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Timing and Tempo

Core rule

Tempo is not just your weapon cooldown. Tempo is the group's usable rhythm: clump, damage, pierce, support, healing, movement, and caller decision all landing in the same window.

The three clocks

Clock Meaning
Personal cooldown Your own Q, W, E, armor, helmet, boots, potion, cape, or mount timing
Package cooldown The timing of a role package: clump + pierce + damage, defensive stack, bomb squad, or peel sequence
Zerg tempo The rhythm the whole force can execute repeatedly without falling apart

A player may have a 15-second damage loop, but the zerg may not have a 15-second engage if supports, clumps, healers, and callers cannot cycle that fast.

Good tempo looks like

  • clump or target is visible before zero
  • damage lands at zero, not starts at zero
  • pierce, damage, and disruption hit the same space
  • supports expect the counter-engage immediately after friendly damage
  • DPS continue Q/W pressure instead of automatically retreating
  • caller already knows the next likely movement

Common failure pattern

Late players blame enemy defensives:

"They had Locus / Guard / defensives."

Sometimes that is true. But often the real issue is that damage landed two seconds late, giving the enemy time to react.

Officer note

When reviewing tempo, separate:

  • Was the call early enough?
  • Was the clump early enough?
  • Did DPS begin casting early enough?
  • Did supports answer the real counter window?
  • Did players re-enter pressure after the hit?

Training prompt

On every engage in a VOD, mark:

  1. When the caller begins the countdown.
  2. When the clump exists.
  3. When the first damage lands.
  4. When the last major damage lands.
  5. When enemy defensives appear.

If damage starts at zero, it is usually late.