Blade Slinger -- Whisper Knife Theories, concepts, builds and discussion

pantamime

Disclaimer: This is NOT a lets talk about how MI is better than WK thread, if you don't have anything to contribute except "LOL this will never work, WK sux, Go MI or fail , or any other inflammatory and unneccessary dialogue will be reported and removed. This thread is solely to talk about different WK concepts, ideas, theories and experiences.
With that being said....

I have seen a good amount of posts on WK's , and I have been doing a lot of testing with ideas with different feats and focuses, different powers and play styles. At first I wanted to just switch back to MI again, but I didn't allow myself to - I needed to give it a fair amount of time like I did with my CW for Master of Flame. Now I will never be a Spellstorm again.


Any who, WK is admittedly not the most efficient or best or easiest or whatever you want to call it. If you want the most efficient way to play your TR this is not for you, this is for those of us who are dying to find the Whisper Knifes true potential and limitations. I hope that by doing this we can help improve this really cool concept of a rogue.


We all know VP needs to be fixed. Targeting issues, not reliable in breaking CC's in anyway. Other than it not working for it's real purpose I still find it useful enough to use. I stick with it to keep a good understanding of how to time it in a heated combat, so that when it is fixed I will receive nothing but benefits from already having mastered it's slow animation timing.

Here are the feats and such, the powers don't pay too much attention to I only spent points where I needed them for this set up I am experimenting with.

http://nwcalc.com/tr?b=off:1cs5w3:1dmzoz,13j3m3i:100000:15uzz1:100000&h=1&p=wkn
For some reason it won't save the fact that I am a human. My extra 3 points are in Disc of Strength.

At Wills: Cloud of Steel, Disheartening Strike
Features slotted: Dagger Threat , Advantageous Position(Or Tenacious Concealment
Encounters: Blitz, Vengeance's Pursuit, Impact Shot
Other Suggested Encounters: Smoke Bomb, Deft Strike, Dazing Strike
Daily's: Hateful Knives, either Whirlwind of Blades or Courage Breaker

Enchants: Barkshield(My personal favorite) and Plaguefire
**After further testing in the community You may want to use Bronzewood or Feytouched**



The Idea behind this build I will dub a Blade Slinger is you never have to be closer than 40 feet to an enemy. And you get considerable amounts of damage boosts to everything you use.

The damage buffs you get while also reducing enemies resist and damage they deal to you makes WK become quite tanky and frightening in 1v1.

Some Numbers to think about....
Ways a Blade Slinger buffs his own damage output
Every attack you have benefits from the +15% damage from dagger threat.
Feat Gives you 6% to encounters
Feat gives 6% after exiting stealth
Paragon Feat gives 15% damage out of stealth to first encounter
Blitz reduces enemy DR by 10%
Plague fire will stack to 30% DR
That is 82%.


I don't know which of these damage buff and resistant debuffs are additive or multiplicative - this is an area I need help with to whittle down to the bare necessities of how much DR to be laying on the enemy, this might be counter-intuitive or "overkill"


Way's the WK can extend his lifetime
Dis strike *max rank* -15% to damage dealt by target
VP mark *max rank* -9% to damage dealt by target
**You can further increase this with Sab feats and Feytouched Enchant**

That's an extra 24% DR on the targets output. Which believe me is huge when combined with barkshield, properly timed rolls and stealthing when you need to. I have taken Ice Knifes and other dailys to the face and Barely lost any health at all. the DR plus absorb gives a big boost to survivability.

**If you decide to use Smoke bomb. which I HIGHLY SUGGEST, this will only furhter increase your life **expectancy and control over the flow of a fight, same with Dazing Strike, using both is sometimes **priceless


The goal is to get out of stealth as often as Feasibly && Strategically possible to get that big bonus damage. Then back in and out again to get the bonus back.


"TeleStealthing"
One aspect of playing this is to understand how to "TeleStealth", this is activating your stealth during the teleportation phase of your VP power. You will do the three hit attack on your enemy but show up in stealth.

