I love the idea, but as others have said, the implementation is really lacking. The animations, at least for asura, seem spot on, but the skill casts are too slow, the cds are too long, the lifeforce gen insufficient, and the damage negligible.
-the auto chain is supposed to feel ‘foreboding’ if i understand the devs right. It outright fails at this – it feels clumsy, clunky, weak and would completely kill the weapon if nothing else was wrong. Happily (?) this is not the case.
-gravedigger: This skill… looks cool? that’s all i can really say in its defense. For what seems to be intended to be an execute skill (and an aoe one at that!) it’s just too slow, and too weak.
-Death spiral: again, a neat idea poorly implemented. it needs more damage and a LOT more lifeforce gen if it’s to be the primary lifeforce generator for GS. It wouldn’t suffer from having its activation time reduced, either.
-Nightfall i actually like. The expansion, that is, but also the skill. a pulsing blind without needing to equip our middle child well spell, with a snare thrown in. I think this could still be improved, but this is actually a nice skill.
-Grasping Darkness: This skill is nice, but unlike Nightfall, it’s still lacking. Mostly mechanically, in this case; the pull doesn’t pull enemies close enough and is just too difficult to land with its long cooldown. on that same note, the lifeforce gain is pointless in its current state; it either needs to be a large burst, to let us immediately transition into shroud, or removed and replaced with a snare.
to fix this:
-for the autochain; i can get behind the slow-cast punish, but it’s just not implemented right. up the damage (a lot), move the chill to the first two hits (which should be a quick one-two strike) and then leave the third as a slow cast which generates a bunch of lifeforce.
-Gravedigger needs to be faster and stronger. or else it should be a multi-hit whirl like warrior axe 5.
-Death spiral should just generate a heap of lifeforce. since it applies so much vuln it doesn’t strictly NEED a dps boost just so long as it has that added lifeforce mixed in. 4% from each of the 6 hits wouldn’t be out of order.
-Nightfall, as i’ve said, i like, but it needs to punish people who stand in it the full duration. I’m not absolutely sure how this should be implemented though.
-like i’ve said, grasping darkness needs to be easier to land and to pull foes closer. for a 3/4 cast skill it sure seems to take a while to activate, too.