Well...it proofed you can easylie die at druffi and you can use scrolls too as a HR ^^. Fun beside: I like your guide. I will try to build my HR with this guide.
Sorry, the formatting of Arc comments with quotes can get pretty messed up when submitting from a mobile device and there seems to be no option to delete. So I redid this comment in the next comment below.
While I really like you guys are trying to look for alternative ways of building HR, I think that these videos prove nothing.
This is a full buff party (2x DC, OP and GF) in a dungeon from few mods. We have better gear, enchantments and this kind of party can make a 10k GWF beat it so I don't see any "proof" that this build works. I do although see educational value in it if anyone wants to see how other people are utilizing this type of play.
Anyway, good luck with trying this way of playing. Glad you guys are having fun. I still think it's some kind of "Don Kichote" type of play but not bashing
The videos you are referring to were not presented as being specific proof of any kind. They are more like fan videos and were shared here just for fun. But what sort of proof might you be looking for?
Proof is not really necessary that party buffs are beneficial to party members who are close enough to receive them. That is a core concept of the build, but I think most people in the game are comfortable with accepting that this is a true statement. But ok, I can understand that it would be nice to see a video of an archer in a party, so I'll try to do one when I can. Keep in mind, aim of the build is not an attempt to become the new meta standard for DPS in parties. We're humble here and just simply saying that, contrary to popular belief, archers can be valued and contributing party members.
Other videos that have been shared in this discussion prove other things, such as that Archers are not necessarily squishy, as is commonly believed as well. What is shown is that Archers can successfully complete tasks in the Ravenloft and Chult adventure areas which are relevant given that these are the most difficult adventure zones.
But yes, it's really all about fun and so thanks for the encouragement on that. Honestly, a lot of archers do like being a Don Quixote and soloing. Nothing wrong with that really. But sometimes that kind of thinking can affect party play, which is not ideal, so I'm sharing a different model for how an Archer can run with parties much more effectively.
While I really like you guys are trying to look for alternative ways of building HR, I think that these videos prove nothing.
This is a full buff party (2x DC, OP and GF) in a dungeon from few mods. We have better gear, enchantments and this kind of party can make a 10k GWF beat it so I don't see any "proof" that this build works. I do although see educational value in it if anyone wants to see how other people are utilizing this type of play.
Anyway, good luck with trying this way of playing. Glad you guys are having fun. I still think it's some kind of "Don Kichote" type of play but not bashing
I think you mean "Don Quixote" lol
the only thing I've found the archery build excels at is farming in siege event. .. but takes all types to make the world spin round.
and yeah for end game dread isn't viable for combat. if you're running t2's its not bis but why not. imo though vorpal is cheap enough... why not just get a vorpal for your combat build if you need to run more than one build? given the current state of the game the only viable path for end game is still combat.. it should be the one built to priority.
@thefiresidecat Siege and any other PVP are definitely great for archery. Holding nodes is a little more of a challenge, but that too can be done (less effectively than combat). Combat is still the reigning champion among HRs right now. I think where this hybrid archery build could give someone a run for the money is in competition with Trapper. The way this build is played, it is a lot like a Trapper, but it benefits from Feytouch and SG. A trapper could actually do the same thing though. Take the SG feat and replace dread with Feytouch. But so much new gear doesn't work with roots (ex. Fured Kurio of the Bear does not work with roots), that I think hybrid archery can contend for being the #2 HR dog on the porch. Especially when you consider that archery damage is immediate, not DOT. And in today's game, fights don't last long.
Three fellow HRs on Discord had some good things to say today about trying out the hybrid archery build. One of them even shared this screen shot of his pain giver score from Cradle (his toon is Jabroni). He said he closely followed the build and rotation, including using encounters to proc Prey. Of course, results will vary because every party is different, but this goes to show that when an Archer stays with his party to receive those party buffs, then they can DPS with the best of them.
My thanks to Leatherman for his permission to share this.