TeleStealthing makes most of our attacks go off almost in unison with VP's teleporting attack hit.
Getting used to timing this correctly is key!

I enjoy using VP teleport while entering stealth and landing with a free cat impact shot stun

Also using Smoke Bomb in this fashion makes the smoke go off upon your arrival. No waiting for you to throw your hand up and go through the entire animation. This same result can not be reached when trying to cast Smoke Bomb during other teleports such as deft strike. These other teleports make you wait until after you land the attack to start the cast on Smoke Bomb or Impact shot. VP is the only teleport that allows you to cast during transit to unleash whatever it is you are using upon arrival. Incredibly useful, the main reason I keep it on my bar.

**I enjoy using Impact shot during the stealth arrival as shown here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Vh_QweJPA
First I show you fast, then slow, then fast again

The up sides that I have experienced:

Action Point Generation Capability
The action point generation becomes ridiculously rapid at times with so many chances to proc Action Rush.
*All in all with your free IS from stealth that is 7 encounters to unload back to back if you want.*
Free IS + 3 IS + VP mark + VP teleport + Blitz = 7 chances for Action Rush

Become Temporarily Stealth Heavy or able to enter and exit stealth 2 times quickly

The feat Seething Knives makes your HK daily into a Stealth regen based on damage dealt. This allows you to land the HK prone, stealth IS stun, build stealth meter from damage and rolls and restealth very quickly for another free IS stun or stay stealthed if you need to for strategic or survival reasons.

Here I try and show you the basic concept of HK prone IS Stun combos. Also showcasing the crazy amount of AP generation that is attained. I start with a free stun IS and HK at about 5 secs in to empty AP globe. I then get another daily and yet another daily off within under a minute. *Started combo at 5 sec with a daily to empty it, then used my last(second one attained, 3rd one used) daily at 1 min 2 seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=411tZgmhaz8

The burst out of stealth can be surprisingly high with lucky crit streak. Also I have found the slow from Blitz to be a lot more serious than I remember it being.
This is what I am talking about with those numbers to think of, it puts a different perspective on the WK's potential.

Notice the Impact shot out of stealths damage after opening with blitz and stacking PF.

11232 damage on an Impact shot out of stealth. Other numbers on screen at this moment
Numbers from blitz on other dummies not included for obvious reasons.

7053 blitz + 7725 dis strike dot + plague fire accumulation 456 + 54 pf tick + 11232 IS + VP damage of 2205 and 3529 from the few CoS I throw in beginning

32254 within 7 seconds of entering combat. That is pretty nice burst even considering the lesser version on players of roughly around 22578 damage. That is considering a remaining 30% damage resistance left over after all debuffs. Some people will be taking more damage, and some less.



This is with sub par gear. Once I have proper gear I will be able to get a true reading on this style of WhisperKinfe. I am only 11.7k gs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThgyDmlIXzo&feature=youtu.be

I am not going to explain all the different ways I have found to do things, as I am sure most players either don't want to touch WK because they aren't as efficient or easy or good or whatever you want to call it. And the ones that do, I will happily talk about different tactics to employ as a mid range combat TR if they so desire. The different things to write about WK game play could be a book.

As I have played a CW since before launch I have gotten used to being squishy and have gotten very good at timing dodges and picking good placement for fights. If you aren't comfortable fighting out of stealth for too long than this is definitely not the idea for you.

But the good news is, if you go WK Perma Stealth build - it is absolutely terrifying for people. So if anything, at least give it a try - take a look at Kweassa's build concepts and some of the wisdom he has shared on Whiser Knives already.

I would love to see anyone else's ideas of a combat WK or any WK for that matter. Not even full build's just concepts, theories or experiences. Come and share them with all us other WK's. It is up to us to get our path where it is supposed to be.

quitegonejin

Boons/artis/desired gear would be a nice addition to your post. do you still stack recovery or go full out offensive stats (power/armpen/crit) etc

quitegonejin

Nice to see something off the beaten path, what's your IGN Ive been looking for people to theory craft WK with for a while. Too many top TR's are afraid to make an underdog build, although I don't blame them, TRs build options have been dwindling from all the nerfs.

