DPS Tips Part.1- Start Small

So, you want to up your game? Where do you start? How can you tell if your game needs upping? Is upping even a word? Enough questions, let’s get started.

Tools:
Recount is not just a way to prove you’re better than everyone else (though it’s often used that way unfortunately). Recount contains huge amounts of useful detailed information, some of which we will talk about later on in the post.

Target Dummys, placed in all the major cities (I prefer IF- in the military quarter), are a great way to measure your DPS in a controlled environment.

Internet sites such as Elitist Jerks (EJ), class specific sites, and dare I say it even “The Misadventures of Svenn” have detailed analysis of rotations, stat priorities, abilities, and more.
Method:

Start small. This means, start with things you can affect immediately; talents and glyphs. A little research up front will go a long way towards maximizing DPS while minimizing how much gold you spend on respecs. The Min/Max crowd over at EJ has done all the work for you as far as what is mathematically the “optimal” raid spec for top damage. A close read of all talents available in each talent tree should provide you with enough information to make your own informed decisions about talenting should you find the EJ recommended specs undesirable from a play-style enjoyment standpoint.

Do the same thing for your glyphs. Again, check all available glyphs for your class, not just the ones currently for sale on the AH or that your inscriptionist currently knows. There are usually 1 or 2 commonly agreed to “must have” glyphs, and 1 or 2 additional glyphs that will work well with your spec. Get them all. Equip the “must haves” and then rotate between the other few until you settle on one that’s comfortable/ works well for you.