SS & CoH + Few Rotation Questions

So have a few questions, would appreciate some advice :)

Until now I've always used Shield Slam with CoH and today I was thinking a little and figured that I might be actually lowering my overall hate output by waiting for CoH to come off CD.

Since SS has 9s CD and CoH has 15s.

Would it be better to just use SS when it comes off CD and then hit CoH when that comes off CD?

Also wondering if anyone can give me some advice on the rotation I'm currently using.

Right now I usually go in this order.

Irritate > Hateful Strikes > CoA > Shield Slam + CoH > Guard Destroyer + Irritate + Powerhouse > Titanic Smash > Overreach 5 > OR 4 > SS + CoH > Overreach etc..

I mix in Volcanic Rage and Battlecry in there as well as Strike & Guard + STA when I'm getting hit like a truck..

Any improvements I can make on +hate generation?

I'm currently full T3 btw.

for build I mostly use this..

http://goo.gl/B8mbT

Thanks for the help :)

Doing as much as you can while Guard Destroyer buff is up makes a huge difference. Note that GD only affects Overreach, Dulling Blow, and Titanic Smash - it does not buff Shield Slam. Assuming you're also in Provoke.

Guard Destroyer
Overreach 5 (Powerhouse just before finisher, will be available every other GD)
Titanic Smash
Overreach 5
Overreach 6
(Guard Destroyer buff terminates)

I only use Titanic Smash when there's a GD buff up - with only a base crit chance of ~10%, Titanic Smash ends up criting ~70% because of GD. When GD is not available, spam Shield Slam and Overreach - again in ~15s I generally find I can do 4 combos (Overreaches and Shield Slam). Due to GD my average crit chance for Overreach 5 and 6 are just slightly under 30% when I analyze an entire T3 run. Based on these observations I'd say crit damage rating gear is good for a guard (though not quite as good as +hate).

Rotation is one thing, but just as important are how many combos you are able to do. Also to get the most out of Powerhouse I only use it when GD is active, and typically spread out my other buffs. Best if buffs are triggered just before a finisher to maximize number of buffed finishers.

Strike and Guard/Juggernaut are good when you're taking a beating. Dulling Blow is also good if you have aggro but intend to trade it with other tanks, but avoid it when trying to get aggro. StA seems best used early - it makes it harder for other tanks to pull off you so avoid using it when you're at 20% when expecting other tanks to get aggro.

Not a big deal but 1 pt in Storm Blade is a decent investment as it can add ~3% to overall DPS of a T3 Guard.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by longtail

Not a big deal but 1 pt in Storm Blade is a decent investment as it can add ~3% to overall DPS of a T3 Guard.

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Thanks a lot for the input mate, much appreciated..

However to get this point where would you suggest I take the point from?

I can take it from sustained rage or from somewhere else?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Krixus

Thanks a lot for the input mate, much appreciated..

However to get this point where would you suggest I take the point from?

I can take it from sustained rage or from somewhere else?

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Really no point in having a build with both prot/mit feated in general. Most fights are either/or. You also would only need stunning charge for a couple places. I'd take those out for a primary tank build. Unless you're restricting yourself to 2 builds. Best thing to do is buy at least one build from the store so you can have at least one pole build to go with 2 different s/s builds.

Nah I actually have 3, 1 for Physical with IDS, 1 for Phsycial/Magical and one physical without IDS but with full sustained rage and some points in savage strikes.

I guess this is a waste but I like to have one for physical bosses that hit really hard.

I also have a poletank spec and pvp spec.

There are posts elsewhere that describe how much DPS Sustained Rage feats etc. provide. For 5 points each they're all crappy investments. I believe the rule of thumb is:

Sustained Rage > Savage Strikes > Prowess

Sadly, that 1 point in Storm Blade (don't bother with more than 1 pt) is actually better than 5 points in Prowess from a DPS perspective. We tend to stick points in these feats because there isn't a better option - if you didn't have any points in them at all I doubt you'd notice much difference in your aggro level.

Here's a magical/IDS build - shuffle points around for one with physical/IDS. Those two should suffice. As pointed out not much point having both Iron and Stone Skin.
http://goo.gl/Txm3pQ