@thefiresidecat Siege and any other PVP are definitely great for archery. Holding nodes is a little more of a challenge, but that too can be done (less effectively than combat). Combat is still the reigning champion among HRs right now. I think where this hybrid archery build could give someone a run for the money is in competition with Trapper. The way this build is played, it is a lot like a Trapper, but it benefits from Feytouch and SG. A trapper could actually do the same thing though. Take the SG feat and replace dread with Feytouch. But so much new gear doesn't work with roots (ex. Fured Kurio of the Bear does not work with roots), that I think hybrid archery can contend for being the #2 HR dog on the porch. Especially when you consider that archery damage is immediate, not DOT. And in today's game, fights don't last long.
no I meant the event. the one that gives the purple griffen. for everything else I'd still go combat. pvp is a joke. should be removed from the game and if that person did 814 as an archer they'd probably have done well over a billion as a combat. I don't know why you'd play a build that is nerfed from what the class could be
no I meant the event. the one that gives the purple griffen. for everything else I'd still go combat. pvp is a joke. should be removed from the game and if that person did 814 as an archer they'd probably have done well over a billion as a combat. I don't know why you'd play a build that is nerfed from what the class could be
Ah, that Siege. Yeah, I can see that. I don't really play too much PVP myself, but some PVP now and then. In PVE, I do play Combat, as well as Trapper and Archery. That is the beauty of loadouts.
But why play Archery? For the same reason some people like to climb Mount Everest. Because it's there, LOL! It's the challenge of it. But seriously, there are some people who hate playing Combat and Trapper and they will only play Archery. In the end, you should play what you enjoy! This may not beat out Combat, but a person can put in a respectable showing.
Three fellow HRs on Discord had some good things to say today about trying out the hybrid archery build. One of them even shared this screen shot of his pain giver score from Cradle (his toon is Jabroni). He said he closely followed the build and rotation, including using encounters to proc Prey. Of course, results will vary because every party is different, but this goes to show that when an Archer stays with his party to receive those party buffs, then they can DPS with the best of them.
My thanks to Leatherman for his permission to share this.
The time on that run suggests some great team work was going on. I imagine whoever was the 2ndary DPS was probably just buffing a lot, since they were not the primary DPS. I've actually seen a lot of other Cradle runs where the 2nd DPS did about the same as this one.
The time on that run suggests some great team work was going on. I imagine whoever was the 2ndary DPS was probably just buffing a lot, since they were not the primary DPS. I've actually seen a lot of other Cradle runs where the 2nd DPS did about the same as this one.
Nope, 2nd DPS was DPS, and that's me kek. That was a onephase with HR as main DPS, and I was on me Gwiff. Methinks Jigroni can say that im a decent little DPS, what kinda shows that HRs aren't all that bad.
The time on that run suggests some great team work was going on. I imagine whoever was the 2ndary DPS was probably just buffing a lot, since they were not the primary DPS. I've actually seen a lot of other Cradle runs where the 2nd DPS did about the same as this one.
Nope, 2nd DPS was DPS, and that's me kek. That was a onephase with HR as main DPS, and I was on me Gwiff. Methinks Jigroni can say that im a decent little DPS, what kinda shows that HRs aren't all that bad.
Oh wow, so you were not only in that run and but you were actually the 2nd DPS. So funny, I had no idea, LOL! So I've seen some Combat HRs do better (over 1 billion), but I've also seen them do worse. You guys actually had a great time on that run! So Jibroni was playing an HR Archer, which makes this especially interesting. Shows that Archers can get the job done on DPS in end-game dungeons. Maybe not as King of DPS in Neverwinter, but they can do it.
He'd do more if he was only DPS, and if it wasn't a one-phase on Atropal. My few 100m+ IBS hits definitely didn't help him. Jabroni is a wicked effin' player, I'll tell ya that.
He'd do more if he was only DPS, and if it wasn't a one-phase on Atropal. My few 100m+ IBS hits definitely didn't help him. Jabroni is a wicked effin' player, I'll tell ya that.
Well for someone like him to try out this Hybrid Archery build and give such positive feedback about it, it really helps. I greatly appreciate him allowing me to share that pain giver chart.
I'm hoping at some point to post a video demonstration of archery against a boss, but organizing something like that and doing it right, it takes me a fair bit of coordination because everyone's schedule is so different. But it's on my to-do list.
anyone that thinks dread is a good enchantment on a combat hr should uninstall...
You should uninstall if you think that... not everyone can afford multiple Enchants and it takes a huge heap of grinding for more than 1 Trans etc.
