I'm fairly new to the RK and still have a lot to learn, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
The trouble I'm having (and I noticed it fairly early on), is that I tend to run out of power very quickly (not when fighting a single mob, but when fighting multiple mobs or when in a fellowship in an extended fight). Everything I've read so far, even from developers, has stated that power should NOT be an issue with the RK, that in fact, power sustainability is a strength of the RK. Well, I'm finding it to be the exact opposite. There must be something I'm doing wrong, so I'd like your input, please.
To help, I'm listing all my stats so you can analyze where I might be lacking. I just received my first LIs a day or two ago, so they don't really factor into the equation. This was a problem long before I got my LI stone and satchel.
Hm, have you tried equiping jewellery with incombat power regeneration? There are also runes for your legendary items that you can slot for +power or more regen.
Will virtues will help to give you a bigger power pool, as well as help you kill stuff faster (you have been working on your deeds, right?). There are power-cost-reduction legacies and ICPR relics that you'll want for your legendary items. At 46, you're just at the tip of getting some pretty good gear, so your power issues will go away soon.
While you burn at the stake, I dance with the flames. I take what you love and leave you in tears. I am relentless, unpredictable, and waiting for your last breath.
It's been a while since I've been a level 46 Rune Keeper but I do remember back then that fate AND will were crucial in maintaining power (and health) longer. Fate affects your in-combat power regen as well as moral regen. Now it's not as crucial to stack fate.
I would also take a look into the gear if you're finding this to be a constant issue. See if there's a helpful tailor and jeweller who can link the level appropriate gear for you to see. If the gear is outdated then your stats will take a major hit which will reflect on your performance.
Like the other players also mentioned, see if your legendary weapon incorporates some legacies with will and in-combat moral regen. There's also legacies that lower the power cost of heal and damage skills that can help tremendously.
Not sure where your skills sit currently, I know when I throw Writ of Health on someone and then pulse Prelude to Hope on the same person that has Writ of Health buff going....it gives both me and the person some power. Not much but it can make or break a crucial skill you need to beat a run.
Other things to keep in mind....is there a captain in group to throw some buffs? Perhaps ask for the "focus" buff more...it ups your ICPR also. Now if the group stinks altogether you're gonna run out of power irregardless (and die lots).
Nehl the Rune-Keeper | Ramiell the Minstrel
\M/ ^_^ \M/
Your power problem will go away as you level. Others have said good things. But the quick easy solution is what the post above this one said. Eat food. Get some food for lvl 45 that has high in combat power regen. And your problem will be solved. Granted this food only lasts 5-10 minuts so you will need a lot of it. But its easy to make and if you only eat it when power will be an issue its not so bad. Between a nice stack of food and your other skills you should be fine. The legacy for power cost for healing or dps skills is also huge so the sooner you can get that working for you the better. By the time you get well geared at 75 you will have a hard time running out of power even if you try. It is doable however.
Change your point of view and change the way you perceive everything.
The power consumption may be different for different level range. I do find on my lvl40 RK that the power pots are needed very often. The middle-level gear does not have significant ICPR while you are much more active running solo from one mob to another than in the end-game instances. Plus I like to use a lot of extra (not needed) skills on alts in order to progress with the corresponding class traits. I experienced some power issues on all my alts in that lvl range (except for LM maybe.. who consumed 20-30 morale pots per evening at lvl38-45).
The easiest solution which I found is using the destiny perk for out of combat morale/power restore. It is very noticeable in solo. Of course one can eat food, but growing the components and crafting it just for several levels is too time consuming imho (I would still check the AH for the critted Lembas).
Thanks for the replies so far. Many of you have mentioned jewellery and gear. I am wearing the highest level guild gear available as well as jewellery. I have not noticed many options in any of the gear or jewellery for ICPR but will definitely look for that whenever possible. I'm just shocked that with the amount of will and fate I have that I run out of power in big/long fights so much.
For those of you who mentioned LI stuff, thanks and I'll keep that in mind for the future, but as I said in my original post, this was a problem before I got my first LI. So while that may help in the future, it doesn't help right now. I just now obtained my first LIs and haven't had the opportunity to do much with the legacies yet.
