Do you basically have to run Shattering Rocks with Molten Whip?
RiskyChalice863
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Do you basically have to run Shattering Rocks with Molten Whip?
Molten Whip gives Mag DK’s a really good burst ability. In fact, it’s one of the best burst abilities in the game IMO. However, when you choose to use Molten Whip, you of course miss out on the hefty heals from Flame Lash. To add to that, I’m a big believer in the idea that you really have to run Flames of Oblivion with Molten Whip. Flames of Oblivion can actually act like an okay spammable to keep pressure up while you’re building your whips. If you don’t run it, then you’re stuck just spamming Burning Embers or Engulfing Flames to proc Molten Whip. Both are DoTs that don’t really get very much value if you spam them. Burning Embers does less upfront damage than Flames of Oblivion if you spam it, and it costs more. Engulfing Flames does similar upfront damage but at a MUCH higher cost. Spamming Fiery Grip would give you less damage at a massive cost. And while you could obviously spam Cauterize as cheaply as Flames of Oblivion, that basically means giving up essentially all pressure while building up Molten Whip. So it makes the most sense to run Flames of Oblivion as a spammable with Molten Whip.
But if you run Flames of Oblivion, that means you don’t have Cauterize.
Without Flames Lash and Cauterize, do you have to run Shattering Rocks to get enough healing? You can still have Burning Embers + Coagulating Blood + Rapid Regen for healing. But Burning Embers is the only proactive heal there, and it’s not necessarily super reliable—especially now with a 14 second duration and low damage. My worry is that with Burning Embers as the only proactive heal, you’ll basically be forced too easily onto your back bar and get stuck there unless you’ve got Leap up.
Shattering Rocks would help this issue. The heal is pretty big, and the combination of Burning Embers and Shattering Rocks should be a good amount of self-heal.
But my concern is that that means dropping Fossilize—which I regard as being one of the best PvP abilities in the entire game. I play mostly no-CP PvP, and Fossilize’s double stamina drain is just so incredibly strong. It’s a death sentence for magicka characters a very large portion of the time.
I know I could test this all out myself, but does anyone who is more experienced at Mag DK have some developed thoughts on this? If you use Molten Whip, is the heal from Shattering Rocks basically necessary and therefore worth using instead of Fossilize, or is it possible to keep yourself up and on your front bar without it?
Molten Whip gives Mag DK’s a really good burst ability. In fact, it’s one of the best burst abilities in the game IMO. However, when you choose to use Molten Whip, you of course miss out on the hefty heals from Flame Lash. To add to that, I’m a big believer in the idea that you really have to run Flames of Oblivion with Molten Whip. Flames of Oblivion can actually act like an okay spammable to keep pressure up while you’re building your whips. If you don’t run it, then you’re stuck just spamming Burning Embers or Engulfing Flames to proc Molten Whip. Both are DoTs that don’t really get very much value if you spam them. Burning Embers does less upfront damage than Flames of Oblivion if you spam it, and it costs more. Engulfing Flames does similar upfront damage but at a MUCH higher cost. Spamming Fiery Grip would give you less damage at a massive cost. And while you could obviously spam Cauterize as cheaply as Flames of Oblivion, that basically means giving up essentially all pressure while building up Molten Whip. So it makes the most sense to run Flames of Oblivion as a spammable with Molten Whip.
But if you run Flames of Oblivion, that means you don’t have Cauterize.
Without Flames Lash and Cauterize, do you have to run Shattering Rocks to get enough healing? You can still have Burning Embers + Coagulating Blood + Rapid Regen for healing. But Burning Embers is the only proactive heal there, and it’s not necessarily super reliable—especially now with a 14 second duration and low damage. My worry is that with Burning Embers as the only proactive heal, you’ll basically be forced too easily onto your back bar and get stuck there unless you’ve got Leap up.
Shattering Rocks would help this issue. The heal is pretty big, and the combination of Burning Embers and Shattering Rocks should be a good amount of self-heal.
But my concern is that that means dropping Fossilize—which I regard as being one of the best PvP abilities in the entire game. I play mostly no-CP PvP, and Fossilize’s double stamina drain is just so incredibly strong. It’s a death sentence for magicka characters a very large portion of the time.
I know I could test this all out myself, but does anyone who is more experienced at Mag DK have some developed thoughts on this? If you use Molten Whip, is the heal from Shattering Rocks basically necessary and therefore worth using instead of Fossilize, or is it possible to keep yourself up and on your front bar without it?
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yodased✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Fossilize > shattering all cases in my experience. Maybe in 1v1 duels it would ve better but the amount of time the guy you just cc hits you after breaking is lower than you imagine. The drain of fossilized let's you finish the opponent faster to face the other opponents hitting youTl;dr really weigh the fun you have in game vs the business practices you are supporting.0 -
ZarkingFrued✭✭✭✭✭
✭I run your skill loadout with fossilize by relying heavily on SnB backbar for block and a very risky use of searing strikes and coag blood with tripots. It's all burst heals, but I just make sure to cycle searing strike regularly even if it seems I don't need it, it tops off my health, and only use coag at 50% or less health, which causes a huge risk/reward playstyle, but j find it works because of the huge pressure I have using FoO (2 targets!) and engulfing with leap. I do okay outnumbered this way, it's relative to Nirnstorm's pvp MagDK . Other options include meditate for line of sight heals/recovery, and resto backbar for rapid regen. I've ran it with cauterize as well, which has way better survival but not when you cant pressure people.0 -
Haquor✭✭✭✭✭For me the answer is yes.
With molten whip i run shattering. But i use rapid regen backbar. Coag on the baclbar and embers front. I do not use FOO i simply dont have the space. I would have yo give up a CC, penetration/sustain, mobility, bonus fire damage, heals or resistance.
At the moment I cant see me dropping anything for FOO.0 -
RiskyChalice863✭✭✭For me the answer is yes.
With molten whip i run shattering. But i use rapid regen backbar. Coag on the baclbar and embers front. I do not use FOO i simply dont have the space. I would have yo give up a CC, penetration/sustain, mobility, bonus fire damage, heals or resistance.
At the moment I cant see me dropping anything for FOO.
You could run something like the following:
Molten Whip
Shattering Rocks
Burning Embers
Flames of Oblivion
Elemental Drain
Ferocious Leap
Rapid Regen
Volatile Armor
Race Against Time/Elusive Mist
Coagulating Blood
Engulfing Flames
Life Giver
That setup has Flames of Oblivion, but should also cover all the things you mentioned. You’ve got: (1) the CC with Shattering Rocks, (2) penetration/sustain with Elemental Drain, (3) bonus fire damage from Engulfing Flames, (4) mobility from Race Against Time or Elusive Mist; (5) heals from Shattering Rocks, Coag, Rapid Regen, and Burning Embers; (5) and resistance from Volatile Armor.
What skill(s) are you running outside of those? There’s other good skills a Dragonknight can use of course, but I do think you can cover the necessary components of a build that you mentioned while still running Flames of Oblivion. It crowds out the front bar a little bit, so that you need to have one offensive skill on the back bar, so that’s not ideal, but otherwise I’m not sure that that’s missing anything that is absolutely necessary. You don’t have Wings or a gap closer, but you’ve got snare removal and major expedition, and you don’t have Igneous Weapons but you can cover major sorcery with a potion.
Edited by RiskyChalice863 on March 21, 2020 9:44PM0