Bloodstalker Guide 1.7+

[Gyle]

Bloodstalker 1.7+

This spec was originally created by Kurieg, but both his, and Hoko’s guides for the spec are somewhat outdated since a fair number of changes have occurred since their guides were originally written. This guide should stay up to date for as long as Bloodstalker is a commonly used spec.




So everyone keeps mentioning “Bloodstalker” as the best DPS spec. What is it?

Bloodstalker is an Assassin/Rifstalker hybrid spec that uses the synergy between these 2 souls to output an incredible amount of single target damage. Despite recent changes to the rogue calling this is still clearly the highest ST DPS spec rogues have. It lacks the versatility of Ranger and some of the other builds, but for burning a boss down, there is no better rogue spec.



So should i be using Bloodstalker all the time?

Absolutely not. This spec has a few important drawbacks. For one thing, unless you have a tablet AND fervor (not Living Energy) do not even bother trying to run this build. You will not even be able to perform your rotation. Secondly, there is essentially zero AoE in this build. If you intend to be AoEing even a little bit, use something else.




I am in (insert gear level here) is Bloodstalker right for me?

The simple answer is yes. Bloodstalker is the highest ST DPS spec at any raiding gear level, but it's DPS doesn't really pull away from the pack until you have at least a T1 4 piece. However, if your ranged weapon is a full tier or more higher than your melee weapons you should probably be running Ranger instead.

The spec

http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0M...0xcuR.x0x0m.-5

This is the highest Single Target DPS Bloodstalker spec I have been able to put together over months of trying out tiny tweaks here and there. Some people use slightly different point breakdowns, but I think this is absolutely the most optimized Bloodstalker build possible.



You can move points around to gain survivability, or to get an interrupt, or to get Slip Away and Perma-stealth, but always at the loss of at least some small amount of dps. IMO Bloodstalker is only your max dps burn do not ask me to do anything else I am killing this thing spec. I don’t recommend wasting a role on any other variation of this build.

Macro’s

#show Backstab
suppressmacrofailures
/cast backstab
/cast puncture
/cast savage strike
/cast swift shot
/cast poison malice

#show Shadow Assault
suppressmacrofailures
/cast shadow assault
/cast shadow blitz
/cast shadow stalk

#show Annihilate
suppressmacrofailures
/cast Annihilate
/cast expose weakness

Rotation

So, the basic “rotation” seems simple off hand. Blink in, build to Annihilate, build to Impale, build till EW drops off, Final Blow, rinse/repeat all the while blinking as necessary to keep your stalker phase buffs up.

Remember, a significant amount of this build’s DPS comes from Expose Weakness, you will be using Final Blow at less than 5 CP’s to re-apply it.



In practice however you will notice a significant difference in DPS from someone who is skilled with this build, and those who are not. The most important part of playing Bloodstalker is Practice, Practice, Practice.



There are a lot of things you need to be watching while running this build, and failure to do so will result in either low dps, or you getting yourself killed by a mechanic. Mastering this build requires precise management of a 10 second buff, a 20 second bleed, a 60 second ap buff, and literally constant monitoring of Expose Weakness, which can last anywhere from 3 or 4 seconds to 20 seconds at its max duration. All the while not getting cleaved and avoiding any other mechanics associated with an encounter.



Lag, or connection issues, or graphical FPS issues can also wreak major havoc on this build. Far more so than any other rogue build, since timing is of the utmost importance for maximum DPS. If you find yourself running into issues of that kind, you might take a look http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-gene...ps-issues.html . Doing some of the things in this thread to improve my computer’s performance (I have an older comp) gave me 200+ DPS on Sicaron overnight. I highly recommend it for those planning to run this build on already taxed computers. A little bit of lag does a lot of damage to this build.





Encounters your SHOULD use Bloodstalker on:
Murdantix
Vlad
Sicaron
Inquisitor Garu
General Silgen
Beruhast
Ereandorn
Anrak
Duke Letarius
Plutonus
Foci
All of DH if you have fervor.


Encounters you probably should NOT use Bloodstalker on (at least not unless you are WAY beyond this content):
Akylios
Grug
Warmaster
Alsbeth
Hylas
Greenscale
Infiltrator
Herald
High Priest Arakhurn
Guurloth


You *can* run Bloodstalker on almost any fight in the game if you want to, and if your guild does those fights in a manner conducive to it, but you most certainly will not be doing so until you have these encounters well on farm.

Gyle’s Tips and Tricks

This section is for little things that I have found, or that I have gleaned from others, that should help improve your DPS.



USE NKREBUFF OR KARUUL ALERT!!!!!



If you are running this build without a synergy crystal, ignore the "Final Blow at less than 5CP's" thing. Just Final Blow at 5 CP's, and put EW into your spam macro. Make sure to take EW out of your macro once you get a crystal though.



Start an encounter from stealth, apply EW manually from about 15m away, then Shadow Shift in, use Jagged Strike from stealth, then begin your normal attacks and rotation.



Impale is a very large portion of your damage, it should have 100% uptime. Not 95% uptime, not 98% uptime, it should always be as close to 100% uptime as you can make it. This means do not be afraid to clip it at 1-2 seconds if you have to. It is better to clip it at 1 or 2 seconds than it is to let it fall off for 3-4 seconds while you build 5 more CP’s.



