Shadowblade RVR tactics question

[old.Braecia]

Hi there,

I created a shadowblade and I got him to lvl 25. I specced him sword: 24, critic 23 and stealth 11 (without items). I am going for criticblade. Now i have the following questions:

How should I go from here with speccing?

What kind of rvr tactics do most of you experienced shadowblades use?

thanks in advance,

 

[Eleasias]

50 sword, 50 crit rest stealth, as for tactics

stealth up to mage, press the death button, repeat

 

[belth]

Originally posted by Eleasias
stealth up to mage, press the death button, repeat

Ain't as easy as with bows

 

[Eleasias]

sb's are a lot better at taking out mages than archers, sb makes 90-100% dmg with PA to a mage, while archers need to take out bt... usually mages in emain dont have brains or enough experience about archers, but xuthos for example, i shot, bt down, second shot in air, this was absorbed by bt aswell, and then im nearsighted and he's out of range ... luckily i got away :> as for those who only have the first time self bt, wizzies are in trouble but sorcs are a different case, bt goes down, /face qc mez -> proceed to nuke

 

[belth]

Well, posted at same time, so here comes the edit

I've sometimes spent 30 minutes sneaking on a hibbie group, looking for that opening (which seldomly comes). When I find it, next problem is getting to the target without being seen (3 second stealth bubble, oh the joy), then hope target doesn't change facing and you don't get lag. Then you press the PA button and hope it hits. Then CD button & /stick button quickly after that. Result? If all goes well, one dead hibbie mage. Last, but not least, get out of the detection range.

The time needed to find the opening ofcourse gets smaller the longer you've been doing the thing and when you're higher level.

 

[old.Niljindil]

Belth..

Your descripting is the same as "stealth up to a mage, press the death button, repeat" but with more words.

You just said how complicated it was, the above description is really what happens.

As for myself, im beginning to like the fact that shadowblades cant oneshot me anymore

Just gonna max my slash resist and some thrust and ill be "assassin proof"

 

[old.Jazhara]

Criticblade = Major Gimp at patch 1.50 cause you destealth every time you attack.

But thats just my opinion.

Jazhara

 

[Lessurl]

oooh, it's people like u who keep killin me b4 i know what's goin on, at least with archers i get a chance to get a shot off, and if stun sticks i can nuke em to death (assumin they aint mega purp, which they usually are )

One day i will work out some way to get you, but in the meantime i'll just have to make do with cursing your name under my breath whilst i'm eatin dirt.

 

[belth]

Originally posted by Niljindil
Belth..

Your descripting is the same as "stealth up to a mage, press the death button, repeat" but with more words.

You just said how complicated it was, the above description is really what happens.

As for myself, im beginning to like the fact that shadowblades cant oneshot me anymore

Just gonna max my slash resist and some thrust and ill be "assassin proof"

Yes, I had posted before the edit "But yes, that's the basics". The basics just make it sound simple when it is much more complicated than just walking up to someone and killing them.

 

[tilde]

target avalonians

 

[old.Faded]

Eleasias, for you to get your critical off all it takes is target that blue mage, click a button wait a few secs get the rps, run. Even if it goes wrong you just speed buff and restealth before most ppl even see you.

If you think geting a pa on some one is that easy then u might wanna actually play a infil, coz u'll probally be missing backstabb on mobs.

Not many ppl with half a brain stand still, and if the are then there grouped which means geting a one shot kill is only half the task, then u gotta get away from the rest of the group that start running round trying to detect you, if they move just a few steps and pa miss's your dead, no speed buff here sry. oh ya, did i mention that alot of the time you need to pa moving targets? Gotta get them running in a straight line at you then hit pa at exactly the right time, if you lag then its even harder.

Takeing one shot kills away means it would be a better step to make a cabalist than a infil for RvR.

