[PvE Guide] A comprehensive guidebook to WotLK for the wandering feral cat

**Kovachut** · June 14, 2022

This guide is based on the original script from Retail WotLK and is supported by Rawr, formulas from evowow, and personal playtesting on warmane (+ the Classic feral simcraft for some sections). Everything I've said here has or could have behaved the same way as in the original 3.3.5 patch. If Classic WotLK has a different script for certain interactions - now or in the future - those won't be documented here. If you have difficulties navigating here, just use "CTRL" + "F" and type your preferred keyword. kthx

Also, if you see words or phrases in this colour, they are most likely links (to videos, other warmane threads, or external websites), and I encourage you to click on them so that you can obtain additional information about the things I've written.

Table of contents

Honourable mentions
Brief introduction
List of abbreviations
General analysis of playing as a cat
The journey begins... at level 80
Add-ons
Macros
Recommended talent build and glyphs
Omen of Clarity, aka the MVP for a feral cat
BiS lists, stats, and simcrafts
Professions
Consumables
Positioning as a feral cat
Feral cat's piority list 101
How to open as a cat?
What's the value of a CP?
FB. Energy investment and proper timing
Different playstyles for a feral cat
Pre-pull Savage Roar
Swapping idols during combat
Tips for all 25-man instances
Miscellaneous
Music suggestions
Used formulas for my calculations
Sources
Changelog

1. HONOURABLE MENTIONS

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Before I begin, I’d like to make a quick shout-out to some community members, who have helped me become a better cat player and a better raider over the years. This guide was made possible thanks to them and their feedback:

a nameless Bulgarian in the former XxxxxxXxxxBG private server, who introduced feral’s priority list to the 15 y.o. braindead me back in 2011. I may have forgotten your name, but certainly not your help. You have my sincerest gratitude, whoever you were and wherever you are now;
Cancerina - my former Icecrown guild master, who helped me get better in ICC and RS (on NM and on HC);
Mastija and Drudoto - two other Bulgarians on Icecrown, who gave me a lot of helpful tips for playing as a cat in those instances;
Nap, DarkenedHue, wtfzomglol, Blunta, Sand1dark, adios113, and Beanlord - forum users, who gave me their feedback regarding my GotVV-shift theorycraft in the warmane druid forums;
Aldtharios, Nobuemon, and BlueAo - warmane staff members, who answered my technical questions regarding the GotVV-shift;
Spreang - improving the previous macro for the "GotVV-shift with idol swapping" and coming up with an entirely new one, which allows the players to mash the keybind w/o getting punished by the game;
Nap and Chatonchaton - sharing their thoughts on bearweaving with me. Special thanks to Nap for providing me with a lot of stuff to read and for expressing his opinion on many topics concerning feral cat;
Owlbama and Chatonchaton - informing me that idol swapping should be done the moment a person casts an ability in order to overlap the GCDs;
mep2481 - informing me about the "recent" discovery of http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=11565 in Classic Wrath on discord and also the usage of Shred vs Rake in the context of Mjolnir/Grim Toll;
Zaytex and dominokid - giving me food for thought regarding Swipe;
yardenko/dzianis - informing me about the usefulness of Glyph of Berserk in short, 1-min fights. Also, thank you for informing me about GotW interrupting the swing timer in Classic Wrath, cat bleeds losing the 10% modifier from Predatory Instincts when we're flowershifting/bearweaving, and the interaction between Black Magic and Sulfuron Slammer;
Baluo, Ashclaw, Dindro, Mesculid, and Sami - Classic players that gave me food for thought regarding some trending topics;
Beardigo - answering some of my theorycrafting questions concerning the Classic environment and informing me about the usage of Dig Rats as a way to generate CPs for SR;
Nap, Spreang, Garddon, Ivpal, Yavor, Soanok and countless other players from both Lordearon and Icecrown - helping me test various in-game mechanics;
Palutena, Repost, Mercy, and Arbiterone - warmane moderators, who resolved some technical issues concerning this guide and my other thread;
Morganrose and Zdendajede - two guildmates of my former Frostmourne guild, who gave me their feedback on what to add or remove in this very guide. Morgan came up with the emote name "SadgeRoar", which I now use whenever possible.

Screw it - shout-out to <Storm> (Icecrown), <The Fallen Legion> (Frostmourne), <Blood and Glory> and <Order of the Horde> (Lordearon), so far the only guilds I raided seriously with and enjoyed WotLK to its fullest. I feel lucky that I was able to join them, and I hope I have the same success in finding like-minded players in the future as I have had in the past. Now, enough with the slushy Hollywood opening. Let the Kater* begin.

*Kater, m (German) - 1) male cat, 2) hangover.

2. BRIEF INTRODUCTION

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3. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

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AA = Auto Attack
AFK = Away From Keyboard
AH = Auction House
AKA = Also Known As
AoE = Area of Effect
AP = Attack Power
Arp = Armour Penetration
ASAP = As Soon As Possible
BDK = Blood Death Knight
BiS = Best in Slot
BL = Bloodlust
BoE = Bind on Equip
BoK = Blessing of Kings
BoM = Blessing of Might
BPC = Blood Prince Council
BQL = Blood-Queen Lana'thel
Bress/Cress = Battle/Combat Ress (aka Rebirth)
BS = Blacksmithing
CC = Clearcasting
CD = Cooldown
CP = Combo Point
DBS = Deathbringer Saurfang
DBW = Deathbringer’s Will
Demo = Demonstration
DoT = Damage Over Time (aka our bleeds, aka Rake & Rip)
DPE = Damage Per Energy
DPS = Damage Per Second
DR = Diminishing Returns
EoC = Emblem(s) of Conquest
EoE = Eye of Eternity
EoF = Emblem(s) of Frost
EoT = Emblem(s) of Triumph
EoV = Emblem(s) of Valour
FB = Ferocious Bite
FC = Feral Charge
FF/FFF = Faerie Fire (Feral)
GCD = Global Cooldown
GG = Good Game
GotW = Gift of the Wild
GotVV-shift = a playstyle revolving around “Gift of the Wild”
GTFO = Go the f*ck out
IC = Iron Council
ICC = Icecrown Citadel
ICD = Internal Cooldown
ILotP = Improved Leader of the Pack
ILVL = Item Level
IMHO = In my honest opinion
IMotW = Improved Mark of the Wild
JC = Jewelcrafting
HC = Heroic (Mode)
HM = Hard Mode
HoF = Hand of Freedom
HoP = Hand of Protection
HoS = Hand of Salvation
HotW = Heart of the Wild
HP = Health Points
LDW = Lady Deathwhisper
LK = (the) Lich King
LM = Lord Marrowgar
LoD = Light of Dawn (aka LK HC)
MC = Mind Control
MD = Misdirection
LoS = Line of Sight (i.e. when you’re hiding from something)
LotP = Leader of the Pack
LW = Leatherworking
L2P = Learn to Play
Naxx = Naxxramas
N.B. = Nota Bene (An abbreviation for the Latin phrase nota bene, meaning “note well” It is used to emphasize an important point.)
NE = Night Elf
NG = Nature’s Grasp
NGL = Not gonna lie
NM = Normal Mode
NPC = Non-Playable Character
OoC = Omen of Clarity
OoM = Out of Mana
OP = Original Post
OS = Off-Spec
OS2d/OS3d = Obsidian Sanctum with 2 or 3 drakes
PoV = Point of View
PP = Professor Putricide
PPH = Procs Per Hit
PPM = Procs Per Minute
PS = Predatory Swiftness
PUG = Players United in Groups (i.e. randoms playing with randoms)
PvE = Player vs Environment
PvP = Player vs Player
QoL = Quality of Life
R&T = Rend and Tear
RDF = Random Dungeon Finder
RDPS = Ranged (DPS) players
Rep = Reputation
RL = Raid Leader
RNG = Random Number Generator (aka the algorithm, which causes randomness in any game)
RO = Raid Over
RP = Role-Play (not to be confused with ERP which stands for Erotic Role-Play)
RS = Ruby Sanctum
SI = Survival Instincts
SJW = Social Justice Warrior
SotF = Survival of the Fittest
Spec = Specialisation
SR = Savage Roar
Strat = Strategy
STS = Sharpened Twilight Scale
TBH = To be honest
ToC = Trial of the Crusader
ToGC = Trial of the Grand Crusader
ToT = Tricks of the Trade
VoA = Vault of Archavon
2pt7 = Two pieces of tier 7, aka the first set bonus from the Naxxramas set
2pt8 = Two pieces of tier 8, aka the first set bonus from the Ulduar set
4pt8 = Four pieces of tier 8, aka the second set bonus from the Ulduar set
2pt9 = Two pieces of tier 9, aka the first set bonus from the ToC set
4pt9 = Four pieces of tier 9, aka the second set bonus from the ToC set
2pt10 = Two pieces of tier 10, aka the first set bonus from the ICC set
4pt10 = Four pieces of tier 10, aka the second set bonus from the ICC set

4. GENERAL ANALYSIS OF PLAYING AS A CAT

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Basic overview:
- energy-based, CP-generating assassin (= we specialise in single-target);
- our damage requires time to ramp up (= putting our strongest attacks into play doesn't happen immediately);
- constant awareness is required for:
* our energy,
* our CPs,
* the duration of our buffs on us (SR, trinket procs, potions etc),
* the duration of our debuffs on our target/s (Mangle, bleeds),
* the downtime of our abilities (Berserk, TF),
* the presence of OoC procs,
* dead or OoM teammates,
- good energy management is required as we constantly starve for it;
- quick decision making is required when getting CC procs;
- this is the spec with the most combat-related abilities, and it's really dynamic.

Buffs and helpful spells:
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48469 (+51 boost to everyone’s Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intellect, and Spirit);
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17007;
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=34297;
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=66068 (minor threat increasing buff for tanks);
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=29166 (7866 mana for a healer every 3 minutes);
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48477 (you can revive a Pepega during combat once every 10 minutes; it’s an instant cast when combined with http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=69369);
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33786 (makes an MCd player immune to all attacks for 6/3/1.5 seconds with the 1st/2nd/3rd cast due to DR; mostly used on Kel'Thuzazd in Naxx and on Lady Deathwhisper in ICC);
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=67976 (party-wide channeled healing spell with an ICD of 8 minutes; it’s mostly used on XT HM in Ulduar and on Blood-Queen Lana'thel in ICC and should be combined with http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=22812 for an uninterrupted effect);
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=2782 (mostly used on yourself during the Halion fight in RS).

Debuffs:
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16857;
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566.

Pros:

excellent single-target dps;
good AoE, especially in combination with CCs and http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=50334;
very mobile spec.

Cons:

almost no utility with the exception of a lonely http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566 for rogues, warriors, and hunters => a cat is not optimal for 10-man progression raids, especially in Ulduar and in ToC/ToGC, where Crowd Control and target switching matter a lot;
no passive cleave and huge energy and CPs sanctions when switching targets;
no threat dump (and before you ask - no, http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48575 doesn’t count. It’s garbage since it removes a small flat amount from the threat table);
if our target rotates for whatever reason, we cannot use our main damaging ability optimally (http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48572 requires us to stand in the rear 180 arc of our target);
the CCs are very inconsistent (this is bad because they greatly impact our dps, and they have a 6% chance to be procced by an AA);
since there's usually one spot for a feral in raids, the competition for guilds and pug events is high. We fight tooth and claw for them.

Commentary:
Although I've mentioned a lot of useful buffs and abilities in the "raid utility" list, in actuality cats lack raid utility in comparison to the other druid specs. That’s because in every self-respecting raid out there you’d have at least one boomie, which not only offers almost the same benefits as we do, but some of them are even superior. For example, Boomie’s FF provides extra 3% spell hit on top of the armour reduction, and they also offer 5% crit to all healers and caster rdps, 3% haste to everyone, and http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=61384, which acts as a Crowd Control and makes fights like Deathbringer Saurfang substantially easier. If a RL has to choose between a feral cat and a boomie for their raid, they are not going to favour us, I can tell you that much. Yes, this also regards melee-heavy groups - the balance spec is just that overtuned.

Moreover, the 5% crit from LotP can be provided by fury warriors (via http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=29801), and that spec is quite popular post ToC. The healing from the improved feral talent is such a joke that I'm sorry for even mentioning it.

This leaves us with http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566, http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=29166, and http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48477. Here I’d like to note that under normal circumstances bress is not worth mentioning as well, as good players generally avoid dying to stupid ****. Healers might love you for the mana replenishment if you constantly use it in fights, but the buff itself is not game-changing since it affects only one person. As I’ve said before, in reality a feral cat mostly brings http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566 to raids, which could also be provided by arms warriors. Fortunately for us, you won’t see any in most endgame raids as they’re outshined by their fury brethren. So, yeah - one spec, one unique raid buff. Do you feel important now?

- But, Kova, what about bear druids?

I’m saving the worst for last. Usually, people want only one feral druid in their 25-man raids because two don’t really stack that well. But the most devastating fact is that feral tanks provide the same utility as we do, and they are more valuable to the raid simply because they play as tanks (and we all know how underrepresented this role is). In other words, should you compete alongside a bear for a raid spot, well… I have some grim news for you.

N.B.: I’m aware that this analysis sounds a bit gloomy, and it’s not something you’d find in a normal guide, but I wanted to be objective here and warn newcomers that a raid or a guild spot is not always guaranteed. Regardless how much effort someone puts in playing this spec, it remains niche no matter what. In HM or HC boss encounters, its presence alone doesn't tip the scales in favour of the raid group (unlike a shadow priest on Algalon or a boomkin on Deathbringer Saurfang). Only by seeing the full picture surrounding the feral cat spec and comparing it to the rest, can you truly realise the vital importance of impressing the RL with good dps and giving them a reason to invite you in their raids in the first place.

5. THE JOURNEY BEGINS... AT LEVEL 80

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Warning: I'm not an expert on leveling, and I won't try to convince you otherwise. When I create a new character, I don't bother finding the most optimal build or route in my journey to level 80 - I just do the quests nearest to me, I queue for RDF at least once per day for the daily reward, and I explore the open world in the meantime because this is the only time I get to have carefree fun in this game. If you want more efficient guides on this subject, please check the following links:

detailed feral leveling guide (wowhead link)
leveling in zones and dungeons (warmane link)
detailed leveling in dungeons (warmane link)

What I can offer in this section are some general advice on preparing for the end-game.

I. Dealing with players

A) Have fun, but be flexible with it

What is the main purpose of any game if not to entertain? Why do people continue playing games long past their childhood years if not to take breaks from their daily tasks irl? WoW is a game and should be treated as such.

Now, everyone perceives "fun" differently - for some it could mean "laid-back activity" like exploring the world, fishing in a quiet spot, roleplaying with other people, but for others it could mean "feeling of progression" as in achieving a high rating in arenas, defeating hard bosses in raids, going high in the leaderboards etc. Those are all valid and perfectly acceptable reasons to invest one's own free time in this game.

However, WoW is not any kind of game - it's a multiplayer which should indicate that many (different) people are gathered here. People with different understanding of fun. People with different skill levels in the game. People with different character traits. People with different manners. Oftentimes, these differences lead to conflict of interest and this is where the complaints about "toxicity" (mostly) come from.

As one can imagine, unfavourable situations can and will occur. Situations that in the best case scenario will be a minor nuisance, and in the worst will prevent us from doing the things we came here for in the first place and might even go against our personal moral principles. When that happens, it's important to remember that our own free time is being spent, and it's our own responsibility to make it count. Having fun shouldn't mean doing precisely X and nothing else, as we don't always have the ideal scenario. Sometimes we need to make compromises if we want our free time to be well spent.

The point I'm trying to make here is that you should do whatever you want in this game (granted, it doesn't go against the rules), but you need to be (psychologically) prepared for the unpleasant confrontations with the other players whenever they take place. Unless someone breaks a rule, and you have all of the necessary evidence to report him, the warmane staff won't get involved. No one is obligated to respect you, your time, or your idea of fun for that matter. You are on your own, and it's your own responsibility to make your free time count. Find a constructive way to deal with the unpleasant situation, or if you cannot, think of a way to prevent it in the future. Before it even crosses your mind, no, complaining about it on the forums or on reddit like a Karen is not a solution - it's another time-waster. If you don't agree with me, I welcome you to google "warmane toxicity" or similar topics, to see how many threads have been made and most importantly to read the responses of the moderators and the forum veterans. What do they say?

Be flexible! The sooner you accept it as a necessity, the sooner you will search for solutions to overcome those unpleasant situations, and as a result the sooner the enjoyable moments you so crave for will take place again. Also, learn to forget about those bad moments, so that they don't ruin your mood when you do get the chance to enjoy WoW again.

B) Play with people that share your mindset

This is related to the previous point about having fun. While gathering with random players, you will most definitely stumble upon "conflict of interest", and you should remember that the game itself doesn't filter players in any way possible. Guilds do which is why I advise you to search for one as early as possible. By this, I don't mean leveling guilds necessarily - I mean finding people that have the same interests as you do. If you're a casual player, search for a social guild. If you're a pvp player, search for a pvp guild. If you're a pve player...

- But, Kova, but I'm too low and/or unexperienced to be accepted in one.

Find solutions, not excuses. Ask yourself what you want to achieve when it comes to pve progression. Do you want to clear all bosses on heroic mode, or do you want to go through a natural learning curve and start with NM? You need to define your interests from the very beginning, so that you know who the "right" people are for you. Reach out to officers of the guilds that best match your interests, explain your situation to them and see if they're willing to accept you as a back-up. Oftentimes, someone organises alt runs. If you show interest in joining them and you go prepared, you will leave a good impression on the raid leader(s), which in turn would increase your chances of being accepted in the core raids.

C) Treat others the same way you want to be treated

This should go without saying, but act mature and respect others and their time. This tip is also an extension of my previous regarding leaving a good impression on others. Leaving a bad impression will result in your name being blacklisted, and a bad reputation can potentially spread among guilds.

This topic doesn't narrow down to social behaviour. If you're interested in raiding, and you have signed up for a raid, make sure to come on time. If you change your mind and prefer to skip it, inform the raid leader(s) in advance. While no one can stop you from leaving the raid prematurely or not showing up on time, people will notice this behaviour and will be less inclined to invite you in the future. Remember, end-game raids have two group-size variations - 10- and 25-man. If you leave midway through the raid, the instance difficulty cannot be adjusted to the newer group size. The content remains the same, but now the raid dps takes a hit, and as a result some (heroic) bosses might become unbeatable. If the raid cannot find a replacement, the RL will be forced to declare a premature RO, and all remaining 9/24 people will have to wait a whole week in order for their ID to reset... just because one person ruined the fun for the rest of the group. Don't do that.

D) Use common sense

For topics I didn't cover, just use common sense, and make sure to read and understand this article on how to report players.

II. Learning the spec

If you're interested in clearing end-game content as a feral cat, make sure to acquaint yourself with the abilities of this spec ASAP. Therefore, the sections I recommend reading first in this guide, are:

- "Recommended talent build and glyphs"
- "Omen of Clarity, aka the MVP for a feral cat"
- "Positioning as a feral cat"
- "Feral cat's priority list 101"
- "How to open as a cat?"

Since most of our dps comes from refreshing Mangle, two bleeds, and SR, I recommend installing WeakAuras or any other similar addon to track personal timers more conveniently. Afterwards, I encourage you to practise the rotation a lot (preferably every day) until you get more comfortable with it. Remember, practice makes perfect, and there a lot of nuances that can be mastered with this spec.

In this train of thought, I highly recommend downloading OBS Studio, recording your games, and watching them later. Doing so, you can observe how exactly you play and what kind of mistakes you make whilst dps-ing, in order to become more mindful of them and hopefully correct them over time. This kind of dedication to self-improvement also leaves a good impression on guild leaders and can earn you a lot of favour.

III. Qualifying for RDF HC

Attention: Before I unravel the big "secret" behind the gear requirements for queuing for RDF HC, I'd like to stress on the fact that you should practise the rotation first before you set foot in heroic dungeons. There is a way for you to join RDF HC the moment you ding level 80, but if you don't know how to play as a cat, you will be a burden to everyone in the group. Don't expect to get carried. If the overall dps is low, your group won't go far, you will be called out for underperforming and rightfully kicked out. You might even be a victim of verbal abuse. If you want to avoid such unpleasant moments, I once again urge you to practise on target dummies before joining RDF HC.

A) Gear requirements for RDF HC

People frequently ask on the forums or in global how much GS they need in order to queue for RDF HC. Here are the facts:

What do I mean by this?

Simple. GearScore is a community-made addon with its own separate item evaluation system. It's something that players refer to when describing the overall quality of their gear, but it's not the system the game uses. That would be "item level". If you want to know how much each of your gear pieces are worth, you need to enable the setting for displaying the ilvl:

Click Escape -> Settings -> Interface -> Display -> Show Item Level

screenshot

If you want to queue for RDF HC, the average ilvl score across all of your items needs to be at least 180. If you don't want to calculate your average ilvl score manually, you can paste the following script in the in-game chat:

use this if you have a two-hand weapon

Code:

/run local t,c,u,k=0,0,UnitExists("target")and"target"or"player"for i=1,18 do k=GetInventoryItemLink(u,i)if i~=4 and k then local ilvl=select(4,GetItemInfo(k))t=t+ilvl c=c+1 if i==16 then t=t+ilvl c=c+1 end end end c=c>0 and print(t/17)

use this for all other cases

Code:

/run local t,c,u,k=0,0,UnitExists("target")and"target"or"player"for i=1,18 do k=GetInventoryItemLink(u,i)if i~=4 and k then t=t+select(4,GetItemInfo(k))c=c+1 end end c=c>0 and print(t/17)

If the printed number is lower than 180, check your gear and replace the lowest ilvl item. Paste the script again and repeat the same process until you're eligible for RDF HC (you might need to re-open the window to see the option). For more information on the matter, I highly recommend reading these two posts: this one by Messajahh and this one by Flaterwick.

B) Jumping straight to RDF HC as a fresh 80

Now that you know how this system works, here's what I usually do the moment I ding level 80:

I go to the nearest AH and buy cheap, high quality BoEs that suit my spec (in this case, Agility items);
If my average ilvl is still too low, I open the equipment manager and save my current build;
I browse the AH for other cheap BoEs without paying attention to the armour-type or the stats on them;
I equip the new items and create a second build in the equipment manager;
I queue for RDF HC;
If I get accepted in the dungeon, I swap back to my regular items.

And voila.

This is how anyone can cheese the RDF system. As you can understand, this will allow you to enter heroic dungeons sooner than intended, which is why it's utterly important to have the necessary class & spec knowledge before you attempt such an endeavour. In other words, if you don't feel comfortable executing the feral rotation, go practise on a target dummy first before queuing for RDF HC.

C) Acquiring gear for RDF HC whilst leveling

The information in this subsection mostly concerns people that play on a fresh WotLK realm (like Frostmourne or Onyxia), but Icecrown and Lordearon players might also find it useful. Basically, if 180+ ilvl BoEs are outside your budget, you can improve your gear by queuing normal dungeons. The following table shows the average ilvl gear piece in each dungeon:

As you can see, the items that can help you join RDF HC can be found in the yellow coloured dungeons, i.e. starting from Gundrak. Spam these dungeons, select "NEED" on the Agility items, "GREED" the rest, and don't sell anything you can wear. I also recommend completing the quests in "The Culling of Stratholme" and in "Utgarde Pinnacle", as you can obtain 187 ilvl items from them. If you complete the entire "Sons of Hodir" quest chain, King Jokkum will give you the following quest - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/quest=13108 - which rewards you with a 187 ilvl chest piece. Once you reach level 80, you can equip the random items you got from those dungeons and queue for RDF HC by following the tips mentioned in the previous subsection.

If your trinkets are low ilvl, I'd advise you to start the "Knights of the Ebon Blade" and "Argent Crusade" quest chains. You will eventually be rewarded with 174 ilvl trinkets, which will be below the desirable 180 threshold but still worth the effort.

If you're in need of a new weapon, you can complete https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/quest=12857 in Zul'Drak and get a 175 ilvl staff. Keep in mind that two-hand weapons count twice towards your average ilvl score, and it's possible that the staff prevents you from queuing for RDF HC. It's important to note that 2h weapons aren't your only option to meet the gear requirements for RDF HC. You can combine a cheap high ilvl dagger (such as https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=36485 or https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44703) with an off-hand item like https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37364 and greatly boost your average ilvl score. Just remember to equip your usual 2h weapon once you get accepted in the heroic dungeon.

Finally, it's very likely that your idol is what's preventing you from queuing for RDF HC. Fortunately, you can obtain a 150 ilvl relic from the Venture Coins vendor. Here's how you can get it the quickest way possible:

1) Go to Venture Bay (i.e. the southwestern part of Grizzly Hills; video);
2) You need to complete 3 daily quests, in order to acquire 30 Venture coins;
3) Once you do them, speak to "Grizzly" D. Adams (if you are an Alliance player) or Purkom (if you are a Horde one).

As you may have noticed, I didn't mention any specific gear pieces that you must acquire during leveling at all costs. This is because none of the items you get from completing quests or killing bosses in normal dungeons are actually worth a damn. Everything is replaceable, usually with items that have a higher ilvl. Outside of raid instances, valuable gear can only be found in heroic dungeons and in the stores of various emblem and reputation quartermasters, and our task is to gain access to them as quickly as possible. Knowing that we also farm emblems and reputation in heroic dungeons, we can confidently say that all roads lead to the RDF HC system. This is why I always try to jump straight into it by all means necessary and why I advise you to do the same. Once you start queuing for RDF HC, you can finally begin gathering pre-raid gear, which will bring you one step closer to the endgame content. This will be the topic of the next subsection.

IV. Gathering gear for raids

Warning: You won't find any pre-raid BiS lists in this section if this is what you're looking for. There are several reasons for this, but mostly because I don't see the point of pursuing pre-raid BiS status given the fact that the items will be replaced anyway. And like... you don't really need to be exactly pre-raid BiS to be accepted in raids - you just need to meet the minimum gear requirements for the given instance, which vary from raid leader to raid leader. So, what do I offer here? - some general tips that can give you an idea how you can gather entry-level gear.

Also, I highly recommend downloading AtlastLoot. It's an amazing QoL addon that depicts items and their sources.

A) Pre-raid gear during Naxx (Frostmourne/Onyxia)

If you spam RDF HC every day, you won't have to worry about following a fixed path because you will be able to do three things at once - you will farm reputation (granted, you buy each faction's specific tabard), acquire two types of emblems, and kill bosses for loot. Whenever you're not clearing heroic dungeons, you should consider completing the (daily) quests of each faction, so that you continue to farm rep and some gold in the meantime. If you don't have other characters in your account, the "mandatory" reputation factions are "Knights of the Ebon Blade" and "The Sons of Hodir" because in addition to the epic gear you also get your BiS enchants from them. Afterwards, you spend the accumulated currencies at the corresponding quartermasters, you replace all of your gear pieces with the available 187 and 200 ilvl upgrades, and that's pretty much everything you need to know about this topic. That being said, if you want a precise list with items and their sources, you can check legacywow and gamerant. You can find a refined preraid BiS build - here.

I would like to mention that certain event dungeons drop 200 ilvl items (e.g. https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49121 during Hallow's End or https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49074 during Brewfest, which is the same as https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40684), so don't miss out on them. In this train of thought, I need to warn you about the possibility of seeing https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=51807 and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=54802 drop in "Love is in the Air" and "Midsummer Fire Festival" dungeons during phase 1. Don't be tricked into thinking that you will be allowed to use them! This is nothing more than a plain developer oversight, which unfortunately occurs every year (FM s1, FM s2, Onyxia). What I'm trying to say is, if you see an item with an unusually high ilvl dropping in event dungeons, don't equip it and don't sell/disenchant your current gear. A few hours after the incident occurs, the staff will either implement a restriction that prevents you from equipping your new item during the entirety of this phase, or remove it completely from your character, and they will not give you back the item you destroyed. Be cautious and use common sense.

If you want to speed up the gearing process, there's a plethora of 187-200 ilvl BoEs in WotLK, which you can buy from the AH (some more expensive than others):

187 ilvl rare quality - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43255 (hands), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42731 (legs), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37117 (wrist), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=36978 (waist), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43256 (feet), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43251 (finger).

200 ilvl rare quality - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37366 (wrist), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37624 (finger), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37243 (waist), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37890 (legs).

200 ilvl epic quality - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43481 (shoulder), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43484 (waist), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43566 (back), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42645 (neck), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42642 (finger), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44308 (finger), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=41257 (weapon), https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44326 (BiS trinkets).

If you have Engineering, you can craft https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42550.

To recap - the way you gather pre-raid gear is by spamming RDF HC for emblems (you spend them at the respective emblem quartermasters), defeating heroic dungeon bosses for 200 ilvl items, and purchasing reputation-locked items from WotLK factions (you can speed up the process of farming rep by equipping faction-specific tabards in dungeons). If you can afford it, you can also purchase some BoEs, though I advise you to save your gold for https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44326 since it's BiS.

You don't need to obtain every single 200 ilvl item outside raid instances to be able to raid - you can get the same quality items from Naxx 10, so always be on the lookout for advertisements in /global concerning that raid. Once you obtain good enough gear, you then move to Naxx 25 + OS 25 (2d) + EoE 25.

B) Pre-raid gear during Ulduar (Frostmourne/Onyxia)

Same tips as before, honestly, but now you have access to more BoEs that can help you catch up with others:

My personal recommendation is to keep your gold for the footpads, as they're BiS. Also, consider clearing Naxx + OS (2d) + EoE a couple of times until you get good enough gear to join Ulduar 10/25 raids.

C) Pre-raid gear during ToC (Frostmourne/Onyxia)

With the launch of the ToC patch come a lot of changes and a lot of ways to catch up on gear.

First of all, defeating bosses in heroic dungeons now rewards us with EoC (as opposed to EoH in the previous two patches). Not only that but we also get access to a brand new dungeon - Trial of the Champion - where we can obtain 200 and 219 ilvl items from NM and HC respectively. Because of this, farming reputation is no longer necessary and can be skipped. Same goes to clearing Naxx + OS (2d) + EoE, though these raid instances can still provide us with EoC but not much else.

As for the new BoEs, here's a short list - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47582, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47600, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47257, with the bracers being BiS for Alliance cats and pre-BiS for Horde players.

To recap - the way you gather pre-raid gear is by spamming RDF HC for emblems (you spend them at the respective emblem quartermasters), ToC HC for the 219 ilvl items, ToC NM for the 200 ilvl items (most notably https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47214). If gold isn't an issue, you can purchase some 245 ilvl and 226 ilvl BoEs, though I only recommend https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47582. Also, consider clearing Ulduar a couple of times until you get good enough gear to join ToC and Onyxia raids.

D) Pre-raid gear during ICC and RS (Icecrown/Lordearon)

(*) General info

With the launch of the ICC patch come even more ways to catch up on gear.

In addition to the EoTs which we now obtain from heroic dungeons, we get access to three brand new dungeons - Forge of Souls, Pit of Sauron, and Halls of Reflections - where we obtain 219 and 232 ilvl items from NM and HC respectively. Only FoS is available at start and unlocking the rest requires us to complete a 6-part quest chain, but some of those quests reward us with 2x EoFs. There's such a quest in each dungeon, so by the time we finish all quests we will have 6x EoFs.

Knowing that we need EoFs to obtain our T10 set pieces, here's a list of all possible ways to farm this currency:

- each major boss in ICC 10-man drops 2x EoFs + 1x EoF from the Val'kyr mini boss + weekly quest = 30x EoFs;
- each major boss in ICC 25-man drops 2x EoFs + 1x EoF from the Val'kyr mini boss + weekly quest = 30x EoFs;
- each miniboss in RS 10-man drops 1x EoF + 3x EoFs from Halion = 6x EoFs;
- each miniboss in RS 25-man drops 1x EoF + 3x EoFs from Halion = 6x EoFs;
- Toravon in VoA 10-man drops 2x EoFs;
- Toravon in VoA 25-man drops 2x EoFs;
- completing the weekly kill quest in Dalaran rewards us with 5x EoFs;
- queuing for RDF HC and successfully clearing the first heroic dungeon every day rewards us with 2x EoFs;
- queuing for RDF HC and successfully clearing the first event-specific dungeon each day rewards us with 2x EoFs;
- completing the FoS/PoS/HoR quest chain rewards us with 6x EoFs [can only be done once per character];
- completing the RS quest chain rewards us with 5x EoFs [can only be done once per character].

Obviously, players with starter gear won't be able to jump right into ICC and RS, but they should consider the other options. Though, there is something they can do in ICC which are the so called rep runs. Basically, you join a group with the sole purpose of killing trash mobs and farming Ashen Verdict reputation in order to obtain epic-quality rings after each threshold (https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50402 when exalted).

Last but not least, I want to mention the new BoEs that come with this patch. There are four 264 ilvl Agility items we can use, those being https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50452, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50001, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49899, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49895.

To recap - the way you gather pre-raid gear is by spamming RDF HC for emblems (you spend them at the respective emblem quartermasters), FoS/PoS/HoR HC for the 232 ilvl items, FoS/PoS/HoR NM for the 219 ilvl items. You can also join ICC rep runs to get an epic ring. If gold isn't an issue, you can purchase some 264 and 245 ilvl BoEs. Also, consider clearing ToC 10 & 25 a couple of times until you get good enough gear to join ICC and RS raids.

Sounds simple, right?

Yeah... if only this were the case, though.

(*) Reality of things

Now, I would like to explain why exactly I put Icecrown and Lordearon in the title and didn't mention any of the seasonal servers (Frostmourne and Onyxia) despite the fact that they also transition to ICC & RS. The reason for that is quite simple - I want to address the topic of overinflated gear requirements for raids in the first two realms.

Before someone brings up the difficulty argument - no, that's not the actual reason. When Frostmourne launched, it had the same difficulty as Lordearon, and yet people didn't require overinflated GS for their raids. Like, I remember clearly that some pug RLs accepted players with 4.4k for their ToC 10 and 4.8k for their ToC 25 man raids. If we look at the situation in Icecrown and Lordearon, oftentimes you'll be required to have around 5k GS, if not more. On a seasonal server that just entered its ToC content phase, 5k meant having BiS Ulduar gear. How many people do you think were close to that amount? If Frostmourne had the same GS mentality as Icecrown and Lordearon and demanded 5k for those raids, only few people would have been able to participate in them.

This should indicate that the actual gear requirements are way, way lower than what people look for. To prove my point even further, here's a video from Frostmourne season 1, where <Offline> defeated LoD during their second ID. For those of you who don't know, you first need to kill the LK on NM in order to unlock the HC version of the raid instance. Killing LK 25 HC this early means that most of the players' gear came from ToGC, and yet they were able to succeed. Why? Because the players weren't ordinary. They had the needed skill to play their characters to their fullest and weren't brought down by their gear limitations.

Going back to Icecrown and Lordearon, the reason for the inflated gear requirements is because those servers have existed for years, and in that time many players were able to obtain end-game ICC and RS items. As a result, the raiding market (so to speak) became inflated with such players, and it became easier to find people with high GS who would hopefully carry a raid than inviting new players and teaching them tactics. And if you try to convince a pug RL that X amount of GS is enough for a raid, they will argue with you, they might even mock you and /ignore you.

Knowing this, we will play by their own game and also (artificially) inflate our GS. Before doing that, we need to establish how exactly the pre-raid build would look like, in order to find ways to bloat it.

(*) Suggested entry-level builds

I don't know your current budget, how dedicated you are to farming ICC rep, in which raid instances you'll get invited, and how lucky you'll be with the drops, so for the sake of simplicity I'll consider this a (very affordable) common starting point:

(All of this equates 4979 GS.)

(All of this equates 5108 GS.)

Gear:
- Head: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=48188 (EoT vendor)
- Neck: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50452 (BoE)
- Shoulders: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47709 (EoT vendor)
- Back: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46032 (point shop)
- Chest: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=48189 (EoT vendor)
- Wrist: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50264 (PoS HC)
- Hands: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=48192 (EoT vendor)
- Waist: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46095 (point shop)
- Legs: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=48190 (EoT vendor)
- Feet: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50308 (HoR HC)
- Ring 1: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47730 (EoT vendor)
- Ring 2: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50453 (BoE)
- Trinket 1: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45931 (point shop)
- Trinket 2: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45609 (point shop)
- Weapon: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45613 (point shop)
- Relic: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47668 (EoT vendor)

Note: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50453 is just a cheap and immediate placeholder for the ring slot. In terms of dps, it's on par with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50376. Once you reach "honored" status with the Ashen Verdict, you should use the new ring instead.

Knowing how much GS you'd have from those builds, here's a list of all remaining noteworthy BoEs in this patch you can use to further increase that number:

Back - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47257
Chest - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50001, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47599
Legs - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49899
Feet - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49895
Wrist - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47582
Weapon - https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50052 (from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50380)

Keep in mind that all listed items above are expensive as ****. In this train of thought, I personally don't recommend completing the "Battered Hilt" quest chain because otherwise this will prevent you from looting it in the future. What I mean by this is that the loot window, which normally displays the rolling options for Battered Hilt, won't appear on your screen anymore. Others will see it and will be able to interact with it, but not you, which would be a shame because you could sell it on the AH for a huge sum and afford the other BoEs with the earned gold.

Since https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40721 has a low ilvl, I recommend purchasing https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46032 from the vote shop (granted, you play on Icecrown) or alternatively https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=51354 from your faction's pvp vendor (you don't need to do any BGs if you don't want to, you can acquire honour points by completing the weekly quests in Wintergrasp). In terms of dps, the pvp cloak decreases it by a small amount (around 15 dps). If someone asks you why you have it, make an excuse that you cannot afford https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47257. Btw, if you're gearing your cat during the "Midsummer" event, you can get https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=54802 from Ahune.

If you cannot afford https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47582, you can replace https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50264 with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45611 (granted, you have access to the vote shop) or https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=51370. If someone makes a fuss about you using a pvp item, you can tell them that you gain more dps by lowering your hit rating (which is true btw, you gain 30 dps).

With the suggestions above, you will reach 5.1-5.2k GS and become eligible for the easy raids, namely ToC 25, Onyxia 25, VoA 10 & 25, and the weekly quests in Dalaran. If this is the case, then congratulations - you're in the hellhole now.

(*) The next step in your progression

Recall when I said a few subsections ago that WoW is a multiplayer game, where all kinds of people play without being filtered. Well... now you're going to meet them and play with them. Expect afk-ers, random leavers midway through the raid, massive underperformers, countless stupid wipes, premature ROs - PUG raids in a nutshell. Doesn't matter the realm or the server - when people are not filtered in any way, no one can stop randoms from joining a raid and ruining it for the rest.

Ok, this isn't entirely true - some experienced raid leaders inspect the new joiners in advance and kick them if they notice some red flags, but not everyone does it. If you want to avoid disastrous moments caused by the ******ed rabble, you should do the same and leave the group ASAP (i.e. before the raid officially begins). Also, check the current raid composition and consider if it's perfectly balanced or completely chaotic.

Should you stick to PUG raiding, my personal advice is to clear only the easy raids mentioned above. My second tip is to set your expectations reeeeaaaally low and celebrate every boss your group manages to kill.

However, if you want to progress seriously and clear the end-game content, you should definitely search for a guild. A good guild will remove the dregs from the crème and will offer a lot better coordination in comparison to PUG raids. Also, your time will be respected because all participants are expected to log into the game a few minutes prior to the official raid start, so that no unnecessary delays can occur. In contrast, (spontaneous) PUG raids are formed on the spot, and as a result filling the missing roles (tanks, healers, specific classes) takes a long while. How wonderful it is to wait for hours until the group finally assembles only to see people die miserably at the first boss, some leave right afterwards, and either the raid group has to be reformed or an early RO has to be declared! I've been there, and I don't recommend it.

So, guilds...

Pay attention for recruitment posts in /global and see if your character meets their requirements. Alternatively, you can join one if these Discord links:

- https://discord.gg/cyH3pYM28Z (warmane unofficial; contains lots of Icecrown recruitment posts)
- https://discord.gg/2cjhhNRbAc (Havi's; Lordearon-specific hub)

Set realistic expectations and contact guilds whose progression matches your knowledge of the game and whose gear requirements don't differ too much from your current gear. If they're aren't looking for a cat, consider reaching out to their respective guild leaders nonetheless and ask them if you can be a back-up. Explain to them your situation and your willingness to improve - not gear-wise, but skill-wise. And you really need to mean it!

Do your homework by reading the tactics for each boss encounter and by watching videos. In your spare time, practise the rotation on target dummies. Hell, you can even practise boss tactics if you use your imagination and play around with DBM/WA - where there's a will, there's a way. Record yourself and correct any possible mistakes. When interviewed, be open to answer raid-specific questions and respond as thoroughly as possible. Show them that you're serious!

If you get invited in a guild raid, your biggest priority is to make a good impression on the raid leaders. If you succeed in this regard, they will be convinced to keep you in their raids, and then gearing your character will seize to be a concern. You might even stop noticing the upgrades you get in raids and just enjoy the raiding environment. Tbh, this is how you achieve true victory in this game - by doing the stuff you like with the people you like.

But until that moment comes, you need to git gud. There's no other way around it. Read raid tactics, watch videos of people clearing bosses, and practise, practise, practise your rotation on target dummies. As I've said in another section, the feral cat is not a highly sought-after spec for raids, so the competition for a spot is fierce. This is why I stress on the importance of mastering your class and spec and making a name for yourself, and why I feel no remorse to repeat myself.

So, you listen to me and listen well. Are you behind on your feral dps parses? Good, go to the nearest target dummy and start practising. Is your guild master ready to /gkick you? Good, go to the nearest target dummy and start practising. Does your e-girlfriend think that you're a ****ing worthless loser? Good, go to the nearest target dummy and start practising. I want you to deal with your problems by gitting gud.

6. ADD-ONS

Spoiler: Show

7. MACROS

Spoiler: Show

If you’re playing your cat traditionally, and we’re not taking any specific scenarios into consideration, then I’m glad to say that you don’t need any macros at all. Still, I’d like to suggest some:

Originally Posted by

#showtooltip Rebirth (Rank 7)
/stopmacro [nohelp,nodead]
/run c="Resurrecting %t"if UnitInRaid("player")then SendChatMessage(c, "RAID")elseif GetNumPartyMembers()>0 then SendChatMessage(c, "PARTY")end
/cast [combat] Rebirth ; Revive

This script combines the druid's resurrection spells, and it announces in /p or /raid chat whenever you bring someone back to life. Depending on whether you are in combat or not, it uses either the normal revival spell or the bress.

Originally Posted by

#showtooltip Innervate
/cast [help] Innervate
/script SendChatMessage("innervated.", "WHISPER", nil, UnitName("target"))

When you innervate a person, you let them know.

Originally Posted by

#showtooltip Innervate
/cast [@>>>name of your healer<<<] Innervate

When you innervate a specific person often, and you don’t want to search their name in the raid frames.

Originally Posted by

#showtooltip Berserk
/cast Berserk
/w >>>Your blood DK tank<<< Give me Hysteria, please.

This helps me coordinate http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=50334 with http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016.

Originally Posted by

#showtooltip >>>Name of your boots<<<
/use 8

This is my macro for the http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=55004.

Originally Posted by

/cast >>>name of the feral ability<<<
/use 10

This is how I’ve combined https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54758 with my feral cat attacks like Mangle, Shred etc.

Originally Posted by

#showtooltip >>>Your current cloak<<<
/use 15

This triggers your parachute. I find it mostly useful in the Sindragosa encounter in ICC.

Originally Posted by

#showtooltip Gnomish Battle Chicken
/use Gnomish Battle Chicken
/equip >>>name of your usual trinket<<<

This is how I summon the http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725 and re-equip my other trinket. I put the chicken item on myself and use the macro during the DBM pull timer.

Originally Posted by

/castsequence Crystal Yield, Saronite Bomb

In case you use http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=11565 on bosses. The first cast will use the crystal, whereas the second - http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=41119.

8. RECOMMENDED TALENT BUILD AND GLYPHS

Spoiler: Show

I. Cookie-cutter build

wowhead link

Disclaimer: Let’s be honest for a bit - different builds perform better depending on the encounter. On some boss fights, we tend to swipe a lot, and on others we only resort to single-target only. I don't want some people here to be left with the wrong impression that the proposed talent build outperforms all others. However, I recommend it because it’s generally useful regardless of circumstances. It's applicable to traditional cats and GotVV-shifters, but not for bearweavers. That playstyle needs 5/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17061 and 3/3 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=57877.

II. Short commentary

I won't describe each and every single talent in the screenshot above because most of them fall in one of the following categories: 1) stat boost, 2) damage increase, and 3) energy reduction. Of course, I still encourage you to open your in-game talent tree or the one in the link above and to acquaint yourself with their effects, though FYI I've already dedicated separate sections in this guide to the most noteworthy ones (like OoC). Same goes to the glyphs. The greyed out talents in the feral tree, on the other hand, are more suitable for tanking or for pvp, i.e. topics that are not covered by the guide.

Here, I’d like to talk about the marked talents for a bit (from most to least important):

- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16949 - increases the damage of our Swipes => helps us clear trash faster, useful in fights with adds like Lord Marrowgar (spikes), Lady Deathwhisper, Valithria Dreamwalker, Halion 25HC. Obviously, this isn’t useful in every single boss encounter, but personally I wouldn’t create an OS just for single-target.

- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=61336 - despite being a defensive CD (associated with tanking and pvp-ing), I actually consider it to be excellent for a pure dps build. Why? That’s because we can use our defensive CDs aggressively and ignore incoming damage in order to inflict more onto the boss. One quick example is Sindy when you have a bunch of http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=70106 stacks. Instead of waiting for the debuff to expire, you can just use this ability and continue dps-ing her. Not to mention, alive kitty >>> dead kitty. We don't have 9 lives in a fight, so anything that keeps us alive and kicking is welcome.

- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=34300 - Look, under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have recommended it. It heals us and other melees (incl. hunters) for 2%/4% of our total health with an ICD of 6 seconds. The healing is **** [let’s assume I have around 40k health in ICC (with all of my buffs); 4% would be 1600 HP or 2080 HP with the 30% buff, and it will most likely end up being an overheal]. However, the reason why I use this talent is because it returns mana, which goes extremely well with my aggressive GotVV-shifting strategy. If you aren’t interested in this technique, then please ignore this as http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48938 would cover all of your mana needs.

- 4/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17060 - Some people might wonder why I am even mentioning it here. Well, tbh puting one extra point in that talent isn’t bad. I consider it more beneficial than investing talent points into Improved Mangle because it has the potential to grant us more energy. Let me explain: feral cats regenerate 10 energy per second regardless of stats and form, but Furor determines the maximum cap when we're outside cat form. Having 4/5 Furor minimises the penalty when you shapeshift out of cat form, in order to Innervate or Bress someone (*cough* or to use *cough* the GotVV-shift *cough*). If you have 4/5, you’d “gain” 20 energy as opposed to 3/5 because your main resource has more room to regenerate. Don't put 2 talent points in this! If you have 5/5, upon shapeshifting your energy could cap at 100, but due to the GCD caused by the shapeshift you won't be able to utilise it immediately, resulting in you overflowing that resource. 5/5 Furor only makes sense in the context of bearweaving.

- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48491 - it can decrease the energy cost of our Mangle ability by 2/4/6. I don’t recommend it, unless you want to have another spec just for bosses without adds, and you don't Bress or Innervate your guildmates that often. Don’t forget that the first usage is usually free thanks to a CC from a GotW prior to the pull timer. Most fights last ~3 minutes, some ~4, so throughout the course of a fight we’d spend actual energy on Mangle three or four times, which would save us 6/12/18 or 8/16/24 energy. Compare it to Furor, which can "grant us" 20 energy just by investing one talent point in it, and you can see my point.

/Honourable Mention/ https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45601 - this glyph performs better than https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40902 in short, 1-min boss fights according to Rawr and the feral simcraft. Now, I should clarify that most encounters in ICC and RS last (way) longer than that, but on Icecrown people have access to a 30% buff in ICC, which allows them to have really short boss fights, two of which can last one minute - LM and BPC. If you're an Icecrown player who wants to min-max, you can buy stacks of "Glyph of Berserk" and "Glyph of Rip" and use them interchangeably in ICC. If this isn't the case, just stick with "Glyph of Rip".

III. Off-spec

In order to increase your odds of getting a raid spot, I recommend an OS different from pve cat. Here you can find guides for the other druid specs:

- Boomie by Arawethion: (EJ guide);
- Boomie by Lastcares: (wowhead guide);
- Boomie by Clovis: (warmane guide);
- Resto dudu: (wowhead guide);
- Resto dudu by Funkymusic: (warmane guide and youtube channel);
- Feral tank by NerdEgghead: (wowhead guide);
- Feral tank by Raenel: (warmane guide);
- Feral pvp by Meow: (irrelevant for raids, but still an amazing guide).

9. OMEN OF CLARITY, AKA THE MVP FOR A FERAL CAT

Spoiler: Show

I. General overview

Talent

Proc

The CCs are our Most Valuable Procs. Since we regenerate only 10 energy per second, and TF is on a 30-second timer, we can easily become energy-starved after 2-3 abilities. In situations like this, receiving the blue proc feels like actual Manna, i.e. a blessing from RNGeesus. The main purpose of this section is to shed light on the backbone of feral cat's dps and to defend the mindset of shaping your playstyle around generating as many CCs as possible at any given situation.

II. No ICD (anymore)

When WotLK launched for the first time in 2008, the OoC talent used to have a 10-second ICD. For a short period of time, this hindered players from obtaining CC procs in quick succession. Fortunately, the ICD got removed in patch 3.03, and this remained the case ever since. As you can understand, CCs not having an ICD is not a warmane-specific bug or feature - it has happened on retail WotLK, and I'm listing my sources here just so people, who are unaware, would finally realise it:

ares0027 on 2008/10/15 (Patch 3.0.2)

Omen of Clarity (Restoration): Now a passive spell. Now also works for spells (healing and damage). Proc rate is roughly 6% with a 10 second internal cooldown.

12160 on 2008/11/12 (Patch 3.0.3)

There is no internal cooldown, as I've refreshed it three times in a row. [snip]

Vaerondis on 2009/02/19 (Patch 3.0.9)

Patch 3.0.8, not changed. Does not appear to have an internal cooldown. [snip]

Source: https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/spell=...arity#comments

With no cooldown and a 3.5 procs per minute, what this really means is that your melee attacks have a 5.83% (3.5/60) chance of proccing omen of clarity. Capping hit and having expertise makes sure you don't fail to land attacks that might have been hits that proc omen of clarity, and haste means you land more attacks per minute.

PPM isn't a mechanic where its only possible to have it proc 3.5 times a minute, it means it'll do that on average.

Source: http://wowthinktank.blogspot.com/200...-302wotlk.html

Excerpt from a log clearly showing this shouldn't have an ICD:

[12:18:13.213] Julzz gains Clearcasting from Julzz
[12:18:13.822] Julzz's Clearcasting fades from Julzz
[12:18:17.062] Julzz gains Clearcasting from Julzz
[12:18:17.264] Julzz's Clearcasting fades from Julzz
[12:18:18.310] Julzz gains Clearcasting from Julzz
[12:18:18.395] Julzz's Clearcasting fades from Julzz

Notice how there's 2 Omen of Clarity procs about a second apart.

http://www.worldoflogs.com/reports/i...3D+%22Julzz%22

Source: https://www.warmane.com/bugtracker/report/39642

In the next data push, you will find Omen of Clarity has been changed a bit. The 10 second cooldown has been removed, the procs per minute has been raised from 2 to 3.5, and melee abilities no longer trigger it.

