Guild Wars 2

So, many of you like me slot signet of shadows on all the time, the passive is very useful for maneuvering in combat and is part of what makes us such a mobile class in a scrap (along with shadow step and more frequent dodging in the acrobatics line). I realize I almost never use the active ability of the signet. Not just because the passive is so useful, but because the active ability is so unimpressive. It blinds, whoop de doo, I can do that with offhand pistol, shortbow, dagger/pistol, and sword (out of stealth), I can use blinding powder (which also stealths me and others around me) and I can use stolen items to blind too (most frequent stolen item is the tuft). I have lots of ways to cause blindness, why would I make myself run slower for 30s to have another way to blind?

That makes me think, what WOULD be a good active effect for the signet, something compelling that would make you actually use it from time to time in a fight?

Stealth comes to mind, but then again, we have quite a few ways to cause stealth as well, offhand dagger, stolen items, shadow refuge, blinding powder, ambush trap (though I don’t know anyone who uses this, much less for stealth). But 3s of stealth would be an improvement over what the skill currently does.

It’s not necessarily the active that rubs me the wrong way, it’s the passive movement speed. I find it rather annoying that it only works if you going straight, or strafing while going forward.

All things considered, though, I do agree the active is a little lame.

The passive is so great that it makes up for the kind of middling but still okay active. If you want terrible signets, take a look at the ranger. Got more than enough for everyone.

Vargs.6234:

The passive is so great that it makes up for the kind of middling but still okay active. If you want terrible signets, take a look at the ranger. Got more than enough for everyone.

No it’s a great skill all things considered I just think that there needs to be a compelling reason to use a signet instead of it just always being passive.

Like signet of malice works great with skills that hit multiple times so most of the time you want to leave it on passive because you will heal more in the long run, however it’s still a low cooldown self heal in an emergency, if you’re low you just use it to save yourself. Or Signet of agility, the passive is fairly weak all things considered, but the active is very strong if used tactically to get extra dodges or group condition removal.

I don’t know anything about the ranger signets though, I refuse to make a pet babysitter.

It does have some uses. It’s nice to buy you time to regenerate initiative in between black powders. A lot of the time you aren’t really putting that movement speed to a whole lot of good use in combat, so you may as well get an extra blind in there.

An extra blind is always helpful imo, I do think it would be better if it gave a swiftness buff though. Swiftness active and move speed passive would go hand in hand

I think it’s worth having as a passive alone, I mean, the Ranger equivalent only offers 10% speed buff, not 25, so we can count our blessings. That said, I only use this skill when traveling or playing casual, if I’m gearing up for a tough fight I swap it will Roll for Initiative, which is far more useful in a fight. For basic maneuverability the 2s Swiftness granted by dodging is plenty.

Ohoni.6057:

I think it’s worth having as a passive alone, I mean, the Ranger equivalent only offers 10% speed buff, not 25, so we can count our blessings. That said, I only use this skill when traveling or playing casual, if I’m gearing up for a tough fight I swap it will Roll for Initiative, which is far more useful in a fight. For basic maneuverability the 2s Swiftness granted by dodging is plenty.

Roll for initiative is terrible. It used to be good when it got rid of all conditions and restored all initiative, but in its current state I can’t advise it.

I’d use it for any fight where I might find myself kiting adds as well, since without it, mobs are faster than you, and blowing all your endurance for 2s swiftness boosts means you have none to dodge with when the boss uses a 1 shotting ranged attack at you.

In pvp you only have so many options to shadowstep unless you’re sword/x, so having permanent 25% movement also helps.

Eh, I use the active all the time… It’s a blind on a fairly short cooldown that actually regains initiative instead of using it. What’s not to love?

You can activate it while stomping someone to block their interrupt.

I totally miss when it rooted…