User:Bathory/Suggestions/Assassin/Shadowstep

With the recent change to Wastrel's Collapse, the majority of other shadow step skills (elite and non-elite) are noticably weaker when they're used for gaining an advantage on an attack target. (Note: I'm only talking about manual, instant shadow steps on this page. Skills like Augury of Death that shadow-step to foes after a trigger is met do not apply here).

Wastrel's Collapse

• Wastrel's Collapse

5 ¼ 20

Elite Skill. Shadow Step to target foe. If that foe is not using a skill that foe is knocked down. All your non-dagger attack skills are disabled for 10 seconds.

*It is not a spell, making Dazed unable to interrupt it (while unlikely on other steps, it's still possible).

• The knockdown makes the after-cast less of a problem.
• The draw-back avoids abuse by non-dagger Assassins and secondary assassins.
• It only costs 5 Energy.

This is a good shadow-step. For an elite spot, you can a surprise advantage on your "victim", lead yourself in to "Falling" dagger attacks (which are statistically more powerful than most other off-hands) and do it all for only 5 Energy. Other shadowstep skills do not compete, but as this skill is not over-powered, other shadowstep skills (mostly the elite ones) should be looked at as under-powered skills in need of tweaking.

Over-all, shadow-step skills should follow certain guide-lines that cover their basic stats (Energy cost, Activation time and Recharge). Elite Skills should

• Cost 5 Energy, unless it has been proven other-wise.
• Take 1/4ths of a second to cast.
• Recharge in 20 seconds.

Non-elite skills should

• Cost 5 to 10 Energy.
• Take 1/4ths of a second to cast. (Exception: stances)
• Recharge in 30 seconds.

Suggestions for other Shadow Step skills

• Aura of Displacement

-1,

5 ¼ 20

Elite Enchantment Spell. When you cast Aura of Displacement, Shadow Step to target foe. When you stop maintaining Aura of Displacement you return to your original location. Your non-dagger attack skills are disabled (10 seconds).

For PvE: Remove the upkeep, but keep it a maintained enchantment.

Why: Removing the upkeep and lowering the energy to 5 allows assassins in PvE to use this more often. Why would they do that? There are a coupler reasons, but one of my favorite parts of this skill is that if I'm using it and we move and get pop up spawns that start to wipe us out, I can tele away. This is especially useful in areas where you don't have shrines or have enough DP to make activated shrines unusable.

For PvP, 5 Energy cast makes this more comparable to Wastrel's Collapse - but instead gives you a lead in to "Golden" attacks.

• Beguiling Haze (PvE)

5 ¼ 20

Shadow Step to target foe. That foe becomes Dazed for 3...8...9 seconds.

Why: In PvE, it's simply not worth the full 15 Energy to throw yourself at an opponent just for some Dazed. Usually, enemies targeted by skills like this are powerful boss casters. Casters who stand behind a bunch of other, non-boss foes. If you were a Ranger using BHA you could stay far enough away to still let a tank or at least a distraction take the majority of the damage. As an assassin jumping in to the middle of a crowd - you will likely only be a few second distraction. Saving Energy on this may not make it a better strategy - but it will give the assassin more Energy to invest in other skills to keep themselves alive (recently buffed Shroud of Distress, for example). Currently, using both of those in quick succession will leave you with little Energy to continue self preservation.

• Shadow Prison

10 ¼ 20

Elite Hex Spell. Shadow Step to target foe. For 1...6...7 seconds, that foe moves 66% slower. Your non-dagger attack skills are disabled (10 seconds). You have -1 Energy regeneration (1...6...7 seconds).

Why: Instead of destroying this skill's recharge and duration, it would have probably been better to nerf it by giving it draw-backs that limit it's utility (as it has more utility than BHaze and AoD) but still allowing it to be used as often. Keeping the Energy at 10 should stress using it with a Lotus skill, either forcing it to begin with a lead (Black Lotus Strike, or to follow up another lead with Lotus Strike) or cause a knockdown (Falling Lotus Strike), as Critical Strikes may not provide enough Energy to make up for this through-out the whole chain. Giving it an "upkeep" mirrors AoD. When this skill first came out, AoD was the "premier" and most popular shadow step skill. At the time, it cost 10 while this cost 5, it had an upkeep while this did not and to top it off, this skill self-snared. By changing this to be more expensive and still include an "upkeep" should allow it to be used more often while stressing the use of Energy management (even something like Way of the Lotus).

• Shadow Fang

5 ¼ 30

Hex Spell. Shadow Step to target foe. End effect: Inflicts Deep Wound condition (5...17...20 seconds); you return to your original location. Shadow Fang ends when you use a dual attack.

Why:I remember reading something Izzy wrote about this skill when it first came out. He was talking about how it was interesting (it is) and how fun it could be. Stress the "could be". By leaving this with a monstrous 45 recharge, this skill will remain dead. The suggestion above turns it in to a duration-less hex spell that ends on triggers. You end it yourself on the use of a dual attack. In this way, non-dagger attack skills don't need to be disabled. A caster or non-dagger user will gain no benefit from this hex except the initial Shadow-step unless the target removes it themselves, or they (the caster) die. However, just waiting them to remove it themselves is also not a good strategy because you'll be shadow-stepped away.