Scoundrel/Operative DPS Compendium

[Sol]

As I stated, you cannot keep all of your abilities on CD with the way energy regen works. Laceration is rarely going to be used, as Back Stab & Acid Blade far outstrip it's damage per energy ratio and the same goes for Vital Shot. Laceration/Collateral Strike is only important if you can't get behind your target. Laceration requires Shiv and Vital Shot to be optimal, making it hideously expensive. The proc is only 50% every 10 seconds as well. It also has no CD so can be caught up if you have surplus energy (which is extrmely unlikely) whereas Backstab has a CD so you want to optimise this as much as possible.

Backstab/Acid Blade also benefit from Meticilously Kept Blades. Once you have sufficient crit (as you will at level 50) the damage of this ability soars and in turn makes vital shot's damage negligible (that was my meaning and I should have made that clearer). The reason they changed Meticuloiusly Kept Blades was to nerf the damage of Laceration and increase the benefit Backstab got from it. Corrosive Dart is not unimportant, it just doesn't match up with Backstab/Shiv/Stim Boost in priority. You may have a raid leader that wants you to utilise Corrosive Dart as it increases the entire raids damage, however that will not provide you the best DPS benefit, which is what the guide addresses.

For some reason people seem to think that they are going to spam away their abilties and keep everything on CD. Feel free to step out the rotation and see just how long your energy lasts. I did and it was close to 35 seconds. Backstab/Acid Blade are the foremost damage abilities to be kept on CD as much as possible, as they do more damage than laceration (especially on crit), apply the 50% armour pen buff and only costs 13 energy.