Either this is just the way it is for RKs or I'm doing something wrong. While I appreciate all the replies, I'm not sure that I've gotten a definitive answer on whether I can improve my current situation or not. I use pots and the power regen skill as soon as I can, but that still isn't enough many times.
Any other insights would be appreciated.
Thanks!
P.S. Oh, and btw, yes, I'm eating food, and that does make a difference, but sometimes I still run out of power. Thanks for those suggestions, though.
Have a look at your skill rotation. You might be using *too many* skills.
Are you suing Cold skills on single targets? they have some good effects and decent damage but they are AoE and power hungry.
Are you using many fire skills in Lightning spec? if so you are not getting the most bang for your buck as you want to use what you are traited for. Conversely for using lightning in fire spec.
Are you using a lot of Visions and Foretellings? Do you really need to?
Focusing on what the fight needs and not insisting on unleashing your entire arsenal all the time can help. Even if there are multiple mobs doesn't mean you need to spam frost skills. Follow the RaT and burn that down.
Those are some of the things that got my power drained at lower levels. Maybe they can be helpful to you too.
Have a look at your skill rotation. You might be using *too many* skills.
Are you suing Cold skills on single targets? they have some good effects and decent damage but they are AoE and power hungry.
Are you using many fire skills in Lightning spec? if so you are not getting the most bang for your buck as you want to use what you are traited for. Conversely for using lightning in fire spec.
Are you using a lot of Visions and Foretellings? Do you really need to?
Focusing on what the fight needs and not insisting on unleashing your entire arsenal all the time can help. Even if there are multiple mobs doesn't mean you need to spam frost skills. Follow the RaT and burn that down.
Those are some of the things that got my power drained at lower levels. Maybe they can be helpful to you too.
Good thoughts but I have some questions regarding the use of my skills and how I'm traited. I'll give you a typical rundown of my skill rotation when soloing and when taking on 1 or 2 mobs. When fighting more than 2 mobs at a time, my rotation will include more AOE skills.
1) I typically open with Fiery Ridicule due to a longer induction time, plus it gives good immediate damage as well as DoT.
2) I follow up with Writ of Cold for good immediate damage and the debuff it places on the mob. I open with these 2 even on a single mob even though they're both AOE skills (at least the way I'm traited, they are) for the reasons mentioned.
3) Next, I use either Writ of Fire (for DoT if it's a bigger mob), or Scribe's Spark.
4) By this time, my attunement is high enough for me to use Shocking Words and Essence of Storm.
5) If the mob isn't dead yet, I'll finish him off by using Sustaining Bolt, Scribe's Spark, or Ceaseless Argument. On bosses who are not likely dead by this point, I'll use Epic Conclusion and/or Smouldering Wrath, but only if they have enough morale to justify using those big skills.
6) I rarely use Flurry of Words or Scathing Mockery, reserving those for fellowships when taking on multiple mobs.
7) Every now and then, I'll use Essence of Winter at some point in the fight.
8) If I know the fight(s) might take a while, I'll begin with Calming Verse - or even use it mid-fight.
Regarding how I'm traited, I'm not sure I understand your comments about using fire in lightning spec and vice versa. Could you explain more? Currently, while soloing, I'm traited with 5 red line and 1 white: Conflagration of Runes, Frost-Burn, Tale of Rage, Writ of Blazing Fire, and Thunderous Words.
Try for 2 Fiery Ridicules on the mob at the onset, with a Writ of Fire or Chilling Rhetoric tossed in if you have time or need more debuffs/DoTs. Your fire skills pack more dps than lightning, most stack, plus you get the DoT effect; switch to lightning when its time to kite or your inductions are being slowed/interrupted. Lightning, especially when not traited (you or LI) for it, eats power, partially because its so quick to use.
