[Review] [SW] Steady Aim

[Toldavf]

Sounds like a good idea, go ahead and slot no respite while you are at it, it's awesome if you can get ini debuff from something other than wrist slash.

So here is my test.
Zealot was geared in full Annihilator so I used the same tier gear set. He also was specced full crit healing, no defences.
You can see my stats, I didn't use any stats tactics and had slotted all Assault tree tactics (15% damage, 50% crit damage, Sinister Assault) + Bullseye.
Zealot wasn't kiting and no one was helping him except Chosen's auras.
My verdict:
3 chain 900 crits on a guarded target just can't be OP.
Even with BIS gear numbers may raise like +200 but possible enemy would have better stats too.
It's still much lower numbers than we had with UF. So it wasn't OP with UF neither it can be OP without it today.

Click here to watch on YouTube

Eh, you can't really pull any conclusion from a SINGLE dps trying to kill a guarded healer, as more or less no dps is able to pull that off, especially without actually popping CC or using healdebuffs like in your example. Hell, killing ANY good healer solo is quite the feat even without guard.

All this video shows is that you can spam 900+ crits even on guarded classes, which is indeed good given the proper plays not present in a static test like this. For example the guard landing on a zealot usually means you have a dps you can swap to and get off the full 2k damage.

Edit: And I understand that you want to able to get off good burst even when built tanky, but my opinion is that it would just create an unhealthy defense specced meta for the class.

There's also it seems a 160 stat variance at a minimum which will affect the numbers heavily (In all honesty the natures blade procs could be providing str/tough but there is no way of telling)

I mean with your own knight or indeed the relevant procs up from natures blade you could be dealing with 1k? or more realistically lets say 700 with challenge.

700 vs a well protected target is still a pretty big number.

[daniilpb]

Sounds like a good idea, go ahead and slot no respite while you are at it, it's awesome if you can get ini debuff from something other than wrist slash.

So here is my test.
Zealot was geared in full Annihilator so I used the same tier gear set. He also was specced full crit healing, no defences.
You can see my stats, I didn't use any stats tactics and had slotted all Assault tree tactics (15% damage, 50% crit damage, Sinister Assault) + Bullseye.
Zealot wasn't kiting and no one was helping him except Chosen's auras.
My verdict:
3 chain 900 crits on a guarded target just can't be OP.
Even with BIS gear numbers may raise like +200 but possible enemy would have better stats too.
It's still much lower numbers than we had with UF. So it wasn't OP with UF neither it can be OP without it today.

Click here to watch on YouTube

Eh, you can't really pull any conclusion from a SINGLE dps trying to kill a guarded healer, as more or less no dps is able to pull that off, especially without actually popping CC or using healdebuffs like in your example. Hell, killing ANY good healer solo is quite the feat even without guard.

All this video shows is that you can spam 900+ crits even on guarded classes, which is indeed good given the proper plays not present in a static test like this. For example the guard landing on a zealot usually means you have a dps you can swap to and get off the full 2k damage.

Edit: And I understand that you want to able to get off good burst even when built tanky, but my opinion is that it would just create an unhealthy defense specced meta for the class.

Any WW combos are very easy to be countered right now since we don't have resolute defense. If enemies would see WW pops, they would punt or hard cc you in the exact same moment to relieve damage. Same might go with SA buff. See SW poping it up -> hard focus him or cc. SW doesn't have any anti-cc tools right now, so it's very easy to be b*tched around.

Also I can't understand your hard opposition against defensive melee SW. In serious environment it's not a matter of tastes, it's a necessity. You have to be tough enough or enemy dps will tear you apart in the first seconds of Mara's M1 root. Destro has very easy access to hard armor penetration (Choppa is the only downsider here) so armor values won't save you against WE/Mara/Sorc/Magus. SW doesn't have AOE detaunt, charge or snare-breakers, it's super reliable on its own defenses, Guard and party support. WP just punts you a little away. Also you know how much wounds do we have in our gear? Not much tbh, especially if you would compare it to melee dps values. Toughness values are also low except dominator set.

It might look a bit like offtopic, so forgive me please, but I was explaining the situation in the case of Assault SW.

[daniilpb]

So here is my test.
Zealot was geared in full Annihilator so I used the same tier gear set. He also was specced full crit healing, no defences.
You can see my stats, I didn't use any stats tactics and had slotted all Assault tree tactics (15% damage, 50% crit damage, Sinister Assault) + Bullseye.
Zealot wasn't kiting and no one was helping him except Chosen's auras.
My verdict:
3 chain 900 crits on a guarded target just can't be OP.
Even with BIS gear numbers may raise like +200 but possible enemy would have better stats too.
It's still much lower numbers than we had with UF. So it wasn't OP with UF neither it can be OP without it today.

Click here to watch on YouTube

Eh, you can't really pull any conclusion from a SINGLE dps trying to kill a guarded healer, as more or less no dps is able to pull that off, especially without actually popping CC or using healdebuffs like in your example. Hell, killing ANY good healer solo is quite the feat even without guard.

All this video shows is that you can spam 900+ crits even on guarded classes, which is indeed good given the proper plays not present in a static test like this. For example the guard landing on a zealot usually means you have a dps you can swap to and get off the full 2k damage.