What this means is that more auto-attacks landing on the target will increase the benefit from Omen of Clarity. Haste, increased hit chance, and expertise will all make Omen of Clarity better.

Source: https://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...-and-Range-Bug

III. Proc chance

The CCs have roughly a 6% chance to be procced from AAs and 8.75% from instant-cast spells, and those numbers are based on the set 3.5 PPM of the talent. In order for you to understand how exactly OoC's proc chance is calculated, I deem necessary to explain the concepts of PPM and PPH.

PPM stands for "Procs per Minute", and the number shows how many procs a player could obtain on average within the span of one minute. This determines the probability for a proc from each weapon swing or spell (aka PPH or "Proc per Hit"), which is further affected by the original weapon speed or by the duration of the spellcast respectively:

PPH (per swing) = unmodified weapon attack speed*PPM/60

PPH (per spell) = unmodified cast time*PPM/60

For other melee classes, this is important to know because slow weapons have a higher chance to generate the desired effect, whereas fast weapons - a smaller one. For ferals, the 3.5 PPH is consistent (= can neither be increased nor decreased) because our weapons are our bare paws, and their original attack speed is one AA per second. This means that on average we'd see a CC proc after every 17th white attack. However, the more Haste we have, the more AAs we can inflict during a fight, which means that the overall probability for a CC proc within a specific time frame increases.

3.5 PPM is written as 3.5/60, which is 0.05833 or 5.833%. This is where the common 6% stems from, and I use that number in many sections of this guide only for simplicity's sake. Though, you might encounter this formula:

x amount of AAs*Shred damage*3.5/60

(This is how I calculate the damage gain or loss from CCs in case we gain or sacrifice AAs.)

Spells also have a high proc chance to trigger CCs due to their original casting speed. Since instant-cast spells don't have a casting speed of their own, their PPH is determined by the 1.5-second GCD like so:

1-(1-3.5/(60/1.5)) = 0.0875 or 8.75%

The reason why I'm bothering you with this is because the probability for a CC proc from AoE spells is calculated ON EVERY SINGLE TARGET. This is why GotW is so valuable especially when it's cast in a 25-man group. Btw, PS with a Nature instant-cast also has an increased proc % (58.33%), and this is not a bug as well.

Source 1: https://web.archive.org/web/20101110..._rotation/p54/
Source 2: https://www.warmane.com/bugtracker/report/70641
Source 3: https://www.warmane.com/bugtracker/report/112354
Source 4 and 5: https://i.imgur.com/L8mVQpW.png and https://i.imgur.com/bVqnI2s.png

IV. Missed, dodged, and parried attacks

If you cast an ability whilst having a CC proc, and that ability ends up being a "miss" or a "dodge", the proc is consumed:

(0:04 Mangle with a CC proc -> miss -> no damage was inflicted, no CPs were gained, and I lost the proc)

This should be clear enough, and I think that most feral cats realise this during leveling. This is the reason why we don't go below the estimated hit and expertise caps. Moreover, since we don't go over 26 expertise, standing in front of the boss and getting parried also consumes the CC, which is another reason why we should always be behind the boss's back.

10. BIS LISTS, STATS, AND SIMCRAFTS

Spoiler: Show

11. PROFESSIONS

Spoiler: Show

I. General overview

All non-gathering professions provide us with exceptional stat boosts and/or with battle-related goodies:

Engineering: - http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54999, http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=55016, http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=55002, and http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=41119. This profession has 2 specialisations with additional combat-related bonuses - Gnomish (http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725) and Goblin (http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42641);
JC: 3x http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42225, which offer 2.125x the stats of the rare gems (http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42143 vs http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39997) and 1.7x of the epic ToC ones (http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42143 vs http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40112), and this translates into 54 extra stats in Naxx and Ulduar and 42 - in the remaining patches;
BS: 2 extra gem sockets, which can earn you 32 (2xhttp://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39997) or 40 (2xhttp://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40112) additional stats depending on the patch;
Tailoring: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=55777 (84 AP net gain vs http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44457);
Alchemy: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=53042 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46377 (82 AP);
LW: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=57683 (80 AP net gain vs http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44484);
Enchanting: 2xhttp://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=44645 (80 AP);
Inscription: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=61117 (80 AP net gain vs http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44871).

II. Recommended primary professions

JC and Engineering are considered the best for cats. JC is amazing not only because it provides us with the highest amount of stats, but it also helps us reach certain thresholds easier (e.g. hit rating, expertise, and arp). Engineering gives us a lot of goodies (from plain stat enchants to a new mobility tool, which is invaluable in endgame boss encounters).

When it comes to Engineering specialisations, my personal tip is to go Gnomish and acquire the http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725. It’s a trinket with an on-use effect, which you need to activate 45 seconds prior to engaging the boss. Afterwards, you swap it with your usual one (don’t use it on DBW as it has a longer ICD!). If the chicken uses its http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=23060, ALL party members get a 5% melee haste buff for 4 minutes. The trinket has a 20-min CD, but only one person in the respective party group needs to use it at a time - you can talk to the RL in order to rotate people with chickens. Keep in mind that the proc is based on RNG (1% per hit), so you're not actually guaranteed to get it. You could increase your chances by having multiple people use it at the same time, but it could be seen as wasteful as on Icecrown/Lordearon the Battle Squawk doesn't stack with itself (proof). In this train of thought, I’d like to briefly mention a wowhead article that clarified how we can trigger http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=23060 on a more consistent basis. I’ve tested the author’s suggestions, and they don’t work here, unfortunately.

However, there's a neat interaction you can consider that increases your odds of obtaining the Battle Squawk - if the chicken is up, you can cast https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33786 on an instance critter/https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=5052/https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44844. The chicken will start attacking it and might just cast the 5% melee haste buff in the meantime (as seen in this clip). Yes, this will put you in combat for a while, but once the Cyclone effect ends, the critter will become vulnerable again. The chicken will kill it, and you will no longer be in combat. Since the trinket needs to be activated 45 seconds before the fight begins, and you don't have anything meaningful to do in the meantime either way, you can do this trick near your group while waiting for the pull timer to end, so that your fellow party members can start the encounter with the 5% buff. If the chicken doesn't cast it - oh well, at least you tried.

One last thing regarding Engineering - while it's true that you need Gnomish Engineering to obtain the recipe for the chicken and to craft it, you don't actually need that spec to use it. This means that after you obtain the trinket, you can go to Steamwheedle Port in Northern Tanaris and switch to Goblin Engineering in order to use http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42641. Keep in mind that you have to pay 150g for the service, and you'll lose all Gnomish-specific recipes as a result.

I'd like to finish this section by mentioning BS as a worthy alternative to JC in the last patch. Even though we get less stats from it in comparison to JC, the damage difference between both professions is practically non-existent. I would dare say that BS is even better than JC in the sense that the 2 less stat points are compensated by the 264 ilvl recipes we get from ICC because they're a fantastic money-maker. Just keep in mind that where money flows, there's also fierce competition.

III. Recommended secondary professions

While I’m still on the topic of professions, I highly, highly recommend you get Cooking and Fishing as well, so that you’re independent of other people when preparing your food. You can still consume stat-specific meals without leveling those professions, but your guild might only prepare http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43015s, and outsiders might put said meals for a huge price on the ah.

With Fishing, you can also do the daily quests (starting from pacth 3.1) and potentially obtain Stormjewel gems. In terms of stats, they are comparable to the epic gems from ToC which makes them very valuable during the Ulduar content phase.

12. CONSUMABLES

Spoiler: Show

I. Non-event specific

- prepull trinket swapping: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725 - activate its effect 45 seconds before the pull (requires Gnomish Engineering to craft it but plain Engineering to use it). Admittedly, the trinket isn't a consumable per se, but due to the fact that it's always used off CD, I consider it as such. I've written more information about the chicken in the "Professions" section, so make sure to read it;

- bombs: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=41119 (no spec needed) and http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42641 (if you go for Goblin Engineering);

- crystal: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=11565 - it shares the same CD as your bombs, but it increases the damage output of all melees and hunters in your raid. In this clip, you can see my usual farming routine. Please note that the actual respawn rate of the quest items in my preferred spot is around 5 mins and not 2-3 like I said in the video. Also, there's another red crystal with a 5-min respawn timer not too far from my usual path (map). If you don't want to farm the crystals yourself, you can buy them from the ah;

- flask: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46377;

- potions: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40211 - regardless if you perform the GotVV-shift or not, it’s still the best potion for cats. Drink it < 1 second before engaging the boss and when both of your trinkets have procced their effects. Get in motion, cat;

- reagent: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44605 - regardless if you perform the GotVV-shift or not, casting GotW during the boss’s downtime and prior to the pull is a must. You can get a minor discount from some reagent merchants if you have high enough reputation with their respective faction. Since I'm an aggressive GotVV-shifter, and I burn through 400-500 weed in a single raid night, I solve the bag space issue by 1) logging on an alt with high reputation, 2) buying stacks of Wildspine with a discount, 3) mailing them to my feral cat. Whenever I'm running low on those reagents, I just use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40768 and fill my bags again;

- unique AP consumables: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=22779 and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=23989 - they stack with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46377, and you can get both if you change factions (it's cheaper to do it on Icecrown because you can pay with daily points for that service). If you're not willing to farm the quest items for the draught and/or for the crystal, you can buy them from the ah. It should be pointed out that the damage gain is so small that you can easily ignore these items;

- attackable critter: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=5052 - this critter can be placed everywhere you desire, which allows you to obtain a free but short-lived SR prior to boss encounters (please read "Pre-pull Savage Roar" for more info). It should be noted that the item has a very low drop chance (2% - 4%) and can only be obtained from 8 rats (map), each with a respawn timer of 4:30 minutes, making the farming process more tedious and time-consuming than that for the previous two consumables combined. Also, the unconscious rat is considered unique, so you can't carry multiple stacks in your bags - you need to mail them to your toon and ask for a mailbox every time you plan to use one during the raid. Please bear in mind that the damage gain isn't that big, and the rat can easily be killed by some jackass, so you can skip it if you aren't that dedicated to min-maxing... Wait, I've seen this. This is it - this is another reference. Yes, you're reading this just like that, and I... I... I am typing here, right here. I'm supposed to say something. I say "Vielen Dank für die Blumen". What? What did I just say?

- alcoholic beverage: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=38466 Before I continue, I want to mention that this is another consumable which isn't mandatory for raids, and the trick surrounding it becomes less rewarding the longer the fight lasts. The only reason I'm mentioning it here is so that you know why some players are drinking this alcoholic beverage pre-pull. Ok, so what kind of benefit do we get from it? https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43987 is an enchant that procs from AAs, Mangle, Shred, and spells. Drinking Sulfuron Slammer, as odd as it may seem, counts as a spell (source), and therefore it can trigger the effect of Black Magic (example). People utilise this interaction by wearing a weapon with the aforementioned enchant, drinking the Slammer one second before the fight begins, and equipping their main weapon immediately afterwards. Now that this is out of the way, let me explain why I don't really recommend it. Well, first of all the proc effect lasts only 10 seconds, and if you do it pre-pull, you sacrifice a bit of its uptime (= it becomes less rewarding). Secondly, you need to equip your main weapon earlier than usual because swapping weapons triggers a 1.5-sec GCD, meaning you will overcap your energy if you don't use a cat ability immediately at start. Thirdly, this buff only brings you around 8k damage with ICC and RS gear (proof). Fourthly, drinking the Slammer doesn't always trigger Black Magic (it only has a 35% proc chance), and if you drink it a second or third time, you might get stunned for 4 seconds (proof). Fifthly, Black Magic is usually an expensive enchant, and not everyone can afford it. Finally, buying the Sulfuron Slammer is time-consuming if you don't have https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37863 because you need to go to Black Rock Depths and follow this long path until you reach the merchant, Plugger Spazzring;

- food: Stat-specific food depending on your needs > anything else:
*stacking Hit: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44953 or http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42996 (if you're massively Hit undercapped, and you can't get it from gems),
*stacking Expertise: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42994 (if you're massively Expertise undercapped, and you can't get it from gems),
*stacking Arp: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42995 (when below the Arp cap in ToC and in ICC),
*stacking Agility: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42999 (BiS for many builds),
*stacking Strength: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43000 (BiS for a GotVV-shifting Alliance cat and for all bearweavers),
*stacking Haste: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=34769 or http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=34757 (BiS for traditional Alliance cats),
*pleb food: http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43015 (a generous bro drops it in pug raids, casual gruns, and rdf hc).

II. Event specific

- Love is in the air:
*stacking AP: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49859 - it stacks with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46377;
*stacking Agility: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=49939.

- Midsummer fire festival:
*stacking Haste: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=23326 - it stacks with your "well fed" buff,
*stacking Hit: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=23327 - it stacks with your "well fed" buff and with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=23326 (if you're already hit capped, you can remove 1x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40125 in favour of 1x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40128/1x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40150/1x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40146 OR 2x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40125 in favour of 2x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40148 or 2x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40143).

- Hallow's end:
*stacking Hit: 4x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37585 and 4x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37584 - they stack with your "well fed" buff and with each other (if you're already hit capped, you can remove 2x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40125 in favour of 2x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40128/2x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40150/2x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40146 OR 4x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40125 in favour of 4x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40148 or 4x https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40143).

Note: Unlike the previously mentioned event-specific consumables, the Hallow's end ones aren't convenient enough to farm. First of all, you're not guaranteed to get them from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37586. Secondly, you can only obtain https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37586 from the Candy Buckets near the inn keepers once per year. Thirdly, the sweets are considered conjured items, which means that you cannot buy them from the AH or send them to yourself from alt characters (but you CAN trade them with other players, and thus you CAN still transfer them between your own characters, but you'll need alt accounts for that task). Even then, you need to consume four pieces of Taffy and Spearmint to obtain their full effects and since the buffs last 30 minutes, you need to refresh them every 28-29 minutes with a single candy piece. Finally, keep in mind that the buffs don't persist through death, which is why I personally don't recommend using those consumables in raids with a lot of (un)foreseeable wipes.

13. POSITIONING AS A FERAL CAT

Spoiler: Show

I. General overview

Generally speaking, the basic principle of finding the correct spot to stand on is maximising performance and minimising (un)foreseeable downtime. I worded it like so because this doesn't concern only us, feral cats, but also other dps players, healers, and tanks. Going back to the main topic, it's common knowledge that melees need to attack mobs from behind in order to prevent their abilities from getting parried. However, if those creatures turn around, players can still use their abilities normally, albeit with a risk of getting punished by RNG. Feral cats, on the other hand, are an exception. Our http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48572 gets completely shut down if we don't stand in the correct spot. That doesn’t mean that we need to stick our heads in the asses of our foes - we just need to be behind their frontal 180 arc. Check the following diagram for a better understanding:

If the big gray circle depicts the targeted mob/boss and the black dot shows its center, we can draw a line through it in our heads and distinguish the frontal 180 arc from the rear one. As long as we are standing behind that imaginary line, we're able to shred. As I've stated above, in some cases we won’t be able to stand precisely at the boss’s back and will be forced to reposition ourselves and attack from the side. Example?

This fellow right here, and he’s not the only one. Most dragons* fall into this category too because their tails have a knock-back or a stun effect. But dragons aren’t the only case where we have to attack from a rear angle. Here are a few honourable mentions: Blood Prince Council (small vortexes are nearby and force us to reposition), Blood-Queen Lana'thel (standing on her legs, in order to decrease the damage from her abilities), Festergut HC (switching legs in order to dodge the malleable goo and to stack for spores), LoD (standing aside in order to outrange the shadow traps) etc.

Standing at max melee range, i.e. 5 yards away from the hitbox, is also utterly important as this allows us to minimise unnecessary movement and thus to shorten an unavoidable idle time when dealing with certain mechanics. Using Halion as an example again, if we get the fire/shadow debuff, then we need to run far away from others and dispel ourselves. By standing at max melee range, we shorten the distance between the boss's hitbox and the edge of the platform, and doing so we resume dps sooner.

Note*: Cyanigosa in Violet Hold, Malygos in Eye of Eternity, the three mini-drakes in Obsidian Sanctum, and Saviana Ragefire in Ruby Sanctum are the only exceptions.

II. Stand in fire, dps higher

This is one of the most iconic phrases in WoW and perfectly describes the next topic of this section. Before I continue, I want to raise a simple question - What is HP?

What kind of role does HP play in this game? How does it affect us if we end a fight with 100% HP, or 50%, or even 1%? Does our energy regeneration change based on those thresholds? Do we inflict more/less damage depending on how much health we have? The answer to the last two questions is a big fat "NO" - HP only plays a role in determining if we are alive, and not how alive we are. Obviously, health isn't something negligible because we can't do any damage when we are dead, however any number after 1% doesn't matter for us dps-wise. This is important to note because we can treat HP as a secondary resource that can help us retain our current position on the boss.

To make things simple, let's imagine the Lady Deathwhisper boss fight in ICC, and more specifically her "Death and Decay" AoE ability. Let's say that she uses it in the melee group, and the space behind her back is covered by the green puddle. In this scenario, we have several options. (1) We could move out and avoid taking further damage, but this would prevent us from dps-ing her for a while. (2) The other option would be to remain still and to endure the damage. Of course, there's a third and more desirable option which is (3) to reposition ourselves and find another spot to dps from. However, depending on the boss encounter this might not always be possible. In situations like this, if we still want to stand in the same place and dps from there, we need to know the exact numbers we are working with:

- How much HP do we have?
- How much damage will we take from this?
- If it's fatal, would using (personal) defensive cooldowns make a difference?

The answers to those questions determine just how greedy we can be with our HP. It should be noted that this puts extra pressure on the healers, and not every group would support us in this endeavour (after all, keeping the tank alive has more priority than keeping a dps player alive who took avoidable damage), but this is how we can use our HP to our advantage. Before I move on to the next topic, I'd like to give you a short list of abilities & talents that can keep us alive for a bit longer:

https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=22812 (damage reduction)
https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33867 (AoE damage reduction)
https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=50322 (HP increase)
https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=9634 (HP increase)
https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=5229 + https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=70726 (damage reduction in bear form)
https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33873 (received healing increase)
https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33206 from a discipline priest (damage reduction only if the tank doesn't need it!!!)

III. Mobility

As mentioned in the first paragraph, finding the optimal spot to stand on increases our performance. However, when certain boss mechanics take place that cannot be ignored simply by soaking the damage, we're forced to leave it, and as a result we stop dps for a while. This is where our superior mobility comes in - it allows us to minimise the forced downtime and to quickly recover our ground. Simply put, knowing the distance we need to travel, how much time we have at our disposal, and how fast we run can help us stay a bit longer on the boss before we move out. Here's how our velocity changes depending on the abilities we use:

Normal running speed (as a Tauren/Night Elf) = 7 yards per second;
Cat form (30% speed increase) = 9.1 yards per second;
Dash (70% speed increase) = 11.9 yards per second;
Nitro Boots (150% speed increase) = 17.5 yards per second.

Most movement speed modifiers DON'T STACK. Rather, the superior one overwrites all others. For example, it doesn't matter if I play as a feral cat or shapeshift to cat as a boomie, i.e. I lack http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=24866 - I'd travel with the same speed if I use http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33357 in both of these cases. In other words, it's pointless to use Dash and Nitro Boots at the same time. With this in mind, here are some examples of boss AoEs and how much time we can afford to dps before moving out (just so you get an idea how you can use this knowledge in practice):

XT nm/hm [Dark bomb - 12 yards, 9 seconds till explosion] -> dps for 7 seconds or for 8 with Nitro
IC nm/hm [dwarf boss's AoE - 20 yards, 6-sec casting time] -> dps for 3 seconds or for 4 with Dash/Nitro
Mimi nm/hm [Shock Blast - 15 yards, 5-sec casting time] -> dps for 3 seconds or for 4 with Nitro
BPC [Empowered Shock Vortex - 12 yards, 4.5-sec casting time] -> dps for 2 seconds or for 3 with Dash
Sindragosa [Blistering Cold - 25 yards, 5-sec casting time] -> dps for 2 seconds or for 3 with Nitro

This doesn't consider the possibility of standing at max melee range, which would further extend the dps window, or human error, which would decrease it a bit. Let this give you an idea how you can implement this knowledge in your raids.

Last, but certainly not least, it's time to talk about https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49376 as it's our best mobility tool. If velocity is concerned, this ability allows us to close the gap between us and our target even faster than the Engineering enchant. It also puts us behind the targeted mob which means that we can immediately start shredding it. As an added bonus, the cat charge works mid-air, which opens up a lot of opportunities to attack flying enemies and to do fancy https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=72762 shenanigans in the LK encounter. As you can see, this leap ability acknowledges all points I've made concerning the topic of "optimal positioning". Now, unlike the other mobility tools, this one costs 10 energy. However, if you're forced to use it, it would mean that you have already left the optimal dps zone and thus stopped doing damage, in which case you should definitely use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48470 for a CC proc. The feral charge won't consume it, so you can take advantage of the downtime to gain resources.

14. FERAL CAT'S PRIORITY LIST 101

Spoiler: Show

I. General overview

In this subsection, you can find a whole list containing the various offensive abilities we use during combat with a short description, just so you can get a quick overview of them. I've purposely included some spells that trigger OoC, so that you can see the bigger picture, as they too help us gain damage in fights.

A) Finishers (aka CP-consumers):
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=62071 (our biggest damage buff and therefore the finisher with the highest priority in general)
- https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49800 (our strongest bleed and attack overall and therefore the finisher with the highest priority after SR)
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48577 (situational filler; only used when it doesn't hinder the maintenance of the other two finishers)

B) Builders (aka CP-generators):
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566 (debuff that makes bleeds & Shreds stronger and therefore the builder with the highest priority in general)
- https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48574 (small bleed but stronger and cheaper than Shred and therefore the builder with the highest priority after Mangle)
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48572 (spammable filler; only used when it doesn't hinder the maintenance of the other two builders)

C) Offensive CDs:
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=50334 (aka our big CD; halves the cost of our cat abilities for 14 active seconds (14 and not 15 cuz of the GCD upon usage); used during burst phases with a lot of energy beforehand)
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=50213 (aka our small CD; grants us 60 energy thanks to http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48495 and a small buff to our next AAs, Shreds, Swipes, and Mangle for 6 seconds; used off cooldown and with low energy)

D) AoE:
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=62078 (amazing synergy with http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=62071)

E) Frequently spammed spells that proc CCs:
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48470 (8.75% chance to proc the CC per affected friendly target, incl. pets)
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=53312 (6-8.75% chance to proc the CC)
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=22812 (6-8.75% chance to proc the CC; however, since it reduces damage taken by 20%, sometimes the ability itself is more valuable than the CC, so it shouldn’t be spammed in every fight carelessly)
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=69369 (58.33% chance to proc the CC if used alongside http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48461/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=67969/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=27527/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48477/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33786. If you're in a raid, PS should only be used alongside Bress or Cyclone and nothing else as it’s very risky to leave cat form midfight only for the CC to whiff. If you're doing RDF or solo content, you can use whatever and whenever)

II. Learning the priority list step by step

In the previous subsection, I briefly went over each ability that is part of the rotation. Here, I'll go into further detail.

Owing to the fact that we use a lot of abilities during combat, whose priority changes depending on the circumstances, if I were to explain feral cat's rotation in the form of a list with a descending priority order, I would only confuse new players. This is imho the wrong approach when introducing the cat's gameplay to beginners because a) there is a lot of information to remember, b) there are many timers to keep track of, and c) people don't know where and how to begin. This is why I prefer to break it down into smaller cycles, just so newcomers can understand the logic behind them and slowly but surely build on their knowledge as they read further. After all, there is only one way to eat an elephant - one bite at a time.

A) Single-target

You start with the following abilities on the nearest target dummy:
1) Mangle
2) SR
3) Rake
4) 2-3 Shreds till 4/5 CPs -> SR again
5) Continue dps-ing whilst maintaining SR, Mangle, and Rake all the time
6) Repeat

practice video

Commentary:
The point of this exercise is to get used to the CP-generators and to the first finisher.

Since SR impacts our dps the most, it needs to be cast ASAP, i.e. right after the first builder (in most cases, after the first Mangle). Afterwards, you should try refreshing it with 4/5 CPs before it runs out for maximum efficiency and should always keep it active. These tips cover the essentials, and now come the nuances:

If you've already gathered enough CPs, but the buff doesn't expire any time soon, you need to pool (= preserve) your energy as much as possible while not going over 100 (example). However, if there's a risk of overflowing your energy, you need to use a builder and prevent this from happening. Even though some CPs will be wasted this way, this exercise also aims to teach you to hold onto your current CPs for an important finisher later on. This will become more apparent when you start using Rip and FB in your rotation, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

When it comes to the CP-generators, they fall into the following hierarchical order:

Mangle (inactive) > Rake (inactive) > Shred

Just like SR, Mangle should always be kept up no matter what and therefore you have to refresh it a few moments before it expires, whereas Rake needs to run out completely before you recast it. If either of those abilities is about to expire, make sure that you have enough energy for when that happens. If both are about to run out at the same time, and you're wondering which to prioritise first, depending on the circumstances here's what you need to do:

There's more than 1 second difference between the remaining durations of Rake and Mangle -> refresh the ability which expires first (example);
There's less than 1 second difference between the remaining durations of Rake and Mangle -> refresh Mangle one second before Rake expires (example).

Since Shred acts as a filler, it needs to be used only when a) Mangle and Rake are active, and b) you want to build more CPs for an upcoming finisher or there's a risk of overflowing your energy if you don't do anything.

In summary:

- cast SR ASAP and always keep it up;
- Mangle (inactive) > Rake (inactive) > Shred;
- always keep Mangle up;
- let Rake expire before you refresh it;
- make sure that you have enough energy for Mangle and Rake - avoid using Shred if need be;
- don't overcap your energy - use Shred or another builder if necessary.

Once you do that a couple of times, do this:
1) Mangle
2) SR
3) Rake
4) TF + 2-3 Shreds till 4/5 CPs -> SR again
5) Continue dps-ing whilst maintaining SR, Mangle, and Rake all the time
6) Repeat

practice video

Commentary:
Yes, it's pretty much the same exercise, but now you add TF to the mix. Since it grants us additional 60 energy, it will help you cast some abilities sooner. Use it when that resource is no more than 30 in order to prevent overcapping it in case of a sudden OoC proc (more on that later). Lastly, knowing that the ability triggers a 30-sec CD, it's usually a good idea to use TF ASAP in order to potentially obtain one extra in the long run during a boss encounter.

In summary:

- use TF below 30 energy;
- try to use TF off CD.

Once you do that a couple of times, do this:
1) Mangle
2) SR
3) Rake
4) TF + 2-3 Shreds till 5 CPs -> Rip
5) acquire 4/5 CPs -> SR
6) Continue dps-ing whilst maintaining SR, Rip, Mangle, and Rake all the time
7) Repeat

practice video

Commentary:
I would like to start by saying that Rip is our strongest offensive ability, and as such it should be your top priority once SR is online. Afterwards, maintaining both finishers alongside Mangle and Rake will be the key to your success.

Since Rip is a bleed, you need to refresh it after it expires. Unlike SR, casting Rip with less than 5 CPs is a misplay. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, however those are so far and between that it would be easier for you to accept the mantra that this finisher requires the maximum amount all the time. Where am I going with this?

You might fall in a situation where both SR and Rip are about to expire soon, and you are limited in time and resources (i.e. remaining energy, TF, OoC procs) to refresh both of them efficiently. So, what do you do? As stated above, SR is the most impactful ability in our arsenal, so letting it drop is out of the question. Instead, you can refresh it with 3, 2, or even with 1 CP, so that you have enough building blocks for Rip. Moreover, you might not always have the opportunity to use the full duration of SR in which case refreshing it prematurely is not only NOT A MISPLAY, but the only correct play in those situations. If both finishers are about to expire soon, and you're wondering which to prioritise first, depending on the circumstances here's what you need to do:

If both finishers are desyncronised and the difference is at least 5-6 seconds, refresh the finisher that expires first (example1, example2).
If both SR and Rip are going to run out at the same time, you should refresh SR 5-6 seconds prior to Rip (example1, example2).

Last, but certainly not least I want to talk about the synergy between Shred and Rip. Apart from the fact that Shred helps us obtain CPs for Rip, this builder also extends its duration by 2 seconds thanks to https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54815. Most of the time, you won't have to worry about it as you will have plenty of opportunities to cast Shred during the fight, especially when CC procs are at hand (more on that later). However, as stated above, there will be situations where you will be limited in time and resources to maintain both finishers properly. If you then blindly spam Shred out of desperation to get the full effect of Rip, but as a result you sync it with SR, you will put yourself in an unfavourable situation. This is especially true if you're already sitting at 5 CPs, because you stop generating more at that point (example). What I'm trying to say is that sometimes it's better to let Rip expire prematurely - even if you lose a bit of trinket proc value - in order to have an easier time maintaining both finishers (example).

In summary:

- SR (inactive) > Rip (inactive);
- let Rip expire before you refresh it;
- always refresh Rip with 5 CPs;
- if you're struggling to refresh Rip on time, refresh SR sooner and/or with fewer CPs than usual;
- extending Rip's duration with Shred is not always a good thing when you're limited in CP-generation.

Once you do that a couple of times, do this:
1) Mangle
2) SR
3) Rake
4) TF + 2-3 Shreds till 5 CPs -> Rip
5) acquire 4/5 CPs -> SR
6) You prioritise maintaining SR and Rip all the time. If they have like 12+ seconds on their timers, go for a 4/5-CP FB.
7) Repeat

practice video

Commentary:
Do you remember when I said that among all CP-generators Shred was the filler ability? - yeah, same thing goes to FB. It's really the least impactful finisher in our arsenal in terms of dps, as it deals slightly more damage than an average Shred. Just so you get a better understanding of what I mean, here are a few examples: With typical Naxx gear and with 5/5 https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16862 FB deals around 14k damage, whereas Shred - 7.6k. With 3.3.5 endgame gear, FB becomes more rewarding in terms of raw numbers (29k vs 16k from Shred) but not in ratio (1.8:1). Unlike Shred, however, having the "finisher" tag makes FB quite risky as it consumes all remaining CPs stored on the main target in order to deal damage in the first place. That wouldn't be a bad thing per se if it weren't for the fact that it has the potential to backfire greatly if the player is unable to regain those building blocks for the next SR and/or Rip cycle on time. This doesn't mean that FB shouldn't be considered at all, as it does help the player convert any excess CPs past 3 into useful damage, but it should be used with caution between Rip and SR cycles. Now, this is closely related to the subject of timing FB correctly, and while the player could guesstimate if the situation is optimal for that sort of play, at the end of the day RNG has the final word. After biting the boss, you could get multiple CC procs in a row and feel like you're on top of the world, or you could get none of those and instead be cursed to cast non-critical abilities, which only generate a single CP. As you can see, there’s no strict rule that can be applied to any given situation or to any cat player whatsoever. There are many factors which influence the player's decision when to bite the boss, and luck doesn't play a small role there either. For more information, please read "FB. Energy investment and proper timing".

For now, you could consider biting the dummy when SR and Rip last 12+ seconds, your energy amounts to 35-52, and you have a TF at your disposal. Speaking of TF, here's a pro tip - if that ability is active when you're about to cast FB, save it for later so that you have a way to regain the sacrificed CPs (example). Should you throw TF right into FB, you'd need to pray to Bastet to bless you with multiple OoC procs in a row. This is why if you have less than 35 energy, you should just wait patiently until it reaches the aforementioned threshold. If it's more - use Shred and lower it. If TF is not available, then FB should be cast 17-18 seconds before Rip expires. Alternatively, you can play it safe and resort to shredding the boss, so that you'd be able to keep your building blocks for SR and Rip.

In summary:

- use FB when the other finishers have a healthy duration (12+ sec with TF or 17+ sec w/o it);
- avoid using TF prior to FB;
- if you're struggling to gather enough CPs for SR and/or Rip, skip FB and use Shred instead;
- hope for good RNG.

Once you do that a couple of times, do this:
1) The things I wrote above.
2) Use Mark of the Wild on yourself until you get a CC proc before attacking the dummy.
3) Use NG and Barkskin off CD while pooling energy in order to force CC procs.

practice video

Commentary:
As you already understood, the OoC talent plays a key role in the feral rotation, as it helps us deal with energy starvation at any given moment. This is why it's essential that we force those procs by all means necessary. In the section titled "Omen of Clarity, the MVP for a feral cat" I've explained the mechanics surrounding this talent, but here I'll explain on which abilities you should use the CCs (their priority changes depending on the situation):

1) Most of the time, you will want to use them on Shred as it’s the most expensive yellow ability in single-target encounters. However, the same way Shred acts as a filler under normal circumstances, so too it is the case here, and you'll understand what I mean when you continue reading the next paragraphs.

2) Untalented Mangle is the next candidate. The CC should be used on this ability only if it has expired, or there's less than one second remaining of its duration. Preserving 2 energy points doesn't justify delaying the 30% bleed buff, in which case you would not only f*ck yourself, but your fellow teammates as well (here's an example of what NOT TO DO and why using CCs on Shreds blindly is not always the correct play).

3) Rake is not your typical CC consumer, but there are two somewhat common scenarios when this should be the case:

- the Mangle debuff is already active, but the boss is still not bleeding (neither from you, nor from your teammates),
- you're trying to generate the last 1-2 CPs for a finisher, and you need to pick between Shred or Rake.

In the second example, the correct sequence is always "Rake -> finisher -> Shred" with 4pt10, whereas without it - only if there's a risk for Rake to be inactive for 3+ seconds (i.e. prior to casting FB). Going "Shred -> Rake -> finisher" would be a misplay in those cases because you'd waste CPs unnecessarily, but there are exceptions to this rule:

you cannot reach 4-5 CPs for SR/FB or 5 for Rip just by casting one ability (example);
your energy is about to overcap, and you need to lower it regardless of CPs (example).

Regarding the first exception - if you have 0-2 CPs, it's impossible to obtain the maximum amount just from one builder, so you'd naturally cast Shred first and follow it up with Rake. On the other hand, should you have 3 CPs, then casting Rake with 4pt10 would be the optimal play even if you end up getting a 4CP SR or FB. If, however, you're planning on refreshing Rip, then Rake might not always grant you 2 CPs consistently. As you can see, in situations like these going for the "optimal play" would involve taking risks, and it would be up to you to decide to what extent you would be willing to rely on RNG.

Regarding the second exception - as I've said a few paragraphs above (regarding the first stage practice), if our energy is about to reach the maximum cap, we need to use an ability and lower it regardless of CPs. Of course, the most desirable situation is to use a finisher like SR or Rip, so that we don't waste any CPs and we immediately begin generating them anew. However, this is only the case when those finishers are about to expire shortly before our energy reaches the cap. If their durations expire long after that point, sacrificing CPs is inevitable. Since this resource stops being a concern, we only care about how much energy we will have after utilising the CC proc, and since Shred costs more than Rake, the correct play is "Shred (with the CC) -> Rake -> finisher".

4) Using a CC on Rip is oftentimes a misplay due to its cheap cost. However, just like above there are two exceptions when this needs to be the case: {1} you don’t have 2pt10 (sacrificing CP-value doesn’t compensate the energy difference between Rip and Shred); {2} http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=54590/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50363/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016 has less than one second remaining of its duration, and you would lose the snapshot if you don’t refresh this DoT.

5) FB and CC is a misplay in 99.999% of the cases. This is because only the initial cost (35 en) is discounted, but the ability's second effect bypasses the proc and continues to drain your energy up to 30. Even though you get "compensated" for it, in reality you're better off spending that wasted energy on Shred which is why the proc should be used on it instead. The only niche exception I can think of is when the boss is one GCD away from dying, and your choices are either Shred or a 3/4/5-CP FB.

N.B.: SR doesn’t consume CC procs, but if you wait too long so that you get maximum value out of it, your OoC proc might get overwritten by an unfortunate AA. This is caused by RNG, and people react to it differently. Personally, if SR has less than 5-6 seconds duration, I refresh SR and immediately make use of that CC proc. If the timer on our buff is longer than that, then I respect the aforementioned priority list. This is because the likelihood of getting a CC proc within the next 2 or 3 AAs is smaller in comparison to having 10+ AAs before refreshing SR.

In summary:

- most of the time (but not always), the best application for a CC proc is in conjunction with Shred;
- use the CC proc on Mangle, if you need to refresh it ASAP and you're low on energy;
- use the CC proc on Rake, if you need to refresh it ASAP and you immediately follow it up with a finisher like FB;
- avoid using the CCs on Rip and on FB (unless your case is mentioned above);
- SR doesn't consume CCs, but don't be greedy with the proc as it might get overwritten.

Once you do that a couple of times, do this:
1) Pick an opener and use Berserk accordingly.
2) Use all aforementioned abilities while respecting the priority list.

The topic of feral's openers is discussed more thoroughly in "How to open as a cat?".

B) AoE

In boss fights:
1) Make sure that your SR has a healthy duration before the AoE phase begins
2) Cast GotW 1-2 seconds before the AoE phase begins
3) Spam Swipe

Commentary:
Swipe is our only tool to deal with large packs. Since it costs a lot of energy but doesn't generate any CPs, it makes it harder for us to maintain our single-target rotation. This is why you need to use this ability only if you have 3+ important targets to attack at the same time, and the adds die relatively fast. You can afford to lose some bleed ticks if this is the case. Keep in mind that just because you see a lot of red nameplates in a boss encounter, that doesn't mean that you should swipe everything down. There are cases, where we need to ignore the adds and concentrate on our single-target rotation. This is just a general overview. For more specific info, please refer to "Tips for all 25-man instances".

In order to ensure that you have a smooth AoE phase, your SR needs to last long enough, so that you don't waste a GCD to refresh it while swiping down the adds. If it's going to expire during that time, try gathering 4-5 CPs for it and refresh it a few seconds beforehand. In addition, consider keeping TF for that phase as well, as not only will it give you the much needed energy boost to continue swiping, but it will also increase the damage of this attack which will be multiplied the more targets are affected by it. In this train of thought, you need to position yourself in the middle of the pack so that all mobs can be in range of your AoE. Lastly, if you're running low on energy, you are encouraged to cast GotW mid-fight for a CC proc. It doesn't matter if you're a dedicated GotVV-shifter or not, the loss of 1-2 AAs will be greatly compensated by the damage you'd get from swiping multiple enemies. Here, you can find two examples how to use Swipe (with Berserk and without it).

In summary:

- use Swipe if you have 3+ targets to attack simultaneously;
- don't worry about losing some bleed ticks;
- stay in the middle of the pack so that the mobs can be in range;
- make sure that your SR doesn't expire during the AoE phase;
- use TF and GotW whenever you're low on energy.

Trash mobs (incl. RDF):
1) Cast GotW before the pull
2) Mangle (in case you have http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47668) or Rake
3) If you suspect that the trash mobs won't die within 20 seconds, cast another CP-generator
4) SR
5) Spam Swipe

Commentary:
Same as before, honestly. With minor exceptions, most of the trash packs can be swiped down.

If the trash pack lasts 20+ seconds, then make sure you have a lot of CPs for SR from the get go. It's fine that you use unbuffed CP-generators for a longer SR duration - this is better than going 1-2 CPs -> 1-2 CPs and wasting 25 energy, which could have let you cast another Swipe. If the trash pack doesn't last long, then use only one CP-generator per pack. My favourite starter is Mangle in combination with http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47668 because the proc is consistent. Rake alongside http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456 is better damage-wise, but I am rarely able to maintain the buff due to two main reasons: 1) either tanks take short breaks while waiting for their defensive abilities to come off CD or 2) there's a big distance between the trash packs, and by the time I get to cast Rake again, the buff has already expired.

In raids, I use Berserk for clearing trash mobs only when I'm certain that it will come off CD by the time I engage the next boss. In RDF, it depends on my mood and on the instance of course, but I usually use it on huge trash packs.

In summary:

- the rules for swiping down trash packs are the same as swiping down adds in boss fights;
- generate enough CPs for SR in advance so that you don't refresh it a second time;
- (personal preference) consider using the ToC idol alongside Mangle for a consistent buff.

15. HOW TO OPEN AS A CAT?

Spoiler: Show

I. Introduction

Although the topic of feral cat's openers has been discussed with a lot of detail since the release of retail WotLK, there is a lot of contradicting information on the internet regarding which opener is the best, and people don't seem to agree upon one being generally good. Regardless if it's a guide from warmane, from another private server, or even from an official source like gamefaqs, mmochampion, wowhead (original Wrath, not Classic*) etc, you'll find different suggestions on how to start a fight as a cat. This can be quite frustrating as a newcomer, as you don't know which source to trust. For that reason, I tried to have my own take on this topic by analysing different opener types.

In this section, you are about to encounter some calculations around the formulas of our abilities. Even though this is prolly a mistake, taking into consideration the fact that newcomers might read it, hoping to get a quick glimpse of feral's openers and start practising them immediately, only to be left confused and overwhelmed with information, I'm only doing it so that you can understand the logic. If I just write a few sentences, reminiscent of a TL;DR without any further clarification, can that truly be convincing? No, at least in my book it cannot. It would just contribute to the pile of contradicting information concerning cat's openers. So, I'll keep this section as it is. That said, if you're not in the mood to go through any of that, you can find a summary at the very end, where I have included examples of openers with a brief description and videos.

I'll start with the simplest conundrums and cover the more complex bits as I go along:

II. The basic principle of Berserk

As mentioned in the previous section, this ability halves the energy cost of our abilities for 15 seconds, but only 14 of which can be used effectively, and lasts 3 minutes. This makes it our big CD, and as such it's vitally important to make the most out of it. In order to achieve this, one should stick to the following rule of thumb:

Quantity > Quality

Q: What does this mean?
A: The following:

- Quantity: How often do we use Berserk and how many attacks do we inflict during its uptime?
- Quality: How powerful are our abilities in Berserk? Do we combine it with trinket procs and with raid buffs?

Q: Why does "quantity" play a bigger role than "quality"?
A: Being able to inflict more abilities brings more damage than buffing existing ones.

I'll give you a small example: Imagine having the proc from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=54590. With our talents and with raid buffs, we can increase the damage of our Shreds by around 1.6k. If, hypothetically speaking, we deprive ourselves of an additional Berserk before the fight ends due to our desire to sync that ability with STS's uptime at all cost, then we'd suffer a tremendous loss as every potential Shred even w/o the trinket proc would have inflicted 15k on average.

The same is also true when we take into account the energy amount during Berserk. You see, in addition to halving our energy this ability also prevents us from using TF. This means that any energy we have prior to using our big CD coupled with the one we regenerate during its uptime (+ any extra we get from a resto druid's https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48539 and a disco priest's https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=47537) is the only energy we can spare with until that ability ends. Having more of that resource allows us to inflict more abilities, which as described above is more significant than missing out on trinket uptime. In order words, if your trinket procs are already ticking, but your energy is low, then you need to pool more and be passive for a bit before popping Berserk.

Of course, that's not to say that we should never try to satisfy both aspects at the same time if we have the opportunity to do so. For example, using Berserk early on addresses them quite well:
- Quantity - you give yourself the possibility to get an extra Berserk in the long run;
- Quality - you synchronise your first Berserk with your trinkets' uptime, thus increasing the damage of your attacks.

Q: What if the boss fight doesn't last long enough for me to get a second or a third Berserk?
A: In that case, your main concern would be to use your existing Berserk(s) as efficiently as possible.

Again, most of the time this can be achieved when you pop that ability at start, so that you benefit from your trinkets. In certain situations, however, you might need to delay it in case you're forced to deal with annoying boss mechanics that stop you from attacking. In other cases, you can strategically postpone Berserk so that you get more value from it later (e.g. the game gives you a stronger buff or a bunch of enemies for you to AoE down).

As you can see, there're a lot of nuances surrounding the timing of our big CD, and those are covered in the section "Tips for all 25-man instances". I just wanted to explain the logic behind the proper usage of Berserk because everything I said here also concerns https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016 (provided by BDKs) which should always be coupled with our big CD.

In the following subsections, I'll concentrate only on the most common scenario surrounding Berserk, i.e. popping it at the beginning of single-target boss encounters.

III. Berserk immediately at start

Pros:
- STS is perfectly synchronised with Berserk.

Cons:
- You don’t utilise your energy efficiently during Berserk.
- You risk overwriting your initial CC proc by using Berserk instead of Mangle.
- In case you obtain only one CP for your first SR, it will also be perfectly synchronised with Berserk.

Commentary:
Of all possible ways one can open as a cat, using Berserk as the very first GCD is the least productive approach. Some people prefer it due to the perfect sync between STS and Berserk, but that’s irrelevant when we take into account the suboptimal energy management that comes with it. In order to express myself better, I'd like to analyse the two different ways to perform this opener - you either pre-cast Berserk one second before the fight begins, or you cast it at the very beginning. Let's start with the latter scenario as it's easier to understand:

A) Berserk is not pre-cast

This opener starts off like this:

<fight starts> -> Berserk -> Mangle -> SR -> Rake -> Shred -> Shred -> Rip -> ....
/demonstration/

Every self-respecting feral druid casts GotW prior to the pull timer for a free CC proc, thus reducing the cost of the first ability down to 0 energy. If the player starts with Mangle w/o Berserk, he overcaps 10 energy but gains 40 extra, making the overall net gain 30 energy. Should the cat player use Berserk as the very first ability, he would also trigger a 1-second GCD and overcap 10 energy. The difference there is that Berserk is already ticking, and since energy has double value, the player loses de-facto 20 energy (i.e. 10 more in comparison to the first hypothetical scenario). Then the cat player uses Mangle for 0 energy, another GCD is triggered, and he misses out on 10 additional energy points (or 20 under the effect of Berserk), effectively nullifying the benefit of the pre-cast GotW. All of this for what? Just a few seconds of STS?

Let me explain once again what Berserk does - it reduces the energy cost of our cat attacks by 50%. It doesn't increase damage dealt by X%, it doesn't amplify trinket procs or reduce the duration of the GCD for that matter. In other words, when we pop our big CD, the only thing we need to keep in mind is "proper energy management". Just to illustrate what I mean, here's a clip of my preferred opener (which I'll talk about more thoroughly later):

Do you see how I utilised almost every single second of that trinket proc even without casting Berserk at start? Even though I only managed to inflict 11 offensive abilities before the trinket ended, it's important to point out how productive I was with my energy and with my CPs. Remember what I said earlier about the "quantity > quality" rule? - it's better to have more abilities during a fight than fewer, slightly buffed ones.

Now I’m going to show you why proper energy management matters more than having a few extra seconds of STS. The only things the "Berserk-first" opener might enhance more consistently are some Shreds and a FB. I’ll do the math and show you the damage increase from the STS proc:

Shred (hit) = [(paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*2.25 + 666]*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566*R&T*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073

Shred (crit) = [(paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*2.25 + 666]*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566*R&T*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073*2(critical strike)*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33867*Meta gem

Shred (hit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1
Shred (crit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1*2*1.1*1.03

FB 5CPs (R&T increases the crit chance by 25, so I’ll might as well concentrate on the critical strike):
FB = (190+290*5+0.35*AP)*FA*glyphed http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=62071*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073*2(critical strike)*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33867*Meta gem

FB = (0.35*AP+1640)*1.15*1.33*1.1*2*1.1*1.03

AP from STS hc = 1781 with our HotW talent and with http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=31519

In the video above, I didn't utilise 4 seconds of STS - I received the proc effect after Mangle, and I cast two SRs and Berserk during its uptime. However, had I used Berserk as the very first GCD, I would have also cast SR at least once during the trinket's uptime. Therefore, I consider the actual loss only 3 seconds which is the equivalent of one buffed FB and two buffed Shreds. With BiS ICC and RS gear, feral cats have 76% crit (I'm also considering the 4.8% crit suppression), and thus in that scenario the numbers would look like so:

2*Shreds (average damage) = 2*(1781*2.25*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1*0.24/14) + 2*(1781*2.25*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1*2*1.1*1.03*0.76/14) = 2564
1*FB (critical) = 0.35*1781*1.15*1.33*1.1*2*1.1*1.03 = 2376

If you want, I can add http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=58413, and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=31869 just for good measure:
(2376+2564)*1.2*1.04*1.03 = 6,350

Now, let's compare that number to the Shred damage we have deprived ourselves of as a result of the the wasted energy. I am going to use a typical haste build with raid buffs and remove the trinkets just so I exclude their AP procs. According to Rawr, a Shred would inflict 15,346 damage on average without Hysteria which is more than the calculated 6.3k above.

This concerns the scenario when the initial SR is cast with 2 CPs and is therefore able to outlast STS's proc effect. If a person acquires only a single CP for that finisher, then its duration would be 14 seconds, and the Halion trinket wouldn't be the only thing "perfectly synchronised with Berserk". In that situation, SR would inevitably be cast a second time during STS's uptime which would minimise the benefits of this opener even further and effectively eliminate its initial purpose. Before someone asks - no, using two CP-generators prior to the first SR is not a solution. It's an even bigger misplay, as not only would the second ability be weaker, but Rip would be delayed unnecessarily.

This doesn't even consider the possibility of getting a CC proc during Berserk's GCD and overwriting your existing one. The probability of that is small, but on average this is an additional "shred*3.5/60" damage WITH the non-haste procs from DBW. If that cat player gets the haste buff, then the probability to overwrite the CC within the first few seconds increases.

As you can see, using Berserk as the very first GCD hinders you from utilising your energy and CC procs properly which is more devastating than losing a few seconds of STS. By playing energy inefficiently during Berserk, you only play yourself.

B) Berserk is pre-cast one second prior to the pull timer

This opener starts off like this:

Berserk is used 1 sec prior to the pull timer -> <fight starts> -> Mangle -> SR -> Rake -> Shred -> Shred -> Rip -> ....
/demonstration/

In terms of penalties, this is better than the previous version, but it still has a lot of flaws. Let's observe the energy management more closely:

0) GotW + Berserk 1-second pre-pull - you have 100 energy
<fight starts>
1) Mangle - you have 100 energy (with the GCD you overcap 10 due to the CC proc)
2) SR - you have 87 energy (with the GCD you reach 97)
3) Rake - you have 79 energy (with the GCD you reach 89)
4) Shred - you have 68 energy (with the GCD you reach 78)

In comparison to the previous variation, this doesn't overcap energy with the second ability, and the druid immediately utilises the CC from the pre-cast GotW. For now, the energy penalty is only 10. However, please check the energy amount of the first three abilities after the pull timer. Since the player uses SR and Rake with their costs halved, the player's energy is very close to 100. This still opens a potential risk of overcapping energy in case of 1) latency/slow reaction time, 2) sudden CC procs from AAs, 3) sudden energy from http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48545. It only takes 4 additional energy points to be sacrificed (= 8 under the effect of Berserk) in order for this play to lead to a loss:

one FB and two Shreds buffed with Hysteria and STS = 6,350
Shred (average) = 15,346
18 wasted energy points = 15,346*18/42 = 6,577

6,577 > 6,350

Once again, this only concerns the case if SR is cast with 2 CPs, i.e. its duration is 19 seconds. If it's 14, you would still need to refresh it during STS's uptime, in which case the 10 overcapped energy points I mentioned earlier would be more than enough to nullify the benefits of this opener.

Unfortunately for it, the penalties don't end there. The core concept of this opener revolves around pre-casting Berserk one second prior to the pull timer. On paper and in some scripted fights like DBS and the LK, this could probably be achieved. However, in other encounters the tank aggro-s the boss when that person comes near him. If the boss moves or needs to be repositioned, the cat player won't always cast Berserk exactly one second prior to the boss fight. Should Berserk be cast with a small delay (i.e. <= 0.9 seconds prior to the boss fight), then overcapping energy would be inevitable. If the delay is greater than one second, then this would waste precious seconds of Berserk unnecessarily. Normally, a person can utilise 13-14 yellow abilities under the effect of this CD depending on their latency, their reaction time, and the energy amount:

Failing to squeeze in a GCD during Berserk would reduce the value of your energy by half (e.g. if Berserk ends, and you're left with 21 energy due to a missed Shred, then you need to gather 21 additional energy to cast it).

