Curse

Lord Deathknight · Jul 05, 2006, 02:15 PM // 14:15

Aura of Displacement: The range needs to be the radius or your radar so that you can teleport to the soft targets, and allowing you to get past the front line. So you can do your job as a assassin

Dark Prison: Need to have duration reduce by half; you could open up a couple of slots on your skill bar with this skill. But with its current duration, I doubt it is used much. Range could use a tweak also.

Mantis Touch: Remove the part where it says "Counts as a off-hand attack"

Scorpion Wire: Increase the Duration of spell or make it 20 seconds like all the other hex's the sin has. Put a 2-5 second pause before you return to your target (it would give time for your combo to recharge).

Blinding Powder: Make it independent, or count as a lead attack

Deaths Charge: Make it more similar to shadow strike the Necro skill

Return: This should be like a panic button, you hit it to get out, it should teleport you to the nearest ally outside of your arggo circle.

Flashing Blades: needs to be increased from 50% to 75%, after all, Rangers, Warriors and Elementals get 75% (Just because it says while attacking don’t make it any better plus its an elite skill) Also I would make it a skill or an enchantment an not a stance.

Crippling Dagger: It should just cripple your target, along with the damage it does.

Shadow Form: The only thing I don’t like about it is the low health at the end of the duration; only because it leaves you to vulnerable at the end and open to an easy kill. With the current skills, it’s more of a suicide attack run. Even if you echo, mirror it. I would have it black out your skills use for a bit or have it like Shadow of Haste, and return you back to the point that you used it. Or both on the latter two, then I would also reduce the duration of its recharge

Two skills that work similar to the two black lotus skills but on conditions not Hexes.

The ability to hit something while you’re blinded with an attack. The Sin is the only one that can’t out of the ones I have tested, test it for your self at the training grounds vs. the Blind Condition Warrior.

(Worth repeating, slightly modified)

Personally I think that all an assassin needs is an inherent evade/block ability that could coincide with the critical strikes.

Have Spells, skills, hexes and attacks that effect that directly target the assassin miss. This would give the assassin a better chance to survive an attack or bypass something that would normally be a defense i.e. throws dirt, blurred vision, blinding flash. The counter would be if the assassin does get hit then it would carry the same effect now, quickly dead. I would have it as a % chance or it would work if it was a hit-miss ratio.

The % chance does not need to be that high as the rangers evade skill either. Like 40% at max with runes (16)

Another thing would be the able to either carry your attack chain to another target or if that target dies have it refresh even it its at an energy loss when it does
Even in most two part attack builds you’re vulnerable as you wait on skill recharge and normal none combo attacks do little damage to most targets.

Of course this defense would not work on things that effect an area even thou it does require a target, i.e. 100 blades, cyclone axe, unholy feast, fire storm, fire ball, Barrage ect. And things that would be cause and effect, i.e. shield bash, holy wraith.

Increase the amount of damage to the daggers, by 2-3 points, if your attacking between skills, your not doing more than 10 points damage if your lucky. This makes you so dependent on your attack skills.

These are my opinions and suggestions, with the hope that someone from Anet will say “hey that’s a neat idea” and use it or add their own tweak to it.

Demesis · Jul 05, 2006, 04:36 PM // 16:36

With all these changes your suggesting and with how some of these skills are actually used by my assassin, I would become invincible... O.o

Rikimaru · Jul 05, 2006, 05:08 PM // 17:08

Critical Strikes is actually a fairly weak attribute, especially in PvE. I Think they should have it also add +1 damage at rank 3, +2 at 6, and +3 at 9, +4 at rank 12, +5 at rank 15. This would offset the Assassin's weak auto-attacks. Which shouldn't be weak, since they are sacrificing survivability for damage.
Right now, all of an assassin's damage comes from skills, but they have very low armor to compensate for their damage. Sure, Elementalists have low armor to compensate for damage too, but they have insanely high energy unique to them that they can use with skills from other professions. But because all of the assassin's ability comes from their own skills, they are completely horrible at almost any secondary. The only other weapon they can use effectively is a bow, and that's because of Barrage + Sharpen daggers.
If they sacrifice innate defense for damage, they need to have innate damage they can use with other professions. As it is, if you use a different weapon, you still have the lost defense, but you suddenly lose all of your offense too.

Critical Strikes doesn't do as much for damage as you would think, either. The respective primaries for classes that use those weapons are much better for damage, especially when you consider that an assassin using those weapons can't go beyond 12 mastery.
I'll give you an example of the seriousness:
After a couple weeks (atleast) I came up with the highest damage build possible for an assassin using a sword. I Was able to kill a 60 AL dummy in 12 seconds with it.
In my first attempt, I made a warrior with 14 strength and 16 swordsmanship. He was able to kill the dummy in 6 seconds -_-. First try at the build....
Not only that, but it wasn't a pure offense build, I joined RA and made it to 11 wins being the tank / damage dealer.

wilebill · Jul 05, 2006, 05:57 PM // 17:57

I don't think Lord Deathknight is asking for invincibility, but only that ANet will do something to make the dagger wielding assassin more effective.