Dread is BiS for Trapper PvE + PvP, almost BiS for Archer PvP and good in PvE.... It is also very effective on Combat when you have very very low cooldowns, usually due to group composition even a Combat can spam Encounters. In end-game content with such low cooldowns a Combat spec then gets most of its DPS from Encounter rotating instead of At-Wills.
Come back to this forum when you have 1-2k posts and actually post something meaningful and/or backed up with information and proof. Yes there are generally better Enchants for a Combat spec, but for all round game-play Dread is one of the best.
It's not the quantity of posts that matters, it's the quality. I stand by my statement, you recommending a dread on a combat HR disqualifies you. And while I cant stop you from posting 1-2k times, everyone should take what you say with a grain of salt.
Are you really still going with this completely made up false statement in your head?
Seriously go through this ENTIRE thread... find where it is where I supposedly "Recommended" Dread for a Combat Build. You wont find it as IT DID NOT HAPPEN. It is all in your head.
All I said was Dread is "Effective" over all 3 paths... for Combat when you are in a group lowering your cool-downs, you can spam Encounters rather than At-Wills. Dread works in this instance.
I never once said it was BiS, I never recommended it... now please read the thread properly.
Main - Rydia (HR70) - Xbox One Player only Alts : Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
Hi @wdj40! So outside of me running around as an archer, I do happen to play Combat part of the time too. I just want to say, if a Combat hits more encounters, that is good to help proc Flurry. However, the damage from Flurry (Blade Hurricane) only applies to subsequent At-Will attacks. Since Flurry is one of the top sources of damage for any Combat, I wouldn't really recommend giving up At-Wills to just do an encounters-only rotation. You really do want an alternating rotation of encounters to proc Flurry and 2 or 3 At-Wills to dole out the Flurry damage. If you weren't going to have a Trans+ Feytouched as Combat, then probably Vorpal would be the next best alternative.
But I kind of interpret what you are saying to mean if an HR could only have one weapon enchantment to span all three paths, then Dread (while not perfect) is your recommendation. Dread does work for Trapper, no doubt. And it is even a secondary option for this Archery build (because of the focus on encounters). But honestly there is just not any enchantment that really works very well across all three paths. I wish there were, as it would be so much more cost efficient that way.
That said, I am kind of doing that now with Feytouched. This is BIS for Combat. It is BIS for this Hybrid Archery Build. And because I play a Hybrid Trapper, it works for that too. Although, I'm kind of cheating with the hybrid builds to pull it off.
Hmm, flurry is not our main damage anymore, that was kinda a layover from the old combat pvp days. These days as pure combat you first stack all your buffs, drop all three encounters for huge burst, then rinse and repeat. So dread is doable, if your other loadouts are trapper etc. And you're poor lol.
Hmm, flurry is not our main damage anymore, that was kinda a layover from the old combat pvp days. These days as pure combat you first stack all your buffs, drop all three encounters for huge burst, then rinse and repeat. So dread is doable, if your other loadouts are trapper etc. And you're poor lol.
@jonkoca Thanks! I just chatted with a couple others and seems you are right. Rotation is not pure encounters though, as there are still at-wills (to stack battle crazed), but essentially it seems you point is spot on.
That said, @wdj40 might not be so crazy after all. Maybe just a little bit crazy.
Hmm, flurry is not our main damage anymore, that was kinda a layover from the old combat pvp days. These days as pure combat you first stack all your buffs, drop all three encounters for huge burst, then rinse and repeat. So dread is doable, if your other loadouts are trapper etc. And you're poor lol.
Hmm, flurry is not our main damage anymore, that was kinda a layover from the old combat pvp days. These days as pure combat you first stack all your buffs, drop all three encounters for huge burst, then rinse and repeat. So dread is doable, if your other loadouts are trapper etc. And you're poor lol.
@jonkoca Thanks! I just chatted with a couple others and seems you are right. Rotation is not pure encounters though, as there are still at-wills (to stack battle crazed), but essentially it seems you point is spot on.
That said, @wdj40 might not be so crazy after all. Maybe just a little bit crazy.
