Curse

Kit Engel · Mar 11, 2007, 08:12 AM // 08:12

The Shadowblessed is an Assassin team built for Alliance Battles. They are able to defy most normal offensive methods, and take shrines with minimal difficulty.

Basic Skill Layout

Attributes

Dagger Mastery 10+1
Deadly Arts 2+1
Critical Strikes 8+1
Shadow Arts 12+1+3

Skills

Shadow Refuge
Deadly Paradox
Arcane Mimicry
Shadow Form
Arcane Echo

Armor: Radiant Insignias.
Weapon: Zealous Daggers of Enchanting, +15% damage while enchanted; Daggers of Enchanting, +15% damage while enchanted; Spear of Enchanting, +5 energy, with a +15 energy, -1 energy regeneration focus.

The optional slots are to be filled with a selection of attacks, depending on how many assassins you have.

Basic Shadow Form Usage

This build requires a minimum of two assassins. Shadow Form can be kept up indefinitely. Begin by using Arcane Mimicry on each other, and immediately using the Mimicry Shadow Form. It will remain up for approximately 24 seconds, with the Daggers of Enchanting.

Following that, use Deadly Paradox, Arcane Echo, and your actual Shadow Form. Deadly Paradox must be used before Arcane Echo, or it will cancel the Arcane Echo enchantment. This Shadow Form cannot be left up for its full duration, as the new Shadow Form will change back into Arcane Echo at 20 seconds. As a result, you should cast the Echo'd Shadow Form at around 18 seconds or so.

Your original Shadow Form should be recharged as the Echo'd one runs out. Hit Deadly Paradox, and cast it again.

Arcane Mimicry should be recharged at this point. The entire chain can be repeated from here.

Which Attacks Shall I Bring?

With only two assassins, you will be somewhat pressed for offensive capability. While most shrines in the Alliance Battle maps can be taken by outlasting the NPCs, that tactic is hardly optimal.

Energy will be an issue if you are not careful, though the Spear/Focus weapon swap should assist with that.

A mistiming may drop your health, though, if you can get Shadow Form back up quickly, it should not be much of a problem. This can happen quite often due to energy being tight or negligence. Desperate Strike is often useful, therefore, if you are comfortable running around with a lower amount of health. Otherwise, Golden Lotus Strike is a worthy choice, assisting with energy when you require it. You may wish the skip the lead attack via some means. It will be discussed following this.

For offhand attacks, your choices are somewhat limited unless you have more than just two assassins. With three assassins, one can bring a Hex, sinking more points from Dagger Mastery into Deadly Arts. Siphon Speed will enable one to use Black Spider Strike and Black Lotus Strike. Without the aforementioned Hex, one can choose to use Golden Phoenix Strike, which will work consistently, as Shadow Form will be up nearly 100% of the time. If you opened with a Lead Attack, Fox Fangs and Wild Strike are not bad choices.

For dual attacks, your choices are generally limited to Twisting Fangs, Death Blossom, or Nine Tail Strike.

One may feel that the attack chains are prohibitively expensive for this build. There are a few ways to mitigate the energy cost. The optimal one may be Way of the Lotus. It can allow you to use a simple Golden Phoenix Strike-Twisting Fangs offensive combination, while recovering about 3/4 of the cost. The second is to open with Golden Lotus Strike. The third is to use Golden Phoenix Strike, followed by Critical Strike, while under the influence of Critical Eye or Way of the Lotus.

As previously mentioned, you gain more flexibility as the team expands. The attack comboes become cheaper if your team can carry hexes, as your first attack can be Black Lotus Strike or Black Spider Strike. Lotus returns energy, while Spider is relatively cheap, at 5 energy. That, combined with Critical Eye or Way of the Lotus can maintain your energy level fairly easily, as well as giving additional benefit from those relatively powerful attacks, and the hex effects.

If you have a full four people, the last person may wish to bring a the hexes, and possibly use Disrupting Stab and Exhausting Assault as his attack chain, to stop the Warrior NPCs from using Healing Signet. He may also be able to carry Crippling Dagger and Disrupting Dagger instead of the attacks.

Complementary Team Members

Mesmers and Necromancers are a decent choice for team members, as they can spread hexes, which can enable certain lines of attack. Monks are not a bad idea, as you may need protection if Shadow Form drops for whatever reason, be it a mistiming or an enemy's Expunge Enchantments. Traps can still affect you, so condition removal is excellent. Elementalists can provide much-needed damage, as it may be difficult to bring enough offense.

Generally, you will wish to avoid frontline characters, such as Warriors, Dervishes, or other assassins not using this setup. Their proximity to you may allow an opponent to drop area-of-effect spells on your position, which can damage you, as they do not target you directly.

Counters

The build is quite fragile against nontargetted or nonspell, nonattack enchantment removals. The common ones are Well of the Profane and Expunge Enchantments. Other possibilities are Signet of Disenchantment, Winds of Disenchantment, or being caught near someone when an enemy uses Hex Eater Vortex or Test of Faith.

Additionally, Touch Rangers may be annoying, as they can still utilize their touch skills against you.

Discussion

I could use suggestions on offensive comboes, as well as more efficient ways to use the skills involved.

Questions? Comments?

Jeff Highwind · Mar 14, 2007, 03:37 AM // 03:37

IMO this team build is just a sin version of the Earth Ele Tank, where you just sit there and camp a base with little offense until reinforcements come to your rescue. Since you have only 3 slots for offense you are pretty limited if a mob decides to muck things up.

This build also lacks the speed to cap shrines unless you are in a mob yourself. Most shrines have 3 units already, and as I mentioned before the 3 attack skill limit will be very problematic.

Kit Engel · Mar 14, 2007, 03:42 AM // 03:42

Technically, you have at least 6 slots for offense, seeing as how you have a minimum of two characters. If I can cap shrines using a standard Black Widow build (Offense: Black Spider Strike, Twisting Fangs), then this isn't significantly worse in those terms.

Eroth · Mar 14, 2007, 10:30 AM // 10:30

This "team" build isn't ringing home with me. It sorta seems like one of those builds you use when your bored, and then forget it.

Zolderick · Mar 25, 2007, 11:26 AM // 11:26

Looks fun I'll tell my guild to try it