[Patch 1.0-1.1 ARCHIVE] Mercenary | Commando DPS Compendium

[Xyrm]

(12-30-2011 02:58 AM)Poksu Wrote:  You still need your own personal Heat Signatures on the target for Heatseeker Missiles, so getting that 5xstack is important.

No argument there, my point was heat signatures have nothing to do with unload, but your explanation below clears up my concern about you ALWAYS doing unload after the first two TMs (since you say you only do it if there's a barrage).

(12-30-2011 02:58 AM)Poksu Wrote:  What I've been doing in reality, is double Tracer, Unload if there's a barrage proc (I usually just double Tracer even if the 1st one procs barrage since the proc comes so late you have already started to cast 2nd Tracer) or Rapid Shots if there's not. Then the 3rd tracer followed by Heatseekers. Now if you do get too much heat, and since were talking about the start of a fight, using Thermal Sensor Override

Thermal Sensor Override
Bounty Hunter

Activation time: Instant
Cooldown: 120 secs

Your next ability generates no heat. Effect lasts <<1[%d seconds/%d second/%d seconds]>>.

for, let's say the Heatseeker, could become optimal. Thermal Sensors are on 1,5 min cd talented anyways so you can use it multiple times during any boss fight.

Yep, and this is exactly what I've been trying lately and it works great. Using Thermal Sensor Override on or near CD is very important, as it is a direct DPS cooldown (the same applies to vent heat).

(12-30-2011 02:58 AM)Poksu Wrote:  I suppose it can be calculated, but I'd say wait for the 5 tracer locks for Railshot. It's 6% per buff for 30%! at full 5 stacks.

It can be, but it's a doozy. You have to factor the DPSPH of EVERY ability, because choosing to delay Rail Shot has implications down the road of your entire rotation. We need a simulation tool to answer this.

(12-30-2011 02:58 AM)Poksu Wrote:  If you're high on heat and Unload is off cd, it could be better dps to just Unload without barrage rather than Rapid Shots.

At first I was going to say that you lost me here, but you may be on to something. With no crits, in the ideal heat bracket unload is expected to net 1 heat after 3 seconds. Now if my memory of probability isn't horrible, if we assume a 30% crit rate, we have approximately a 66% chance (1 - (.7 ^ 3)) to get a TV proc in a full Unload. If the expected range then is between -7 and 1 (a difference of 8, the amount TV refunds), then that puts us at an expected loss of approximately -4.28. In the 3 seconds you are channeling, if your unload pushes you up into the next bracket even for all 3 seconds, you would still come out ahead, on average, by 1.28 heat.

Now this doesn't factor in the rotational impact of using an unload (3 seconds) as opposed to say, Rapid Shot AND Tracer missile (which only has 1 chance to proc TV instead of 3). That would require a comparison of DPSPH of all options, and again there is a LOT of other things going on, including whether or not this unload has barrage, etc.

It seems we have a lot of questions we simply can't answer definitively until we have a simulation tool that can handle this.