Death Slaad Is King For GWF

While I was doing some DPS tests on enchantments the other day, I also brought in the Death Slaad companion after its fix. I mainly wanted to sort out whether it’s worth ditching one of my companions for the Slaad on my CW. Against three dummies DPS came in at 5-6k, which for me is about a 6% boost in overall DPS. Since the output of the Slaad is stable regardless of your gear (because it activates on At-Wills), it can be more of an upgrade for lesser geared toons. I eventually decided for the Slaad although I have plenty of pets that give me a boost in the 5% range.

The CW however is not the best fit for the pet as it’s an encounter-heavy class. Since I had seen some impressive numbers from GWFs, I decided to get mine involved. The numbers were indeed stellar and quadrupled those of the CW at 21,191 DPS. It makes sense because the GWF is the only class that heavily works with AoE At-Wills and can trigger the active bonus rapidly. I don’t think any other class should come close although I didn’t bother to test more. Depending on playstyle a GF could get a decent DPS boost as well, but the days of GFs being a viable striker class are long gone and in group content you are probably better off getting some defensive / utility pets first.

Next to the pure DPS, the poison has the nice side effect for GWFs that it generates Determination on every single tick if you’re a Destroyer. In an AoE setting this gain is indeed noticeable and substantial. As one GWF in the comments rightfully mentioned, the effect may take a huge hit in actual dungeon runs especially in a well geared group, because mobs die too fast.

For comparisons sake I went on and equipped other DoT pets to show the discrepancy. No other companion even comes close to the performance of the Death Slaad. It’s absolutely mandatory for GWFs and other classes should carefully check whether it presents an upgrade over what they already own.

Here’s the data (all companions tested in purple quality):

Class Death Slaad Black Death Scorpion Lightfoot Thief
CW 5,505 704 506
GWF 21,191 1,947 580

j0Shi

j0Shi plays the Neverwinter MMORPG since the open BETA in 2013 and is a regular contributor to the blog and the whole UN:Project. Originally a Guardian Fighter, he has built up ALTs of all classes and plays on BIS/near-BIS level.

7 thoughts on “Death Slaad Is King For GWF

  • July 20, 2015 at 8:25 am
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    Hi,
    have you tested it’s viablitily for stacking the bonding buff?

    • July 20, 2015 at 4:23 pm
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      No, I just tested the Active Bonus.

  • July 20, 2015 at 3:20 pm
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    LOL. mandatory for a GWF you say as you test on dummies. actual charts from actual dungeons show the slaad is doing barely 1% and we’re talking about the period before the nerf.

    http://i.imgur.com/Aofs7CA.jpg

    mobs in dungeons actually DIE. it doesn’t get to tick much. stop spreading false information.

    • July 20, 2015 at 4:29 pm
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      I assume we have an educated audience here that knows in which way dummy tests are flawed and how you need to apply context before a final judgement.

      I did however add your comment to the post, because these are valid points.

  • July 21, 2015 at 12:27 am
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    What about TR? It might have a good effect with Duelist’s flurry.

  • July 21, 2015 at 10:17 am
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    The Blink Dog seems to be the best for bonding runestones. At least with my experience so far.

  • November 23, 2017 at 12:38 am
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    Level 15-70 it is great for the 6k+ Astral Diamond cost.
    best used against high Hitpoint targets where there is constant stacking before things die.
    also helps chip away if you do AOE at wills like the hunter ranger / GWF / GF
    I also used on my Cleric as they are tough to solo pre-10k item level
    IF Active – Its AOE vomit cloud of poison is nice, but it swings that sword way too slowly

    Other companions you can actually afford
    The WereRat (Encounter Poison 3%) using protector seals? in Protector Enclave
    Rust Monster is cheap enough also to throw in there early

    Once you get to IL 11k+ sure – try to get your best in class companions…

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