For years, we’ve been slaves to the sim. We plug in our gear, hit ‘run,’ and follow the sacred rotation it spits out. It’s gospel. It’s science. What if it’s all been wrong?
I’ve been sent logs—deep, forbidden logs from the PTR—that tell a different story. A Feral Druid, known only as ‘Clawshank,’ has been topping meters using a sequence that would make any theorycrafter’s fur stand on end. It breaks every rule. It looks like griefing. And it’s consistently 5% ahead of the ‘optimal’ sim DPS.
The Forbidden Knowledge
We all know the script. Maintain Rip, keep up Rake, pool for Ferocious Bite, don’t overcap on Combo Points. It’s clean. It’s efficient. It’s what SimulationCraft has preached since Cataclysm.
Clawshank’s method? Controlled chaos.
His logs show a deliberate, rhythmic ‘wasting’ of resources that the sims would flag as a catastrophic error. We’re talking about letting Rake fall off for a full GCD to get a Shred in. We’re talking about Ferocious Biting at 4 Combo Points with alarming regularity, banking on the Sabertooth trait to carry the Rip.
The "Wasteful" Rotation Breakdown
Here’s the core loop that’s breaking the sims:
- Priority #1: Rip (but only refreshed via Sabertooth from a 4CP Ferocious Bite).
- Priority #2: Shred to 4 CPs, even if Rake is about to expire.
- Priority #3: Ferocious Bite at 4 CPs. This is the heart of it. The sim assumes you always go to 5. Clawshank doesn’t.
- Priority #4: Then, and only then, re-apply Rake. This creates a tiny gap, but it lines up your energy and CP generation with proc rates in a way the static sim can’t model.
The sims are built on perfect, predictable fight conditions. This rotation embraces the RNG of Omen of Clarity and Bloodtalons procs, creating a flexible ‘pulse’ that adapts in real-time, not on a spreadsheet.
Why The Sims Can't See It
SimulationCraft is incredible, but it’s a machine. It follows its own logic perfectly. This rotation exploits a quirk in how the sim values ‘time-to-damage’ versus ‘resource alignment.’
By sometimes ‘wasting’ a GCD or a CP, you’re actually preventing future, larger wastes. You’re ensuring your big hitters always land under your trinket procs and buff windows. The sim’s ‘perfect’ rotation often has abilities drifting just outside those windows. Clawshank’s method brute-forces them inside.
It’s not more efficient on paper. It’s more effective in the messy reality of a raid encounter.
The Verdict: How to Do It
Ready to try the heresy? Here’s your cheat sheet:
- Forget 5CP as a rule. Make 4CP your new Ferocious Bite trigger.
- In your opener, get Rip up normally. After that, only refresh it via Sabertooth (the talent that makes Ferocious Bite extend Rip).
- Shred to 4 CPs. If Rake falls off during this, let it. Don’t panic.
- Ferocious Bite. You just extended your Rip and did big damage.
- Now apply Rake. Your resources and dots are now perfectly misaligned from the sim rotation, and that’s the secret.
- Repeat. Pool energy before major proc windows, then unleash this 4CP FB spam.
It will feel wrong. Your details! will flash orange warnings. Your raid lead might whisper you. But when you see that final boss damage tally and you’re sitting above the other ‘optimal’ cats, you’ll know the truth.
The sim isn’t the final word. It’s a starting point. The real min-maxing happens when a player dares to ask, “What if we break it?” Clawshank asked. And for now, he’s got the claws to prove it.