Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Argh at Shadowblades <.<
NeonShadow
Member UncommonPosts: 326
So what's it with these guys? I rolled one but I seem to have problems killing stuff in PvE (it's so slow and I always come out with less than half endurance per fight). I've also had many many duels with people and I always seem to loose! I always get ridiculous amounts of misses and even if I dont miss I do crap damage. When I try to stealth my friend tells me on vent how he can see me so it seems like stealth isnt very good. So, are SB's any good at RvR or should I just pick a nother class while I still have time?
Comments
Assassins rely on critical styles. As you get higher you get better styles. Backstab and Perforate Artery have to be used while in stealth. The rest you can use out of stealth. These styles do a lot more damage than your usual combat styles.
Assassins also tend to use poison a lot. I noticed that when I got my poison up and used it in PvE and RvR my kills increased and for less endurance/health lost.
If someone can see you in stealth depends on your modified stealth skill and the level of the person looking at you. There are other things than can modify stealth detection as well, but these are just the basics.
If you want to know how to spec your SB specifically then check out click. The site is for assassins and there is an SB forum you can get advice on.
Once you get that done you will have a lot of fun in the BG. Once you hit 45, chances of you liking the class are minimal. Archers can receive a skill known as Mastery of Stealth. Archers will now be able to see you are a distance and shoot at you. At the very least it pops you out of stealth, at the worst you often die before you even have a chance to do much if any damage to the archer. What makes things worse are ToA items and other abilities extending the stealth detection and range of their bows.
The life of your average assassin in NF will be one of grouping with other assassins. You will form stealth gank groups that will hang out at other bridges picking off those who run by. You will also be involved in the "stealth war" against the assassins of other realms. Most of these players tend to run buff bots, have high RR, and are fully ToAed. You can now kill casters easily, but casters tend to hang out with the zerg. Archers also hang out in the zerg. So you will not be able to get many good kills.
Until MoS is removed from the game, if you plan of playing in NF, then I would recomend you play a Hunter and not an SB. If you want to play in the BG, then go with your SB. Assassins are so much fun in the BG.
=====================
-Just My Thoughts-
Max
Currently playing: Nothing
The rumor is that archers will be for 1.84. I just hope that Mythic reverses the second biggest mistake they every made and remove MoS.
I know your feeling. My first 2 level 50's are a Void Eld and a NS. My Eld was getting killed by archers all the time so I made a NS. Now my NS gets killed my archers all the time. MoS really pisses me off. That is probably the biggest reason I have cut back on playing and why I constantly think of jumping to another game if a good one comes out.
They fixed brittle guards, so here is hoping that they fix MoS.
Am I the only one who doesn't get seen by archerer's????
For the OP:
Shadowblades at one time used to be a very deadly foe. Then they wiped out Left axe damage and people saw them as a joke. You can work around this but it is very difficult.
The main problem with the shadowblade is he is an assassin, a dex based toon with strength based weapons. Strike one. What used to his shining glory, shadowwalk I believe it's called (RR5 target, wait 10 seconds, and teleport with automatic perf or backstab), was made into a stealth skill used by all 3 realms thus making him less special. Strike 2. And you missing is not just you. Quite a few SB's miss quite often. I came back into the game and found a forced respec on my sb so I spec'd him up again and now Im losing to a yellow (granted he doesn't have jewelry spots filled but that shouldn't affect things that bad) due to missing alot with atleast one of the weapons if not both. Strike 3.
IMO playing a SB takes ten times more tlc than a inf or ns. Your spec must be just right or you suffer. I can only give small advice based on trial and error.
1. When spec'n make sure your mainhand is much higher than LA. My guy is sword/la so I've got sword at about 35 and LA at 22. That might seem weak on one hand but most of your damage needs to come from the first shot which should be from your 2 handed weapon. Plus again with the gimped left axe your offhand will never do great amounts of damage anyways.
2. Try to keep stealth at level either by simple skill or bonuses. I remember thid you can do 19+5 and molvik I think was 33+7. At 45+ most people have it at 35 with bonuses if not a little lower but this would take away your 2 skills you get (1 at 35 and 1 at 39). Like archerers, assassins can also have mos and it's a must have. MoS works in conjuction with stealth. So say the archerer would have 28 stealth and mos1 and you have 34 stealth and mos1 chances are he still wont see you. If his stealth is just as good or better then his chances of spotting are better. If you both have the same level of mos then they negate each other. If you have better mos then the better the chance of spotting. On top of this assassins have the detect hidden skill which should make it even easier for them to spot another stealther. *I state all that cause once again I feel like Im the only one who's never spotted at range or close up by a archerer. This is just plain confusing to me.
