I hoped that anet would fix some really anoying things (like the steal bugs e. g.). But as always, we recieved huge nerfs and midi buffs:
1 Panic Strike: Reduced immobilize from 5 seconds to 2.5 second, reduced CD from 30 to 20 seconds. —-- If your enemy hit 50% he will not live for enough time, to proc it a second time —> so nerf of 50%
2 Invigorating Precision: Increase healing % based on damage from 5 to 8% —-- good step, but not enough: decide between 20% dmg while your enemy is under 50% health (average of 10%) or 8% health on your crtits or 100% crit chance in stealth. So if you have to decide between #1 and #2: down your enemy 10% faster or gain in averege 5% more health, what would you choose?
3 Ricochet: Now also increases range to 1050, along with a few bug fixes to make it hit more reliably. —-- Nice buff. Even if i dont understand why 1050 and not 1200 O.o I welcome this change. Mayby pistols become more usefull in zerg-fights.
4 Assassin’s Equilibrium: Increase stability from 1 to 1.5 seconds —-- No one will ever choose this trait, because it is in a traitline, which has nothing to do with stealth.
5 Venomous Aura, Allies will now use the thief’s condi damage and healing. —-- Nice one. Even if the healing skaling is in oblivion on thief.
6 Dagger 1 combo will now hit max 2 targets, Posion will stack, but not the endurance gain. —-- what the hack does dagger need cleave? Nice to have, but dagger ist build around bursting a target, not more! if i want to cleave, i take a sword instead of a dagger. Btw nice against mesmers, but we already have a good matchup against them.
7 Pistol 5 black powder: will now pulse every 2 second instead on 1 second, and the aoe blind has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds per pulse. —-- i saw this nerf comming. Even if I don´t like it, it was necessary.
8 P/P Unload: cast time as been reduced from 1 3/4 seconds to 1 1/2, also applies to your summon thieves as well. —-- Does really nothing. You can burn your ini some way faster, but then you have to aa. And aa has bad, slow damage in a power build. after 3 unloads you can aa one time mor O.o …… Really? Only good thing is, that you can land your burst more reliably. this weapon set still deals too less dmg after your ini is burnt.
9 Short-bow 4 Choking gas: now delivers a strike when it lands. —-- Next big hit on shortbow. Why nerfing a good support-set into the ground? It deals no damage, but why does it reveal you? This “balance” is really unnecessary and a huge nerf to sb!!!
10 S/D Flanking strike: initiative cost increase from 3 to 4, and now requires to hit before it can combo into Larcenous Strike. And: S/D Larcenous Strike: Initiative cost reduced from 2 to 1 —-- Dunno what to think about that: if you miss flanking strike, you burn 4 ini for nothing and you have to spend another 4 to get Larcenous Strike! Buff the bunkers! Thief is already really bad against bunkers, so make them weaker. On the other hand (if he dodges #1 flanking strike) we get another evade. But this evade is really expensive now -.-
In a skala from -5 (huge nerf) to 5 (huge buff) what do you think from each change?:
My opinion:
1 Panic Strike: -2
2 Invigorating Precision: +2
3 Ricochet: +4
4 Assassin’s Equilibrium: 0
5 Venomous Aura: +2
6 Dagger 1 combo will now hit max 2 targets: +1
7 Pistol 5 black powder: -3
8 P/P Unload: 1
9 Short-bow 4 Choking gas: -5
10 S/D Flanking strike and: S/D Larcenous Strike: -4
If I wrote something false: i gift you the mistake :P
Englisch is not my first language!
But now: Discuss