Sorcerer DPS BIS discussion

[Kaedis]

We've examined that set bonus before, and it's always come back as inferior to the PvE 4-set.

Note that the PvE 4-set bonus becomes more powerful the more Alacrity you have, both in terms of how much Alacrity rating it is equivalent to (1.5625% average over time, assuming 100% uptime, means that at 400 Alacrity Rating it's equivalent to 72.3 Alacrity Rating, while at 100 Alacrity Rating it's equivalent to only 49.3 Alacrity Rating) and in terms of raw DPS increase (because Activation Speed scales better than linearly).

Also note that while Crushing Darkness is your higher DPCT ability, its individual DoT ticks are your weakest (Affliction and CT both tick for more damage per tick). This means it is better to use as many Deathmark charges as possible on Affliction and CT rather than CD ticks. Reducing the CD cooldown impairs this, reducing the DPS benefit from the shorter CD.

For Lightning, there's absolutely zero chance of the PvP 2-set being superior, as Lightning scales far better with Alacrity than Madness, and gains far less DPS benefit out of Crushing Darkness.