@quitegonejin

pantamime

Oh I am not going as far as to outline an entire build/gear/boon and all of that - as it is all still a work in progress. But no I don't stack recovery very high at all it is sitting around 1300 at the moment.

But I would be very open to theory crafting the best gear set up for this kind of a build, I am not the greatest at perfecting my itemization so that would be a great help.

It is really mostly feat driven at this point. That burst is due to all the stacking of the feat buffs from out of stealth stacking with the features and DR we lay on them along side the big increase to combat advantage, which you will have an additional 4 seconds of after stealth ends keeping that boost for a good bit longer.

It is a Charisma and Strength Heavy build. Damage bonus, deflect and CA bonus. Start with naturally high Dex(for obvious reasons) and some CON if you feel like you need it.



I will add you next time I am on @quitegonejin (pretty awesome name there btw lol, I dig it)

I'd love to run some matches with you and your WK and try and come up with more concepts and builds. It looks like there are very few of us interested in trialing WK until we find something great.

twilightwatchman

pantamime wrote: »

The Idea behind this build I will dub a Blade Slinger is you never have to be closer than 40 feet to an enemy. And you get considerable amounts of damage boosts to everything you use.

<snip>

Every attack you have benefits from the +15% damage from dagger threat.

Hate to nitpick, but Dagger Threat requires you to be within 20ft of your target.

Otherwise looks interesting.

rustlord

twilightwatchman wrote: »

Hate to nitpick, but Dagger Threat requires you to be within 20ft of your target.

Good call. I was going to say that. Maybe he should switch Dagger Threat with Tenacious or Sneak Attack.

quitegonejin

Because he isnt perma and opens from out of stealth he will likely be within 20 ft often, but I would def take another look at those class features. What I like about the build is the mobility, and 3(?) stuns and the slow. However it relys heavily on the armor/weapon enchant.

twilightwatchman

rustlord wrote: »

Good call. I was going to say that. Maybe he should switch Dagger Threat with Tenacious or Sneak Attack.

You'd still get the DT buff on the opening salvo. Maybe longer depending on how the fight panned out. But depending on playstyle you might get better value from the two you mention. Maybe even Tactics if feeling reckless enough - it would help the already fast AP building.

I levelled a WK as soon as they were released and did enough PvP with her to grind the T1 gear, then gave up. The class has bags of promise but I just couldn't put together a build that combined DPS with survivability as well as the MI builds do. Now I'm bored with MI so I'm considering whether to respec my main MI TR into WK.

quitegonejin

yeah MI is boring, it works, but is predictable as all get out and I hate, hate HATE being a stealthy type with low mobility (DF) and chip dmg.

twilightwatchman

quitegonejin wrote: »

yeah MI is boring, it works, but is predictable as all get out and I hate, hate HATE being a stealthy type with low mobility (DF) and chip dmg.

Yup. I'm actually playing a Scoundrel variant of Rustlord's reflect build at the moment, which is more fun than perma but still not quite what I'm looking for. And really needs better gear than I'm ever likely to get to make it shine.

reiwulf

Glad to see someone working on WK, I think there are good options, it still needs some more love to be better, but it's not as good as some people think it is.

beckylunatic

I have one WK TR, though he's currently Executioner and I'm primarily a PvE player. I had been experimenting on preview a while back with changing him up to a Scoundrel but hadn't come to any solid conclusions regarding which I liked better and I stopped the project when the "fix" to VP put me off of the idea of really being able to take advantage of Action Rush. So this is interesting.

WK is incredibly fun to play by yourself, but I've found the targetting unfortunately difficult when trying to do CTAs and an experimental PK run. "[Party member] is not a valid target" is a real drag and you can waste a lot of time adjusting your position for a better line of sight. That said, I've often felt that a well-built WK would do well on certain boss mechanics due to being able to lay on damage while maintaining distance.