The exception to the above rule is Sicaron. The fastest way to increase your DPS on Sicaron is to make absolutely sure that every single Impale you put up is done during a contract. If you have to leave it off for a few seconds, or if you have to clip it by 3-4 seconds DO IT. Always apply Impale during a contract on Sicaon.



Turn planar reversal off for Sicaron.


Turn Planar Reversal on for Garu.



I Final Blow whenever I see EW is going to drop off during my next GCD (since usually I am in a GCD when I notice this) absolutely regardless of how many CP’s I have. I will FB at 1 CP if I have to in order to keep EW up. Some people FB at 3 Cp’s religiously, and other have their own way of deciding when they should FB. Find what works best for you, but remember the whole point is to maximize EW uptime. Make your decisions accordingly.



If you have to target switch, Impale your target before you leave. 2 CP’s, 3CP’s, doesn’t matter, Impale before you switch. If the target you are switching to dies quickly (Porters on Garu for instance) use Annihilate as your finisher to refresh it.



On Beruhast there is no need for an offtank. Bloodstalker has Instigate, and the flame add hits like a wet noodle. You don’t even need to change stances, just tab to it, taunt it and drag it away while everyone kills it.

[StrifeV]

Nice guide Gyle.

[Koe]

Puncture in PvE macro = Bad.

No Cut and Run and/or Break Free in PvE macro = Bad.



Never have planar reversal on. Just turn your character away and you port behind.


There are some other tiny things, but these are the big things that need to be said in a general guide.


Edit: Actually, something else that is pretty big. EW uptime isn't the only factor. Constant 1/2/3 CP FBs will leave you energy starved, moreso than already. You can use 4/5 CP FBs when you manually weave in EW, but that's more of an "advanced" tactic, and you will be using 4/5 CP FBs quite a bit due to energy.

[CIS]

Utilities aside, why not put 2 points in improved FB instead of penetrating shots? Is 10 percent armor pen better than 10 percent more FB dmg?
Thanks

[Koe]

Utilities aside, why not put 2 points in improved FB instead of penetrating shots? Is 10 percent armor pen better than 10 percent more FB dmg?
Thanks

10% armor penetration is better.


If you find your guild needs an interrupter, you can as a Bloodstalker for a slight DPS loss. Place 2 points from Penetrating Shots to, basically anywhere, in Riftstalker to get Planar Disruption.

[Gyle]

Puncture in PvE macro = Bad.

No Cut and Run and/or Break Free in PvE macro = Bad.



Never have planar reversal on. Just turn your character away and you port behind.


There are some other tiny things, but these are the big things that need to be said in a general guide.


Edit: Actually, something else that is pretty big. EW uptime isn't the only factor. Constant 1/2/3 CP FBs will leave you energy starved, moreso than already. You can use 4/5 CP FBs when you manually weave in EW, but that's more of an "advanced" tactic, and you will be using 4/5 CP FBs quite a bit due to energy.

I disagree with literally everything you said here.

[Koe]

I disagree with literally everything you said here.

Puncture in macro = using at 4 CPs = bad.

BS is very CP dependant.

No Cut and Run/Break Free in PvE macro = Micro-lag in rotations if you get CC'd/Snared(king).

You should never have planar reversal on. There is literally no reason to, and it's a waste of a good hotkey. All it leads to is problems if you forgot to toggle it on/off. Best to just get used to physically turning your character, like you would Gurrloth.


Also, the Energy is a problem. Using 3 CP, or less, rotations every rotation is generally going to leave you starved. It's best to use a rule of 3(4) FBs per Impale. 4 depending on current threshold of energy/VoJ uptime/FervororLivingEnergy.

[Gyle]

Puncture in macro = using at 4 CPs = bad.

BS is very CP dependant.

No Cut and Run/Break Free in PvE macro = Micro-lag in rotations if you get CC'd/Snared(king).

You should never have planar reversal on. There is literally no reason to, and it's a waste of a good hotkey. All it leads to is problems if you forgot to toggle it on/off. Best to just get used to physically turning your character, like you would Gurrloth.


Also, the Energy is a problem. Using 3 CP, or less, rotations every rotation is generally going to leave you starved. It's best to use a rule of 3(4) FBs per Impale. 4 depending on current threshold of energy/VoJ uptime/FervororLivingEnergy.

1. I agree that puncture @ 4CP's is a bad idea, and yes, it is possible for it to occasionally occur. However, the DPS lost by forgetting it, even for a GCD or two because you have it on a separate button is not worth the almost never that you end up using it at 4CP's. Yes, it could be a DPS increase if you are absolutely perfectly on top of it's CD constantly, but isn't that the case with every macro? The DPS difference would be swallowed in RNG anyway; there is no point in taking it out IMO.

2. Cut and run/break free i understand. I put it on its own key because when i push my CP generator button, i expect it to generate a combo point. I already almost took Poison Malice out and put it on its own button. That's personal preference, and it's presence in one's macro is not at all indicative of their skill level or understanding.

