It counts as an off-hand attack, but has no requirement, and can't miss. It lets you go straight into a dual attack, essentially bypassing the combo system altogether.
It might still be a crappy elite, I dunno. But it makes some sense on a theoretical level, at least.
It's potentially interesting. The dual strikes are some of the most powerful skills. Palm Strike shortens the time it takes to get to it, and doesn't require the rest of your skills to hit. And if focusing on just a 1->2 combo, you have more slots to bring other skills that way.
Palm Strike -> Exhausting Assault gives you an attempt at inflicting Exhaustion every 12 seconds. If, and only if, Black Lotus Strike or Golden Phoenix Strike enable you to jump into an Off-Hand as well, then you can almost manage to alternate Exhausting Assault every 8-9 seconds, which is its recharge. Now, whether or not Exhausting Assault is worthwhile to use has yet to be seen by me. At least it got interrupt attack speed, though.
Of course, if Golden Phoenix Strike works, it makes using an elite slot fairly useless. Then you could do something like Glyph of Renewal+Way of the Fox to ensure your 1->2 combo hits every time XD Or whatever would fit in such a build nicely (Beguiling Haze would be my best guess for this one).
Palm Strike -> Twisted Fangs is probably -THE- hit-and-run combo. Palm Strike for a marginal amount of damage, almost 60 [57] with 13 Critical Strikes (the breakpoint for 3 energy gain per critical, if I remember correctly), and then toss in a Twisted Fangs for +40 extra damage and Deep Wound (and bleeding, though that's irrelevant to a spike). 480 health foe, no matter the AL, loses 196 life, in addition to however much base damage you deal, over ~2.08 seconds (1.62 with an attack speed buff).
But this is just theorycraft. I didn't really tinker with the assassin much yet.
Is it just me or does this skill have a 3s casting time? When an assassin attacks every, what, 1.29s... why does an elite counting as an off hand need to take 3s to cast. The application of this skill seems as mercury said to be a bypass to the better duel attacks... but after 3s i would expect anyone with half a brain to be two thirds across the map -.-
where do u cap teh elites at i've yet to find an assassin boss, i've found a boss for every otehr class but assassin. so it'd be helpful if u could give me directions for the capping of this skill or any other elite for the assassin.
U get this skill from Kenshi Steelhand, he is located in the Bazzar.. More to the south end of the map.. He is part of the Jade Faction so look where they are and fight around..
Palm strike doesn't have a kd because it says it deals direct damage instead of any kind of damage. This type of damage usually receives least reduction. Palm strike on a warrior with entinel armor still deals close to 70 damage, which other offhand attack can do that. 3/4 activate time, which makes it faster than a regular attack. Connection straight into a dual attack. I feel that the best dual attack to go with this elite skill is horn of ox. Catch someone alone (usually the kiting boon prot), palm strike -> horn of ox -> falling spider -> twisting fangs.