In conclusion, starting a fight with Berserk bears many risks and downsides. It's not worth it just to get a few seconds of STS.

IV. Using the CC proc from the pre-cast GotW on Shred/Mangle/Rake

Honestly, I wouldn't have written this section had I not stumbled upon a video from Wrath Classic where the commentator advised players to use Shred as the very first GCD with the CC proc from the pre-cast druid buff. Not going to lie, I was speechless after hearing that because I thought that it was obvious why this is a misplay. To the commentator's credit, he did correct himself in the comment section, but recently I also read some misguided Reddit posts claiming that "starting with Shred is BIS", so I'm just going to write a few lines why this is bad. I'm also going to address the topic of Rake vs Mangle.

A) Starting with Shred

Although I've already written the formula for Shred above, I'm going to mention it here once again:

Shred (hit) = [(paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*2.25 + 666]*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566*R&T*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073
Shred (crit) = [(paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*2.25 + 666]*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566*R&T*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073*2(critical strike)*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33867*Meta gem
Shred (hit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1
Shred (crit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1*2*1.1*1.03

Now, I'd like to draw your attention to three specific points: 1) http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=51269, 2) http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=52610, and 3) http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48572's tooltip itself. In order to get those multipliers for Shred, we need to have SR on us, and the boss needs to have either http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566 or http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=46857 and some kind of a bleed debuff. At the start of a boss fight, we usually have neither, so the first Shred is 2.0748 times weaker. Let me show you its damage and the one for Mangle and Rake by using the same BiS list from above:

Shred (with all buffs, average according to Rawr) = 15346
Shred (w/o Mangle, SR, and a bleed) = 7396

Mangle (w/ SR, average according to Rawr) = 10397
Mangle (w/o SR) = 7817

Rake (w/ SR, average according to Rawr) = 19483
Rake (w/o SR) = 14649

So, what happens when we start with Shred instead of Mangle? Well...

1) Shred -> SR -> Mangle -> Rake
7396 + 10397 + 19483 = 37276

2) Mangle -> SR -> Rake -> Shred
7817 + 19483 + 15346 = 42646

42646 > 37276

Q: But, Kova, Shred costs more than Mangle, doesn't it?
A: Yeah, just by 2 energy.

If we consider that every gained energy is a potential Shred, then the first hypothethical scenario would get an additional 2*15346/42 = 731 damage, which is not enough to beat the Mangle approach. Btw, I could mention that Rake is delayed by one second, which translates as 1/3 missed Rake ticks, and you cannot snapshot the first Shred with either DBW or STS - they go to Mangle, which has less multipliers than Shred. So, here's some food for thought for you.

B) Starting with Rake

Starting with Rake was also suggested in the past (e.g. in EJ), where it was specified that the cat player should do it if either Mangle or Trauma are present. Although the player doesn't cast Rake with SR, he trades a Mangle for a Shred, which makes up for it:

1) Rake -> SR -> Shred -> Shred
14649 + 15346 + 15346 = 45341

2) Mangle -> SR -> Rake -> Shred
7817 + 19483 + 15346 = 42646

45341 > 42646

However, in that Wrath Classic video Rake was also recommended to be used as the very first ability even if Mangle isn't active. The person suggested going "Rake -> SR -> Mangle", and his argument was that Rake's delayed tick would still be enhanced by the prior debuff. While this statement was and still remains true, it's not some kind of a revelation that suddenly invalidates all arguments in favour of Mangle. After all, one shouldn't ignore the fact that using the CC proc on Mangle nets us more energy and that a delayed Mangle negatively impacts the dps of fury warriors especially in the later content phases where you might have 2-3 representatives of that class in your raid group (FYI, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=12849 ticks every second). I'm not going to do any math here in order to keep things simple, though I will say that the damage difference between "Mangle->SR->Rake" and "Rake->SR->Mangle" is miniscule, but the more fury warriors you have in your group, the better Mangle becomes as the very first ability.

N.B.: The feral simcraft also starts with Shred if I enable both "Assume Bleed Always Active" and "30% Bleed Damage" options. Ye, under those circumstances beginning with Shred would be logical, but in an actual real-life scenario you would have to wait for other people to apply those debuffs first. If you delay attacking the boss because of this, you might deprive yourself of an AA, which would make this opener pointless. If only the "30% Bleed Damage" option is selected, the simcraft suggests beginning with Rake which is my tip for you regarding the prior situation as well. If someone can apply this debuff on the boss as their first or second GCD, cast Rake at start and don't think about the 7 energy difference between this ability and Shred. If neither debuff is present, the simcraft also advises cat players to begin with Mangle.

V. Timing TF

Q: Should I cast TF prior to Berserk or afterwards?
A: Depends.

Indeed it does. Before I bring up the conditions, I'd like to explain the logic behind timing TF differently - what you gain and what you lose.

A) The "TF-Berserk" approach

This opener starts off like this:

<fight starts> -> Mangle -> SR -> Rake -> Shred -> TF -> Berserk -> ....
/demonstration/

Pros:
- TF is used early on, and therefore you might cast it an additional time throughout the boss encounter.
- it goes really well with the GotVV-shift.

Cons:
- you lose the buff from TF.
- if you bite the boss right before Berserk ends, you'll have difficulties generating 5 CPs for Rip before it expires.

Commentary:
This is how I usually start boss fights. Some people don’t like it because they are afraid to sacrifice the 80 damage from TF. Here I’ll stop for a bit and point out once again the importance of knowing how the damage of feral cat's abilities is calculated. In reality, the damage gain from TF is really, really small, and here’s why:

TF provides 80 flat weapon damage, and only four attacks are based around it - AAs, Mangle, Shred, and Swipe. Since I’m discussing single-target rotation, Swipe is not going to be considered. Mangle will also be excluded because we don’t use TF at start. This leaves us with AAs and Shred. Here are their respective formulas:

AA (hit) = (paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073

AA (crit) = (paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073*2(critical strike)*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33867*Meta gem

AA (glancing) = (paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073*0.75(glancing blows penalty)

AA (hit) = {(AP/14)+54.8}*1.33*1.1
AA (crit) = {(AP/14)+54.8}*1.33*1.1*2*1.1*1.03
AA (glancing) = {(AP/14)+54.8}*1.33*1.1*0.75

Shred (hit) = [(paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*2.25 + 666]*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566*R&T*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073

Shred (crit) = [(paw damage determined by AP + 54.8)*2.25 + 666]*glyphed SR*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566*R&T*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17073*2(critical strike)*http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33867*Meta gem

Shred (hit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1
Shred (crit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1*2*1.1*1.03

The 80 weapon damage from TF isn’t affected by AP, and it doesn’t affect it either. It’s simply extra flat paw damage:

AA (hit) = {(AP/14)+54.8+80}*1.33*1.1
AA (crit) = {(AP/14)+54.8+80}*1.33*1.1*2*1.1*1.03
AA (glancing) = {(AP/14)+54.8+80}*1.33*1.1*0.75

Shred (hit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8+80}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1
Shred (crit) = [{(AP/14)+54.8+80}*2.25+666]*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1*2*1.1*1.03

In other words, if we want to consider the damage loss from the sacrificed TF buff, the numbers would look like so:

AA (hit) = 80*1.33*1.1
AA (crit) = 80*1.33*1.1*2*1.1*1.03
AA (glancing) = 80*1.33*1.1*0.75

Shred (hit) = 80*2.25*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1
Shred (crit) = 80*2.25*1.33*1.3*1.2*1.1*2*1.1*1.03

It looks absurdly simple and small, but this is how the buff is scripted. If we assume that we lose the opportunity to buff 12 critical AAs and 4 critical Shreds with the 80 paw damage (I just want to make a point here), we would lose:

12 AAs (crit) = 12*(265.2) = 3,182.4
4 Shreds (crit) = 4*(930.896) = 3723.585

Let’s add http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=58413, and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=31869 for good measure:
(3,182.4 + 3723.585)*1.2*1.04*1.03 = 8877

15346 (average Shred damage) > 8877 (missed critical damage from TF's buff)

This lost damage is compensated as long as you get an extra TF in the long run and utilise its energy on a Shred.

N.B.: Should you cast FB at the end of Berserk, you might have difficulties generating 5 CPs for Rip. This opener requires the player to get a CC proc after Berserk either from a lucky AA or from the GotVV-shift. Since the latter technique is a staple in my gameplay, I never have difficulties refreshing the second Rip when it expires. However, if you don't want to use it or take any risks with AA-RNG, then the "Berserk-TF" opener might be better for you.

B) The "Berserk-TF" approach

This opener starts off like this:

<fight starts> -> Mangle -> SR -> Berserk -> ... -> Berserk ends + TF
/demonstration/

Pros:
- you get full value from TF.
- generating 5 CPs for Rip after Berserk is guaranteed.

Cons:
- TF is delayed the most, and with this so is the energy-replenishment CD.
- if the player gets CCs after Berserk, he would sacrifice CPs in order to keep 5 for Rip.

Commentary:
I mean, read my commentary on the previous approach, but now with the opposite arguments. However, this doesn’t mean that I’m dismissing the "Berserk-TF" opener. Quite the opposite. I consider it as relevant as the other one, and here I’d like to explain why.

If you use TF at around the 6th second mark (sometimes it’s 5th or 7th depending on whether you get a CC proc at start), you would use it as early as every 30 seconds from that moment onwards:
6 sec -> 36 sec -> 1min 6 sec -> 1min 36 sec -> 2min 6 sec -> 2min 36 sec -> 3min 6 sec -> 3min 36 sec, etc

Let’s observe the case with the "Berserk-TF" opener:
17 sec -> 47 sec -> 1min 17 sec -> 1min 47 sec -> 2min 17 sec -> 2min 47 sec -> 3min 17 sec -> 3min 47 sec, etc

If we imagine that a fight lasts EXACTLY 3 minutes, then "Berserk-TF" will undoubtedly be superior simply because the amount of TFs will be the same in both cases, but this opener will benefit from TF's weapon damage buff. Conversely, if the encounter lasts 20 seconds shorter, or if TF is constantly used with a small delay, then the numbers will shift in favour of the "TF-Berserk" approach. Tbh, this isn't something impossible. Nothing prevents players from killing bosses in unequal time intervals, not to mention sudden CC procs can discourage us from using TF off CD if there's a risk of overflowing our energy.

For a better visualisation, I recommend watching these two clips - 3-min fight and 2:40-min fight. As you can see, the "quantity > quality" rule I mentioned at the very beginning applies to the timing of TF as well. The more TFs you cast in a boss fight the better, but if "more" is not an option, then aim for "better". Btw, the simcraft doesn't show "Berserk-TF" the same way I described it above. In its stead, we only get to see the variation with the pre-cast Berserk which I even criticised. Despite this, the simcraft does an amazing job depicting the trend in the performance of both "TF-Berserk" and "Berserk-TF" openers at different fight durations. This should help you get a clear picture of what to expect when you time TF differently.

N.B.: Should you cast FB before Berserk ends, you'll be left with 0 energy and 0 CPs afterwards. By going with "Berserk-TF", you can follow up that play with TF in order to regain the missing CPs for the next Rip cycle. The problem is that Rip expires 11-12 seconds after Berserk with this approach, and a lot can happen in the meantime. Any sudden CC proc will bring you one step closer to reaching 5 CPs. You can decide to play it safe and keep them for Rip, but you'll be forced to sacrifice some in order not to overcap your energy.

C) CC procs and energy overcapping

It should be noted that neither "TF-Berserk", nor "Berserk-TF" are exempt from minor energy overcapping in case of a sudden CC proc during Berserk's GCD:

TF-Berserk

0) GotW pre-pull - you have 100 energy
<fight starts>
1) Mangle - you have 100 energy (with the GCD you overcap 10 due to the CC proc)
2) SR - you have 75 energy (with the GCD you reach 85)
3) Rake - you have 50 energy (with the GCD you reach 60)
4) Shred - you have 18 energy (with the GCD you reach 28)
5) TF + Berserk - you have 88 energy (with the GCD you reach 98)

In case you get a CC proc, you overcap 8 energy.

Berserk-TF

0) GotW pre-pull - you have 100 energy
<fight starts>
1) Mangle - you have 100 energy (with the GCD you overcap 10 due to the CC proc)
2) SR - you have 75 energy (with the GCD you reach 85)
3) Berserk - you have 85 energy (with the GCD you reach 95)

In case you get a CC proc, you overcap 5 energy.

In contrast to the "Berserk-first" opener, where energy overcapping caused by the pre-pull CC proc is inevitable, these two try to avoid it whenever possible. If someone gets a sudden CC proc while popping Berserk, that would just be bad RNG. If, however, a CC proc takes place prior to Berserk, these two openers can react to it accordingly, as they aren't confined to a fixed ability order. The player can use the proc on an ability, follow it up with another and then pop Berserk:

TF-Berserk

0) GotW pre-pull - you have 100 energy
<fight starts>
1) Mangle - you have 100 energy (with the GCD you overcap 10 due to the CC proc)
2) SR - you have 75 energy (with the GCD you reach 85)
<CC proc>
3) Shred (assuming the boss is bleeding from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=12867) - you have 85 energy (with the GCD you reach 95)
4) Rake - you have 60 energy (with the GCD you reach 70)
5) Shred - you have 28 energy (with the GCD you reach 38)

The energy can either be used on Shred (after a bit of pooling) or on Rip (assuming 5 CPs). With TF + Berserk, it will become 80 and 98 respectively.

Berserk-TF

0) GotW pre-pull - you have 100 energy
<fight starts>
1) Mangle - you have 100 energy (with the GCD you overcap 10 due to the CC proc)
2) SR - you have 75 energy (with the GCD you reach 85)
<CC proc>
3) Shred (assuming the boss is bleeding from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=12867) - you have 85 energy (with the GCD you reach 95)
4) Rake - you have 60 energy (with the GCD you reach 70)

If Berserk is used immediately afterwards, the energy will become 80.

This is another reason why I respect these two openers - they give us more control in case of bad RNG.

D) Factors affecting the timing of TF

As stated earlier, there are certain factors that can affect our choice of when to time that ability, those being:
- fight duration (based on raid dps with or without any deaths);
- boss mechanics (synchronising the downtime of this CD with them);
- RNG (sudden CCs that change our playstyle and deny us from using TF exactly off CD).

In other words, if you don’t care about small numbers like me, then pick either opener and stick with it. If you want to min-max, then you need to get accustomed to using both in raids as each shines in its own way depending on the circumstances.

VI. Energy management during Berserk

As I've clarified in the third subsection (i.e. regarding the "Berserk at start" opener), this CD should be used with the thought that you need to utilise your energy efficiently as you only have s few seconds to spare with. Although the tooltip mentions a 15-second duration, in reality it's 14 because upon casting Berserk you trigger a GCD. In my other thread, I've analysed the following openers:

- FB-less Berserk (demo): SR -> Berserk -> Rip near the beginning -> only Shred -> SR near the end -> Berserk expires;
- FB-last Berserk (demo): SR -> Berserk -> Rip near the beginning -> SR -> FB near the end -> Berserk expires;
- FB mid-Berserk (demo): SR -> Berserk -> Rip near the beginning -> FB -> SR near the end -> Berserk expires.

Now, I'm not going to copy/paste the whole post, but I've come to the following conclusions:

TF-Berserk:
- 0-1 CCs during Berserk -> the "FB-less Berserk" opener is the best, if CP generation is an issue
- 0-1 CCs during Berserk -> the "FB-last Berserk" opener is the best, if CP generation is not an issue
- 2+ CCs during Berserk -> the "FB mid-Berserk" opener is the best

Berserk-TF:
- 0-2 CCs during Berserk -> the "FB-less Berserk" opener is the worst
- 0-2 CCs during Berserk -> the "FB-last Berserk" opener is the best
- 3+ CCs during Berserk -> the "FB mid-Berserk" opener is the best

Commentary:
In a nutshell, what you do in Berserk depends on:
- how many abilities you can inflict during its uptime;
- how fast you can generate CPs afterwards.

A) The "FB-less Berserk" approach

I would like to begin with the "FB-less Berserk" method, as it's the absolute safest way to utilise the big CD. This is due to the fact that this opener spends the CPs only on Rip and SR, i.e. the two most valuable finishers in our arsenal, and skips FB. This allows users to have 5 CPs even after Berserk, so that they have an easier time refreshing Rip when it expires (example). While this could be seen as something positive, in reality the aforementioned opener underperforms exactly because it skips FB, and as a result it deprives itself of additional damage.

I've described the value of the CP in a separate section, but I'd like to mention briefly that these building blocks act as stored damage which requires finishers to materialise. If someone finishes Berserk with 5 CPs and decides to keep them for Rip, that person will inevitably waste some due to the following factors: 1) Rake expires after Berserk and needs to be refreshed, 2) the player has a lot of energy and might reach the cap if they don't use Shred or any other builder, 3) the player obtains sudden OoC procs which of course need to be utilised ASAP. The last part is especially true, as CCs don't have an ICD, and a person can get multiple within a short time period. The point I'm trying to make here is that in situations where we use a lot of builders, we can profit more if we actually gain CPs from them unlike what this opener is doing.

Therefore, I don't recommend it at all, or rather I only recommend it to those of you who have difficulties generating CPs after Berserk, i.e. people with low crit, who also don't have TF at their disposal and only rely on AAs to obtain CCs. In other words, this opener would mostly satisfy the needs of players who don't have access to end-game items, who use "TF-Berserk" and follow the "monocat" playstyle. So, basically new players.

Off-topic: In boss fights with a lot of AoE, this opener is actually preferable due to how Swipe works. This ability is neither a builder, nor a finisher - it neither generates, nor consumes CPs. If someone has 0 and starts swiping, that person will not advance in terms of CP-generation and will have difficulties refreshing SR and/or Rip on time. This coupled with the fact that Swipe deals more damage than FB is the reason why the latter needs to be skipped, and therefore the "FB-less Berserk" approach should be the go-to opener for everyone (unless CC procs are involved, but more on that later). This was a small deviation from the main topic; I want this section to be entirely dedicated to single-target boss encounters, so now I'll continue with the next opener w/o addressing AoE-heavy fights:

B) The "FB-last Berserk" approach

"FB-last Berserk" is what I'd like to describe as the golden mean. Just like the "FB-less Berserk", this opener also shreds a lot and it also utilises the first couple of CPs on Rip and SR. What sets it apart is the inclusion of FB as a way to spend the excess CPs, so that it can start generating them anew. The thing I want to point out here is the fact that this opener is still able to leave Berserk with some CPs left (example). In other words, it benefits from the additional burst while also allowing the player to regain some of the spent CPs for the next Rip cycle. This is why I consider it as the golden mean, and it's the reason why I recommend it to everyone.

Now, the thing about FB is that it needs to be cast with as low amount of energy as possible, 18-24 to be precise. This is because FB's second effect is not affected by Berserk's energy reduction aura, and therefore any additional drained energy is equal to twice that amount outside Berserk. You can imagine how devastating it would be to cast that ability whilst having a lot of energy. Now, I know what you're thinking:

Q: If FB has the potential to drain me dry, why do you recommend "FB mid-Berserk"?
A: Because it's the best opener when you obtain a lot of CC procs during Berserk. Let me explain:

C) The "FB mid-Berserk" approach

Ok, so imagine for a moment that you have infinite energy during a boss encounter. How would you utilise it? Would you save it and for what? If you have an unlimited amount of energy, can we say that this resource stops being a factor worth considering? What would be your main concern then? Damage, right? Exactly, you would use it only on the abilities that bring you the most damage regardless how much they cost. Well, something similar occurs with the last opener, but it's highly dependent on your luck. You see, if you have at least 2 CC procs during Berserk with "TF-Berserk" or 3 with "Berserk-TF", you cannot utilise your energy fully within that 14-second time span. CCs give you extra on top, so you need to find a way to spend it because once Berserk ends, the resource will lose half of its value. "FB mid-Berserk" is that way.

Now, I need to clarify something. If you get a lot of CC procs during Berserk, you can still inflict a ton of damage by sticking to the "FB-last Berserk" method; you will simply cast FB with a bit more energy than usual before Berserk ends (example). The reason why "FB mid-Berserk" fares better is due to the fact that you will have leftover CPs when Berserk ends (example). They will make it easier for you to refresh Rip once it expires. Since acquiring enough CPs for that finisher will no longer be a necessity, you don't have to use any CP-generators at that point anymore, meaning you can save your energy for later. However, this assumes that you don't get any CC procs after Berserk, in which case the leftover CPs will be wasted. If you suspect this outcome, you can go for another FB (example). This would put you in the same situation as in "FB-last Berserk", if you were to cast FB in the last moment, but here you will do more damage because you will inflict two FBs instead of one.

Once again, this is only possible when you have a lot of CC procs during Berserk which can justify such an aggressive playstyle. Without them, you will be energy starved faster than you can say "Thistle Tea for cats".

Q: Doesn't this require foreknowledge of my luck? How can I possibly know how many CC procs I will get during Berserk?
A: You can't know this for sure, but you can increase the odds in your favour by stacking Haste.

I've already explained Haste's synergy with the OoC talent in another section ("Omen of Clarity, aka the MVP for a feral cat"), but here I would like to show you how you can calculate the number of presumed CC procs during Berserk. For this purpose, I will once again refer to the BiS list from the last patch, but you can do the same with your current gear (simply add up the haste rating of your items, incl. your gems & enchants, and adjust the numbers in the corresponding equations):

- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50653 - 68 haste rating
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=54580 - 73 haste rating
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50633 - 60 haste rating
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50675 - 74 haste rating
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50604 - 65 haste rating
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40211 - 500 haste rating
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54999 - 340 haste rating
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=2825 - 30% melee haste
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48396 - 3% melee haste
- http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=55610 - 20% melee haste

25.21 haste rating equals 1% for us.

=> 1/ ((1+(1180/2521))*1.03*1.2*1.3) = 0.424 attack speed

if Berserk lasts 15 seconds with the GCD, then:
15/0.424 = 35.38 AAs during its duration
35.38*3.5/60 = 2.06 CCs on average during Berserk

adjust these numbers

In other words, the odds are already in favour of this approach. I am aware that the speed potion and the haste enchant expire before Berserk ends, but this doesn't change my conclusions that much. Also, I purposely didn't include http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=71560 (700 haste rating from DBW) and http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=23060 (from the http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725) because they don't always proc, but they still deserve to be mentioned. Also, we can use Barkskin during Berserk to increase those odds even further.

That said, we can't predict with 100% certainty whether our next AA would trigger OoC. So, my personal advice is to go with the "FB-last Berserk" opener. If you obtain a lot of CCs in the meantime, you can always transition to "FB mid-Berserk".

Warning: I've already covered all important aspects of Berserk. Before I continue with the summary and finish the topic entirely, I would like to say a few things about STS and how we can actually improve its uptime during Berserk. Please bear in mind that the information in the next subsection isn't all that important as the damage gain from the proposed ideas is really miniscule. Therefore, the contents there are not intended for practical use, but rather for informational purposes only.

VII. Solving the syncing issue with STS

I would like to start this subsection with some general information about STS hc. This trinket provides feral cats with 1,781 AP (assuming https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=24894 and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=19506) for 15 seconds with a 45-sec ICD, and this proc effect has a 35% chance to be triggered from any source of damage.

A) The syncing problem

The "problem" stems from the fact that not all abilities make use of the AP proc, namely SR and Berserk, because they don't inflict any damage on their own. Obviously, I'm not talking about their respective "buffs", but rather the GCDs we are forced to sit through after casting them. These GCDs last one second and prevent us from using offensive abilities that do benefit from STS's proc effect.

Then there's Mangle or, rather, the first CP-generator necessary for us to have SR in the first place:

<fight starts> -> Mangle -> SR

Since any source of damage triggers STS, this includes the initial Mangle as well. The thing to keep in mind is that its damage takes place before the proc, which means that this ability doesn't benefit from the AP buff, but it still starts a GCD that wastes STS's uptime. For a better visualisation, I recommend watching this clip and paying attention to the combat log.

In other words, we always miss out on a couple of seconds of STS due to how our opening works.

B) The solution

Understanding that the first two yellow abilities don't utilise STS's AP buff at all, we can try to postpone the proc effect so that it can "bypass" them. We do this by unequipping STS and equipping it 44 seconds prior to the boss fight. For a better explanation, please watch this video. As you can see, the damage gain is very small and not worth doing, but if someone wants to benefit more from STS, this is the proper way to do it. The same tip applies to DBW, but that ability has a much longer ICD (1:45), and most RLs won't bother setting up 2-min pull timers.

Btw, the suggestion of swapping out trinkets was present in Blunta's guide. Unfortunately, he took it down some time ago, so now I'm honouring his contribution. I believe that this topic deserves to be mentioned. Speaking of topics worth mentioning, I've included a short commentary regarding the usage of Shred vs Rake in the presence of the trinket proc from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40256 or https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45931 in the BiS list section. If you're playing on a seasonal realm, make sure to check it out.

VIII. Summary

A) General overview

There is no one way to open as a feral cat that is best for everyone in every given situation. In fact, there are various approaches to do it depending on the following factors:

- Who needs to put Mangle on the boss? Is it you or someone else?
- How long does the boss fight last on average? Can you get an additional TF if you use it early?
- How many abilities can you inflict during Berserk? Would that number decrease if you use FB mid-Berserk?
- How fast can you reach 5CPs if you have none? How many CPs do you get on average per builder?

For a better understanding, picture the feral opener as a puzzle that consists of many small pieces. These small pieces are the answers to the questions you see above, and how you answer them will determine what kind of opener would be most suitable for you.

B) Assembling the pieces

Generally speaking, the feral opener can be broken down into three major phases:
1) the phase prior to Berserk;
2) the phase during to Berserk;
3) the phase after to Berserk.

In the next paragraphs, I will explain my personal interpretation of how the feral opener is usually structured. For that purpose, I'll use terminology from theory of literature. In this train of thought, I don't expect you to memorise the names of each of the phases, instead try to understand the logic behind them and what you need to do there. Of course, if you don't agree with my structure or if you think it's too complicated, you're more than welcome to come up with your own by acknowledging the three major phases I mentioned above. With all that said, I'll continue.

I like to view the feral opener as a Freytag pyramid:

Where:
1) the prologue marks the preparation phase prior to the boss fight (i.e. casting GotW for a CC proc);
2) the exposition marks the active period prior to Berserk (i.e. casting Mangle + SR + receiving Hysteria);
3) the inciting incident is the moment you pop Berserk;
4) the rising action marks the early stage of Berserk (i.e. casting Rip + SR again);
5) the climax is the pure burst before Berserk ends (i.e. spamming Shred and casting FB);
6) the falling action marks the time when Berserk ends (i.e. gathering CPs for Rip);
7) the resolution is the moment when the opening ends (i.e. refreshing Rip);
8) the epilogue marks the remaining duration of the boss fight (i.e. following the priority list).

I'll now explain each of these elements in further detail. Whilst reading, think about your current situation. Afterwards, what kind of exciting story you tell, or rather experience for yourself, is up to you (and up to RNG, of course).

Prologue
Basically, this is the preparation phase prior to the boss encounter. Now, I won't tackle the topic of consumables, as there's already a dedicated section for that, but in terms of abilities what you need to do here mostly boils down to casting GotW for a CC proc.

Technically speaking, you could get a pre-pull SR as well, but this trick isn't covered here for the sake of simplicity. If you're interested in that topic, I advise you to read the section titled "Pre-pull Savage Roar".

Exposition
What you do prior to Berserk needs to answer the following questions: 1) Who needs to put Mangle on the boss? Is it you or someone else? and 2) How long does the boss fight last on average? Can you get an additional TF if you use it early?

Beginning a fight with either Mangle or Rake depends on whether or not someone else can apply the "30% bleed damage" debuff. If that's the case, using Rake at start is vastly superior. If the cat player needs to do it, then Mangle is better raid-wise. Regardless which ability you use, it's mandatory that you follow it up with SR (assuming that it's not active). This is also the perfect time to receive Hysteria from your BDK, because by the time it expires, you will have snapshot your bleeds twice.

As far as TF is concerned, using it prior to Berserk could potentially net you one extra in the long run, but you miss out on the opportunity to buff a couple of AAs and Shreds. Conversely, using it after Berserk would bring you a guaranteed, albeit small buff to those abilities, but you might deprive yourself of casting an additional TF before the fight ends. Which of those openers prevails in this regard is determined by the length of the boss encounter. I would like to inform you that the damage difference between "TF-Berserk" and "Berserk-TF" is somewhat small, so if you don't care about small numbers, you can pick either of these methods and stick with it. Otherwise, you need to get accustomed to timing TF differently in raids.

That said, using TF after Berserk can help you generate CPs for Rip faster, but more on that later.

Inciting incident
As stated above, this is the moment when you use Berserk. There isn't much to be said here, except that you need to make sure that your energy doesn't overcap when Berserk's GCD ends. If by chance you get sudden OoC procs before you get the chance to pop Berserk, you need to utilise them and lower your energy by casting Shred (just do you don't overcap it).

Rising action
Also a fairly simple phase to explain. Once you enter Berserk, you need to start gathering CPs for Rip and for SR after that.

Climax
This is where the opener will differ for most of you. What you do here needs to answer the following questions: 1) How many abilities can you inflict during Berserk? Would that number decrease if you use FB mid-Berserk? and 2) How fast can you reach 5CPs if you have none? How many CPs do you get on average per builder? As you can understand, this phase is not just some mindless burst, but also a preparation for when Berserk ends and you need to acquire CPs for Rip.

If you're undergeared or playing on Frostmourne/Onyxia, you won't have access to ICC and RS items, in which case your crit might be low, and you might have difficulties generating 5CPs fast enough. If this describes you, then you ought to skip FB unless 1) you either get a lot of CC procs post Berserk (e.g. with the GotVV-shift), or 2) you follow up Berserk with TF. Your burst is only Shred, and you save your CPs for Rip.

For the rest of you, FB shouldn't be neglected. Usually, the best energy threshold for that ability is 18-24 because it costs almost as much as Shred (21). This concerns the case when you have few CC procs (0-1) during Berserk. If you have more, you ought to cast FB sooner because otherwise you won't utilise your energy fully during Berserk. If you have leftover CPs because of this, you either keep them for the second Rip or, preferably, use them on another FB before Berserk ends.

The things I mentioned in the previous two paragraphs concern single-target boss encounters. In AoE-heavy boss fights, you should definitely skip FB in favour of Swipe just so you don't have difficulties refreshing Rip and SR on time.

Falling action
This is the point at which Berserk ends, and you have limited time to gather 5 CPs for Rip. What you do here must answer these questions: How fast can you reach 5CPs if you have none? How many CPs do you get on average per builder?

How fast you generate them depends on your gear (more precisely, on your crit), the presence/absence of TF, and CC procs. The latter, in turn, depends on whether or not you're a GotVV-shifter or you just rely on AAs to obtain them.

For more information about the GotVV-shift, please read "Different playstyles for a feral cat" and the third post in this guide.

Resolution
Basically, this is the moment when you cast your second Rip. The reason why I put an emphasis on this phase is because this is the time when your temporary buffs end (think of DBW and Hysteria), and you have one last opportunity to utilise them.

In order for you to understand just how important this phase is, I want to explain the situation with BiS ICC and RS gear. When Rip fades after Berserk, we usually have 1-2 seconds to refresh it before DBW and Hysteria run out. Assuming we get "700 Str", snapshotting Rip with those two buffs would net us 16k damage or 21k with the 30% ICC buff. This is the equivalent of an average Shred, which, as you can guess, isn't something miniscule.

Epilogue
Once you refresh Rip, you continue dps-ing whilst respecting the single-target priority list.

C) Actual showcase

Now that you understand how to build your opener, here are my suggestions:

"TF-Berserk" + "FB-less Berserk"

Spoiler: Show

"TF-Berserk" + "FB-last Berserk"

Spoiler: Show

1) Characteristics

- About TF:
*this ability is used prior to Berserk, causing it to lose its weapon damage buff, but allowing players to cast it an additional time before the fight ends (assuming the boss encounter lasts long enough).

- About FB:
*FB is used at the end of Berserk (more precisely, as soon as the player reaches 18-24 energy);
*as a result, the player is limited in time and resources to generate 5CPs before Rip expires shortly after Berserk.

=> Therefore, this opener is mostly suitable for players that don't have any difficulties generating CPs fast enough (i.e. players with good gear or GotVV-shifters in general).

2) Suggested ability order

GotW prior to the pull timer;
Mangle;
SR;
Rake;
Shred;
TF+Berserk;
Shred spam till 5 CPs;
Rip;
Shred spam till 5 CPs;
SR;
Shred spam + refresh on Rake;
FB @18-24 energy;
Shred (in case you have enough energy);
Berserk ends, and you acknowledge the priority list.

Note 1: If someone else can apply the Mangle/Trauma debuff, go Rake -> SR -> Shred.
Note 2: If by chance you get a CC proc before popping TF, cast Shred again and then follow it up with Rip into TF+Berserk. You can increase these odds by casting Barkskin. If instead of a CC proc, you just have over 30 energy, cast Shred into "TF+Berserk".
Note 3: You don't need to refresh the second SR the moment you get 5 CPs. You can delay it a bit, in order to get more value from the first one.

3) Demonstration

Spoiler: Show

Commentary:
In this video you'll see me spamming FFF a lot. I want to clarify that the spell is still nerfed - it doesn't proc OoC at all. Spamming this spell is just an old habit of mine.
- 0:05 I used Barkskin in order to trigger a CC proc and potentially follow it up with 2 Shreds and a Rip before casting "TF+Berserk". I didn't get it in this video, but this is my current way of playing if I don't get a CC proc the first few AAs.
- 0:07 overcapped 2 energy, which is a bit unfortunate, but a small price to pay.
- 0:22 no luck with NG.
- 0:31 ye, this is why I said that we need a CC proc after Berserk in order to refresh Rip on time.
- 0:39 I could admit that the FB might have been a bit risky, but I counted on getting at least one CC, and I got two at 0:45-0:46.
- 0:46 I don't recommend doing what I did here, i.e. casting Shred and refreshing SR with 5CPs instead of 4 because I limited my options to generate 5CPs for Rip. Fortunately for me, I got another CC proc a bit later (0:54) which allowed me to refresh bleed on time, but w/o it I would have cast Rip with a delay and quite possibly struggled to refresh Mangle and Rake as well.
- 1:08 no luck with Barkskin.
- 1:21 In hindsight, that Rake was perfectly timed with that CC. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a mistake, but right after casting Rake, I got another CC which I used on Shred. So, by casting Rake early, I managed to preserve its uptime.
- 1:38 no luck with NG.
- 1:52 I dropped SR for a bit. Normally, this would have been a misplay, but not in this particular scenario because I already auto-attacked a few milliseconds prior to SR expiring, so nothing was lost.
- 2:13 no luck with Barkskin.
- 2:17 in this particular case, I should have refreshed SR with 2 CPs, followed it up with Rake and gathered CPs for Rip.
- 2:26 I shouldn't have cast Shred. Rake would have been better because it would have benefited more from the trinket proc.
- 2:41 in hindsight, the FB was timed poorly. What I should have done was to cast SR with 4CPs and with a small delay. That way, I would have started generating CPs again for a potential 4CP FB prior to Rip. Moreover, had I refreshed SR with 4CPs, I wouldn't have cast it for a second time at 2:58. Instead, I would have started generating CPs for one last bite.
- 3:03 no luck with NG.

Spoiler: Show

Commentary:
- 0:06 I used Barkskin in order to trigger a CC proc and follow it up with 2 Shreds and a Rip before casting "TF+Berserk". I got it in this video. :P
- 0:10-0:11 I had to lower my energy a bit before popping Berserk. This is why I said that neither "TF-Berserk" nor "Berserk-TF" are confined to a fixed ability order. If the player sees something like this happening prior to Berserk, they can react accordingly. Since I wasn't doing anything productive, I decided to cast NG for a potential CC proc (which I didn't get).
- 0:23-0:28 I acquired 5CPs for Rip before Berserk ended. This is why we should cast FB with as little energy as possible during Berserk (like what I did at 0:22) and not necessarily at the last moment.
- 1:06 I contemplated on the possibility to cast Shred, in order to generate enough CPs for SR. During the practice run, I decided to play it safe, but in hindsight I should have gone for it as you're about to see why.
- 1:08-1:16 even though I managed to refresh Rip on time, I didn't get the full duration. I didn't want to cast Shred because I would have wasted CPs, but this is why I should have cast it on that SR.
- 1:10 no luck with Barkskin.
- 1:17 no luck with NG.
- 1:29 I wanted to do the very same thing I should have done with the previous SR (at 1:06). I had a lot of energy, and I counted on getting a CC proc before Rip expired, but as you're about to find out things didn't go as planned.
- 1:38 I couldn't refresh Rip on time. Tbf, had I refreshed SR with 3 CPs instead of 4, this wouldn't have changed anything because the Shred at 1:35 was also a non-critical, so I would have had 4CPs with that Shred at 1:29. In an actual raid scenario, refreshing SR with 3 CPs would have been the safer approach.
- 1:54 I contemplated on the possibility to refresh SR in order to have an easier time generating CPs with that CC proc. Honestly, I don't think that what I did here was a misplay because I had plenty of energy. I was unlucky that both Rake and Mangle ended up as non-criticals.
- 2:21 my "NG + Barkskin" macro triggered OoC.
- 2:22 this time around my energy bar was half full, so refreshing SR immediately was the correct play.
- 2:53 both SR and Rip were perfectly synchronised with the "kill timer", aka Berserk's CD in my case.

"TF-Berserk" + "FB mid-Berserk"

Spoiler: Show

"Berserk-TF" + "FB-last Berserk"

Spoiler: Show

"Berserk-TF" + "FB mid-Berserk"

Spoiler: Show

16. WHAT'S THE VALUE OF A CP?

Spoiler: Show

Attention: In this section, I've explained the value of our CPs and their impact on our finishers. My goal is to visualise the potential damage loss when we utilise them poorly, so that it becomes clearer what's going on.

Be warned, this section contains more personal calculations than practical tips, so if you don't want to be overwhelmed with too much information, you can close this spoiler. Having said that, understanding the logic behind the utilisation of the CPs would imho help you get a better view of the nuances of the feral cat spec, so I recommend giving it a read.

I. General overview

Before I clarify the nuances of using FB in combat, I must tackle the ever so important topic of its building blocks - the CPs, aka our second primary resource. This deserves its own separate section as it's not something minor or simple that can be explained briefly in one or two words. In reality, a lot of our in-game decisions revolve around managing this resource properly, especially when we try to maintain both SR and Rip.

Unlike our energy, we don't passively generate CPs. We need to use builders to obtain them in the first place, we can gather up to 5 at a time, and we can only use them on finishers. This is where the main challenge surrounding our CPs comes from - they are not as easy to obtain and use as our energy. In order to express myself better, I'd like to give you a quick example:

Let's say that our energy is close to reaching the maximum cap (100), after which point we stop regenerating it. In order for us to continue doing so, we cast Shred and lower it a bit. The energy is not lost, as we still gain damage from that play, and we are able to use the remaining energy on Rake/Mangle if they expire shortly afterwards. The same cannot be said for our CPs, and the problem here is threefold: {1} None of our finishing moves consume a "fixed" amount of CPs when being used, rather they force us to spend everything we have. Unlike the previous example with Shred, we can't just "lower" our CPs a bit and use the "remaining" for the next finisher - we are left with 0. {2} If we want to generate this resource again, we need to cast a couple of builders first, for which we need a lot of energy and therefore time to accumulate it. In other words, we can't go FB -> Rip in one GCD like we can with Shred -> Rake. {3} If we continue casting builders while we are already sitting at 5CPs just so we keep them for an upcoming finisher (like SR and Rip), we're wasting this resource.

By wasting CPs, we deal with heavy repercussions in the long run, so we need to have a clear idea of what we are actually missing out on. Obviously, I don't mean us knowing that we deprive ourselves of X amount of CPs, as this doesn't tell us much. We need to convert that resource into a measurement for comparison, i.e. a number, referencing potential damage.

II. My hypothesis

In order to give you a better idea how much CPs are actually worth, I need to explain the value of our energy first. For this purpose, let's observe a hypothetical 2-min boss fight with a simple "tank and spank" strategy. Under such circumstances, we'd normally have on average:

- 2 Mangles;
- 13 Rakes;
- 5 Rips;
- 5 SRs;
- X amount of Shreds;
- Y amount of FBs.

Now let's imagine two different players, one of whom has 100 energy more than the other throughout the entire encounter. Should that person decide to utilise it on either Mangle, Rake, Rip, or SR, he wouldn't achieve a "double dip" - he would just clip their effects. The only remaining abilities he can use the extra energy on are Shred and FB. If we ignore FB for a bit, we can say that every extra point of energy would mean potential Shred damage. Because of this, Shred is my main reference point when it comes to managing energy in boss fights. If I ignore trinket procs affecting its damage, then in the context of my Icecrown cat this is how much damage Shred would inflict on average with raid buffs according to Rawr:

Shred (average damage with 14724 AP, 1397 Arp, and almost 74% crit) = 15095
1 extra point of energy = 15095/42 or 359.4

Overcapping X amount of energy points due to one reason or another would result in me depriving myself of X*359.4 potential damage. Conversely, gaining 8 energy from http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48545 or 60 from http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48495 would result in me getting 8*359.4 and 60*359.4 respectively.

In addition to the aforementioned damage gain, we also get some CPs from that ability. As I've already clarified, we cannot use them on Rip and SR and double their effects. If we want to utilise that resource, then the only remaining finisher would be FB. For the sake of simplicity, I will only observe its 5-CP version w/o addressing its second effect (i.e. the part that drains up to 30 extra energy). According to Rawr, this is how the damage would look like if I were to cast it in a boss fight:

FB (average damage with 14724 AP, 1397 Arp, and almost 74% crit) = 27554

=> 35 energy + 5CPs = 27554 damage

Now I just need to isolate the variable. Since I have already declared the value of energy by using Shred as a reference point, I can substitute the "35 energy" part with the DPE for Shred and see how much damage those 5 CPs would net me:

35 energy + 5CPs = 27554 damage
(35*359.4) + 5CPs = 27554
5CPs = 27554 - 12579
5 CPs = 14975

=> 1CP = 2995
=> 2 CPs = 5990

However, with my current gear I have almost 74% crit in boss encounters. This means that in 26% of the cases my builders provide me with one CP, whereas in the remaining 74% - with two. In other words, I get 1.74 CPs on average per Mangle, Rake, and Shred. If I want to convert that amount into actual damage, I need to multiply 2995 by 1.74 which equals 5211. Everything I said thus far can be expressed with the following formulas:

one CP = (FB-(35*Shred/42))/5
two CPs = 2*(FB-(35*Shred/42))/5
CP-value (average per builder) = 1.CurrentCritProbability*(FB-(35*Shred/42))/5

These formulas can help you find out how much your CPs are worth with your current gear. Since I've based my calculations around FB's damage, the value of the CP is also determined by how many points you've invested in https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16862.

III. Elitist Jerks's stance on this topic

An EJ user shared a similar opinion in the past:

Originally Posted by Melthu

You must be placing very little value on combo points for the break-even point to be so low. I made a very rough estimate of the value of a combo point by subtracting the DPE of Shred from the DPE of a 5 CP Ferocious Bite and dividing by 5.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20101110..._rotation/p52/

Reading this was quite exciting as it showed that I wasn't the only one with that conclusion. Now, Melthu's formula revolved around the DPE values of FB and Shred, but regardless how you view it - it's the same logic. I'll keep my approach just because it shows actual stored damage during a fight.

IV. The fluidity of CP's value

Even though FB can give us a very consistent reference point for the value of our CPs, this approach doesn't fully describe how much they are worth when either Rip or SR are involved. Or, does it? Although I also support the idea that the value of our CPs changes depending on the type of finisher we're casting, my previous approach also acknowledges this conundrum quite well as you're about to understand why.

As I explained in the second subsection, if two players have different amounts of CPs, the one that has more will use the bonus CPs for FB, but both will use the same amount for SR and Rip when they expire. Since these two impact our dps the most, they have priority over FB. This means that the CPs intended for FB are expendable and can be sacrificed (to some extent) in favour of the other two finishers. With this in mind, I would like to observe different situations concerning the maintenance of SR and Rip, where players lose some of those expendable CPs in the process.

A) Using the CP-value to analyse the 4-CP and 5-CP Rip

14724 AP, almost 74% crit
5-CP Rip (average) = 53679
4-CP Rip (average) = 43274

Let's imagine a scenario, where we decide to refresh Rip with 4 CPs instead of 5 just so we don't lose one in case our next builder ends up being a critical strike. If I once again refer to the values of my Icecrown cat, using any CP-generator would provide me with 2 CPs 74% of the time which is the equivalent of 5211 stored damage with my current gear. In that hypothetical example, I can add that number to the damage of a 4-CP Rip and compare it to a 5-CP Rip:

43274 (4-CP Rip) + 5211 (stored CPs for later) vs 53679 (5-CP Rip)
48485 < 53679

By using FB to determine the rough value of a CP, we can still observe how going for a 5-CP Rip and wasting a bit of CPs yields higher numbers than prioritising its inferior counterpart. If so happens that we miss out on a single 5-CP Rip tick in case we have difficulties building the CPs, then that finisher still remains superior:

53679 - (53679/11) = 48799
48485 < 48799

A 4-CP Rip would only then outperform its 5-CP equivalent if we miss out on two or more bleed ticks. Now, I would like to open a parenthesis and clarify that such a scenario should generally be avoided, as it's oftentimes the result of poor CP-management when the other two finishers are involved. So, if anything, this is the exception that proves the rule.

B) Using the CP-value to analyse the 4-CP and 5-CP SR

Unlike Rip, SR doesn't do any damage on its own so I can't proceed with the same analysis I used in the previous subsection. Instead, I need to take a different approach.

As you already know, this ability increases our physical damage in cat form for a short period of time. We don't get this effect for free, rather we spend or, better said, invest energy and CPs in it. Key word here is "invest", and what is the common desire when we deal with investments? We want our investments to be as small as possible and our profits - as high as possible. This is exactly how I want to view SR - a mandatory investment of resources.

This ability costs 25 energy, and it grants us 5 seconds for each CP we invest in it. If we use SR too often in fights, then we would have less energy for Shred. Therefore, spending 25 energy on this finisher would "cost" me 8985 damage on average. In addition to that, we also invest CPs, which under normal circumstances could be used for a 5CP-FB. In my case, this would mean 2995 per CP or 5211 on average per builder (with 74% crit). With all that said, here's the full picture:

14 seconds: 8985+(1*2995) = 11980 (an investment of 855.7 dps)
19 seconds: 8985+(2*2995) = 14975 (an investment of 788.1 dps)
24 seconds: 8985+(3*2995) = 17970 (an investment of 748.8 dps)
29 seconds: 8985+(4*2995) = 20965 (an investment of 722.9 dps)
34 seconds: 8985+(5*2995) = 23960 (an investment of 704.7 dps)

So, the more CPs we spend on SR, the smaller the dps investment for it becomes. This shows why we should aim to refresh this finisher with 4/5 CPs whenever possible. What about going from 4-CP to 5-CP SR?

4CP SR + 1.74 CPs = 5CP SR with extra spending
20965 + 5211 = 26176 (an investment of 769.88 dps)

The numbers show that under normal circumstances it's not a good idea to go from a 4-CP to 5-CP SR. We need to wait for our current SR to expire first before we refresh it with 4 CPs, and only then can we start generating them anew. As you can tell, this conclusion is not always applicable as there are situations where we cannot afford to wait for SR to expire first before we cast another CP-generator. Here are some examples:

Berserk is active;
our energy is close to the maximum cap (100);
we have a CC proc.

These three common scenarios have three things in common: {1} we lose energy or energy-like resources if we wait for SR to expire first before we cast another ability; {2} in order to prevent that from happening, we use Shred or any other builder whilst {3} disregarding the current amount of our CPs. Since CPs are lost in the process either way, it's better to go from a 4-CP to a 5-CP SR in order to still benefit from them. Of course, this is only true if Rip is not a factor worth considering. In the next subsection, I will examine that scenario.

C) Using the CP-value to analyse refreshing SR to the detriment of Rip

Once, I received constructive criticism on discord that basing the value of CPs on FB wouldn't give the player a clear picture when both Rip and SR expire simultaneously. As I've pointed out in "Learning the priority list step by step", it's better to cast SR even with 1 CP if it means that Rip would be refreshed with 5 CPs on time. Here, you'll see why this is still the case.

Let's assume that a person has 3CPs, and they decide to cast another builder, so that their SR would last longer. They get a lucky critical strike and obtain 5CPs. However, the player struggles to refresh Rip on time and loses a whole tick as a result. If I use the damage values of my Icecrown cat in order to analyse this situation, here's how the outcome would look like:

- 5CP SR = 23960 dmg investment
- sacrificed Rip tick = 4880 lost damage

=> 23960 + 4880 = 28840 (an investment of 848.23 dps)

This is worse than what he would have had, had he refreshed SR with 3CPs. This goes to show that while we should aim to refresh SR with as many CPs as possible, we should do so by respecting Rip's uptime. In other words, the amount of CPs we can afford to invest in SR shouldn't hinder us from refreshing Rip with 5CPs on time.

D) Using the CP-value to analyse casting FB to the detriment of Rip

Let's forget about SR for a bit and imagine the following scenario - we have 5CPs, and Rip is going to expire relatively soon (like, in 10+ seconds). When do we cast FB?

There are two ways to approach this conundrum:

1) We keep the CPs for Rip and once it's refreshed, we go for the FB.
2) We go for the FB first, and then we try to gather 5CPs for Rip ASAP.

Now, I intentionally mentioned 10+ seconds in order to imply that our energy would reach the maximum cap if we only pool it. Therefore, in the first example we would be forced to use Shred at least once in order to lower our energy, but we would miss out on some CPs as a result. In the second example, we won't have that issue, but there might be a risk that we cast Rip with a delay and miss out on some bleed ticks. For a better understanding, let me illustrate those examples for you:

(5 CPs) -> Shred -> Rip -> 3x Shreds -> FB + bleed ticks {223 energy}

(5 CPs) -> FB -> 3x Shreds -> Rip -> Shred + 1-2 CPs {223 energy}

As you can see, the energy is the same and so are the abilities. Therefore, I will only focus on the differences:

In the first example, we have more bleed ticks. With my current gear, each Rip tick would inflict 4880 damage on average. In the second example, we have more CPs. Since I have 74% crit on my character, I expect to get 1.74 CPs on average per Shred which constitute 5211 damage. Prioritising FB over Rip would be worth it in that scenario, but only if I miss out on 0-1 Rip ticks. Anything more, and FB would be a misplay. However, if I were to cast two Shreds prior to Rip in the first example, I would sacrifice more CPs, and the scales would tip once again in favour of FB.

This example right here explains the main logic behind usage of FB prior to Rip - how many (expendable) CPs we utilise and how many bleed ticks we sacrifice determines how beneficial or detrimental FB is prior to Rip.

It should be noted that the "CPs : Rip ticks" ratio depends on a person's gear. This is due to the fact that a boss's armour reduces FB's damage, and we need a lot Arp to negate that damage reduction effect, whereas Rip remains unaffected because it ignores armour by design. As a result, the number of Rip ticks we can afford to sacrifice in favour of FB is different in each content phase. For more information on the matter, please read "FB. Energy investment and proper timing".

