Phantasm or Mind Wrack ?
The first option is much easier.
The second option is better if you time your Mind Wrack appropriately.
The true answer depends on your spec. If you are spec’d with 6 phantasm traits, then maintaining high phantasm uptime is more important. If you are spec’d with 6 shatter traits, then maintaining rapid shatter cycles is more important.
However, with good timing you will never shatter immediately after summoning a phantasm in general.
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Depends what you are fighting. Most of the time, when you are doing basic PvE you will be fighting mobs that will go down before you could ever summon your third Phantasm. In that case you still Mind Wrack, just when you think it’ll finish off the mob or you know that it’ll die before the Phantasm gets another attack in (their attack animation is fairly slow).
If you are fighting tougher mobs that will stand up to a few hits, 3 Phantasms is good. I still use Shatters on tough bosses, especially ones that telegraph attacks by using either Diversion (if they aren’t immune to it) or Distortion (might as well not take damage from it). Alternatively, if it looks like the Phantasm is about to die, there is no reason NOT to Mind Wrack it.
If you are going for Shatters, it lends itself to clearing out weaker mobs more as the damage is AoE. I’d advise on using Scepter as it is the “clone factory” weapon. That also lends you to Condition Damage which would also give you your out vs. tougher mobs/bosses or enemies with a lot of AoE.
Even in Shatter spec, you are still going to summon Phantasms but after they use an attack or 2, they are considered more disposable. This lends itself to Phantasms with high burst and high CD. This means iWarlock, iSwordsman. iDuelist and iWarden have longer “chain” attacks which would get cut short if you need to Shatter.
TL;DR: It’s not strictly black and white, but they do lend themselves to different playstyles. Pick which work for you.
Mesmerizing
If you’re fighting tougher mobs, your phantasms will die in 1-2 hits, so you will not get 3 up in any case. Lulz.
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If you’re fighting tougher mobs, your phantasms will die in 1-2 hits, so you will not get 3 up in any case. Lulz.
I keep forgetting they are saying 3 Phantasms instead of 2 and a clone. I don’t understand everyone’s desire to always have 3. Having 2 and clone is infinitely more useful as it doesn’t lock you out of one of your skills on every weapon set and gives you a disposable tank.
Mesmerizing
But iDuelist does 15,000 damage man, nothing can compare!
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But iDuelist does 15,000 damage man, nothing can compare!
Are people still not noticing that the number that pops up is clearly a tally of total damage and not separate damage numbers?
Mesmerizing
It’s mostly gone on guru, but with the opening of this forum, a lot of people have come in with that misunderstanding. I think it’s passing, but it’s still funny.
Especially the 10,000 damage arc lightnings.
Sidenote: there was a guy on the Warr forums who thought the last hit of 100b was doing 8k damage.
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It’s mostly gone on guru, but with the opening of this forum, a lot of people have come in with that misunderstanding. I think it’s passing, but it’s still funny.
Especially the 10,000 damage arc lightnings.
Sidenote: there was a guy on the Warr forums who thought the last hit of 100b was doing 8k damage.
Warrior OP.
Mesmerizing
Honestly I think the phantasms are generally better.
Honestly I think the phantasms are generally better.
If you get the timing down right, you’ll do more damage with phantasms AND shattering.
If you use Phantasms, keep them alive.
If you use Clones, shatter them. Really, the defensive staff specs all just produce craploads of Staff Clones and just inflict shatter and condition damage.
Honestly I think the phantasms are generally better.
If you get the timing down right, you’ll do more damage with phantasms AND shattering.
Shattering a phantasm before it dies is smart.
But outside of that is what I’m assuming, I don’t think so unless your specializing into minionbombing.
It’s not about shattering before the phantasm dies. It’s about shattering after the phantasms use their attacks and resummoning for more attacks.
It’s a surprisingly simple concept, but you need to have a good handle on your clone/phantasm cooldowns, and your weapon swap cooldown.
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