Guild Wars 2

Seems to me whilst playing the beta majority of daredevils i talked to really disliked or felt that dust strike (4) was underwhelming/lacking something.

If we cant replace it with something more useful could we get perhaps if you use it in melee range something else happens aswel as blind like stack of bleeds or a daze or something even if used at range slows for a couple of seconds etc.

Daredevil and staff are awesome and the devs did a great job developing it, but dusk strikes performance does seem to be a bit off.

Bleeds won’t be a good option, considering there’s no other conditions on staff.

if it was a circular AoE around the player, instead of a projectile, it would be a great skill. no, it doesn’t need to pulse blinds nor be a field.

I found it was good for locking down a single heavy hitter as you engaged it in PVE… making it 360 degree (2 pi for you engy grads!) PBAOE given how it can be fired off back to back might be a bit much.

Perhaps a cone with a 3 target cap?

Just make it deal more damage the closer you are so it doesn’t feel so bad. It should be a dps loss to use obviously, but it doesn’t have to be such a feel bad skill.

Merv DeGriff.8513:

I found it was good for locking down a single heavy hitter as you engaged it in PVE… making it 360 degree (2 pi for you engy grads!) PBAOE given how it can be fired off back to back might be a bit much.

Perhaps a cone with a 3 target cap?

yeah, but if you’re spending all your initiative keeping someone blinded, you’re not spending it doing damage.

the reason a circular PBAoE is important is because the daredevil playstyle demands it. weakening charge, vault, and all three special dodges cause you to have your back against the opposing player all the time. DD is a playstyle about getting in teamfights, and staff is a weapon that complements that with a lot of circular cleaving. dust strike can’t be used effectively with this playstyle because it demands you moving to the sidelines before using it properly.

Skill looks completely useless. Blind on a 1/4 cast compared to complete evasion for 1/2 second for the same cost, no healing for the evade, no immobilize cure, no 400 movement, half the damage, no six second cripple. Only reason I could see it being used is if you see an ally being aimed at with a Killshot and don’t have the axe reflect stolen for some reason.

BrunoBRS.5178:

Merv DeGriff.8513:

I found it was good for locking down a single heavy hitter as you engaged it in PVE… making it 360 degree (2 pi for you engy grads!) PBAOE given how it can be fired off back to back might be a bit much.

Perhaps a cone with a 3 target cap?

yeah, but if you’re spending all your initiative keeping someone blinded, you’re not spending it doing damage.

the reason a circular PBAoE is important is because the daredevil playstyle demands it. weakening charge, vault, and all three special dodges cause you to have your back against the opposing player all the time. DD is a playstyle about getting in teamfights, and staff is a weapon that complements that with a lot of circular cleaving. dust strike can’t be used effectively with this playstyle because it demands you moving to the sidelines before using it properly.

Ok, you have point there. You do end up showing your bum to a lot of people while playing staff.

Xae Isareth.1364:

Bleeds won’t be a good option, considering there’s no other conditions on staff.

D/D – poison on AA, bleeds on Death Blossom
P/D – bleed on AA, torment on shadow strike
P/P – bleed on AA,
D/P – poison on AA,
SB – bleed on detonate cluster, poison on choking gas

there’s not a single thief weapon set with access to more than two damaging conditions across more than two skills. it’s not stopped them before, why bother now?

Gray.9041:

Xae Isareth.1364:

Bleeds won’t be a good option, considering there’s no other conditions on staff.

D/D – poison on AA, bleeds on Death Blossom
P/D – bleed on AA, torment on shadow strike
P/P – bleed on AA,
D/P – poison on AA,
SB – bleed on detonate cluster, poison on choking gas

there’s not a single thief weapon set with access to more than two damaging conditions across more than two skills. it’s not stopped them before, why bother now?

you listed two condi-viable sets (and forgot the bleed on stealth skill from one of them), one power set that has a really weak poison on auto (an auto that already hits like a truck), a utility set, and freaking pistol/pistol.

even more so, you acknowledge that just slapping a condition to the skill is not a good solution.

and yet you want it. you want condi damage on an otherwise obviously power-geared weapon.

it’s like asking for infiltrator strike to inflict torment, just because.

giving bleeds to staff won’t make it, or dust strike, any better.

BrunoBRS.5178:

Gray.9041:

snippity snip

you listed two condi-viable sets (and forgot the bleed on stealth skill from one of them), one power set that has a really weak poison on auto (an auto that already hits like a truck), a utility set, and freaking pistol/pistol.

even more so, you acknowledge that just slapping a condition to the skill is not a good solution.

and yet you want it. you want condi damage on an otherwise obviously power-geared weapon.

it’s like asking for infiltrator strike to inflict torment, just because.

giving bleeds to staff won’t make it, or dust strike, any better.

I don’t actually want bleed on staff, I just wanted to Illustrate that there’s no history of sensible decisions regarding thief weapons and conditions.

also, those two condi-viable sets don’t stop thief being the worst class for condition builds.

they really just need to pick a set and make it a condition weapon. as is, they all feel like they don’t know where they’re at, and our condition builds suffer for it.

They picked P/P buffed it for physical, Staff as melee physical dmg dealing set would be great with some low duration daze, I bet Devs are trying to work some “viable condi” but its hard guys, condi needs more defense, how to give defense to 1 weapon set without breaking other “non condi” sets?

CnD buff with 100% sure invis and aoe 1 sec blind would fix the problem but thats just my opinion.

Outside of spamming 5 and 2 have you guys ever feel like using other skills on Staff? dunno why but they just FEEL bad and create risk to use them, and as a thief i dont rly need 100th risk 99 is fine…

Mefiq.7039:

Outside of spamming 5 and 2 have you guys ever feel like using other skills on Staff? dunno why but they just FEEL bad and create risk to use them, and as a thief i dont rly need 100th risk 99 is fine…

I also use the auto chain on staff, the damage isn’t bad, and the reflect’s nice.

it just needs a dark field

Dust Strike is definitely lacking and won’t see much use in its current state unfortunately. I think a few potentially ideas could be:

• grant 2 seconds of stealth if it hits an enemy that is casting
• knocks back enemies a short distance
• grants allies in its area 1-2 seconds of super speed
• removes 1 boon from affected enemies

Personally I’d love to see the knockback added.

Tabootrinket.2631:

it just needs a dark field

how would that help the skill in any way? lifeleech whirls? ‘cause weakening charge would throw at most 3 bolts, and you’d be lucky if one of them connected, not to mention it’s quite a convoluted way to get an extra 300-600 damage. vault for a blind leap finisher? you just blinded the person, you don’t need to blind again.

giving it a dark field not only would thematically make no sense, but it wouldn’t help the skill at all.