PhaseSix wrote:
HFB is suggested as being one of the better pvp builds right now due to damage output... I don't see how that's pretty crap. Also ShD is still a high end spec, if you pair it with the flexibility of a mute rogue you are going to have insane burst.
Even running 800resil its hard to live through a good ShD rogue. I would alternate rogue specs and not run 2x the same specs, but I run 2k+ arenas so my experience may be skewed for some people here.
ShD is actually
worse at 2k+, because at that level, you're going to get people that can actually CC you as soon as you pop ShD.
HFB
isn't suggested right now (at least, from all the top rogues that I talk to/read about on a regular basis) because it lacks defensive cooldowns. It's basically S2 mut versus S3 ShS, where you have one set of cooldowns versus two sets.
I can see where HFB would be nice, but it's difficult to justify something that you need to garrote-HFB open with, when you may be getting a trinket and having to change targets and CC, depending on trinkets and how they're blown, versus a spec where you can just open and go nuts, pop a Blind if your target trinkets a CS/KS and go to town on their partner.
I don't know, I've played rogue at 2k+ for all of my 70 career (and just came back after playing DK), so I may not have the 2k+ experience to justify what I'm saying, but it appears that every 2500+ rated rogue I regularly talk to says the same.
Though Mahiko thinks that ShD is more fun to play.
Basically, HFB lacks defensive cooldowns in a class already starved for defensive cooldowns versus classes like DK (AMS, Frost Presence, IBF, pet sac, Blood Tap), paladins (bubble), hunters (Deterrence, traps, Disengage), etc. I don't see how ~15% more damage would possibly do more in a control comp than a build that's meant for the maximum damage/control.
I don't know if you've played double DPS other than rogue/mage, but having played rogue/mage, rogue/ret, rogue/feral (the comp I played most), and rogue/rogue (and rogue/DK as the DK if you wanna be technical), but rogue/mage plays much, much different than any other double DPS comp, especially compared to R/R or R/feral.
Just my perspective, though.
Edited, Apr 21st 2009 11:54pm by Theophany