Best TR Encounter Powers

cribstaxxx · August 2013

Just as it says, I'm wondering what everyone thinks our best loadout is.

I personally am an executioner but I have the +20% stealth heroic feat and the GG armor so I try to stay in stealth a lot. I use tactics for AP and skillful infiltrator (+15% run speed +3% crit and deflect) shadow strike for more stealth, smoke bomb for group cc, and wicked reminder for damage increase of whole party.

I don't see that many TR's run wicked reminder, is it a bad % defense decrease? I notice the difference with it and I think keeping 5 stacks really speeds up boss/big elite fights.

Just wondering as I am a very recent 60 on my TR and haven't really looked into builds, I like to make my own.

todesfaelle · August 2013

I like how you prefer to explore things by yourself, Cribstaxxx. That's a good mind setting IMO.

I personally like how Wicked Reminder can give a damage buff to the entire party by giving the enemy a mitigation debuff. Wicked Reminder and Ray of Enfeeblement from the CW can make short work of most bosses. Also deals a good amount of damage for a 4 second encounter. The only thing with WR is that the debuff can be pretty hard to maintain at times when you are dodging AoE's a lot.

I like to slot Impossible to Catch, Bait and Switch and Shadow Strike for boss fights. ITC makes sure that I can eat AoE's when I don't have the Stamina to dodge, and increase my uptime against the boss. Bait and Switch is very good for gaining insane amounts of AP. Leaving one in the middle of a boss's AoE will most usually fill it up, giving you access to Lurker's Assault faster. For minor non-boss mobs, I like to have Smoke Bomb in place of Bait and Switch.

aizenhart1 · August 2013

your load out is actually good but this is what i prefer:

PvE/Dungeon Run:

Encounters:

Impossible To catch, Bltiz, Lashing Blade: Why? coz Blitz can deal damage in an AoE which can actually help out if there are a lot of mobs. Impossible to catch since it can stop most crowd controls on you thus you can deal more damage while tanking a bit. And Lashing blade so you can pin down bigger ones with bigger HP faster. The trick as a TR is to go to bigger mobs and kill them as fast as you can while Bltizing thorugh smaller ones.

Alternate for Impossible to catch is Smoke Bomb: Switch to it if you think the party is having a hard time keeping the mobs off since you'll be focusing on the big ones.

Once you reach the BOSS,alternate for Blitz is Wicked Reminder or Dazing Strike, since Wicked Reminder reduces damage Resistance which also acts as a buff and Dazing strike since its the 2nd most powerful encounter for TRs

cribstaxxx · August 2013

But our job is jumping on the highest hp mob and dropping it fast no? Blitz would be useful for damage meter padding at best I would say... AOE just isn't our role. I considered lashing blade since I use shadow strike for a new free stealth bar every 2 flurry's or so but I think the damage bonus for everyone from wicked reminder outweighs one big crit from me, and I can apply 3 stacks from stealth. Shadow strike is awesome b/c while stealthed I have 25% crit severity and +5% damage from GG set. Smoke bomb I use simply to help the party (usually to keep CW safe while he tosses everything to its death heh) but I will try ItC for bosses which I would otherwise have to dodge. Spider is really the only boss I need smoke bomb for I think.

aizenhart1 · August 2013

cribstaxxx wrote: »

But our job is jumping on the highest hp mob and dropping it fast no? Blitz would be useful for damage meter padding at best I would say... AOE just isn't our role. I considered lashing blade since I use shadow strike for a new free stealth bar every 2 flurry's or so but I think the damage bonus for everyone from wicked reminder outweighs one big crit from me, and I can apply 3 stacks from stealth. Shadow strike is awesome b/c while stealthed I have 25% crit severity and +5% damage from GG set. Smoke bomb I use simply to help the party (usually to keep CW safe while he tosses everything to its death heh) but I will try ItC for bosses which I would otherwise have to dodge. Spider is really the only boss I need smoke bomb for I think.

well its your call actually. As a TR im actually using GPF instead of Vorpal. So everytime i use Bltiz. Bam Debuff to all the Mobs hit by the blitz and the CW can just AoE them to death. Greater Vorpal>GPF>Normal Vorpal

cribstaxxx · August 2013

aizenhart1 wrote: »

well its your call actually. As a TR im actually using GPF instead of Vorpal. So everytime i use Bltiz. Bam Debuff to all the Mobs hit by the blitz and the CW can just AoE them to death. Greater Vorpal>GPF>Normal Vorpal

Ah nice, yeah I haven't even gotten a weapon enchant yet heh. with 5 characters I generally get 1-2 coalescent per week, should I socket a lesser vorpal or just wait and build up to a regular?

rabbinicus · August 2013

cribstaxxx wrote: »

Ah nice, yeah I haven't even gotten a weapon enchant yet heh. with 5 characters I generally get 1-2 coalescent per week, should I socket a lesser vorpal or just wait and build up to a regular?

