Hsinchu
12-11-2009, 11:30 AM
Slam Attack
This is the bread and butter of a Shaolin's DPS capabilities. If you never use this skill, you might as well be an attack-only bot. Slam Attack is not only a core damage nuke skill, but it also provides a defense-debuff ability a percentage of the time. This debuff is not a short debuff.
Ideally, the first thing you do to an enemy is a slam attack, the debuff procs, and for the next 30 seconds you bash away at a weakened enemy. For mana efficiency, I will right click to target a mob instead of left-clicking the mob. This prevents attack initiation immediately. Then, by clicking the slam attack in the hotbar, you will immediately leverage your chances of maximizing every hit thereafter. I will also wait for Slam Attack to completely cool down before starting on a new mob/string of mobs in order to minimize on wasted time/hp barreling through opponent's.
A good combo with Slam Attack is to follow up the debuff with other damage-boosted cooldowns like Split Palm and Heroic Strike. Buddha's Palm is a direct damage skill and does not benefit from the debuff. Normally, if the debuff does not proc, I will use Buddha's Palm instead of Split Palm as a follow up. The Slam Attack proc lasts 30 seconds. This means two or three cooldowns of even more effective Slam Attacks and two cooldowns of Split Palm. I hold off on Heroic Strike if a Slam Attack cooldown is coming up so I can extract that extra damage.
Slam Attack should be used liberally. If you are low on mana and without mana restoring food, Slam Attack should be used in the absence of all other abilities as it provides added value with its debuff proc. Split Palm does not increase the damage of your regular attacks, and in low mana situations should ONLY be used if a Slam Attack debuff is up.
Slam Attack should NOT be used in situations where a "class skill neutralizer" is expected from the opponent. If the debuff procs, your opponent will neuter your skills for a percentage of the time that you could be maximizing damage. If you use non-SA skills to force your opponent into neutering you, then after that neuter clears, your debuff can be maximized without fear of dps loss.
Slam Attack is better used against tougher opponents than on weenie mobs. If given the choice between potentially debuffing a full hp mob versus finishing a low hp mob, SA should be used on the full hp mob. The low hp mob can be finished with Buddha's Palm, Split Palm, or ideally, a Heroic Strike after procing a debuff on the nearby high hp mob.
Shaolin's do not have the best MP pool, so slow cooldowns are actually a good match, however, this means that conserving skill usage for full hp is more important. This also means that with low mana cost skills, we can add level 1 Air Powder to our list of cooldowns and basically never worry about a manatap situation (we will always be able to blow a powder for a quick heroic strike or slam attack).
This is the bread and butter of a Shaolin's DPS capabilities. If you never use this skill, you might as well be an attack-only bot. Slam Attack is not only a core damage nuke skill, but it also provides a defense-debuff ability a percentage of the time. This debuff is not a short debuff.
Ideally, the first thing you do to an enemy is a slam attack, the debuff procs, and for the next 30 seconds you bash away at a weakened enemy. For mana efficiency, I will right click to target a mob instead of left-clicking the mob. This prevents attack initiation immediately. Then, by clicking the slam attack in the hotbar, you will immediately leverage your chances of maximizing every hit thereafter. I will also wait for Slam Attack to completely cool down before starting on a new mob/string of mobs in order to minimize on wasted time/hp barreling through opponent's.
A good combo with Slam Attack is to follow up the debuff with other damage-boosted cooldowns like Split Palm and Heroic Strike. Buddha's Palm is a direct damage skill and does not benefit from the debuff. Normally, if the debuff does not proc, I will use Buddha's Palm instead of Split Palm as a follow up. The Slam Attack proc lasts 30 seconds. This means two or three cooldowns of even more effective Slam Attacks and two cooldowns of Split Palm. I hold off on Heroic Strike if a Slam Attack cooldown is coming up so I can extract that extra damage.
Slam Attack should be used liberally. If you are low on mana and without mana restoring food, Slam Attack should be used in the absence of all other abilities as it provides added value with its debuff proc. Split Palm does not increase the damage of your regular attacks, and in low mana situations should ONLY be used if a Slam Attack debuff is up.
Slam Attack should NOT be used in situations where a "class skill neutralizer" is expected from the opponent. If the debuff procs, your opponent will neuter your skills for a percentage of the time that you could be maximizing damage. If you use non-SA skills to force your opponent into neutering you, then after that neuter clears, your debuff can be maximized without fear of dps loss.
Slam Attack is better used against tougher opponents than on weenie mobs. If given the choice between potentially debuffing a full hp mob versus finishing a low hp mob, SA should be used on the full hp mob. The low hp mob can be finished with Buddha's Palm, Split Palm, or ideally, a Heroic Strike after procing a debuff on the nearby high hp mob.
Shaolin's do not have the best MP pool, so slow cooldowns are actually a good match, however, this means that conserving skill usage for full hp is more important. This also means that with low mana cost skills, we can add level 1 Air Powder to our list of cooldowns and basically never worry about a manatap situation (we will always be able to blow a powder for a quick heroic strike or slam attack).