Ha ha... I know my class dude
I have generally been 1 step ahead of things whilst a lot of other HR have not quite got there yet. The exception being I did not have a PvP Archer until Jonk came along and posted a thread about it. I thought nah got to be some sort of joke wind up, but it was a lot of fun so I created my own.
Same with Combat... once you start noticing (unfortunately with no ACT you have to "notice" on the xbox lol) that groups are buffing your cool-downs so you are using Encounters more than At-Wills, it only makes sence to try out Dread for the boost to Encounters.
I have been trying to tell people for months... that buffed up Encounters do more damage than buffed up At-Wills even for combat, you just have to have the right level of cool-down time and combo's... But yeah you do still need a few At-Wills, for me its mainly for the Stamina Regen.
You wouldnt believe how many people laugh in my face about it all lol. Also with crazy high Crit Sev + CA you can think about dropping Skirmishers Gambit for Lucky Blades, doing so does decrease damage a little but you get more bang for your buck damage wise with the rest of your Crit Sev + CA damage boosts.
Edit... I better explain that a little as people always jump down my throat. If you are sitting at 200% Crit Sev + CA (which is possible) then adding 50% from Skirmishers Gambit would add 16.6% extra DPS (assuming 100% Crit chance). Now obviously Lucky Blades only adds 15% extra to Encounters, but the point is you are in essence getting 4k Crit back as well. Most people get a lot of their Crit from Companions so putting a bunch of it into Power multiplies it. Then as your combined Crit Sev + CA is a lower % anytime you do add to it you get a little more DPS too etc, for instance Combatants Manoooooover etc.
People just see that ooooo 50% Crit Sev is automatically more damage, its not the case unless you have lower Crit Sev + CA. On another note most Combats should probably use Feytouched anyway so would benefit more from Skirmishers Gambit.
Post edited by wdj40 on
Main - Rydia (HR70) - Xbox One Player only Alts : Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
@wdj40 Well, I do now understand your point a little better. Though, I would still say that Feytouched is going to be really hard to beat. Sume's tests show as much. But Feytouched, especially to get Trans+, is also very expensive. So then the question becomes, what's the option? Could it be lightning? Nope. Could it be Vorpal? Well, there was a time! Could it be dread? I'd really like to see an ACT log of that. I tend to think it would be a boss oriented kind of thing, due to the way one would first build up buffs, which you are not likely going to do with a mob, as that would sort of be overkill. Regardless, I do recommend Dread as the option for my archery build, since I am advocating for spamming encounters, so makes good sense there. Usually for ACT logs, I've been able to get those from the HRs in the Discord group. Particularly Meer and Normal Archer #3. Very helpful bunch!
Now I have run the calculations using Jane's mechanics which show Skirmisher's Gambit will out damage having 5 points in Lucky Blades up to 233% combined crit sev + ca. So if one can get to 233% without SG, then I do think putting 5 points into Lucky Blades at that stage would make sense.
@jonkoca I just got a groot a couple days ago. Very nice companion! But yeah, skirmishers is brutal on crit chance. It is possible to achieve 100% crit even with SG, but if one can't quite get there, I do believe it makes sense to reduce or even eliminate points from SG. SG is not worth anything if you can't crit.
@wdj40 Well, I do now understand your point a little better. Though, I would still say that Feytouched is going to be really hard to beat. Sume's tests show as much. But Feytouched, especially to get Trans+, is also very expensive. So then the question becomes, what's the option? Could it be lightning? Nope. Could it be Vorpal? Well, there was a time! Could it be dread? I'd really like to see an ACT log of that. I tend to think it would be a boss oriented kind of thing, due to the way one would first build up buffs, which you are not likely going to do with a mob, as that would sort of be overkill. Regardless, I do recommend Dread as the option for my archery build, since I am advocating for spamming encounters, so makes good sense there. Usually for ACT logs, I've been able to get those from the HRs in the Discord group. Particularly Meer and Normal Archer #3. Very helpful bunch!
Now I have run the calculations using Jane's mechanics which show Skirmisher's Gambit will out damage having 5 points in Lucky Blades up to 233% combined crit sev + ca. So if one can get to 233% without SG, then I do think putting 5 points into Lucky Blades at that stage would make sense.
