Chronomancer - Power DPS

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Direct damage

Designed for: Raids and Fractals

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on November 14, 2023 and is up to date for the September 19, 2023 game patch.

Overview

A power DPS Chronomancer build for raids, strikes, and fractals. This build is very complex and very not-beginner-friendly. Compared to Virtuoso, power chronomancer is much harder to play while dealing very similar damage, so it's a niche build.

This build requires practice and mastery to make the most out of . In addition, it has very good Crowd Control, utility, and versatility, and provides 50% Fury to its subgroup and a little Alacrity to itself.

Skill Bar

Dagger/Sword

Greatsword

Utility

Weapon Variants

• Sword is the best mainhand weapon for players that don't own Secrets of the Obscure.
• Sword/Focus can be taken in place of Greatsword. It is a fairly significant DPS loss, but can be worth it for the utility of Focus.

Skill Variants

• should replace if using Focus, as you need quick clone generation for the opening .
• could be swapped for or if you find yourself accidentally using the last charge at the wrong time, or if you want the extra utility.
• if extra CC is required. Be aware of the long cooldown.

These are the skills suggested for full DPS, but if the situation requires, you can slot utility skills like , , or other. If you have to take other skills, replace Mantra of Pain first, and if you really need another skill, replace Well of Calamity at a significant dps loss.

Template Code

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Specializations

Trait Variants

• if using Focus
• - if extra CC is needed

Equipment

Head
Assassin

Shoulders
Assassin

Chest
Assassin

Hands
Assassin

Legs
Assassin

Feet
Assassin

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Assassin

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Assassin

Dagger
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Greatsword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

• is slightly higher damage, but means you have to use to maintain the Fireworks buff.
• This set provides exactly 75% critical chance with , reaching 100% with Fury.
  • If varying this equipment, you want to aim for 2470 precision (including food).

Equipment Variants

On encounters, such as most raids, where does not gain bonus damage, taking a and swapping all gear to Berserker stats will be slightly higher damage.

Consumables

Food

• /

Utility

Usage

Power chronomancer has a very complex rotation. Due to , your cooldowns are even shorter than normal, so the rotation is longer by squeezing more skills into it. You should memorise the opening and practice it, because then you can just follow your cooldowns to sort of know what to do.

Beginner Rotation

Alternatively, you can opt to drop Greatsword (or replace it with a Focus) to greatly simplify the rotation at a ~9% DPS loss. In this case, take in Domination. The rotation below assumes the use of Focus in the second set, but you can choose to camp Dagger/Sword if you prefer, though this is an additional ~2% DPS loss.

Opening Continuum Split
As this is a beginner rotation, Continuum Split is kept very simple:

1. to start with a clone to shatter
3. (replace with if not using Focus)
8. Weapon Swap

Rest of the Rotation
For the rest of the rotation you use Dagger skills, , and your three utility skills off cooldown (be sure not to consume the last charge of if using). Additionally:

• On offhand Sword use ⇒ ⇒ , then continue using other skills off cooldown until you can use once more. Then immediately Weapon swap afterwards (if using Focus).
• On offhand Focus, use whenever it comes off cooldown, then Weapon swap back to offhand Sword as soon as you can.

Video guide by Masel

Dagger Rotation

Opening Continuum Split

Start on Dagger

5. Weapon Swap
7. , and during the cast
8. and
12. and
13. and
14. and Continuum Split ends
16. and ⇒
18. and
20. and
21. Weapon Swap

Dagger Loop

3. + Shatter
4. (skip on first loop)
5. Autoattack and use and when they come off cooldown, Shatter when you reach 3 clones
6. + Shatter
8. Weapon Swap

Greatsword Loop

4. Autoattack, use when it comes off cooldown, and Shatter when you reach 3 clones
8. Weapon Swap
9. Return to start of loop

• Fill the gaps with auto attacks.
• Use , , and off cooldown.
• With , use the last charge just before the end of a phase and recharge it near the start of the next one to provide some Might to your subgroup.
• This rotation spams shatters to trigger
  • deals a lot of damage, but doesn't trigger the relic, so save clones for it and immediately follow up with or
  • or can be saved for cc or defense.
    • In this case, you can add just before Mind Stab in the greatsword loop to maintain the fireworks buff instead
• Every third dagger autoattack triggers a Cutter Burst, so try to do this before swapping to greatsword

Second Continuum Split

When is ready and you're on Dagger:

1. (if you're not at 3 clones)
2. , and during the cast
3. (if not used in step 1)
8. and ⇒
9. and
15. and
19. Weapon Swap

• From this point, you now use at the end of the Dagger Loop rather than the start of it.
  • Everything else about the loop remains the same.