Wait and build up to it.

fernandosb · August 2013

I personally think that most encounters can be used on the occasion. If I am running with undergeared or unexperienced group I like to have dazing strike, shadow strike and smoke bomb, the reason behind this is that you get 3 stuns there, its perfect to stun lock tougher mobs or annoying mobs that cast aoe spells, making it much easier for your party and you can solo really tough mobs with this since they will be stunned most of the time. Dazing strike - smoke bomb - dazing strike - stealth - shadow strike. Easy rotation.

If I have a good group, then i will go with Blitz, smoke bomb, and whatever third encounter i'm in the mood to use.

for Bosses and solo play I will go with Banelorne's shadow strike, ItC, bait and switch, like he stated you can ignore aoe with ItC, an you stay in stealth for longer taking advantage of the bonus crit and dmg you get from it.

For pvp, shadow strike, bait and switch and a third skill that could be ItC if fighting gwf's or gf's (improves survivability a lot) or impact shot which hits hard, can have up to 4 charges, stuns on first shot from stealth, and its ranged = total harrasment and pwnage lol. I also like lashing blade but I have been observing that ItC and impact shot are just more useful, lashing blade has limited range, it is easy to dodge by good players, and it is just pure raw damage, better for other builds that aren't stealth oriented.

Theres a kind of scoundrel rogue that can go toe to toe with other enemies without needing stealth to stay alive for more than 5 sec, heavily reliant on defense stat, life steal, and bloodrinker enchant I think. They use ItC, Deft strike, and usually some CC (i have seen one using shadowstike so he could run away or pop ItC from stealth to stand up against incoming dmg.)

Long story short, there are several builds, all with good features. Each build benefits more from certain encounters, and some encounters work better according to the scenario.

meeggtoast · August 2013

ItC-Survivability
Shadow Strike- Stealth Refill

these two are the core two skills you should have. considering your encounters do less damage than your flurry, and that you flurry more than you use encounters.

Last slot is very optional.
Bait&Switch for Pseudo Perma Stealth(tons of single target dps)
Lashing Blade(group clears adds fast, always 1 add with a ton of HP)
Wicked reminder(Boss fights)(i dont like it in trash since it only increases bleed by 2-4k on adds, by the time u even reach 5 stacks Wicked reminder, adds should be dead.)
Dazing Strike(CN mostly, when CW pile red wizards, Dazing gives great damage and a daze to the wiz)
Smoke Screen(when your cw+dc is bad)
Impact Shot(PvP)
Deft Strike(when you are stuck)
Path of Blades(Pvp)

aizenhart1 · August 2013

i dont actually recommend going all stealthy...since you'll be dodging most of the bosses attacks especially on CN which will keep you out from attacking. But sure shadow strike seems to do the job

discountbob · August 2013

I tend to keep shadow strike on my bar for those times when I've got unwanted aggro and no stealth bar.

When we have awesome CWs who can pop singularity all the time, dazing strike and wicked reminder do incredible aoe damage. Blitz rarely finds itself on my bar any more, as it can only hit five targets. The other two, although the cone is smaller, can hit any number of mobs.

Wicked reminder is less useful on bosses if a GWF is in the group, but it does provide good dps. Over time, it probably outdoes lashing blade by quite a bit.. Still, I like to keep lashing blade available because burst damage is lots of fun.

Sorry for typo stuff. This forum wreaks havoc on my mobile browser.

danielzt · August 2013

I use wicked reminder on boss fight...only on boss fight
For most bosses, you don't need shadow strike, just impossible to catch is good enough..
I slot bait&Switch only for spellplague final boss...

imthelonewolf · August 2013

PvP:
ITC
LB
Either Impact or Smoke.

PvE:
ITC
WR
LB

psykopath32 · August 2013

CW singularity + TR WR is an awesome mini AOE. Hits all targets in a really small radius just like Indomitable Battle Strike for GWFs. If you wait for the singularity to pool them up drop LA+Stealth+WR you can hit literally all those targets for 9-18k+ dmg depending on a crit or not and thats with no vorpal at a 10.2k GS 8100ish attack/healing. Not to mention I think it 3 stack debuffs all the targets.

creolegamer · August 2013

a little late on the reply but its a fun topic so i wanted to post either way. Forgive my tardiness

imthelonewolf wrote: »

PvP:
ITC
LB
Either Impact or Smoke.

PvE:
ITC
WR
LB

This was my previous setup. However, i've been experimenting with dps and which encounters to use lately and i use encounters that would enable me to have LA up as much as possible.
Lashing Blade is one of my fav as it provides some nice numbers esp under LA.