Because my WK is Executioner, I have been using a combination of melee and ranged abilities. I like to open by tagging everything with Dish Strike, VP mark a big target, then preferably use the teleport right after they've used any attack I needed to avoid, do the triple strike, Dazing Strike, then DF. I may or may not start in stealth, but I had discovered the ability to enter stealth during the teleport and agree it's pretty nifty. I use Blitz to complement the ranged style, kill little targets quickly, and to sometimes fake a dodge (jump-cast if I don't want to move).

I have just a Scavenger set and have stacked recovery to some degree, not for perma but to get those cooldowns low. The extended stealth (also using Improved Cunning Sneak) means time for about 4 sneaky applications of Dish Strike and starting my VP as long as I'm fast. I've been moving away from opening battle in stealth because I'm also often finding it more tactical to disappear after setting up those DoTs... even though Dish Strike from stealth is brutal.

I've been using a Bilethorn mostly because it's the foundation of making my second greater, but I'd have to steal it eventually anyway to make that perfect, and I do like Plaguefire. I actually was using Plaguefire on the WK for a while but I stole that to finish my GWF's weapon enchant.

reiwulf

so far I've been doing pre 60 dungeons, and I'm usually first or second in damage with my WK, I usually slot Blitz for opening on small targets, dazing strike and either lashing blade or impact shot. It works pretty good in groups, but when soloing it's not that good.
MI can constantly endure/avoid damage while attacking by using dazing strike, smoke bomb and ITC, so you can do sustained damage, but for WK's I've yet to find a way to keep attacking without having to be avoiding attacks allt he time (at least being somewhat ranged, some attacks don't hit me, but many others still do, specially when soloing.

beckylunatic

Playing WK in solo PvE at 60 calls for a ton of mobility, and I haven't tackled IWD with the WK yet because I have enough (too many) characters doing it at once already.

The "in-and-out" playstyle where you could use VP to close to melee immediately after every dodge no longer works, so VP teleports actually require timing, but Blitz and VP both help you move around a lot in order to avoid damage.

I guess one of the biggest tricks I use with ranged characters who need to be able to stand and cast is to do that once the big baddie is locked into their animation. That's when you lay on with WK Dish Strike, or HR Aimed Shot, or set up a rotation of a DC's DPS spells. Most things are targetting where you were standing, and won't be able to target where you actually are for precious seconds.

Also, you have to have nerves of steel. When all the little melee adds are coming for you, let them. Stand there and let them bunch around you (as long as none have interrupts) to make better use of whatever AoE you've got.

Even though most people go for stacking life steal on a TR, I always try to have a decent regen stat and relatively large hitpoint pool so that I can take some punishment and should probably be nicely topped off by the time I get to the next fight.

pantamime

twilightwatchman wrote: »

Hate to nitpick, but Dagger Threat requires you to be within 20ft of your target.

Otherwise looks interesting.

If you look at all of your ranged skills damage, it boosts all of them upon equipping Dagger Threat in the feature slot. It seems like they coded it wrong as it is adding the bonus out the gate to the numbers you will see on Blitz, IS, VP, CoS and DS. I require further testing but it seems that this bonus is applying regardless of range. Hover over the damage on these, then put on dagger threat and over over damage again, it goes up instantly, whether you are targeting something close , far away, or not targeting anything at all.

Also I tend to stay within 20 feet when ever I am fighting on a node.

If you don't like the DT feature then I would suggest tenacious concealment to get back in to stealth asap so You can get out for all those bonuses, and free IS stun.

I am working on cutting together more videos of actual gameplay. So far I have a few good snippits to share just have to edit the different matched together. It is hard to get an actual balanced match that I can show how well the WK works against even geared enemies, and even lesser and more geared enemies.

pantamime

beckylunatic wrote: »

The "in-and-out" playstyle where you could use VP to close to melee immediately after every dodge no longer works, so VP teleports actually require timing, but Blitz and VP both help you move around a lot in order to avoid damage.



Also, you have to have nerves of steel. When all the little melee adds are coming for you, let them. Stand there and let them bunch around you (as long as none have interrupts) to make better use of whatever AoE you've got.