3. Yes do get your poison as high as possible. Poison is the now known key to a shadowblades success. If possible sacrifice points from LA and maybe stealth to keep this high. And to top it I highly recommend getting viper also since it increases the strength of poison hits.
4. Crit would be spec'd at either 39 or 44 depending on if you want the 3rd move in the evade sequence.
Choose your targets carefully. On both my mid and hib servers I have both range and assassin stealthers and with each one I've been known to get kills a half n hour apart from eachother. Don't try being gung-ho or you'll eat alot of dirt. With archerers it's best to pick of the wounded from behind a tree or shrub during a huge battle and with a SB I generally hang by the main paths waiting for the one loner to rear his ugly face. Once you kill dont stay in the area, move somewhere completely different (in the bg's I'll generally kill once in the albion area then move to hib then even move to mid or ck) The longer you stay in one spot the more of a chance you'll get a army of stealthers on you.
If you choose to keep the SB around then you better be prepared to be dedicated to him.
Since MoS does not work for assassins detecting other assassins, and since the archer ability camoflage totally negates any MoS that said assassin might have -- All MoS does for an assassin is increase his movement speed while stealthed.
=====================
-Just My Thoughts-
Max
Currently playing: Nothing
Max is right. If MoS could negate archers MoS then assassins would not complain as much about it. The most having higher MoS allows an assassin to do is to see the archer slightly before the archer sees the assassin. This does the assassin no good at all.
If Assassin sees the archer at say 1200 units, but the archer sees the assassin at 800 units, then the assassin is still screwed. The archer can fire the bow at a distance, meanwhile the assassin still has to get into melee range. The most an assassin can do at that point is drop steath and sprint to the archer and then out melee the archer. This of course assumes that the archer in question is low RR and ToA. With stealth lore and then high RR, it is not that uncommon for most archers to be able to see assassins at a range equal or greater to the assassin. This allows for significant bow damage done to the assassin before the assassin can even get close enough to do damage.
Assassins role is to assassinate. This is done by critical strike styles done from stealth. Hence, if the assassin is unable to do that via an ingame ability, then you have essentially taken away a function of the class. This is why assassins have a role in the BG (no MoS) and virtually none in NF (unless you camp bridges with a group of other assassins and essentially engage in a stealth war against groups of other assassins.). So at best, once you hit 50 there are 2 games. One for assassins vs assassins, and another the everyone else.
Given that spec (or something close to it) then both the Scout and the NS will have the same skill in stealth (At RR5). The assassin will see the archer 125 units before the Scout. But once you add on high MoS (3-5) and Stealth Lore and other abilites, it is common for archers to see assassins prior to the assassin seeing the archer. Most of the time I run into a Scout that is RR7+ I will die outside of /face range. Then you can add on the distance advantage of being on a tower or keep (500 more units to bow), etc. When I kill an archer, it is either because they are very low RR (1-2), afk, I get lucky and evade all of the 3-5 bow shots (only once that I recall), or I use the terrain inorder to get a jump on the archer. I jump from a tower/bridge. or sneak up along a zone wall where they are not looking. These are very rare and I only win if I get my PA off and he quickly dies. If not, one of his friends heals him or kills me.
I also fail to see how melee spec helps. In order to melee then you need to be in range. That is what the problem is about. If you are able to use your NS to kill archers most of the time solo, without a buffbot, without being detected on your approach to them, then I would say you are either still in the BG or have found some trick that 99% of the other NS do not know about and certainly something you should post up on PA.com. Because even the NS TL has never posted anything about how to avoid being detected by archers now that MoS is in the game.
Um and yeah they are hard to play require allot of practice and luck.
I would say assassins are a poor choice for a first character, personally. They are much more challenging to play that most classes. They can be pretty good if played well, but why subject yourself to such a harsh learning curve? Learn the game on a class that's a little more well rounded and then try one if they still appeal to you.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
Once again I must hold to the fact that I don't have the trouble with archerers that other assassin's seem to have. I was playing my NS and we had a scout harrassing my treb crew so I scouted the area he kept popping up in. 3 times did I spot him well before he saw me (2 times I PA'd and he bolted before I could do much else. 3rd time I backstabbed and beat the crap outta him) and 3 times I popped him before he could do anything.
As for the SB I found a post on some desent sounding specs. 35+15 sword, 35+15 stealth until you get higher rr then you knock it down (dont bother with the stealth abilities), either 34 or 39 crit until you get higher rr, can respec, and make it 44, 39 LA for the 2 move evade stun, and as much in poison to get alteast 40. If you can squeeze in poison all the more power to ya.