Preparation

Preparation

Preparation is a resource skill that instantly returns a large chunk of Discipline, putting your defensive and tactical tools back at the ready. In Discipline-heavy builds it's the panic button that pulls you out of tight spots by immediately re-enabling evasions or shields.

Punishment swaps Discipline for a big chunk of Hatred and shortens the cooldown – ideal for aggressive builds that want to fire their expensive spenders more often. Invigoration adds a passive effect that permanently raises your maximum Discipline by 20 – popular, since you enjoy a larger resource pool while keeping the active Discipline restore. So depending on the rune, the skill serves either as a passive resource boost or as active energy resupply.

Focused Mind, Battle Scars and Backup Plan

Three runes have not come up above yet:

• Focused Mind (level 44): instead of an instant refill you get 45 Discipline over 15 seconds – more than the base skill's 30 in total, but spread out. In practice this is the most commonly played rune, because it delivers Discipline at a steady pace.
• Battle Scars (level 35): using Preparation restores 40% Life, turning the resource button into a potion on a cooldown.
• Backup Plan (level 52): there is a 30% chance the cooldown is not triggered at all, letting you use Preparation again right away.

For reference: the base skill has a 45-second cooldown, and Punishment lowers it to 20 seconds.

Where the Discipline goes

The most frequent partners show where the Discipline ends up: Smoke Screen and Shadow Power cost Discipline and are the defensive tools Preparation keeps running. Vengeance covers the damage side next to them. Focused Mind fits this pattern because Discipline arrives in step with your defensive skills rather than all at once.

Passives that appear with Preparation

Common passive partners are Tactical Advantage, Blood Vengeance and Ambush. Tactical Advantage adds movement speed to your escape tools, Blood Vengeance further pads your resource pool, and Ambush takes care of the offensive side.

by eRnstl