Loading ...Are you Double Potting?
It’s no secret that we can only use 1 potion once we’re in combat now, but perhaps something you may have missed is that it’s still possible to use 2 potions in a single fight.
How do we accomplish this?
Well if you haven’t guessed it already, you’ll be hitting yourself at how simple it is. You chug a potion just before you pull. By doing so, once the standard 2 minutes of potion downtime have expired, you’ll be able to chug a 2nd potion while you’re in combat.
Why would I use a potion before I pull?
If you only use Healing Potions then you’re right, it’s pretty ridiculous to use one before you pull. Long time readers will know though that my favourite potions are Indestructible Potions and as a result, there’s nothing I like more than being able to walk into the fight with one of these active against a hard hitting boss.
Now this isn’t to say that once you are free to use another Indestructible Potion that you should immediately. After all, you want to maximize it’s uptime during the ugly points of an encounter so it may not make sense to use the 2nd one until later in the fight when the boss is hitting even harder.
That said, there really is no downside to starting the fight with a potion active. It’s true you won’t be able to use a Healing Potion should an emergency arise, but then you should also still have Last Stand available that early in the fight anyway. More to the point, the benefit of additional armor over the course of 2 minutes is going to be far greater than being able to heal yourself for a few thousand health a single time.
But is it worth the Expense?
Well that one’s up to you. Personally, I’ve always felt that one should never spare any expense when it comes to progression and that ultimately if I’m not potting up, why should anyone else in my raid have to?
May 4th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
What Pots/food/elixirs do you find most effective for a regular run?
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Veneretio reply on May 4, 2009 3:39 pm:
Raiding
- Indestructible Potion
- Flask of Stoneblood
- Rhino Wurm Steak thingie (Expertise + Stamina food)
For regular runs, as bad as it sounds, I use nothing. I’m generally doing them to save money up for raiding. Progression is a relative term though and if Heroics were my progression content then I’d currently be using all of the above on any bosses.
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Grido reply on May 4, 2009 4:06 pm:
Thanks for your feedback. I was using Dragonfin Filet.
Mixture of Stoneblood drops in Ulduar which is nice. I wish more mobs did.
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40083
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Tankette reply on May 7, 2009 12:38 pm:
This is what I have been doing. Occasionally I’ll start with a rage potion instead depending on the encounter. I can go through 20 Indestructible potions in a raid so there’s at least some upside to being an Alchemist.
We often start our pulls with a Hunter’s misdirect so I pop my Indestructible potion as soon as the misdirect is applied. Being a dwarf, I sometimes I’m able to hit stoneskin before the boss gets to me as well and still have my GCD free for the SS to establish aggro. I try to do as much as I can to help the healers at the begining of the fight.
I farm like crazy when I’m not raiding so when I am in a run I spare no expense. I’ll flask and lay down a fish feast even in a 5 man. I leveled from 70 to 80 with a flask and food buff the whole time. Ya, I’m nuts like that.
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Blacksilver reply on May 4, 2009 3:40 pm:
I always found using potions, elixirs, and flasks to be a crutch. If I do use potions, it is when I am confident that the raid is making serious progression and I need a slight boost in order to win.
Thus far the only time I have had to double pot is drake tanking Sarth 3D.
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May 4th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I don’t find it necessary at my level of tanking, heroics, but I’m not good enough yet for higher level content Naxx 10
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May 4th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I use Indestructible Potions as well on hard hitting bosses. As a Alchemist I’m using my profession to my advantage as well by making quite a stash just for that in my bag. The added extra armor is quite nice and pop the other one as needed. But it’s a nice tactic to use with the one potion in combat use rule.
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May 5th, 2009 at 12:55 am
I honestly never thought of this, very useful tip. I usually keep around 10 or so Indestructible Potions on me at a time, usually for the last stages of a boss (soft enrages, etc) when it can get a bit rough. Think I’m gonna have to keep a bigger stash on me now though!
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May 5th, 2009 at 2:14 am
Good idea as the above poster I never thought of this, though I always carry Indestrctible pots with me for hard hitters or boss enrages, time for me to use up that extra bag space then.
Also I’ve been using Elixers for expertise/Elixer of major str, and an elixier of major defence rather than a flask, this bumps the price up a bit but I’ve found em to be relitively handy, though I have never tested the upgraded tank flasks.
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May 5th, 2009 at 3:06 am
This is a very good thing to do given not a lot encounter favor or have required it. I started to use it now engaging General Vezax since he hits like a truck and shaving off extra damage is always welcome - armor is very good in that fight.
