What happened to 102.4%?

Back when I dinged 70, I spent a lot of time gearing up for raids. Specifically, I wouldn't, and didn't, set foot in Kharazan before I hit 102.4% avoidance. To hit this benchmark, I needed to use Libram of Repentance.

Libram of Repentance was the only viable libram for a tankadin back in the BC days, and staying block capped was required for any raiding.

However, with wrath, all the tankadins are using LoO...unless you tank Ulduar and have the libram from there. Either way, none of the librams in the current raids offer avoidance. I once thought being block capped was the top priority of any tankadin, but now it doesn't seem that way. Sure, it's good to shoot for, but is anyone block capped these days, and does it matter?

I'm currently around 70% depending on the libram I use. If I used Libram of Repentance, I'd be around 90%. My question is, is reaching the block cap still our #1 goal, and is it even reachable?

I am block capped in my gear with only ~50 block rating.

Its desirable, but don't go out of your way for it.

It should just happen when you get better gear. Remember to include raid buffs like Horn of Winter, InsectSwarm, Kings, Druid buff.

Deadshot wrote:I'm currently around 70% depending on the libram I use. If I used Libram of Repentance, I'd be around 90%. My question is, is reaching the block cap still our #1 goal, and is it even reachable?

Libram of Repentance is a grand total of 2.56% block chance on your holy shield at level 80, so I think you're misunderstanding something if you think it's giving you 20% towards block cap. If you're at 70% without libram of repentance, with holy shield up (which is astonishingly low, by the way, suggesting you're misunderstanding something else) then you'd be at 72.56% with the libram.

Edit: if the stats in your sig are correct, you're at 5% (base miss) + ~5% (miss from defense) + 21% (dodge) + 16.6% (parry) + 20.8% (block) + 30% (holy shield) = ~98%.

Edit: to add, in TBC crushing blows existed, and could be pushed off the table by being block capped (then uncrushable). If a normal hit is x, a blocked hit is x - bv, and a crushing blow was 1.5x. By being uncrushable you prevented any 1.5x hits ever getting through. Now, by being block capped you're just preventing any x hits getting through, as the 1.5x hits can't happen anyway. So the reduction in worst case damage intake that occurs from being block capped is a lot smaller now than in TBC, so yes, it is less important. But it's still fairly easy to get, taking into account raid buffs, depending on the gear level you're at.

The elimination of crushing blows (in normal play) made 102.4% no longer mandatory, though it remained a good idea in Naxxramas. The massive ramp-up of per-hit damage in Ulduar made it no longer desirable at all; it's better to be a bit under the cap with more EH/avoidance than waste any resources on block rating.

It's not likely that the new block changes (the doubling of block value in 3.2) will change this. That's just a patch to make us a bit better when we block (due to our defense, Holy Shield, etc.). It's not a reason to start stacking block rating to get back to the cap.

Most people in Ulduar/Naxx gear will be around 98-101% when using pure avoidance/EH gear (i.e. nothing with block rating) and Holy Shield. With full 25-man raid buffs those people will be at or over block cap anyway, so it's not a problem.

Lots of pally tanks are still block capped, the only difference is I dont really care if I am, just better gear gets you there:

http://www.wowarmory.com/character-shee ... r&n=Gatgat

Thats me,
5% Miss + 5.76% miss from def + 28.58% dodge + 20.35% parry + 12.77% block + 30% block from HS = 102.46%

You also grab a bunch from raid buffs, around 4% ish I think, way more if you have a boomkin with non-glyphed IS

Thanks for the replies, this has been bothering me for a while. Turns out I was just plain wrong about my avoidance. I'm using the macro form the advanced tanking thread, but I usually don't have HS up when I run the macro. With HS up I'm at 98.9% with my currently equipped gear. With the block rating trinket, I'm even higher.

I also forgot that crushing blows were removed. Thanks again for the help.

My guild starts Ulduar this Saturday, so I'm checking all my gear to see what I can do to be easier to heal.

kanst wrote:Thats me,
5% Miss + 4.38% miss from def + 28.58% dodge + 20.35% parry + 12.77% block + 30% block from HS = 101.08%

Miss gained from defense suffers DR.

Lythac wrote:

kanst wrote:Thats me,
5% Miss + 4.38% miss from def + 28.58% dodge + 20.35% parry + 12.77% block + 30% block from HS = 101.08%

Miss gained from defense suffers DR.

O, i just copied the number off the character sheet, doesnt really matter I gain more then 1.4% avoidance from raid buffs

I found that the way they dumbed down naxx, you can tank 25 man in 1/2 blues...Now that I'm in Uldaur gear im sittingat 104.5%, and im pretty squishy compared to my other tanks. So avoidance deffinetly helps us keep up with other tanking classes