^This.

There are other variables I take into consideration when clawing something's back that I use to better optimize my dps including trinket/enchant procs, position or target changes, health of target, type of target, etc.

For instance, I might wait a few seconds longer for my Grim Toll to proc before popping Bezerk especially when there's <3m in the fight. Or I'll refresh my Rip if there's only a tick or two left on Lord Jaraxxus before switching to his Mistress, who may be burned so fast that I won't even waste a Rip on her but rather continue Shredding, maybe a FB, and then use my remaining combo pts just before she drops to refresh my SR before going back to Jaraxxus. And what about when pvping or doing dailies?

Therefore, I would rather use an addon like TellMeWhen that only displays dot/temp buffs/procs so I can make more objective decisions based on my current situation. Plus addons that just display info vs. telling you what skill to use require that you think more, which, consequently, can make you a better player.

I believe you are taking what I said and warping it into some bash of FbN, or even people that use FbN. This not at all what I meant.

I never said this. I said "addons that just display info vs. telling you what skill to use require that you think more..", the key word being "more". You even point out the "thinking more" point later in your post so I'm not sure why you made this statement / asked the question.

"Duh" is right, and I agree. Not sure why you state this when my post is about using an addon.

FbN does not take into account the other variables that I mentioned (trinkets, target, movement, encounter dynamics, etc). Therefore, even though a computer can "process information MUCH more effectively than we can", the fact that FbN doesn't take into account all the variables that can make a noticeable difference in your dps means there's room for improvement on the player's part.

True, but does that imply that you will make a mistake that will have a noticeable adverse effect on the encounter? More on this in a bit.

Some people can obvious process this information faster than others. An example would be top rated arena players who have to process and react quickly. Point is I believe I can process "a crapload of timers and debuffs" with the help of an addon other than FbN and still be able to keep my situational awareness in a given encounter.

Different example: I can drive thru downtown Chicago in my manual transmission car just fine, but I know others that can't & consequently grind the hell outta gears or stall when driving thru traffic. Interpret that however you'd like.

Anyway, the point of my original reply was to say I agree with Inaiwae's statement regarding "an addon telling me what to press next", and why I prefer to use something else. And for the record, I think FbN is a good addon, but I like the freedom and flexibility that I get with an alternative. To each their own.

Move prediction is one aspect of FBN which can be turned off and does in fact take into account your current stats, including procs from trinkets or enchants. The other monitors are a rather nice one stop package for monitoring cooldowns, trinkets and their cooldowns, as well as tracking the debuffs. Even if you don't use the move prediction, it's still a very nice addon with a lot of useful information display features for both cat and bear. The move prediction is also useful for learning what situations require different "rotations", for example, what set of procs and conditions lead to Shred being better DPE then Rake for you and your gear.

It kind of irks me that people talk about these mods as if they are an absolute neccessity. I'm just going to throw in the fact I find playing my feral druid as DPS a ton more enjoyable without using any DPS addons period, than I do with mods such as Dottimers, FBN, etc. You don't need ANY addon to play this class to the best of its ability, and still manage to not stand in void zones.

On a lighter note, I do feel that they are helpful learning tools to newer or less experienced ferals. I did attempt to use FBN one time, and I think that if you're looking to learn the class and play it well, that this is the addon hands down to use. I've never really heard of any of the other ones being discussed.

Nah, its just that in BC, playing a druid was so mindnumbingly simple that you could do it in alt-Z mode (Mangle/Shred to 4 CP's Rip...repeat), that you didn't need addons at all then. Come WotLK where Feral DPS easily jumps to the most complex rotation, I didn't know about the addons that existed until about 4-5 months into the release, and by then I had gotten so used to doing it my way that any other way just seems painful to learn. It keeps me entertained though.

As for how I manage my rotation, I just assume trauma is up 24/7, if our DPS warrior dies or switches targets he lets me know via a nice spam macro system we have set up. I'm able to watch my CP's and buffs/debuffs manually - using the default UI, your debuffs on the boss are displayed at the very top of the bosses debuffs which makes it simple to track those since they are always in the same exact place. As for watching Savage Roar, its always on either the first or second row of buffs.

I also don't know if this personally helps me but I sit very far back from my monitor, and it allows me to get a fuller view of everything going on at once. I wouldn't say I'm a purist though :/ Anyways, not trying to derail the discussion...just throwing in the fact that these addons aren't 100% required, but FBN is probably the best to use if you were to use one as it has pretty much everything you need in one neat little package, and you can customize it to turn off certain features.

LOL my ability to process information is just fine...I had extensive experience with feral dps both pre and post move predictor mods (starting with facemauler). The mods felt clumsy and 'wrong' for a couple weeks until you understood the way they behaved and their (evolving) limitations. FBN at this point is so good its, imo, almost foolish to argue that person would be consistently as good. Its a "learner tool" like a computer is to a typewriter. I can still type just fine with my old typewriter but I'm going to be consistently faster and more productive with a computer. Thats sort of where I feel this argument is headed.

Is it necessary? No. Is it necessary to consistently perform at the top of what we are capable of? At this point in the evolution of FBN I'd argue yes. Computers can do elementary calculations FAR faster than we can. And not only that but even if you are a wiz at situational awareness it still will allow you to process even more raid/environment/boss critical information faster than if you are having to think 12-15 seconds ahead about such matters as potentially colliding timer bars, trinket hidden cooldowns, possibilities of ooc procs, etc, etc, etc. There is always more information you can process and react to if you aren't busy thinking about something else.

Here's something to think about: no one gives a shit what mods any of you prefer.

Calculations made by nightcrowler showed, that rake is still useful even when you are at the ArPcap. Since it costs less energy than shred, thus generating CP a little faster, shred needs to be about 10% more efficient than rake to really outperform it.

That's what I remember.

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

what do you thinkk about this spec.
pvp mix pve

Its not the right topic for this post, and by the way dual spec exist, and If you choose to be a Feral Pve, a Feral PvP and a Resto PvP or Pve, you will understand with time that you will have to do with only 2 specs, or lose gold. Mix spec, exept for resto and perhaps for Mookin donc work with Feral. I say this from personals experiences.

And to come back to the discussion about rake, explain me why rake makes me lose 300 to 500 dps ?

Sorry,maybe my english is not as good as I always thought.
Does this mean that Mutilation is BiS no matter if you have to mangle or not and the other three should be taken only if you cannot afford it? (That's what I read)
Or does it mean that Corruptor is BiS since I have to mangle?

I have 50% crit unbuffed and 506 AP

Thanks in advance.