E) Using the CP-value to analyse the 4-CP and 5-CP FB

5-CP FB = 27554
4-CP FB = 22323

Now comes the final scenario. Let's imagine that neither Rip nor SR are a major concern, and we intend to cast FB, but we only have 4 CPs currently. Is it better to cast FB with 4CPs or should we go for a 5-CP FB?

If I go Shred -> FB, my finisher will inflict more damage, but I might waste a CP in case that Shred ends up being a critical strike. If I decide to cast FB with 4CPs and follow it up with Shred, I keep 1.74 CPs for later which constitute 5211 stored damage. I can add that number to the damage of a 4-CP FB and compare it to its 5-CP equivalent:

22323+5211= 27534
27534 (4-CP FB with extra CP value) < 27554 (5-CP FB with wasted CP value)

Even though the numbers still go in favour of the 5-CP bite, I cannot help but point out how small the difference is. I also want to point out that by sacrificing CPs, we make it harder for ourselves to maintain Rip and SR. If we go Shred -> FB, we would have 42 less energy for the next cycle, which could result in us losing a couple of Rip ticks or having less CPs for SR. Not to mention, the more we prolong the bite, the higher the chances of getting a CC proc in the meantime. If we get a CC proc while at 5CPs, we cannot use it on FB due to its second effect, so we'd be forced to respond with a 0-CP Shred. Due to the GCD caused by Shred, we'd pool some energy. If we still aim to bite the boss, we'd invest more resources in that ability than what we have initially planned, and we'd really go behind our cycles. A 4-CP FB might not inflict as much damage as its 5-CP counterpart, but it makes us flexible in unfortunate situations which is the reason why I promote it.

Just like the 4-CP SR, there are exceptions here:

Berserk is active;
we have a CC proc while at 4CPs;
our energy is beyond the optimal threshold for FB;
Mangle and/or Rake are about to expire soon.

In situations like these, we waste CPs either way so it's better to invest them in FB in order to still benefit from them.

17. FB. ENERGY INVESTMENT AND PROPER TIMING

Spoiler: Show

I. Energy investment for FB

A) General overview

Feral druid’s FB is quite reminiscent of rogue’s Eviscerate in the sense that both abilities are finishers, they cost 35 energy, and they inflict burst damage which increases the more CPs we invest in them.

However, FB’s biggest drawback stems from its second effect. It consumes extra energy (up to 30) and is unaffected by energy-reduction effects such as Berserk and OoC procs. While it's true that we get some damage from it, in reality it's quite miniscule and not worth the trouble (for reference, the DPE value of FB's second effect is half that of Shred). The problem is not just the practically non-existent damage but also the fact that the sacrificed resource could've been used on a future ability (Shred) that might have granted us CPs, which we could have then used either for another FB or for another finisher.

All of this begs the question - what is the energy threshold when biting our targets is still considered beneficial?

B) Energy threshold for FB in the context of its second effect

Before I present my conclusions, I would like to explain briefly how I came to them. If you want to see the whole math, you can check this post. Obviously, the closer you are to 35 energy when casting FB, the better.

5-CP FB
The way I calculated the thresholds was by analysing the following two scenarios with different amounts of energy:

(5CPs) + X energy -> Shred -> pooling Y energy -> FB

(5CPs) + X energy -> FB -> pooling Y energy

My reasoning behind the usage of Shred was based on the necessity to lower our energy as a way to counter FB's second effect. For example, if I have 60 and use Shred (42), I'd have 18 afterwards, at which point I'd just need to pool 17 before I cast FB. I compared that to simply using FB right from the get-go, and the leftover energy was converted to Shred damage with CP-value (the latter is described in the section titled "What's the value of a CP?").

The reason why the first scenario includes a single Shred stems from my assumption that we aren't forced to cast more while we have 5CPs. If so happens that we do end up casting more, then delaying FB would be a misplay simply because we'd deprive ourselves of CPs. This is possible when CC procs are involved, and we have too much energy to spare already.

This is the cornerstone of my logic - that CC procs should not be a factor worth considering. After all, they only have a 6% chance to proc from AAs, which makes them unpredictable and thus very unlikely in small time windows. Going back to my previous example, if I were to cast FB whilst having 60 energy, and I don't get any CCs immediately afterwards, then I'd only shoot myself in the foot. This is the reason why I preferred to treat "casting a single Shred at 5CPs" as the most common/probable scenario, which is what I based my calculations on. Having clarified that, here are my conclusions:

5CPs. FB vs Shred

Out of Berserk
- The boss isn't dying any time soon - do you have a CC proc?

Yes. Shred > FB
No. Is your energy 53 or more?
1. Yes. Shred > FB
2. No. FB > Shred.

- The boss is going to die soon - can you squeeze in two FBs within the last remaining seconds?

Yes. Read the previous algorithm.
No. Shred > FB and cast FB at the last second.

In Berserk
- Berserk has just begun - do you have a CC proc?

Yes. Shred > FB
No. Is your energy 25 or more?
1. Yes. Shred > FB
2. No. FB > Shred.

- Berserk is about to expire soon - can you utilise all of your energy?

Yes. Read the previous algorithm.
No. FB > Shred and you blow your energy as much as possible (aka the "FB mid-Berserk" opener).

4-CP FB
I already explained the logic behind the usage of the 4-CP FB in "What's the value of a CP?", but here's a quick recap - it saves us 1-2 CPs which we use for an upcoming finisher. It doesn't matter that it deals less damage than its 5-CP counterpart, what matters is that it allows us to be flexible in unfortunate situations. This is further proven by the fact that we use fewer abilities and thus less energy to reach 4CPs as opposed to 5. Ideally, we will reach 4CPs with just two builders, but to generate 5 we need no less than three.

For a better understanding, imagine that you have 4CPs and you cast Shred, so that your FB would cause more damage. However, by doing so, you'd have 42 less energy for the next Rip or SR cycle. If you don't obtain 5CPs on time, you'd cast Rip with a delay or SR with less CPs than initially planned. At the end, that 5-CP FB would come with a trade-off.

This is the logic behind the following two scenarios:

(4CPs) + X energy -> Shred -> pooling Y energy -> FB

(4CPs) + X energy -> FB -> pooling Y energy + Rip tick

Of course, in an actual raid environment things are not always that simple, as RNG will determine which play is correct. If I grant a couple of CC procs to both examples after them casting FB, both will be able to refresh Rip on time, but the first will be superior due to the damage difference between the 4-CP and the 5-CP FB. At the same time, it's also possible that these CCs pop up when the first player is still sitting at 5 CPs. In that case, either the 5-CP FB would be delayed even more, further shortening the time window to obtain 5CPs for the next Rip cycle, or it would be skipped, meaning the CPs are wasted for nothing. Regardless of outcome, the 4-CP FB will be the only correct play under such circumstances.

This is once again the reason why I decided to leave out the CC procs from my calculations. At the same time, I wanted to acknowledge the flexibility factor and the low energy investment surrounding the 4-CP FB which is why I gave it a single Rip tick in addition to the extra CPs from the leftover energy. Having said that, here are my conclusions:

4CPs. FB vs Shred

Out of Berserk: If you have 35-50 energy, FB > Shred. If you have more, Shred > FB.
In Berserk: If you have 18-24 energy, FB > Shred. If you have more, Shred > FB.
Presence of CC procs: Shred > FB.

Disclaimer: Those conclusions are true if biting the boss wouldn't negatively impact maintaining your other finishers. The latter concerns the correct timing of FB, which is discussed in the next subsection. FYI, the aforementioned energy thresholds are also affected by http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16862. Having less points in that talent lowers the aforementioned caps.

II. Timing FB alongside your other finishers

A) General overview

Timing FB is not simply saying "SR and Rip need to last X seconds in order for FB to be safe". No, such statements are horribly oversimplified. 15 seconds of Rip duration could be more than enough for person A to squeeze in a FB before his next cycle, but too short for person B. In actuality, there are various factors that influence your decision of timing FB properly, those being:

duration of SR and Rip
1. Rip expires prior to SR
2. SR expires prior to Rip
3. both expire at the same time
presence of TF
number of CCs you might potentially get
1. procs from lucky AAs, Barkskin, and NG
2. procs from the GotVV-shift (discussed in the third post)
your current crit%
remaining time before the boss dies

Depending on these factors everyone defines their own "deadline" when to bite the boss, which they wouldn't feel comfortable crossing. Is that the time when Rip has 15, 12, 10, 8, or even 6 seconds? How often do you get critical strikes? To what extent do you trust RNG to give you CC procs? If you want a more definite answer about when you can afford to bite your target, here are some equations. These can give you an idea how much time it would take you to refresh Rip under certain circumstances. You can either refresh Rip when it expires or sacrifice a tick or two (check the table below). If during combat the timer of your Rip is below the calculated one here, you ought to save your energy for refreshing that finisher. If it's higher, you can safely cast FB.

B) FB vs Rip in the climax of a boss fight

Sacrificing Rip ticks in favour of a 5CP-FB

Patch phase	Maximum sacrificable Rip ticks with 0/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16858	Maximum sacrificable Rip ticks with 5/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16862
Naxx	0 (0)	1 (0)
Ulduar	1 (0)	1 (0)
ToGC	1 (0)	1 (0)
ICC & RS	1 (0)	2 (1)

Disclaimer: The numbers can give you a rough idea how many ticks you can afford to sacrifice and still see positive results. Keep in mind that this is just a general estimation, and in reality the amount of wasted CPs when you cast Mangle/Rake/Shred at 5CPs, determines how many Rip ticks you could possibly sacrifice.

It should be obvious that the more Rip ticks you miss out on, the smaller the gain is (like 2-digit in some cases). Keep in mind that sometimes delaying your Rip in favour of FB could potentially desynchronise it with your trinkets, which would lead to a missed opportunity to snapshot your entire bleed with AP procs. The numbers in the brackets show how many ticks you can sacrifice if you do end up losing the snapshot. If https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016 is involved, treat everything as 0.

As I've said, the table should only give you a general idea how aggressive you can or cannot be with FB.

Both SR & Rip are about to expire soon

Time needed to refresh Rip = 5 GCDs {1 second each} + remaining time for pooling energy - 6 seconds {if TF is present} - (4.2seconds*number of CC procs from AAs)

Note 1: Replace 5 GCDs with 6, if the critical strike is less than 67% or around that number, or you want to generate more CPs for SR.
Note 2: You could consider NG and Barkskin proccing CCs during the pooling time, in which case you should increase the number of GCDs.

Only Rip is about to expire soon

Time needed to refresh Rip = 3 GCDs {1 second each} + remaining time for pooling energy - 6 seconds {if TF is present} - (4.2seconds*number of CC procs from AAs)

Note 1: Replace 3 GCDs with 4, if the critical strike is less than 67% or around that number.
Note 2: You could consider NG and Barkskin proccing CCs during the pooling time, in which case you should increase the number of GCDs.

Explanation and examples:
If you're contemplating on whether you have enough time for FB, you first need to determine how much energy it would cost you to obtain enough CPs for the other two finishers. Note that we passively regenerate only 10 energy per second.

Let's say that {1} Rip and SR are synced, {2} you don't mind refreshing SR with one CP-generator, {3} and you can obtain 5 CPs from 3 yellow abilities on a regular basis. Rip costs 20 energy with 2pt10, SR -- 25, Rake - 35, and Shred - 42. All of this would require 42+25+(35+2x42)+20 = 206 energy or roughly 21 seconds. From here onwards, you need to ask yourself how many CCs you anticipate to obtain from AAs. Let's say that we get one CC. So, we remove 42 energy and get 164 or around 16 seconds of pooling time. Add the presence of TF, and the pooling time is brought down to ~10 seconds. This means that if Rip's duration is shorter than that, FB would be ill-advised. However, the story doesn't end there. If you decide to sacrifice a tick, you can bite the boss ~8 seconds before our DoT expires. Alternatively, you decide to cast an additional Shred and generate more CPs for SR. We add 4.2 seconds to the aforementioned, and the “deadline” becomes ~14 seconds (in case you don't want to miss out on a Rip tick) or ~12 (if you don't care about the small sacrifice).

Do you see how many different thresholds I was able to determine just by observing one very specific scenario?

Of course, such precise calculations will never be done in the heat of the battle, but you can do it prior to your raids so that you memorise the most optimal timing for you. Before I end this subsection, I should mention that every yellow ability triggers a 1-sec GCD, which cannot be minimised any further. This is somewhat important to note because if Rip has a relatively short duration, and you anticipate to use TF alongside many lucky CC procs, the GCDs might prevent you from refreshing Rip on time. This concerns the GotVV-shift a lot more, but it's still worth mentioning here.

TL;DR: By using the aforementioned formulas, you can determine your personal timing for FB.

C) FB vs Rip in the denouement of a boss fight

If a boss encounter reaches its end, and X seconds remain from it, then refreshing Rip might not grant you enough damage to justify the CP-investment. In the following table, you can see how much time a boss needs to stay alive in order for the bleed to beat FB.

Patch phase	The boss dies in exactly X seconds (you have 0/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16858)	The boss dies in exactly X seconds (you have 5/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16862)
Naxx	8 (6)	8 (8)
Ulduar	8 (8)	8 (8)
ToGC	10 (8)	10 (10)
ICC & RS	10 (8)	12 (10)

Disclaimer: Pay attention to the kill timers from TimeToDie or WA and decide from there. Keep in mind that they're not perfect because they calculate the time based on the current flow of raid damage. Some classes do additional burst when the boss is below a certain HP%, which would speed up the kill time. Because of this, my personal advice is add like 3-4 seconds to the numbers shown above. If the time on your addon is shorter than the calculated here, you should prioritise FB over Rip. The numbers in the brackets show the time if you consider the energy difference between Rip and FB, though the spared energy might not always allow you to squeeze in an extra Shred and it might be part of FB's second effect. Yes, you would still get damage from it, but it wouldn't justify Rip.

D) FB vs Rip when we kill adds

Imagine a boss fight, where you'd need to hard switch to adds (oozes on Professor Putricide, raging spirits in LoD etc). Some mobs don't last long, and Rip might be ill-advised there. In the next table, you can find the information about how long a mob needs to last, in order for Rip to be worth it.

Patch phase	The add dies in exactly X seconds (you have 0/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16858)	The add dies in exactly X seconds (you have 5/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16862)
Naxx	6	8
Ulduar	8	8
ToGC	8	10
ICC & RS	8	10

Disclaimer: Yes, it contains almost the same values as the previous table, but this time around I've acknowledged the energy difference between Rip and FB. This is because after you kill the add, you'd immediately switch to the boss, i.e. you'd immediately make use of that saved energy. Once again, pay attention to the kill timers from TimeToDie or WA and proceed from there.

18. DIFFERENT PLAYSTYLES FOR A FERAL CAT

Spoiler: Show

19. PRE-PULL SAVAGE ROAR

Spoiler: Show

Warning: This subsection contains rather niche stuff which would mostly be of interest to dedicated min-maxers. If you're (relatively) new to this spec, and/or you want to play it rather casually, you can do yourself a favour and close this spoiler.

I. General overview

A) SR as the first finisher

As pointed out already, SR is the most impactful finisher in our arsenal, and for that reason it should be used ASAP. However, since CPs are required to enable it in the first place, the player is forced to cast a builder like Mangle or Rake in order to meet that requirement. As a result, the first yellow ability and the first two AAs inevitably end up being unbuffed. However, the story doesn't end there. Since casting SR triggers a 1-second GCD, and it doesn't inflict any damage on its own, not only does it waste valuable seconds of our trinket procs but also of Berserk. Lastly, knowing that Rip is our strongest bleed which needs to be cast right after SR, going "builder -> SR -> builder -> builder -> builder -> 5CP Rip" delays that finisher by two seconds. All of those negative consequences describe the ACTUAL price of the first SR in addition to its 25 energy cost, and yet all of them can be addressed by the presence of a pre-pull SR.

B) The issue with leashing

In order to start a boss encounter with SR already enabled, we obviously need to possess CPs in the first place. We can generate and store them on enemy mobs, which from now on I'll refer to as "punching bags", prior to pulling the boss. Before I get to the practical examples, I want to explain the biggest obstacle in our setup - the mechanic known as "leashing", or rather the lack thereof as you're about to learn why.

Under normal circumstances, should a player attack a creature in the open world and run away from it, after a while the hostile mob starts to "evade". As a result, it stops chasing the player, returns to its original place, and fully regenerates its HP. In the meantime, the player's threat resets, and they leave combat. However, in a raid instance leashing doesn't work. It doesn't matter if the player attacks an enemy near the entrance, immobilises it and heads towards the final boss - the combat state lasts indefinitely until either the player or the mob dies. This doesn't narrow down only to the natural inhabitants of those instances - any artificially summoned attackable creature also follows this rule. However, while it's impossible to "outrun" the combat state, there are various ways to cancel it.

C) Cancelling the combat state

The absolute easiest, fastest, and safest way to clear your threat is to play as a night elf and use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=58984 (example). Even though there's a neutral equivalent for Engineers in the form of an item (https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=4397), it cannot compete with Shadowmeld, because that racial has a 2-min CD, whereas the trinket - 1h. Since not everyone has access to said ability, I'll continue describing the other methods.

The simplest, non-race specific approach is to simply leave the instance and re-enter it. The most optimal environment for such a manoeuvre is to have both the boss and the trash mobs located near the entrance but not too close to one another. That way, the player can keep his potential punching bag at hand and cast SR from a safe distance before engaging the main baddie. All of this perfectly describes the current situation in RS (example).

The other approach which, I guess, also revolves around exiting and re-entering raid instances, is the usage of warlock summons. They play a key role in helping the player travel long distances, greater than SR's 100 yard range, in order for that person to benefit from the 33% buff. Although this leads to a more demanding setup, as a warlock is required to assist us, this is the simplest solution for when a boss is located far away from the main entrance... which is exactly the case in ICC. In order for someone to summon another player or to accept a summon themselves, they need to be out of combat in the first place which is made possible thanks to the aforementioned entrance-strat (example).

Interestingly enough, mage portals, the portal in ICC, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=48933 from Engineering, and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=6948s can help us in this regard as well, as there's no requirement to be out of combat to use them. In this train of thought, I want to mention that gathering CPs OUTSIDE the instance, casting SR and accepting the summon DOESN'T work, as the buff fades when we change the zone (example). This is why SR should be cast WITHIN the instance if we want to benefit from the summon. The portals, the engineering wormholes and the hearthstones only help us reset our threat and nothing else.

The fourth approach revolves around strategically despawning bosses. While it's true that trash mobs follow us everywhere, bosses are limited to their designated places. If they cross those limits, their position resets, but we still keep our CPs on them. Although this may sound simple from our PoV, we need assistance from tanks to soak the upcoming damage (example).

The fifth approach requires the usage of https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=19752 from paladins. However, given the fact that the paladin player dies in the process, this trick only makes sense during unsuccessful pull attempts where the entire raid group is wiping to the boss (example). That way, no one dies unnecessarily.

Lastly, there is always the option to kill the mob that caused the combat in the first place. Most of the enemies in the instance (if not everyone) are elite and stay in groups, so it is unreasonable to think that a lonely cat can kill them all by himself. This is where the "special" summons come into play. There are a few mobs that can be artificially summoned and won't pose any danger to the cat player. The ones I'm currently aware of are: https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46780, Doomguard from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=47867, and Furious Mr. Pinchy from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=27388. Of the three options, the pinata is the easiest to summon, but it cannot be obtained in-game through conventional means - it can only be purchased on the Lordearon store for 15 coins, making it quite exclusive. We can also use critters to gain CPs (like instance-specific critters, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=5052, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44844) by using https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49803 on them like so. Since this ability inflicts damage after 3 seconds, we have a short time window to gather 1-2 CPs from the critter before it dies. We need to stand at an angle, so that our AAs don't kill it.

D) Triggering our trinkets

Regardless which approach you take, keep in mind that you'll need a long pull timer prior to the boss encounter. This is because trinkets have an ICD, and while it depends on the particular item how long that cooldown will last, for STS it's 45 seconds, whereas for DBW - 1:45. The other thing to keep in mind is that once you obtain 5 CPs, you must stay logged in. If you relog, you will lose the accumulated resources.

E) Other members interfering with the setup

Bear in mind that entering the enemy's threat table is not limited to just attacking it - healing and/or buffing the person in combat also puts his "assistant" in that state. If the cat player leaves the instance or uses Shadowmeld, the trash mob won't evade - it will head towards its new target. If that person is standing next to the rest of the raid members, you can kiss your punching bag goodbye (example). This is why having good communication with your teammates is vitally important. You need to inform them in advance what you're doing so that they don't buff/heal you before you clear your threat.

Having clarified all of that, it's high time I jump right into the practical tips and tricks.

II. Having a longer pre-pull SR

Here's the duration of SR depending on how many CPs you acquire:

Let's assume that you manage to store 5 CPs on your punching bag. Knowing that SR triggers a 1-second GCD, the best timing for that ability would undoubtedly be 1-2 seconds prior to the boss encounter which would net you a healthy 33-32 seconds-long duration. If you were to cast Rip as the fourth GCD in those conditions, it would expire 7-6 seconds prior to the pre-pull SR. Depending on the energy amount and the player's luck with OoC procs, this small time gap might only allow the usage of a single CP-generator. However, there's a way to extend the duration of SR and thus to increase that gap.

With the presence of 4pt8, i.e. the Ulduar tier set, the player can make SR last 8 seconds longer. The trick is 1) to create two equipment sets with the ingame "Equipment Manager" - the first containing your current gear, whereas the second - 4pt8 - 2) to equip your Ulduar set, 3) to refresh SR, 4) and at the end to swap back to your main items (example). It doesn't matter if the items you use are 219 or 226 ilvl, however if you're an Engineer, then you are limited to the following item slots:

This is due to the fact that swapping out the gloves resets the ICD of https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54999 (example). You can buy the chest and the head tokens from the EoC quartermaster in your respective faction, but to get the rest you need to participate in killing some bosses in Ulduar 10 (Thorim for the shoulders, Hodir for the legs), Ulduar 25 (Yogg for the shoulders, Freya for the legs), or VoA 10/25 (Emalon for the legs).

For Icecrowners, I have some good news: You don't need to clear any bosses in Ulduar or spend any emblems in obtaining 4pt8 if you don't want to - you can use the point shop for that purpose and save yourselves some time (pic1, pic2).

III. Ruby Sanctum

A) Picking a suitable target

Of all trash mobs in RS, two can be used as a punching bag - the Charscale Elite & the Charscale Invoker. Which one you use is up to you, but they both satisfy different needs, and so I suspect that there may be a difference in choice depending on your faction.

1. Charscale Elite

There are four Charscale Elites in the instance, two on each path leading to General Zarithrian (map). By design, one pair is meant to be cleared, so that players can get to the miniboss. However, an alternative way was discovered that skips this requirement. What we do now is despawn General Zarithrian and then simply climb the hill, where he stands. As a result, the Charscale Elites are ignored and left alive which is perfect for us. Here's why:

Even though there's a duo guarding each pathway, attacking one of the Elites doesn't aggro the other. This means that killing one of them is not necessary, which saves time and effort for the entire raid group. As great as it sounds, using this mob as a punching bag comes with a small challenge - its location.

You see, General Zarithrian and his minions in particular are stationed on the opposite side of the instance, i.e. far from the main entrance. As a result, executing the entrance-strat requires more (travel) time than usual. Tbh, it doesn't take that long to reach the entrance from the Charscale Elite's location (about 25s in travel form), but no doubt this mob is best for Shadowmeld-users, because they can skip this requirement.

2. Charscale Invoker

In contrast to the Charscale Elites, the Invokers are much closer to the entrance, making them ideal for players who rely on this strat. However, the challenge there is separating one from the rest of the group. You see, the issue with these spellcasters is that if you aggro one of them, the other(s) follow suit (example). There are various ways to solve this conundrum, but all require assistance from your teammates.

The best Invokers are the ones closest to the main entrance, but they stay in groups of three and are therefore the hardest to separate (map). If you intend to use them as punching bags, you must fulfil the following setup: Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=66070 on one of the Invokers, so that the other trash mobs start chasing you, and bring them to your tank. Once the tank picks them up, you need to leave the instance, so that you clear your threat. If you're the only person in the threat table of the rooted Invoker, it will return to its original position.

There's a way for your teammates to kill the unwanted trash mobs one by one. This approach also requires you to root an enemy and leave the instance. The difference is that you wait for the non-rooted dragonspawn to come close to you before you clear your threat. That way, you desynchronise their evasion phases. This will allow you to bring the rooted mob to the tank without worrying about the rest (example). Rinse and repeat for the second enemy.

Alternatively, you can engage one of the groups shown on the map. The way you can separate the Invokers from each other is by aggro-ing a patrolling Assaulter when he's near one of the spellcasters (example). Then you and your teammates just need to kill them. This is easier to implement because one Invoker will remain passive by default.

As you can imagine, implementing each of these setups will take time and participation from your fellow teammates. The only reason I'm suggesting them in the guide is due to the fact that this preparation phase can be done prior to the official start of the raid, i.e. while the group is still assembling. In other words, it won't waste any precious time during the raid. Despite this, NE players might not be interested in fulfilling the setup, as they don't benefit from it all that much, which is why imho the Invokers are mostly suitable for non-Shadowmeld users, i.e. for Horde players.

Ok, so you have successfully isolated your punching bag from the other enemy mobs. What now?

B) Obtaining CPs

Regardless whether you end up attacking a Charscale Invoker or an Elite, both hit like a truck and both can kill you within seconds in melee range. Your personal survival is your main priority, and therefore your task is to prevent them from hitting you in the first place. For this purpose, you execute the following "stun and run" strategy:

Actions in a chronological order

Go in stealth with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=9913.
Go behind the enemy mob.
Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49803.
Use 2 CP-generators.
Go in bear form.
Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=8983.
Go in cat form.
Gather more CPs if need be.
Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33357 and run away.

I recommend doing this trick right after killing the General. That's the most optimal time to gather CPs, as you can do it while the RL explains the tactics for Halion (hc). This completely removes the need of a long pull timer and fits naturally into the raid progression of every group out there (unless yours wipes on Halion and needs to attempt it again).

C) Clearing your threat

As an Alliance player, you ought to follow this path so that you can engage the Charscale Elite from behind. If you attack the one facing you, you'd risk being spotted and killed (example). Afterwards, you use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=58984.

As a Horde player, you can follow the same path. To clear your threat the fastest way possible, either you need to place down a wormhole near the targeted dragonkin, or a mage needs to do it with one of their portals. You obtain CPs the way I described above and you click on the big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff. Afterwards, you accept a summon.

If that's not the case, you need to make your way to the entrance. I highly recommend that you use speed boosts (like https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33357 or https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=55016) in order to escape the deadly grasp of the elite enemy mob. When heading for the entrance, you will see a slope in the middle of the hill. Don't be tempted to climb it because you might get stuck. Instead, you should follow this path.

D) Casting SR

Since you're in the vicinity of the boss and the punching bag, you can cast SR 1-2 seconds prior to the pull for maximum efficiency. By design, SR doesn't consume the OoC proc, so there's no need to rebuff the raid again (example).

IV. Icecrown Citadel

A) Picking a suitable target

In comparison to RS, ICC offers a greater variety of trash mobs, however only two can be used as a punching bag - the most accessible being Servant of the Throne, followed by the situational Vengeful Fleshreaper. There's no difference in choice this time around, as the skeleton spellcaster is the only "universal" option available from the very beginning, but the skulking geist can be used as an alternative in the Plagueworks by anyone who can afford it.

Disclaimer: Trash mobs aren't the only storage for free CPs. As mentioned before, we can despawn bosses by forcing them to leave their designated areas in order to preserve our building blocks for later. Examples include but are not limited to:

- Lord Marrowgar (video),
- Festergut (video),
- Rotface (video),
- Sindragosa (video).

However, this requires active participation from the main tank, and not everyone will be willing to assist us. This is why, in this subsection, I will focus only on the usage of trash mobs as they allow us to obtain CPs independently from other players.

It should be noted that the trick with despawning bosses doesn't require a long or complicated setup from us or our tanks. In fact, it can easily be integrated into any raid progress with minimum downtime, so my advice is to talk to your RL in advance and try to convince them to allow it. It's recommended for raid groups that have a long pull timer prior to each boss battle.

1. Servant of the Throne

This trash mob can be found virtually in any room on the first floor of ICC, however the most suitable candidates for a punching bag are located right after "Light's Hammer", aka the merchant area (map). Since these skeletons stay near the corner, they don't attack anyone heading towards Lord Marrowgar, unless that person enters their aggro range. As a result, they are ignored and left alive, thus becoming free real estate for us.

This is great news for us because these trash mobs are the best candidates for a punching bag. Here's why:

their melee damage is negligible;
their magic damage is not fatal for us;
their cast is slow and can be LoS'd;
they are relatively close to a teleporter;
they are relatively close to a portal;
they are not that far from the entrance.

In other words, they pose no real danger to us and thus our survival is no longer an issue. Furthermore, we can always take the nearest teleporter to "Light's Hammer" when we intend to obtain free CPs, and then clear our threat in seconds. As perfect as it sounds, this punching bag is not without flaws, and in the next paragraphs I'd like to elaborate on that.

I'll start with the minor inconveniences and address the more serious issues as I go along.

1. If we attack either Servant and we allow them to chase us in "Light's Hammer", they will be killed by the friendly NPCs occupying that area (example). The answer to that is really simple - we just need to use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=66070 on them (example).

2. Because the spellcasters are located on the first floor, they are far from most bosses. We can engage Lord Marrowgar without receiving any summons, but for the other bosses the assistance of a warlock is necessary.

3. Before we actually store CPs on either skeleton, we need to clear the trash on the doorway and in the corridor. The good news are that we can use the friendly NPCs in "Light's Hammer" to help us in that regard (example). In addition, we can do this prior to the raid so that we don't waste valuable time. In so doing, we also help the rest of the raid members because the group can engage LM right from the get-go. However, the bad news are that {1} the trash respawns every two hours, meaning we need to clear it a second time during the raid if we still want to obtain CPs.

4. Now comes the biggest drawback surrounding this punching bag - the absence of convenient teleporters in ICC. Even though the Servants themselves are in close proximity to a teleporter, the same cannot be said for most bosses. After defeating DBS, players enter the Upper Reaches where there's only one available in the entire area (map). While it's neither mentally nor physically difficult to travel from your current boss's location to that teleporter, {2} this wastes a lot of precious time and is therefore not something every RL would allow.

=> Bearing {1} and {2} in mind, the only boss encounters where obtaining CPs from the skeletons can be considered practical, are LM and DBS. We can do this trick prior to the raid (LM) and during DBS's role-play event, so that we don't waste anyone's time. LDW (hc) and Sindy (hc) could also be considered due to their proximity to a teleporter. With good team organisation, obtaining CPs during the LK's role-play event should also be considered (especially on HC).

Note: Currently, the "Servants of the Throne" are bugged. While it's normal for them to inflict very low amount of damage, apparently they're supposed to call the nearby Damned for help. This can be observed on the following clip from retail WotLK. Now, this doesn't mean that the whole trick would have been impossible w/o that bug, rather it would have required a bit more time to clear the additional trash (example). This would have been in line with my third argument.

2. Vengeful Fleshreaper

There are many geists in the Plagueworks, but the only suitable candidates for a punching bag are the two running on the pipes (map). Unless someone uses some kind of AoE (*cough* https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=53195 *cough*), they remain passive, players ignore them, and as a result we are free to do whatever we want with them.

What makes them appealing is their proximity to Rotface, Festergut, and PP. Having said that, players usually engage those bosses without delay, and it's unlikely that they would be keen to spend time waiting for the cat player to obtain free CPs. This is why I said earlier that the geists are only for the people who can afford them. This, and the ability to clear one's own threat without relying on the entrance-strat (i.e. Shadowmeld).

B) Obtaining CPs

In contrast to RS, none of the suggested punching bags can one-shot us in melee range. Because of this, we're no longer required to stun anything anymore which greatly simplifies the CP-generation process:

Spam https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566.
Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=66070.
Run away.

At the same time, we face a new challenge related to the setup, which is time itself and time cannot be stopped.

As mentioned before, players usually engage bosses without delay, which means we don't have that many opportunities to obtain free CPs as far as the rest of the team is concerned. If we still want to do it, we need to accommodate the setup with the natural progression of the raid group. In other words, we can only perform the setup as long as it doesn't grieve others. How do we do that?

- by obtaining CPs prior to the raid;
- by obtaining CPs during the pull timer.

1. Prior to the raid

The fist example only concerns LM because he's the first boss in the instance. If we obtain CPs prior to the raid, we have all the time in the world, and the setup can be as simple as I described it above (you can refer to this clip).

2. During the pull timer

The second example concerns all other bosses. Regardless if said boss features a fixed roleplay event (like DBS or LK) or nothing of this sort, there's always some kind of timer after which players start the encounter. If you want to obtain CPs for a pre-pull SR, you need to acknowledge that pull timer and you need to fulfil your setup within that small time window. Unfortunately, this doesn't just mean you have to do it quickly. You also need to make sure that all of your abilities will be ready to use when your team starts the fight, which involves your trinket procs as well.

By attacking the punching bag, you trigger the effects of your trinkets. If they don't come off CD by the time you start the encounter, you will miss out on valuable snapshots. To prevent this, you need to reset their ICDs and overlap them with the pull timer, which you achieve by unequipping and re-equipping them beforehand. This downtime varies from trinket to trinket, but since I'm discussing ICC, I'll assume that you have DBW whose ICD lasts 1:45 minutes. Bearing this in mind, here's what you need to do when you're on a tight schedule:

Actions in a chronological order

1:45 minutes before the fight, re-equip https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50363.
Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=61138.
Spam https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48566.
Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=66070.
Go in cat form.
Use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33357 and run away.

Admittedly, having a near 2-min pull timer won't be approved by every RL out there, but that's not necessary. The RL can start the pull timer in advance, i.e. when everyone is heading to the boss, so that no time is wasted unnecessarily. Better yet, they can overlap it with the boss's roleplay event. The best example for this is DBS as a Horde player because the RP lasts 1:40 minutes, and a mere 5-sec pre-warning is needed. For Alliance players, the RP lasts 50 seconds, and thus a longer pull timer is required, but the RL can start it when everyone is still on the Gunship. At least, on theory.

C) Clearing your threat

As an Alliance player, you only use https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=62199. As a Horde player, it really depends on what you're attacking:

- If you are generating CPs on a Servant, you can either exit the instance through the main entrance or use the portal near the merchants (refer to the video above). Keep in mind that by choosing the prior option, you expose yourself to ganking because the ICC hallway is a popular pvp zone. The safer approach is taking the portal to Dalaran, but then you need two summons: 1) you go to Dalaran -> you return to ICC, 2) you go to Light's Hammer and cast SR -> you rejoin the group (clip).

- If you are generating CPs on a Fleshreaper, then your only options are mage portals, engineering wormholes, and hearthstones. This also requires the usage of two summons.

D) Casting SR

I would like to break this subsection into two smaller parts:

1. Prior to LM

LM is an interesting case because we have the opportunity to use SR at the last possible moment. Just like in RS, we can position ourselves between the punching bag and the boss, and in so doing we can be in range of everyone and everything (for a better visualisation, refer to this clip). This allows us to cast GotW near our group, obtain a CC proc, and cast SR a few seconds before the fight begins (example w/o a summon, example with a summon but also a misplay).

2. Prior to other bosses

The problem with casting SR prior to the other bosses is that we are far from them, and in this train of thought we are also far from our fellow team members. As a result, we cannot expect to get a guaranteed CC proc from GotW when we are all alone. On theory, we could try to force it by casting https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48469 on ourselves, but that's not reliable (remember that CC procs have 8.75% proc chance from instant-cast spells per affected target). Instead, we need to cast SR sooner, so that we can rejoin our group and still have time to cast GotW before the fight (Servant & Fleshreaper).

V. Old WotLK content (honourable mention)

Here, I'll briefly describe the situation on Frostmourne/Onyxia:

EoE and ToC/ToGC don't provide us with any options for a punching bag because those instances lack trash mobs in general. I'd argue that OS falls into the same category because if players attempt 2 or 3 drakes and don't clear the trash, then upon engaging Sartharion everything gets pulled. Should the raid group fight the trash mobs, the three mini bosses, and the main one simultaneously, then the raid would inevitably end with a wipe. The only way for us to obtain CPs in those instances is by using https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=5052 coupled with a https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49803 (example).

The problem with Naxx is that the enemies near the entrance are jam-packed, and we can't really separate them. This coupled with the fact that this instance can be cleared in less than two hours, means that most groups would rather breeze through it rather than spend unnecessary amount of time waiting for a cat to acquire CPs for SR and not even be top dps. That being said, this instance features a lot of critters, and the same trick with the Dig Rat can be used on them as well.

This leaves us only with Ulduar, but fortunately for us there's a way to earn CPs there - we can use the Steelforged Defenders to achieve this goal (map). By design, they are NOT elite mobs, and as a result they don't have a lot of HP and don't do fatal damage. For that reason, you can easily separate 1-2 from the rest by rooting them and swiping down the extras without any worries. Keep in mind that the trash mobs don't respawn in that instance, so try leaving 1-2 Defenders alive. Since they have 12k HP, I recommend attacking them only with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=52472 because it's the weakest CP-generator (clip).

VI. Ogre Pinata

A) General overview

As mentioned before, this item can only be purchased on the Lordearon store for 15 coins and cannot be obtained through conventional means. It has very low HP and a 30-min CD upon usage, and it despawns 3 minutes after being summoned. The only reason I'm promoting it is because it can be used EVERYWHERE WITHOUT ANY RESTRICTIONS.

B) Obtaining CPs

To explain how exactly we are supposed to store CPs on the https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46780, I need to address its in-game characteristics, i.e. stats and mechanics.

Starting off with its low HP. Owing to the fact that the structure is quite fragile, we need to lower our damage as much as possible. Unfortunately, just casting https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=52472 is not good enough - we need to go the extra mile by unequipping our items beforehand. I should clarify that it's necessary to keep the trinkets on ourselves, so that we can reset their ICDs prior to the CP-generation process. Before you ask - yes, this requires the usage of the in-game Equipment Manager.

Speaking of trinkets and ICD resets, time is once again our greatest enemy (Death to Chronos). Just like the case in ICC, we need to make sure that all of our abilities and items are ready to use when the pull timer ends. Unfortunately, the pinata leaves no room for error - not only on our part, but also on the part of the other players. You see, unlike the other punching bags, this item has an expiration date which is 3 minutes after being summoned. If we don't utilise the CPs during that time, we lose them and we can try again after 30 minutes. This means that you can only use the pinata during the pull timer and you need to hope that the latter doesn't get cancelled and postponed when the pinata is already placed down.

Speaking of pinata placement, let's address this final factor. As mentioned above, this structure can be placed everywhere without any restrictions - ideally, near the boss / the raid, so that we get more value from SR. While this sounds as something positive, we must not forget one important detail - how threat affects us and others. Once we're in combat, we shouldn't receive any buffs or heals otherwise the responsible player(s) will also enter the pinata's threat table. If so happens, then it's unlikely that they will respect our setup. What will transpire in that situation will most likely be the early destruction of the pinata before we get the chance to utilise our CPs. In other words, should you place the pinata near your fellow team members, you must warn them in advance that you're in combat, and they should remain passive until you clear your aggro.

Whew! That's a lot of information to swallow, so here's a short summary:

Actions in a chronological order

Before the pull timer is announced, go naked.
Warn others what you're doing.
1:45 minutes before the fight, swap your trinkets.
Summon the https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46780.
Spam https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=52472.
Run away.

C) Clearing your threat

Even though breaking the pinata is a possible solution to the threat problem, the best approach remains the standard "hit and run" strat. Interestingly enough, neither https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=62199 nor the https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=4397 work here. Thus, your only options are mage portals, engineering wormholes, and hearthstones. Afterwards, you accept a warlock summon.

D) Casting SR

Since you can place the pinata near your group, you should cast SR 1-2 prior to the boss fight.

VII. Impact on our openers

A) General overview

As one can imagine, being able to start a boss encounter with SR already ticking influences the way we burst. However, this doesn't narrow down to us skipping a buff, going straight for Rip, and having one extra offensive ability during Berserk. In reality, our feral openers vary greatly depending on how long the pre-pull SR lasts, and the reason for that is the (de)sync between this ability and Rip.

You see, if the first finisher we cast in a boss encounter is Rip (with 5 CPs obviously), then it would be cast no sooner than 3-4 seconds into the boss encounter. With https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40902 and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40901, it would last 22 seconds, meaning that it would expire around the 26th second mark. If the duration of the pre-pull SR is shorter than this or almost the same, then we would need to refresh our 33% damage buff prior to Rip. As a result, we would be discouraged to utilise our CPs on FB and keep them only for those finishers. Conversely, if SR expires long after Rip, then we only need to worry about refreshing our big bleed on time, meaning that we can be greedier with our CPs before that time comes.

Why can't we have the same duration of a pre-pull SR on every boss encounter? As I've said earlier, the most optimal timing for that buff is to cast it 1-2 seconds before the fight officially begins. However, in instances like ICC where our punching bag is not in close proximity to the boss/raid, this is not really possible as the cat player needs time to accept a warlock summon, to spam the druid buff until a CC procs, to regenerate the missing energy (assuming 3/5 https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17059), and finally to pre-pot in peace. Of course, in an ideal situation SR would be cast as late as possible so that the player can get the most out of it when the fight begins. Realistically speaking, that would be around 8-10 seconds. Let's stick with this example for a bit. If the player casts SR with 5 CPs 10 seconds prior to the pull, his buff would last 24 seconds and would expire 2 seconds before Rip. Since it's impossible to obtain 5 CPs within that small time frame, SR should be refreshed sooner. With the presence of 4pt8, that person would extend the 33% buff's duration by 8 seconds and would create a slightly bigger gap between the expiration of both finishers, allowing him to be more efficient with his resources.

Now that you understand which factors influence the duration of the pre-pull SR, in the next subsections I will describe how TF-Berserk and Berserk-TF would look like in the context of a shorter and a longer pre-pull SR.

B) TF-Berserk

The pre-pull SR lasts 30 seconds or less

Spoiler: Show

GotW and SR prior to the pull timer;
Mangle;
Rake;
Shred spam till 5 CPs;
Rip;
TF + pool energy until you reach 80
Berserk;
Shred spam + refresh on Rake till 5 CPs;
SR 4-5 seconds before Berserk ends;
Shred spam;
Berserk ends, and you try to refresh Rip.

Note1: If someone else can apply the Mangle/Trauma debuff, go Rake -> SR -> Shred.
Note 2: If by chance you get a CC proc prior to popping TF, cast Shred twice and then follow it up with TF+Berserk. If instead of a CC proc, you just have over 30 energy, cast Shred into "TF+Berserk". If you're lucky with the CC procs, you can go for a 4/5-CP FB between Rip and Berserk. You can increase the chances of having that outcome by casting https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=22812 prior to Shred.
Note 3: As you've probably noticed already, "FB @18-24 energy" is not mentioned here. If you want to cast FB during Berserk, it needs to be BEFORE SR and Rip, which is only possible with 2+ CCs.

Spoiler: Show

The pre-pull SR lasts 31 seconds or more

Spoiler: Show

GotW and SR prior to the pull timer;
Mangle;
Rake;
Shred spam till 5 CPs;
Rip;
TF + pool energy until you reach 80
Berserk;
Shred spam + refresh on Rake till 5 CPs;
FB @ 18-24 energy;
Shred spam;
Berserk ends, and you try to refresh Rip.

Note1: If someone else can apply the Mangle/Trauma debuff, go Rake -> SR -> Shred.
Note 2: If by chance you get a CC proc prior to popping TF, cast Shred twice and then follow it up with TF+Berserk. If instead of a CC proc, you just have over 30 energy, cast Shred into "TF+Berserk". If you're lucky with the CC procs, you can go for a 4/5-CP FB between Rip and Berserk. You can increase the chances of having that outcome by casting https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=22812 prior to Shred.
Note 3: In this situation, you can safely go for FB mid-Berserk even with a single CC proc. If you have enough time (and lucky CCs), you can follow it up with yet another FB @ 18-24 energy before preserving your CPs for Rip. If you suspect that you might not have enough time to squeeze in a second FB, then just keep the CPs for the bleed.

Spoiler: Show

C) Berserk-TF

The pre-pull SR lasts 30 seconds or less

Spoiler: Show

GotW and SR prior to the pull timer;
Mangle;
Rake;
Berserk;
Shred spam till 5 CPs;
Rip;
Shred spam + refresh on Rake till 5 CPs;
FB @18-24 energy;
Shred (in case you have enough energy);
Berserk ends, you cast TF and acknowledge the priority list.

Note 1: If someone else can apply the Mangle/Trauma debuff, go Rake -> SR -> Berserk.
Note 2: In case of 3+ CCs during Berserk, you can go for a FB mid-Berserk.

Spoiler: Show

The pre-pull SR lasts 31 seconds or more

Spoiler: Show

GotW and SR prior to the pull timer;
Mangle;
Rake;
Berserk;
Shred spam till 5 CPs;
Rip;
Shred spam + refresh on Rake till 5 CPs;
FB @18-24 energy;
Shred (in case you have enough energy);
Berserk ends, you cast TF and acknowledge the priority list.

Note 1: If someone else can apply the Mangle/Trauma debuff, go Rake -> SR -> Berserk.
Note 2: In case of 2+ CCs during Berserk, you can go for a FB mid-Berserk.
Note 3: If you have unused 4-5 CPs after Berserk, use them on FB first and then pop TF.

Spoiler: Show

D) Comparing both openers

In the section "How to open as a cat", I stated that TF-Berserk is usually better if the player is able to obtain an additional TF in the long run. While this opener still offers the same advantage in the presence of a pre-pull SR, I don't recommend it if the pre-pull SR expires by the time Rip does. This is due to the fact that we don't have any opportunities to cast FB during Berserk (unless we get 2+ CC procs). If we don't refresh SR during Berserk and instead cast FB with 18-24 energy, we will leave Berserk with 0 energy and have a difficult task refreshing SR and Rip on time, which expire 5-7 seconds after Berserk does. In contrast, Berserk-TF fares better in this regard because we have TF at our disposal that helps us gather the needed CPs.

I want to repeat that this only concerns the situation when the pre-pull SR lasts 30s or less. If it's longer than that, I still recommend TF-Berserk because it doesn't punish us for casting FB with 18-24 energy anymore. In my playthroughs, I have noticed that I cast FB a couple of seconds before Berserk expires, meaning I can still benefit from the energy reduction effect whilst gathering CPs for Rip. Once I refresh that ability, I have 5-6 seconds (or more) to gather enough CPs for SR. If by chance the pre-pull SR lasts around 40 seconds when the boss encounter begins, TF comes off CD right before SR expires.

Regardless if you prefer TF-Berserk or Berserk-TF, I recommend considering performing the GotVV-shift after Berserk in order to ensure that you'd have enough CPs for both finishers.

The math behind those conclusions can be found here and here.

E) Idea of the perfect opener

Which brings us at last to the moment of truth, wherein the perfect opener is ultimately expressed and the pre-pull SR revealed as both beginning and end... or something like that. In this final subsection, I want to briefly summarise how the perfect feral opener would look like, just so you know what to expect and, more precisely, what to aim for.

As I've said a few paragraphs above, the length of the pre-pull SR determines how aggressive we can be with our CPs during Berserk. Ideally, it will last more than 30 seconds which would allow us to squeeze in a FB before we start gathering CPs for the second Rip. If RNG is really good (i.e. we have a lot of OoC procs), we can even cast 2-3 FBs during Berserk. If we find ourselves low on energy and CPs after Berserk because of this, we can spam GotW to fish for CC procs in order to guarantee refreshing Rip on time and snapshotting it with Hysteria & DBW.

These ideas can be observed in the following videos:

- video №1 (pre-pull SR on DBS with good RNG but no pre-pot)
- video №2 (pre-pull SR on DBS with pre-pot but mediocre RNG)
- video №3 (perfect Berserk phase on DBS but no pre-pull SR)
- video №4 (perfect Berserk phase with a pre-pull SR on a target dummy)
- video №5 (casting Rip and FB prior to Berserk)

Before you ask - no, the damage you see in the clips above isn't the highest we can achieve with the pre-pull SR. I'm not BiS in any of those clips (especially in the first three, where I lack both Oathbinder and STS). Nonetheless, you can observe what I did there, learn from my mistakes, and do it better.

One last thing before I conclude this topic - if you decide to use the https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725 during the pre-pull preparation, make sure to summon the chicken inside the instance after you have cleared your threat. If you do it in any other order, the chicken will despawn the moment you leave/re-enter the instance (example).

20. SWAPPING IDOLS DURING COMBAT

Spoiler: Show

Warning: This subsection contains rather niche stuff which would mostly be of interest to dedicated min-maxers. If you're (relatively) new to this spec, and/or you want to play it rather casually, you can do yourself a favour and close this spoiler.

I. Definition

Just like FB, this topic also deserves its own section since this manoeuvre is quite beloved by Frostmourne players and by some members of the already progressed realms. Idol swapping, as the name suggests, is when you replace your relic with another in order to benefit from the effects of both. Before I go in more detail, I've made a list of all idols which benefit us:

http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40713 (obtained in patch 3.0)
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 (obtained in patch 3.0)
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45509 (obtained in patch 3.1)
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47668 (obtained in patch 3.2)
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456 (obtained in patch 3.3)

II. Combining different effects

Despite me mentioning 5 relics above, you can combine the effects only of three of them. Those are 1) increased Shred damage, 2) increased Rip damage, and 3) the agility proc (either from Corruptor, Mutilation, or Crying Moon) respectively. If you swap the representatives of the last category with each other, the buff will be replaced constantly.

Proof that you only need to snapshot Rip with the rip idol in order to increase its damage:

III. Price to pay

All of this may sound really alluring, but as always there’s a catch. When you equip the new idol, you trigger a 1.5-second GCD, which delays your next cat ability for so long, and your attack swing is also reset. The good news are that this can be performed immediately after a cat ability, in order to overlap with its GCD to a certain extent. For a better visualisation, I’d like to show you the following video:

(Loud music; be warned!)

This clip is quite educational, as it shows the things which can **** you up during the swap:

1) AA reset: Do you see how my AAs have a hiccup at 00:08 and 00:10? I admit, I haven't calculated the duration of that small delay, but since it exists, it means that throughout the course of a fight you would have less AAs and thus less opportunities to get CC procs. It's also explained in a forum thread in ElitistJerks. Even if you time the idol swap perfectly after the swing every single time, the miniscule delays would pile up and lead to sacrtificed AAs. In other words, the reward from your efforts becomes smaller and smaller.

2) Presence of a GCD: I used a macro for the Shred and for the Rip idols. Whenever you combine an ability with the idol, the ability pops up first, followed by the idol swap (00:07). However, if you spam your ability or cast it before the cat GCD ends, you will replace your idol before sequencing the ability, and the latter would be delayed. Even though I thought I waited for the GCD to end, I got screwed at 00:09. Here's another example which illustrates this interaction more clearly. So, if you’re going to attempt idol swapping, you should wait a bit longer and make sure that no GCD is present.

If you decide not to use any macros, you’d need to manually swap the idol immediately after casting an ability. If you don't do it fast enough, you’d suffer a longer lock-out from the GCD. This is particularly bad when it comes to CCs for two reasons: (1) During the lock-out period, your AA could proc a CC and replace your current one, (2) dealing with so much micromanagement could overburden you with information and lead to you screwing up the "CC priority list". Another GCD-related penalty concerns our Berserk. When we normally pop our big CD, we can use up to 13-14 abilities (depending on one's latency). Idol swapping would prevent us from using Berserk efficiently, resulting in us missing out on an ability or worse - overflowing our energy.

