Well I've been thinking the last couple weeks or so to perhaps try a few different things.

Combat

Traditionally Combat, and for a min-max raid, you have to have that 1 Combat rogue in for the Savage Combat debuff (2% more physical damage).   

Here are the last 3 weeks of parses of Patchwerk for me:

1. 5463 dps:  http://wowwebstats.com/kk3hiirwch125?s=598256-630236
2. 5053 dps (TotT failkins):  http://wowwebstats.com/asquzi5lbrx5i?s=484361-517307
3. 5336 dps:  http://wowwebstats.com/nmvihnbuf54ya?s=410812-443091

All 3 fights end similarly, 2:40ish.   This is around what I should be doing for the time and gear I have, lower-mid 5Ks.  For gear I'd have about 4 pieces to go, well 1 major one for a ~100dps boost, the other 3 are ~15, ~30, ~1dps each.   So at best it'd be a ~150 dps more through gear. 

Though the other way to boost it would be time of kill.   Combat being a more CD reliant rogue spec, having 3 of them, the shorter time would ramp up the value of those CDs considerably.

Anyways, to change such a spec could possibly mean losing that Savage Combat debuff.    Here's my estimate of how much it was worth to us using the 3 weeks.

1. 4,484,957 Physical Damage x 2% = 89,699.14 / 157 sec = 571.33 raid dps
2. 5,522,291 x 2% = 110,445.82 / 165 sec = 669.37 raid dps
3. 5,769,391 x 2% = 115,387.82 / 160 sec = 721.17 raid dps

So all in all about a 653.96 average raid dps from those 3 raids.    Of course in 3.1 this debuff is boosted to 4% for even higher numbers.

Anyways, on to the other specs...

Solo HAT

This would be a bit more interesting to try again.   Me and Shinz did this before to exploit a bug with HaT.   Though even with it fixed, with the right group setup and all, it can still top damage.

It is still a faceroll spec, spam Evis mostly.   Though a tiny bit more thought without the bug, basically hemo or something whenever CPs are low.

This definitely loses the Savage Combat debuff.    Though, in all likelihood, can make up the 600-700 raid dps lost through personal dps.   But, ideally, then you'd want another rogue to go get that debuff, or Arms Warrior should they exist.

A bonus to this spec would be that it'd be the most survivable rogue spec too, with Cheat Death and a few other avoidance talents.  

Well also to see how our raid would suplement a HaT rogue, I went and looked at the yellow crit/sec for everyone:

• Derchlon:  131/157, 109/165, 107/160 = 0.72 crit / sec
• Luminaire:  122/157, 98/165, 109/160 = 0.68 crit / sec
• Grasen:  87/165, 105/160 = 0.59 crit / sec
• Poisondonut: 64/157, 62/165, 64/160 = 0.39 crit / sec
• Luczilla:  66/157, 55/165, 62/160 = 0.38 crit / sec
• Onrique:  61/157,41/165, 46/160 = 0.31 crit / sec
• Garreth:  47/157, 57/165, 72/160 = 0.36 crit / sec
• Karvinen:  63/157, 51/165, 59/160 = 0.36 crit / sec
• Disrupta:  60/157, 51/165, 49/160 = 0.33 crit / sec
• Dangulz:  50/157 = 0.32 crit / sec
• Quisjaa:  44/157, 54/165, 48/160 = 0.30 crit / sec
• Primistic:  48/157, 43/160 = 0.29 crit / sec
• Antiquite:  48/157, 45/165 = 0.29 crit / sec
• Judgedredd:  36/165, 55/160 = 0.28 crit / sec
• Shinzwei:  44/157, 45/165, 42/160 = 0.27 crit / sec
• Knoppix:  49/157, 36/165, 36/160 = 0.27 crit / sec
• Nuitarin:  51/157, 40/165, 39/160 = 0.27 crit / sec
• Deadhli:  47/157, 38/165, 44/160 = 0.27 crit / sec
• Saedo:  41/157, 34/165, 41/160 = 0.24 crit / sec
• Vulk:  38/157, 33/165, 38/160 = 0.23 crit / sec
• Zildo:  28/157, 38/165, 39/160 = 0.22 crit / sec
• Moriella:  35/157, 36/165, 25/160 = 0.20 crit / sec
• Cplnewb:  29/157 = 0.18 crit / sec
• Orky:  28/157, 17/165, 32/160 = 0.16 crit / sec
• Tankard:  36/157, 13/165, 16/160 = 0.14 crit / sec
• Katibug:  10/165, 15/160 = 0.08 crit / sec
• Starshift:  13/157, 10/165, 10/160 = 0.07 crit / sec
• Pudolski:  12/157, 10/165, 6/160 = 0.06 crit / sec

Clearly Survival Hunters are on top.   Well hunters in general.   Pet crits count still.

Fight Report:

Trash - This spec is definitely weaker on trash.  The energy regen is pretty much the lowest of the 3 specs, so spamming FoK was less beneficial.      With all the aoe, I wonder if spamming Evis even during this is better.

Archavon (http://wowwebstats.com/oquyc4qqjflhs?s=10286-33170) - Well this being the first one, was trying to get used to it.   The CP rate was mostly good, though fluctuated.    I definitely capped energy a few too many times waiting for that CP to fill up for an Evis.