Boss fights- find the max of your fire skills range, drop your stone, use Their Weapons Shall Not Harm, and mark em with a Fall to Flame. Your power shouldn't dip to much, but let it fill before starting. I usually go with Essay of Fire, then Chilling Rhetoric, Fiery Ridicule x2, Writ of Fire. By Writ, the boss will be on ya but its a short induction so worth the use. There on out, lightning kiting. If your power dips below half before the boss's health does, dash in for a Shocking Touch and Self-Motivation. You'll have time to land another fire skill before they move. Then back to lightning kite. And remember pot shots with Scribe's Spark and Ceaseless Argument cost less than Epic Conclusion, and may crit higher than a standard Epic anyway.
Traits- Sounds like you solo traited fire, but mostly use lightning. Remember that traits are meant to improve the skills you use the most, and traiting deep like you are comes with set bonuses (here's the wiki) .. towards the bottom of the page, before Legendary Traits, you'll see boxes with the trait-line set bonuses. Using lightning while in fire and vise versa doesn't hurt you, it just doesn't improve you.
sidenote: I DO remember running into DPS power issues from about your level til 53 or so, despite good gear and food. IDK enough about the math behind it to make a qualified statement but I'd guess that something about the skill costs don't quite mesh with the gear-avalible power pool. More fire in my rotation and artifically augmenting it with the Instance Finder bonuses helped.
1) I typically open with Fiery Ridicule due to a longer induction time, plus it gives good immediate damage as well as DoT.
FR is a good opener. For fights that might be a challenge, drop a stone first. It may draw aggro from #2, and even if it doesn't, the heals are nice. Weapons Shall Not Harm is nice to put up too for mobs that immediately try to wound/poison you. But yeah, starting combat, Fall to XXX followed by FR.
Originally Posted by mreid72
2) I follow up with Writ of Cold for good immediate damage and the debuff it places on the mob. I open with these 2 even on a single mob even though they're both AOE skills (at least the way I'm traited, they are) for the reasons mentioned.
Ehhh... I don't wanna say you're wrong (and I'm sure someone will correct me), but if you're just working on 1 or 2 mobs, WoC isn't the best skill to use early on. Sure, it's effective, and sure, the whole "debuffing" thing might be a good strategy somehow. But early in the fight, your main goal is to get attuned, stacking whatever you can in the process. Fire-traited, you're stacking DoT's. Lightning-traited, you're hoping to stack the Harsh Debate/Thundrous Words buff and get the "Charged" buff.
Originally Posted by mreid72
3) Next, I use either Writ of Fire (for DoT if it's a bigger mob), or Scribe's Spark.
Yep. Sounds about right-ish. This will put you at 3 attunement.
Originally Posted by mreid72
4) By this time, my attunement is high enough for me to use Shocking Words and Essence of Storm.
If Storm-traited, yes. Shocking Words is usually a better option solo for the chance to stun. Essence of Storm can be saved for when you have the Charged buff, which should be soon, if not already.
Originally Posted by mreid72
5) If the mob isn't dead yet, I'll finish him off by using Sustaining Bolt, Scribe's Spark, or Ceaseless Argument. On bosses who are not likely dead by this point, I'll use Epic Conclusion and/or Smouldering Wrath, but only if they have enough morale to justify using those big skills.
If the mob is dead by this time, the mobs you're fighting are too weak. Find harder mobs, wuss! LOL! It's ok to blow your load at the end though, even if you don't immediately kill them. EC when you have the opportunity (all the buffs up, and Perfect Imagery is up), not just at the end.
And remember your trait lines; at your level, they are starting to become important. Mixing Storm and Flame means each skill is doing less damage than if you focus on 1 trait line.
Originally Posted by mreid72
6) I rarely use Flurry of Words or Scathing Mockery, reserving those for fellowships when taking on multiple mobs.
Flurry of Words is completely useless. Almost nobody uses it, except in the moors as an AoE Warg Detector, and only occasionally, at that. Scathing Mockery is ok. It's a situational skill; not something to use everytime it's up. If you're fighting 4+ mobs, and your strategy is to keep WoF ticking on all of them, and they're not beating on you, ScM is ok to use. So, pretty much, in a group fighting trash. Other than that, waste of time and power.
Originally Posted by mreid72
7) Every now and then, I'll use Essence of Winter at some point in the fight.
