Question about 969 and trash/aoe pulls

[jt1080]

I'm a sprouting tankadin (lvl 75 atm) and seeing as I just got ShoR I can finally do the 969 rotation....but my question is about trash/aoe pulls.

When I'm clearing trash in aoe pulls and for some reason DP isn't up, I prefer not to bust out consecrate as it will wear down my mana more than I like. But, correct me if I'm wrong, 969 does not work unless you use all 5 of your CDs. I know using 969 and all 5 cds is the best TPS undoubtedly...but what about the pulls where you don't want to use consecration?

Sorry if this is a dumb question. Just something that came up and I was curious enough to register just to ask it! (Was a lurker before)

EDIT: This might be (probably) just a side effect of my level/gear and could not be a problem at all at 80. Just kind of thought of that..

[Harmacy]

Not a dumb question at all.

96969 is the best rotation for sustained aggro while keeping a 100% uptime on Holy Shield. You typically won't adhere to it for short trash pulls, and skipping consecration when it is unnecessary is good practice for 5-mans.

[jt1080]

Ah ok good to know. I just didn't want to be the noob who wasn't 969ing even on trash when you should be.

[sifuedition]

Yeah, mana mangement when perfect 969 is not the best is one of the things that separates a good prot pally from an average one. Violet Hold is a perfect example. I never use consecration on the single/double mob portals and don't use divine plea for those either. I save dp for the four mob portals and then go all out with my full 969. Learning how to modify your rotation on the fly is very helpful for those times when things go wrong.

Likewise, learning how to have dp available for every pull you need it is important. Sometimes this means not using it if you don't have to but most of the time means linking pulls (think chain pulling but doesn't have to truly be that extreme) so that it doesn't drop off. When you raid, you want to do these things without thinking. The valithria dreamealker early part is one of those places. The mobs stream out of doorways but start slowly and gradually get faster.