Sartharion 3D (http://wowwebstats.com/oquyc4qqjflhs?s=100153-167157) - For the most part it seemed fine.   But I assume pet deaths caused some dips in my CP generation.  But clearly this is lower than combat due to lower ability to aoe adds.    When we got down to single target like Sarth (http://wowwebstats.com/oquyc4qqjflhs?s=100153-167157&a=xf1300070bc000244...), seems to shine ahead obviously.

Malygos (http://wowwebstats.com/oquyc4qqjflhs?s=172287-214684) - Is a bit more iffy.   I do lose any burst CD usage for the sparks.    And parts of P2 I think pets were out of it for lower CP generation.     Plus I'd normally aoe in P2 (with some focus on that skull).   But with 6 min attempt being short, that CD usage is prob more beneficial.

Razuvious (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=50320-77710) - Was a bit more of test.   Part way through that fight I decided to just drop Rupture and spam Evis.  lol   

Gothik (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=115856-144147) - So I went on the living side for once, cause most of my CP generators are there.   

Four Horsemen (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=177037-208615) - Stuck with Rivendare at the start cause of HaT.   With the staying out of Zeliak damage dropped.

Noth (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=242963-270805) - For the most part was fine   Course that period of aoe'ing adds weakened it.

Heigan (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=292905-318398) - This fight I switched 2 of my casters for the more critty melee ones to leech off them.   Able to build up a lead so the dancing portion didn't allow ranged attackers to catch up. 

Loatheb (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=323313-367351) - Of course this fight was made for HaT!  Everyone critting all the time, Evis spam away!    7681 dps, no one even close.  lol

Patchwerk (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=424262-456700) - DPS wise, topped it at 6071 dps.  But that time spent waiting for the Hateful costed damage and couldn't catch up in time, seems like 14% dps time loss, so got 4th in damage.    Though I did make a small mistake in the fight.  

Grobbulus (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?m&s=472268-504537) - Still range advantage with that fight.

Gluth (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?s=508409-532167) - Hmm, perhaps HaT generation was a bit lower with hunters having other tasks.

Thaddius (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?s=556515-604384) - This fight felt odd...  It wasn't a CP generation thing, but it's as if my Evis weren't being boosted by the damage buffs.   Well it was boosted sometimes, but a chunk of the time it didn't seem like it, even making sure I had a 10 stack of buffs.   It was weird.

Anub (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?s=621654-642539) - 6217 dps, able to mostly tank and spank it, and avoided the spikes!

Faerlina (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?s=665434-689701) - Made a bit of a huge mistake mistargetting on this boss.  lol   Oh well.

Maexena (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?s=723580-743895) - Think there was some unlucky interruptions to me and the others.

Sapphiron (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?s=745418-787086) - Topping dps, but need more dps time.  lol   Made a couple mistakes with the tail too.

Kel'thuzad (http://wowwebstats.com/u4dj1o6aipjau?s=802009-846637) - I know I got mc'd for part of it.    P1 was slow for me.  

Combat Shiv

This is something I'm tempted to try out cause they're killing this in 3.1.    Shiv will no longer allow poison crits.    However, for now, it's theoretically a 200dps boost to me.

Though, it plays almost exactly the same way.   Just replace one attack for another, one poison for another, one weapon for another.   Everything else is the same, well except the spec of course.    This even keeps the Savage Combat debuff for the raid.    Personal damage distribution is shifted more towards the poisons.

Experience:  http://wowwebstats.com/ri3ge5olo1mbo

Trash:  I definitely think it's lower in trash damage, and it's obvious in hindsight.  I'm using a fast sword OH with Instant Poison on it.    That means no 5% crit on that hand, and less poison procs compared to Wound Poison.

Bosses:  There's basically not much variation from playing Vanilla Combat.   It's similar cycles, CD usages, attacks etc.   Just supposedly better by maxing poison damage with Shiv and Instant Poison.   It is kinda funny to see my Instant Poison damage outdoing everything except white attacks.    That's shiv for ya, instant IP on each shiv.

So did I see a dps increase?   Not particuarly.   Well some bosses might have dropped, like Heigan and Noth, but those could be positioning issues.   Patchwerk was more or less the same.    I'd say that RNG might have been a huge factor to me not seeing much of a diff.   

Also in hindsight I probably wasn't gemmed properly for it.    I gem Agility.  Reasons being that with it being similar to AP in dps value it gives me dodge and fatty crits for epeen.   However, with Combat Shiv being poison reliant, that means AP mostly likely is the better choice for it.    Agi won't affect poison critting, so pumping it all into AP would've boosted that.

I think I'm going to shift to AP gemming, should see higher average numbers hopefully.

Also, was running a new mod that I had to get used to, that's could be partially why I'm not seeing a huge diff.   But I think I'll advertise about that mod later.  

Day 2:  http://wowwebstats.com/bevwh4z3xz5ke?m

For Sarth and Maly it did feel a bit better.   Though it seems still weakest on FoK spamming so dropped a bit in damage overall for Sarth.    Maly I screwed up a bit and missed hitting Killing Spree.    But overall I was more used to watching things for it.