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DPS Weapon Notes

This page is a public literacy index for DPS weapons and damage roles.

It is intentionally not a full current-meta list and not a Formation Ledger comp sheet.

Read each example as a lesson in function: pressure, burst timing, area denial, utility alignment, or conversion.

Broad DPS categories

Category General value
Ranged pressure pressure and conversion from distance
Ranged clap/burst short-window damage on clumps
Melee pressure close-range threat, disruption, follow-up, or execute
Support DPS pierce, heal cut, purge, debuff, and utility windows
DoT / anti-heal pressure sustained healing strain and pressure over time
Execute punishes low/exposed players and finishes fights

How these tools create value

Fire / Great Fire / Brimstone-style pressure

Role family: ranged pressure / ranged DPS
General value: Fire value is not only the big damage button. Fire-style pressure can include Q pressure, area denial, and work between main engage windows.

Useful public lessons:

  • single-target Fire pressure can matter in zerg fights
  • Firewall-style utility can protect space or deny enemy movement
  • ranged DPS should not be passive between major cooldowns
  • pressure tools should help the zerg, not only personal meter value

Comp-specific caution: exact build roles belong in the Formation Ledger, not in the general weapon-note page.

Firewall

Role family: DPS utility / area denial
General value: Firewall is a control tool, not only a damage button. It can deny enemy movement, protect friendly space, and punish bad paths.

Common mistakes:

  • panic-dropping Firewall with no pathing purpose
  • using it only for damage
  • placing it too late after enemy tanks already entered
  • blocking movement in a way that hurts allies

Great Frost / Frost Beam

Role family: ranged DPS utility / pressure
General value: Frost Beam is useful as group value, not just personal damage. Frost pressure can slow, pressure, and help control enemy movement.

Common mistakes:

  • treating mobility as always better than group utility
  • not using beam value when safe
  • standing too far to pressure the real fight

Longbow

Role family: ranged conversion DPS
General value: Longbow-style value depends heavily on positioning, timing, and not getting stuck in bad auto-attack standtime.

Common mistakes:

  • being late to the damage window
  • standing still too long in dangerous range
  • failing to prepare required pressure/setup before the engage
  • waiting for a perfect clump instead of hitting a real one

Siege Bow

Role family: ranged damage / escalation pressure
General value: Siege Bow is a useful teaching example for large-area pressure, quick impact, escalation, and terrain abuse.

How it creates value:

  • use the example to teach area pressure, escalation, and timing
  • explain why the tool creates value rather than claiming it is always mandatory
  • verify current mechanics before turning the example into a build recommendation

Carrioncaller / heal-cut pressure

Role family: support DPS / anti-heal pressure
General value: Heal cut creates or extends kill windows by weakening enemy recovery.

Common mistakes:

  • landing anti-heal late
  • hitting a target that allied damage is not pressuring
  • treating the weapon as only personal DPS

Damnation / pierce timing

Role family: support DPS / pierce
General value: Pierce must align with damage. A late pierce can be worse than a smaller on-time utility button.

Common mistakes:

  • forcing a late E when W or another on-time utility would have mattered more
  • casting pierce into the wrong clump
  • chasing damage instead of enabling kills

Under-extracted weapon families

These families should receive clearer examples later:

  • axes
  • swords
  • curses
  • crossbows
  • daggers/execution tools
  • additional ranged burst weapons
  • additional melee clap weapons

Do not fill these with guesswork. Leave unsupported or unclear examples out until they can be reviewed properly.