA is not hard for me, and I already use that set on my healers to buff my groups. I have one magplar dps toon that has been using burning spellweave and mothers sorrow. I have a stamsorc, stamden, and stamblade. I will probably invest in leveling a magsorc once I figure out a character that fits with that theme (I like very light RP as in all my toons have a reason for being who they are, I don't actively RP with the RP community so I don't consider myself an RPer except in my head). Mag DK sounds interesting also and I might swap my DK healer to one of those as DK healers are not great in group content which is too bad because they're fun to play as an off meta healer. I was hoping to find some less thought of options for my current dps toons so I can help out in group content that is at least vet base game and non-vet everything else, and not suck, lol. I really appreciate those who are putting a lot of thought into this and offering suggestions.

IA is a really great set for your situation. Even in groups where Minor Vuln is redundant, you still get the 3pc Slayer bonus, tons of Spell Crit, stronger heavy attacks, and Minor Vuln on your solo targets. You can make it work for any class, but here's a mid-range Magplar setup:

Shadow Mundus
Bistat food (don't need recovery)
5pc Infal body armor
Undaunted Infiltrator lightning front bar, Precise (better for AOE) or Infused (better for single target) Shock
Undaunted Infiltrator jewels, trait changed to Arcane, Infused, or Bloodthirsty. All Spell Damage glyphs, no recovery.
If you got it: Maelstrom Inferno back bar, Infused Flame. (Torug's or another 2pc Spell Damage staff if not)
Head and Shoulder: 1 Heavy, 1 Medium
Zaan (offensive) or Iceheart (defensive)
CP Thaum 81

LIGHTNING BAR
Reflective Light (swap for Purifying Light to put extra heals on tank)
Ritual of Retribution
Shards
Harness Magicka
Inner Light
Thunderous Rage

INFERNO BAR
Solar Barrage
Unstable Wall
Radiant morph of choice
Ritual of Rebirth (or Rushed Ceremony morph of choice)
Inner Light
Crescent Sweep

Rotation is simple: Barrage, Wall, swap, Reflective, Ritual, Shards, lightning heavy until Barrage expires, swap and repeat.
In execute (<~30%), skip the heavy attacks and beam instead.

This setup can get you through normal dungeons, trials, and vet base game dungeons very easily (especially if you queue as healer, you provide more than enough off-heals to pull it off).

malistorr · December 2019

I don't have time to read the full thread but +1 vote to a heavy attack mag sorc build. I use different skills than Zynode but I use the same gear (slightly different traits) and I mostly heavy attack instead of weaving/bar swapping. I do not light attack at all. You can use 1-bar and skip the monster set. So full Undaunted Infiltrator set. I go head and shoulders and all 3 jewelry items. Then full Infallible Aether set for the rest of the body pieces. And use only a Maelstrom Lightning staff so you get all 3 bonuses to heavy attack and the big uptime for concussion and off-balance which buffs heavy attack damage even more. No bar-swapping or light attacking at all. Each tick of your heavy attack should be between 12,000 and 20,000 DPS depending on group buffs in trials/dungeons etc (Goes as high as 30K if you're using 2-bars and a few other skills). I also use the following skills for even more AOE:

1. Boundless Storm (also speed and defense buff)
2. Lightning Flood
3. Of course Elemental Blockade so you get your Maelstrom staff HA buff
4. Pet (if you choose) (or Inner Light or Bound Aegis just for a passive buff if you don't)

So just run up to the fight and cast Boundless Storm and Crit. Surge (my 5th skill besides the ult. skill to provide self-heals).
Then use #2 and #3 from above and then just heavy attack. If it's a long fight and any of the skills end you recast them. Other than that just heavy attack. If you can't even press the buttons enough to cast all of the above, at least cast Elemental blockade (to get the 3rd HA buff) (and hopefully Crit. Surge for self heals and Major Sorcery = 20% spell damage increase) and then heavy attack away. So that would be just 2 button presses and then just heavy attack away except on boss fights. Good luck. This is my best easy-mode build idea loosely based on Xynode's ideas. No light attacks or bar-swapping needed and I've breezed through the game (even dungeons and trials and lots of vet content) just fine. Yes this gear is hard to get and it will take time and effort, but once you get it this build is a breeze to play and pretty powerful. And most of all, unlike most of the posters here, it accomplishes your goal of minimizing button presses to help with the pain. You can just use the Elemental Blockade button and then heavy attack but I suggest adding at least Crit. Surge in there as well. You'll get 15Kish DPS per tick of the HA. If you're not going to use a skill like Lightning Flood, slot Inner Light and Bound Aegis, as both will give you more DPS just being slotted. If Xynode is easy mode sorc, then this is easiest mode sorc.