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I skipped the end of this topic after your 'maths' rpzip. but you're off quite a bit. for starters you presumed a shadow dest doesn't use dots (when infact they should use immolate if a fire mage is in the raid. corruption otherwise) and the difference from curse of doom due to shadow getting increased damage.
If you often bring 4+ Warlocks to raids, I can see why you'd assume ISB has such a high uptime. Nevertheless... let's go through your arguments point by point!
I assumed end-game Warlocks don't use Corruption because they... don't. I'm going to assume a relatively modest 30% crit (remember it's raid buffed - Totem of Wrath/Crit Chicken/JotC all apply) and 4/8 T6, because that is what we're discussing!
Corruption is 900 + .936 * SD / 2 = 450 + .468 SD.
Shadow Bolt is (572 + 1.057 * SD) * 1.34 * 1.06 / 2.5, or 303 + .560 * SD.
| Math Note: / 2 and / 2.5 are casting times, 30% Crit with Chaotic Skyfire Diamond is equivalent to 33.9% Crit for damage calculations |
Even before factoring in keeping up ISB, at ~1100 +DMG you deal equal damage between casting Corruption and casting Shadow Bolt. It's at best a non-factor, and at worst actively detrimental; it causes more threat and you're much more likely to get pushback from any raid damage you might be taking when you use it.
Moving on to part two, namely Immolate. Using the same numbers now for Shadow Bolt (303 + .560 * SD), is it worth using as Shadow Destro?
I'm going to assume 100% uptime for ISB for this test, because logically if ISB isn't up you should probably be trying to
get it up rather than throwing Immolate. Nonetheless...
Shadow Warlocks will have 4/5 Emberstorm (8%), Imp. Scorch (15%), CoE (10%), Misery (5%) for Fire Damage boosts... or a total of 1.43. (You included a Sac'd Imp for your Immolate damage bonus as a Shadow Destro Lock). For Shadow Bolt they will have Imp. SB (20%), Shadow Weaving (10%), CoS (10%), Misery (5%), T6 4/5 (6%) and a Sac'd Succubi (15%), or a total of 1.86.
Immolate is ((327 + .2 * SD) * 1.34 + 615 + .65 * SD) * 1.43, or 1506 + 1.31 * SD / 1.5 = 1004 + .873 * SD.
Shadow Bolt is (303 + .560 * SD) * 1.86 = 564 + 1.042 * SD.
The TLDR answer being, "yes, it's worth using Immolate... unlike Corruption".
I'm going to put Immolate aside for a moment, though, and focus purely on Incinerate and Shadow Bolt. Both Incinerate and Shadow Bolt receive Misery, Curse of Thingy, Shadow Weaving/Emberstorm, the T6 bonus and Demonic Sacrifice... so you can leave them out of the % calculations. Pass one of the math is going to assume a 100% ISB uptime, which means that Shadow Bolt gets a 20% boost and Incinerate gets a 15% boost. (Besides aesthetic factors, this makes adjusting the ISB uptime later much simpler).
Incinerate is (923 + .914 * SD) * 1.15, or 1061.4 + 1.051 * SD / 2.25 = 471.73 + .467 * SD.
Shadow Bolt is (572 + 1.057 * SD) * 1.20, or 686 + 1.268 * SD / 2.5 = 304.8 + .507 * SD.
The point at which, with 100% ISB uptime, SB will outdamage Incinerate is
4172 +Damage. Which might be described as... uh, 'unrealistic'.
So, the full damage calculation; I'm ignoring time that might be used to refresh Curses, since that effects both specs more or less equally and may not need to be done at all given their duration. Both Warlocks will cast Immolate when it has expired, and I'm using a reasonable-but-high 75% ISB uptime. Both Warlocks will have 1400 +DMG and a 30% Crit Rate (33.9% for our purposes with Chaotic Skyfire).
Incinerate Warlock operates on a fifteen second cycle. His fire damage is boosted to 1.68 of normal, with Incinerate being 1.78 (all buffs and 4/8 T6).
Immolate:
(408.7 + .25 * 1400) * 1.34 + 615 + .6 * 1400
1016.7 + 615 + 840
2471.7 * 1.68 = 4152.5
Incinerate:
(923 + .914 * 1400) * 1.34
1236.8 + 1714.7 = 2951.5
2951.5 * 1.78 = 5253.7 * 6 = 31522
Total: 4152.5 + 31522 = 35674.5 / 15 = 2378.3 DPS
SB Warlock operates on a sixteen point five second cycle. His shadow damage is boosted to 1.78 of normal (all buffs, 75% ISB uptime and 4/8 T6). His fire damage is boosted to 1.43 of normal (all buffs, but no Demo Sac and 4/5 Emberstorm).
Immolate:
(327 + .2 * 1400) * 1.34 + 615 + .6 * 1400
813.4 + 615 + 840
2268.4 * 1.43 = 3243.8
Shadow Bolt:
(572 + 1.057 * 1400) * 1.34
766.5 + 1479.8 = 2246.3
2246.3 * 1.78 = 5235.7 * 6 = 31522
Total: 3243.8 + 31522 = 34765.8 / 16.5 = 2107 DPS.
The numbers
are inflated somewhat because I didn't factor in for either full (1% chance assuming hit cap) or partial resists, plus any number of boss factors that prevent you from standing there spamming spells the entire fight until he falls over. Nevertheless, the numbers are... compelling. Even assuming we cut both numbers by 10%, you're giving up a
lot of raid DPS to benefit... well, other people. And not even the raid on the whole.
The numbers get even worse if you bring quite a few Warlocks - keeping that Shadow Priest happy is costing three or four people ~200 DPS even after you deflate the numbers, and that's absolutely a negative return on your investment. You'll get a higher raid DPS out of having all the Warlocks (save the Affliction Utililock, if you even still bring one in T6 - their damage absolutely tanks in BT/Hyjal) switch than you will out of having them stay Shadow Destro. Dumping 10-15% off your DPS to raise the DPS of someone who does 75% of your damage at best is a bad idea... especially since, all things considered, that Affliction Warlock can probably keep up a decent number of ISB procs anyway.
Your Shadow Priests won't be happy, but (at least on the high-end) Fire is
clearly the better spec now.
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so yeah. look at my maths. they're correct and completely unquestionable. shadow is still better than fire.
tl;dr version; no, you're wrong and you @#%^ed up quite a few calculations. Incinerate is better at nearly any gear level according to my napkin math.
Warlocks of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your Shadow Bolt-shaped chains!
Cheers.
EDIT: Well, that's a longer post than I thought it was.
Edited, Feb 24th 2008 3:14am by RPZip Edited, Feb 24th 2008 6:54am by RPZip