Remind me about Shadowblades...

[Wij]

Since I got my net connection back for a while I decided to try levelling my old SZ'er I started ages ago. He's up to 25 now with Axe and LA at level. Since I'll be mostly soloing (with a bot who I'll also be levelling to become a aug/cave shammeh for RvR/bot) around my old favourite hunting spots and Munin Sound I'm going to auto-train stealth to 48.

Now I know LA is gimped but I like it So I thought I'd try for a good old 5-spec. My question is :-

If I were to raise Axe or LA above 39 at the expense of some Envenom but not necessarily to 44 to get a new style, which would give me the best returns in terms of increased damage or decreased miss-rate ?

e.g. Is 39 Axe / 41 LA better than 41 Axe / 39 LA ?

Cheers,

Wij(osthenes)

 

[GrivneKelmorian]

My spec:

40 Sword
39 LA
34 CS
35 Stealth
29 Venom

Thats with autotrain.

It works great

 

[Fafnir]

Originally posted by GrivneKelmorian
It works great

Yeah, we see a lot of deathspam from you, when you get killed

 

[Wij]

Pah - where are the stat-whores like Solid when you need them ?

 

[mavericky]

If you are using left axe styles then the higher your left axe skill the higher your damage cap. What axe will do is control the variance on hits.

There is also the issue of the duel wield penalty that shadowblades get, having low left axe means that both your main and off hand hit for less.

Grivnes spec is roughly a cookie cutter 'Bile' spec which is what many of the US blades recommend

 

[GrivneKelmorian]

Originally posted by Fafnir
Yeah, we see a lot of deathspam from you, when you get killed

<shoves a sword down Fafnirs throat>

hush dorfie

 

[Wij]

Originally posted by mavericky
If you are using left axe styles then the higher your left axe skill the higher your damage cap. What axe will do is control the variance on hits.

There is also the issue of the duel wield penalty that shadowblades get, having low left axe means that both your main and off hand hit for less.

Grivnes spec is roughly a cookie cutter 'Bile' spec which is what many of the US blades recommend

So you'd say I'd be better raising LA rather than Axe ?

Also, why sword Griv ? Surely cleavers look better ?

Is a spec with 44 LA any good ?

 

[Brelakor.]

Pfff, sword > axe for looks, me and Grivne understands this :|

 

[GrivneKelmorian]

Originally posted by Wij
So you'd say I'd be better raising LA rather than Axe ?

Also, why sword Griv ? Surely cleavers look better ?

Is a spec with 44 LA any good ?

sword = caps speed with max buffs and haste proc, plus it looks better

and all i know is that i have beaten 2 scouts in melee without getting the jump

 

[piggeman]

I have respecced to this:

34 Stealth
44 Axe
44 LA
34 CS
16 Venom

And it works great!

 

[klavrynd]

sz , heh .... might as well take up an esperanto class and develop an accent

 

[Cyradix]

I'm

40 Axe
39 LA
39 Crit
35 Stealth
24 Env

autotrain till 40 and full LA + Axe until 39 for easy leveling (with buffbot)

I would say the 41 axe / 39 LA is better than the 39 Axe / 41 LA

 

[Wij]

Originally posted by Cyradix

I would say the 41 axe / 39 LA is better than the 39 Axe / 41 LA

Why's that ?

 

[Shanaia]

Originally posted by GrivneKelmorian
and all i know is that i have beaten 2 scouts in melee without getting the jump

I was probably one of them so that one didn't count ... I'm just gimped to hell and back

 

[Cyradix]

Originally posted by Wij
Why's that ?

41 LA will not add anything, but 41 Axe will increase your weaponskill

 

[Cinwin]

Originally posted by Cyradix
41 LA will not add anything, but 41 Axe will increase your weaponskill

Not quite.

By virtue of you always swinging 2 weapons every combat round, you automatically get a reduction in damage from both weapons to compensate. This is different to how Hibs / Albs attack where every combat round their main hand swings, and their off hand swings dependant on a their DW skill.

Raising LA means the damage variance on your LA attack is reduced, you are more likely to hit with your off hand, and the penalty for swinging 2 weapons is reduced. (I think 1LA means 40% damage reduction to both weapons and raising LA reduces this penalty)

Same end result though - 41 Axe (for weaponskill) > 41 LA (which you can compensate with Duelist Reflexes RA)


I was advised to go 44Sword 39CS 35Stealth, 35ish Envenom, 20LA ... funny how my advisor went a different route.

 

[Wij]

OK - I'm tempted by raising Axe rather than LA then. Any objectors ?

Or does anyone think, keep em both at 39 and get more envenom ?

 

[Cyradix]

I find 24 env to be enough. You will get the 91 str/con debuff at RR3. (24+11+2)

This get you these specs :

40 axe
39 LA
39 Crit
35 Stealth
24 Env

or

44 Axe
39 LA
34 Crit
35 Stealth
24 Env