3. Planar Reversal Vs. Turning Around, i have planar reversal hotkeyed to a mouse button, it takes me no longer to activate PR than it would take me to turn around. Utterly personal preference and again has nothing to do with DPS, skill, or understanding. It's how you like to play.

4. If i need to pool energy, i will, and i do occasionaly go to 4 or 5 CP's before a FB but its very situational, and only if i am very energy starved. With tablet, fervor, and VoJ on CD i almost never energy starve doing FB to keep EW at almost 100% uptime. With Living Energy you absolutely need to manage your energy much differently, but i very rarely run BS with LE, i will normally run BD or NB instead in that instance.

I am not saying your points don't have merit, but i am saying none of them change your DPS enough to act like they are important. The one exception might be energy management with FB, but once you run the build for a while you get the hang of when you should and shouldn't be using FB. A guide is just that, a guide, not a procedure. People have to figure out the nuances themselves.

[ESFS]

Been waiting for 1.7 guide just to see if anything has changed, mainly the posion mastery and poison potency.

For the sicaron fight is a 5cp FB rotation higher dps than FBing when EW drops(anywhere from 1-5 cps) because of how the contract buff affects FB?

[Gyle]

For the sicaron fight is a 5cp FB rotation higher dps than FBing when EW drops(anywhere from 1-5 cps) because of how the contract buff affects FB?

No, with the update of how EW works with Serrated Blades EW is the priority, though you do want to try and time as many finishers during contracts as you can. So like if a contract is about to drop, dont be afraid to go to 5 or even 6 CP's waiting for a contract. But once one is up, just keep EW up as much as possible, and ALWAYS Impale during a contract.

[Mayi]

I know people make of lot out of doing 3cp final blows for max damage and I've been messing around with different variants of Sin-RS looking for more dps. I'm still deciding whether 3cp final blows, 4 or 5 is best.

There isn't nearly as much of a difference as people say. The only thing I've noticed that makes for a fairly large difference is setting up the last final blow before impale drops, so you don't have to clip it and can reapply it right away.

I also agree about macroing puncture.... using puncture at 4cps is a dps loss? News to me. I'd bet 100p that not reapplying puncture right away will cause more of a dps loss then building to 6 cps. Building to 6 cps isn't by nature a dps loss, it just means you could have used a finisher earlier in your next rotation.

[Gyle]

I know people make of lot out of doing 3cp final blows for max damage and I've been messing around with different variants of Sin-RS looking for more dps. I'm still deciding whether 3cp final blows, 4 or 5 is best.

There isn't nearly as much of a difference as people say.

See this is odd to me. I am not saying you are wrong but for me, every time that have reduced the number of CP's i FB at, my DPS has gone up. I did 5 Cp FB's for a while, then went to 4, then 3, then ignoring CP's and FBing absolutely as soon as EW drops regardless of CP, and every single time my DPS has gone up incrementally.

Maybe i am the only one seeing this, but in my experience the sooner i use FB, the more my DPS increases.

[Mayi]

See this is odd to me. I am not saying you are wrong but for me, every time that have reduced the number of CP's i FB at, my DPS has gone up. I did 5 Cp FB's for a while, then went to 4, then 3, then ignoring CP's and FBing absolutely as soon as EW drops regardless of CP, and every single time my DPS has gone up incrementally.

Maybe i am the only one seeing this, but in my experience the sooner i use FB, the more my DPS increases.

It's counter intuitive, but the increased crit on savage I found was best if you 3cp final blows. If you put the points instead in increased final blow then 4 or 5 cps does better.

I'm still messing about with what's best... I've only played BS for a little bit (since I got the relic) but what I've been doing is maxed final blow and then hit the builder 4 times. So 5cp or 4cp final blows depending on whether puncture fires or not. I'm not sure if it's better or worse, still playing with it and since I have less experience with it I'm sure there's better. It's just a matter of figuring it out.

[Gyle]

It's counter intuitive, but the increased crit on savage I found was best if you 3cp final blows. If you put the points instead in increased final blow then 4 or 5 cps does better.

I'm still messing about with what's best... I've only played BS for a little bit (since I got the relic) but what I've been doing is maxed final blow and then hit the builder 4 times. So 5cp or 4cp final blows depending on whether puncture fires or not. I'm not sure if it's better or worse, still playing with it and since I have less experience with it I'm sure there's better. It's just a matter of figuring it out.

Well that's why i say the 2 points in ISS is the best DPS. If you crit constantly, then you proc SB constantly, and you burn EW charges constantly. Since you are burning EW charges so quickly it makes sense, and is born out in practice for me at least, that faster FB's to reapply EW should make for more damage. I tried more points in FB and going to higher CP's, but i can't get anything to beat the points in ISS and rapid FB's.

I will see how having a relic changes it this week because i just got mine. Maybe it has some unforeseen effect.

[Raynald]

Gyle you must be one lucky rogue to not have to spec for an interrupt... Heh.

Though I find that if you do spec for the rs interrupt, it comes off cd just nice for you to one man interrupt murd and most of matron. Lol. Small dps decrease so everyone else can deeps sounds like a fair tradeoff for me!