Ehhh.... I wouldn't say this is a good idea either. Especially on landscape. Landscape mobs rarely actually use their power, and rarely get heals from another mob. And the induction is on the longish side. Sure, the damage is nice, but again, situational. In a group fighting trash, sure. But 1 or 2 landscape mobs... not the most effective strategy.
Originally Posted by mreid72
8) If I know the fight(s) might take a while, I'll begin with Calming Verse - or even use it mid-fight.
Mid-fight is actually a better use for it. With the aggro issues that RK's (and, admittedly, all DPS classes) suffer, the threat reduction will come in handy (even if it is only perceived). Nothing worse than needing a threat reduction and not having it.
Originally Posted by mreid72
Regarding how I'm traited, I'm not sure I understand your comments about using fire in lightning spec and vice versa. Could you explain more? Currently, while soloing, I'm traited with 5 red line and 1 white: Conflagration of Runes, Frost-Burn, Tale of Rage, Writ of Blazing Fire, and Thunderous Words.
This is really personal preference. Since RoI and the changes to the RK that came with it, most RK's I've seen are traiting 7-deep into their trait lines (7 red or 7 yellow). This maximizes the benefit that you get from using skills in that trait line. This is a known-good, working strategy. This is why you'll start seeing people ask if you trait "fire or lightning" when grouping. Nobody really chooses "both," as you have done.
So mixing up the traits like you are doing is kinda uncharted territory. They way you are playing, you seem to be emphasizing the Chill of Winter skills. I've never really done any worthwhile testing to see if these strategies are worth learning. Regardless, I'd unslot Tale of Rage and replace it with Icy Discourse. You're not using Fire skills enough to keep that buff up, the buff only applies to the few Fire skills you are using, and Icy Discourse seems to be more synergistic with the Chill of Winter strategy you are pursuing. The 50% damage bonus you'll get from Essence of Storm will exceed any damage bonus you get from Tale of Rage in all but the longest of fights. Traiting for and using more Fire skills will obviously change this balance.
Last edited by PerfectApproach; Jun 27 2012 at 05:27 PM.
While you burn at the stake, I dance with the flames. I take what you love and leave you in tears. I am relentless, unpredictable, and waiting for your last breath.
FR is a good opener. For fights that might be a challenge, drop a stone first. It may draw aggro from #2, and even if it doesn't, the heals are nice.
Yeah, if I know it'll be tough, I definitely drop a stone.
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
But yeah, starting combat, Fall to XXX followed by FR.
Regarding the affinity of Fall to XXX, if I'm correct, it really doesn't matter which is active, as long as I use an appropriate skill. In other words, if the last skill i used was a fire skill, then as long as I use a fire skill within the 30 seconds it's active, it'll deal the additional damage. Same for frost or lightning. I typically begin my fights with Fall to XXX regardless of what the affinity has been set to by the last skill I used.
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
Ehhh... I don't wanna say you're wrong (and I'm sure someone will correct me), but if you're just working on 1 or 2 mobs, WoC isn't the best skill to use early on. Sure, it's effective, and sure, the whole "debuffing" thing might be a good strategy somehow. But early in the fight, your main goal is to get attuned, stacking whatever you can in the process. Fire-traited, you're stacking DoT's. Lightning-traited, you're hoping to stack the Harsh Debate/Thundrous Words buff and get the "Charged" buff.
Not sure I understand what you're saying about WoC. It adds one to attunement plus does good damage and gives the debuff. Why not use it early on in the fight? Another reason I use it early on is when I'm attacking two mobs at once - it's an AOE attack.
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
If the mob is dead by this time, the mobs you're fighting are too weak. Find harder mobs, wuss! LOL!
Well, I know you're semi-joking, but a lot of the times, they ARE dead by this time. And I'm fighting on level mobs, not mobs that are several levels beneath me. One thing I've noticed - this RK is much more powerful than any of my other toons were at this level (I also have a champ, burg, LM, and hunter).
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
If you're fighting 4+ mobs, and your strategy is to keep WoF ticking on all of them, and they're not beating on you, ScM is ok to use.