Yeah if you are doing an exact swap of Skirmishers for Lucky Blades it would be 233%... but in fact it is lower but I cannot work it out. What I mean is you are gaining DPS is other ways by swapping it out. Other sources of Crit Sec + CA automatically become a bit stronger, due to gaining some of the diminishing returns at higher levels. At just 200% Crit Sev + CA Skirmishers is only 1.6% stronger than Lucky Blades. You are gaining 4k in Crit so can swap some Companion Crit out for Power which then multiplies when sent over via Gift for higher DPS (Power gets big buffs in groups whereas Crit does not)... or swap that 4k Crit Mount some people use for something else, I prefer the Companion route though for more power overall in PvE.
My Archer runs the old Snail Mount, mightily useful in PvP... every time you use a Daily you get 25% AP over 10 seconds. I use Disruptive Shot and Forest Ghost and I have AP to use both pretty much all the time due to the regen. The only thing stopping me using them both more are the cool-downs.
Main - Rydia (HR70) - Xbox One Player only Alts : Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
@wdj40 I'll have to look into some testing on this. I do try to listen and discern ideas that are different but still have merit from other ideas that are just crazy. Ultimately, just have to do the tests. I'll follow-up on this. Maybe not tonight, but I will follow-up.
Obviously you've done your personal trials and it seems to work for you. So I don't have to convince you per se, haha.
@wdj40 I'll have to look into some testing on this. I do try to listen and discern ideas that are different but still have merit from other ideas that are just crazy. Ultimately, just have to do the tests. I'll follow-up on this. Maybe not tonight, but I will follow-up.
Obviously you've done your personal trials and it seems to work for you. So I don't have to convince you per se, haha.
Testing things out is what has kept me playing this game for so long One of my fav things to do is play around with Builds and try to make things work etc.
Annoyingly they have made the Enchants etc sooooooooooo expensive to make, that is one the main reasons I have not got stuck into playing another class. If in-game prices were a bit more reasonable I would probably have a few characters to sink time into by now. C Wards for instance at 1000 Zen I pretty much refuse to take any Enchant higher than R11 with 1 or 2 at R12 and there is no way in hell I am forking up real cash for 1 C Ward at that price.
Main - Rydia (HR70) - Xbox One Player only Alts : Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
@wdj40 For a free to play game, there is certainly a lot of stuff that is hard to get if you can't cough up the money for it. Supposedly you can get coal wards by praying, but since I started playing this game in 2015, that has only happened for me one time. But you know, you can buy coal wards and higher level enchantments off the trade house. Even if the price for an enchant is a million AD, if you really think about this, grinding for AD is not that much different than grinding for any other resources. Between professions and goodies from VIP, a person could have a lot to sell. Add in AD from daily dungeons, etc. You could outfit yourself with R13s within a month's time frame just working on this on a part-time basis. Another approach can be, if you have trusted friends, you can always work out a deal in which they lend you stuff and then you pay them back. I did that with a leader in my guild so that I could get a Trans Feytouched and was able to pay back the guy within one week at favorable prices for all the components. Trust is of course important there and shouldn't be taken lightly. Once you earn trust it, then start by striking up a conversation and making a fair and reasonable deal. Anyway there are ways to get around Zen. The one thing that is really worth buying is VIP!
@wdj40 Just following up on your suggestion for using dread in a Combat rotation. Feytouched will be much better of course, but if someone could not afford that, then here is a rotation where it could make sense to use dread as a Combat:
TC (procs buff that will last for entire rotation) > SS[2 to 5 times] (to add stacks of Battlecrazed) and watch for when support buffs apply > then SSC > move back, fire LSS > use DS while closing in to proc CM and offensive action ring > GW > PG and depending on the team, if boss is not dead, use at-wills within flurry duration > Repeat as needed
While at-wills are not gone and flurry is still used, there is more significant damage that results from the combination of buffs and GW + PG. Because these are encounters, dread could apply. But, again, Fey would be better because it's own buff gets boosted going into this key attack phase. My thanks to the HRs in the Discord group for their help with this rotation.