I play a mesmer also. The mesmer is a lot easier to keep alive than a dagger-wielding assassin, truth to tell -- in PvE and PvP. And often the mesmer has a lot better average dps over the course of a combat.

Example: Ferndale, four Dredges including one Gardener on a narrow road. Attacking with henchies you get a drop of 3 Oni.

The mesmer takes all this down, no problem, yawns, picks up the loot, goes on down the road. The assassin? The assassin dies, and the hench healer rez's him to die some more! He cannot Death's Charge to the Gardener; out of range! Can't break through the pile of targets either.

Running is a poor idea. Return merely teleports you into another fight. Critical strikes are dropping off noticeably with these level 24 targets. Daggers? Might as well be trying to tickle level 24's to death with a toothbrush with a live Gardener healing them.

Which is why, when I am not playing with my daggers, I configure as an A/R Critical Barrage Archer with a Dire Tiger for a pet. 12 in marksmanship, 8 in critical strikes, 9 or 10 in shadow, 9 in beast mastery I think is how it comes out. The usual two for the pet plus Poisonous Bite, the interrupt lunge, Barrage, interrupt or two. Really nice AoE and good at interrupting monks and other casters.

As monster level rises to 28, I do leave the pet at home. Still effective.

Easy to get into groups as a Critical Barrage Archer. The gals like the tiger, and the monks like me being out at range and no drain on their mana.

Of course, my conscience hurts me, flogging me with whips of guilt. The assassin is supposed to use daggers, afterall. Lord Deathknight is right to raise these issues.

fiery · Jul 05, 2006, 06:02 PM // 18:02

AOD was great before the cool down change.

Theus · Jul 05, 2006, 06:35 PM // 18:35

And also to add on to AoD,Needs a Boss in the City to give such a skill.It's quite idiotic for it to be so late in the game to actually aquire such an important skill,and for the fact that it can only be obtained on the kurzick side.

Kijik Oni Hanryuu · Jul 05, 2006, 06:56 PM // 18:56

*Sniff* i want my moebius strike without having to help the Kurzick Dogs.

Lord Oranos · Jul 06, 2006, 12:52 AM // 00:52

Heh, I bit the bullet and just got to the Eternal Grove for that elite.

Lambentviper · Jul 06, 2006, 02:20 AM // 02:20

i use dark prison all the time....Assassins promise {E} owns with it

but yes...makeing these changes would make assassins invincible.

And if Blinding Power were to become freestanding, it would be an Elite, makeing it impssoiuble to use with other builds based around core assassin elites

Sword Of Cheese · Jul 06, 2006, 02:24 AM // 02:24

my opinion is about the daggers max dmg i mean come on ur a friggin assassin they should be stronger than 17 max dmg look at the friggin hammer 35 max dmg i mean sure u can crush sumones skull with a hammer but u can take an eye out with a dagger id rather take an eye out =)

Kyle · Jul 06, 2006, 02:31 AM // 02:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sword Of Cheese

my opinion is about the daggers max dmg i mean come on ur a friggin assassin they should be stronger than 17 max dmg look at the friggin hammer 35 max dmg i mean sure u can crush sumones skull with a hammer but u can take an eye out with a dagger id rather take an eye out =)

agreed. ONE hammer does up to 35 dmg.

and TWO daggers do 17.

you should be able to take TWO eyes out. Dagger base dmg needs to be upped a little bit

Lord Deathknight · Jul 06, 2006, 04:10 AM // 04:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lambentviper

i use dark prison all the time....Assassins promise {E} owns with it

but yes...makeing these changes would make assassins invincible.

And if Blinding Power were to become freestanding, it would be an Elite, makeing it impssoiuble to use with other builds based around core assassin elites

I dont see how it would be any differant then Throw Dirt ranger skill that has an area effect, or the Blinding Flash that an elementalist has. Neither of them are Elites.

And as invincible

, I doubt it very much so. I seen plenty of builds rip apart another in seconds. the Mezs being the expert at it

hated · Jul 06, 2006, 04:48 AM // 04:48

Throw dirt is listed in the expertise line of rangers making it unuseable for other classes, also it has a recharge time of 45 seconds.

Blinding flash has a cost of 15 energy making it usuable by anyone but casters.

Now both of these abilities only work well with their base professions more or less, any changes would make them overused and overpowered.

Blinding powder at a measly 5 energy and 20 second recharge gives assassins a defensive and offensive (unseen fury) ability that only they can use because of off-hand requirements.

All these skills work very well for the class they belong to, and if done right are very powerful.