Impact Shot is quickly growing among the TR community as one of the best abilities for pvp but trying this ability out in pve has changed my mind on only slotting this ability for domination. Its short cooldown along with its 3+ charges makes it the best encounter to gain AP in a dungeon imo. I know some would argue that bait n switch is best but i personally prefer to use this encounter for solo play or pvp with my **** TR(lv27 n counting) .I've been looking for a replacement for WR on trash mobs with Dazing Strike, Blitz and Impact Shot and even though it lacks in the aoe department, Impact Shot definitely makes up for it in AP gain and single target dps. I've hit some nice 20k crits with this ability under LA and i'm sure better gear'd TRs could do much better.

i'm currently at a stand-still on whether i should use Shadow Strike or ITC as my final encounter (other 2 are Lashing blade and Impact shot). At best, they are situational, but if i'm facing targets that do not aoe so much that i would need to be dodge rolling all over the dungeon then i'll use shadow strike. ITC is and will always be my safe button, and by far my favourite encounter, i save it for final bosses mostly along with WR or Smoke on spider.

Bait n Switch is probably a better choice but my personal preference limits that encounter from being used in my dungeon delving adventures.

imthelonewolf · August 2013

creolegamer wrote: »

a little late on the reply but its a fun topic so i wanted to post either way. Forgive my tardiness

This was my previous setup. However, i've been experimenting with dps and which encounters to use lately and i use encounters that would enable me to have LA up as much as possible.
Lashing Blade is one of my fav as it provides some nice numbers esp under LA.

Impact Shot is quickly growing among the TR community as one of the best abilities for pvp but trying this ability out in pve has changed my mind on only slotting this ability for domination. Its short cooldown along with its 3+ charges makes it the best encounter to gain AP in a dungeon imo. I know some would argue that bait n switch is best but i personally prefer to use this encounter for solo play or pvp with my **** TR(lv27 n counting) .I've been looking for a replacement for WR on trash mobs with Dazing Strike, Blitz and Impact Shot and even though it lacks in the aoe department, Impact Shot definitely makes up for it in AP gain and single target dps. I've hit some nice 20k crits with this ability under LA and i'm sure better gear'd TRs could do much better.

i'm currently at a stand-still on whether i should use Shadow Strike or ITC as my final encounter (other 2 are Lashing blade and Impact shot). At best, they are situational, but if i'm facing targets that do not aoe so much that i would need to be dodge rolling all over the dungeon then i'll use shadow strike. ITC is and will always be my safe button, and by far my favourite encounter, i save it for final bosses mostly along with WR or Smoke on spider.

Bait n Switch is probably a better choice but my personal preference limits that encounter from being used in my dungeon delving adventures.

Ive decided for Domination, I use Impact, and GG I use Smoke. GG I just zerg and try to get high scores (usually works) and Domination is almost the same thing, but I do a lot more fighting.

Personally, I don't like shadow strike. The long cooldown, plus relatively low damage, makes it feel somewhat useless to me. I dont trust or like stealth (IMO, stealth is only useful for the bonuses in attacks. The stealth in this game sucks, unless youre permastealth). Also, AP gain just takes relatively too long. I carry the bonus feat thing for +15% AP gain (its one of the only 2 that doesnt suck), but even then I dont rely on it, not up enough.

LB hasnt left my encounter slot since getting it when I was level 3 or something. Its amazing. That 73k crit on the Dracolith, as well as watching enemy PvPers health instantly drop to half are SUCH good feelings. I only take this out to do the runs on CN.

ITC also hasnt left my slot since putting it there. Although I wish it could be used when knocked down, its an amazing skill.

Impact I'm still iffy about. It does a solid amount of damage in PvP and can also be used to knock stupid CWs off the point. However, the minimal single target damage keeps me uninterested in PvE. Sure, you can pop a nice 20k Crit with it from a decent distance, or you can just pop that same crit for about 50k with LB, especially after a sexy 5 stacks of WR. Plus, the damage isnt consistent. Sometimes I'll use it and it will be like a nice 8k crit in PvP, sometimes itll be about 1.5k.

WR is awesome. I used to only use it on bosses and used to use Path of Blades instead for everything else. I still love PoB, but WR is just so much better for damage. A stealthed WR on a singularity hits them all for a surprisingly high amount, lowers their defence by an even more significant amount, and has the most significant amount of cooldown. Its awesome.

I used to love smoke. It used to be so beautifully awesome in PvP. Unfortunately, Im starting to lean away from it more and more. Once you pop that delicious stealthed LB to half health a CW or DC, smoke just isnt effective enough. Sure, you can just use that instead of LB when coming out of stealth, but youre missing out on a solid amount of damage, plus they have more dashes than you, more CC than you, and can dash instantly when hit by it (or so it seems). GFs can just block it and walk out. GWFs have Unstoppable. TRs have ITC. At least impact comes with a very nice amount of damage, has that single short stun, knockback, and you can use it over and over. In GG though, smoke is awesome. Use it to escape, daze like 10 people, and also daze the giants on point 4 or whatever so they dont attack you.

Just my thoughts.

Best TR Encounter Powers

Comments