Also note not only can a tank can utilize this, we had talks about giving the raid Shadow Protection Pots for the same encounter since all damage in there is shadow to the raid hence shadow pots are much more effective than using a health pot (and can “heal” or remove upwards 12K damage).
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May 5th, 2009 at 4:26 am
Oh yea… I’m double potting like there is no tomorrow.
I have alt druid and usually herbing in Storm Peaks around hodir farming ground. This area is rich in Lichbloom and Icethorn. Since we need first for our flasks second comes as bonus and 2 Icethorns per piece of pot is not hard to get at all…
Only problem that I’m having atm is Indestructibile stacking @ number of 5. Bringing 20-40 to raid uses from 4-8 bag spaces with all my different gear, it’s really a problem.
My health potions are nicely tied in Injectors saving lot of space, hopefully blizzard will implement “potion injector” and merge healing and mana injector into one universal injector for all type of potions.
Even thinking of “boss pull macro” with simple castsequence (have to check exact macro setup, below is just an idea.
/Castsequence reset = 6 Bloodrage, Commanding Shout, /use Indestructibile potion, Heroic Throw, Charge, Thunderclap
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Grido reply on May 6, 2009 11:05 am:
You could also add Berserker Rage to the mix if you want more rage and its not on the GCD
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May 5th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Right now the only boss I’m thinking this could be really beneficial is Auriaya. Her cats hurt and because melee attacks from the front she gets lotsa parry haste.
I don’t think it really makes a difference on any other boss. Most of them are nerfed so..
Lets just wait for next patchwerk/brutallus.
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May 5th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Yup, like an old mage trick (cast shield, wait till the cooldown approaches, then pull the mob).
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May 6th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
If you want to be a true team player, announce a boss pull countdown so your other raid members can chug their potion of choice as well before being placed in combat.
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Machus reply on May 6, 2009 7:32 pm:
The offensive ones are very short though, just 15 sec or so. There used to be a lovely potion of 50 magic resistance, but it doesn’t work at high level.
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Shivwren reply on May 8, 2009 2:36 pm:
True, but some people want to maximize their dps and that few extra seconds of haste or spellpower are worth it to them.
I know that some dps warriors (and paladins, I believe) will also use Indestructible potions right before combat because their armor is converted into greater attack power. Then they can chug a haste potion during the fight.
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Veneretio reply on May 8, 2009 3:20 pm:
That’s a good point for tanks too! That 3500 Armor for 2 minutes will also be 58 Attack Power if you’ve got 3 points in the Armored to the Teeth talent.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Another potion you might consider using before being in-combat is a rage potion. This extra rage at the beginning of the fight allows you to build threat very quickly, especially if you stagger in Bloodrage and Berserker Rage after the pull. I always try to wait until the pull before using Bloodrage because using it actually generates a little bit of threat and Berserker Rage is best used after the boss has already started hitting you so that you get the maximum benefit.
DPS and support warriors could double-pot with rage potions to good effect as well. The first is good for sticking on Thunderclap or Demo Shout at the beginning and then still having enough to start damage rotation. The second rage pot would be best used with Execute, so save it for 20%.
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May 7th, 2009 at 11:45 am
interesting thoughts.
my expertise has gone from being soft capped to almost nil due to gear upgrades. I’d considered the expertise food, and I’ll have to consider it again.
I’d use Elixirs of Strength & Defense because when Stoneblood was only 650 health, it was a crap flask, and I wasn’t gonna go farm Ancient Lichen for the old BC flask, which I thought was better, even though the def changes had made it crud. with stoneblood going to 1300, it’s actually respectable now.
I’ve always kept indestructible pots as emergency backups, I used them on Patchwerk and on Loatheb when I was taking Hatefuls or MTing, respectively. I felt 2 min of + armor > 1-time heal that I had otherwise covered with a healthstone, Enraged Regen, and Lifebloom (Herb/Miner).
the concept of Double Potting, however, is new to me, and something I will consider, especially as I start to make forays into Ulduar 10 and 25, and know I’ll need any trick I can come up with to help.
but as to the “X Potion Injector”?? oh, I WISH…..
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May 7th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
All good points! And I think +armor pots do more for keeping you alive than health pots anyway. I had never thought of potting before a pull. Thanks for the tip.
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May 20th, 2009 at 8:45 am
*facepalm* Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks for the Potting tip. I’ll have to play with that to see what other combinations I can come up with.
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May 13th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
I have been double potting indestructible potions for ICC raids over the past three months and I am flabbergasted by the lack of knowledge surrounding this technique with indestructible potions. As a Fury W the additional armor all but removes the 5% damage bonus from beserker stance and adds 97 AP, half a flask of endless rage that I can maintain for 4 minutes in a boss fight.
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