Curse

Dutch Masterr · Dec 30, 2006, 08:24 PM // 20:24

before nightfall, the majority of pvp assassins i saw used aura of displacement. since nightfall came out, i dont think ive seen anyone use this skill at all. does anyone out there ever use this anymore?

The Last Windseeker · Dec 30, 2006, 08:30 PM // 20:30

I use it a lot when I'm on my assassin now. Mostly because most assassins are running the shadow prison build, so monks are starting to bring hex breaker, making an AoD a much less expected skill.

Diddy bow · Dec 30, 2006, 08:33 PM // 20:33

ive never used it

, i always thought it sucked abit, but now no one else deos either

Shendaar · Dec 30, 2006, 09:17 PM // 21:17

I find the AoD combo to be too expensive to make proper use of it.

Shuuda · Dec 30, 2006, 09:54 PM // 21:54

Shadow walk seems to be replacing AoD, it does pretty much what AoD does, with only 5 energy and no energy degen.

Kaleban · Dec 31, 2006, 04:39 AM // 04:39

Shadow Walk + Stance cancel such as Dash or Feigned Neutrality is technically superior to AoD because its not an enchant, keeping you safe from Desecrate and Shatter. You also don't have to worry about double-clicking AoD to dismiss, and can instead just hit Dash or whatever. This also leaves your Elite slot open, a big plus.

The downside is that if you use SW+Dash/other, you can't use an IAS, and you are vulnerable to skills like Wild Blow. Also, AoD was used to skip leads with Golden Phoenix Strike, which you can't do unless you bring a third skill along with SW+Dash to act as the Enchant.

So its a tradeoff. Use multiple skills to acheive the same effect, and use a different elite. In most cases you'll have to hex your target for effective spiking.

Or use AoD as your elite, allowing an extra normal skill slot (or two depending on what you used to shadow step), and not having to broadcast your spike by hexing.

Silk Weaver · Dec 31, 2006, 08:15 AM // 08:15

It's also technically 150% recharge time. Shatter enchant needs to be fast if you're using an IAS boosted combo anyway. Heck, Shock Falling Twisting is fast anyway, so to catch the shatter before that isn't really that easy.

Shendaar · Dec 31, 2006, 08:51 AM // 08:51

Shock->Falling->Twisted is nothing extraordinary damage-wise and it's not like you can spam it either. I guess it's an ok combo in organized spike, but other than that, you won't be killing anything with it.

Evaem Asollan · Dec 31, 2006, 08:55 AM // 08:55

Try this build, i've been using it since pretty much the start of factions save a skill or two:

Black Lotus Strike
Twisting Fangs
Falling Spider
Blades of Steel
Aura of Displacement
Mark of Instability
Restful Breeze
Dark Escape (or Res)

Dagger Master: 11 (+1)
Critical Strikes: 11 (+2 rune and helm)
Shadow Arts: 7 (+1)
Healing Prayers: 5

It is by no means an amazing build, but it is effective. I run it a lot in Aspenwood, and there is very little that can take me down. I run full shrouded so I have 33 energy, more then enough to do the chain without pause. Since there is no -hp runes used, your health will be very high. Restful breeze is an amazing skill that out-performs shadow refuge with very little investment.

AuraofMana · Dec 31, 2006, 07:06 PM // 19:06

Maybe it's time I stop using AOD, but Dash really helps when you jump in, because decent players will kite and run toward their groups so you get owned (and Horns doesn't get to KD, because a lot of sins run that).

Kenji Akatsuki · Jan 02, 2007, 09:43 AM // 09:43

shadow prison sets of a hex, combine that with a energy regain skill like BLS and it gets tempting. AoD hasn't died yet, its just being overshadowed for a bit, dont worry it'll be back, its too good to die ^^

Yanman.be · Jan 02, 2007, 10:09 AM // 10:09

AoD is still pretty good because you just need 1 skill to get in and out. Shadow prison...you still need shadow of haste and a cancel stance. That's 3 skills for the "same" effect.

Shuuda · Jan 02, 2007, 09:37 PM // 21:37

^Not to mention monks are starting to bring hex breaker to protect themselves from shadow prison.

Saphatorael · Jan 03, 2007, 12:01 PM // 12:01

Anet needs to buff it, period.
Sure, it's the best 'Get in, get out', skill.
But it's an ELITE for gods sake.
Lower the cost, or give it a minor bonus (Healing like Deaths Charge, for all I care) to it.