Kijik Oni Hanryuu · Jul 06, 2006, 05:10 AM // 05:10

I think that the dagger damage should either be upped, OR have a faster attack rate than swords, regardless of double strikes, like have the attack rate be .75 while swords is 1.33

hated · Jul 06, 2006, 05:25 AM // 05:25

The more the damage is upped the more it will promote people to try and tank with the assassin in pve, or stand there and slash in pvp.

The assassin's killing power comes directly from the ability to chain massive attacks together for a killing strike, not to stand there and slash away.

Now as the OP suggested allowing assassins to carry the chain out onto another enemy, should say the original target die, is a very good idea. Allowing assassins to continue the chain of attacks even if one is blocked or evaded would make a drastic change for the better.

Legendary Battousai · Jul 06, 2006, 11:26 AM // 11:26

heres my tweeks and rants about paladins (using the same format as Lord Deathknight)

Healing Hands: The duration should outlast the recharge and effect all party members. They should increase the radius of your cast range too.

Sever Artery: Should deal +42 Damage along with bleeding.

Gash: Should inflict every condition in the game and last for 60 seconds.

Mending: This should be like a panic button, press it and it makes you instantly have full health, +160 armor and +20 regen.

Final Thrust: I really think they should make this skills live up to its name and instantly kill any target hit by this.

Sprint: This should really be a skill or enchantment, not a stance.

Galrath Slash: Make this more like Summon Flesh Golem the necro skill

Restore Life: Make this skill resurrect all allies instantly with instant recharge and cast and have resurrected allies ressurect with zero dp.

Paladins can only hit 10% of the time when blind is on you, they should nerf blind.

Personally I think the strength attribute should have a +run speed attribute of 200% because some ranger in random arena ran away from me and it made me very angry.

Have all skills, attacks fail against the paladin because I think he would have a better chance at winning.

Another thing that would be cool is if all adrenalin skills would start out fully charged when we enter a game.

Increase sword damage to 19-35 because I think more people would choose sword over hammers if you did that.

These are my opinions and suggestions, with the hope that someone from Anet will say “hey that’s a neat idea” and use it or add their own tweak to it.

wilebill · Jul 06, 2006, 01:15 PM // 13:15

I'm with you, Legendary! Perhaps an assault rifle could also fit into your w/mo build!

Seriously, and purely from a PvE perspective out solo with henchies, the assassin is usually very good. Very early this morning, I took my assassin with daggers through Mourning Veil Falls, killing all boss groups, on up to the Eternal Grove, killed Everthorn and most of the rest of the map. The assassin with daggers does work very well in PvE. I only died once, and that due to an Oni drop.

The only problem takedown was the Rit boss, Bzzr Dustwing. With all his minions gone, I found that the daggers were "just not cutting it." <--pun So, I backed off, equipped my longbow, which was doing 3 or 4 hp damage, and let the henchies take him down from range, which they did in about 30 seconds without my interfering presence.

And yet ... I had to ask myself ... is the usual takedown time for a level 24 or 28 any shorter than with my vampire axe-wielding warrior? Subjectively, I don't have the feeling that it is. Can an assassin kill a group faster than a warrior? No, I don't think so ... the warrior can tank, the assassin cannot, just that simple.

In PvE solo with henchies, does the Assassin with daggers have any advantage over a warrior? Is there anything that an Assassin can do better in PvE solo than a warrior. Well, if there is, I have not noticed it.

Pick Me · Jul 06, 2006, 01:47 PM // 13:47

Lol Legendary.

At first I thought you were serious about your tweaks to the Palading build. That was until I read Sever Artery.

If you are in the slightest serious about your tweaks on skills, then ANet would no doubt put them into effect and say, "all W/Mos automatically cannot attack unless they themselves attack." Thus all the paladin can do is heal or protect and never attack until he/she is the last one standing.

Every skill you mentioned automatically becomes an elite as well. Restore Life will require X amount of energy per allie ressurected. Which could mean that your Paladin could in fact be at a negative energy for minutes.

I'm not sure what you meant for Galrath's Slash; make it like Flesh Golem?

Yes, increase sword damage, but then increase all weapon damage (bows, wands, rods, axes, hammers, etc.)

As for Running, yes, I agree that Spring should give you 200% faster movement, however I also believe that the ritual spirit that hinders movement by 10% or so should not affect Primary Rangers.

Adrenaline should not however, start at full in beginning of matches. I do believe however, there should be a way(s) that warriors can gain adrenaline before a match starts. Sort of like psyching up before a big game.

Shendaar · Jul 06, 2006, 05:46 PM // 17:46

My only grip with the Assassin is that everyone says they are and should be a hit and run class, yet a skill like Flashing Blades for example, pretty much force you into staying into the battle if you want the benefit ... But we all know doing so pretty much results in instant death.

hated · Jul 06, 2006, 06:18 PM // 18:18

Well you're only supposed to use it when you're attacking, so you teleport in, hit flashing blades, do your spike, and then get out. Problem is new players come to the game and go; OMG HAXX I TANKZ GOOD NOW, wherein lies the problem with sins trying to tank.