Site Name

Last night as I was checking out Recount for each of our attempts on Professor Putricide, it occurred to me that there is another number located on the add on that counts as much (if not more) than a player’s actual damage per second. I’m referring to the total percentage of damage that you are dealing to the boss. This number looks at the overall damage being dealt by the entire raid to the boss and then calculates what percentage you are contributing to total DPS. For example, last night I was contributing 5.8% of the total raid dps (in 25 man ICC, in 10 man, a player’s percentages will undoubtedly be higher).

Now, this number obviously factors in your total DPS but it also captures several other metrics that are difficult to otherwise quantify. For instance, a high percentage of damage done to the boss may show that a player is effectively using DOT’s when forced to move around during the raid. Raid design places a premium on movement and for many dps classes, movement can break up rotations and lower overall dps. It’s important for all the DPS in a raid to have “filler” spells that can act as a bridge when moving around during a fight so your overall DPS numbers don’t tank.

The overall percentage of damage may also show that a player has done his homework for the boss fight. Players that have studied up on raid encounters don’t find themselves poorly positioned and are rarely caught off guard by the fight’s mechanics. Players who are on their toes know when to stay, when to move, and most importantly, when to DPS. This allows players to eek out that extra bit of damage that can mean the difference between success and a nasty hard enrage timer. Further, understanding the fight’s mechanics means less raid-wide damage dealt and less distracted healers.

Keep the above in mind the next time you are breaking down your dps numbers after a raid. Sure, you should always strive to top the charts in raw dps as well as dps contribution but remember, your contribution matters.