(swapping out the idol at 0:12 prevented me from going Shred -> FB with 18 energy at 0:23-0:24)

IV. Conclusions

When can you actually afford to swap idols?

after the first Berserk and outside the next ones;
when you don't have a CC proc;
when a boss mechanic (AoE, fear etc) is not taking place any time soon;
when SR has >1.5-second duration;
when Rip has >1.5-second duration;
when you have less than 75-80 energy.

Regardless how careful you are, you'd inevitably lose some AAs due to the swing reset.

You can already guess that I’m not doing it - I hate small numbers, especially when the reward-effort ratio is very light on the actual gain. I also consider human error a factor for this manoeuvre, and making a single mistake (i.e. having one less ability in the fight or not utilising your CCs) nullifies all of your previous work. This is imho the biggest reason why you don’t want to be locked out or be overburdened with too much information - you want to have a clear mind and fast reflexes when you get a CC proc, because those bring more damage. At least, this is my opinion when it comes to idol swapping as a traditional cat. In the context of the GotVV-shift and bearweaving, this manoeuvre is a nice inclusion because 1) the "swing reset" mechanic is used to shorten the long swing timer from a bear AA or an AA in caster form, and 2) both playstyles trigger a 1.5-sec GCD after shapeshifting back to cat form, so the delays overlap almost completely. The topic of idol swapping continues in the next two posts (please read "Bearweaving 101" and "Extras - super niche tips").

21. TIPS FOR ALL 25-MAN INSTANCES

Spoiler: Show

I. General tips for maximising dps

Before I get into the details, I would like to start with a few general tips that can help you improve your gameplay:

(1) Remember, you are your own greatest teacher. Download Obs Studio, record your boss runs, watch them after the raid, acknowledge your mistakes, and correct them.

(2) Download DBM/WeakAuras, pay attention to the timers on some boss mechanics, and don't waste your abilities unnecessarily (like popping Berserk a few seconds before a mechanic forces you to stop dps). To avoid unnecessary confusion and to focus more, you can disable the timers on the mechanics you don't need to track.

(3) If there's an ability that can help you minimise forced downtime caused by a mechanic in a boss fight, use it and stay (longer) on the boss. Remember what I said about standing in the optimal spot in "Positioning as a feral cat".

(4) Download TimeToDie/WeakAuras, pay attention to the kill timer, and synchronise SR's and Rip's durations with it (in other words, don't refresh Rip or SR with 5 CPs in the last 5 seconds of the fight).

(5) Keep track of the average kill time for all bosses in your raids, and calculate how many Berserks, Hysterias, and TFs you can potentially get in each boss encounter. Remember what I said about the "quantity > quality" rule in "How to open as a cat?" and time them well.

(6) If there's a specific talent build than can grant you more damage in a boss fight than the standard cookie-cutter build, use it. Obviously, you'll need "Dual Talent Specialization" for that.

(7) Practice makes perfect. It doesn't need to be done only on target dummies - you can clear the old content and practise your rotation there (e.g. Emalon in VoA is a fantastic boss to practise target switching).

II. Decision making during boss fights (general overview)

The following diagram can give you a rough idea of what you should do during boss fights in case you 1) tunnel vision the boss 24/7, 2) stop dps-ing for a brief period of time due to a mechanic, 3) need to attack more than one target.

"Useful damage" is the metric UWU-logs considers for parsing. Keep in mind that this is just a (simplified) general overview and doesn't cover any specifics which is why I'll explain each boss encounter more thoroughly in the following subsections:

III. Boss-specific tips

Classic Wotlk instances

Spoiler: Show

Ulduar instances

Spoiler: Show

ToC instances

Spoiler: Show

ICC instances

Spoiler: Show

(1) Vault of Archavon

Toravon:
- on FM/Lorde: standard single-target rotation;
- on Icecrown: you could probably AoE the orbs, assuming the boss isn’t buffed as on the other realms. You can save Berserk for the first wave of orbs, and before that you should apply Rip. Cast GotW during the “White Out” and swipe them with Berserk. Personal tip, pop Barkskin and/or SI if you suspect that you’d die.

(2) Icecrown Citadel

Lord Marrowgar (NM=HC):
- pop Nitro Boots/Dash and FC onto the boss when the fight begins;
- standard single-target rotation for the most part + Berserk on CD;
- FB does more harm than good in this fight and should be avoided in favour of Swipe. There are several reasons for this: 1) we get more damage from swiping spiked players, 2) https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=73145 occurs at short intervals (and we need to preserve our energy for that moment), 3) Swipe doesn't generate CPs. If you have 5CPs, it's better to spam Shred and to preserve your building blocks for SR and Rip. If you want to use FB, do it when the boss is about to die;
- swipe the bone spikes only if you can damage 3+ targets at the same time (2 spiked players and boss, 3 spiked players, 3 spiked players and boss);
- even if you're not a GotVV-shifter, I highly recommend casting the druid buff for a CC proc prior to each Bone Spike Graveyard, so that you can ensure that you have enough energy for Swipe. One thing I should mention is that by casting GotW and shapeshifting back in cat form, you trigger two 1.5-second GCDs, meaning that if you want to benefit from this trick, you need to do it around 3 seconds before the spikes appear. Here are two examples depending on how poorly/well I timed that buff - bad attempt & good attempt;
- if you have a CC proc, and the spikes are about to spawn, you can keep it for them (though, admittedly, there's a risk of your AAs overwriting the proc);
- stand at max melee range during "Bonestorm";
- if you want to have additional burst in this fight, you can engage the boss with a pre-pull SR. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

N.B.: If you intend to start the fight with a pre-pull SR, I recommend casting it 5 seconds prior to the pull while wearing 4pt8, so that it expires a few moments before the second Bone Spike Graveyard (example with misplays). If you manage to cast your pre-pull SR one second prior to the pull, it might even expire AFTER the AoE phase.

Lady Deathwhisper (NM=/=HC):
- stand behind the pillars while LoS-ing the boss before you engage;
- regarding the MC: On NM, you can freely cast GotW to fish for CC procs since only one person is affected at a time. On HC, it's kinda ill-advised because 3 people are affected by the MC, and the druid buff allows them to resist Cyclone and other types of Crowd Control. Speaking of which, you can use Cyclone + PS for a 58.33% chance to get a CC proc. If you really want to use GotW, at most you can consider using the "rank 1" version. Then again, it really depends on how the guild handles the MC mechanic. In my current guild, we only remove the Shadow Resistance buff from priests, so that MCd players can be feared. Since we are allowed to keep the druid buff, I still spam it for CC procs, and most of my Cyclones successfully land on their targets;
- upon engaging LDW, apply all DoTs and then head towards the adds with Dash. Swipe them with TF. Afterwards, FC onto the boss;
- on NM: save Berserk for the boss;
- on HC: save the 1st Berserk for the 1st wave of adds and the 2nd Berserk for swiping the boss + adds in phase 2;
- use Barkskin if you’re standing in a green puddle, and you can’t reach the boss’s back outside the circle;
- sprits: on NM you can ignore them, but on HC you need to avoid them. Stay near the wall.

Gunship (NM=HC):
- if you can maintain the agility buff from the Idol of the Crying Moon, use that relic, otherwise use Idol of Mutilation;
- when the first add spawns on our ship, get 3-4 CPs and start swiping. If you have threat issues, use the Rocket Backpack to move elsewhere. You’ll lose aggro once you’re in the air, but FYI you’ll regain it after landing. 3 seconds before the frost mage appears, stop what you’re doing and prepare to jump;
- when the icicles appear: use the rockets + GotW in the air + FC onto the mage. From personal experience, FB is better than Rip since the add doesn’t stay alive for long. 2-3 seconds before it dies, jump back;
- cast GotW midair and go deal with the adds on our ship again;
- rinse and repeat.

DBS (NM=HC):
- standard single-target rotation;
- if you frequently spam Barkskin to get CC procs, you don't have to worry about the debuffs;
- given the fact that this boss encounter comes with a long RP event, you can get a pre-pull SR during that time for additional burst. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

Festergut (NM=HC):
- pop Nitro Boots/Dash and FC onto the boss when the fight begins;
- standard single-target rotation;
- stand at max melee range on the boss's legs;
- in case two melees have a spore, and you’re one of them - with good coordination, you can stand on the boss for a bit and then move out with Nitro Boots/Dash. You stack on the RDPS group, pop GotW, and you use FC to leap back onto the boss;
- on HC: in case melees need to stack for the spore, but you see a malleable goo on the ground, and the Balkan dogs don’t reposition, skip the spore and use Barkskin + SI during “Pungent Blight”;
- if you want to have additional burst in this fight, you can engage the boss with a pre-pull SR. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

Rotface (NM=HC):
- pop Nitro Boots/Dash and FC onto the boss when the fight begins;
- standard single-target rotation;
- NG is ill-advised here. If you get the debuff, just stand at max melee range and away from others. Though, depending on the guild you might be expected to merge the small ooze with the big one. If that's the case, go straight to the OT with Nitro Boots, pop GotW, and leap onto the boss;
- some raid groups merge the oozes, and all melees need to stand on one place before the explosion happens. The Pepega approach is stacking with the tank in front of the boss and not being able to shred. The optimal strategy for us is standing still on one leg, waiting for the explosion to occur, and going to the other leg;
- if you want to have additional burst in this fight, you can engage the boss with a pre-pull SR. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

Professor Putricide (HC is slightly different than NM, but they’re quite similar still):
- standard single-target rotation with occasional target switching;
- you use Berserk on cooldown despite what your malding mongoloid RL screeches on discord. I want to see him saving Berserk for the transition phases on HC and getting full value from the big CD when attacking the non-slowed exploding green ooze or when becoming a target of the orange ooze. TF and lucky CCs are more than enough for the adds. Period;
- cast GotW before switching to the oozes and after killing them (read and understand the chart under the section "Decision making during boss fights (general overview)", more specifically the part about target switching);
- you can use the knock-back from the green oozes to swiftly jump onto the boss (example);
- something, something Nitro Boots/Dash + FC something;
- in case the boss is about to use Choking Gas - don't move out in advance, rather only when you see the DBM warning on your screen. The actual void zone appears one second after that. If the boss is somewhat close to it, stand at max melee range (example);
- Plague? What Plague? {just ignore it};
- if you want to have additional burst in this fight, you can engage the boss with a pre-pull SR. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

Blood Prince Council (NM=HC):
- standard single-target rotation. I am used to using Berserk on Valaran. If the fight lasts less than 3 mins, you can delay it and find a more optimal timing, but on Lordearon/Frostmourne or with weak gear you should definitely use it at start in order to get one extra later;
- when Valanar starts casting "Empowered Vortex", you dps for a bit, pop Nitro Boots, gtfo to a corner, cast GotW, and run back (here's a video depicting what I said above, but I should have stood a bit longer on the boss and used two Shreds instead of FB {I kinda panicked there}. You can also use the shockwave of "Empowered Vortex" to leap onto the boss (example). This user explains it better;
- you can use up to two Rips per blood prince. Don’t refresh the bleed if it expires right before the target switch as you won’t get enough value out of it (5 5CP-Rip ticks outvalue a 5CP-FB, meaning that Rip needs to be active for at least 10 seconds to be better than FB);
- say you're on Keleseth right now, and the orb is about to empower another prince soon (~3 seconds). After casting your last finisher, start moving to the other princes in advance. The same is also true when Keleseth is the next empowered boss. That way, you can start dps-ing them the moment they become vulnerable;
- cast GotW after every target switch and leap onto the next boss with FC;
- for some scumbag dps, if Keleseth is the last boss, you can swipe the Nuclei 2 seconds before he dies. Assert your alpha male status and put the RL in his rightful place;
- if Valanar is the last boss, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Am I a believer?' Well, are ya, punk?

Blood-Queen Lana’thel (NM=HC):
- standard single-target rotation;
- don’t use Berserk at start and steal someone else’s bite. Wait for the first person to get bitten and then pop your big CD;
- if the RL for some reason wants YOU to be the first bitten player (tbh, you deserve it after all that alpha male RP you’ve done so far), ask for a ToT and pay attention to the threat meters. Once you get bitten, pop Berserk and ask for Hysteria;
- when the boss ascends in the air with her wings of emancipation, you can consider using FC alongside a yellow ability in order to give her a taste of good ol' patriarchy. Consider delaying it a bit, in case you can refresh Rip with 5 CPs once it expires. Unleash your Wrath(s) onto her and buff up with GotW to assert dominance. She may have risen as a queen, but she surely falls down from grace as a subordinate miss. Poetic, isn't it?
- either that, or just refresh SR, jump onto her when she descends and start building CPs (example).

Valithria Dreamwalker (NM=HC):
- I prefer using Idol of Mutilation. Adds die fast, so yeah;
- cast GotW before mobs spawn;
- swipe the Suppressors and the worms;
- use speed boosts to engage the skellies quickly.

Sindragosa (NM=HC; Icecrown=/=Frostmourne,Lordearon):
- in terms of raid difficulty, the fight plays out the same way for us on both NM and HC, but there are some noticeable differences between the tactics on Lordearon/Frostmourne and on Icecrown, and they are caused by the absence/presence of the 30% buff. More on that later;
- stand a bit to the side of the back legs and dps from there (example);
- on warmane, the fight doesn't begin the moment she lands, rather after she folds her wings (example). Use this information to find the best timing for your pre-pot;
- on FM/Lorde, you use Berserk on CD. On Icecrown, you save the 2nd Berserk for the last phase;
- at 8 stacks, you can pop Barkskin. At 10, pop SI or wait for the stacks to reset. On Icecrown, you can be greedier with them. Alternatively, you can rotate to a 90° angle, so that you stop AA-ing but still continue using your yellow abilities (example). Credit where it's due, I learnt it from watching this clip;
- when she pulls you to her abdomen and starts her AoE, you can inflict 2-3 more attacks before fleeing. Afterwards, move out with a speed boost and cast GotW. Don’t use FC! For better understanding, please check this clip - here, I could have stood a bit longer, refreshed Rake, gtfo'd with Nitro Boots and cast GotW;
- if she flies in the air, you can follow her with FC. You have the opportunity to inflict one ability. If Rip expires shortly after the flight phase begins, and you have 5 CPs, you should refresh it preferably like so;
- single target the tombs for free CPs during the boss’ downtime. Since Idol of the Crying Moon is only triggered by Rake, you have to cast the bleed on a tomb, in order to maintain the agility buff. You can also go bear and use a single Lacerate stack. PAY ATTENTION TO THE ICD OF YOUR TRINKETS! YOU SHOULDN'T WASTE THEIR PROCS DURING THE FLIGHT PHASES! After the 4th and final bomb, refresh SR. If you get marked, go to the corresponding place, turn into a bear and pop Barkskin and Enrage (if you have 4pt10);
- when the dragon descends onto the balcony, swipe the remaining tombs + the boss. If the tombs are already destroyed, you can instead jump onto the boss with FC and attack her with your-single target abilities (example);
- ice tombs on her last phase: on FM/Lorde, marked players go to her abdomen, and all melee players move out. If you want to continue dps-ing the boss, go to her tail and wait for the tomb to appear before going back to her abdomen. Pay attention to the cooldown of her tail swipe attack! If you have a lot of stacks, wait behind the tomb for a bit and drop your stacks. On Icecrown, you go agrogrogro and SadgeRoar if you get the tomb debuff;
- if you want to have additional burst in this fight, you can engage the boss with a pre-pull SR. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

The Lich King (HC is slightly different than NM, but they’re quite similar still):
- TargetofTarget is really useful here. It's advisable to activate it in the in-game settings;
- 1st phase: standard single-target rotation. In case of “Necrotic Plague”, jump onto the nearest shambling horror with FC and yell at your blind hamburger healers to dispel you. Save Nitro Boots for the defile; you may use Dash, though. The LK moves out at 70% - consider whether you can squeeze in a FB or refresh Rip before this happens;
- 1st phase (shadow traps in melee group): keep dps-ing from behind but stand at a 45° angle and at max melee range until the boss is positioned properly. The most optimal way to deal with this is to have melees stand on one leg and move to the other;
- Transition phases - if ghouls are still around, you can generate CPs on them to refresh SR before the Raging Spirits appear. As for the Raging Spirits themselves - I urge you to read the part concerning target switching in the section "Decision making during boss fights (general overview)" and to follow my tips. If two raging spirits are present, but one is about to die soon, switch to the other after the last finisher;
- 2nd phase (only the boss is present): just like on Lord Marrowgar, I advise you to avoid casting FB, so that you don't have a hard time maintaining SR and Rip on the boss. The majority of your dps will come from swiping the Valkyries (+ the LK) anyway, and the last thing you need to worry about is gathering enough CPs for your finishers. So, ignore FB and just use Shred for the majority of the 2nd phase. You can start using FB again when the boss is about to enter the transition phase (40% HP);
- 2nd phase (the Valkyries are present): pay close attention to the timers! 3 seconds before the Valks swoop down, cast GotW for a CC proc and just AA the LK. Make sure that your SR has a long duration before you start swiping. Keep your Berserk and TF for the AoE, and ask for Hysteria. If you're low on energy, cast GotW again. If you get grabbed, you have a short time frame to jump into your bed like a plank and to SadgeRoar into a pillow. The longer you're grabbed, the louder you can roar. If you get grabbed twice, it's better to toggle off the dps meters and to preserve your mental health. Hope there's a wipe n' redo;
- 2nd phase (defile) - I usually stay on the boss unless I'm targeted for defile, in which case I pop Nitro, cast GotW whilst running, and leap onto the boss when it's safe for me to rejoin my group. If my Nitro is on CD, I of course use Dash, but I pay extra attention to the timers and to my surroundings, so that I don't **** other people;
- 3rd phase: If you get inside the chamber on NM, dps the add and interrupt his cast with either Stomp (Tauren Racial) or Bash (as a Bear). If you get in the chamber on HC, shapeshift into a bear and use defensives (Barkskin, Frenzied Regeneration and Enrage if you have the t10 bonus). Use GotW 8 seconds before going out for a CC proc so that you have time to react in case you get defile. On HC, it’s a good idea to have CPs on a target (Raging Spirit/the boss), so that you can refresh SR after leaving the chamber;
- 4th phase: pray that the servers don’t crash;
- 5th phase: kill the boss before the servers crash. His back is always facing the inner circle;
- given the fact that this boss encounter comes with a relatively long RP event, you can get a pre-pull SR during that time for additional burst. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

(3) Ruby Sanctum

Baltharus:
- standard single-target rotation;
- he splits at 66% and 33% and loses all debuffs. For that reason, you shouldn’t refresh your bleeds when his HP is close to those thresholds. Instead, gather 5 CPs beforehand, wait for the split, and then quickly re-apply Rip -> Mangle -> Rake;
- he also knocks players back whenever he splits in which case you need to use a speed boost + FC to close the distance. In the meantime, you can cast GotW for a CC proc.

Saviana:
- standard single-target rotation;
- if your group engages Saviana right after Baltharus, and your Berserk is still on CD, save it for the next mini-boss;
- try to gather as many CPs before each flight phase and save them for later;
- cast GotW during her flight phases;
- if you get targeted by her "Conflagration" ability, move out, cast GotW, wait for the stun effect to end, and go back to the boss with FC.

General:
- standard single-target rotation;
- try to utilise your energy before the fears, so that it doesn’t go over 100.

Halion (HC is slightly different than NM, but they’re quite similar still):
- stand at max melee range a bit to the side of the back legs and dps from there;
- use Berserk on CD;
- on NM: standard single-target rotation;
- on HC: let me start by saying that damage on the adds doesn't count as useful according to uwulogs, but I still AoE them because my guilds prefer to start phase 2 after the second meteor, and we stop attacking the boss at one point. If your guild doesn't need help with clearing the adds, you can stay on the boss, otherwise you need to swipe everything. Make sure that your SR has a long duration, so that you don't worry about refreshing it during the AoE phase. Also, save your TF for that moment and cast GotW a few seconds beforehand, so that you have enough resources to swipe freely;
- as a druid we should always dispel ourselves with “Remove Curse” whenever we get the debuff. Use speed boosts to run to the edge of the arena. FC is ill-advised if you’re in the shadow realm, and the cutters are up. On NM, you don’t need to go ALL the way back - you just need to be away from others. On HC, however, you definitely need to be on the edge of the platform and near the other pool (in case there’s one near you);
- speaking of debuffs - the shadow pools slow us on HC, but we can cancel the effect by shapeshifting out of it;
- don’t refresh Rip if the boss’s HP is near 75% - either cast FB or refresh SR if it's running low;
- before entering the first portal and while waiting for the corporeality to normalise, you should cast GotW for CCs;
- if you're inside during phase 3, and Berserk is about to come off CD, hold onto it until someone gets the debuff. That way, you prevent wasting valuable seconds of Berserk in case Halion gives you "Soul Consumption";
- if you're outside during phase 3, use Berserk when you AoE the adds. Avoid using FB;
- if you get the debuff 10 seconds before the boss dies, just stay on the boss and continue to dps (technically speaking, you can be greedy for 30 seconds, but it really depends if your healers can handle the extra damage);
- if you want to have additional burst in this fight, you can engage the boss with a pre-pull SR. For more information on the matter, please read the corresponding section in this guide.

N.B.: If you intend to start the fight with a pre-pull SR, I recommend casting it 5 seconds prior to the pull while wearing 4pt8, so that it expires a few moments before the first add wave takes place. When that happens, it's utterly important to refresh SR with 5 CPs, as doing so will not only guarantee you a smooth AoE phase, but also optimal timing for your next SR cast. This is because the 33% buff will once again expire prior to the add wave, and you can refresh it with 4-5 CPs which will grant you yet another smooth AoE phase (example1, example2).

22. MISCELLANEOUS

Spoiler: Show

Or as the phrase goes: “The more you know”. Here, I’m just going to describe some random stuff for those of you, who love learning something new.

I. Soloing Anzu

(actual fight begins at 6:31)

Commentary:
You can solo the Raven Lord w/o much gear as an 80 (you just need to have 280% flying speed to start the quest chain). I don't know what the lowest gear requirements are, but in this clip I defeated Anzu with scuffed gear (and a few empty item slots). If you're struggling with this boss, here are my tips for you:

Before I tackle the main topic, I'd like to explain the reason for the new footage. In the past, I could skip the first boss as long as I stood at the periphery of the purple circle. Currently, this is no longer possible as he immediately aggro's onto players relatively close to him. Even worse, he can even spot us in stealth. To my relief, he didn't aggro onto me when I hugged the wall, so this is my first tip for you.

Second tip, if it wasn't obvious enough, skip most of the enemy mobs by staying in stealth. Use your movement speed boosts to reach Anzu's room faster. Personally, I also like to leap onto the Ravenguards near the doorways. If by chance you aggro them this way, go bear and kill them one by one.

Ok, so you've finally reached the boss room. Beware, the trash there is really tough for undergeared players. The safest way to deal with it is to put HoTs on yourself, go bear, cast Demoralizing Roar, and then swipe everything down. If the mobs stun you, you'll receive a lot of damage. Save your defensives for that situation. The enemies there can also fear you, so you should keep Berserk for that moment. Kill the first two waves of trash to the right side of the room, then the one near the sarcophagus, and the mob in the centre. Summon the boss and heal yourself.

Before the pull, make a focus target of the boss and put HoTs on yourself. Drag Anzu to the right side of the sarcophagus, cast Demoralizing Roar, attack him until he becomes immune, and then LoS him. You have a small time window to heal yourself and to put HoTs on yourself. When you get attacked by the small ravens, go in cat form, gather a CP for SR and swipe them down ASAP. Be mindful that the Raven Lord can stun you in the meantime - this is why I told you to create a focus target of him. When he starts casting the stun, go in bear form and pop Barkskin. When the stun ends, go in cat form and finish off the adds. I recommend keeping one alive (preferably at low HP) in order to heal yourself before the boss comes. Rinse and repeat until you reach the final phase, where you only stay in bear form and kill the boss.

Obviously, with icc gear you can easily solo him in cat form, but this video was made with the intention to guide people with weak items, who don't have enough burst to kill enemies quickly and enough HP to endure incoming damage.

II. Infiltrating the Dalaran bank vault

Video footage can be found here.

III. Flying in Dalaran as a bear/cat

In the Dalaran sewers, you can find bottles of https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=44012 scattered around all over the place. After drinking it, you can get one of the following three different outcomes - 1) the outward appearance of all players and NPCs becomes that of mages, 2) you turn into a Tuskarr or 3) a wasp. The latter is the main subject of this subsection as there's a fun and innocent visual bug connected to it. After drinking the elixir, you can shapeshift in whatever form you want, and the game will allow you to fly in Dalaran with your new appearance (video 1, video 2). Yes, stuff like https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43499 and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=6657 also work.

23. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS

Spoiler: Show

Everyone has their own personal taste, and I don’t want to force mine. However, I find (Touhou) Eurobeat particularly fitting when I play as a cat and perform the GotVV-shift or spam dungeons. You can feel the beat pumping in your veins and go with the rhythm. For that reason, here’s what I recommend (in no particular order):

- Behind The Mask- Source
- Little Flare Source
- Night'n'NIGHT Source
- Shanghai Fantasia Source
- Think of You [Bad Apple!!] Source
- Melo Melo Meltdown Source
- Massive Super Girl Source
- Endless, Sleepless Night Source
- Tiger Dance Source
- Secret Eyes Source
- Time Will Tell Source
- Right or Wrong Source
- Leave Me In The Dark Source
- Endless Seeker Source
- No Guardian Angel Source
- Anything For You Source
- NJK Record - Crazy Hot Source
- Final Breath Source
- Purest Source
- Beasts Shower Source
- UFO Lover Source
- Love the BEAT Source
- Everyday Everynight Source
- Precious Steps Source
- Initial D - Don’t stop the music Source
- Spiral Flection Source
- God Bless You Source
- Bamboo Dance Source
- My Destiny Source
- Wanna be my dream Source
- Stardust Puzzle - Aki Source
- Search for Butterfly Source
- Break the Hierarchy Source
- Fall into the Magic Source
- Flowering Fantasia Source
- Dancing in the Fire Source
- Drive my Life Source
- PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM Source
- Dreamin’ Girl Source
- The Fantasy Won’t Stop Ringing Source
- Call of Truth Source
- Deja Vu Source
- Gas Gas Gas Source
- Night of Fire Source
- Wanna be my geisha? Source
- Nana Takahashi - PRESERVED VAMPIRE Source
- Rain Dance Source
- Loud Faith Source
- Gate Source
- Tear you up Source
- Machiazz - One Destiny Source
- Hell's Sun Source
- On the moon Source
- No Life Queen Source
- Too love to love Source
- Spectre of Love Source
- IT IS SO Source
- Hotel Labyrinth Source
- Eternal party Source
- Love Revolution Source
- Magical Girl (Marisa's Theme) - Odyssey Source
- WARNING! - 3L MariaPolo Source
- Chase Me, Catch Me! Source
- Sarving Raven Source
- Tiny Hero Source
- Black Cat Lounge Source
- Let it be Source
- Princess of the Reich Source
- Another card Source
- bEAT GATHER Source
- Break through the night Source
- Virtual Dream Source
- Dragon's Veil Source
- Endless night Source
- Romantic Children Source
- EXTRA LOVE Source
- Twinkle, Twinkle Source
- To the Limit Source
- Spring of Dreams Source
- Crescent Moon Source
- Capriccio Source

There are, of course, more music videos to be heard. This was just a selected favourite. If you want to find more, then I recommend these channels:

A-One Source
Alexvgz Source
Phoenix Kappashiro Source
Tenshi Hinanawi Source

24. USED FORMULAS FOR MY CALCULATIONS

Spoiler: Show

Bonus AP:
-> AP (new) = AP (original)*1.1(Heart of the Wild)
-> AP (from agil) = Agility (original)*1.02 (Improved Mark of the Wild)*1.06 (Survival of the Fittest)*1.1 (Heart)
-> AP (from str) = Strength (original)*2*1.02 (IMotW)*1.06 (SotF)*1.1 (Heart)

Crit cap for white attacks (behind the target): 100% - 24%(Glancing hits) - X(Dodge chance) - X(Miss chance) +4.8%CSUPP
Crit cap for yellow attacks (behind the target): 100% - X(Dodge chance) - X(Miss chance) +4.8% CRIT SUPPRESSION

White attack (mean value) = (0.24*glancing dmg) + [(X-0.048)*crititcal strike dmg] + [(1-0.24-X+0.048)*hit dmg]
Yellow attack (mean value) = [(X-0.048)*crititcal strike dmg] + [(1-X+0.048)*hit dmg]
where X is your current critical strike %

cat AA = ((AP/14)+54.8)*Naturalist*SR
cat AA (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*1.463
cat AA (glancing) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*1.09725
cat AA (crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*3.315158

Shred = (AA*2.25 + 666)*Naturalist*Mangle*SR*Rend and Tear
Shred(non-crit)= (((AP/14)+54.8)*2.25+666)*2.28228
Shred(crit)=(((AP/14)+54.8)*2.25+666)*5.17164648
Shred (base damage with Shred Idol) = (((AP/14)+54.8)*2.25+869)

Mangle cat = (Autoattack damage*2+566)*Naturalist*Savage Fury*Savage Roar
Mangle cat (non-crit)= (((AP/14)+54.8)*2+566)*1.7556
Mangle cat (crit)=(((AP/14)+54.8)*2+566)*3.9781896

FB 5CPs (Rend and Tear increases the crit chance by 25, so I’ll might as well concentrate on the critical strike):
FB = (190+290*5+0.35*AP)*Feral Aggression*SR*Naturalist*2*Predatory Instincts*Meta Gem
FB = (0.35*AP+1640)*3.8124317

Rake = (AP/100+176+3*358+AP*0.18)*Savage Fury*Mangle*SR*Naturalist
! For Frostmourners and people w/o 4pt10 - (AP/100+176) is the thing that crits. Everything else - doesn't. !
Rake (non-crit, 4pt10 or no 4pt10) = (AP/100+AP.18+1250)*2.28228
Rake (crit, 4pt10) = (AP/100+AP.18+1250)*5.17164648
Rake (crit, no 4pt10) = ((AP/100+176)*5.17164648)+((AP*0.18+1074)*2.28228)

Rip (no additional bonuses) = (36+93*5+0.05*AP)*11*SR*Mangle*Naturalist
Rip (-//-) = (AP*0.05+501)*20.9209
Rip (-//-, crit) = (AP*0.05+501)*47.4067594
Rip (multiplier with 2pt7) = 24.7247 or 56.0261702 (in case of a critical strike)
Rip (base damage with Rip Idol) = (AP*0.05+606)

Swipe = Autoattack damage*2.5*Naturalist*Feral Instinct*Savage Roar*X (number of targets within the 5-yard 180 frontal arc)
Swipe (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*4.75475*X
Swipe (crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*10.7742635*X

CP value (1 CP) = [FB - (Shred*35/42)]/5
CP value (2 CP) = 2*[FB - (Shred*35/42)]/5

Sacrificing Rip ticks in favour of FB
FB -- (Shred*35/42) = X
X/(Rip/11) = maximum number of sacrificable ticks {divide it by 13 if you have t7}

Rake + CC proc -> finisher -> Shred vs Shred + CC proc -> finisher -> delayed Rake
2/3 or 3/3 Rake tick vs 7/42*(Shred + CP-value) {in case the finisher is SR or Rip}
4.5*Rake tick vs 7/42*(Shred + CP-value) {in case the finisher is FB}

Rip vs Shred with CCs at 5 CPs
1/2*Rip tick + CP-value vs (Shred energy - Rip energy)*(Shred + CP-value)/42

FB vs Rip in the denouement of a boss fight
FB/Rip tick
OR
[FB - (FB energy - Rip energy)*(Shred + CP-value)/42]/Rip tick

bear AA (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*Naturalist*Master Shapeshifter*2.5 (unmodified weapon speed)
bear AA (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*2.86
bear AA (glancing) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*2.145
bear AA (crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*5.8916

Maul (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8+578)*Naturalist*Savage Fury*R&T*Master Shapeshifter*2.5 (unmodified weapon speed)
Maul (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+632.8)*4.1184
Maul (crit) = ((AP/14)+632.8)*8.483904

Mangle bear (non-crit) = (((AP/14)+54.8)*1.15+119.6)*Naturalist*Savage Fury*Master Shapeshifter*2.5 (unmodified weapon speed)
Mangle bear (non-crit) = (((AP/14)+54.8)*1.15+119.6)*3.432
Mangle bear (crit) = (((AP/14)+54.8)*1.15+119.6)*7.06992

Lacerate (initial burst, hit) = (88+AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1.1 (Naturalist)
Lacerate (initial burst, crit) = (88+AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1.1 (Naturalist)*2*1.03 (Meta Gem)

Lacerate (DoT, hit, 1-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)
Lacerate (DoT, hit, 2-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*2(stack size)
Lacerate (DoT, hit, 3-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*3(stack size)
Lacerate (DoT, hit, 4-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*4(stack size)
Lacerate (DoT, hit, 5-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*5(stack size)

Lacerate (DoT, crit, 1-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*2*1.03 (Meta Gem)
Lacerate (DoT, crit, 2-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*2(stack size)*2*1.03 (Meta Gem)
Lacerate (DoT, crit, 3-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*3(stack size)*2*1.03 (Meta Gem)
Lacerate (DoT, crit, 4-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*4(stack size)*2*1.03 (Meta Gem)
Lacerate (DoT, crit, 5-stack) = (64 + AP*0.01)*1.04 (Master Shapeshifter)*1,1 (Naturalist)*1.3 (Mangle)*5(stack size)*2*1.03 (Meta Gem)

Additional Lacerate (DoT) multipliers: 1.05 (2pt7, 2pt9) or 1.2 (2pt10)

modified version of "a civilian"'s suggested formula in the EJ forum page

0.923(shred damage) + 0.077*[0.9941(shred damage) - (number of missed AAs with the second GotVV cast)*(AA average damage) - (missed AAs with the second cast prior to Shred)*(3.5/60)*(shred damage)] - 0.923*(number of missed AAs)*(AA damage) - 0.923*(number of AAs prior to Shred)*(3.5/60)*(shred damage)

my version (incl. the CP values)

0.923(shred damage) + 0.923*(average amount of CPs per ability)*(damage output of 1 CP) + 0.077*[0.9941(shred damage) + 0.9941*(average amount of CPs per ability)*(damage output of 1 CP) - (number of missed AAs with the second GotVV cast)*(AAaverage damage) - (missed AAs with the second cast prior to Shred)*(3.5/60)*(shred damage) - (missed AAs with the second cast prior to Shred)*(3.5/60)*(average amount of CPs per ability)*(damage output of 1 CP)] - 0.923*(number of missed AAs)*(AA damage) - 0.923(number of AAs prior to Shred)*(3.5/60)*(shred damage) - 0.923(number of AAs prior to Shred)*(3.5/60)*(average amount of CPs per ability)*(damage output of 1 CP)

Attack speed = 1/ (("Percent increase or decrease" / 100) + 1) /((current haste rating/2521)+1)

Arp affects our AAs, Shreds, FBs, and Mangles. This is what I use to determine the "damage applied" multiplier.
Armour = 8088.68
Arp cap = 7773.73

Originally Posted by Basasjoblu

EffectiveArmor = Armor – ArP rating / 1399.6 *Arp cap
DR% = EffectiveArmor / (EffectiveArmor + 15232.5)
DA% = 1 – DR%

Additional information if you want to take into consideration the buffs in a 25-man raid environment:
-> 10% AP increase (MM's aura)
-> 10% Str/Agility increase (BoK)
-> 687 AP (Improved BoM; I haven't included our talents or MM's aura)
-> 155 Str + 155 Agil (DK horn; I haven't included our talents, BoK, or MM's aura)
-> 55 Str + 55 Agil (our improved druid buff + talents; I haven't included BoK or MM's aura, though)
-> 180 AP (flask; I haven't included our talents or MM's aura)
-> 400 AP (Berserking; I haven't included our talents or MM's aura)
-> 220 Agility (Idol; I haven't included our talents or other modifiers)
-> 40 arp/40 agil/40 str (food; I haven't included our talents or MM's aura)
-> 4% damage increase (CRogues) to our abilities
-> 3% damage increase (Ret Paladins) to our abilities
-> 40% damage increase for 30 seconds (Hysteria) to our abilities
-> 20% melee haste (Blood DKs)
-> 3% melee haste (Boomies)
-> 30% melee haste for 40secs (Bloodlust)
-> 500 haste rating (speed pot)

25. SOURCES

Spoiler: Show

26. CHANGELOG

Spoiler: Show

15/06/2022
- Removed the link that caused an auto-block by the site;
- Corrected the BB codes for the intro picture and for the one in the talents section;
- Deleted a BB code in the "Table of Contents" and increased the size of the words there;
- Changed the title of the section "General description of playing as a feral cat" to "General analysis of playing as a feral cat";
- Improved the first five sections visually by colouring the sentences and by adding cavernoftime links to some abilities. Also, I added a bit more information there for a better clarification;
- Worked a bit on the section "Stats, BiS lists, enchants, gems, professions, consumables":
*added spoilers;
*coloured the disclaimer at start.

16/06/2022
- Added the section "Omen of Clarity, aka the MVP for feral cat";
- Formatted "Stats, BiS lists, enchants, gems, professions, consumables";
*added cavernoftime links;
*added colouring;
- Corrected some minor spelling mistakes and deleted unintended signs.

17/06/2022
- Changed the position of "Macros" and "Add-ons" in this guide for the sake of a better structure;
- Updated "Stats, BiS lists, enchants, gems, professions, consumables", "Feral cat's piority list 101",
"How to open as a cat?";
*added a full list of crafting professions and their bonuses;
*added a list of stat-specific food for each patch
*added cavernoftime links;
*added colouring;
*copy/pasted the video descriptions in the guide.
- Added minor BB codes in the "formulas" section;
- Added links to the music videos in the respective section.

18/06/2022
- Updated "FB. Energy investment and proper timing", "Idol swapping during combat",
"Miscellaneous":
*added quotes;
*added colouring;
*structured them better;
- Moved the section concerning the GotVV-shift to the second post and made it into its own thing. When I update something there, I will document it in the changelog there.

21/06/2022
- Added Bebechica's grammar corrections.
- Swapped the places of "Brief introduction" and "List of abbreviations" for the sake of a better structure.
- Added an ElitistJerks link in the "Omen of Clarity" section, which described that the spell could proc CCs on multiple targets.
- Added the formula for calculating the CP values in the section "Used formulas".

23/06/2022
- Corrected the "TF-Berserk" opener in the respective section.

26/06/2022
- Removed the aforementioned "correction" and made a whole disclaimer for the feral openers.
- Added a few more abbreviations in the respective list.
- Did some minor stylistic corrections to the first three sections + talent one + stats one + priority list one.
- Added a bit of text in the "Furor" talent break-down for the sake of better explanation.
- Renamed "Omen of Clarity, the MVP for feral cat" to "Omen of Clarity procs, the MVP for feral cat".
- Corrected the white crit cap (80.8% because 100%+4.8% crit suppression - 24% glancing).

27/06/2022
- Corrected a broken link, a wrong BB code, and a typo.

02/07/2022
- Updated the section "How to open as a cat?".

03/07/2022
- Updated the section "How to open as a cat?".
- Added 2 more songs in the section "Music suggestions".
- Corrected some minor spelling mistakes.
- Removed the +40 Strength food from the list of consumables since it's not relevant anymore.

07/07/2022
- Added some stylistic changes (colouration, bullet-lists etc).
- Added one more song in the section "Music suggestions".
- Corrected some minor spelling mistakes.
- Corrected a broken link in the "stats subsection" for the ToC patch.
- Added a slightly better clarification for some abilities in the section "Feral cat's priority list 101". I've explained the part about SR a lot better.
- Separated "What's the value of a CP?" from "TF. Energy management and proper timing".

08/07/2022
- Updated "What's the value of a CP?"

09/07/2022
- Updated the energy investment part for FB with the new information.
- Corrected the part about sacrificed rip ticks when we're timing FB.
- Deleted the "quick notes" in the section "Swapping idols during combat" because I deemed the information to be unnecessary.
- Added colouration and changed the size of some texts for the sake of a better structure and better readability.

11/07/2022
- Corrected the energy threshold for FB in the section "Feral cat's priority list" (it was 48, and I changed it to 52).

18/07/2022
- Added a few more music suggestions.
- Updated the tips concerning the Ulduar boss encounters.

31/07/2022
- Added a few more music suggestions.
- Added links to more sources in "Omen of Clarity procs, aka the MVP for feral cat" and in "Sources".

31/08/2022
- Updated the "Omen of Clarity" section for spells (used the formula, which was approved by the warmane staff).
- Updated the OoC proc % for some spells in "Feral priority list 101". Removed FFF as it's not working anymore on warmane and added a small clarification for the PS-Wrath combo.
- Deleted 3 posts in the comment section because I don't deem the information to be relevant for this guide anymore. The contents can be found here.
- Updated the formulas concerning the GotVV-shift in the respective section.
- Added another video in the "Miscellaneous" section.
- Added another music suggestion.

01/09/2022
- Removed FFF from some sections, where it was accounted as an OoC enabler, because this interaction is no longer present on warmane.

03/09/2022
- Halesk70 wanted me to refer to him as Nap (his discord avatar) from now on. I also changed his WAs links to the wago site.

05/09/2022
- Added my discord tag on the top of the guide.

08/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the section "tips for 25-man raid instances".

11/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added an EJ guide for boomies in the "talent build" section.
- Replaced a broken link to an EJ page with a functioning one.
- Minor stylistic edits.

12/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added colouration and Rawr builds for Naxx. Ulduar, and ToC in the section "BiS list".
- Changed the text for "Ulduar BiS list" a bit.
- Added three more sentences in the "ToC BiS list" part.

14/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the "feral's priority list" and "opening as a cat" subsections by acknowledging the 4-CP FB.
- Minor edits (mostly correcting typos).

15/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added more videos in "how to open as a cat", more specifically in the TL;DR part at the end.
- Removed the old "Berserk-TF" video from that section, as it doesn't reflect on my current playstyle.
- Explained the reason why we might miss out on 1-2 Shreds in the "TF-Berserk" opener in the same section.
- Explained 4/5 Furor in the talent section a bit better.
- Minor stylistic edits.
- Added more text in favour of the 4-CP FB in the section "what's the value of a CP?".

21/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added another video in the "Idol swapping" section and corrected a mistake there.

22/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the white text at the beginning of the guide.
- Updated "Honourable mentions".
- Added a few links in "Sources".

24/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added a few links in "Sources".
- Removed the TBC idol in the "idol swapping" section.
- Added a couple of links in "Sources", proving that the actual proc chance for the icc rep ring is 1.66%.

26/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the BiS list for patch 3.3.5.
- Added a few links for Black Magic in "Sources".
- Updated "Honourable Mentions".
- Modified the initial white text a bit.
- Explained PPM a bit better.
- Deleted an idol in "idol swapping" as it's not relevant anymore.
- Updated the thresholds for the stats in the "stats, professions etc" section.
- Minor edits.. again...
- The symbol for degree is bugged, and I decided to remove it.

27/09/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added a few more music suggestions.
- Minor edits.

21/11/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added a TLDR algorithm for the energy threshold in the context of FB.
- Minor stylistic edits.

16/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the Haste build for patch 3.3.5:
*corrected the gemming options;
*added more text to explain the changes.
- minor edits.

17/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the Naxx BiS list.
- Updated the Ulduar BiS list.

18/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added a second Horde BiS build for the ICC patch.
- Finished the Naxx build.
- Finished the Uld build.
- Temporarily removed the ToC build.

19/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Finished the ToC build.

20/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Minor edits.

21/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Deleted redundant text from the section "FB. Energy management and proper timing".
- Added a shorter explanation of the factors that affect the timing of FB.
- Added a table in the subsection "Timing FB".
- Added the formula for sacrificing Rip ticks in the respective section.
- Added another music suggestion.

22/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added a table for Rip in "Miscellaneous".
- Minor edits.

26/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Minor edits:
*changed the 60% critt to 67% in the section for timing FB.

28/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Added a disclaimer in the "stats" subsection.
- Added a better clarification for the priority list of our abilities when CCs are involved.
- Added the formulas for certain bear abilities in the "Formulas..." section.
- Added the links to said formulas in "Sources".
- Corrected a few grammar mistakes.

29/12/2022 (post-retirement update)
- Corrected the formula concerning the Mangle bear in the respective section.

02/01/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added a wowpedia and a youtube link concerning haste in "Sources".

09/01/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated "Stats, bis list...":
*corrected the Ulduar BiS list;
*corrected a wrong gem in the Haste build;
*added the subsection "Useful cat resources";
*added stylistic changes;
- Minor edits to the Ulduar subsection in "Tips for all bosses in 25-man raids".
- Mentioned the energy thresholds for a 4-CP FB in the respective section.
- Added several links in "Sources".
- Added two additional sentences in the "Recommended talent build and glyphs" section.
- Added another music suggestion.
- Corrected several grammar mistakes.
- Minor edits.

10/01/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Fixed the original undercapped gem list for Horde and added a second one {Haste build}.
- Deleted redundant text from the same subsection.
- Fixed the original undercapped gem list for Alliance and added a second one.
- Added a bit of text concerning the changes to the food.

11/01/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added a bit of text in the subsection dedicated to the Ulduar BiS list.
- Added an extra sentence for Black Magic.
- Minor edits.

26/01/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the CC priority list in the section "Feral cat's priority list 101".

31/01/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)" in the section "Feral cat's priority list 101".
- Corrected false info in the commentary of my videos in "How to open as a cat?".
- Added 2 more music suggestions.

02/02/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Replaced the old algorithm in "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)" with a better one.

05/02/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Replaced the old algorithm in "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)" with a better one.
- Added more text in that subsection.

10/02/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Replaced the old algorithm in "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)" with a better one.
- Changed a sentence in that subsection.
- Minor stylistic edits in the same subsection.

11/02/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Replaced the old algorithm in "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)" with a better one.
- Added a few sentences in that subsection.

17/02/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added a few sentences in the subsection "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)".
- Minor edits.

01/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the part about the feral openers.

02/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the part about Rake with CCs in "Feral cat's priority list 101".

04/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Removed the information concerning feral cat's movement speed from "Miscellaneous" and put it in "Positioning as a feral cat".
- Added some wowwiki links in "Sources" concerning the range of some boss AoEs.

05/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added the section "Clipping DoTs".
- Replaced the old algorithm in "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)" with a simpler one.
... returned the previous algorithm

06/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Replaced the old algorithm in "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)" with a simpler one.
- Added more general information in "Learning the priority list step by step".
- Added a few paragraphs for Swipe in that subsection.
- Added a few sentences on why I consider 450-500 to be the threshold for Arp.
- Added more players in "Honourable mentions".
- Added a few abbreviations in the respective section.
- Added a reference to another video game (somewhere (-;).
- Corrected some grammar mistakes.
- Minor edits.

07/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added new values for "maximum sacrificable Rip ticks" in "Timing FB".
- Added "FB vs Rip in the denounement of a fight" in the same section.
- Removed that info from "Miscellaneous".

08/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added another table and subsection in "Timing FB".
- Updated "Clipping DoTs":
*added more text for the sake of a better explanation;
*added numbers in brackets, in order to account the energy difference between Rip and FB in some situations.
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances" (mostly mentioned the section for clipping DoTs).
- Updated the commentary under my videos in "How to open as a cat?".
- Added a few formulas in "Used formulas".
- Minor edits.

10/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the text for Rake in "Feral's priority list 101".
- Minor edits.

13/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added the subsection "Both SR and Rip expire during the idle period" in "Clipping DoTs".

15/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Minor tweaks in "Learning the priority list step by step".
- Deleted redundant text from "List of all abilities and procs, which ferals utilise during combat" (concerning PS with a Nature spell).
- Added a few abbreviations in the respective section.

17/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Minor tweaks in "Clipping Rip".
- Added two extra sentences in "Feral's priority list in boss fights (general overview)".
- Edited some sentences regarding the BQL boss fight (obvious humour should be obvious).

17/03/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Edited some sentences regarding the BQL boss fight (obvious humour should be obvious).
- Added a few sentences regarding the Twin Valk boss fight (obvious humour should be obvious).
- Minor edits.

25/04/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the white text at the beginning of the guide.

21/06/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the BiS list for ToGC.

10/09/2023
- Updated the white text at the beginning of the guide;
- Added "Spreang" in the section for credits;
- Added a few more songs in the respective section.
- Added a "mostly concerns bearweaving" tag near the link to the wowhead guide.

16/09/2023
- Added a video showcasing the "TF-Berserk & FB mid-Berserk" approach in "How to open as a feral cat?".

24/09/2023
- Updated the "clipping DoTs" section:
*added a small paragraph explaining that a person cannot clip an already buffed Rip with a weaker one;
*removed the part about 4-CP Rip;
*deleted a reduntant and prolly very confusing commentary regarding the short idle time;
*deleted a redundant text concerning the situation where both SR and Rip would expire (I just considered the tips too niche);
*deleted redundant commentaries regarding the scenario where people can decide to clip Rip before switching to a diff. target;
*deleted the section concerning clipping Rip at the very end with snapshots;
*since clipping Rake at the end of a boss fight rarely offers positive numbers, I deleted everything except the part stating that this is a misplay;
*minor stylistic changes.
- Minor edits to the section concerning idol swapping + added a wowwiki link concerning idol swapping in "Sources".
- Replaced the first video showing the feral opener in the respective section. Also removed another.
- Minor edit to the subsection regarding Swipe in "feral rotation 101".
- Added Crystal Yield in the list of consumables.
- Deleted "Videos concerning the GotVV-shift" from Sources because rn I have newer ones, and I change them constantly.
- Added the quest for Crystal Yield in "Sources".
- Added another person's name in the "hall of fame".

27/09/2023
- Added a macro for Crystal Yield in "Macros".
- Removed the link to Blunta's guide since he deleted its contents.
- Updated "OMEN OF CLARITY PROCS, AKA THE MVP FOR FERAL CAT":
*mentioned PPH in the subsection concerning PPM;
*added stylistic changes;
*added a better description for spell PPH;
*corrected a grammatical error.
- Added the "bugged" tag for Black Magic.
- Updated "Tips for all instances".
- Minor edits.

29/09/2023
- Minor edits to "Tips for all instances" (just added links to clips for better visualisation).
- Added one extra sentence in "Idol swapping" + removed two videos (they were redundant).

30/09/2023
- Updated "How to open as a cat":
*redid my calculations concerning the "Berserk at start" opener;
*added another subsection, where I addressed the "pre-cast Berserk" opener;
*added another subsection, where I addressed using "Shred" at start;
*added another subsection, where I addressed using "Rake" at start;
*added a yellow text in the subsection concerning "Timing TF";
*changed the text in the "summary";
*minor stylistic improvements.

01/10/2023
- Updated the "Opener" section:
*removed the DBS video, where I perform the GotVV-shift, because the rotation there is outdated;
*replaced the second video concerning the "Berserk-TF" opener with a newer one and updated its commentary.

02/10/2023
- Updated the "Opener" section:
*added a second video concerning the "TF-Berserk" + "FB mid-Berserk" opener;
*added another video concerning the "TF-Berserk" opener;
*replaced the first video concerning the "TF-Berserk" opener with a newer one and updated its commentary.

