My first impressions of Deathstalker (Assassination POV)

Classes Rogue
1

So, we get another single target debuff to keep track of and be punished by switching targets or killing it too fast, great, when I thought the days of Vendetta was over for good.

But there are some things concerning me.
1 Emphasis on Ambush and Shadowstep
2 Spending 5 or more CP to consume the Mark
3 More Shiv bloat with Symbolic Victory

First, Ambush is not a good button for Assassination outside of procs from Blindside, Mutilate is better in every way possible, it seems like you decided to just use a dead button instead of a new one to Mark the target, I like that, but that’s a good opportunity to make Ambush a button more attractive to press. And Shadowstep, why? No one never goes around wishing they had more Shadowstep, it’s useful yes, but if you are not chasing a blinking mage around in PvP (lol PvP) I don’t see it being that useful.

Second, Spending 5 CP, so, we have a new Stratagem (which I dislike) on the Assassination Tree, but the issue here is we don’t have passive CP gains like other specs, we have to build every single one of our CP, 5 CP max is perfect because in the worst case scenario we can finish after 2 Mutilate (2 + 2 CP), and in the best with one (4 CP), if you add another CP for a max of 6, in the worst case it’s 3 Mutilate (2 + 2 + 2 CP), and in the best 2 (4 + 4 CP, wasting 2), for Fatebound it kind of works because of Deal Fate, but Deathstalker is missing something like that, Assassination in general is missing some passive CP gains anyway. Another factor is Seal Fate depending on critical strikes, and that only gets good towards the end of the expansion usually.

Third, Shiv must be the most bloated button in the whole game:
it damages,
it dispels enrage,
it applies a stronger non-lethal poison effect,
it increases nature damage (talent),
it increases bleed damage (talent) and
it increases the next Envenom damage (hero talent),
just keeping track for you.

What would I change:

  • Make Ambush better, Assassination needs to get rid of pressing Slice and Dice, so I would make Slice and Dice a passive ability and Ambush (I prefer Garrote, of course) to apply a base Slice and Dice, and add 1 more CP generation baseline, maybe applying the new Serrated Bone Spikes, well, something.

  • Change Shadewalker from reducing 3 seconds from Shadowstep cooldown to reducing 10 seconds from Vanish cooldown, Vanish is way more important for Assassination, if we have lots of spell requiring Stealth then give us a way to get in Stealth, and it will allow the Ambush from Stealth to apply the Mark in the first place, make this new system feed from itself.

  • Change Deathstalker’s Mark to be consumed when spending 4 or more CP, just that, for now.

  • Clear the Witnesses, Shadow damage for Assassination? Make it Plague, or Nature at least.

  • Add a talent to change Deadly Poison into a new poison dealing Plague damage that spreads passively and the target explodes dealing AoE damage when killed.

9 Likes
2

Good feedback but this is why Cut to the Chase is now a passive for all specs in the TWW alpha. Assassination doesn’t have the CP generation to keep up with the other specs when it comes to hero talents usage.

I also agree with making the damage plague damage it is more thematic for Deathstalker hero talent theme.

:surfing_woman: :surfing_man:

3

I’ve seen some testing on YouTube and for Sub it’s kindof impossible currently to spend all the stacks because you keep getting more due to dance frequency. There’s a few good things in here like the funnel damage but really underwhelming.

2 Likes
4

I think the shadow damage node is probably just a rush job unfinished, its clear the whole tree is meant to be plague damage to benefit from sins nature and subs shadow damage amps. Probably just something they didnt get pushed in time.

I agree with the target swapping issues and theres a moderately problematic core theme of both assassinations trees, which is that for fatebound and deathstalker theres a heavy focus on “finishers” or even “finishers that consume x+ CP”. This puts the trees in what seems to be a hard space to design/balance because sub and especially outlaw use finishers at a very different rate from sin. This is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed by spec specific tuning of the trees.

The whole mark mechanic seems odd. It seems like a very obvious place to put a “if the target dies while marked the remaining marks explode for X aoe damage” and make it so the capstone immediately triggers as if you had just consumed the last mark (so your next max CP finisher will reapply new marks if you cant restealth). That would be the direction I imagine it going.

3 Likes
5

I like the funnel aspect and plague damage. Some of it just needs a little bit more. The basic +damage talents are just the same type of uninspired bloat they were removing not too long ago from the normal trees.

Love the overall concept of the first and last talents here, but the rest could use a little love.

1 Like
6

Should remove the cd on garrote when used out of stealth at this point as well.

6 Likes
7

Lmao where

Thing is tho, Sub doesnt need this. Having it extend your next bleed (garrote, rupture, CT) by 5 seconds or something would be pretty damn good tho

Doesnt even need to replace deadly :sunglasses:. There are definitely some dungeons where id rather have 2 dots over 1 and amplifying.

Unless you meant replacing instant poison cause thats what sub uses.

8

… that already happens… up to 3 times in a row actually

9

Not “when coming out of stealth” when you are already out of stealth.

1 Like
10

I havent played it on Alpha, but Subterfuge has been that “coming out of stealth” window for the longest time.

11

That’s the whole point of what i said. Garrote should not have a cooldown EVER. They put this artificial damage gate on it just so rogues have to restealth to apply it to multiple enemies. It’s already energy capped so why the cooldown.

2 Likes
12

it’s super degen when you have multiple targets to just tab garrote tab garrote
you end up pressing not much else

3 Likes
13

Or just think, they could add a talent that when you 5+ point rupture a target your garrote spreads to x number of targets. Kinda like how feral druids get a similar talent.

1 Like
14

You wouldnt be doing more damage with garrote just cause it has no CD, both for the reasons Allegra listed, and because we already currently have talents that let us get out dots out in aoe as needed (in a different way than feral as well. Thats less important but feel is def still something to consider). Saving vanish to refresh bleeds on an aoe pack isnt wrong. Its utility. Whether you use it to do more damage or take less damage by cancelling an ability, its being used correctly. In the end all utility exists to kill the boss or pack or whatever youre fighting.

2 Likes