Corollary for a Hybrid Archery Rotation:
StS (optional) > TC (procs buff + prey which will last for entire rotation) > stance to range (procs agile combatant and AotS) > SS or ES[2 to 5 times] (SS minimum hold time; to add stacks of Rising Power) and watch for when support buffs apply > then SSC > move back, fire LSS > use DS while closing in to proc CM and offensive action ring > Cordon (x3) > stance to melee (procs agile combatant and AotS) > GW > PG and depending on the team, if boss is not dead, use aimed shot to finish > Repeat as needed
I just updated this Hybrid Archery Build today with some revisions to the rotations, along with a few minor updates. The rotations are now no longer considered "experimental" but I will of course continue to work on refining them.
Thank you typo, I decided to try your spec out and even with some tweaking I am actually liking it quite a bit. I was playing a healadin for awhile due to the lack of HR love. But, when I came across your guide I decided to try again. Almost any game I first start off with is a ranger and I wanted to keep playing my HR but how things were going it was getting tedious.
Comments
Fun beside: I like your guide. I will try to build my HR with this guide.
Proof is not really necessary that party buffs are beneficial to party members who are close enough to receive them. That is a core concept of the build, but I think most people in the game are comfortable with accepting that this is a true statement. But ok, I can understand that it would be nice to see a video of an archer in a party, so I'll try to do one when I can. Keep in mind, aim of the build is not an attempt to become the new meta standard for DPS in parties. We're humble here and just simply saying that, contrary to popular belief, archers can be valued and contributing party members.
Other videos that have been shared in this discussion prove other things, such as that Archers are not necessarily squishy, as is commonly believed as well. What is shown is that Archers can successfully complete tasks in the Ravenloft and Chult adventure areas which are relevant given that these are the most difficult adventure zones.
But yes, it's really all about fun and so thanks for the encouragement on that. Honestly, a lot of archers do like being a Don Quixote and soloing. Nothing wrong with that really. But sometimes that kind of thinking can affect party play, which is not ideal, so I'm sharing a different model for how an Archer can run with parties much more effectively.
the only thing I've found the archery build excels at is farming in siege event. .. but takes all types to make the world spin round.
and yeah for end game dread isn't viable for combat. if you're running t2's its not bis but why not. imo though vorpal is cheap enough... why not just get a vorpal for your combat build if you need to run more than one build? given the current state of the game the only viable path for end game is still combat.. it should be the one built to priority.
My thanks to Leatherman for his permission to share this.
But why play Archery? For the same reason some people like to climb Mount Everest. Because it's there, LOL! It's the challenge of it. But seriously, there are some people who hate playing Combat and Trapper and they will only play Archery. In the end, you should play what you enjoy! This may not beat out Combat, but a person can put in a respectable showing.
Methinks Jigroni can say that im a decent little DPS, what kinda shows that HRs aren't all that bad.
I'm hoping at some point to post a video demonstration of archery against a boss, but organizing something like that and doing it right, it takes me a fair bit of coordination because everyone's schedule is so different. But it's on my to-do list.
Seriously go through this ENTIRE thread... find where it is where I supposedly "Recommended" Dread for a Combat Build. You wont find it as IT DID NOT HAPPEN. It is all in your head.
All I said was Dread is "Effective" over all 3 paths... for Combat when you are in a group lowering your cool-downs, you can spam Encounters rather than At-Wills. Dread works in this instance.
I never once said it was BiS, I never recommended it... now please read the thread properly.
Alts :
Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
Member of Q-Snipe
But I kind of interpret what you are saying to mean if an HR could only have one weapon enchantment to span all three paths, then Dread (while not perfect) is your recommendation. Dread does work for Trapper, no doubt. And it is even a secondary option for this Archery build (because of the focus on encounters). But honestly there is just not any enchantment that really works very well across all three paths. I wish there were, as it would be so much more cost efficient that way.
That said, I am kind of doing that now with Feytouched. This is BIS for Combat. It is BIS for this Hybrid Archery Build. And because I play a Hybrid Trapper, it works for that too. Although, I'm kind of cheating with the hybrid builds to pull it off.
That said, @wdj40 might not be so crazy after all. Maybe just a little bit crazy.
I have generally been 1 step ahead of things whilst a lot of other HR have not quite got there yet. The exception being I did not have a PvP Archer until Jonk came along and posted a thread about it. I thought nah got to be some sort of joke wind up, but it was a lot of fun so I created my own.
