09-04-2007, 02:41 PM
Quote:Heroic Strike is a rage dump. If I'm using Heroic Strike, I'm already filling my GCDs up with Sunders/Devastates, Shield Slams, or Revenges (not to mention keeping Shield Block up). If I have enough rage for that, I'm not rage-starved. I can easily empty my rage bar by spamming Heroic Strike; that's not exactly difficult. It's not very smart, either.
In heavy raid fights, you're using the extra rage every swing for Heroic Strike, *for the threat*, not just as a rage dump. That's why the extra point I had 'left over' in my build went into Imp HS, for those times that I needed the extra threat, and that lowered the threshold for me to do it.
No, using HS when you don't have the rage for it when tanking isn't very smart, but, since it's not on the GCD, it's a way to piggyback extra threat on top of the GCD skills in fights that you have the rage to do so.
Now, on a couple specific skills. The main reason I didn't put points in imp sunder is that sunder isn't as huge as it once was, and I already get it for -3 rage from focused rage. I put those points elsewhere. The only time I even bother to put up a sunder stack of 5 is on bosses, or mobs that we're going to fight long enough to be worth it. Imp Bloodrage? That's a playstyle choice for you. On the other hand, in the days of de-aggroing mobs, and bursty DPS (like Lightning Overload), Imp Taunt is well worth it, IMO.
As far as Cruelty, an extra 5% crit is that much more threat, and it scales with your ap and weapons. Raid-buffed, I think my crit is in the 12% range. That's a fair amount of threat. YMMV. Of course, that also helps me when another prot is not needed, and I need to do what DPS I can. Again, if *all* you ever think you'll do is tank, then I guess you don't have to consider solo stuff at all, or DPS. Up to you.
--Mav