 

[Eleasias]

I believe we were talking about shadowblades? IMO infils take a lot more skill to play than sb's, infils are totally a different case. If you didnt know, the speedbuff is on a timer, all mages have bladeturn that negates crit shot, and I see mages sitting down daily ;> And I've played infil/sb both. Jazh, 1.50? We're playing a different game by then ;>

 

[old.Faded]

From what ive seen sb's can hit harder and have more hp's. But all the assasin classes are basicaly the same, even more so pre 1.46.

edit: i know speed buff is on a timer, but wat 15 mins? thats not any thing really, if you mess up and need to save your life under every 15 mins there summit wrong. And stop running from me when i try 1v1 you

 

[Eleasias]

In normal melee, I can win Mallus, and I have, he's higher level than me, against Microbe, I was dead in a few hits, without him using styles. A blue con sb can kill level 50 casters in one shot, sb's can kill archers in one shot, sb's can kill infils in one shot, the list goes on ;< The difference between infil and a sb is huge.

 

[belth]

Originally posted by Eleasias
In normal melee, I can win Mallus, and I have, he's higher level than me, against Microbe, I was dead in a few hits, without him using styles. A blue con sb can kill level 50 casters in one shot, sb's can kill archers in one shot, sb's can kill infils in one shot, the list goes on ;< The difference between infil and a sb is huge.

There's 3 things in this patch that make SBs better - ability to use slow-ass 2-handers, the überness of LA and more HPs.

BTW Niljindil, do you have over 1k HPs? If not, you're not safe from lvl50 norseman critblades.

 

[old.Halfmad]

dont even mention nightshades

we're the assassin uberbitches

 

[old.Jazhara]

Lol Eleasias, Mallus will own you without a Perf anytime in straight melee.

Jazhara

 

[Dalby]

Originally posted by tilde
target avalonians

shut up tilde ;-)

 

[old.anubis]

target avalonians

i prefer elfs & luriks - 40 base con is VERY nice from their side

 

[Eleasias]

Originally posted by Jazhara
Lol Eleasias, Mallus will own you without a Perf anytime in straight melee.

Jazhara

Didnt do that last time, ask him :> (was 1v1 on bowl side of alb wall)

 

[Lessurl]

Originally posted by anubis


i prefer elfs & luriks - 40 base con is VERY nice from their side

Is this why i keep gettin assasinated first?

 

[old.Moriaana]

YAY for con buffs

 

[old.Creep]

I think sbs can own any other assassin class anyday. But after the patch... Hell no! High cs, dualwield and poison. A sb have to choose between the different paths... Infils can be everything at the same time And what about Nightshades, there I have no comment.. Imho i think nightshades are gimped but with their instas they will own me anyday because of them always staying close to their casters and with that insta i will get uncovered in notime

 

[Aeiedil]

Creep i aint bloody well gimped my pa is relativley small because im limited to a dps 12 spd 3.5, or dps 14.1 100%qua spd 2.7 weapon and if you werent 9 levels higher i would have whippéd you across yggdra earlier after patch it just gets better i can hit you out of stealth and go into straight melee, where there is no chance of you uber-paing me just wait until we are on a level playing field

 

[old.anubis]

well, aeiedil, i've got something for you

http://members.lycos.co.uk/kondraty/sshot180.jpg

shades really need some help :/
even without pa they don't have a chance against blades

 

[belth]

Originally posted by Creep
I think sbs can own any other assassin class anyday. But after the patch... Hell no! High cs, dualwield and poison. A sb have to choose between the different paths... Infils can be everything at the same time And what about Nightshades, there I have no comment.. Imho i think nightshades are gimped but with their instas they will own me anyday because of them always staying close to their casters and with that insta i will get uncovered in notime

+0.3 skillpoints per level don't make up for über-perf from a 2-h (or any 2-3 garrotes from it) or DoubleFrost.

 

[old.Trapp|Uberleech]

Belthazor, infils seem pretty good to me in 1.50

I was watching a friend playing skald on us. People were duelling. One lvl 50 infiltrator with epic armor killed everything. He killed 50 skalds 50 warriors 50 thanes WITHOUT using any opening critstrike. All midgardians he fought were buffed by healer and shaman, so that's not explain it either. Those 2.5 spec/level are alot.

