ArenaNet:Skill feedback/Assassin/Assassin chains

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Armond's issue - 02:35, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Issue

Ignoring Moebius chains, assassin attack chains generally go either Lead --> Offhand --> Dual or Conditional Thing --> Offhand --> Dual --> Offhand --> Blades of Steel. (The only realistic exception is the falling shocker, which goes conditional --> offhand --> dual/shock --> offhand --> dual.) The first tends to suck because lead attacks aren't great (and the chain can only be three attacks long, making things like Blades useless), while the second trades utility for sheer damage, which is not only a bad trade, but bad for the game as very few players actually realize that it's a bad trade.

Suggestion

Make every offhand attack except Moebius Strike, Falling Spider, and Falling Lotus Strike require a lead attack. This inherently makes all assassin spikes faster, which may or may not be a good thing. Buff skills (and increase recharges) as needed to maintain Assassin spike support potential in PvP, and buff PvE versions of skills to make PvE sins the "run in and immediately kill something" characters they're supposed to be. (How awesome would it be for an assassin to kill DoA-strength monsters in the time it takes the rest of the party to get another one to half health without worrying about PvP balance?) The Falling skills can be left alone because the Falling Shocker above is a Good Build^TM where the assassin brings the spike support he's supposed to while also having the utility to be useful in a variety of GvG situations, and Falling Lotus is for bad players who need energy management as an assassin. Moebius, while perhaps not the greatest of ideas to bring into the game, doesn't really need to be destroyed at this point. Similarly, most duals require an offhand, which supports the L-O-D combo. The only exception is Exhausting Assault, which would do well as a lead anyway and is useful for Moebius chains.

-- Armond Warblade 02:35, 8 June 2008 (UTC)