Even though most people go for stacking life steal on a TR, I always try to have a decent regen stat and relatively large hitpoint pool so that I can take some punishment and should probably be nicely topped off by the time I get to the next fight.

I agree 100% , this helps out in PVP as well. The little slide back on BLitz is quite more useful than people seem to realize. Can't tell yo how many times I have blitz out of the way right before a GWF tried to takedown, or blitz out of a ground target spell, It also keeps that distance between me and the permas that I know are chasing me(since PotB really gives them away something fierce)

Right now since TR armor give so much life steal I have too much, and I have next to no Regen. This is one thing I know I want to fix asap.

It keeps your momentum going in your chosen direction. Turn 180 blitz turn back 180 keep running/jumpin.

VP has gotten me out of many hairy situations, guaranteed the DC TR or CW I was chasing is killed because it allows me to run away from my target and have their warrior and melee friends follow me, then tele to my actual target putting all that distance between me and the melees and usually confusing them as they look for where I went.

It's quite funny sometimes, especially against trigger happy encounter spammers. They are so used to chain proning with ease, a rogue they see that isn't glowing black, that when they come in with FLS or TD and you zip passed them to a diff target they unload their whole Rotation on empty ground.

I also may have some more trick to share a little later once I completely figure them out.

pantamime

quitegonejin wrote: »

Because he isnt perma and opens from out of stealth he will likely be within 20 ft often, but I would def take another look at those class features. What I like about the build is the mobility, and 3(?) stuns and the slow. However it relys heavily on the armor/weapon enchant.

This is exactly correct. I only start combat in stealth if I am outnumbered trying to contest. Even then my stealth doesn't last long compared to most other rogues. I go into stealth when I feel like I need that bit of time for recharge on skills and a little more survival.

The build will definitely not be as successful with out the Barkshield and Plaguefire enchants. Just as Perma stealth isnt as good with out Soulforge, Bloodcrystal and Bilethorn. I use Waters as my main artifact right now, mainly because its the only one I have so far, but the removal of negative effects plus the heal over time is greatness.

.. PLEASE make VP work while Proned. Also let CW teleport while prone and Rogue dodge roll work. It makes complete sense for these to work. Rogues are acrobatic, if they get knocked on their back and see a Big sword coming down at them they will ROLL to the left or right, not just sit there and take it. I mean come on, let's be a little real.

We can break out of a wizards magic, or dazes and stuns, but knock us on our backs and we are toast?
Thought it was Trickster Rogue not Turtle Rogue*can't get off his back*

vasdamas

What I think is WK needs a paragon feat/passive feat that increases ammount of stacks on CS.
Some movement speed would be good as well.

pantamime

I have thought the same thing!
I would be all for either:

a) Feat or Feature that increases the rate that CoS builds its stacks or

b)your same exact suggestion, we should get 12 knives. We are the knife throwers after all I think we would carry extras.

kweassa

Maybe a small tip when using ranged-WK builds.

For a ranged WK, everything comes down to when and how you dump your 8 consecutive CoS charges. MIs usually only have CoS, and have a tendency to just throw it whenever they can. This is due to the fact that for most MI builds which use DF/CoS, CoS is not considered a main damage component, and more of a anti-stealth power with Bilethorn, or just added bits of extra damage that is merely a prelude to the main attack -- DF.

However, for a ranged WK build CoS is the main component of damage. The reason why I've suggested a hybrid Saboteuer-Scoundrel, is that within the Scoundrel tree there is the quintessential feat which works greatly in your favor when using CoS.

■ Nimble Blade -- 35% chance to deal 20% more damage if not crit
■ Mocking Knave -- 10% increase in CoS/SF base damage, plus additional 2.5% per CoS stacked on target

Hence, you must setup a situation where you've:

(1) applied DHS beforehand (strong DoT ticks + 5% additional damage (Distracting Knife))
(2) the target cannot dodge/teleport and has no choice but to receive all 8 shots of CoS
(3) within 20feet of the target to maximize your CoS output (dagger threat)

...