03/10/2023
- Update the section concerning the CP-value:
*added a more detailed clarification behind my hypothesis;
*added an extra sentence in "The fluidity of CP's value", where I explained why using FB as a reference point to CPs is a good idea;
*added a disclaimer in the last subsection;
*changed the calculations in the subsection concerning SR.
- Updated the "Opener" section:
*removed the Hysteria buff from my calculations for the sake of consistency and just mentioned its influence on the openers in my conclusions;
*mentioned the part about warriors and deep wounds;
*minor stylistic improvements.

04/10/2023
- Added a video in the subsection concerning the "Berserk-TF"+"FB mid-Berserk" opener.
- Added another pop-cultural reference.
- Deleted a redundant sentence from "What's the value of a CP?" and removed the second video concerning the "TF-Berserk" + "FB mid-Berserk" opener.
- Minor edits.

06/10/2023
- Added a bit better description concerning the situation when the player can afford to sacrifice Rip ticks in favour of FB in the section "FB. Energy management and proper timing".
- Readded the case when the person can clip Rip with STS before the end of the fight (in "Clipping DoTs").
- Added a subsection concerning all diff. playstyles in "Feral cat's priority list 101".

08/10/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Minor edit to the white text of the beginning of the guide.
- Mentioned Wrathweaving in "Different playstyles for a feral cat".
- Added another yellow text in "How to open as a feral cat" (in the subsection concerning starting with Rake/Mangle/Shred).
- Added the source to the pic in "bearweaving".
- Added another guild in the list for credits.
- Minor edits.

19/10/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the ICC BiS list:
*removed Black Magic;
*replaced Flexweave Underlay with Greater Speed;
*concerning the Horde SAFE build - removed two glinting gems in favour of one rigid and one deft.

20/10/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated the ICC BiS list:
*changed the commentary prior to the screenshot with the suggested build;
*replaced the screenshot with the old enchants and gems with a newer one;
*updated the imgur links to the screenshots featuring different gemming options;
*updated the commentary concerning the ICC BiS list;
*removed the second dish for the Alliance cat and the paragraph, where I commented on it, in order to make that section a bit cleaner and less confusing.

28/10/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Removed redundant (and prolly confusing) text concerning "Rake at start" from the opener section.
- Added a music video at the beginning in order to set the mood.
- Updated the "Different playstyles for a feral cat" subsection:
*replaced the first screenshot under "damage output" with a more accurate one;
*added screenshots for each content patch;
*deleted the link to the theorycrafting thread (I mean, the screenshots proved my point).
- Added the link to the simcraft with bearweaving and flowershifting in "Useful cat resources".

29/10/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Removed the false info that bearweavers benefit more from Haste than from Strength in ToC and in ICC.
- Mentioned using the simcraft in the white text at start.

01/12/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Added a new section "Pre-pull preparation".
- Updated the table of contens.

02/12/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated "Pre-pull preparation":
*removed the "preface" and turned it into a disclaimer;
*added more info in "general overview";
*added commentaries under the "TF-Berserk" videos and added chapters in the videos themselves;
*removed the chronological sequence of events from "general overview" and made it its own subsection;
*added commentaries under the "Berserk-TF" videos and added chapters in the videos themselves;
*corrected the information about Lacerate.

04/12/2023 (post-retirement update)
- Updated "Pre-pull preparation":
*minor tweak to the disclaimer (I removed the links to the pinata and the mech and just referred to them as "punching bags");
*removed the video with the vulgar music at start and added a better one;
*explained how long DBS's and the LK's RP events last;
*added a video showing the easiest way to benefit from the pre-pull rotation in RS;
*renamed "Demonstration" to "Burst phase after the preparation";
*replaced the second video in the "Berserk-TF" category with a better one w/o flowershifting for the sake of consistency.
- Updated the white text at start.

08/01/2024 (post-retirement update)
- Removed the section "pre-pull preparation" from the guide since the 110G repair bot is no longer attackable.

12/01/2024 (post-retirement update)
- Removed the warmane discord link from the white text at the beginning.
- Added the BiS gear for patch 3.3.
- Added two more music suggestions.

14/07/2024
- Re-added the section "Pre-pull Preparation" with updated information.
- Acknowledged its presence in the table of contents.
- Since I already reached the 25 video limit, I had to remove two minor ones in favour of the new clips.
- Added yet another music suggestion.
- Added the wowpedia links concerning "leashing" and "mage portals" in "Sources".

16/07/2024
- Separated "Professions" from "BiS list..." and dedicated a separate section for this topic.
- Added more information there.
- Separated "Consumables" from "BiS list..." and dedicated a separate section for this topic.
- Added more information there.
- Changed the name of the section concerning the BiS lists.
- Differentiated the links to the download versions and the browser versions of the simcrafts in the subsection "useful resources".
- Added more players' names in the hall of fame.
- Minor edits.

18/07/2024
- Added more information and videos in "Learning the priority list step by step". I also structured my thoughts better.
- Minor edits.

19/07/2024
- Minor edits to "Learning the priority list step by step".

20/07/2024
- Added more info about the usage of FB in "Learning the priority list step by step".
- Added a couple of videos links in "Learning the priority list step by step" for the sake of better visualisation of some described scenarios.
- Changed the title of "Pre-pull preparation". Now it's "Pre-pull Savage Roar".
- Added more info in "Pre-pull Savage Roar".
- Minor edits.

21/07/2024
- Added a disclaimer and two subsections in "What's the value of a CP?".
- Added a disclaimer in "Swapping idols...".
- Minor edits.

27/07/2024
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added more information;
*added an extra video in the subsection concerning RS.
- Removed "Clipping DoTs" from the guide.
- Removed all mentions of "Clipping DoTs" from the other sections.
- Updated "How to open as a feral cat?":
*added an extra paragraph in "Mangle vs Rake vs Shred";
*changed the title of the fifth subsection (from "Importance of Berserk" to "Energy management in Berserk");
*made the summary a lot more coherent;
*minor tweaks to the commentaries below the videos.
- Minor edits.

28/07/2024
- Removed "different playstyles for a feral cat" from "feral cat's priority list 101" and dedicated a separate section for it.
- Minor edits.

14/08/2024
- Added another subsection in "Miscellaneous".
- Updated "Pre-pull SR":
*separated "General overview" in smaller points;
*added a separate subsection concerning obtaining a longer pre-pull SR;
*corrected the outdated information in ICC and added new videos;
*added a separate subsection concerning obtaining a pre-pull SR in Ulduar.

15/08/2024
- Updated the subsection concerning the feral openers in "Pre-pull SR":
*added a point called "General overview";
*distinguished both openers based on the duration of the pre-pull SR;
*added new videos for TF-Berserk and Berserk-TF;
*updated the comparison commentary.

16/08/2024
- Updated "Pre-pull SR":
*added a video, where I showcased what happens when someone buffs us when we're in combat;
*corrected the number of CC procs needed for a FB mid-Berserk concerning Berserk-TF with SR lasting less than 31s;
*added my commentary regarding the remaining three demonstration videos;
*minor edits.
- Added another video in "Miscellaneous" showcasing a visual bug with the wasp form from the Underbelly Elixir.

17/08/2024
- Updated "Pre-pull SR":
*added a paragraph in "Ruby Sanctum" where I explain how to separate an Invoker from the squad;
*added a paragraph and a picture which explain the correct path towards the exit;
*minor edits.

18/08/2024
- Updated the tips and tricks concerning Halion in the section "Tips for all 25-man instances".
- Added two more music suggestions in the respective section.
- Minor edits.

21/08/2024
- Changed the name of the guide (with the help of a moderator).

24/08/2024
- Updated the info concerning the Battle Squawk.
- Removed two redundant disclaimers in "Tips for all 25-man instances".
- Added detailed information about the optimal usage of Berserk in the section "Feral cat priority list 101".
- Minor edits.

25/08/2024
- Added "bdk" in the list of abbreviations.
- Moved the general overview of Berserk from "Feral cat's priority list 101" to "How open as a cat?".
- Added a better explanation in "How to open as a cat?".
- Minor edits.

27/08/2024
- Added the fel taffy in "Consumables".

13/09/2024
- Minor edits to "Pre-pull Savage Roar".

22/09/2024 (post-retirement update)
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*LM boss fight - added more information and a couple of links to some clips;
*LDW boss fight - "2nd wave of adds" -> "1st wave of adds";
*DBS boss fight - added a paragraph concerning the pre-pull SR;
*swapped the commentary of Festergut's and Rotface's boss fights;
*Festergut boss fight - added a paragraph concerning the pre-pull SR;
*Rotface boss fight - added more information and a couple of links to some clips;
*PP boss fight - added more information and a couple of links to some clips;
*BPC boss fight - added a better clarification about Rip vs FB;
*Sindy boss fight - added a better clarification for the ice tombs on her last phase.

02/04/2025
- Added a disclaimer in the "Icecrown Citadel" subsection in "Pre-pull SR" where I briefly explain the opportunity of obtaining CPs from bosses by strategically respawning them.
- Added a clip in the "Consumables" section where I showcase my farming routine for the Crystal Yield.

09/04/2025
- Minor edits to the starting white text.
- Updated "Honourable mentions":
*removed "Bebechica" from the main list, as the guide has massively changed since the original word document, and no one else (beside me) proofreads it;
*removed "Frenzied Flame" from the list of guilds (even though I had fun playing w/ them, my time spent with them was relatively short);
*added "Yavor" to the list of names who helped me playtest some mechanics;
*changed the order of some mentions and made other minor stylistic changes.
- Minor edits to "Brief introduction".
- Minor edits to "List of abbreviations".
- Minor edits to "General analysis of playing as a cat".
- Removed "feralbynight" from the list of add-ons, as the page for it got taken down.
- Minor edits to "Macros".
- Removed invalid links from "Music suggestions".
- Minor edits to "Miscellaneous".
- Updated "Consumables":
*added info about a discount for reagents based on the current rep with the respective faction;
*mentioned the usage of the Orgrimmar card during "Love is in the air" event.
- Minor edits to "Positioning as a feral cat".
- Updated "Professions":
*added a better description of the Stormjewel gems;
*made some minor stylistic changes.

10/04/2025
- Removed "Rip clipping" formulas from "Used formulas for my calculations".
- Removed broken links from "Sources" and from "Add-ons".
- Updated the bis list concerning the Naxx patch:
*removed the text concerning the OS 10 ring;
*removed the orange "+8 hit, +8 exp" gem and replaced it with "+16 expertise";
*added a new screenshot showcasing the enhanced stats.

11/04/2025
- Removed the links to the music videos in "Sources", as they were redundant (after all, ppl can also find them in the music section).

13/04/2025
- Updated the Ulduar BiS list:
*removed one blue and one orange gem in favour of two delicates (this concerns the Horde build with 3 Stormjewels and the Alliance build with 0);
*added a gemming build for the Alliance cat featuring a yellow Stormjewel gem.

15/04/2025 - 18/04/2025
- Added "NE" in the list of Abbreviations.
- Updated the Ulduar BiS list:
*removed all Agility gems and replaced them with Arp;
*added Cloak of Icy Intent for the Horde build;
*added a more thorough description, explaining the recent changes.

19/04/2025

- Updated the Ulduar BiS list:
*added more links to Rawr and to the simcraft in the paragraphs concerning Arp vs Agility;
*added a paragraph where I talk about reaching the Hit and Exp caps.

22/04/2025
- Added a link to my latest comment in the "Ulduar BiS list" section.
- Updated the "ToC BiS list" section:
*added faction-specific items for the Alliance build;
*added a paragraph, where I explain the difference between my proposed BiS list and the Classic one;
*updated the paragraph concerning the gemming options;
*added more screenshots.

28/04/2025
- Updated the "3.3 BiS list" section:
*deleted redundant text concerning WotLK Classic;
*added the information that one yellow gem needs to be socketed in the neck.
- Updated the "3.3.5 BiS list" section:
*deleted redundant text concerning the feral simcraft;
*added "Flexweave" in the list of enchants;
*changed the paragraph where I talk about the discrepancy between Rawr and the feral simcraft.

29/04/2025
- Added general info about the feral talents in the "Recommended talent build and glyphs" section.
- Added OoC in the list of abbreviations.
- Updated the "3.3.5 BiS list" section:
*added a better explanation as to why I now promote both back enchants.
- Updated "Feral priority list 101":
*added a "mobility" subcategory;
*changed the clips for Mangle and Rake;
*changed the clips for SR and Rip;
*removed the tip "repeat" and replaced it with "practise maintaining..." in the subsection "learning the priority list 101";
*removed the tip "TF + 2-3 Shreds + Rake" and replaced it with "acquire" in the subsection "learning the priority list 101";
*changed the info about Mangle - it should always be kept up;
*added the information that Rip needs to expire before it's refreshed;
*minor stylistic changes.
- Minor stylistic changes.

30/04/2025
- Updated "Feral priority list 101":
*removed the engineering-specific perks;
*deleted redundant text.

01/05/2025
- Updated the talent build section:
*added a link to wowhead;
*added categorisation;
*added a sentence describing the greyed out talents in the feral tree.
- Removed the word "procs" from "Omen of Clarity procs, the MVP..." for stylistic reasons.
- Updated the part "general overview" in the section concerning OoC.
- Removed the sentences concerning OoC in the "stats cap" subsection in "BiS lists, stats, and simcrafts", as the information was redundant. In its place, I added the info that there's no haste cap for AAs.
- Added a link to the proc chance of Battle Squawk in "professions" and in "sources".
- Updated "positioning as a feral cat":
*added categorisation;
*added few more sentences where I provide general information about the importance of optimal positioning;
*added a whole paragraph describing the feral charge.
- Added a link to wowhead concerning the "feral charge - cat" ability in "Sources".
- Minor stylistic changes.

03/05/2025
- Updated the BiS list section concerning patch 3.3.0:
*removed the ToGC cloak and added the Gunhip one;
*changed the gemming options;
*changed the screenshots in the paragraph where I compare Str builds to Haste ones;
*added a paragraph where I commented on the change;
*added a paragraph where I commented on the Ashen band's ring proc rate.

04/05/2025
- Updated the BiS list section concerning patch 3.3.0:
*added the ToGC cloak again;
*added more text explaining the requirement of having specific professions.
- Updated "Professions":
*added a paragraph where I mentioned BS as an alternative to JC;
*added links to Alchemist Finklestein and to Marcia Chases's quest rewards.
- Added a picture of the CC proc in "Omen of Clarity, the MPV of a feral cat".

12/05/2025
- Updated "Feral cat's priority list 101":
*deleted redundant information in the first subsection;
*updated the ability description in the first subsection;
*added a paragraph in the first subsection, where I explain the purpose of it;
*minor stylistic changes.

13/05/2025
- Added "ilvl" in the list of abbreviations.
- Added "Order of the Horde" and "Soanok" in the "Honourable mentions" section.
- Updated "Feral cat's priority list 101":
*changed the name of the first subsection for the sake of consistency;
*added a paragraph in the second subsection, where I explain the purpose of it.
- Changed the colour of the commentary paragraphs in the "BiS list" sections to match the usual one for the sake of consistency and added a horizontal line for the sake of readability.
- Minor stylistic changes.

14/05/2025
- Updated "Feral cat's priority list 101":
*changed the colour of the explanation text in the second subsection to match the usual one for the sake of consistency;
*changed the colour of the practice list to white for the sake of better readability;
*added practice videos under each practice list;
*added summaries after each phase;
*added another sentence explaining the reason behind the usage of builders are 5 CPs;
*updated some previous video links;
*added a paragraph where I explain the synergy between Shred and Rip.

15/05/2025 - 16/05/2025
- Updated "Feral cat's priority list 101":
*added a small paragraph under the point concerning "OoC procs" where I explained that we need to force the CCs by all means necessary;
*changed the format of the priority list - no longer with BB codes, rather with separate paragraphs - for the sake of better readability;
*split the information under the point concerning AoE in two paragraphs - one with general info, and the other with more specific and practical tips;
*added videos in those paragraphs as well;
*removed the third subsection (feat. the algorithm).

17/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*added videos under each opener;
*changed the colour of some paragraphs;
*added paragraphs in the subsection concerning "Berserk at start" where I explained the case with a 1CP SR at start;
*added a paragraph in the subsection concerning "Timing TF" where I explained the possible penalty of overcapping energy with either TF-Berserk and Berserk-TF openers.

18/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*deleted redundant information;
*added videos showcasing the damage difference between TF-Berserk and Berserk-TF;
*minor tweaks.

18/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*added another paragraph in the subsection concerning "Berserk-TF";
*minor tweaks to the previous paragraphs.

21/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*minor tweaks to the section concerning our energy management during Berserk.

23/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*added a subsection, where I discussed the solution to the syncing issue with STS.

24/05/2025 -26/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*added links to more videos;
*added a paragraph in the subsection concerning the energy management during Berserk, where I talked about the advantage of "FB mid-Berserk";
*changed the colour of the ability order in some subsections;
*minor tweaks.

27/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*removed the paragraph, where I briefly mentioned "Shred spam", "SR mid-Berserk", and "FB mid-Berserk";
*added two paragraphs dedicated to "Shred spam" and to "SR mid-Berserk" respectively;
*added a paragraph, where I clarified the energy investment for FB during Berserk.

29/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*added colouration to the adjustable numbers in the quote window, where ppl can calculate the average CC proc amount during Berserk;
*added categorisation in the subsection concerning "Shred spam", "SR mid-Berserk", and "FB mid-Berserk";
*changed the names of "Shred spam" (to "FB-less Berserk") and "SR mid-Berserk" (to "FB-last Berserk");
*changed the "warning" transition between this section and the one concerning STS;
*minor tweaks to the subsection concerning STS;
*complete overhaul to the summary (added categorisation, a picture depicting a modified Freytag pyramid, and separated the information in smaller subcategories)
- Changed some "disclaimers" to "warnings".
- Changed the colour in "Consumables".

31/05/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*updated the Freytag pyramid;
*split "general overview" into two separate subsections;
*added information for the "prologue" and the "epilogue" phases;
*added a more thorough description for the "resolution" phase.

01/06/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*added two paragraphs where I described the necessity to skip FB in favour of Swipe (i.e. in AoE boss fights);
*updated the demonstration videos in the summary.

03/06/2025
- Updated "How to open as a cat?":
*updated the descriptions concerning the demonstration videos in the summary;
*added categorisation for each suggested opener;
*added a subsection where I described the characteristics of each suggested opener.

04/06/2025
- Updated "What's the value of a CP?":
*updated the subsection concerning 4-CP SR (I added more information about the situations where we need to go from a 4-CP to a 5-CP SR);
*minor tweaks to the other subsections.

06/06/2025
- Updated "What's the value of a CP?":
*added more information in the "general overview" subsection;
*added a second paragraph in the section titled "The fluidity of CP's value" where I explained that the CPs for FB are expendable;
*added a paragraph in the subsection concerning SR, where I explain the logic behind investments;
*minor tweaks to the other subsections.

07/06/2025
- Updated "What's the value of a CP?":
*deleted the redundant information in the subsection concerning the 4-CP and 4-CP SR;
*completely restructured the subsection where I compare FB with Rip;
*minor tweaks to the last subsection.
- Updated "FB. Energy investment and proper timing":
*minor tweaks to the "general overview" subsection.

08/06/2025
- Updated "FB. Energy investment and proper timing":
*added a few paragraphs where I explained the logic behind the optimal energy thresholds for the 5-CP and the 4-CP FBs.

10/06/2025
- Minor tweaks to "FB. Energy investment and proper timing".
- Updated "Different playstyles for a feral cat":
*added categorisation in the second subsection;
*added a paragraph where I discussed threat generation;
*added a paragraph where I discussed difficulty;
*minor tweaks.

11/06/2025
- Updated "Different playstyles for a feral cat":
*minor tweaks to the difficulty factor concerning bearweaving and flowershifting;
*minor stylistic tweaks to the paragraph concerning Wrathweaving;
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*minor tweaks to the warning text at the beginning;
*minor tweaks to the subsection where I explained the mechanics surrounding the setup for the pre--pull SR;
*added a small paragraph in the same subsection, where I mentioned the trick with despawning bosses;
*added a small paragraph in the same subsection, where I mentioned the trick with Shadowmeld;
*updated the video link in the subsection concerning the longer pre-pull SR;
*in the same subsection, I added a paragraph where I explained which items need to be obtained and from which boss;
*in the same subsection, I added a paragraph where I explained the specifics surrounding the hands slot;
*minor tweaks and stylistic changes in the other subsections.

12/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added a paragraph where I explained the usage of Divine Intervention;
*added the information that relogging resets one's CPs and trinket ICDs;
*added more videos;
*updated the subsection regarding RS (added proper categorisation, deleted redundant information);
*minor stylistic changes.

13/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*changed the information in the paragraph concerning the Ogre Pinata, the Doomguard, and Mr. Pinchy.

14/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added categorisation in the subsection concerning RS;
*added more information.

16/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added categorisation in the subsection concerning ICC;
*added more paragraphs where I described the flaws of the Servants of the Throne;
*added two paragraphs, where I described the Fleshreapers;
*changed the video in the subsection where I describe how we can obtain CPs (still work in progress).

20/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added the part "Obtaining CPs" in the subsection concerning ICC;
*minor tweaks to the previous subsections.

21/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*offered a better explanation concerning the scenario, where trinkets proc during the CP-generation process;
*added two paragraphs in the subsection concerning ICC (one for clearing the threat, the other - casting SR);
*deleted redundant information;
*added a dedicated subsection to the ogre pinata;
*minor tweaks to the other subsections.

22/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added more video links;
*added more information concerning the pinata.
- Removed the Midsummer "3% crit" from "Consumables".

24/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*minor tweaks to the subsection concerning the feral openers.

26/06/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*changed one of the "Berserk-TF" videos and added new commentary;
*added categorisation in the commentary of the videos with a shorter SR.

02/07/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*added a subsection where I explain general decision making during boss encounters;
*removed the disclaimers (due to aesthetics).

03/07/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added links to my theorycrafting thread.

22/10/2025
- Updated "OOC procs":
*changed the title of some subsections;
*added text, explaining the presence of a 10-second ICD in the early stages of WotLK;
*added more text in the subsection concerning the proc rate of OoC.

23/10/2025
- Updated "Consumables":
*placed "Hallow's end" at the end;
*added the Spearmint;
*updated the gem recommendation;
*added a note explaining why I don't recommend using any of Hallow's end consumables.
- Updated the commentary concerning soloing Anzu and added a new video.
- Minor edits to other sections.

24/10/2025
- Updated the commentary concerning soloing Anzu and added a new video.

28/10/2025
- Added a new section (titled "The journey begins... at level 80").
- Updated the table of contents.

29/10/2025
- Updated the white text at the beginning (mentioned the presence of links in the guide).
- Updated "The journey begins... at level 80":
*added links to legacywow and gamerant;
*removed the link to the feral simcraft;
*changed the list containing the BoEs in phase 1;
*mentioned the presence of event-specific dungeons in phase 1;
*added 187 ilvl BoEs to that list.
- Minor stylistic changes.

30/10/2025
- Updated "The journey begins... at level 80":
*removed a redundant link;
*slightly changed the tip about being flexible with one's (idea of) fun;
*added more information in the "Naxx preraid gear" part;
*changed the Icecrown entry-level preraid list;
*added the information about the 150 ilvl relic;
*added a modified Matrix picture;
*minor stylistic changes.

31/10/2025
- Removed redundant text from the commentary under the Ulduar BiS list.
- Added "Strong-Handed Ring" to the Naxx BiS list and updated the section with the new information.
- Added AtlasLoot in "Add-ons".
- Added "rep" and "QoL" in "Abbreviations".
- Minor stylistic changes.

02/11/2025
- Updated "The journey begins... at level 80":
*removed redundant text from my first tip (concerning dealing w/ ppl);
*removed the tip concerning the 150 ilvl idol from "gear requirements" and put it in "queuing rdf hc as a fresh 80";
*mentioned the possibility of practising raid tactics on target dummies;
*minor stylistic changes.
- Updated "BiS lists":
*added compared Darkmoon Greatness to Dark Matter;
*removed some Rawr and simcraft links (I kept the pictures, just kept them in the same link);
*deleted redundant text.
- Minor edits.

03/11/2025
- Minor edits.

04/11/2025
- Added a better explanation for the problem with CPs in "What's the value of a CP?".
- Minor edits.

05/11/2025
- Updated "How to open as a feral cat?":
*deleted redundant text;
*simplified the "resolution" part in the summary.
- Minor edits.

06/11/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*deleted redundant text;
*removed unnecessary links from the first subsection.
- Added a screenshot, depicting the location of another red crystal (regarding Crystal Yield), in "Consumables".
- Minor edits.

07/11/2025
- Tweaked the "Comparing both openers" section in "Pre-pull Savage Roar".
- Minor edits.

08/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part concerning Anub’Rekhan in Naxx;
*edited the part concerning Gothik in Naxx;
*edited the part concerning Heigan in Naxx;
*edited the part concerning Sapphiron in Naxx;
*edited the part concerning Kel'Thuzad in Naxx
*edited the part concerning OS 2d.
- Deleted my tip concerning FFF in "Miscellaneous".
- Minor edits.

09/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part concerning Emalon;
*edited the part concerning XT in Ulduar;
*edited the part concerning IC in Ulduar;
*edited the part concerning Kologarn in Ulduar;
*edited the part concerning Thorim in Ulduar.
- Minor edits.

10/11/2025
- Added "Idea of the perfect opener" in "Pre-pull SR".

11/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part concerning Thorim in Ulduar;
*edited the part concerning the Northrend Beasts in ToGC;
*edited the part concerning Lord Jaraxxus in ToGC.
- Removed a JoJo reference (from the Lord Jaraxxus part).
- Minor edits.

12/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part concerning Lord Jaraxxus in ToGC;
*edited the part concerning Twin Valks in ToGC;
*edited the part concerning Baltharus in RS;
*edited the part concerning Saviana in RS.
- Minor edits.

13/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part concerning Saviana in RS;
*edited the part concerning Halion in RS;
*edited the part concerning DBS in ICC;
*edited the part concerning LDW in ICC;
*edited the part concerning Rotface in ICC;
*edited the part concerning Festergut in ICC.
- Updated "Sources":
*added the link to the featured Heigan map.
- Minor edits.

14/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*added another subsection;
*edited the part concerning Professor Putricide in ICC;
*edited the part concerning Yogg in Ulduar;
*edited the part concerning Sindragosa in ICC;
*edited the part concerning the LK in ICC;
*minor stylistic changes.
- Mentioned the neat interaction between the Gnomish Battle Chicken and a Cycloned critter in "Professions".
- Minor edits.

15/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the subsection with the general tips (I put them in a quote box and changed their colour);
*edited the part concerning Anub’Rekhan in Naxx;
*edited the part concerning the Four Horsemen in Naxx;
*minor edits.
- Updated "Positioning as a feral cat":
*added a subsection where I talked about HP as a resource;
*minor edits.
- Added a few more music suggestions.
- Minor edits.

17/11/2025
- Minor edits.

22/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*added a clip where I showed jumping onto BQL and obtaining CPs;
*mentioned a trick from Wrath Classic in the Sindy boss fight;
*added a clip depicting the correct timing for the pre-pot in the Sindy fight;
*added a joke in my tips concerning the Heigan boss fight in Naxx.
- Updated the disclaimer concerning ICC bosses in the "pre-pull SR" section.
- Updated the commentary for the wildspine leaves in "Consumables".
- Minor edits.

23/11/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*added a clip depicting utilising the knockback effect from the Empowered Vortex during the BPC boss fight;
*added the tip of staying longer on the boss and ignoring the debuff from Halion during the last seconds of the boss fight
*edited the part concerning the Northrend Beasts in ToGC.
- Minor edits.

04/12/2025
- Changed the link to the Lord Marrow video with a pre-pull SR in "Tips for all 25 man instances".
- Removed a video showing a bugged interaction on Baltharus.

05/12/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*mentioned the usage of critters in the old zones;
*mentioned the usage of critters in general.
- Added "Beardigo" in "Honourable mentions".
- Added more abbreviations in the respective section (like LM, DBS).
- Updated "Different playstyles for a feral cat":
*added another paragraph/argument in favour of the GotVV-shift (called flexibility);
*minor stylistic changes.

06/12/2025
- Updated "Pre-pull Savage Roar":
*added a video showing how to obtain CPs on Festergut;
*added the same video for Rotface (cuz it's the same boss visually);
*added a video in the last subsection showing how I cast Rip and FB prior to Berserk;
*minor changes.
- Updated "Different playstyles for a feral cat":
*removed all previous screenshots from the feral simcraft;
*added new ones with a second Haste pot and Hysteria.
- Deleted misleading information in "Stat caps" and mentioned the possibility of using Rawr and the feral simcraft.
- Minor edits.

07/12/2025
- Updated the CC priority list in "Feral priority list 101":
*added another example when we need to disregard the CC on Rake;
*split the section in three paragraphs for better readability.
- Updated "How to open as a feral cat":
*changed the Freytag pyramid (now, it also depicts Hysteria);
*mentioned Hysteria in the "Exposition".
- Minor edits.

09/12/2025
- Mentioned FA in "What's the value of the CP?".
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part about Gluth and zombie damage in Naxxramas;
*edited the part about Grand Widow Faerlina and add damage in Naxxramas;
*edited the part about Maexxna and add damage in Naxxramas;
*edited the part about Anub'Rekhan and add damage in Naxxramas;
*edited the part about Gothik and add damage in Naxxramas;
*edited the part about Sartharion and add damage in OS3d;
*edited the part about IC in Ulduar;
*edited the part about Kologarn and useful damage in Ulduar;
*edited the part about Auriaya and add damage in Ulduar;
*edited the part about Hodir and tomb damage in Ulduar;
*removed a stupid joke from my commentary concerning Thorim in Ulduar.
- Minor edits.

10/12/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part about Onyxia and add damage in Onyxia's lair;
*edited the part about Halion and add damage in Ruby Sanctum;
*edited the part about Lord Jaraxxus in ToGC.
- Minor edits.

11/12/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part about Razorscale and add damage in Ulduar;
*removed the previous diagram under "general decision making" and posted a better one.
- Minor edits.

12/12/2025
- Updated "Tips for all 25-man instances":
*edited the part about Anub'Rekhan and add damage in Naxxramas;
- Added the unconscious rat in "Consumables".
- Added two other pop-culture references in "Sources".
- Minor edits.

14/12/2025
- Minor stylistic changes in "Macros".

17/12/2025
- Mentioned a chicken interaction in "pre-pull SR".

21/12/2025
- Added more info in "Honourable mentions" concerning dzianis.
- Added "Glyph of Berserk" in "Talents and glyphs".

26/12/2025
- Added a small commentary regarding the usage of Shred vs Rake in the context of Grim Toll/Mjolnir in the BiS list section.
- Mentioned it in the "trinket swapping" subsection in "How to open as a cat?".
- Updated the comment concerning mep2481 in "Honourable mentions".
- Added a disclaimer in "Different playstyles for a feral cat".

30/12/2025
- Updated the disclaimer in "Different playstyles for a feral cat".

31/12/2025
- Updated the disclaimer in "Different playstyles for a feral cat".
- Added Sulfuron Slammer in the list of consumables.

02/02/2026
- Added more information in the subsection concerning gear requirements for HC dungeons in "The journey begins".
- Minor edits.

03/02/2026
- Added more information in "Professions".

06/02/2026
- Added more information in the BiS list section concerning patch 3.3.0 (i.e. only ICC).

08/02/2026
- Mentioned MOLL-E and Jeeves in "Professions".
- Added another pop-cultural reference.
- Updated the tips concerning the LDW HC fight.
- Minor edits.

08/02/2026
- Removed redundant text from "Diff. playstyles for a feral cat", more specifically the part about calculating the damage difference between Rawr's and the feral simcraft's estimated Lacerate tick damage.
- Removed the pop-cultural reference and the information concerning the non-mandatory engineering inventions since they don't really offer us any combat-related benefits in pve, and I considered the information to the redundant.
- Minor edits.

10/02/2026
- Added more info about queuing RDF HC in "The journey begins", more specifically I clarified how 2h weapons are calculated and what kind of alternative solution a person can consider in order to boost their average ilvl score.
- Minor edits.

11/02/2026
- Mentioned "Knights of the Ebon Blade" and "Sons of Hodir" in the pre-raid subsection of "The journey begins".
- Mentioned the possibility of obtaining non-intended loot (from "Love is in the air" and "Midsummer fire festival" dungeons) during phase 1.

**Kovachut** · June 14, 2022

BEARWEAVING
(SUPPLEMENT)

Table of Contents

Definition
Pros and Cons
Requirements
Demonstration
Bearweaving 101
Talents
Add-on
Macros
BiS list for this manoeuvre
Utilising OoC procs in combat
Personal analysis of Lacerateweaving
Changelog

1. DEFINITION

Spoiler: Show

2. PROS AND CONS

Spoiler: Show

3. REQUIREMENTS

Spoiler: Show

In order to reap positive numbers, you need to meet the following requirements:

TF and Berserk are on CD;
you don't have a CC proc. If you do, go in cat form and use it on Shred;
you have low amount of energy. How low depends on how long you plan to stay in bear form:
-> less than 45 energy if you go: bear form -> GCD -> cat form;
-> less than 30 energy if you go: bear form -> GCD -> GCD -> cat form;
-> less than 15 energy if you go: bear form -> GCD -> GCD -> GCD -> cat form;
Rip needs to last longer than the bear cycle. How long depends on how many bear GCDs you plan on using:
-> longer than 4.5 seconds if you go: bear form -> GCD -> cat form;
-> longer than 6 seconds if you go: bear form -> GCD -> GCD -> cat form;
-> longer than 7.5 seconds if you go: bear form -> GCD -> GCD -> GCD -> cat form;
it is recommended that Rake be active during the bear cycle.

Disclaimer: Please note that these requirements are only mandatory when you use bearweaving with the sole purpose of filling otherwise passive time in cat form. However, if your goal is to maintain Lacerate constantly throughout the boss fight, these prerequisites become guidelines rather than strict rules. This is because there will be situations where meeting the aforementioned requirements will prevent you from refreshing the bear bleed on time. In such cases, you have to choose between keeping Lacerate up or letting it drop in favour of maintaining your cat rotation. If the boss encounter lasts long enough, it's better to refresh the bear bleed before it expires. Restoring Lacerate to 5 stacks after dropping it once will cost you more damage than missing out on some Rip/Rake ticks, energy points, or even CC procs, as Lacerate will compensate the damage loss in the long term. It should go without saying that the more cat prerequisites you ignore in favour of the bear bleed, the smaller the dps increase you will get from this bearweaving technique. If the boss encounter reaches its end, you should ignore Lacerate and concentrate on your cat rotation.

4. DEMONSTRATION

Spoiler: Show

5. BEARWEAVING 101

Spoiler: Show

I. General overview

The overarching rule of bearweaving is to go in bear form when you don't have anything urgent to do in cat form (such as refreshing a bleed, using a CC proc on Shred, dumping your energy in case it's going to overcap etc). Your first bear swing needs to be a regular AA, so that you generate enough rage to use yellow abilities. What kind of abilities you need to use depends on whether you prefer to Mangleweave or Lacerateweave. Although not mandatory, you can further increase your damage output by swapping your idols the moment you enter cat form, so that you shorten the swing timer caused by your bear AA/Maul and benefit from the different effects of your relics. All of these topics will be covered in the next subsections.

II. How to Mangleweave more optimally?

Mangleweaving is your basic way of filling idle time when the conditions in cat form are optimal. Most of the time, you will go for a quick "https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48564 + https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48480" combination:

Actions in a chronological order

Go in bear form.
AA for rage generation.
Cast Mangle.
Cast Maul.
Go in cat form.

If your initial bear AA ends up being a critical strike, you will have a lot of rage to spare, in which case you can stay a bit longer in bear form and queue another https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48480 or "https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48568 + https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48480" combination:

In this train of thought, I should warn you not to deliberately stay longer in bear form and not to inflict a second AA for the sake of rage generation since a bear white attack is weaker than 2.5 cat ones. For reference, with Naxx gear and correct talents a bear AA inflicts 2180 damage on average, whereas 2.5 AAs in cat form - 3834 damage. With ICC and RS gear, a bear AA deals 4589 damage on average, whereas 2.5 AAs in cat form - 8733 damage. The reason why I mention 2.5 cat AAs in both cases is because the unmodified attack speed in cat form is one AA per second, whereas in bear form - one AA per 2.5 seconds. This is why, if your rage isn't enough for a second Maul or "Lacerate + Maul" combination, you should go back in cat form and prevent the second bear AA from happening, like so:

(please pay attention to my rage and swing timer at 0:05-0:06)

One of my personal favourite combinations in bear form is popping Enrage and sequencing Maul-Mangle-Maul:

This is because the bear cycle is relatively short and contains only the strongest bear attacks. The best outcome is when I get a CC proc from the last swing because I take full advantage of the bear cycle without hindering my cat rotation, which can be observed in the video. Speaking of CC procs, if we obtain one in bear form, it's better to go back in cat form and utilise it on Shred. This is especially true if we desperately crave for CPs:

III. How to Lacerateweave more optimally?

The most important thing to remember for Lacerateweaving is that you need to build Lacerate to 5 stacks ASAP, and you need to maintain the bear bleed for as long as possible. Sometimes you will be required to sacrifice cat bleeds and/or OoC procs just to keep Lacerate going. Only when the boss battle is about to end, can you let Lacerate expire.

This was just a brief introduction, and now I'll explain the entire process of Lacerateweaving in more detail:

A) Ramp-up

When your (first) Berserk ends, you have the opportunity to initiate a long bear cycle before Rip expires. During your first bearweave, your main goal is to build Lacerate to 3 stacks. By the time you get the third, your energy will most likely be near the cap, and Rip's duration will reach its end. This is why you need to shapeshift back in cat form, utilise your energy, refresh Rake and Rip, and go back in bear form to build Lacerate to 5 stacks. This can be observed in the following clip:

(please ignore the idol swapping part)

Actions in a chronological order

Go in bear form.
Pop Enrage.
Let your first swing be a regular bear AA for rage generation.
Each available GCD needs to be used on Lacerate until you reach 3 stacks.
If your rage permits it, you can inflict 1-2 Mauls.
Once you cast your third Lacerate (and maybe 2nd Maul), go in cat form.
Refresh Rake and Rip.
Spend all of your remaining energy.
Go back in bear form.
Let your first swing be a regular bear AA for rage generation.
Each available GCD needs to be used on Lacerate until you reach 5 stacks.
If your rage permits it, you can inflict 1-2 Mauls.

From that moment onward, you pay close attention to your timers, you switch forms (from cat to bear and vise versa), and you maintain all of your bleeds. This is Lacerateweaving in a nutshell.

Of course, there are some nuances surrounding this playstyle which I want to clarify in the following paragraphs:

B) Maintenance and other tips

1) When Berserk ends, I don't recommend bearweaving right away. Wait until Rake expires, refresh it, and then go bear. Since you're going to initiate a long bear cycle anyway, it's better to have this DoT ticking in the background. If you watch the previous clip again, you'll see that I got full value from it. If you don't want to AA the boss like a dummy whilst waiting for Rake to expire, I recommend casting NG so that you potentially force a CC proc.

2) Once Lacerate has 5 stacks, you periodically go in bear form for a single refresh on Lacerate and follow it up with Maul. However, sometimes your first bear AA might end up being a critical strike which will allow you to cast Mangle + Maul:

3) I recommend pairing your second and third Enrage with a long bear cycle, so that you get more value from it. This means that you need to make sure that your cat bleeds have a healthy duration and that your energy is low before you go bear. If you cannot find the opportunity to pair your last Enrage with a long bear cycle, you can instead go Maul-Lacerate-Maul:

4) If you go bear and your rage is enough for an extra ability, usually the correct order is Mangle -> Lacerate (assuming it's already at 5 stacks), so that you potentially obtain an additional tick from Lacerate:

However, this makes you susceptible to unfortunate RNG moments, where you get a CC proc before you refresh Lacerate:

In this clip, I used the first CC proc on Lacerate, and immediately afterwards I received another one. I went in cat form, utilised it on Shred, and obtained CPs from it. However, had I used the first CC proc on Mangle, I would have been forced to use the second on Lacerate and effectively waste it. This essentially means that Lacerate should be your first GCD in bear form if there's absolutely no chance for you to obtain an additional tick if you delay the bear bleed by 1.5 sec. If, however, you have the possibility to obtain an additional tick, then it's a matter of personal preference if you (dis)trust RNG and go either "Mangle -> Lacerate" or "Lacerate -> Mangle". Remember, each bear swing has a 14.58% chance to proc OoC.

5) The following tip is related to my previous one. Since Lacerate deals damage every 3 seconds, you can expect to obtain an extra tick during the following intervals - 2.9s, 5.9s, 8.9s, 11.9s. I will concentrate only on the first two because this DoT needs to be refreshed as late as possible. If you know exactly when Lacerate deals damage, you can decide whether you should refresh it immediately or use Mangle first to delay Lacerate by 1.5 seconds and potentially obtain an extra tick but also risk getting punished by RNG. The following diagram can give you a rough idea when to use what:

Clarification: If your Lacerate lasts less than 3s, you should definitely refresh it right away because otherwise you risk getting punished by RNG by giving you an OoC proc. Delaying the bear bleed in that case won't grant you an extra tick. Now imagine that this DoT has 4s of duration. If you cast Mangle, Lacerate's remaining duration will be 2.5s after the bear GCD, and therefore a tick will register in the meantime. However, if it's 4.5s, it will become 3 after the GCD, and you would miss the extra tick by a little bit. Of course, you could wait patiently a couple of milliseconds before you refresh Lacerate, but how long you can afford to wait depends on how close you're to autoattacking/Mauling in bear form. In case you're wondering, the answer is yes, you need to track your swing timer and enable decimal numbers in your add-ons to orient yourself better.

6) If your Rip is running low, but there's a gap of 3 seconds where you don't know what to do, you can either fish for CC procs with Barkskin/NG, or go in bear form only for a quick Maul. I recommend doing this when Lacerate's duration lasts at least 3 seconds longer than Rip's, so that you have time to refresh Rip (1 sec), shapeshift in bear form (1.5 sec), and refresh Lacerate before it expires:

7) Lastly, if the boss encounter lasts longer than 3 minutes, use the second Berserk in the last 15-20 seconds of the fight, so that you get more Lacerate ticks between both Berserks. For this you will need either TimeToDie or WA with a kill timer:

IV. How to swap your idols more optimally?

Basically, you need to pay attention to your swing timer and wait for the bear swing to start anew:

before you go in cat form and swap your idols:

If you pop Berserk shortly after engaging the boss, it's usually a good idea to start the fight with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40713 (assuming you don't have ToC or ICC gear) because you will spam Shred a lot during Berserk, and you'll get a lot of value from that idol (proof). Once Berserk ends, and you do your stuff in bear form, go in cat form and equip https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757, so that you snapshot Rip with it. From that moment onward, you switch your idol with the opposite one after each bear cycle:

Be aware, there is a situation where swapping idols is not a good idea. If Rip is about to run out, and you already have https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 equipped, but you need to refresh Lacerate ASAP, you can hold onto your current idol after the bear cycle:

This is better than resetting your swing timer because at most you'd gain one extra cat AA from it, but snapshotting Rip with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 yields more damage. This is especially true if you have Naxx gear due to the low amount of Arp and extended duration of Rip. For reference, with BiS Naxx gear a single cat AA deals 1.5k damage, whereas snapshotting Rip with the aforementioned idol grants you 4.5k damage. The good thing about this manoeuvre is that you don't need to wait for the swing timer to end and start over before you go back in cat form - you can enter cat form as soon as the bear GCD ends. This makes you more flexible in situations where Rip is about to expire, or your energy is about to overcap.

Everything I've said thus far assumes that you have neither https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47668 nor https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456. If you do, use them during your first Berserk. Once it ends, and you do your stuff in bear form, go in cat form and equip https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757. From that moment onward, you switch between those two relics, and use the Shred idol during your last Berserk, like so:

I'd advise you to disregard the previous tip about "holding onto https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 for a snapshot" because if you don't switch to either https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47668 or https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456 after the bear cycle, the Agility buff will expire.

6. TALENTS

Spoiler: Show

7. ADD-ON

Spoiler: Show

8. MACROS

Spoiler: Show

9. BIS LIST FOR THIS MANOEUVRE

Spoiler: Show

10. UTILISING OOC PROCS IN COMBAT

Spoiler: Show

11. PERSONAL ANALYSIS OF LACERATEWEAVING

Spoiler: Show

Advantages of Lacerateweaving:

Lacerate inflicts more damage than Mangle due to the fact that:
- it can ignore armour which is really good for people with low amount of Arp;
- it has more multipliers, and thus it benefits from AP/"% damage increase" effects a lot more;
- it gains additional multipliers from our set bonuses (2pt7 and 2pt10).

Disadvantages of Lacerateweaving:

Requires long ramp-up time to reach 5 stacks:
- 5 GCDs are needed for this task, which will require at least two bear cycles;
- it takes around 30 seconds for this technique to outperform Mangleweaving;
- failing to refresh the bleed in time would force the player to build it from scratch;
- this playstyle is extremely susceptible to boss mechanics, which prevent the player from dps-ing for a while.
If Lacerate's duration is running low, the cat player might feel compelled to sacrifice:
1. Rake ticks;
2. Rip ticks;
3. sudden CC procs while in bear form.
The additional micromanagement can overburden the player with information and lead to mistakes.

Commentary:
Leaving idol swapping aside, there are two variations of bearweaving: One is centered around Mangle, the other around Lacerate, and the latter has the potential to offer more damage. The explanation for this is simple - Lacerate beats Mangle in the long term. The longer the fight lasts, the more 5-stack ticks you will reap from the bear bleed, and the damage will just snowball from there. Speaking of snowballing, Lacerate synergises extremely well with temporary AP procs (https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42987, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=59621), "% damage increase" buffs (https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=5229, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016), and player-beneficial boss auras (https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=29232, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=28062, https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=61973). Moreover, during Naxx and Ulduar we have very low amount of Arp, which makes Lacerate's ability to bypass armour even more alluring. All of this might sound quite amazing for Lacerateweaving, however this technique is not without its share of problems, and in the next paragraphs I will explain them.

First of all, it cannot be performed optimally in every single boss encounter. Unlike Rake and Rip, the bear bleed should never be dropped - you can obtain up to 4 ticks before you go in bear form and refresh it. Failure to do so will result in a significant damage loss if you decide to build it anew. For reference, it takes around 30 seconds for Lacerate to outperform Mangle, from its first iteration to the fifth stack - Naxx gear, Uld gear, ICC gear. This means that in boss fights, where certain mechanics prevent you from re-applying this DoT constantly, Lacerate will be illadvised. Here's how I'd categorise them:

fights with target switching - think of Professor Putricide (oozes), the Lich King (raging spirits, valks), and many encounters in ToC/ToGC. Since tunnel-visioning would lead to important adds not being killed on time and thus to wipes, you cannot afford to stay on the bosses and maintain Lacerate. Moreover, the adds themselves don't last that long, so your Lacerate on them would never gain any value over Mangle.
fights with temporary boss immunity/fleeing - think of Razorscale (air phase), Mimiron (transition phases), Sindragosa (air phase), the Lich King (transition phases and the Frostmourne chamber), and many encounters in ToC/ToGC. Again, you won't have the possibility to refresh Lacerate before it expires.
fights with Crowd Control - think of Maexxna, Lord Marrowgar (HC), Lady Deathwhisper (HC), Sindragosa (getting tombed in the last phase). This actually has two negative effects -- not only are you unable to use cat abilities for a specific amount of time, but your energy also continues to regenerate. Even if such temporary incapacitation phase doesn't last that long, and you desperately try to refresh Lacerate after regaining control of your character, you'd inevitably lose valuable energy by postponing your cat rotation.

The story, however, doesn't end there. Since Lacerate is a bear ability and since each bear cycle lasts at least 4.5 seconds, refreshing the cat bleeds would prove to be difficult if by chance they're synced with the bear DoT. Prior to obtaining 4pt10, loss of a Rake tick might not be something devastating (it's equal to one 5-stack Lacerate tick), however a Rip tick is equal to two 5-stack Lacerate ticks regardless of patch. With 4pt10 present, a loss of a single Rake tick also nullifies the damage gain from two 5-stack Lacerate ticks. Now, it's true that the cat player can refresh Lacerate after 2-3 ticks (6-11 seconds) and not necessarily after 4 (12-14) if the conditions aren't optimal, though this minimises the benefits of the current Lacerate iteration and doesn't prevent the same happening again later.

Last but certainly not least, Lacerateweaving wastes a lot of our valuable CC procs. The most common case is when we go in bear form, and our first bear swing triggers OoC. In that scenario, we could go back in cat form and use the proc on Shred, but if Lacerate's remaining duration is running low, we would be compelled to use it on the bear bleed just to keep it going. Another example is when we stop dps-ing for a few seconds due to a boss mechanic. As monocats, we would cast GotW just so we gain some CC procs in the meantime. However, if we're trying to maintain Lacerate, it will demand the investment of that OoC proc. Last example - 2pt8. Need I say more? In all of those cases, using the proc on Lacerate would mean wasted energy and would defeat the purpose of the bear cycle. Like, the point of going bear is to fill passive, AA-ing time with bear abilities. If we use a CC on Lacerate, then we trade potential energy for rage. This might not be an issue for low-geared people, who could get an extra Mangle or Maul from the newly acquired resource, but people with ICC gear wouldn't need it because their first bear AA would be a critical strike more often than not which would grant them all the rage they could ever need. Using the CC proc on Lacerate wouldn't encourage those players to stay longer in bear form because they would swap back to cat form in order to avoid overcapping their energy. In this sense, a misused CC proc would mean wasted Shred damage (with potential CPs). For reference, with ICC gear a single Shred is equal to 15k, whereas four 5-stack Lacerate ticks - 12k. Of course, an argument can be made that the damage loss will be compensated from Lacerate in the long run, but just like before this doesn't prevent the same situation from happening again later.

The point I'm trying to make is that Lacerateweaving, despite offering more damage than Mangle, always comes with a trade-off and creates additional challenges for the player whenever he's forced to deal with certain boss mechanics. Now you're starting to see why I was never a fan of Lacerateweaving in the first place. It just goes against everything we're used to doing while playing as a cat. Unlike Mangleweaving, which stays true to its roots with occasional shifting in bear form, Lacerateweaving warps the entire cat playstyle around the bear bleed. Here comes the factor of personal preference once again - by knowing the advantages and disadvantages of this playstyle, you can decide for yourselves what you'd prefer - an ongoing bleed that should never be dropped or plain burst, which can be timed whenever you deem the conditions to be optimal. The good thing about Mangleweaving is that you can delay it by a few seconds, in order to preserve a Rip tick and the CC proc, whereas Lacerateweaving doesn't give you such freedom.

12. CHANGELOG

Spoiler: Show

08/10/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Added a table of contents and spoilers;
- Turned this post into a proper guide;
- Swapped this post's position with the one for flowershifting for the sake of a better style.

29/10/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the "BiS list" section:
*deleted the disclaimer;
*replaced the "23 haste" enchant with Flexweave;
*removed the old haste-centered builds and replaced them with strength;
*removed the haste food and replaced it with Arp/Strength.
- Added a music video at start to set the mood.
- Updated the "Talents" section:
*replaced the initial screenshot showcasing the talent build with two newer ones;
*added another sentence with three imgur links.
- Updated the "Requirements" section:
-> added more info in the first list;
-> added more info in the disclaimer.
- Updated "Mangleweaving vs Lacerateweaving":
*mentioned that CPs lose their value and that FB is generally ill-advised regardless of gear;
*deleted false text stating that Mangleweaving could potentially deal more damage than Lacerateweaving.