Same with Combat... once you start noticing (unfortunately with no ACT you have to "notice" on the xbox lol) that groups are buffing your cool-downs so you are using Encounters more than At-Wills, it only makes sence to try out Dread for the boost to Encounters.
I have been trying to tell people for months... that buffed up Encounters do more damage than buffed up At-Wills even for combat, you just have to have the right level of cool-down time and combo's... But yeah you do still need a few At-Wills, for me its mainly for the Stamina Regen.
You wouldnt believe how many people laugh in my face about it all lol. Also with crazy high Crit Sev + CA you can think about dropping Skirmishers Gambit for Lucky Blades, doing so does decrease damage a little but you get more bang for your buck damage wise with the rest of your Crit Sev + CA damage boosts.
Edit... I better explain that a little as people always jump down my throat. If you are sitting at 200% Crit Sev + CA (which is possible) then adding 50% from Skirmishers Gambit would add 16.6% extra DPS (assuming 100% Crit chance). Now obviously Lucky Blades only adds 15% extra to Encounters, but the point is you are in essence getting 4k Crit back as well. Most people get a lot of their Crit from Companions so putting a bunch of it into Power multiplies it.
Then as your combined Crit Sev + CA is a lower % anytime you do add to it you get a little more DPS too etc, for instance Combatants Manoooooover etc.
People just see that ooooo 50% Crit Sev is automatically more damage, its not the case unless you have lower Crit Sev + CA. On another note most Combats should probably use Feytouched anyway so would benefit more from Skirmishers Gambit.
Alts :
Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
Member of Q-Snipe
Now I have run the calculations using Jane's mechanics which show Skirmisher's Gambit will out damage having 5 points in Lucky Blades up to 233% combined crit sev + ca. So if one can get to 233% without SG, then I do think putting 5 points into Lucky Blades at that stage would make sense.
You are gaining 4k in Crit so can swap some Companion Crit out for Power which then multiplies when sent over via Gift for higher DPS (Power gets big buffs in groups whereas Crit does not)... or swap that 4k Crit Mount some people use for something else, I prefer the Companion route though for more power overall in PvE.
My Archer runs the old Snail Mount, mightily useful in PvP... every time you use a Daily you get 25% AP over 10 seconds. I use Disruptive Shot and Forest Ghost and I have AP to use both pretty much all the time due to the regen. The only thing stopping me using them both more are the cool-downs.
Alts :
Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
Member of Q-Snipe
Obviously you've done your personal trials and it seems to work for you. So I don't have to convince you per se, haha.
Annoyingly they have made the Enchants etc sooooooooooo expensive to make, that is one the main reasons I have not got stuck into playing another class. If in-game prices were a bit more reasonable I would probably have a few characters to sink time into by now. C Wards for instance at 1000 Zen I pretty much refuse to take any Enchant higher than R11 with 1 or 2 at R12 and there is no way in hell I am forking up real cash for 1 C Ward at that price.
Alts :
Storm (SW70), Edge (TR70), AD Farm (CW70), Grunt (GF70), Rosa (DC70), AD AD AD (GWF70), Your Mum (OP70)
Member of Q-Snipe
TC (procs buff that will last for entire rotation) > SS[2 to 5 times] (to add stacks of Battlecrazed) and watch for when support buffs apply > then SSC > move back, fire LSS > use DS while closing in to proc CM and offensive action ring > GW > PG and depending on the team, if boss is not dead, use at-wills within flurry duration > Repeat as needed
While at-wills are not gone and flurry is still used, there is more significant damage that results from the combination of buffs and GW + PG. Because these are encounters, dread could apply. But, again, Fey would be better because it's own buff gets boosted going into this key attack phase. My thanks to the HRs in the Discord group for their help with this rotation.
Corollary for a Hybrid Archery Rotation:
StS (optional) > TC (procs buff + prey which will last for entire rotation) > stance to range (procs agile combatant and AotS) > SS or ES[2 to 5 times] (SS minimum hold time; to add stacks of Rising Power) and watch for when support buffs apply > then SSC > move back, fire LSS > use DS while closing in to proc CM and offensive action ring > Cordon (x3) > stance to melee (procs agile combatant and AotS) > GW > PG and depending on the team, if boss is not dead, use aimed shot to finish > Repeat as needed