What is this block capped business?Follow

http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Gnomeregan&n=Stripf%C3%B2rgold

Here is my toon, just to use for examples to help me understand.

So basically, the way I understand it is this: Add up the chances to miss, dodge, parry, and block, and if it = 100%, you're block capped? So...

5.96% chance of being missed.
18.48% chance to dodge.
16.12% chance to parry
20.72% chance to block
=
61.28%

Add 30% from ability.

91.28% chance to block, parry, dodge, or be missed. Right?

Also, I had an extended discussion with a guildie who told me that block rating and value are both crap in WoTLK because the -1000 or so health isn't a big deal when facing bosses like patchwerk or really almost all bosses while raiding, while I thought they were great stats to stack for pally tanks.

Anyone have any light to shed on the subject?

Any block after 102.4% is completely wasted (except while Holy Shield isn't up, but honestly, wth?). Any more falls off the attack table. Getting to that number though, block rating is just as viable as parry/dodge. Only thing is with blocking you don't avoid all damage just some, but blocking is much better than taking a normal hit: it provides us with less damage taken as well as threat from Holy Shield, and mana from BoS.

As for block value, it is a great stat to stack. Not only is that less damage taken on a block, but it adds a great deal to our threat now.

I think your guildy needs to rethink some things in this regard ;)

I'm block capped. As long as I keep Holy Shield up, every melee attack is either avoided or reduced by around 1500 after armor and damage reduction talents.

The problem is that most bosses hit for far more than that. Patchwerk hits for over 20k. Even with both blocked, that's still two-shot.

It makes weak, but numerous trash packs easy, and it makes Loatheb laughable. I'm perfectly fine being a trash tank, and my Raid Leader is a DK, so we just run through anything.

Block capping is important.

Even against bosses. What people often mistakenly do is say "well, even with an ideal 2000 damage shaved off of this boss' hits, having a guaranteed chance to block won't let me take another hit from him -- so what's the point?".

Yea.. okay -- healers.. worst.. nightmare. You're out to take as little damage as possible. Block Capping youself is vital for that. 2000 less damage on 50 hits is 100k less damage that your healers will have to heal. If they're inefficient spam bots who will gladly massively overheal you and waste mana doing so -- it won't be as HUGE a difference (but it'll still matter). Only don't expect them to be able to keep that up as the expansion continues, being as that's one of Blizzard's big thorns right now.

You don't sacrifice pure avoidence for Block. That's just plain retarded thinking. Block Rating is such a cheap itemization that using a little bit of it you can have very healthy pure avoidence levels. Not only that, but pure avoidence CONTRIBUTES to Block Capping. Block Capping doesn't mean that you stack Block until you can't eat a white hit anymore. It means you stack Block+Avoidence until Block begins to fall off the table. In other words, until Block will no longer give you any benefit. Hense the term "capping". If you're only stacking Block Rating, you're doing it wrong. I'm Block Capped with around 30% Dodge and about 18% Parry in my main gear. I have tons of crap sitting in the bank, including big Block gear that would drop my Dodge to the 24-25% area. I used to be using sets like that because there just isn't enough damage to go around in Naxx -- but as I predicted (and advised others about) building a set with higher Pure Avoidence that keeps you Block Capped should be a priority for Ulduar. Avoidence rules the day there right now -- though we'll have to see how that balances in the end.

So yes, Dodge is great in that it reduces the chance of you taking any damage -- but it also helps to replace the chance of taking full damage with taking nearly 2000 less damage on every hit. Just because we call it "Block" Capping, doesn't mean that Block is the only thing that contributes to it.

Some primitive numbers:

A Naxx10 tank will likely have a higher Block% than a Naxx25 tank (the 25 tanks will likely have replaced more Block with Dodge) -- lets say in the neighborhood of 25% @ Block Cap, a relatively accurate and convenient number. Assuming a boss melee attack timer of 1.5s and a combat time of 4 minutes (we're not going for any specific boss here, just a general average) that's about 160 auto attacks or 40 blocks. Lets assume a LOW Block Value of about 1800 after you account for all other forms of mitigation (likely based out at 2200 or so). Around 72000 less damage from Blocks. That's nothing to neglect or say that it isn't worth it. Granted, if you can choose between 1% Dodge (post-DM) and 1% Block (post-DM) with all other things being equal, the Dodge will nearly always win -- but a person who arbitrarily neglects Block because "2000 damage is nothing" fails... miserably.