02/12/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Added the section "Utilising OoC procs in combat".

28/07/2024
- Added a disclaimer in the section concerning the BiS list.
- Minor edits.

16/11/2025
- Added wowhead links to the showcased talent builds.
- Minor edits.

24/11/2025
- Minor edits.

25/11/2025
- Updated "Requirements":
*separated the cat prerequisites from the bear conditions;
*deleted redundant text;
*minor stylistic changes.
- Added a new section called "Demonstration".
- Added a video in that section and a commentary.
- Updated the table of contents.

26/11/2025
- Updated "Demonstration":
*added a video from Classic WoW showcasing Lacerateweaving in OS 10.
*minor edits.

28/11/2025
- Added "Macros".
- Updated the table of contents.
- Updated "Demonstration":
*added two videos (Mangleweaving and Lacerateweaving);
*added a commentary under the new Lacerateweaving video.

29/11/2025
- Updated "Demonstration":
*made the section quite reminiscent of that from the 3rd post (with two subsections, one demonstrating the basic principle of each bearweaving technique, and the other depicts the technique in action);
*added a video with Lacerateweaving featuring idol swapping;
*added commentary for that video.

30/11/2025
- Updated "Demonstration":
*replaced the Mangleweaving video with a better one;
*added commentary for that video.
- Updated "Mangleweaving vs Lacerateweaving":
*removed the subsection revolving around the tips and tricks;
*changed the title of the section to "General analysis of Lacerateweaving";
*added more information in the "pros and cons" part;
*added imgur links to three different builds;
*added more examples to the list;
*minor edits.
- Updated the table of contents with the new information.

01/12/2025
- Changed the name of the section "General analysis of Lacerateweaving" (now it's "personal...").
- Changed the order of the last sections.
- Updated the table of contents.

01/12/2025
- Added "Bearweaving 101".
- Updated the table of contents.

04/12/2025
- Added an extra video in "Bearweaving 101".
- Minor edits.

06/12/2025
- Replaced the diagrams in "Demonstration" with slightly more symmetrical ones.

12/12/2025
- Updated "Requirements":
*removed redundant information;
*updated the information in the disclaimer.

13/12/2025
- Updated "Requirements":
*mentioned Rake in the cat prerequisites;
*updated the information in the disclaimer.
- Updated "Bearweaving 101":
*added another subsection (general overview);
*added more information in the subsection concerning Mangleweaving;
*added another video;
*minor stylistic changes.

14/12/2025
- Updated "Talents":
*put all three imgur pictures in one single album and added the new link to the section;
*minor stylistic changes.
- Updated "Demonstration":
*minor edits to the commentary concerning Lacerateweaving with idol swapping;
*minor edits to the commentary concerning Lacerateweaving w/o idol swapping.
- Minor edits.

20/12/2025
- Mentioned "Predatory Instincts" in "Pros and Cons".
- Updated "Bearweaving 101":
*added more videos and information concerning idol swapping;
*added another paragraph explaining the different thresholds for Lacerate ticks.
- Updated "Demonstration":
*removed a video depicting me practising Lacerateweaving with ICC gear;
*removed a video depicting me practising Lacerateweaving with Naxx gear;
*added a better one with updated commentary;
*removed a video depicting me practising idol swapping with Naxx gear;
*added another video depicting me practising idol swapping with Naxx gear;
*added a better one with updated commentary.
- Minor edits.

**Kovachut** · June 18, 2022

GOTVV-SHIFT
(SUPPLEMENT)

How it feels:

Stimulate your parses.

Table of Contents

Definition
Pros and Cons
Requirements
Demonstration
Talents
Add-on
Macros
BiS list for this manoeuvre
Practice makes better
Utilising OoC procs in combat
Attack speed modifiers
Timing FB with the GotVV-shift
Extras - super niche tips for dedicated minmaxers
Not an exploit
Final thoughts
Changelog

1. DEFINITION

Spoiler: Show

2. PROS AND CONS

Spoiler: Show

Pros:

We gain a CP or two (in case of a critical strike)
-> in the long run, this can be used to squeeze in a FB;
-> in the short run, this can help us refresh SR or Rip faster if either of those abilities are about to expire.
Shred is stronger than one AA, and on average it can even compensate 3 lost AAs.
The probability to proc a CC is higher with GotW than relying on AAs to do the job. Sometimes waiting for AAs to proc a CC would result in less damage if those end up whiffing.

Cons:

Casting GotW doesn't guarantee a success 100% of the time. If this powershift ends up whiffing, we'd have to spend another GCD to do this again. As a result, more AAs would be sacrificed, and we might lose some energy if the latter reaches the caps declared by http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17059 while we're in caster form.
Getting a CC proc before or after the powershift would result in us losing AA damage for nothing.
By exiting cat form, our bleeds lose the 10% modifier from https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33867.
By exiting cat form, other members lose our 5% melee crit aura.

Unsolved drawback in the old 3.3.5 client:

Spoiler: Show

The conclusions in this subsection are explained in full detail here (general pros and cons), here (displaying the chance for a CC from an AA via /rolling), and here (the post concerning the 5% melee crit aura + the following two posts afterwards).

3. REQUIREMENTS

Spoiler: Show

4. DEMONSTRATION

Spoiler: Show

I. Variations in terms of difficulty

Easy

Short description:

/cast Gift of the Wild
you don't need to worry about syncing the druid buff with the cat swing all that much;
just make sure that you don't have a CC proc before casting GotW;
once in neutral form, you autoattack with your current weapon (you trade de-facto 2.4 cat AAs for a swing with a staff or 3.6 in case of Oathbinder);
the weakest variation.

Medium

Short description:

/cast Gift of the Wild /stopattack
timing the druid buff matters here because this determines how big the damage gain will be;
a small reaction window is necessary in case you get a lucky CC proc before casting GotW;
once in neutral form, you completely stop attacking (depending on how well you time GotW, you miss out on 1-2 cat AAs, but you don't sit through the long swing timer caused by your main weapon);
the 2nd strongest variation.

Hard

Short description:

/cast Gift of the Wild
timing the druid buff matters here because this determines how big the damage gain will be;
a small reaction window is necessary in case you get a lucky CC proc before casting GotW;
once in neutral form, you autoattack with your current weapon;
you need to reset your swing timer by swapping your idols the moment you go back in cat form, so that you shorten the downtime caused by your main weapon;
all in all, you miss out on the same amount of AAs as with /stopattack, but with this manoeuvre you trade one cat AA for a swing with your main weapon, and this brings you more benefits (read "Extras" for more info);
the strongest variation.

Disclaimer: In terms of damage output, the hierarchical order remains "swing reset" > "/stopattack" > "uninterrupted swing" from Naxx all the way to ICC & RS. However, should you have a 2.4-speed weapon (e.g. http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40388, http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45613, http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47463 etc), the delay caused by human error cannot be longer than 0.3 seconds, otherwise both the "/stopattack" and the "swing reset" variations become worse than the "uninterrupted swing". For example, if you attack in cat form, cast GotW 0.3 seconds later and immediately shapeshift back the moment the GCD ends, you can perform anything you desire, but the damage gain from the first two types won't be that high. Should you cast it with a bigger delay, you'd be better off sitting through the long swing timer. With http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50735, on the other hand, the player is actually encouraged to interrupt the swing (timer). Doing so grants them a generous reward and offers them a lot of leeway for human error (0.7-0.8 seconds).

The math behind those conclusions is posted here and here.

II. Actual showcase

Disclaimer: I want to make something perfectly clear. I don't consider myself the best pilot for this technique or for the cat spec in general. You are going to see some misplays, and I'm going to comment on them. However, just because you are about to see suboptimal execution from me, that doesn't mean that the GotVV-shift is bad. The entire criticism should be directed towards the pilot, not the technique! Having clarified that, I will continue:

A) GotVV-shift with a non-interrupted swing

UWU logs link

Background:

Spoiler: Show

Commentary of the events in a chronological order:

Spoiler: Show

Why the lack of sound? I actually have footage w/ sound, but the problem is that an annoying static sound can be heard. If someone wants to hear the original audio, I can provide them with a link.
0:13 A bit unfortunate that I got a CC proc the moment I popped TF and Berserk. Despite me having 5 CPs at 0:15, I decided to cast another Shred and lower my energy a bit in case of another CC proc. In retrospect, I should have cast Rip sooner. Despite getting a CC proc at 0:17, had I gone 5CPs -> Rip -> Shred, I would have still lowered my energy and prevented overcapping it.
0:21 Since I got a bunch of CC procs during Berserk, it was only logical for me to cast FB mid-Berserk.
0:27 Usually, I wouldn't advise people to go from 4CPs to 5CPs and cast SR, as this sacrifices valuable CPs which could be saved for another important finisher (like Rip) or spent on FB. However, given the circumstances in my playthrough I didn't want to do either of those things. I knew that I was going to generate 5 CPs for Rip after Berserk without a sweat thanks to the GotVV-shift, but doing this and also casting a FB would have been way too risky. This is why I decided to play it safe and invest more CPs on SR during Berserk. In hindsight, I could have cast a sneaky FB prior to Rip since I got two CC procs in a row at 00:38, but there was no way for me to predict this outcome.
0:52 Same here. I had 4CPs, 60+ energy, and Rake expired. Had I cast FB, I would have had a difficult time of refreshing both SR and Rip on time + I would have caused a lot of Rake downtime. By going Rake -> 5CPs -> GotVV-shift -> SR, I made sure to utilise SR's duration more efficiently and to have a CC at my disposal for the upcoming Rip cycle. Yes, the game punished me for that flowershift by refreshing the proc at 0:57, but in most cases this would have been the correct play.
1:08 Admittedly, I should have used the CC proc on Shred and not on Mangle because there wasn't any risk of losing the bleed debuff. Had Mangle expired in less than 1 second, using the CC proc on this ability would have been the correct play.
1:21 I decided to lower my energy by going Shred (5CPs) -> Rake (5CPs) because I wanted to squeeze in another GotVV-shift before Rip expired. In retrospect, I shouldn't have done that because I cast Rip with a small delay. By itself, this wasn't a bad thing due to the fact that I compensated that 1-second downtime with additional Shred damage. However, in this scenario it wasn't a clever decision because SR was about to expire soon, and by delaying Rip I just shortened the time window, where I could generate CPs for the next finisher.
1:27-1:31 I managed to snapshot Rake with SR in the last possible moment and obtain 4CPs. This was too close for comfort and extremely lucky on my part. Had I cast Rake a few milliseconds later, I would have lost the snapshot. This is why I don't recommend doing what I did here. Btw, this particular scenario was analysed in more detail in this post.
1:43 Thanks to TF and the lucky CC proc at 1:46, I managed to generate enough CPs for Rip before it expired. Had TF been on CD, I wouldn't have gone for the bite at all. Had I not received a CC proc at 1:46, I would have cast the druid buff, so TF was the hero here.
1:55 I did the same thing as in 0:54, but this time around the game didn't punish me.
2:01 Boomer reflexes. I shouldn't have used the CC proc on Rake.
2:03 Misplay. The correct play was to go for a FB into a GotVV-shift into Mangle. That way, I would have utilised Mangle's duration more efficiently and would have had more CPs later. By refreshing Mangle prematurely, I made it possible for it to expire BEFORE the boss died (check 3:53). According to my addon TimeToDie, the boss would have died in 14 seconds, whereas Mangle's duration only had 9 seconds left. Had I cast a FB at 2:03 instead of Mangle, I wouldn't have shortened its duration unnecessarily, and instead of casting Mangle at 3:53 I would have cast Shred instead. This goes to show how a misplay in the heat of the battle can influence the person's plays at the end.
2:12 I couldn't refresh Rip on time due to the aforementioned misplay.
2:27 Easy 5.833% CC proc from Innervate.
2:33 The game punished me for casting the druid buff by refreshing the proc. Hadn't this been the case, performing the GotVV-shift would have been the correct play.
2:48 Having TF and 4CPs at my disposal is what encouraged me to go for the bite.
2:51 I did the same thing as in 0:54, but once again the game didn't punish me.
3:09 Textbook FB (I had 4CPs, 35 energy, both Rip and SR had more than 12 seconds of duration, and Berserk was going to come off CD soon).
3:19 I don't recommend doing what I did here, i.e. casting Berserk when TF was off CD. This is because by delaying TF for too long, we risk having one less during the boss encounter. Luckily for me, I managed to squeeze one at the end, but this doesn't hide the fact that what I did would have been a misplay under normal circumstances.
3:30 Textbook FB (I had 4CPs, 18 energy in Berserk, both Rip and SR had more than 12 seconds of duration).
3:32 I managed to squeeze in a Shred for 2CPs -> TF into Shred for 4 CPs -> another textbook FB.
3:47 Overcapping 6 energy was intentional on my part because I didn't want to waste CPs. In retrospect, this wasn't a clever idea because the chances of getting a CC proc due to the high attack speed and thus the risk of overcapping more energy were high. Anyway, TimeToDie determined that the boss would die in 17 seconds. Because of this, I knew that I was going to get at least 5 ticks from this bleed, which would inflict more damage than FB, so this was why I refreshed this DoT.
3:49 According to TimeToDie, the boss was going to die in 18 seconds. Casting SR with 2 CPs matched that duration, so this is why I refreshed this buff.
3:53 Casting Mangle here was the result of me refreshing it at 2:03.
3:58 Refreshing Rake was a misplay. I thought that I would get at least 2 ticks from it but got only one. I should have cast FB instead and maybe follow it up with a GotVV-shift.
4:02-4:03 Thanks to TF, I managed to squeeze in two Shreds before the boss died.

UWU logs link

Background:

Spoiler: Show

Commentary of the events in a chronological order:

Spoiler: Show

0:00-0:14 This was my "preparation" phase for the pre-pull SR. I lured one of the Vengeful Fleshreapers with FFF and used it as a punching bag for CPs. In order to get rid of my threat, I relied on https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=4397's hidden effect. Once I left combat, I equipped my main trinket.
0:20 Since the Fleshreapers run from one end of the pipe to the other, had I stood close to the raid group before casting SR, the mob could have come out SR's 100 yard range. This is why I wanted to be as close to it as possible before popping that finisher. I should mention that my guild was not used to me min-maxing like that, hence why I had no intention to bother them for a warlock summon, though this would have made the pre-pull SR more profitable.
0:37 Unfortunately, I failed to pre-pot with Potion of Speed even though I clicked on it.
0:43 If it weren't for that CC proc, I would have used Shred -> TF -> Berserk. Thanks to the sudden OoC proc and the lucky crits, I decided to squeeze in a 4CP FB before popping Berserk.
0:47-0:48 Waiting one second before popping Berserk was intentional on my part. I wanted to gather more energy for the big CD.
0:59 Admittedly, the FB was risky there and the lucky CC proc "saved" me. I should mention that I would have used the GotVV-shift after Berserk if my RNG wasn't that good.
1:17 Since my SR and Rip were synced, and my energy was relatively low, I felt discouraged to go for another FB. Had I pooled my energy 'til 35 and used it on that finisher, I would have had less than 10 seconds to generate enough CPs for both SR and Rip. Even with a TF at my disposal and a trusty GotVV-shift, I would have had a hard time refreshing Rip on time under those circumstances. That said, if my energy had been close to 35 the moment I reached 4 CPs or if SR and Rip had had 2-3 extra seconds on their durations, I wouldn't have hesitated to bite Festergut.
1:38 Since Mangle was offline, using the CC proc on it was correct. It was unfortunate that the bleed debuff was inactive for half a second, but I didn't have a good reason to cast it sooner. After all, the presence of a CC proc and 50+ energy at 1:32 and then 5 CPs at 1:34 incentivised me to utilise those resources on Shred and FB before going for a GotVV-shift into Mangle.
1:45 Not casting FB was correct since Rip was going to expire soon, however I should have cast the druid buff and followed it up with a 0-CP Shred. The conditions were optimal for that play.
2:38 Since I got a CC proc from an AA, casting the druid buff was a misplay.
3:07 Since I didn't have TF at my disposal, I decided to play it safe and skip FB. In order to get more value from SR, I went for another GotVV-shift before refreshing it.
3:34 Using the CC on Mangle was a misplay because I wasn't in a rush to refresh it. I could have gone with Shred w/ the CC -> Rake -> Mangle. By refreshing the latter ability a bit early, I also screwed myself in the long term, as I had to cast it an additional time instead of Shred at 4:28.
3:45 I should have used the CC on Rake.
3:58 In hindsight, I should have refreshed Rake before casting FB and disregarded the sacrificed CPs because I was going to sacrifice them during Berserk anyway.
4:14 In hindsight, I should have refreshed SR with 3 CPs because the boss fight was going to end in 24-26 seconds, and it was pointless to extend its duration beyond that. Since SR doesn't consume CC procs, it would have benefited from Berserk's reduced energy cost.
4:28 I cast Mangle because according to my "TimeToDie" addon the boss was going to die once the bleed debuff expired. However, if I hadn't refreshed Mangle at 3:34, I would have cast Shred at 4:28 instead.
4:35 Someone moved the boss towards the raid, which was the reason I used yet another Mangle. Had the boss been positioned properly, I would have cast Shred instead.

B) GotVV-shift with /stopattack

UWU logs link

Background:

Spoiler: Show

Commentary of the events in a chronological order:

Spoiler: Show

Before I begin commenting on the events seen on the video, I want to clarify that I'm using suboptimal macros for the "stopattack" variation of the GotVV-shift. While I still use wtfzomglol's macro that combines the druid buff with the "stopattack" command, I don't use the other one (with "cat form" and "startattack"). I still use "startattack" macros, but they are tied to my offensive abilities like Mangle, Rake, Shred etc. This is my personal preference, but this also causes a longer delay of my AAs which can be seen on this screenshot. In comparison, this is how the "stopattack" variation should look like - simcraft. I don't plan on recording myself for a second time whilst executing this playstyle, but I want to point out the thing you need to avoid. In other words, make sure you use a macro that immediately starts the swing timer once you enter cat form. kthx
0:01 Two Mangles at start (one from the pug cat player, the other from me). We didn't coordinate the Mangle debuff with each other which is why this happened. Had we done that, the correct play on my end would have been using Rake at start.
0:06 Unfortunate CC proc during Berserk's CD prevented me from spending my energy, and as a result I overcapped 16 energy. In hindsight, I shouldn't have cast Berserk immediately after popping TF. The correct play order would have been the following: TF -> Shred -> Berserk.
0:06-0:21 typical TF-Berserk, FB-last Berserk opener.
0:34 When I cast GotW, I already had a CC proc, and thus I lost AAs for nothing. Under normal circumstances, I would have treated this as a misplay, but in this particular scenario the game gave me a CC proc way too late (after I had already mashed the keybind for GotW), and this can be seen in this imgur link. What conclusion can we draw from this, I leave this conundrum for you to solve, but I do want to mention that this was a perfect example why we need a small reaction window after each AA to react to sudden or, should I say, delayed CC procs.
0:35-0:40 TF was delayed by 5 seconds, which prevented me from using it one more time before the boss fight ended. Due to the GCDs caused by "Cat form" and "Shred", Rake was delayed by 3 seconds, which means that I lost a whole tick in the meantime. So, given THESE circumstances fishing for CC procs with GotW at 0:34 can safely be considered a misplay. I want to mention that I have a habit of casting GotW whenever I have a free GCD because I want to have more resources (i.e. CC procs) during boss fights, and what I said in this paragraph (about TF and Rake's uptime) really depends on the duration of the boss encounter. I don't keep track of it because I'm not a dedicated min-maxer, but this is a good example why this matters.
0:43 Same commentary as 0:34. Really unfortunate that it happened twice in this fight.
0:48-0:49 Misplay. I should have cast another Shred before casting Rake.
0:50-0:51 Rip had 3 seconds remaining on its duration, and I decided to fish for a CC proc with NG. I didn't get it, but I want to mention that forcing OoC procs during foreseeable idle time is the correct play. In this particular case, I should have used GotW since it's more reliable than NG.
0:55 I didn't want to overcap my energy with the GotVV-shift, which is why I cast Shred.
1:00 I deliberately refreshed Mangle because it was running low, and I didn't have enough energy to go Shred -> Rake -> Mangle, so I decided to prioritise the bleed debuff. Unfortunately, Rake was once again inactive for 3 seconds, which cost me a whole tick. While I don't regret casting GotW and fishing for CC procs, I want to clarify that using NG here (more precisely at 0:54) and not at 0:50 would have been the better play. Assuming I got a CC proc from NG, I wouldn't have used my energy on Shred (like I did at 0:55). I would have used the CC proc on Shred and refreshed Rake and Mangle on time with the leftover energy.
1:02 Even though I AA-ed, the CC proc appeared with a delay, which was perfect because it was not wasted on my FB.
1:04 Same commentary as 0:34. Really unfortunate that it happened thrice in this fight. This time, the reaction window was even more shorter (I welcome you to check UwU logs).
1:10 Since SR and Rip were synced, and I had a lot of energy + a TF + a CC proc at my disposal, I decided to be greedy with SR, which is why I waited for Rake to expire before refreshing SR with 5 CPs. I had a lot of resources and was able to refresh Rip on time afterwards. However, had I been behind on my energy, I would have cast SR sooner with less CPs.
1:21 Since both SR and Rip had long durations, and I had 50 energy, I decided to cast Shred and go for a 5-CP FB instead of a 4-CP one. Seeing what happened afterwards, this was the correct play, but on theory (and with better luck at 1:28-1:29) I could have cast two 4-CP FBs before refreshing Rip and SR.
1:32-1:33 got punished for casting GotW, since an AA overwrote it after changing to cat form.
1:48 My GotVV-shift whiffed, and I had to cast the druid buff for a second time. As a result, I lost another Rake proc.
1:54 Had I not been a GotVV-shifter, I would have skipped FB and saved my CPs for Rip. However, as a flowershifter I rely on the druid buff to help me generate CPs on demand, and since Rip had 7-8 seconds of duration, I was confident that I would generate 5 CPs on time.
2:01 Since Rip and Rake were about to expire, I didn't want to go for another GotVV-shift and sit through two long GCDs, which is why I cast Barkskin + NG. While I still sat through a long GCD, I was able to refresh Rake w/o a delay. My misplay was refreshing Rip even though I had a CC proc. I think I just didn't notice the proc due to the ice on the floor, which overlapped with the white spark on my DroodFocus add-on (so, my choice of UI can be blamed for this mistake).
2:16 I wanted to overlap SR's duration with the last remaining seconds of the fight, which is why I prioritised refreshing it with 4 CPs.
2:26 Since according to TimeToDie DBS was going to die in 17 seconds, I felt encouraged to refresh Rip.
2:33 Seeing the timer on TimeToDie, I felt discouraged to refresh Rake which is why I cast Shred. Now, this wasn't a mistake, but refreshing Rake with a CC proc at 2:24 was. Under normal circumstances, what I did at 2:24 would have been considered the correct play because I went Rake -> 5 CPs -> Rip -> Shred. However, this play is only beneficial if I get more Rake uptime from it. Since I didn't cast another Rake at 2:33, I was in no hurry to refresh Rake at 2:24, so I could have delayed it a bit and preserved 7 energy. At the end, those 7 energy points wouldn't have mattered, but I still want to point out the logic behind some of the tips mentioned in the first post.
2:35 I cast FB, followed it up with GotW and cast two Shreds. I mean, this would have been the correct play had I had a few more seconds to spare with because I would have cast a 4-CP FB at the end. Seeing what happened, the correct play here would have been delaying that 5-CP until the last possible second, which would have allowed me to convert my remaining energy into useful damage.

C) GotVV-shift with a swing reset

Background:

Spoiler: Show

Commentary of the events in a chronological order:

Spoiler: Show

at around 0:35 I muted the clip because my guildies were discussing personal things.
0:15-0:36 typical TF-Berserk, FB-last Berserk opener. I decided to postpone my "TF-Berserk" combo at 0:18-0:22 because I feared overcapping energy (like, I had 0.4 attack speed, and there was a resto druid in the raid. This was the good call imho because a few moments later I got 2 CCs in a row (0:24-0:27).
0:46 Under normal circumstances, this would have been a missed DBW snapshot. However, the buff was Haste, and as I've clarified above, I purposely waited for my energy to pool for a bit, in order to avoid overcapping it unnecessarily.
0:59-1:00 using the CC on Rake, in order to get more value from the initial SR and to increase the next SR's duration, was correct.
1:11 I wanted to utilise the CC sooner and not risk overwriting it with another CC proc from an AA, hence why letting Rake drop for 2 seconds was a conscious decision. In hindsight, I should have waited a bit and refreshed it with the CC.
1:20 I got punished for casting GotW. I should have stayed a bit longer in cat form and cat Shred with the CC proc -> Rake.
1:30 Not the best timing for the second potion, but I wanted to pop it and forget about it later.
1:34 Using the CC on Rake was the correct play. This was better than going Shred -> Rip -> Rake or Shred -> Rake -> Rip as I've explained in the first post.
1:42 the boss needed to be repositioned. This wasn't my fault, but the circumstances were just unfortunate, and I overcapped a bit of energy.
2:15 I wanted to keep the 220 Agility proc. After swapping the idol like that, I decided to pool some energy for Rake.
2:20 I swapped my idol with Worship, so that I could get the snapshot on Rip.
2:22 got punished for casting GotW, since an AA overwrote it after changing to cat form.
2:30 SR was a misplay. I should have cast FB with those 4 CPs and refreshed SR with 2 afterwards.
2:47-2:48 Had I played a bit better in this fight, I would have received the damage from the last Rake tick and would have been able to cast FB.

UWU logs link

Background:

Spoiler: Show

Commentary of the events in a chronological order:

Spoiler: Show

0:03-0:04 Two Mangles at start (one from the pug cat player, the other from me). We didn't coordinate the Mangle debuff with each other which is why this happened. Had we done that, the correct play on my end would have been using Rake at start.
0:05 Casting Rake whilst having a CC proc was a mistake. This is because the boss was already bleeding with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=12867, so I should have used Shred instead. In other words, the correct play order under these circumstances would have been EITHER "Mangle -> SR -> Shred -> Rake", OR PREFERABLY "Rake -> SR -> Shred -> Shred", if the pug cat player and I had coordinated the Mangle debuff better with each other.
0:09-0:24 typical TF-Berserk, FB-last Berserk opener. A bit unfortunate that I got a CC proc the moment Berserk was cast, but this was caused by bad RNG.
0:25-0:27 Even though Rake was inactive, I decided to perform a GotVV-shift before refreshing the bleed debuff. This was a deliberate decision because Rip was going to fall off shortly after Rake, and I wanted to force a CC proc ASAP, so that I could generate 5 CPs on time for Rip. As a result, I managed to snapshot my second Rip with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=71561 and https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016 + https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 (which I used to reset the swing timer after the GotVV-shift).
0:37-0:41 Even though I had 4 CPs and less than 50 energy, I decided to go for a 5-CP FB, and I would like to explain the reason for that: Ok, so both SR and Rip had more than 12 seconds of duration, and I had TF at my disposal. Under such circumstances, generating CPs for these abilities is never an issue, and I always have leftover CPs that I can invest in FB. The actual hard part is assessing the conditions and deciding between two 4-CP FBs or a single 5-CP one. Had I cast a 4-CP FB at 0:37, I would have followed it up with TF + Rake + Shred, and I would have most likely received 4 CPs. However, by that time SR and Rip would have had around 10 seconds of duration, and if I were to bite the boss again, I would be left with 0 energy, 0 CPs, and no TF. While it's not impossible to recover from this, especially as a GotVV-shifter, I just didn't want to take any risks, which is why I decided to keep my energy for Rake, refresh it on time, and cast FB with 5CPs. I should mention that this was my (subconscious) decision BEFORE receiving a CC proc at 0:39. Had I expected it, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe I would have gone for two 4CP FBs, but it's hard to tell. I don't regret going for a 5-CP FB - it was the safer play.
0:46 The CC proc got overwritten just when I was about to use Shred. Really unfortunate timing.
0:56 I cast Barkskin + NG in order to proc OoC, and I got the proc. When both Mangle and Rake are about to expire, I prefer to proc OoC with those spells because I get to stay in cat form.
1:08 Not using Rake was a misplay. I don't know why I didn't use it back then. If I had played correctly, I would have cast GotW immediately afterwards, and I would have followed it up with SR -> TF + three Shreds -> Rip. Due to my misplay, I invested more CPs in SR than I should have, and as a result I had minor difficulties refreshing Rip on time.
1:29 Since Rake was about to run out, and I didn't want to lose the Agility buff, I decided to swap my idols prematurely. Somehow I got the correct timing - it was purely coincidental - and the next AA didn't come with a delay.
1:41 Since both Rake and Rip expired at the same time, the correct order would have been Rake (with the CC) -> Rip -> Shred. Had I played it like so, the next Rake would have expired sooner, and I would have cast that 5-CP FB with less energy.
2:03 Again, I should have cast Rake with the CC proc. I think the reason why I didn't do it like this was because I didn't expect to reach 5 CPs (if I had reached 4 CPs, I would have been forced to cast another Shred and basically lose 7 energy). Since I didn't refresh Rake with that CC proc, it was inactive for 3 seconds, and as a result I lost a whole tick. This is a good example why CCs shouldn't always be used on Shred - there's a priority list even for the CC procs, which changes depending on the circumstances and which needs to be respected.
2:17 Unfortunately, even though I cast Rake whilst having SR, it didn't get the snapshot. The correct play here would have been refreshing SR with 2 CPs instead of 4. Tbh, I considered this because I saw that the boss was going to die in 20 seconds, and I figured it would be better to sync SR with the remaining duration of the boss fight. At the end, I decided to refresh Rake like that because I didn't want to sacrifice its uptime, but this was a mistake as explained before.
2:23 Kinda unfortunate that I didn't get a CC proc from the first GotW, so I had to cast it for a second time.
2:26 Not refreshing Rake was correct because I wouldn't have got the third and final tick before the boss fight ended. However, had I cast Rake at 2:03, I would have been able to refresh it three seconds earlier (at around 2:23), and thus I would have profited from its full effect. This goes to show that "tiny" mistakes can have long-term consequences.

UWU logs link

Background:

Spoiler: Show

Commentary of the events in a chronological order:

Spoiler: Show

Setup

0:00-1:46 This timeframe marks the beginning and the end of the setup phase;
0:00-0:01 The reason I had DBW unequipped was because I wanted to trigger its ICD before the fight began. Usually trinkets have an ICD of 45 seconds, but for DBW it's 1:45. This is almost as long as the RP event for Horde players prior to the DBS boss fight (1:40), but to ensure that the trinket procced at start w/o delay, I asked my RL to give me a 5-second pre-warning before he started the RP event. This is why you can hear him saying "You get your 5 seconds" at the beginning of the clip;
0:02 I equipped my 4pt8 Ulduar set which adds 8 extra seconds to SR;
0:04-0:10 I stood close to the teleporter and waited for the RP event to start because I wanted my DBM addon to display the timer for the beginning of the boss fight. This gave me a clear idea how much time I had, and a bit later I used this information to time the chicken, the pre-pull SR, the Sulfuron Slammer, and the pre-pot properly;
0:13 I equipped the https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725;
0:15-0:34 I don't have a keybind for https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=53313, so I preferred to cast it from the spellbook. Anyway, the reason I rooted the skeleton was because I didn't want him to chase me and die from the friendly NPCs while I was exiting the instance;
0:29 I want to note that a rogue cleared the traps before I started the setup phase. A few weeks ago, we didn't do that, and I was taken aback by the sound of the trap triggering (clip). This not only prevented me from obtaining 5 CPs in peace but also from equipping my regular gear and pre-potting normally after I had cast the druid buff for a CC proc (clip);
0:56-0:59 I exited the instance, so that I could remove my threat. I want to note that I was lucky that I didn't encounter any hostile members of the opposite faction. One day, I was not so fortunate, and I got killed before I could re-enter ICC (clip). This is why I personally recommend taking the Dalaran portal near the merchants and accepting two summons from a warlock (example);
1:01 STS has a 45-second ICD, so I activated https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=10725 and equipped my regular trinket;
1:13-1:21 I cast https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33786 on a critter in order to force my chicken to attack it. Since we summon the chicken 45 seconds before a fight begins, we shorten its life span by that amount, and as a result we have less opportunities to get the https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=23060 buff from it, but by casting Cyclone on a nearby critter and by forcing the chicken to attack it, we increase the likelihood of obtaining the 5% melee haste buff. I didn't get it during the setup phase, but if you watch this video you'll see that it works;
1:25 I asked my RL for a warlock summon;
1:39 Since I had 4pt8 equipped, I cast a pre-pull SR with a longer duration;
1:40 I accepted the summon and rejoined my fellow team members;
1:44 I had a weapon with the https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43987 enchant. 2 Seconds before the fight began, I drank https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=38466 which triggered the effect of the enchant, and then I switched to my regular ICC gear;
1:45 Haste pre-pot;
Before I comment on my plays during the boss fight, I want to mention that I have https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=46780 in my bags and that I could have cast SR 1 second prior to the boss fight. However, the reason I chose the skeleton as my storage for CPs was because not everyone has access to the pinata on warmane. As I'm updating this post, this item can only be purchased for 15 coins on the Lordearon coin shop, which means that Icecrowners and players from the other seasonal realms (Frostmourne & Onyxia) have absolutely to way to obtain it. I wanted to record a clip that could be seen as helpful and informative by everyone. If you have the Ogre Pinata and want to use it for CPs, the setup looks differently. For more information on the matter, I recommend reading the section titled "Pre-pull Savage Roar" in the first post of this guide.

Boss fight

1:46-4:34 This timeframe marks the beginning and the end of the boss fight;
1:46-1:48 My positioning was wrong, but thankfully I managed to correct it fast and cast feral abilities w/o getting parried;
1:54 I should have waited one second before popping Berserk in order to have more energy for discounted abilities;
1:54-2:09 Berserk phase. Up until 2:06, there were no mistakes on my part, and I followed the typical "FB-last Berserk" pattern, where I spammed Shred and cast FB with as little energy as possible. Seeing that I was quite unlucky with the CC procs at start (I had the Black Magic buff, after all), I decided to cast Barkskin and to trigger OoC with it. Fortunately for me, I got the proc, I followed it up with Shred and reached 4 CPs. Since Rake was going to expire in 1 second, I wanted to get rid of my CPs ASAP and start generating them anew. This is why I cast FB at 2:06-2:07, but this is when I started ****ing up my Berserk phase. As I'm writing this commentary, I want to clarify that casting a 4-CP FB with less than 24 energy would have normally been the correct play under those circumstances since this would have allowed me to benefit from my expendable CPs before I started generating 5 for Rip. After all, had I used my energy on Shred and then Rake, Berserk would have ended, and I would have had no opportunities to cast FB before Rip expired. Casting a 4-CP FB would have been the only logical play at 2:06, and I wouldn't have regretted it if I hadn't received a sudden CC proc a few moments later. Since this was the case and since I was too slow to react to it, casting FB here was a mistake. The correct play would have been me using Shred with the CC proc, following it up with Rake, and casting another Shred in the last few seconds of Berserk with no FB before Rip. I have absolutely no idea why I cast the druid buff when I had a CC proc at the end - I think it was also due to boomer reflexes;
1:55 This is when I got Hysteria from my BDK, which was too late for me because I had already cast Rip, meaning I lost a huge snapshot. I want to clarify that this was MY mistake because I didn't coordinate the 20% physical damage buff with my tank, but you should definitely ask your BDK to give you Hysteria at start if you plan to go for a pre-pull SR like me;
2:11 Wrong order. I should have cast Shred (with the CC proc) -> Rake;
2:13 Wrong idol. I wanted to get the snaphot on Rip with https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757, but I messed up my keybinds. Honestly, I rarely use the "swing reset" variation of the GotVV-shift; I usually go with the simplest one, so my muscle memory needed time to remember which keys it needed to press. In other words, I haven't practised this particular playstyle in a while, and this was the result;
2:19 I cast GotW and got no CC procs from it. This was a bit unfortunate because I counted on getting it before switching to cat form and equipping https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456. Since I didn't equip the idol immediately, I lost the 220 Agility buff;
2:23 Wrong order. I should have cast SR -> Shred (with the CC proc) -> Rake;
2:38 Finally a proper Worship snapshot;
2:47 Since SR and Rip's durations were almost synced and had relatively short durations, I didn't feel comfortable for a FB. I decided to waste some CPs by casting Shred, go for a GotVV-shift, refresh SR, and build up CPs for Rip;
2:53 Getting a CC proc and seeing that TF was going to come off CD before Rip expired was the reason I decided to change my plans and follow it up with a FB...
2:57 ... I admit that the FB was risky and that I was rightfully punished. I had a TF at my disposal, and I guess I counted on receiving another CC proc before Rip expired. I should have used Barkskin + NG to increase my chances of receiving a proc;
3:01 I should have cast another Shred with the Ravenous Beast idol before switching to the Crying Moon;
3:19 Another unlucky GotW;
3:21 I waited to for the swing to swing to finish, so that I could immediately reset it;
3:25 Since both SR and Rip were about to expire at the same time, I decided to cast SR sooner and then generate 5 CPs for Rip;
3:32 Since both SR and Rip had long durations, I wanted to cast FB before I started generating CPs for those two finishers again. Unlike what happened earlier (2:06), casting that 4-CP FB here was the correct play because:
3:42 I refreshed SR with 5 CPs and then Mangle on time;
3:48 I didn't want to sit idly until Rip expired, so I went for another GotVV-shift. Rip was inactive for a few seconds, but the damage loss was compensated by the extra Shred and the snapshot with Idol of the Worship;
3:57 Since Rake and the Agility buff were going to expire, and TF was going to come off CD shortly afterwards, I decided to play it safe. I stood longer in cat form, switched to the Crying Moon idol so that I wouldn't lose the 220 Agility buff again, cast FB with 4 CPs, and followed it up with TF + Shred;
4:11 Since the fight was nearing its end, I intended to pool my energy, refresh Rip on time, and refresh SR immediately afterwards, however...
4:14 ... I got punished for not lowering my energy earlier;
4:21 At this point both SR and Rip were synced with the kill timer, so I knew that the only finisher I would be able to aim for was FB. I cast the first one with 4 CPs and started generating 4-5 CPs for the last one;
4:24 Another unlucky GotW. RNG didn't know that I was recording a video. SadgeRoar
4:27 Since the Agility buff was also synced with the kill timer, I had no use of the Idol of the Crying Moon anymore. This and also the fact that the fight was going to end before I could get full value from Rake was the reason why I just spammed Shred and ended the fight with a 5-CP FB.

5. TALENTS

Spoiler: Show

You can stick to the cookie-cutter talent build in the OP if you are not an aggressive GotW-spammer:

wowhead link

This is generally useful regardless of the situation you're in - be it in RDF, 10-man, or 25-man raids. However, if you spam GotW every 5-6 seconds or so in your raids, then you might have serious mana issues during long boss fights. This is why I recommend removing http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=61336 in favour of 2/2 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=34300:

wowhead link

As much as I love http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=61336, I cannot deny the fact that it doesn't have any offensive applications in ICC and in RS apart from the Sindy boss encounter. In situations where I expect to receive a lot of damage, I just pop http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=22812. As you may have guessed, this is the talent build I use because it yields the most damage for an aggressive GotVV-shifter like me.

Having said that, if you really value SI, there is a way to keep this ability - by removing 1 talent point from FA:

wowhead link

The damage difference between the standard cookie-cutter build and the one with 4/5 FA is miniscule in short, 2-minute fights, but the longer the encounter lasts, the worse the standard build becomes (2-min fight vs 5-min fight).

Another possible talent build for this technique is going 4/5 https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=17060:

wowhead link

This allows your energy to cap at 80 while you're out of cat form, which could improve your energy- and CP-utilisation in some cases. I should note that the feral simcraft still favours the build with 5/5 FA (2-min fight vs 5-min fight). This is because we can lower our energy below 40 before attempting the GotVV-shift, which minimises the usefulness of Furor. The reason why I still promote 4/5 Furor is because it makes you more flexible in situations, where you don't have the luxury of spending all/most of your energy before shapeshifting out of cat form.

For example, imagine that someone dies and you're tasked to revive him. You could stay a bit longer in cat form, lower your energy, and use a finisher, so that you can go PS + Bress into a 58.33% chance for a CC proc, but if it's an important role like tank or healer, you'll need to revive that person ASAP regardless how much energy you have. So, you do just that. If RNG doesn't bless you with a CC proc, you can stay a bit longer in human form and try your luck with GotW. When you go back in cat form, you will have 15-20 additional energy which will compensate the reduced damage from FB.

As you can understand, 4/5 Furor has its niche uses. Given the fact that this talent build makes you more flexible in unfortunate situations, which can catch you off guard, I deem it more suitable for progression raids.

6. ADD-ON

Spoiler: Show

7. MACROS

Spoiler: Show

"/stopattack" by wtfzomglol:

Originally Posted by wtfzomglol

#showtooltip Gift of the Wild
/cast Gift of the Wild
/stopattack

Originally Posted by wtfzomglol

#showtooltip Cat Form
/cast [form:0/1/2/4/5] Cat Form
/startattack [form:3]

"/stopattack" by Nap:

Originally Posted by halesk70

#showtooltip Gift of the Wild
/stopattack [mod:alt]
/cast [mod:alt]Gift of the Wild; !Cat Form
/startattack [form:3]

You hold "alt" while using the macro, in order to cast GotW and to stop auto-attacking.

/no ElvUI is needed/ "Idol swapping v.1" by Spreang:

Originally Posted by Spreang

#showtooltip Cat Form
/cast [form:0/1/2/4/5] Cat Form
/equip Idol of the Crying Moon
/equip Idol of Worship
/startattack [form:3]

You don't have a specific macro for GotW. After auto-attacking in cat form, you cast the druid buff as you would normally do and continue dps-ing. You use the macro above only when the GCD from GotW ends and not a millisecond sooner.

/no ElvUI is needed/ "Idol swapping v.2" by Spreang:

Originally Posted by Spreang

/cast [form:0/1/2/4/5] Cat Form
/run local s=UnitAura("player", "Cat Form"); local a=GetSpellCooldown("Rip");if (s and a ~= 0) then if(GetInventoryItemID("player", 18) == 50456) then UseEquipmentSet("w") else UseEquipmentSet("m") end end;

You need to enable the in-game equipment manager and create two equipment sets - one featuring http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456 and called "m", and a second one with the name "w". The second set can include either http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 or http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40713, but Spreang's original macro features the Rip idol. Unlike v.1, you can freely mash the keybind during the GCD from GotW, and the game won't punish you. However, unlike v.1 you need to use the macro twice after the GCD from GotW ends. The first usage will shapeshift you back in cat form, whereas the second - swap your idols.

/ElvUI is needed/ "Idol swapping v.3" by Spreang:

Originally Posted by Spreang

#showtooltip Cat Form
/cast [form:0/1/2/4/5] Cat Form
/in 0.08 /run local s=UnitAura("player", "Cat Form");if (s) then if(GetInventoryItemID("player", 18) == 50456) then UseEquipmentSet("w") else UseEquipmentSet("m") end end;
/startattack [form:3]

You need ElvUI in order for this macro to work. You also need to enable the in-game equipment manager and create two equipment sets - one featuring http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456 and called "m", and a second one with the name "w". The second set can include either http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 or http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40713, but Spreang's original macro features the Rip idol. Unlike v.1, you can freely mash the keybind during the GCD from GotW, and the game won't punish you. Unlike v.2, you don't always need to use the keybind twice after the GCD from GotW ends - the macro can shapeshift you back in cat form and change the idol almost immediately. It's not always consistent, but it does work like that.

8. BIS LIST FOR THIS MANOEUVRE

Spoiler: Show

9. PRACTICE MAKES BETTER

Spoiler: Show

I. General overview

I'm going to be honest with you here, the trick you saw in the videos won't be a brainless decision as a simple push of a button. The last statement regards using Barkskin and NG in fights, which require muscle memory for the most part. Using the GotVV-shift would require you to do extra work in the form of constant awareness and quick decision making, where you assess whether the conditions are optimal for the manoeuvre. You need to:

- keep track of your energy;
- keep track of your CPs;
- keep track of TF;
- keep track of your DoT timers;
- keep track of the swing timer;
- keep track of your attack speed;
- keep track of the boss timers.

On top of that, you'd also need to mash your shapeshifting spell/macro and Shred ability, in order to minimise the penalty form the idling time (Kripp explains it well here). Because of this, I expect that some of you would feel discouraged to try it out and uncomfortable with the idea of leaving cat form and taking risks. I can only say one thing regarding this - this is why the GotVV-shift is an optional playstyle and not a new meta. Everyone decides for themselves how often they would be willing to use it if at all. Is it going to be hard to get accustomed to it at start? - yes, it is. Is it going to push you out of your comfort zone? - yes, it is. Are you going to make mistakes during raids? - probably, but all of this is normal and you shouldn't feel scared of trying it out. I mean, if you already know how to play as a feral cat, then congratulations for learning the hardest spec in this expansion! The GotVV-shift is not going to be impossible for you to learn, since you are already aware of the basics, and in the following paragraphs I will give you some tips on how to start your training. Shall we begin?

II. Out with the old, in with the new

Just like every training out there, yours would continue on the dummy again. Before you ask, no, we are not going to get CCs consistently here. This is not our goal anyway! Our goal is to get accustomed to the things I've listed above and to get the feel of the manoeuvre as something natural. If you want to perform the GotVV-shift precisely, you need to integrate it slowly in your gameplay. So, pick a macro in the respective subsection and follow this programme:

1) Learning the basic pattern:

After autoattacking in cat form, cast Mark/Gift of the Wild immediately afterwards.
While in neutral form, spam the shapeshift ability.
Upon shapeshifting back in cat form, attack the dummy (in case of /stopattack) or swap your idols ASAP.
Mash "Shred" during the GCD.

After you repeat this a few times, it's time to go onto the next phase:

2) Using the GotVV-shift in the context of your rotation:

DPS the dummy as you normally would.
Try using the macro under the following circumstances:
1. you have less than 40 (3/5 Furor) or 60 (4/5 Furor) energy, and TF is on CD;
2. you have 0-3 CPs (or 0-4, your choice);
3. your bleeds have >3 seconds of duration;
4. Berserk is inactive (super important!)
5. it's advisable to practise casting it twice in a row, so you prepare for that outcome in a raid.

After you repeat this a few times, you can go onto the next step:

3) More advanced tips:

watch the swing timer on Quartz/WeakAuras and train your reflexes;
give yourself a small time window after the swing, in case you get a CC, so that you can react to it;
be wary of your current attack speed! Watch out if you have "Speed of the Vrykul" (DBW haste proc);
use NG and Barkskin when you're pooling energy and waiting for a bleed to expire or TF/Berserk to come online.

Of course, training on a lifeless dummy is not the same as facing a real boss, whose mechanics you need to acknowledge. It's always a good idea to have a firsthand experience in a 25-man raid setting. If you don't want to train in ICC/RS at the expense of your raid companions, your personal guild rank and/or twitch reputation, I highly advise you to go either in VoA 25 (where you can use the GotVV-shift to Shred the boss or Swipe the orbs), or in any low-tier raid out there. The purpose is to get accustomed to the raid settings and to plan your moves in advance before certain mechanics take place.

III. Personal preference

Now that you have an idea how the technique feels like, you can decide for yourself how you'd use it in the future:
1) Would you reject it completely?
2) Would you use it only for Swipes on the trash or on certain bosses (Lord Marrowgar, Lady Deathwhisper, Halion HC)?
3) Would you use it only on target dummy bosses?
4) Would you use it only when NG and Barkskin are on CD?
5) Would you use it only when SR and/or Rip are about to expire, and you're desperate for CPs?

etc etc

10. UTILISING OOC PROCS IN COMBAT

Spoiler: Show

Being able to trigger OoC more consistently thanks to GotW allows us to generate more CPs over the course of a boss fight. Since we cannot double dip on SR and Rip, those extra CPs can only be used on FB. As a result, this ability has a direct impact on the CP-value, and thus it determines how exactly we'd utilise our CC procs. The CC priority list is actually the same as in the first post. However, since I don't want you to scroll up and read it, I'm copy-pasting it here.

1) Most of the time, you will want to use them on Shred as it’s the most expensive yellow ability in single-target encounters. However, the same way Shred acts as a filler under normal circumstances, so too it is the case here, and you'll understand what I mean when you continue reading the next paragraphs.

2) Untalented Mangle is the next candidate. The CC should be used on this ability only if it has expired, or there's less than one second remaining of its duration. Preserving 2 energy points doesn't justify delaying the 30% bleed buff, in which case you would not only f*ck yourself, but your fellow teammates as well (here's an example of what NOT TO DO and why using CCs on Shreds blindly is not always the correct play).

3) Rake is not your typical CC consumer, but there are two somewhat common scenarios when this should be the case:

- the Mangle debuff is already active, but the boss is still not bleeding (neither from you, nor from your teammates),
- you're trying to generate the last 1-2 CPs for a finisher, and you need to pick between Shred or Rake.

In the second example, the correct sequence is always "Rake -> finisher -> Shred" with 4pt10, whereas without it - only if there's a risk for Rake to be inactive for 3+ seconds (i.e. prior to casting FB). Going "Shred -> Rake -> finisher" would be a misplay in those cases because you'd waste CPs unnecessarily, but there are exceptions to this rule:

you cannot reach 4-5 CPs for SR/FB or 5 for Rip just by casting one ability (example);
your energy is about to overcap, and you need to lower it regardless of CPs (example).

Regarding the first exception - if you have 0-2 CPs, it's impossible to obtain the maximum amount just from one builder, so you'd naturally cast Shred first and follow it up with Rake. On the other hand, should you have 3 CPs, then casting Rake with 4pt10 would be the optimal play even if you end up getting a 4CP SR or FB. If, however, you're planning on refreshing Rip, then Rake might not always grant you 2 CPs consistently. As you can see, in situations like these going for the "optimal play" would involve taking risks, and it would be up to you to decide to what extent you would be willing to rely on RNG.

Regarding the second exception - as I've said a few paragraphs above (regarding the first stage practice), if our energy is about to reach the maximum cap, we need to use an ability and lower it regardless of CPs. Of course, the most desirable situation is to use a finisher like SR or Rip, so that we don't waste any CPs and we immediately begin generating them anew. However, this is only the case when those finishers are about to expire shortly before our energy reaches the cap. If their durations expire long after that point, sacrificing CPs is inevitable. Since this resource stops being a concern, we only care about how much energy we will have after utilising the CC proc, and since Shred costs more than Rake, the correct play is "Shred (with the CC) -> Rake -> finisher".

4) Using a CC on Rip is oftentimes a misplay due to its cheap cost. However, just like above there are two exceptions when this needs to be the case: {1} you don’t have 2pt10 (sacrificing CP-value doesn’t compensate the energy difference between Rip and Shred); {2} http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=54590/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50363/http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=49016 has less than one second remaining of its duration, and you would lose the snapshot if you don’t refresh this DoT.

5) FB and CC is a misplay in 99.999% of the cases. This is because only the initial cost (35 en) is discounted, but the ability's second effect bypasses the proc and continues to drain your energy up to 30. Even though you get "compensated" for it, in reality you're better off spending that wasted energy on Shred which is why the proc should be used on it instead. The only niche exception I can think of is when the boss is one GCD away from dying, and your choices are either Shred or a 3/4/5-CP FB.