Can you explain the relation between Scathing Mockery and WoF? Not sure what you mean by keeping WoF ticking on all of them.
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
Ehhh.... I wouldn't say this is a good idea either. Especially on landscape. Landscape mobs rarely actually use their power, and rarely get heals from another mob. And the induction is on the longish side. Sure, the damage is nice, but again, situational. In a group fighting trash, sure. But 1 or 2 landscape mobs... not the most effective strategy.
I don't use this for the debuff, but rather for the nice damage and for the fact that it's an AOE attack, affecting 3 targets. Granted, if they're all beating on me, I can't get this off due to the induction being knocked back. But if I'm in a fellowship and not being attacked, then I'll use it.
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
This is really personal preference. Since RoI and the changes to the RK that came with it, most RK's I've seen are traiting 7-deep into their trait lines (7 red or 7 yellow). This maximizes the benefit that you get from using skills in that trait line. This is a known-good, working strategy. This is why you'll start seeing people ask if you trait "fire or lightning" when grouping. Nobody really chooses "both," as you have done.
The main reason I'm using 4 red and 1 yellow is because I only have 4 red traits currently. I had to fill the 5th slot with something and chose Thunderous Words. Since the trait bonuses are maxed at having 4 slotted, what's the benefit of going all red or all yellow? It seems like after achieving the maximum bonus (4 traits slotted), the other choices should be made on what you'll use most as well as any bonuses you can receive from slotting at least 2 of that line, but preferably 3. That's what burgs and champs do for sure (haven't played my LM or hunter in so long that I have no idea if the same is true for them).
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
Mixing Storm and Flame means each skill is doing less damage than if you focus on 1 trait line.
How is that possible? The skills the appropriate traits affect are going to do whatever the trait says, regardless of if I have another trait line affecting a different skill. Maybe I misunderstand your point.
Originally Posted by PerfectApproach
The way you are playing, you seem to be emphasizing the Chill of Winter skills. I've never really done any worthwhile testing to see if these strategies are worth learning. Regardless, I'd unslot Tale of Rage and replace it with Icy Discourse. You're not using Fire skills enough to keep that buff up, the buff only applies to the few Fire skills you are using, and Icy Discourse seems to be more synergistic with the Chill of Winter strategy you are pursuing. The 50% damage bonus you'll get from Essence of Storm will exceed any damage bonus you get from Tale of Rage in all but the longest of fights. Traiting for and using more Fire skills will obviously change this balance.
The only Chill of Winter skill I'm using with any regularity is Writ of Cold. The only other one I use from time to time is Essence of Winter. The others I use very rarely. I use more fire skills than frost skills by far, with Fiery Ridicule, Writ of Fire, and Smouldering Wrath being the ones I use the most often of that set. However, I use Lightning skills far more frequently than any of the others (maybe because there are more of them and require less attunement?). So, I wouldn't say I'm pursuing a Chill of Winter strategy. In fact, the only strategy I'm pursuing is killing the mobs as quickly as possible! Also, I can't slot Icy Discourse yet - haven't earned it.
Btw, I'm not trying to disagree with every one of your points or argue with you. I'm just trying to explain my rationale and understand your point of view better. I thank you very much for your time!
Regarding the affinity of Fall to XXX, if I'm correct, it really doesn't matter which is active, as long as I use an appropriate skill. In other words, if the last skill i used was a fire skill, then as long as I use a fire skill within the 30 seconds it's active, it'll deal the additional damage. Same for frost or lightning. I typically begin my fights with Fall to XXX regardless of what the affinity has been set to by the last skill I used.
It's not a guaranteed thing though. While Fall to XXX is up, there is a CHANCE (albeit a good chance) that XXX damage will trigger it. But with the way you're mixing up all the different affinities, it shouldn't matter much which one you lay down. Having read your last paragraph already, I'd do my best to make sure the last skill I used WASN'T a Winter skill. Other than that, doesn't matter much.
