Curse

swordfisher · Apr 12, 2006, 03:01 AM // 03:01

This is a little bit of a gimmick build, utilizing a elite I would ordinarily call 'sucky.' However, it may suit my purposes here. I would use this build in Heroes' Ascent.

Dagger Mastery: 10+3+1
Critical Strikes: 7+1
Shadow Arts: 9+1
Air Magic: 10

Glimmering Mark, 10e 2 15s elite*
Hex. For 11 seconds, whenever target foe suffers lightning damage, that foe and all adjacent foes suffer from blindness for 3 seconds.
Unseen Fury, 5 - 45s
Stance. For 27 seconds, you cannot be "blocked" or "evaded" by Blinded foes.
Windborne Speed, 10e 1 5s
For 5...10 seconds, target ally moves 33% faster.
Mantis Sting, 5e - 8s
If Mantis Sting hits, target foe takes +19 damage. If this attack strikes a fleeing foe, that foe is Crippled for 14 seconds.
Wild Strike, 5e - 4s
Must follow a lead attack. If it hits, this attack strikes for +19 damage and target foe loses all Stances.
Twisting Fangs, 10e - 12s
Must follow an off-hand attack. If it hits, Twisting Fangs strikes for +10 damage and struck foe suffers from Bleeding and Deep Wound for 19 seconds.
Way of the Lotus, 5e 1 20s
For 27 seconds, the next time you hit target foe with a dual attack skill, you gain 12 Energy.

Rez Sig
OR
Blinding Powder, 5e 1 20s
Must follow an off-hand attack. Target foe becomes Blinded for 11 seconds.

The build alternates between zealous/vamp daggers and a pair of lightning daggers for Glimmering Mark. Glimmering Mark will generally be used with Unseen Fury as an offensive tool, allowing you to ignore defenses, but it can theoretically be used defensively, to neutralize a to-hit character (warrior, ranger, assassin). Way of the Lotus is a cover hex for Glimmering Mark, as well as energy management if it survives to the end of your chain. Mantis Sting and Twisting fangs are included by default, as they are some of the better assassin attacks, but Wild Strike is in because this build has a chance of using it to cancel a defensive stance (even though it doesn't bypass evade/block like wild blow). Windborne Speed is non-stance runspeed boost (can't have a cancel stance when the gimmick is based off of a stance that recharges every 45s), and also a bit of party utility- HA teams pretty much always carry a Windborne already.

I wouldn't exactly call this a 'play to win' build- it was just fun to come up with a semi-decent use for Glimmering Mark.

fallot · Apr 12, 2006, 05:42 PM // 17:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by swordfisher

I wouldn't exactly call this a 'play to win' build- it was just fun to come up with a semi-decent use for Glimmering Mark.

Did you make the build with Glimmering Mark in mind first or Unseen Fury ? They're both really inefficient skills. The recharge on Unseen Fury is going to cripple this build. Its a bit of a gimmick, but thats what you seemed to have in mind in the first place.

By the way, the name of the skill "Mantis Sting" was changed to "Leaping Mantis Sting" in the FPE. Mantis Sting is its old PvP preview event name. Unfortunately all the online resources I've seen haven't updated the skill descriptions as they were during the FPE.