ArenaNet:Skill feedback/Assassin/Expose Defenses

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Expose Defenses

Issue -- 01:57, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Discussion

Issue

The recharge is way to high for the duration of the skill, 10 seconds for unblock at 25r, I would just switch to /n and put 2 into curses and use Rigor Motris at 10 unblock and 20r.

Suggestion

Reduce the recharge to 15 seconds.

Issue -- --The Gates Assassin 21:32, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Discussion

Issue

The Energy cost is too high for it's effect duration, and recharge. 5 seconds of blocking at 6 (Which is a normal amount) leaves only 4 seconds of blocking avialable (After Cast, Time it takes to get there unless you are using a shadow step. The way to fix this skill was not to kill the recharge and energy cost AND duration, instead make it end if something happens much like fox's promise.

Suggestion

15 Recharge, 10 energy, 1 cast: For 3..15 seconds, target foe cannot block your next 1..4 attack skills. If target foe is suffering from the effects of another hex, this skill does nothing.

OR

10 Recharge, 5 energy, 1/4 cast: For 1..7 seconds, target foe cannot block your attacks. If target foe is suffering from the effects of another hex, this skill does nothing.

OR

Delete the skill.

Underpowered Skill

Issue

Compare it to Rigour Mortis. Now tell me if it's balanced.

Suggestion

DON'T make this as powerful as Rigour - on the face of it that seems unbalanced, but there is a reason for this being less powerful, which is that this is an assassin skill. People who want Rigour already have to get a friend to do it or go /N. If you're an assassin you could just take this instead (freeing up your secondary).

However, DO buff it a bit, not so that it is as powerful as Rigour but so that it's not so hideously overshadowed. Assassin bars can be cramped anyway, so it's not such a big deal if it becomes a bit more popular (i.e. actually used) again.

Consider this, which seems to be more powerful, while also more useful in team fights:

→ moved from ArenaNet:Skill feedback/Assassin/The Problem with Assassins

Expose Defenses. 10 1 25 .

Hex Spell. For 2...11...13 seconds, target foe cannot block attack skills. This skill has half the normal spell range.

Expose Defences is clearly underpowered compared to Rigour Mortis. Now, there are reasons for that (Rigour is a necromancer skill and the people who need it aren't necros, meaning they have to get a friend to use it for them or sacrifice their secondary profession), but as it stands Rigour lasts longer, recharges a bit faster AND effects ALL attacks, not just yours.

By making this affect all attack skills, it makes it more viable in large-scale battles (discussion on sins in large-scale battles) but keeps it more of an assassin skill (assassins use attack skills much more than most other professions) while allowing you to team up with a fellow assassin (consider one assacaster and one normal assassin, for example). Also, a slight buff to the duration makes it more versetile. Bear in mind that spiking assassins only need this for a few seconds anyway, so it's not worth much to them, but combined with the first buff it makes it useful in a fight where a second character joins in (perhaps in HA, for example, where two characters may be needed due to the opposition having two monks).

The half range doesn't really affect it much since sins will want to be near anyway, but I think it's more in-keeping with other skills and limits its use slightly.

One other option is to make this count as a lead attack, instead of or as well as some or all of the above changes. This would allow faster chains other than the Black Mantis Thrust/Black Spider Strike ones, which are also unblockable (due to this). However, there is a danger that this could be too powerful, so I personally wouldn't implement both suggestions.