BTW, it wasn't always like that. I know Fall to Flame at one time was a guaranteed, 100% trigger. And it was lethal. You could put it on a mob, and then have a hunter buddy apply some fire-oil and pull with Swift Bow (I think...whichever skill loosed 3 arrows at once). Since it was 1 skill that triggered Fall to Flame, all 3 hits would trigger Fall to Flame... 3 times! So not only would the mob suffer 3x hits from Swift Bow, the mob would suffer 3x hits from Fall to Flame. This was HUGE at lvl 60. 1800-damage opening shots were unheard of, so 6x300 damage opening shots were awesome. Unfortunately, they fixed it.
Originally Posted by mreid72
Not sure I understand what you're saying about WoC. It adds one to attunement plus does good damage and gives the debuff. Why not use it early on in the fight? Another reason I use it early on is when I'm attacking two mobs at once - it's an AOE attack.
I'm not saying don't use it. I'm just saying that, my opinion, it's best saved for after you're fully attuned and already have either got your DoT's ticking or blown all your good crits. Using a skill like WoC in your rotation puts a delay in either getting your lightning buffs up fast or getting DoT's stacked fast. And this could purely be a strategy thing. You seem to be trading quick damage for debuffs, which is entirely a philosophical debate. Which is better for success: Survival by killing fast, or survival by debuffing the mob into oblivion? Either way, you succeed. Even when attacking multiple mobs, some people, myself included, prefer to take them down one at a time.
Originally Posted by mreid72
Well, I know you're semi-joking, but a lot of the times, they ARE dead by this time. And I'm fighting on level mobs, not mobs that are several levels beneath me. One thing I've noticed - this RK is much more powerful than any of my other toons were at this level (I also have a champ, burg, LM, and hunter).
Indeed! On-level normal landscape mobs do melt quickly. Just wait till you get to the Great River area, specifically the Limlight Gorge.
Originally Posted by mreid72
Can you explain the relation between Scathing Mockery and WoF? Not sure what you mean by keeping WoF ticking on all of them.
Forgive me. I forgot that you are lvl 46. At level 72, you get "Improved Scathing Mockery," which is the 2nd worst change ever made to the RK. It takes away the separate DoT that Scathing Mockery applies and instead applies Writ of Fire to 5 targets. On the surface, it sounds like a good idea, but take another look at Conflagration of Runes, and you'll see what I'm talking about. One less DoT = -10% FR DoT damage.
Originally Posted by mreid72
I don't use Essence of Winter for the debuff, but rather for the nice damage and for the fact that it's an AOE attack, affecting 3 targets. Granted, if they're all beating on me, I can't get this off due to the induction being knocked back. But if I'm in a fellowship and not being attacked, then I'll use it.
Again, this could simply be a philosophical question. Kill everything at once somewhat slower, or Kill everything one-at-a-time really fast? Just be mindful that it is a very power-hungry skill. The damage-to-power ratio isn't very high.
Originally Posted by mreid72
The main reason I'm using 4 red and 1 yellow is because I only have 4 red traits currently. I had to fill the 5th slot with something and chose Thunderous Words. Since the trait bonuses are maxed at having 4 slotted, what's the benefit of going all red or all yellow? It seems like after achieving the maximum bonus (4 traits slotted), the other choices should be made on what you'll use most as well as any bonuses you can receive from slotting at least 2 of that line, but preferably 3. That's what burgs and champs do for sure (haven't played my LM or hunter in so long that I have no idea if the same is true for them).
1) Part of the 4-deep trait bonus is +3% damage buff per trait. 3 extra traits (after the first 4) = +9% more damage for simply slotting more traits that feed into each other anyway. At one time, it used to be more beneficial to slot Master of Tragedy when Fire-traited. The extra crit did more damage than any of the remaining fire-traits. Now, with the +3% bonus, that is no longer the case.
2) RK's don't work like Burgs or LM's or Champs or any other class. COMPLETELY different. One of the reasons for this effect is that Burgs, LM's, and Champs were all released when the game went public. RK's (and Wardens) were released a year and a half later with the Mines of Moria expansion. Different programmers, different mentality, different management. In fact, until RoI, RK's were IN NO WAY an AoE DPS class. We were designed to kill one thing f*cking fast. However, RK's have been slowly... drifting... I digress.
