retrofunk
sage
i began writing this as a response to The Ideal Level? | XPOff but, i think the topic is important since it applies to PvE twinking as a whole--regardless of level--given the 'new' shared instance structure. the real reason we see astronomical power level diminishing at every level after 10 is because of a calculation we might refer to as 'relative dps'. in calculating, i did not sim secondary stats because they are difficult to isolate, and are better calculated as modifiers to main stat damage output and weighed relative only to each other.
this is what i found for dps per stat calculations:
in calculating (damage per second) per main stat, i took off every piece of gear that gives any secondary stats and ran dummy sims. in testing, i realized that your toon's level and spec matters to your overall (dps)s because your rotational damage is dependent on abilities and spell weights, which are prone to change (use wowhead link below for more info). for example, my frost mage sim'd (~.48dps)s at level 17.
my sims were run with the holy priest spec on a level 13 and a level 20. due to base 5% crit chance, sims are not perfect and can vary slightly, to the 1/100th decimal point. for example, the level 20 ran dps sims ranged from (.70dps)int--(.89dps)int, with an average of (~.79dps)int, whereas the level 13 had a sim range of (.72dps)int--(.80dps)int with an average of (~.76dps)int. despite being so close in (dps)int, these figures are more likely an anomaly of the spec's level rotation weights rather than suggestive of a linear function for 'spec (dps)s'. if you are min/maxing your (dps)s, ALWAYS calculate for your spec's current rotation by level.
(edit: i later ran sims at levels 11-14 and confirmed that (dps)s calculations vary significantly by level)
this is why you need to consider more than just (dps) per stat for overall power level:
while instance'd, each unique party member is dealing relative damage, otherwise a level 60 could one shot a 1.5k hp lvl18 mob!
thus, we must now calculate damage in [mob health % / per second] per stat or, [%ps]s.
i am autistic
i used open world [mob hp] in my calculations:
i divided my (dps)int by the normalized, low hp threshold for level 13:
{ (.76dps)int / [224hp] }
to get a [%ps]s of [.35%ps]int at level 13;
or,
an intellect weight of .35
then
i divided my (dps)int by the normalized, low hp threshold for level 20:
{ (.79dps)s / [374hp] }
to get a [%ps]s of [.21%ps]int at level 20;
or,
an intellect weight of .21
(some small things that may help in your research, specifically for the extent of shadowlands)
1. certain specs grant radical modifiers to classwide spells. if you care about the numbers, use the Talent Calculator - Shadowlands - World of Warcraft (wowhead.com) to surf around your spec's spell weights. you can also view your spec's spell toolkits evolvong by level, which may factor into your toons 'sweet spot'
2. levels 10, 14, 15, and 20 offer the most dramatic changes in available gear.
3. while secondary stats may scale in a regressive linear model, the secondary stats baked into a particular piece of gear DO NOT necessarily follow a linear model due to rounding. i found that the secondary stats baked into my gear at level 17 scale better than the other levels in the 15-20 bracket--use wowhead 'scale with lvl' tool on the gear pieces you are looking at.
this is what i found for dps per stat calculations:
in calculating (damage per second) per main stat, i took off every piece of gear that gives any secondary stats and ran dummy sims. in testing, i realized that your toon's level and spec matters to your overall (dps)s because your rotational damage is dependent on abilities and spell weights, which are prone to change (use wowhead link below for more info). for example, my frost mage sim'd (~.48dps)s at level 17.
my sims were run with the holy priest spec on a level 13 and a level 20. due to base 5% crit chance, sims are not perfect and can vary slightly, to the 1/100th decimal point. for example, the level 20 ran dps sims ranged from (.70dps)int--(.89dps)int, with an average of (~.79dps)int, whereas the level 13 had a sim range of (.72dps)int--(.80dps)int with an average of (~.76dps)int. despite being so close in (dps)int, these figures are more likely an anomaly of the spec's level rotation weights rather than suggestive of a linear function for 'spec (dps)s'. if you are min/maxing your (dps)s, ALWAYS calculate for your spec's current rotation by level.
(edit: i later ran sims at levels 11-14 and confirmed that (dps)s calculations vary significantly by level)
this is why you need to consider more than just (dps) per stat for overall power level:
while instance'd, each unique party member is dealing relative damage, otherwise a level 60 could one shot a 1.5k hp lvl18 mob!
thus, we must now calculate damage in [mob health % / per second] per stat or, [%ps]s.
i am autistic
i used open world [mob hp] in my calculations:
i divided my (dps)int by the normalized, low hp threshold for level 13:
{ (.76dps)int / [224hp] }
to get a [%ps]s of [.35%ps]int at level 13;
or,
an intellect weight of .35
then
i divided my (dps)int by the normalized, low hp threshold for level 20:
{ (.79dps)s / [374hp] }
to get a [%ps]s of [.21%ps]int at level 20;
or,
an intellect weight of .21
(some small things that may help in your research, specifically for the extent of shadowlands)
1. certain specs grant radical modifiers to classwide spells. if you care about the numbers, use the Talent Calculator - Shadowlands - World of Warcraft (wowhead.com) to surf around your spec's spell weights. you can also view your spec's spell toolkits evolvong by level, which may factor into your toons 'sweet spot'
2. levels 10, 14, 15, and 20 offer the most dramatic changes in available gear.
3. while secondary stats may scale in a regressive linear model, the secondary stats baked into a particular piece of gear DO NOT necessarily follow a linear model due to rounding. i found that the secondary stats baked into my gear at level 17 scale better than the other levels in the 15-20 bracket--use wowhead 'scale with lvl' tool on the gear pieces you are looking at.
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