Endless Rage … or is it Endless Angst?
Experimentation is always interesting. The outcome can be enlightening and rewarding. Even if the end result is failure, there’s always a lesson to be learned. Today’s lesson is Endless Rage. This is the wonderful Arms 41 point talent that has seemingly come under the spotlight as of Season 3. What does it do? Well, in case you’re blind and didn’t see the pretty picture above, it gives Warriors 25% more rage from every auto-swing. I’d always wanted to try this ability, and now that Deathwish is readily available in the Arms tree, the wait is over.
Quick Thoughts on going for Endless Rage:
+ Increased Rage Generation (Incredible with Sword Spec.)
+ Gained 5% Mortal Strike Damage (It’s not just the bonus damage.)
+ Reduced Mortal Strike cooldown to 5 seconds (normally 6 - Woo, faster MS!)
- Lost Enrage (25% Damage when I get “crit.”)
- Lost Weapon Mastery (50% decreased Disarm Time, ignore 2% dodge on each enemy)
- Lost Sweeping Strikes (Bye bye multi-hits)
Reasons to Take Endless Rage:
+ Enrage is only useful when you are taking “crit” damage. This occurs less in 5v5.
+ MS can be reapplied before it drops in case MS was dodged or parried.
+ MS can be applied to two targets.
+ It’s easier to gather rage up for burst attacks.
+ You get the option to go for Last Stand if you don’t want to go for Piercing Howl.
+ You can still get Enrage … if you lose Tactical Mastery.
Reasons why Endless Rage is not for You:
- In terms of raw DPS, you may actually be better off getting 15% flurry.
- Getting Disarmed takes double the time now. (Intercept+Pummel is no longer sufficient.)
- Hitting collateral targets isn’t so easy anymore (argh Warlock pets)
After Thoughts
I have yet to actually test Arena with this spec. I’ve seen Terranman do well with a variation of Endless Rage, and this has inspired me to at least try it. In battlegrounds, I’ve done just as well (if not better) than my previous spec. The damage output is a little more bursty as a result of higher MS damage.
Now if only we could get people together to actually Arena …
December 24th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
i still think id stick with a flurry build, because i love tactical mastery on my warrior and with a sword spec the burst adds a lot more opportunities to crit, proccing flurry. i never really have rage issues unless im fighting a priest.
December 26th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
i think something worth taking into consideration is it sort of makes maces up to par with swords as far as rage generation goes, sword proc does generate tons of rage but this talent helps you generate rage pretty close to if not more than you generate with swords and flurry
December 26th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
concussion blow imo
December 26th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
acryl - Yeah, to some extent the flurry build works out nicely for alot of people. The thought for spec always boils down to style of play. I’m a firm believer that every spec can work with the right player behind it. There’s always arguments for and against every spec. The reason I shy away from Flurry is that you have to put 5 points into Enrage and in Arena matches like 5v5, Enrage might not be incredibly helpful. It might proc off stray attacks, but many people attest that Enrage isn’t up as often as someone might believe.
aXema - It brings Maces up there, but it makes Swords even higher. I see Endless Rage as a spec that gives you the chance to get 5 Imp. MS. This is practically the staple move of every PvP warrior. Getting 5% more damage, and being able to do it one second sooner is always nice.
Amelio - You’re just weird, but I can talk about your crazy ass 35/5/21 spec.
January 6th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Its smarter to get two hand spec 5/5 and do 2/5 imp ms.
January 6th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
brandon - I personally have 5 in imp MS and 5 in 2H mastery too. (44/14/3)
January 6th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
your not grabbing imp execute???