Edit: And I understand that you want to able to get off good burst even when built tanky, but my opinion is that it would just create an unhealthy defense specced meta for the class.

There's also it seems a 160 stat variance at a minimum which will affect the numbers heavily (In all honesty the natures blade procs could be providing str/tough but there is no way of telling)

I mean with your own knight or indeed the relevant procs up from natures blade you could be dealing with 1k? or more realistically lets say 700 with challenge.

700 vs a well protected target is still a pretty big number.

Just for example, WE and WHs can deal the same amount of damage without any hard requirements like SW has. They don't have to pop up VON and SA which can be easily shattered, they also don't need any WWs, they don't need 3 tactics to perform it. Even if you slot stat tactic to get your numbers, you will lose your overall damage. This case just makes you one trick pony. It's very flimsy combo which can be countered quite easily because it has too many sighs to be recognized quickly.

[TenTonHammer]

Yeah but WH's and WE's arnt doing all that fun stuff from 65-100ft away

[dansari]

Yeah but WH's and WE's arnt doing all that fun stuff from 65-100ft away

Neither is an Assault SW when it's necessary to slot 3 assault tactics to be worth it.

[lefze]

Yeah but WH's and WE's arnt doing all that fun stuff from 65-100ft away

As stated before, the fact that SW is always able to deal decent ranged damage during melee downtimes etc. is one of the reason it shouldn't get TOO much love in the melee department.

As for being opposed to tanky SW, I'm not. I just think the level of reliable damage they already have is enough all things considred, slapping guaranteed crits on top of it is a bad idea, and balancing around the fact that you SHOULD spec tanky in a competitive environment should not happen, as 99% of the game is completely playable in squishy gear and takes place in an extremely non-competitive environment. I don't think that "the best players in the game can counter it ez" is a good argument to make something so strong you can 3-shot anyone that looses focus for a single blink of an eye once during combat.

[lefze]

Yeah but WH's and WE's arnt doing all that fun stuff from 65-100ft away

Neither is an Assault SW when it's necessary to slot 3 assault tactics to be worth it.

Still gets a 65ft ranged healdebuff, 65ft snare, 65ft sfa etc. etc. which perform perfectly well without any tactics buffing them.

[Penril]

Ok everyone, stay on topic.

[peterthepan3]

Sounds like a good idea, go ahead and slot no respite while you are at it, it's awesome if you can get ini debuff from something other than wrist slash.

So here is my test.
Zealot was geared in full Annihilator so I used the same tier gear set. He also was specced full crit healing, no defences.
You can see my stats, I didn't use any stats tactics and had slotted all Assault tree tactics (15% damage, 50% crit damage, Sinister Assault) + Bullseye.
Zealot wasn't kiting and no one was helping him except Chosen's auras.
My verdict:
3 chain 900 crits on a guarded target just can't be OP.
Even with BIS gear numbers may raise like +200 but possible enemy would have better stats too.
It's still much lower numbers than we had with UF. So it wasn't OP with UF neither it can be OP without it today.

Click here to watch on YouTube

Eh, you can't really pull any conclusion from a SINGLE dps trying to kill a guarded healer, as more or less no dps is able to pull that off, especially without actually popping CC or using healdebuffs like in your example. Hell, killing ANY good healer solo is quite the feat even without guard.

All this video shows is that you can spam 900+ crits even on guarded classes, which is indeed good given the proper plays not present in a static test like this. For example the guard landing on a zealot usually means you have a dps you can swap to and get off the full 2k damage.

Edit: And I understand that you want to able to get off good burst even when built tanky, but my opinion is that it would just create an unhealthy defense specced meta for the class.

Umm, the conclusion is that the damage the class does when: a) using 3 melee-centric tactics; b) having a WW SM to use WW, i.e. reliant on X class being present in order for Z to take place; c) aforementioned WW SM loses out on his own DPS by not speccing ED; d) all aforementioned criteria is met - is good, but not overperforming, thus alleviating concerns (at least for melee SW) that 3 crits in a row from SA would not be overperforming.

Yes, you can factor in lowish str and add 200pts more damage or so, but the fact remains that such damage is entirely situational and dependent upon both having a WW SM in the group, and not being punted/CC'd during WW uptime (a good group will be able to aura/buffhead WW and know exactly when to bitch the SW, thus negating the damage almost entirely). We should be endorsing and promoting group-synergised damage potential.

[dansari]

Yeah but WH's and WE's arnt doing all that fun stuff from 65-100ft away

Neither is an Assault SW when it's necessary to slot 3 assault tactics to be worth it.

Still gets a 65ft ranged healdebuff, 65ft snare, 65ft sfa etc. etc. which perform perfectly well without any tactics buffing them.

Sure, same range as Mara/Magus pull, m1 root... Ultimately having a crit % increaser won't change much (as has been said, the class already has immense access to crit boosters); neither will having 3 guaranteed crits (doesn't help Scout get around the Fester Arrow gimmick issue). I think having 3 guaranteed undefended attacks might be worth something. It would help Assault fulfill burst and it would help Scout fulfill burst; it wouldn't help Skirmish at all really (you could guarantee a knockdown or a flanking shot but wouldn't be OP in competent, organized fighting). Give it "the next 3 direct damage abilities in the next 10 seconds will be undefended, 25s cooldown." Cooldown starts when the buff expires.