10.2 Augmentation Evoker Raid Impressions
When it comes to Mythic+, Augmentation is the
complete package. It contributes plenty of damage and healing through its buffs, brings a variety of control options and defensive cooldowns, and has a simple to execute damage rotation perfect for calling the shots. With only two other DPS players to coordinate with, casting buffs and timing cooldowns is a breeze, and can even be communicated in real time if needed. Even accounting for
upcoming tuning on the 10.2 PTR and some minor concerns I have with the
newly-revealed T31 Tier Set Bonuses, Augmentation will continue to play an enjoyable and satisfying role in Mythic+.
Frankly, the role Augmentation plays is like a breath of fresh air when it comes to group play. It is natural and intuitive to have a DPS player focused on control, utility, and coordination. I am particularly looking forward to seeing other specialisations fill this role in the future, to provide players with more options to play their favourite specs when building their groups.
With how successful Augmentation has been in Mythic+ from a gameplay standpoint, I am genuinely sad to say that I simply haven't encountered the same level of enthusiasm for Augmentation Evoker in Raid. In fact, many Evoker players I speak with seem to share a begrudging acceptance to play the spec out of obligation rather than their own enjoyment. While there is a chance that these players “just don’t get it”, I’d like to take the opportunity to dig deeper into the mechanics of the spec in a Raid setting.
What is really holding Augmentation Evoker back in Raids?
Disengage Autopilot, Activate Manual Override
Augmentation Evoker essentially has two modes of play:
Autopilot and
Manual.
Autopilot involves playing the game like you would approach most traditional DPS specs: simply target the enemy and cast your spells, moving your character to avoid enemy attacks and to perform mechanics. Buffs like
Prescience and
Blistering Scales generally prefer ideal targets, and
Ebon Might will always hit the same players in a 5-person group. Generally speaking, this playstyle is entirely functional in a Mythic+ environment, alongside some coordination with teammates around cooldown timings and use of utility spells.
This is, however, simply not an effective strategy in Raid.
That is to say, playing
Autopilot in a Raid setting is possible, but will generally result in poor performance when compared against the spec’s true potential. Contributing effective damage as Augmentation in Raid requires not only mastery of your own rotation, but also requires that you prepare for each boss in the raid with knowledge of each of your teammates’ damage patterns and cooldown timings. Augmentation’s buffs choose their targets using a priority system, and manually targeting buffs while using this priority is what ultimately defines player agency for Augmentation.
For the
Manual player, the goal in Raid now looks something like this: determine which four players will deal the most damage over the duration of your next
Ebon Might, have
Prescience on as many of these players as possible, and attempt to position nearest to any ideal remaining targets. This of course is all happening at the same time as you and your fellow raiders are executing your rotations and individually moving to handle mechanics.
Prescience Setup: Like Playing Discipline, Only Moreso
But that’s not quite all... there are a few more elements to consider. In the current patch 10.1.7, using
Prescience to manage
Ebon Might requires setup—at least 12 seconds in advance of your
Ebon Might—to ensure that you have two active
Prescience buffs on the right targets. With the
new T31 2pc set bonus, this prep time or “ramp” would have increased to at least 24 seconds, as you would aim to have 3 concurrent
Prescience buffs active. In fact, whenever you cast
Prescience you need to be thinking ahead to who will receive your
next Ebon Might instead of the players currently dealing damage, which, despite the name of the spell, strikes me as comically unintuitive given that
Prescience is itself a damage buff that you should want to cast on an active damage dealer.
(2) Set Bonus: Every third
Prescience lasts 100% longer.
(4) Set Bonus: Casting
Prescience enhances your next
Eruption with smaller fissures for each
Prescience you have active, each dealing 110% SP damage and extending
Ebon Might by 0.2 seconds.
