There are a few good options. Has anyone used anything yet? I'm mostly going to PVP. I know that most of the names below are Sage names, but that's what my grinding toon is.

On tacticals I'm thinking:

-Life Warden sounds good, but the 10 minute CD isn't ideal, unless in an arena that resets each round. Also not sure what "heals for a large amount" actually means in reality.

-Endless Barrier - I self heal a LOT in WZs, so force mend resetting barrier would be nice - especially for the additional flash stun when it pops.

- Slow Mercy - spreading vanquish would be nice for DPS and kiting, but the 2 min CD on mental Alacrity means you aren't able to do it all that much.

- The Rushdown - could be a nice burst with the damage boost and Blitz does burn a lot of force, so the 50% reduction would be nice for management.

Gear Sets

-Gathering Storm - force speed and Mental Alac up a lot would be nice for kiting and avoid ints... I like the force speed utility, so it feels like this would trigger a LOT.

- Victors Set - anyone know if you have to get the killing blow to trigger the 20% heal?

What are your thoughts?

for tactical I'm going

Elemental Convection:

Volt Rush triggers Lightning Storm when activated. Chain Lightning gives you Volt Flux, causing your next Volt Rush to arc to multiple targets for the next 10 seconds.

For sets I have no idea yet, they are super expensive so I probably will just see what drops. 4 mil a set seems super expensive.

-Life Warden sounds good, but the 10 minute CD isn't ideal, unless in an arena that resets each round. Also not sure what "heals for a large amount" actually means in reality.

It doesn't reset between arena rounds, or even between pops. It heals you for whatever amount is 80% of your current HP. It's useful when it activates, but after that you're going to need to swap it out for something else because of the CD.

-Endless Barrier - I self heal a LOT in WZs, so force mend resetting barrier would be nice - especially for the additional flash stun when it pops.

This is what I'm thinking I'll end up using the most.

So, while it's sad, as a non-heal, non PVP Madness Sorcerer, the only Set Bonus I feel I can use is Gathering Storm, and even then, it just doesn't mesh well in my eyes.

I'll let you know once I get enough pieces to tell, but not a fan of having to work Force Speed into the rotation.

As far as Tacticals for Madness Sorc - I have found my jam as someone who loves Operations and Flashpoints:

Slow Mercy for Trash - Combine this with the 25% Force Storm Utility boost, and you have a killer trash-clearing combo by leading in with Death Field to spread DeathMark, Force Lightning to hit Demolish Insta-cast (can flip these 2 if you want), Hit demolish which hits EVERYONE who is in range and has a deathmark on them, and finish it up with Force Storm spam, which is getting 25% from the Utility and now an additional 15% from Slow Mercy on Deathmarked mobs. It clears trash like a beast, but be prepared to get a LOT of hate.

Tempest of Rho for bosses - So I am finding this does some pretty crazy damage spikes when the additional creeping terror ticks. For this, I will open up with Polarity Shift and Recklessness followed by force lightning (proc'ing lightning strike and demolish for insta-cast), firing off then Creeping Terror and Affliction (and maybe Death Field to take on the DOT bonus from Polarity Shift), and then start alternating going Force Lightning->Lightning Strike->Force Lightning->Demolish - usually 2 LS for every 1 Demolish, refreshing creeping terror as I need to, and mixing in the occasional Death Field.

Between these two, I find I do some pretty good damage, but without a decent tank, I also get a ton of hate my way. I have Force Barrier on standby just in case.

These have been my bread and butter. I did try the Mystic whatever-its-name-is tactical, but it just didn't feel like a good fit.

So, while it's sad, as a non-heal, non PVP Madness Sorcerer, the only Set Bonus I feel I can use is Gathering Storm, and even then, it just doesn't mesh well in my eyes.

 

I'll let you know once I get enough pieces to tell, but not a fan of having to work Force Speed into the rotation.

As a Madness Sorc too, I feel the same on not being a fan of having to burn an "escape" on cooldown to do burst damage. So I've been using the Stationary Grit set, for a sustained damage bonus to all attacks, vs a damage bonus to one attack every 15-20 secs. Since Force Lightning is our filler attack, we're standing still anyways, and then if we have to move (usually due to getting attacked), then an automatic damage reduction comes into play.

For Tactical, I'd been using Overwhelming Offense, since DOT's quickly build the damage stacks up and keep them up. But I don't know exactly how much each stack is adding (ie 1% per stack?). I'm not really sure how that stacks up to Tempest of Rho, which only benefits a single attack, while OO is a boost to damage from all attacks. I'll probably pick up Slow Mercy for dailies/mobs when I can next afford it.