N.B.: SR doesn’t consume CC procs, but if you wait too long so that you get maximum value out of it, your OoC proc might get overwritten by an unfortunate AA. This is caused by RNG, and people react to it differently. Personally, if SR has less than 5-6 seconds duration, I refresh SR and immediately make use of that CC proc. If the timer on our buff is longer than that, then I respect the aforementioned priority list. This is because the likelihood of getting a CC proc within the next 2 or 3 AAs is smaller in comparison to having 10+ AAs before refreshing SR.

11. ATTACK SPEED MODIFIERS

Spoiler: Show

12. TIMING FB WITH THE GOTVV-SHIFT

Spoiler: Show

If you want a more definite answer about when you can afford to bite your target, here are some equations. These can give you an idea how much time it would take you to refresh Rip under certain circumstances. You can either refresh it when it expires or sacrifice 1-2 ticks. If during combat the timer of your Rip is below the calculated one here, you ought to save your energy for refreshing that finisher. If it's higher, you can safely cast FB.

Sacrificing Rip ticks in favour of a 5CP-FB

Patch phase	Maximum sacrificable Rip ticks with 0/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16858	Maximum sacrificable Rip ticks with 5/5 http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16862
Naxx	1 (0)	1 (0)
Ulduar	1 (0)	2 (1)
ToGC	2 (1)	2 (1)
ICC & RS	2 (1)	3 (2)

Disclaimer: As stated in the first post, the amount of CPs you'd potentially lose when casting Mangle/Rake/Shred at 5CPs, determines how many Rip ticks you could possibly sacrifice in favour of FB. Keep in mind that with the GotVV-shift, you can generate CPs at will, hence why I bumped the numbers in the table by a bit.

I don't recommend sacrificing more than one Rip tick if you plan to bite the boss, but these numbers can at least give you a rough idea how many ticks you can afford to sacrifice and still see positive numbers. It should be obvious that the more ticks you miss out on, the smaller the gain is (like 2-digit in some cases). So, just because I've mentioned 2 in Ulduar and ToGC or 3 in ICC, that doesn't mean that you should always sacrifice that many DoTs. Keep in mind that sometimes delaying your Rip in favour of FB could potentially desynchronise it with your trinkets, which would lead to a missed opportunity to snapshot your entire bleed with AP procs. The numbers in the brackets show how many ticks you can sacrifice if you do end up losing the snapshot.

As I've said, the table should only give you an idea how aggressive you can or cannot be with FB.

Both SR & Rip are about to expire soon

Time needed to refresh Rip = 5 cat GCDs {1 sec each} + 2 caster GCDs per GotVV-shift {2.8 secs in total} + time for pooling energy and other possible delays - 6 seconds (if Tiger's Fury is present) - (4.2seconds*number of CCs)

Note 1: Switch 5 with 6, if the critical strike is less than 67% or around that number, or you want to generate more CPs for SR. You'd need to gather more energy, though.
Note 2: TF can't remove the time spent on waiting for the GCDs - just the regular one for pooling energy.
Note 3: If you want, you could consider AAs proccing CCs during the pooling time, in which case you calculate how many AAs your toon will inflict during that time. Then it's a matter of probability. You can also add Barkskin and NG there as well.

Only Rip is about to expire soon

Time needed to refresh Rip = 3 cat GCDs {1 sec each} + 2 caster GCDs per GotVV-shift {2.8 secs in total} + time for pooling energy and other possible delays - 6 seconds (if Tiger's Fury is present) - (4.2seconds*number of CCs)

Note 1: Switch 3 with 4, if the critical strike is less than 67% or around that number. You'd need to gather more energy, though.
Note 2: TF can't remove the time spent on waiting for the GCDs - just the regular one for pooling energy.
Note 3: If you want, you could consider AAs proccing CCs during the pooling time, in which case you calculate how many AAs your toon will inflict during that time. Then it's a matter of probability. You can also add Barkskin and NG there as well.

I mean, you can check "FB. Energy consumption and proper timing" in the first post for the majority of my calculations. The other parts are covered here (slightly more info concerning the GCDs for the GotVV-shift) and here (the part about the 1.274-second GCD).

13. EXTRAS - SUPER NICHE TIPS FOR DEDICATED MINMAXERS

Spoiler: Show

I. Swapping idols

As I've clarified in the OP, swapping idols triggers a 1.5-sec GCD and resets our current swing timer. While the last two mechanics can negatively impact the performance of a typical monocat user, they can be integrated in the GotVV-shift and even improve it. We use the "swing timer reset" part to shorten the long downtime caused by our characters autoattacking in human form with their main weapons. The GCD from the idol swap stops being a concern because it can be aligned with the GCD caused by https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=768, which we need to cast every time we go for the GotVV-shift anyway, so we effectively kill two birds with one stone this way.

That being said, resetting the swing timer is only beneficial when we have a "polearm" type of weapon due to its slow attack speed - e.g. http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50735 or https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=47239. In situations where we have a staff (with a 2.4-sec swing timer), the damage difference between all three variations of the GotVV-shift is small and doesn't really justify the extra effort we put into tracking the swing timer of each AA and syncing it with the GCD from GotW. Given the fact that Oathbinder is the only BiS polearm weapon we have in this expansion, I'll only describe flowershifting featuring idol swapping in the context of BiS ICC gear. Here's a rough idea of how this should look like:

Spreang's macros w/o ElvUI:

Spreang's macro w/ ElvUI:

Advantages in comparison to /stopattack:

A swing with the main weapon is stronger than a regular cat AA.
If the first GotW fails to trigger OoC, Oathbinder has a 21% chance to proc it, which could prevent a second cast of the dudu buff and thus the loss of additional AAs.
A swing with Oathbinder has a higher chance to proc Berserking (6%) than a regular cat AA (~1.7%).
Since this variation of the GotVV-shift benefits greatly from you resetting the swing timer after shapeshifting in cat form, idol swapping is thus the most profitable solution, as you get the effects of your different relics.

Disadvantages in comparison to /stopattack:

Using Spreang's v.1 macro requires constant awareness of the duration of GotW's GCD and correct timing. Using it before the GCD ends, even if it's caused by a plain and simple misclick, would force you to stay longer in caster form. This would lead to less dps because you'd have less AAs, you might fail to refresh your bleeds on time, and you might lose a few points of energy due to the 60 energy cap from 3/5 Furor.
Using Spreang's v.2 macro is more forgiving in this regard, as it prevents idol swapping during the GCD from GotW. Keep in mind that you need to use the macro twice once the GCD from GotW ends. The negative effect from this is that the player sits through a longer GCD after shapeshifting back to cat form (+ delayed player input further increases that duration). Also worth noting is that a double swap might occur due to human error (time frame 0:10-0:11).
Using Spreang's v.3 macro is also more forgiving in comparison to v.1, as it prevents idol swapping during the GCD from GotW. Keep it mind, that the macro doesn't always swap your idol after shapeshifting back in cat form (time frame 0:19-0:22). Sometimes, you might even perform a double swap by accident (time frame 0:11-0:13). In order to achieve the desired results more consistently, you need to use the macro once after the GCD from GotW ends and see if the idol changes. If it does, dps as normal. If it doesn't, then use the macro again in quick succession (time frame 1:16-1:19 but do it faster than me).
Swapping idols might put you in a bad situation where you lose the 220 agility buff from http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456. This can happen if you switch to either http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 or http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40713, and you get a lot of CC procs, which you need to utilise as you would normally do. With the recent nerf to Crying Moon, you'd have to get 5 Rake ticks (i.e. minimum 15 seconds of Rake uptime) while holding this idol if you want to go back to 5/5.
Trying to make the most out of the idols - two (1) http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456 + either 2) http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39757 or 3) http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40713) or three if you decide to juggle all of them - is harder to manage. This could confuse you in some situations and lead to mistakes.

Commentary:
Flowershifting combined with idol swapping is like a double-edged sword: On the one hand, it offers the highest damage potential in comparison to all other variations if done right. On the other hand, it can lead to very awkward situations where the player would be forced to stay longer w/o http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50456 and most likely lose the buff. This could happen in case of obtaining sudden CCs from AAs, getting burst energy from TF or just being incapacitated due to a boss mechanic while holding either Ravenous Beast or Worship.

I'd like to mention that delaying TF too much, just so the player prioritises refreshing the 220 agility buff, might prevent him from getting an additional one in the long run, effectively nullifying his previous efforts. With the recent nerf to Crying Moon, maintaining the buff becomes even more challenging as only Rake ticks are able to proc the idol, and they register every 3 seconds. /stopattack offers more flexibility since it doesn't force the player to cast GotW if it can be delayed in favour of TF or something else. I also find it easier to use in boss fights with various mechanics. If you have to move around a lot and/or switch to different targets constantly, I would recommend sticking to /stopattack for those specific boss encounters.

Anyway, a dedicated min-maxer would probably be interested in something like this:

1st macro - switching between Crying Moon and Ravenous Beast

Originally Posted by Spreang

#showtooltip Cat Form
/cast [form:0/1/2/4/5] Cat Form
/equip Idol of the Ravenous Beast
/equip Idol of the Crying Moon
/startattack [form:3]

2nd macro - equipping Worship

Originally Posted by Spreang

#showtooltip Cat Form
/cast [form:0/1/2/4/5] Cat Form
/equip Idol of Worship
/startattack [form:3]

Spoiler: Show

If you're like that, here are a few notes:

- Make sure that you have Idol of the Crying Moon equipped before entering Berserk, so that you don't lose the Agility buff. As I've explained in the first post, swapping relics during Berserk limits us on the amount of abilities we use hence why performing this trick during our big CD is out of the question.

- The tip above only concerns the situation when Berserk is active. If it's not and there's a risk of losing the 220 Agility buff, you should switch to the Crying Moon w/o flowershifting beforehand. The best time to do it is when you autoattack idly whilst pooling energy for an upcoming finisher, so that you overlap the GCD from the idol swap with the planned idle time.

- Remember, any scenario with idol swapping where you don't perform the GotVV-shift limits your opportunities to flowershift in the long run. This is why I said above that you can do this only when you autoattack idly and pool energy for a finisher.

- Remember, only Rake's ticks refresh the 220 Agility buff (assuming no Lacerateweaving). You don't need to switch to the ICC relic ASAP - you can do it when the timer on Rake is like 0.1, 3.1, or 6.1 because after those intervals Rake will inflict its DoT damage and refresh the buff. If this seems like unnecessary micromanagement to you, you don't need to follow this advice, but it can potentially help you to squeeze in a relic snapshot before switching to Crying Moon (as shown in this clip).

- If by chance the first GotW doesn't proc OoC, and you're forced to cast it for a second time, DO NOT RESET THE SWING TIMER UNLESS YOU ATTACK WITH OATHBINDER FOR A SECOND TIME.

My personal tip is to be careful when micromanaging so many things simultaneously; you don't want to be overburdened with too much information. If you manage to integrate idol swapping into your gameplay w/o negatively impacting your performance, then honestly more power to you.

You can find the calculations for those conclusions here, here, and here.

II. Casting GotW prior to stopping dps (incl. killing the boss)

Nothing much to say about it. If you know that the GCD from GotW lasts around 1.2-1.3 seconds whereas the one from "cat form" - 1.5 seconds, then you create a 2.7-2.8-sec time frame, during which you cannot use any yellow abilities. In order to benefit from performing the GotVV-shift prior to an idle period or the boss's demise, you have to gain at least one ability in addition to what you'd achieve without the manoeuvre. For example, if you cast GotW and follow it up with a Shred from the CC proc and another Shred from the preserved energy, then the shift would be justified. If, however, you are only able to cast a single Shred with the CC, and then you stop dps-ing due to a mechanic and overcap your energy, or you just kill the boss, the shift could easily be considered a misplay, since you could have cast Shred without sacrificing any AAs. The same goes to idol swapping, which also triggers a 1.5-sec GCD. Since the player would rarely overlap it perfectly with the GCD from "cat form", he would increase the duration of the delay by a bit. So, once again, pay attention to the timers and consider whether you'd have enough time to do those shenanigans.

III. Mangleweaving

Before I explain the trick with Mangleweaving, I would like to mention that combining the GotVV-shift with bearweaving isn't a good idea because a) we don't have the correct talents for bearweaving, b) we don't want to waste any possible CC procs on weak bear abilities (for reference, with ICC and RS gear a single Shred deals more damage than a full 5-stack Lacerate), and c) bearweaving doesn't give us many opportunities to cast FB, so all of our CPs are wasted for nothing (as expendable as they are, they're still a resource the GotVV-shift heavily utilises). So, what kind of trick am I suggesting here?

That's right, Maul-Mangle-Maul because it lasts almost as long as a standard GotVV-shift:

bear form GCD + Mangle bear GCD + cat form GCD = 4.5 sec

vs

GotW GCD + cat form GCD + Mangle cat GCD = 3.5-4 sec (spell haste reduces the GCD of the druid buff)

and packs only the strongest bear abilities, which are further enhanced by https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=5229.

As exciting as it may sound, I should clarify the two conditions under which this trick needs to be used:

1) You run the build with 4/5 Furor.
2) You use this combination only when you really need to refresh the Mangle debuff.

Regarding my first point - if we don't get 10 rage from Furor, then we might not have enough rage to perform this combo. In that case, we would go Maul-Mangle-Bear AA, and regular bear AAs are weaker than 2.5 cat AAs. Extending the bear cycle just so we get more value from it, would be ill-advised as this would limit our opportunities to flowershift later on.

This brings me to my second point - casting Mangle (bear) is only worth it if this prevents us from casting Mangle (cat). Just so you understand what I mean, I'd like to give you an example. Let's say that a fight lasts 2 minutes. If I use the first Mangle at start (with the pre-pull CC proc from GotW), and I refresh Mangle when it expires with the bear combo, then I will take full advantage of the bear cycle, and I won't be required to refresh Mangle again. However, if I go bear and decide to refresh the Mangle debuff earlier, let's say, 30 seconds into the boss fight, then at 1:30 I will be forced to use Mangleweaving again. This would be bad because I could be casting GotW and fishing for CCs for Shred. In other words, any unnecessary Mangleweaving combo would mean wasted opportunity for a GotVV-shift into Shred with CPs.

14. NOT AN EXPLOIT

Spoiler: Show

What's the definition of an exploit?

Originally Posted by Palutena

This may take many forms, but all of them are obvious. If you are profiting of any in-game advantage that shouldn't be happening normally, its a bug exploit.

My proposed theorycraft is based on the behaviour of the "Omen of Clarity" talent. Since it has a proc rate of 6% (3.5 ppm) per target and no ICD, we utilise the latter effect. I'll repeat once again that this has been present on retail (check "Omen of Clarity procs, aka the MVP for feral cat" in the original post for a better clarification). So far, so good, but Palutena made yet another comment:

Originally Posted by Palutena

Exploiting skills: If certain skills/spells can be used in an unusual way to exploit and create an unfair advantage over other players, avoid doing so.

This is where I want to know where the line between an exploit and clever usage of ingame mechanics lies. How on earth is the player going to conclude which ingame advantage is strong, but not too strong to count as unintentional and worrisome? What is actually intended by the Blizzard devs anyway? They didn't foresee that http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=5816 would be used for speedruns. They didn't foresee that feral druids would wear http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=8345 and benefit from https://tbc.cavernoftime.com/spell=17061 in original TBC. Hell, they didn't consider the possibility that people would collect world buffs and clear the PvE content with them. Did they ban the players for using those spells, items, or talents? Nope.

Using GotW during fights isn't something new. This whole thread just shows that it can be used a bit more frequently in fights. You're not going to do a gajilion amount of dps or dethrone fury warriors, fire mages, or combat rogues from their S+ category. Not to mention, you're taking risks while performing this trick, and you need to be in a specific group size and comp, which cannot be abused in pvp at all. If you're still not convinced, then please look at these videos:

Even though I admire the clever usage of ingame mechanics in both clips, THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF GAME-BREAKING INTERACTIONS. The GotVV-powershift isn't. Even if this doesn't convince you, here's the Head GM's stance:

15. FINAL THOUGHTS

Spoiler: Show

16. CHANGELOG

Spoiler: Show

20/06/2022
- Added a joke section.

21/06/2022
- Added the long overdue commentary for the second video.
- Swapped "Macros" with "Archtype choices" and "Timing FB with the GotVV-shift" with "Sacrificing DoT ticks in favour of Shreds" for the sake of a better structure.
- Temporarily removed "Metracritic score" until I find a better place for it.
- Removed some "VV"s in this post with the exception for GotVV-shift just so I keep the reference to my old thread.
- Updated the section "Not an exploit":
*added some cavernoftime links;
*deleted the redundant quotes since they're already covered in the "Omen of Clarity" section in the original post.

26/06/2022
- Removed the old "AA swing" videos and added new.
- Added screenshots of Rawr for the different builds.
- Made some small stylistic tweaks and corrected few grammar mistakes.
- Added a video for idol swapping.
- Deleted the part about swiping as it didn't provide any useful information for this section.
- Added the section "Requirements".
- Deleted the comment about "Furor" in Cons since I already explained that requirement in the newly created section.
- Added Kars' theme as part of the introduction for the GotVV-shift and changed the name of this post.

27/06/2022
- Small edit to the intro text "Stimulate your senses" -> "Stimulate your parses".

03/07/2022
- Added the section "Final thoughts".
- Mentioned that having 2 enablers for SR is a misplay In the commentaries for the showcases.

04/07/2022
- Updated the sections "Definition" and "Archtype choices".
- Renamed the section "Archtype choices" to "BiS list for this manoeuvre" for the sake of a better clarification.

09/07/2022
- Corrected the part about sacrificed rip ticks when we're timing FB.
- Corrected some typos.
- Added colouration and changed the size of some sections for the sake of a clearer structure and better readability.
*had to remove the links from the questions in the section "BiS list for this manoeuvre" because their colours didn't fit the ongoing orange one.

11/07/2022
- Corrected some grammar mistakes and some typos.

17/07/2022
- Deleted the part about the warmane nerf since it's fixed now.

31/08/2022
- Updated the tables for attack speed modifiers and sacrificing dot ticks.
- Updated the PS paragraph in the "niche tricks" section.
- Added an "Add-on" section.
- Switched the place of "BiS list" and "macros" in the table of contents for consistency's sake.

01/09/2022
- Removed FFF from some sections, where it was accounted as an OoC enabler, because this interaction is no longer present on warmane.

03/09/2022
- Halesk70 wanted me to refer to him as Nap (his discord avatar) from now on. I also changed his WAs links to the wago site.

10/09/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Changed the tables concerning "attack speed modifiers" and "sacrificing DoT ticks in favour of Shreds", in order to make it easier to understand.

13/09/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated my commentary for the "DBS fight", "Festergut fight", and "Archavon fight" videos.
- Explained the real culprit for the delay of the 5% melee crit - spell batching - in the "pros and cons" section.
- Minor edit.

21/09/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Added bearweaving in "Extras - super niche tips for dedicated minmaxers".
- Added a video for bearweaving, showcasing rage regenration from the first bear AA.

23/09/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Added the presence of 0-4 or 0-3 CPs in the "Requirements" section.
- Deleted redunant information in the bearweaving subsection.
- Minor edits.

24/09/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Added a red text for the BiS list. I will redo my calculations and see what the numbers show me.

26/09/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the "BiS list" section... again...

12/11/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated "Extras - super niche tricks for the dedicated min-maxers".
- Added more text in the "Not an exploit" section.

21/11/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated "Extras - super niche tricks for the dedicated min-maxers":
*fixed a broken link;
*structured "idol swapping" a bit better.
- Deleted the section concerning PS because it was already explained in the first post.
- Minor stylistic edits.

23/11/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the idol swapping part in "Extras - super niche tricks for the dedicated min-maxers".

16/12/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the gemming part in the "BiS list for this manoeuvre" section:
*added the "10 str, 10 hit" gem alongside "10 exp, 10 hit";
*removed the Pepega "10 agil, 10 crit" and "10 str, 10 crit" gems;
*corrected the gemming options again and added "40 arp" for Horde;
*added an explanation for undercapping exp and hit;
*added an explanation for the different dishes;
*deleted redundant text regarding "40 str" food.

17/12/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Added a table in the section dedicated for the BiS list.
- Slightly altered the gems for Alliance cats (THE STATS REMAIN THE SAME!!!!).
- Added a bit of explanation for the Alliance food hierarchy.
- Deleted the old text concerning the food for Alliance cats, as it became irrelevant.
- Added another (obvious) tip in the section dedicated to idol swapping in the context of the GotVV-shift.
- Created a second macro for the Rip idol since the suggested one didn't work as I expected.
- Corrected a few grammar mistakes.

18/12/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Added a second Horde build.

19/12/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Minor edit.

22/12/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Added a table for Rip in "Extras - super niche tricks for the dedicated minmaxers".
- Minor edit.

26/12/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Minor edits:
*added a spoiler and another point in "Requirements";
*changed the 60% critt to 67% in the section for timing FB.

28/12/2022 (post-retirement edits)
- Minor edits:
*explained combining the GotVV-shift with bearweaving a bit better.

02/01/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Corrected the part about 1.274 sec per GotVV-shift ("cat form" isn't affected by spell haste, only GotVV).

04/01/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Removed the part about bearweaving and Maul-Mangle-Maul from "Extras - super niche tricks for the dedicated minmaxers".

08/01/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the first subsection in "Demonstration":
*showed the different variations;
*stylistic changes;
*added a disclaimer.
- Removed the table from "BiS list for this maneouvre" and mentioned 3 shifts per minute.
- Added a better explanation in the following sections: "Requirements", "BiS list for this manoeuvre", and "Extras - super niche tips for the dedicated minmaxers".
- Put "Pros and Cons" after "Definition".
- Other minor edits.

09/01/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated "Attack speed modifiers".
- Updated "Sacrificing DoT ticks in favour of Shreds".
- Minor edits.

10/01/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Corrected a few orange gems for the Strength cat.
- Clarified that we need to flowershift at least 4 times to benefit more from Strength than from Haste.

26/01/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Minor edits.

01/03/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Replaced one "10 agility, 10 hit rating" orange gem with "10 strength, 10 hit rating" in the undercapped build for Horde.

03/03/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Corrected the values in the table in "Attack speed modifiers".

04/03/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Minor edit.

08/03/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Moved the FB vs Rip table from the first post here (will edit the colouring later).
- Updated the commentary of my videos in "Demonstration".
- Minor edit.

09/03/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Removed the part about "timing FB" from "Extras". (let's be real, the information was redundant)
- replaced 2.774 with 2.8 for simplicity's sake in "Timing FB with the GotVV-shift".

10/03/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the commentary regarding both Ulduar clips.
- Added "Casting GotW prior to stopping dps (incl. killing the boss)" in "Extras".

21/06/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Minor edit.

10/09/2023
- Added a "Talents" section;
- Added Spreang's contributions in "Add-ons" and "Macros";
- Replaced the video concerning "GotVV-shift with idol swapping" in "Demonstration";
- Updated "Extras" with the recent information;
- Corrected a minor typo.

12/09/2023
- Corrected the macro featuring Ravenous Beast and Crying Moon. I just swapped their positions after testing the interaction on a target dummy.

13/09/2023
- Added a video in "Extras" where I perform the GotVV-shift and switch between all three idols.

17/09/2023
- Added a video in "Demonstation" where I perform the GotVV-shift and switch between all three idols;
- Added its "Background" description;
- Moved the Fester and both VoA videos and their respective commentaries in my "brainstorming" thread.

19/09/2023
- Added my commentary under the video, where I perform the GotVV-shift alongside idol swapping in the DBS fight;
- Updated the "disadvantages" part in "Extras";
- Added another video in "Extras";
- Updated the commentary in "Extras";
- Renamed the videos that feature Spreang's macros for more clarity;
- Added another macro in the respective section.

22/09/2023
- Updated "Extras":
*orrected a typo;
*replaced the previous video with idol swapping with two newer ones, which reflect the current state of Crying Moon;
*added a few more sentences for better clarification and a bit of commentary under the videos;
*added a link to my recent post in the theorycrafting thread.

23/09/2023
- Added a better description about the disadvantages of flowershifting in "Pros and cons".
- Deleted redundant text from the section concerning the BiS list.
- Added a few sentenced in my commentary in "Extras".
- Removed the "Sendo" part from the title, in order to make it a bit cleaner.
- Corrected a few typos.

29/09/2023
- Minor edit.

01/10/2023
- Corrected the false information about the absence of Hysteria in the commentary regarding the video, where I showcased flowershifting with idol swapping.
- Added another video, where I GotVV-shift with idol swapping after the nerf to Crying Moon.

06/10/2023
- Updated the description under the table for the amount of sacrificed Rip ticks in "FB. Timing and energy management".

08/10/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Swapped this post's position with the one for bearweaving for the sake of a better style.
- Corrected a typo.
- Minor edit.

28/10/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the "Requirements" section:
*removed the part about the druid needing to have icc gear in order to perform the GotVV-shift in a 10-man raid group.
- Updated the "Talents" section:
*added another talent build;
*added commentary and 3 imgur links.
- Updated the "BiS list" section:
*removed the alternatives for the BiS food for the sake of simplicity and aesthetic;
*deleted the commentary below the BiS list because most of the text was redundant imho. Though, I decided to keep only the part about undercapping our stats.

29/10/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Updated the "BiS list" section:
*divided the "undercapped" build for Horde in two parts - "both hit and exp are undercapped" + "only exp is undercapped";
*minor stylistic changes.

02/12/2023 (post-retirement edits)
- Added the section "Utilising OoC procs in combat".

24/06/2024
- Added a video showcasing the GotVV-shift with a non-interrupted swing.

26/06/2024
- Added a commentary concerning the sequence of events in that video.

28/07/2024
- Removed the section "sacrificing DoT ticks" as the information there was redundant.
- Minor edits.

21/09/2024 (post-retirement edits)
- Added a video showcasing the GotVV-shift with a non-interrupted swing and with a pre-pull SR.
- Added a commentary concerning the sequence of events in that video.

16/11/2025
- Updated "Talents":
*added wowhead links to the showcased talent builds;
*changed the talent with the 4/5 Furor;
*added an additional paragraph, where I explained an alternative build with SI;
*added a new commentary for the build with 4/5 Furor.
- Minor edits.

17/11/2025
- Updated "Talents":
*added a picture depicting the talent build with 4/5 FA and 1/1 SI;
*added an additional commentary for the build with 4/5 Furor.
- Improved the readability in "Macros" by putting the description text under each quote box.

18/11/2025
- Deleted the commentary regarding the undercapped stats in "BiS list" (I considered the text to be redundant).
- Updated "Demonstration":
*replaced the diagrams with slightly modified versions, just so it's clearer what happens in and out of cat form;
*updated the "short description" below each GotVV-shift variation.
- Minor edits.

19/11/2025
- Updated "Demonstration":
*changed the number in this quote "the delay caused by human error cannot be longer than 0.4 seconds" to "0.3 seconds" just to be on the safe side;
*minor edits to the commentary of the "post nerf" video;
*minor edits to the commentary of the "non-interrupted swing" video;.
- Minor edits.

20/11/2025
- Copied the information concerning the utilisation of OoC procs from the OP and posted it in "Utilising OoC procs in combat".
- Updated "Extras":
*added a new commentary in the first subsection;
*removed the first demonstration video cuz it featured a lot of misplays;
*added my notes in a quote box;
*changed their colour;
*added another comment there (I took it from the commentary below the removed video).
- Minor edits.

21/11/2025
- Updated "Attack speed modifiers":
*added two additional paragraphs in the commentary;
*at the very bottom, I explained that I based my calculations on a BiS feral cat w/o the Battle Squawk.

01/12/2025
- Updated "Demonstration":
*replaced the previous diagrams with better ones;
*changed the order of GotVV-shift variations in the second subsection;
*added bullet points;
*minor stylistic changes.

04/12/2025
- (Re)-Added Mangleweaving in "Extras".

15/12/2025
- Deleted redundant text from the commentary concerning GotVV-shift with /stopattack.
- Updated the information concerning Rake in "Utilising OoC procs in combat".
- Minor edits.

21/12/2025
- Mentioned Predatory Instincts in "Pros and Cons".

31/12/2025
- Updated "Final thoughts".

31/01/2026
- Removed the old "stopattack" demonstration video and added a new one with updated commentary.

01/02/2026
- Removed the "pre-nerf idol swap" demonstration video and added a new one with updated commentary.

28/02/2026
- Updated "Demonstration":
*added a new video (The most degenerate...);
*added commentary for said video.

Thank you all for reading! Have fun trying it out ... and never forget:

**dominokid** · June 18, 2022

Hello thanks a ton for the detailed post!

I have a question about RS heroic and how to maximize my damage. Usually phase 3 I stay in fire realm in order to aoe the small adds. Do I just simply spam Swipe while I have SR up and thats it? Do I keep any dots on Halion? I use my TF always for swiping? At which point do I stop swipe and turn to Halion? What are the minimum targets that swipe has to hit before "it is not worth" to keep swiping?

Sorry for the many questions!

**Kovachut** · June 19, 2022

Originally Posted by dominokid

Hello thanks a ton for the detailed post!

I have a question about RS heroic and how to maximize my damage. Usually phase 3 I stay in fire realm in order to aoe the small adds. Do I just simply spam Swipe while I have SR up and thats it? Do I keep any dots on Halion? I use my TF always for swiping? At which point do I stop swipe and turn to Halion? What are the minimum targets that swipe has to hit before "it is not worth" to keep swiping?

Sorry for the many questions!

Hey! You should never apologise for asking questions if you're curious to learn something new. I haven't asked myself the aforementioned questions, so I might not have the most adequate answer to them, but I'll at least try to give you a detailed reply:

1) TF for Swiping

This is the question, to which I have a confident answer. Yes, you want to use your minor CD with Swipe due to two reasons:

- the CD generates energy;
- your Swipe gets a small damage increase from the 80 flat paw damage, but if you have multiple targets and a Hysteria, that damage multiplies. Check the following pic:

Swipe = Autoattack damage*2.5*Naturalist*Feral Instinct*Savage Roar*X (number of targets within the 5-yard 180° frontal arc)
Swipe (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*4.75475*X
Swipe (crit) = ((AP/14)+54.8)*10.7742635*X

With the extra weapon damage, the formula would look like this:

Swipe (non-crit) = ((AP/14)+134.8)*4.75475*X
Swipe (crit) = ((AP/14)+134.8)*10.7742635*X

Though, FYI this doesn't include the armour damage reduction.

Sources: Swipe and Feral Attack Power.

2) What are the minimum targets that swipe has to hit before "it is not worth" to keep swiping?

2, but it also depends on the circumstances. Here's why:

this is the estimated "strength" build

AP = 15985

Swipe (1 target; hit; 23.566% chance to occur) = ((15985/14)+54.8)*4.75475 = 5689
Swipe (1 target; crit; 76.434% chance to occur) = ((15985/14)+54.8)*10.7742635 = 12892
Swipe (1 target; average) = (5689*0.23566)+(12892*0.76434) = 11194.5
Swipe (2 targets; average) = 22389

With 100% arp, FFF, and Sunder Armour, 3% and 4% from combat rogues and ret palas this would be 23503 or 522.3 damage per energy.

Shred (average according to Rawr with 16 weapon damage from TF) = 16304
CP value (average) = (29499 - (16304*35/42))*1.76434/5 = 5615
Combined bonus = 21919 or 521.88 damage per energy.

522.3 > 521.88

Although the numbers go in favour of the 2-target Swipe, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that in boss fights (Grobbulus, Prof. Putricide, Lich King, Halion etc) because the damage on the boss matters imho a lot more, and you would want to push the boss in the next phase. Also, even though I use FB as my reference point to evaluate CPs, they are more valuable than that because they're a flexible currency that can be used on other finishers.

I use swipe with 2 targes only in RDF with icc gear (and SR ofc) because the trash dies fast, and I don't have enough time to buff my Shred to its fullest potential.

3) Do I just simply spam Swipe while I have SR up and thats it?

As you can see, the numbers go in favour of Swipe. However, your next questions are the most crucial ones:

4) Do I keep any dots on Halion? At which point do I stop swipe and turn to Halion?

Here I have to admit that I haven't done RS 25 HC for a loooooooooooong time (the last time I did it was back in 2020, ye...), and when it comes to very, very specific questions I don't really have an answer. Sorry. Though if you ask me, I'd say that it just depends on the circumstances:

1) How many CPs do you have during the swiping phase?
2) Is Rip going to expire anytime soon? What about SR?
3) Would you miss out on a snapshot (trinket procs, Hysteria) if you don't refresh Rip on time?
4) Do you utilise the GotVV-shift?

If we ignore snapshots for a bit, the thing about our bleeds is that they tick on certain intervals, and missing out on a tick isn't fatal. For Rip, this means every 2 seconds. According to Rawr, Rip does 57336 damage with the strength build on average. Since It has 11 ticks, a single one would inflict 5212.37 damage. Knowing this, here's my idea on how to solve this puzzling case:

No snapshots are considered

AoE-phase lasts ... seconds
{(average Swipe damage)*X(targets)} - {average Shred damage + average CP-value} < average Rip damage per tick*Y(sacrificed Rip ticks)

Snapshots are considered

AoE-phase lasts ... seconds
{(average Swipe damage)*X(targets)} - {average Shred damage + average CP-value} < {average Rip damage per tick*Y(sacrificed Rip ticks)} + {11*(missed damage from the AP proc for one tick)}

My apologies, but I will stop with the math here. If you want to have a more definite answer, you have to do some calculations on your own. Compare different lengths of AoE-phases with X amount of swiped targets and Y amount of sacrificed ticks. This is why I don't consider myself an achiever - I can't prepare for every single niche situation, and I don't really strive to do it either. Too much math gives me a headache. (>w<) This is why I kinda rely on the GotVV-shift to save my ***. This technique helps me in situations where had I played my cat traditionally, I wouldn't have generated the CPs fast enough.

I hope I managed to asnwer your questions.

**dominokid** · June 19, 2022

Thank you alot! I wasn't expecting a super detailed answer! I guess I will try swiping and when there are 3 or less adds alive, I will swap back on Halion. Afterall he is the one who has to die ^^

A final question, please forgive me for not asking all in one post.

There are occasions where my Rip ends and I have 1 CP up and only 10 energy:
a) should I wait to get 5cp and then Rip? Even if that means downtime of 4 seconds on it?
b) should I cast 1 more Shred and then do a 2/3cp Rip with a small downtime on it?
c) should I do a simple 1cp Rip?

I am aware of what the spell priority is. But sometimes I am in a rush. Take the following example:
Rip duration 1 second, SR duration 6 seconds, Rake on 2 seconds and I am without TF and on 10 energy. So what do I do with the time I have until my SR needs refresh? In these 6 seconds I can do 2 Shreds and a 5cp Rip or 1 Shred 1 Rake and then a 2/3cp Rip. (I dont know if 2/3cp rip is good, hence my question above).

What should I have in mind when my dots are trying to kill my mood?

Thank you again for this wonderful journey !

**Kovachut** · June 19, 2022

Originally Posted by dominokid

Thank you alot! I wasn't expecting a super detailed answer! I guess I will try swiping and when there are 3 or less adds alive, I will swap back on Halion. Afterall he is the one who has to die ^^

A final question, please forgive me for not asking all in one post.

There are occasions where my Rip ends and I have 1 CP up and only 10 energy:
a) should I wait to get 5cp and then Rip? Even if that means downtime of 4 seconds on it?
b) should I cast 1 more Shred and then do a 2/3cp Rip with a small downtime on it?
c) should I do a simple 1cp Rip?

I am aware of what the spell priority is. But sometimes I am in a rush. Take the following example:
Rip duration 1 second, SR duration 6 seconds, Rake on 2 seconds and I am without TF and on 10 energy. So what do I do with the time I have until my SR needs refresh? In these 6 seconds I can do 2 Shreds and a 5cp Rip or 1 Shred 1 Rake and then a 2/3cp Rip. (I dont know if 2/3cp rip is good, hence my question above).

What should I have in mind when my dots are trying to kill my mood?

Thank you again for this wonderful journey !

Hey! Thanks for the kind words.

Regarding your first question:

I'm going to use the AP from the STR build (15985) in this formula:

According to Rawr, the stronk kat would be able to inflict 57336 damage with a 5-CP Rip for the course of 22 seconds (1 tick = 5212.37). I'll do some calculations around the 4-CP Rip with the 3% and 4% raid damage increases from a crogue and a ret pala:

Rip (no additional bonuses) = (36+93*4+0.04*AP)*11*SR*Mangle*Naturalist*1.03*1.0 4
Rip (-//-) = ((15985*0.04)+408)*22.41046808 = 23473
Rip (-//-, crit) = 53190
Rip (average for 76.434%) = 46187

If you remove 2 ticks from the 5CP-Rip, you'd get:

57336-(5212.37*2)=46911
46911>46187
5-CP Rip with two sacrificed ticks > full 4-CP Rip

I think this should answer your first three points.

Source

Regarding your example:

Rip duration 1 second, SR duration 6 seconds, Rake on 2 seconds and I am without TF and on 10 energy. So what do I do with the time I have until my SR needs refresh? In these 6 seconds I can do 2 Shreds and a 5cp Rip or 1 Shred 1 Rake and then a 2/3cp Rip. (I dont know if 2/3cp rip is good, hence my question above).

If you constantly have this issue, then it sounds to me like FB is not timed well, unless it's still connected with the Swipe example. If I'm correct about the FB assumption, then check my proposed formula in the original post. Determine for yourself when to time that finisher so you don't fall in that bad position. If you utilise the GotVV-shift, then you would have time to refresh Rip before SR expires. Even if you refresh SR with an unbuffed Shred, doing so over sacrificing an additional Rip tick would be beneficial.

Shred (average according to Rawr) = 16304.5
Shred (average w/o SR) = 16304.5/1.33 = 12259
16304.5-12259 = 4045.5

5212.37>4045.5
=> trying to prevent the loss of an additional Rip tick by sacrificing a bit of Shred damage > refreshing SR when it expires and sacrificing a Rip tick

Once again, this is why I rely on the GotVV-shift. It just solves many of feral druid's problems.

Btw, here's a friendly advice. You can use the formulas provided in the original post and do your own calculations so you see the truth with your own eyes. By saying this, I don't mean to say that I'm annoyed to do the calculations for other people, but if you understand how to the damage of the abilities is calculated, then you won't rely on other people to tell you what to do, and you won't panic when something doesn't go smoothly. You thanked me in the previous post for giving you a detailed reply - ofc because I wanted you to see how I came up with those conclusions. Imagine if another person just conjured something out of thin air. It could misled you, and this is my point. By understanding how the damage of the abilities is calculated and by using the formulas I've provided above, you can determine your own personal timings and see the truth with your own eyes.

**luum696** · June 27, 2022

Thanks for a great read! I'm gonna play cat on Frostmorne and most likely retail. Could you share some leveling talents and when do play cat/bear etc?

**Kovachut** · June 27, 2022

Originally Posted by luum696

Thanks for a great read! I'm gonna play cat on Frostmorne and most likely retail. Could you share some leveling talents and when do play cat/bear etc?

Hey! Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed my project. I'm sorry to say that I am not an expert when it comes to leveling as a feral druid. Personally, I just play as a cat until I reach lvl 80, however this is not optimal, and I've explained it here:

Originally Posted by Kovachut

You probably know this, but the most efficient way to level a character is either with the help of a lvl 80 or with other people, with whom you can quest and do dungeons together. If you don't have anyone particular to help you out, I'd recommend picking bear talents as you can tank in dungeons and get a nice chunk of XP. You can find the bear talents here:

http://forum.warmane.com/showthread.php?t=267678

Lv 1-10 -> you quest in the vanilla zones;
Lv 10-70 -> you prioritise doing dungeons + you quest while waiting for the pop-up;
Lv 70-80 -> you quest in Northrend, and you can also do some dungeons so you complete the quests there.

I usually play as a cat, but if you want to level quickly, I don't recommend following this approach, as we don't have all of the good abilities at start. http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=33917 is obtained as early as level 50 and http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=50334 - 60 (granted, you only put talent points into the feral tree). While this affects both cats and bears, as a cat you'll starve for energy while having only weak abilities at your disposal (we can't use http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=48572 when we face mobs in the open world, and to add more salt into the wound we have this garbage http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=52472 before Mangle). Moreover, http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=62078 is learnt at lvl 71, whereas http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=52610 - 75. As you can see, feral cat's most damaging abilities are learnt almost near lvl 80, so my personal tip is to go bear for the most part.

Miscellaneous (tips for solo-leveling):

Whenever I level as a feral and need to kill elites on my own, I go bear, attack the elite for a bit, and then I use http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=53312. Once the mob gets rooted, I heal myself and spam http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=60089. It doesn't remove the roots, and it also damages the mob. When the roots expire, I let the mob to hit me once again, so that I refresh them and continue doing this. If the mob is a caster, I also try to use the environment to my advantage and LoS them.
During leveling, if you attack a mob as a cat and get Predatory Swiftness (from http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16975), you can cast Regrowth or Healing Touch on yourself. If by any chance you have the http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=16864 talent, you have like 58%-60% chance for a CC proc.
The minimum ilvl requirements for RDF HC are 180+ (check this thread). I'm mentioning this so that you get the idol in Grizzly Hills for 30 vendor coins.
If you reach level 60 in Outland, save your HS in Thrallmar or in the Alliance equivalent, teleport to Moonglade, obtain the cheap flight form and go back in Outland.
If you don't have money for Northrend flying, get the free mount from "Honest" Max in K3 (The Storm Peaks). I've always loved taking this approach, as it allowed me to save my gold for professions first.
You probably know this, but you shouldn't buy the 280% for 5k in Dala. Instead, use your Thrallmar or Warsong Offence reputation and acquire it with a discount in the respective areas.
Druids can remain in flight form while gathering herbs, but you need to be on the ground. In case there are mobs nearby, use Nature's Grasp beforehand so that you root them far away from the herbs.

As for your second question, you get the bear quest at level 10. I think this is when you want to switch from caster to feral because you can always regenerate rage during combat, whereas if you're a caster, you can go oom and the mobs would just close the gap. Though, you can always use 1-2 spells before pulling a mob and switch to bear.

This is my subjective opinion. As I've said, leveling with a group of people is always a good idea since you can tank, and others will do damage. This is the quickest way to farm XP (either this or getting boosted by another 80).

**Kovachut** · July 9, 2022

Dear cat boys and guys RP-ing as charming night elf cat girls,

with this post I deem the guide to be finished - both contents-wise and design-wise. I've structured it the same way I've always wanted to read academic articles - free from the unnecessarily bloated, abstract bull**** some authors decide to fill their pages, which achieves nothing but wastes people's time and ruins the perfect train of thought. Having said that, I must admit that I don't really like adding actual calculations in some sections, as this can confuse new players. However, I'm going to keep them as they are just so I can explain the logic behind the conclusions. If someone considers them to be overwhelming, my personal tip to that person is to skip them - I've coloured the conclusions for the sake of a better readability.

I'd like to say that I've considered adding more subsections thanks to people's questions (shout-out to dominokid and luum696 for giving me ideas) - one for Hysteria, another for Swipe, and a third for leveling as a druid - but ultimately I've scratched them just because I find the information to be redundant. Like, I don't need to tell you that Hysteria is the best external buff for cats - it should be obvoius by now, taking into consideration how often it was brought up in other guides. Swiping - I've already explained when it's good to go for it. If someone wants to ignore their raid responsibilities and concentrate on parsing, they don't need my permission to do it. As for leveling - unless someone's going to play on Lordearon or on Classic WotLK, the journey takes a few days on Frostmourne and on Icecrown.

Another important thing, which I should mention, is that I haven't specialised in everything concerning feral cats so I can't give proper answers to some questions outside my area of expertise. As I've clarified before, questing is one of them. Another field, where I don't have a lot of knowledge, is gearing a toon before reaching BiS status. I'd like to share a few words concerning this topic:

Whenever I create a new feral cat and try to gear it in raids, I don't create lists of second-best or third-best item options. I try to concentrate on following the tactics and executing the GotVV-shift correctly. The reason why I don't put too much value in clothing is because the desired items rarely drop for me. For example, back when I started playing WoW seriously in the middle of 2019, I raided almost every week icc 25. I used to play on Icecrown before Frostmourne launched in April of 2020. In that small time period, I saw DBW dropping twice, and I'm completely serious about it. Frostmourne's season 1 - Mjolnir didn't drop. Frostmourne's season 2 - Mjolnir only dropped once. In both seasons of Frostmourne, the wrist from XT didn't drop once. I don't think I need to continue explaining my bad luck concerning the loot table. My point is that I had to bear with what I had. If a new Agility item dropped, this was my thought process:

1) Does it offer me a huge upgrade?
2) How does it impact my hit rating? Would I be undercapped or overcapped if I were to equip it?
3) How does it impact my expertise rating? Would I be undercapped or overcapped if I were to equip it?

I asked myself those questions during my guild runs. If I knew that I had a lot of priority/dkp, I didn't ruin it on a small upgrade - I strived to get trinkets and weapons first unless another slot was really weak. I also acknowledged the stat distribution - if I'm currently gemming hit/expertise, I could use certain items to acquire those stats from them so that I gem the stat I need - Agility/Arp. I'm saying this because I've read another forum user asking something similar in another thread. I also got asked by my former guildie for pre-BiS lists in ICC. Everything can be your pre-BiS. Now, what kind of hierarchy they occupy shouldn't matter imho. Sooner or later, those will be replaced. What actually matters is how you play as a cat. By saying this, I don't want to give false impressions that I see myself as some sort of a professional, but I don't need to participate in high heroic guilds to tell you this. Gear shouldn't define you. You don't become good once you get a few stat upgrades. You become good when you gitgut. Once you reach level 80, you already have all of the tools at your disposal so learn to use them well. I still remember a random person, who told me: "Until you acquire STS and DBW, don't bother playing as a cat", which was the biggest bullcrap I've ever heard. I'm purposefully writing this wall of text just so I could point out how the gear-centered mindset is wrong. Just to prove this statement, I'd like to share an inspiring video with you:

This was the LoD realm first kill in Frostmourne's season 1. As some of you already know, Frostmourne is designed to capture the raid difficulty of Lordearon (more HP on bosses, shorter enrage timer, no ICC buff). This kill happened on the second ID, so even if people managed to acquire a lot of ToGC items thanks to the double reset back in season 1, those were certainly missing some ICC HC and NM items. This shows that you don't need much to pull off high numbers - you just need to know your stuff. This is my advice to everyone, who is wondering what the next best item for a certain slot is - prioritise gameplay over stat advantage.

Here's a funny story. A few months ago, I did an icc raid in Lordearon. There I've met a pug warlock, who according to my guild officer, had done 5k dps on Festergut* with decent gear. That person did less damage than someone from Frostmourne with Naxx gear. Let that give you food for thought.

**Kovachut** · September 5, 2022

Just want to mention it here:

1) FFF doesn't proc CCs anymore, and according to the staff this is not a bug

2) "Fixed weapon enchant proc rate being based on the weapons attack speed rather than the ferals attackspeed while in feral form"
from the 03/08/2022 Changelog

As I'm writing this post, the information I know (or used to know, like concerning the weapon enchants) is written in this guide. If some changes happen, and I'm not aware of them while I'm absent from the game, you can contact me (Kovachut#1555), and I will gladly update the contents of this thread.

**Kovachut** · September 25, 2022

PSA:

The BiS build for the GotVV-shift has changed. In the past, I used Rawr's evaluation of its proc rate (10%), which is incorrect. It's 1.66% or 1 PPM. After realising this, I adjusted the proc % in Rawr and redid my calculations. I was able to confirm that the all beloved http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=50604 was indeed the right choice. My apologies for the misleading information in the past! I should have done a more thorough research earlier.

Thanks to Nap's suggestions and discussions regarding Black Magic, I read some old EJ articles and saw that people really praised this enchant for cats. Now, I created different builds, and Rawr also suggests it past 75% crit. In comparison to Berserking (also 1 PPM), it has 35% chance to proc off Shreds and Mangles. However, quick tests on the dummy showed that http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=59620 has the potential to proc very often, and it can overwrite itself. Black Magic, on the other hand, has a 35-sec ICD, and that's why I still recommend the prior enchant.

[edit] I just corrected the gems for the GotVV-shift. I agree that the previous ones were a bit Pepega. This goes to show that updating a guide at 3-5 AM in the morning is a terrible idea. Sorry about that!

**Kovachut** · November 10, 2022

Not worth the necro, but I want to mention some things.

I am still inactive when it comes to WoW, as I enjoy other games a lot more currently. However, yesterday youtube recommended me WillE's video:

1) There I saw a peculiar interaction - a pet resetting the swing timer. I decided to test this here, and...

This is a Classic-specific interaction. It doesn't work on warmane, so I don't recommend using it in fights.

2) WillE also talked about flowershifting, and this is the reason why I wanted to make this post. First of all, I'm quite surprised to find out that people use the GotVV-shift without the /stopattack macro. I thought that I made it perfectly clear why this:

is better than this:

Then on the internet I've stumbled upon an "improvement" for the GotVV-shift. Instead of using /stopattack, some people combine GotW with a dagger and cat form with the regular weapon in order to minimise the delayed cat AAs.

Testing the weapon swing with the GCD

Testing the weapon swing with the GCD

Testing weapon swap macros

When we swap weapons/idols, we reset the swing timer. This means that when we attack with the dagger and shapeshift in cat form, we would inevitably suffer from a delay caused by the swing reset when re-equiping our main weapon. This is worse than using the plain and simple /stopattack.

UPDATE 12/11/2022

I decided to review GotVV-shift with idol swapping, and I wrote a new post in my other thread. Well, I got convinced that the GotVV-shift CAN indeed be improved when we reset the swing timer, but we should use the main weapon and no daggers. This is due to the fact that a swing with, say, Oathbinder deals more damage than a white cat AA for the same time frame, and now idol swapping makes sense for this technique. I've updated the guide and mentioned this in "extras - super niche tricks for the dedicated min-maxers". I am still keeping the /stopattack variant because it's easier to pull off, but those of you who want to squeeze in more damage, you can definitely combine idol juggling with the GotVV-shift.

**Kovachut** · December 14, 2022

Small bump. I've decided to consider undercapping exp/hit in some builds, so some gemming and gearing choices might change.

I've corrected the gems for the BiS lists regarding GotVV-shift/flowershifting (there were some Pepega orange gems that I had to remove). In the following days I'll try to update the other builds from the previous patches. For now, you can treat the information there as slightly outdated, though admittedly it was already apparent to many ppl as various Classic guides have included http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40717 instead of http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=43993 for months now. Though one thing I'm not going to change is Agility vs Strength because even though the latter stat is best for bearweaving, Agility is still the go-to option for both the traditional and the GotVV-shifting cat (except when you start gemming Arp or reach the 76% white crit cap), which is what this guide covers for the most part.

Btw, I deleted the post concerning undercapping exp/hit in my other thread because I realised that writing a whole dissertation just for a 5 dps increase was absurd

**Beanlord** · December 14, 2022

Originally Posted by Kovachut

Btw, I deleted the post concerning undercapping exp/hit in my other thread because I realised that writing a whole dissertation just for a 5 dps increase was absurd.

Absolutely disagree. Your previous post highlighted the proper mentality a player should have when playing damage dealers. That mentality being min-maxing anything and everything that is possible (and not an exploit). It was high quality and should serve as an example to people on how tf they should actually be thinking about the game.

Your current haste buff(s).	Maximum delay for "/stopattack" to be worth it.
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54758	0.8 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40211	0.8 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=71560	0.7 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54758 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40211	0.7 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54758 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=71560	0.6 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=2825	0.6 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40211 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=71560	0.5 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=2825 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54758	0.5 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=2825 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40211	0.4 seconds
http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=54758 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40211 + http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/spell=71560	0.4 seconds
other combinations	not worth it as far as human error is concerned

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