Video example

Video example (focus)

Sword Rotation

Opener

Start on Greatsword.

5. Weapon swap
7. ⇒ at the very end of the cast time of the Swordsman.
8. once you hit 10 stacks of
9. try to use it right when the Swordsman spawns to cancel the aftercast animation.
11. and
12. and
14. . If you were successful following this very tight rotation, Continuum Split ends during Blurred Frenzy and Gravity Well is off cooldown.
16. and
19. Weapon swap

Loop

After the opener, you follow this loop:

• When you swap to sword, the first and last skill before you swap again is , and you will use in between. Fill the gaps with and never interrupt your auto attack chain because most of the damage comes from the final strike .
• When you swap to greatword, you use 3 times thanks to , and once, while using your greatsword damage skills in between.

11. Weapon swap

• Use off cooldown.
• should be saved for CC. If there's no need for CC during the fight, Gravity Well can be used in the greatsword set instead of auto attacks. It has the lowest priority out of all your skills due to its very low damage.
• If you have to interrupt the loop because the boss moved, or phased, or you have to do some mechanic, you don't simply resume your rotation where you left it.
  • If you're on sword, you want to return to greatsword whenever weapon swap is ready, casting your available skills while waiting. But if weapon swap is ready, cast Phantasmal Swordsman and swap inmediatly.
  • If you're on greatsword, try to follow the loop from the start skippig what's on cooldown and weapon swap when ready and your skills are on cooldown. If Signet of the Ether is on cooldown, don't wait for it.

Continuum Split

When Continuum Split comes off cooldown after the opener, you will want to be on greatsword with your cooldowns available, and shatter with 3 clones. You will use your to cast twice inside the split, and twice outside of it, and Well of Calamity Twice.

2. ⇒
9. and
10. and
11. Continuum Split ends during its cast.
13. and
14. and
17. Weapon swap
21. Continue with the priority.

Video example

Video example (Focus)

Crowd Control

• ⇒

Notes

• Essentially, you use all your skills except and .
• Use whenever you have 3 clones up.
• Make sure not to interrupt your autoattack chain as the damage from it is heavily loaded into the final strike, .
• Save clones to shatter with if you will need to CC in the immediate future.
• After the opener, use anytime it gets a charge.
  • Use the final charge just before a boss is about to phase, and recharge it before the start of the next.
• Try to flank (attack from behind or the side) whenever possible to make use of your .
• Don't worry too much if you were unable to fit inside the Continuum Split opener, it deals less damage than one full sword auto attack chain, and 3 greatsword auto attacks.
• provides enough Alacrity to counter the negative side of . This means that your Alacrity-provider doesn't have to increase their boon duration to give you more Alacrity. Your Alacrity might drop during transitions and other situations where you can't create and shatter clones, but that shouldn't be a problem.
• As you master this class, you can start considering some more advanced tips and tricks:
  • , and will interrupt your current skill cast. The opener takes advantage of this to cancel the aftercast animations of , but make sure to not interrupt yourself with these skills. You can use them, or weapon stow, to cancel the aftercast animation of , which can be cancelled almost instantly, or , which can be stowed after the final strik.
  • When on gretsword, if you already have 3 clones as is almost off cooldown, and you have phantasms attacking, you can shatter the 3 clones with , then shatter those phantasms (after they become clones) with , because you will have 3 clones up again through and by the time Split Second is off cooldown again. This is only a 2% dps gain, so ignore it if you're not confident that you can pull it off because delaying by even 1 second, or not having 3 clones ready for it, would be terrible.
  • has artificially high priority in the rotation so that it is off cooldown for the second Continuum Split. If you had to interrupt your rotation at any point, you will no longer need to give such high priority to it. Instead, when Continuum Split is coming off cooldown, ensure that Well of Calamity will be available to use inside of it. With 13,3 seconds cooldown, this means you should leave WoC off cooldown when CS will be ready in 8-9 seconds or less.