[DK-TANK] Interesting numbers from T13 on the PTR.

[Shoju]

I have been running the numbers, and according to EJ, DK tanks are still looking at Mastery based builds in 4.3 I have put together a BiS type setup for Tank gearing in normal Dragon Soul, based on PTR gear, reforged, and gemmed to fit.

This is what you would expect to wear if the loot gods love you.

The one question I have is, Does wowhead appropriate for Diminishing Returns in their values? I don't think they do, because they also don't take Parry Rating from STR into the numbers either. So, mathing it out, Pre-DR we end up with

Dodge: [1579 rating = 8.94%] from gear, + [5%] naked = 13.94% dodge.
Parry: [1323 rating = 7.49%] from gear, + [4123*.27 = 1113.21 rating = 6.29%] from STR + [5%] naked + [4%] From Swordshattering = 22.78% Parry
Miss: 5%
Mastery: [4456 rating = 24.85] From gear + 8 base = 32.85 = 221.7375% Blood Shield.
Now, without DR taking a HUGE bite out of us, that is a massive amount of Avoidance, and I'm beginning to wonder if it is right?

Is there someone who could check my math on this? Help me understand this? I'm trying to look at this from a Mastery / Avoidance decision, and the parry really throws me off. My stats aren't that wild on the character sheet on live, Making me think that I'm screwing up the forceful deflection bonus...

[Kelaan]

This is only tangentially on target, but I've never seen avoidance/CTC numbers from wowhead that seemed remotely accurate for 4.x mechanics, level 85 ratings, or diminishing returns on their character profile page.

[Shoju]

Well, they dont include the 5% naked for dodge and parry. Importing gear into their system, and adding the 5%, mine is pretty close, just without DR.

[theckhd]

I doubt wowhead does any DR calculations, but I've never tried using its character building suite. Last time I tried, many of the mechanics were simply wrong (no STR->parry conversion, for example) so I did things by hand.

Your numbers seem fine; The rating->% conversion factor for dodge and parry is 176.7189, so that 1579 rating would be exactly 1579/176.7189=8.935% dodge before diminishing returns.

The diminishing returns formula is in that link as well. The 8.935% is the only portion that gets diminished (to 8.18%), so your final post-DR dodge would be 5%+8.18%=13.18%.

[Shoju]

Thank you very much for the help Theck.

My hope is to figure out with DR, if it is possible for a DK tank to push over 50% avoidance in normal T13 raiding gear. I don't think it will be possible, but I want to make sure.

I have long thought that the mastery / avoidance debate had to have a tipping point where avoidance levels for a death knight would diminish the value of mastery enough that we would just favor avoidance.

I'm not even 100% sure that there will be a "general" tipping point, but I would like to find out. Swapping out pieces where I can, and picking up a more avoidance based setup, I'm getting close to 62% avoidance without diminishing returns.

I'm not even sure that I'm comfortable with less mastery, even if I could ramp up my avoidance. Heroic content has been interesting so far, and I find myself trying harder and harder to game the system for bigger blood shields.

[Shoju]

Well, after some marginally anecdotal evidence, I'm sticking with mastery. I actually plan to just keep stacking it. With the Armor Change, and the Blade Barrier Change, I just take considerably less damage. Couple that with now always getting a blood shield when I hit the button, and I really feel like Blood Shield is in a good place. In the limited raiding I have done since the patch, I just can't see a point where More Mastery is going to be a bad thing, as I can't take it to a point where I will be able to fully absorb raid boss hits with a single application of BLood Shield on average.

[bldavis]

i have done a little tanking on my DK since the patch, and i can def say i feel less squishy now
now if i can just get healadins to quit ninjaing my 378 upgrade to my 333 weapon, it would be even better!

[Shoju]

The difference on a raid boss is astounding. tanking H:Shannox pre-patch and post-patch were wildly different experiences.