What this implies, is that just like MIs have their own attack rotation, there is actually an attack rotation which involves in just which sequence you use to finally arrive at the moment where you dump the 8x CoS charges -- rather than just use it outright whenever you see an enemy.

In my case, I've found the following rotation to be the best:

■ stealth
■ DHS spam (conserve your CoS charges)
■ first stealth nearly over, close in to target
■ Shadow Strike from stealth, from a distance as close to the target as possible
■ target dazed (this is THE moment!)
■ dump all 8 charges of CoS from within 20feet
■ roll away
■ DHS spam, constantly damage the target while restocking your CoS

In this scenario, P.Vorpal works well, but I would also recommend P.Bronzewood. Surprisingly hard hitting, despite smothering the enemy with green leaves and butterflies.

pantamime

Indeed Kweassa. I was hoping you would pop in here at some point as you are one of the main WK promoters and experimenters.

I 100% agree that the best way to use CoS is all of them back to back for their true damage potential. I only use them a few at a time for fast dismounts, really it's only 2 or 3 max since PF ticks help the dismount quick. And also this weird rhythm that works really well in between encounter cooldowns.

Think chi-chi-chi Thud
Chi = CoS Thud = DS

You start with DS (as per usual) then filter 2 or 3 CoS inbetween.

2 CoS Inbetween DS throws. This is a weird rhythm to get you can successfully fit 3 CoS inbetween DS to allow the DS to tick twice and then immediately reapply it again, it helps keep the DoT fresh and ticking a bit faster due to the weird offset interval of applications.

This won't get you the same bonus damage as unloading all 8 but it makes it feel like you still have 12 stakcs to burn through before you run out.

pantamime

Here is a short match I captured. The quality isn't great but I try and show how I am trying to utilize the WK all ranged abilities. The enemies we were facing seemed to mostly out gear me personally. One GWF in particular, the other wasn't as beefy. The HRs and such seemed to be around my GS. Luckily though the team was more focused on killing than capping and contesting, so we got a win where it probably should have been a loss.

I will be making some more as I keep getting matches worth sharing and spending time editing some narration in to. I am trying to avoid showing completely one sided matches. I don't enjoy them - win or lose - they aren't fun. And it doesn't allow you a true test of your build/skills/gear setup/ what have you.

No Sound on video, so please put on one of your own favorite songs and I hope you enjoy!

**This is in no way trying to claim or prove or show that I am a great Whisper Knife. I consider myself a knowledgeable player only **because about 90% of my time spent in game is purely Domination pvp, but there are indeed people that are much better than me. I **only do daily's because I need to get boons.

Especially the Thistle one and Triple life steal chance one.

Many props to my competent PUG team, I 95% just solo pug. When I run in to other competent solo puggers it makes for some of the most fun matches ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiZn58WFyYs&feature=youtu.be

quitegonejin

tested this, with all 9's-10's and perfects, profound and halfling with optimal starting stats on test, vs a gwf (it was steamroller mind you) and it was... somewhat effective. Getting caught was scary but he is a beast).

Sidenote, I tried both the perma WK build and this against steam, the perma required flawless play, and did less damage, this one, because of 2 gap closers, 2.5 stuns, and more tankiness, was less unforgiving, and did more dmg surprisingly. Caught him off guard more often. Blitz can be weird, spamming it can make its animation bug, and its range is not what I expected, I definitely need practice, but can make it work for sure. If anyone ever sells zen again ill work on swapping these enchants to more desirables and try this out on live. +1. Like.

quitegonejin

Not sure how combat advantage works, but how's Advantageous Positioning vs First Strike?

quitegonejin

On a side note, i think the three best Artis are 99/100 waters for stats. 100/100 Devoted saigil for stats and active (having a daily for the start of the match, and a second in the wings if the match takes a min to get starts is amazing for TR's) and GWF for stats and the dmg debuff/buff is amazing for teamfight tankiness.

twilightwatchman

pantamime wrote: »

If you look at all of your ranged skills damage, it boosts all of them upon equipping Dagger Threat in the feature slot. It seems like they coded it wrong as it is adding the bonus out the gate to the numbers you will see on Blitz, IS, VP, CoS and DS. I require further testing but it seems that this bonus is applying regardless of range. Hover over the damage on these, then put on dagger threat and over over damage again, it goes up instantly, whether you are targeting something close , far away, or not targeting anything at all.

