Long time readers might be familiar with how I chose talent recommendations, and might know that it’s a little different than most guides out there. I think what surprises most is that I don’t rely on sims. They’re a part of the equation, but not the last word. I value many other things when it comes to talents.
In no particular order:
- Utility
- Ease of use
- Generality
- Personal preference
- Popularity
- Variety
- Sims & Logs
That’s just for recommendations in my guide. When making actual talent choices in game, there’s an important #1 addition: fight mechanics.
Utility
Talents are more than just the damage / healing / damage reduction benefits, there’s always something more. As tanks, we are especially well served by being able to trade objective benefits for subjective ones.
Ease of Use
We are not computers, so in contrast to sims, anything that doesn’t demand extra attention gains some points from me. Just having a talent that doesn’t serve as an extra distraction while learning a fight is a powerful thing, even if that talent might not be the final choice when you kill the boss.
Example: Light Brewing, Agonizing Flames
Generality
Some talents are really strong in niche situations, and others are just modestly strong in all situations. In a guide, since I have no way of knowing what content you’re trying to tackle, I’m going to lean toward recommending general talents.
Example: Healing Elixirs, Feast of Souls
Personal Preference
I don’t know what other people like, but there are a few talents I’m just fond of. I can’t completely separate my own biases from this blog, nor do I really want to.
Example: Felblade, Chi Torpedo
Popularity
Keeping in mind my own bias, sometimes I’ll adjust my talent recommendations based on what the community as a whole prefers, even if it’s not my favorite thing. Just because I don’t like a talent doesn’t mean it’s a bad recommendation for others.
Example: Last Resort, Blackout Combo
Variety
Sometimes I recommend talents because I love finding uses for all of them. Even if there’s a super-niche talent, I want to find a case where it’s valuable and talk about it.
Example: Elusive Dance, Concentrated Sigils
Simulations / Logs
Sometimes the numbers speak for themselves, and even the utility benefits of some talents are overshadowed by poor simming and logging.
Example: Special Delivery (before the latest buffs to its siblings)