[SW] Quick fixes to noticeably improve the Quality of Shadow Warriors

[Grock]

1. In a normal Festershima build, with BiS gear, the Festering Arrow is part of the S tiers hardest hitting ability of the game. On par with Doombolt (Sorc), Fireball (BW), and Bolt of Change (Magus). For all of these abilities I have been hit, and I have hit beyond the 3k mark.
Now let's compare what is comparable because it's important to tell the full story:
- SW: 3K+ undefendable Festering Arrow need: Top Sout tree + 1 skill point in FA + Enchanted Arrow Tactic + No Quarter Tactic + Steady Aim buff on + VoN buff on (10s window each 30s, undefendable only apply during this timeframe) + Critical Hit. || FA is 2s cast, 5 sec cooldown, 37.5 AP

- BW: 3K+ undefendable Fireball you need: Top Incineration tree + Full combustion + Burn Trough tactic + Critical Hit || 3s cast (or instant on disrupt with Flashfire), no CD, 30 AP, chance to lose 750 HP

Then,
- if I want to chain FA on the SW: +group play with Swordmaster + Winspering wind skill point (14 Hoeth) + Whispering Wind buff on (10s every 20s)
- If I want to chain Fireball on the BW: just do it.

Also:
Steady Aim buff increase AP cost (hence FA go from 30 to 37.5). Then the other skills, mainly Eagle Eye goes to 50 AP, Fell the weak ~43.8 ==> you run quickly out of AP. And most of the time you run out of it. You have options, like sloting "replenishing strikes" tactic (+40AP on crit, with internal CD), but then you have choices to make like having bulls'eye or not, etc.
- When a SW run out of AP: Hunter Fervor -> spend 25AP to receive +9 AP/s during 9s. And again, this is from a BiS RR80+ SW
- When BW needs AP: use Burn Out (+160 AP, lose 40 combustion) -> chain with Nova (+40 combustion, you're back on 100% combustion + damage dealt ~1300).

This is why I am insisting on Quality of Life. I am fine that BW/Sorc do most of the time better DPS/burst damage than SW. But during the VoN window, and with the support of a Swordmaster/WW, the SW would normally do better than any other DPS (10s hero). Otherwise, what's the point of Scout?

I dont think a comparison like that makse sense honestly.
Fireball/Doombolt are 3s hardcasts with no ways to reduce cast time unless you're using M2 offensively. Chain-casting them doesn't give you any serious dps advantage and of course BW/Sorc excel at timestaming so little reason to chaincast Fireballs anyway.

FA on the other hand has cast time reduction tactic which results in a straight direct DPS increase when chaincasting it on top of making it easier to do so due to shorter casttime (also FA base damage is fairly high on its own)
In addition to that we have resistance situation. FA deals corporeal which can be debuffed by any Engi and has an option to bypass all of it with a tactic, whereas both Fireball and Doombolt use niche damage types: Doombolt is Corporeal which requires Zealot (m1 and tactic) to get good debuff, Fireball is Elemental, which has no debuff option on Order side at all, other than Knight aura which is fairly weak.

All of this tells me chaincasting FA with WW is already a viable tactic as it is, whereas for Fireball/Doombolt it is a waste of time.

If you further reduce FA's base cast time to 2s you'd make chaincasting with WW even stronger and the DPS gain from No Quarter will become even stronger, unless you want to also reduce FA's base damage & DPS bonus scaling accordingly.

[Sulorie]

But yep we have op op op fester that scratch guarded target onse in 5sec.

Then cast it once per second, might be better.

[Sever1n]

SW situation is so frustrating for those who like it that i dont even want to start whats wrong with it. Changed sw for lion and never regret it. Both 80rt. SW Just dont have place in any aspect of game, besides standing in bacline of zerg and cs with festerstun.

[zulnam]

But yep we have op op op fester that scratch guarded target onse in 5sec.

Then cast it once per second, might be better.

Spoiler:

Funniest part is, even if all this was done, any caster class has to be mobile else it will be crushed by the melee blob. Buffing a static spec will just mean SW will be a deadly force, for like 5 seconds until they either run or die.

Assault could use a small tweak. Right now only reason to bring an aSW in a ST group is if the guy is rr80+ in full sov... and you know him; would be a bit rude not to bring him. But all the recomendations here are ehhh. Counter Strike having a reduced cooldown sounds good tho.

[rejndjer]

here's my suggestion: remove Vengeance of Nagarythe or rework it. stupid ****.

[Sulorie]

here's my suggestion: remove Vengeance of Nagarythe or rework it. stupid ****.

To call this a suggestion you have to explain why you want to change it and in case of a rework explain how it improves the class.
When you want to change something, deliver some substance.

[mryay]

here's my suggestion: remove Vengeance of Nagarythe or rework it. stupid ****.

I find it quite the opposite. VoN is genius move, in my humble opinion, with respect to class design. You know that during this timeframe the SW would (normally) be deadly. And the 30s cooldown is well balance to make you choose wisely when to activate this tactical choice as part of your offensive strategy.
Not only this, it gives additional bonuses to your skills.

Where the SW needs improvement:
- skills synergies
- take more advantages from stance switches (I am referring to my Hunter's Fervor suggestion, or the existing tactic Guerilla Training)
- have a more obviously decisive role in RVR. You know, the thing that make your group/wb hesitate by not taking a SW, because you will this _____ obvious advantage. For example, either by single target dps, aoe, CC, superior mobility, AP buff, AP drain, Morale Buff, Morale Drain, Offensive group Buff, Defensive Group Buff, Group Crit buff (i.e Leading Shot), Aoe Crit Debuff, terrain control (slow/traps/blocs), group speed buffs, etc. Any of these specialities, you name it.

With respect to the latter, there may be another reason. Maybe SW is not well understood/exploited enough by Order players. There are Guilds that make good usage of SW's like SMASH and Forgotten. In addition, I measure its fitness to the overall game design considering its level of rants in PUG wb or parties (in RVR, SC, or Ranked) , and also the difference of perception between SH=danger to Order light and medium armor, SW=RP feast to Destro .

[rejndjer]

reason why you should remove vengeance of nagarythe is that because while it is on cooldown the class is pure ****. so that's 2/3 of every fight that lasts longer than 30 seconds(which is any good fight basically) that you spend useless. when you play in organized warband you want to activate VoN along with winds from SM and spam Barrage as much as possible, so why do i care about bonuses VON gives to other skills, when there's only one friend-of-the-meta skill i should be spamming? if you don't have SM in group, welp, you're **** out of luck, that's 2 barrages that reduce morale per 30 seconds. so for -200 morale/30seconds which most of the destro warband won't get hit by anyway, but mostly tanks and melee, you have shittiest damage output after engie magnet specc. fair enough i guess

rework i'd like to see with this skill is that it can be up basically whole time, either increase duration or reduce CD. at least make it so that it can be maintained with SM winds -5sec cd buff. or better yet, just remove it, since it's not fun in any way.