Also I tend to stay within 20 feet when ever I am fighting on a node.

If you don't like the DT feature then I would suggest tenacious concealment to get back in to stealth asap so You can get out for all those bonuses, and free IS stun.

This is really useful information - thanks. I'll have to do some testing with my retired WK.

I love the concept of DT and only the close range limitation made me question taking it. If it works at any range then it literally becomes a no-brainer to have it slotted at all times.

twilightwatchman

quitegonejin wrote: »

On a side note, i think the three best Artis are 99/100 waters for stats. 100/100 Devoted saigil for stats and active (having a daily for the start of the match, and a second in the wings if the match takes a min to get starts is amazing for TR's) and GWF for stats and the dmg debuff/buff is amazing for teamfight tankiness.

I have Waters and the GWF arti. Not looking forward to levelling a DC to get that one though. I gave up on my one and only DC toon somewhere in the middle of the Graveyard quests and deleted her shortly after.

pantamime

With a lot of testing dummy brutalizing I have concluded that advantageous postion yields a higher net damage than First strike ever could. The most damage you can get with this build with FS is a crit stealth DS. But I find that if you want the burst it is best to do an all out Burn right out of stealth while you have that combat advantage still going effecting all that you can possibly spam in that 4 sec window. It's nice because all of the exiting stealth damage is boosted by retaining combat advantage as well. That's why I can get that 11k crit with an impact shot out of stealth and all the rest of that boosted damage in the burst video.

At least that's what it seemed like during my dummy battles. Haven't really given FS a real try in pvp matches though.

I was running with Tactician for a while but really, that feature does not increase the AP gen by enough to have slotted. only adds 1% extra AP gen for all of these encounters.

I'm glad someone with the gear tried this out. It definitely puts out a surprising amount of damage especially with lucky string of crits.
And it is the perfect answer to perma stealth rogues. No need to send 2 people to deal with him, have the WK flush him out and scare him off or kill him.

Blitz is just way too good for this, you know they're on the point and blitz can cover the entire point if cast at the appropriate distance.
As I've said often times before, once a perma is marked with a VP - it is pretty much over once they restealth - but they never realize it because everyone is so use to the Stealth Wars.

I can only get GWF CW or TR artis I wish I could get DC one, but leveling a DC ugh. I only have 1 slot left and it is saved for Warlock or Druid whichever is coming out next.

I am working on getting Blood crystal right now all I have is that green waters *yuck* spent all my fodder leveling my CW's artis before I got into all of this WK testing. So unfortunately it is going to be a while before I have Profounds and good artis. Hopefully by next patch I will be ready.

Do you guys think I will be at a serious disadvantage if I don't get any Black Ice gear? IWD seems like a place to avoid LOL.

twilightwatchman

Quick question about weapon enchants. Did you do any testing with Bronzewood? It seems this build would work well with it since you're using a lot of encounters, so you could easily maintain the armour debuff.

pantamime

I haven't tried Bronzewood yet, All I have tested so far is Lifedrinker, Plaguefire, Flaming and Lightning

Bronzewood could be interesting, is its debuff greater than plaguefires?

twilightwatchman

pantamime wrote: »

I haven't tried Bronzewood yet, All I have tested so far is Lifedrinker, Plaguefire, Flaming and Lightning

Bronzewood could be interesting, is its debuff greater than plaguefires?

Depends on how PF stacking works. If you compare entry level enchants (Lesser PF vs Bronzewood) then LPF is 5% debuff and 'stacks 3 times' vs Bronzewood's straight 8% armour ignored. What's not clear is if the LPF debuff stacks or just the damage. Bronzewood is MUCH cheaper though.