Originally Posted by mreid72
How is that possible? The skills the appropriate traits affect are going to do whatever the trait says, regardless of if I have another trait line affecting a different skill. Maybe I misunderstand your point.
See point 1 above. If you slot 3 MORE traits in the same trait line, you get a +9% raw damage buff. And those traits feed into the kind of damage you're already doing. Think of it like this:
Trait 7-deep in Fire traits, I get a raw +21% damage buff to all Fire damage. The "extra" fire traits also help my Fire skills more than the 4 already do. This encourages me to stick to Fire damage, and forget the lightning skills altogether.
-- or --
Trait 4-deep in Fire traits, and 3-deep in Lightning traits. +12% to all Fire damage (9% less). +0% to all Lightning damage. The extra effects from the 3 Fire traits NOT traited are gone, reducing DPS.
Are the extra effects from the lightning traits worth losing the 9% bonus to Fire damage?
Originally Posted by mreid72
The only Chill of Winter skill I'm using with any regularity is Writ of Cold. The only other one I use from time to time is Essence of Winter. The others I use very rarely. I use more fire skills than frost skills by far, with Fiery Ridicule, Writ of Fire, and Smouldering Wrath being the ones I use the most often of that set. However, I use Lightning skills far more frequently than any of the others (maybe because there are more of them and require less attunement?). So, I wouldn't say I'm pursuing a Chill of Winter strategy. In fact, the only strategy I'm pursuing is killing the mobs as quickly as possible! Also, I can't slot Icy Discourse yet - haven't earned it.
Yeah... TBH, this whole discussion is really moot until you actually have a selection of traits to choose from, rather than just slotting what you have. Just wait until you get Mystifying Flame... you'll rethink that whole "I use Lightning skills far more frequently than any of the others" thing.
Originally Posted by mreid72
Btw, I'm not trying to disagree with every one of your points or argue with you. I'm just trying to explain my rationale and understand your point of view better. I thank you very much for your time!
No problem. I do my best to educate young padawan RK's when I feel like they're actually trying, and I do my best to learn strategies from RK's who haven't been influenced by the old-school veterans yet. The fact that you can hold your own against multiple on-level landscape mobs tells me that you're doing something right. But I think the pure-fire/pure-lightning philosophy still holds true, if you're trying to maximize DPS.
Last edited by PerfectApproach; Jun 27 2012 at 09:38 PM.
While you burn at the stake, I dance with the flames. I take what you love and leave you in tears. I am relentless, unpredictable, and waiting for your last breath.
if you're having power issues, you can use ceaseless argument more often in your rotation, the power cost is so pathetically low you could do it all day, if you still have issues, since you'll be lightning traited, put up chilling rhetoric to give yourself the charged buff and hit sustaining bolt (if you have it), if you wait till you're already charged before you do this you'll be double charged and you'll get extra power back (unless they saw this and changed it lol, been a while since i had to worry bout power) put the correct legacy for battle attuned power cost on your legendary item, use your power restore before power becomes an issue to get more uses out of it and therefore more power, so as soon as you get the full effect from it. trait as much lightning as possible, and remember to power pot before you NEED to power pot, that way it will be off cooldown quicker. stack more will because the raw power will trump the icpr that fate gives you, plus more will makes for more damage from skills and therefore less skills used, as a side benefit your extra power will also affect getting more power back with your power restore skill which restores 10%
that's my 2 cents, hope it helps
You will find that conversational range increases dramatically when you talk about what you think, rather than what you know.
use lightning (hi malf *waves*)...trait as much lightning as possible....
Things you tell your kids before letting them out on their own:
1) The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
2) Don't do drugs. But if you do, don't drive.
3) Be a simple kind of man. Be something you love and understand.
4) Don't bother with Fire damage. Trait lightning.
While you burn at the stake, I dance with the flames. I take what you love and leave you in tears. I am relentless, unpredictable, and waiting for your last breath.
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Originally Posted by Ravenstride
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Also, I can't slot Icy Discourse yet - haven't earned it. 
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