 

[belth]

Originally posted by Trapp|Uberleech
Belthazor, infils seem pretty good to me in 1.50

I was watching a friend playing skald on us. People were duelling. One lvl 50 infiltrator with epic armor killed everything. He killed 50 skalds 50 warriors 50 thanes WITHOUT using any opening critstrike. All midgardians he fought were buffed by healer and shaman, so that's not explain it either. Those 2.5 spec/level are alot.

Thrust is +15% vs Chain, that helps tons against mids. Hell, I can propably kill an even con Warrior if I get my perf off and get couple lucky evades. About 5 levels ago I used Backstab II on a yellow thane with bit over half HP, one-shotted him. Thanes do have crap for HP, though.

Take a critblade with good equipment at 50, all they need is 2-3 regular swings (Garrote) to kill an infiltrator. Why? Because they do more damage on a Garrote than we can perf for. They can get a perf cap of over 1000 and no level 50 infiltrator has that much HP without buffs from armor & clerics/friars. Highest perf cap for Infiltrator is around 700, if you take CS high.

Next a shadowzerker... Does 200+ on right-hand weapon and 100+ on left-hand axe sound nice? It does indeed, because that's what DoubleFrost does, adds a bit over 100 as style-bonus. Couple that with the fact that the left axe swings every time and you can pretty much eat any non-pure tank class, as assassins have Quickness, resulting in faster swings.

Now tell me, how is an infiltrator going to beat such damage when we have no chances of doing even half the damage a SB does? Slash? Sorry, but no thanks, infiltrator strength downright sucks and there isn't enough +str items. It wouldn't make up for the 2-h perf or DF damage anyway.

If SB's weren't able to perf with 2-handers or Left-Axe wasn't doing such insane damage, sure that +0.3 skillpoints / level would help us. Shadowblades also have more HP than Infiltrators, which in turn gives SBs another advantage against Infiltrators.

I don't care if I can kill an even con chain-wearer, 99% of the time I don't have to fight them if I don't want to (how does 10 mins AFK on Dun Crimthainn wall sound while there's been moderate hibbie activity consisting mainly of orange-red cons?), but a blue SB can kill me without even breaking a sweat.

Infiltrators get 3706 skillpoints total and SB's & NS's get 3253 skillpoints. 453 points difference.

For a Critblade, you could go 37 stealth, 39 sword or axe, 50 crit strike and 31 envenom, with 3 points left over. Replace CS with LA for shadowzerk. Add those 453 points and you can go 40 stealth, 39 sword or axe, 50 crit strike and 40 envenom, with 15 points left.

What did you gain? 3 more stealth, 9 more envenom. Erm... Envenom mostly helps in prolonged fights and when your initial perf leaves them with a bit of HP, so you don't have to stick around to finish them with couple hits, reducing your chances of /release (which are much higher in 1.50 than 1.49). +3 Stealth? Umm, you can change propably 1 or 2 items to boost your melee damage a bit or get some more HP... 0.3 more skillpoints / level still don't make up for the advantages a SB gets from LA/2-h.

You might wonder why I didn't include NS in this, but I think it's quite obvious they aren't on-par with Infils or SBs. They need a good boost.

How to balance SB/Infil/NS? Don't nerf SBs, we've seen enough nerfs as it is. Fix DualWield/Celtic Dual to be useful instead of the gimpy spec line it currently is - give them good usable styles and for instance, make the left-hand weapon swing independently of the right-hand one and give it 25%-50% of the style bonus that the right-hand weapon gets if they happen to swing at the same time, otherwise give it 50%-75% of the style bonus.

Edit: slight mis-calculus.

 

[razorboy]

infil dmg cap is 1024 dmg if I remember it right...
that is when ur cs is over 55 prolly and ur thrust is at 50

Shadowblades however have a much higher cap ..

 

[belth]

You'll need to use some slow-ass staff to get over 1k from perf as infil and it's an un-specced weapon - crap damage variance. Thrust don't affect perf cap, only CS.