And with Shadow Walk out nowadays... YES, you need a cancel stance, YES, it's got a longer recharge, but there are multiple ways to surpass that 'problem'. Most chains are strong enough, and beat that ages-old 'Hot Stepper' premade, which was basically the only decent combo you could make with AoD in it... and it'd drain you completely.

As it is now, I won't be taking it any time soon. Only 3 skills really benefit from the enchantment thing, and 2 of them are Lead Attacks, a big no-no in PvP, since it completely renders AoD useless... where's the element of surprise if either you don't have enough energy to spike, or have to use a lead attack, which completely ruins that surprise?

And don't let me start about Shadow Meld... Just precast Recall before you go in, and you've got more-or-less the same, but without wasting an elite. It's not like you'll suddenly barge in again by removing Shadow Meld, right? Using SM will even leave you vulnerable to enchant removal, if you haven't been able to recover yet. And even if it's a kiting skill... Deaths Retreat, anyone? IT EVEN HEALS, sheesh. And if you're supposed to use the short cast and shadow step thing it gives, you'll scare the person you're SM'ing to more than a foe you're about to spike.

Is it dead? It's a corpse, rarely reanimated nowadays. Anet needs to use a hard res on this one. Buff it, it's ridiculous as it is now.

AuraofMana · Jan 04, 2007, 12:33 AM // 00:33

The -1e regen hurts as it is (and most sins use Zealous, making you having the regen of a warrior), and the 10e just tops it. Lower the energy to 5e, then throw in some healing or someway to regain energy when it's removed.
Shadow Meld is an useless Elite.... if you are running out of Elites for sin to have, throw in a decent heal (I still hate Feign Neutrality due to its long recharge -.-).

Bowstring Badass · Jan 12, 2007, 05:52 AM // 05:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuraofMana

The -1e regen hurts as it is (and most sins use Zealous, making you having the regen of a warrior), and the 10e just tops it. Lower the energy to 5e, then throw in some healing or someway to regain energy when it's removed.
Shadow Meld is an useless Elite.... if you are running out of Elites for sin to have, throw in a decent heal (I still hate Feign Neutrality due to its long recharge -.-).

Deadly Paradox ftw.

Siva arwen · Jan 12, 2007, 09:11 PM // 21:11

i dont think Anet would change or buff AoD, but the reason of AoD is so weak because when u compare Hex-atk-skill and Ench-atk-skill together u will see.

[skill]Black Lotus Strike[/skill] and [skill]Golden Lotus Strike[/skill]
Black Lotus Strike beats Golden Lotus Strike in any cases. Black Lotus Strike gains more dmg, more energy, shorter recharge and it is a Off-hand.

[skill]Black Spider Strike[/skill] and [skill]Golden Phoenix Strike[/skill]
Black Spider Strike beats Golden Phoenix Strike in any cases also. Black Spider Strike has more dmg, lower energy, and it has POISON.

Yanman.be · Jan 13, 2007, 12:13 PM // 12:13

You might forget Golden Lotus Strike is a lead attack. So you can't really compare it. But true, bxs's own the gxs's.

Sqube · Jan 13, 2007, 05:11 PM // 17:11

Hmm... possible buff for the Golden line in the next skill update?

I mean, they really don't compare that well to the Black line at all. I had kind of known about it, but to see them compared side by side like that... crazy.

Saphatorael · Jan 15, 2007, 12:31 PM // 12:31

I've messed around with AoD a little 2 days ago, and of all the combo's I have tried, none of them beats the Shadow Prison one.

The main problem was... guess what: energy!
The only decent chain I could pull off was... the Hot stepper preset (I threw in an IAS though: AoD is supposedly the ultimate 'get in, spike, get out' skill); and even then I really needed Way of the Lotus to not mess up the spike due to energy problems (The Hot Stepper build is outdated, try running it anywhere nowadays). What really made it horrible was the fact that opponents just kept running (since I had no snare), and no, bringing Leaping Mantis Sing won't help, I could just bring a completely different chain then, and it can't be called a spike at all if I change it.

Also, if I'd use Way of the Lotus, I had to spread my attributes a bit more thin in order to make it work altogether... and guess what: It's an enchantment, so it's also enough to use Golden Phoenix Strike with!
I could take Hidden Caltrops, then wand my target, at least that'd snare and deal a bit of damage at a low cost, even though it'd give away my target.

Point is, it's crap. Also due to the fact that the only 2 attacks that benefit from an enchantment requirement are underpowered as proven by the comparison given a bit earlier in this thread.

So now I can only hope they buff AoD, or add another enchantment-requiring off-hand attack that doesn't debilitate the use of AoD.