Stealth: What Is It I'm Missing?
Youre missing a perma stealth build. Equip a dagger/pistol, then use #5, followed by 4 #2 inside the circle. You need to have Infusion of Shadows and Meld with Shadows to pull it off, and a lot of training. (its way easier to do against a wall or a corner). Doing so will grant you 8 seconds of stealth, and by the time its ends you will be at full initiative again, allowing to continue doing it permanently.
It also helps to equip a stealth utility, such as last refuge, blinding powder or even your heal for when you mess up your stealth combo.
If should also consider traiting stealth to remove conditions and heal your life, making it a very powerful defensive mechanism.
Youre missing a perma stealth build. Equip a dagger/pistol, then use #5, followed by 4 #2 inside the circle. You need to have Infusion of Shadows and Meld with Shadows to pull it off, and a lot of training. (its way easier to do against a wall or a corner). Doing so will grant you 8 seconds of stealth, and by the time its ends you will be at full initiative again, allowing to continue doing it permanently.
It also helps to equip a stealth utility, such as last refuge, blinding powder or even your heal for when you mess up your stealth combo.
If should also consider traiting stealth to remove conditions and heal your life, making it a very powerful defensive mechanism.
A better permastealth build is one with really high initiative regen so that CnD can be used each time you leave stealth.
It is a little challenging but it is fun to do nonetheless.
Stealth adds very little without traits. Add the shadow arts traits that cure conditions in stealth, heal in stealth, blind on stealth, might on stealth, etc. then it all adds up.
If you are using cloak and dagger for stealth it is best to be moving round your enemy as you strike so that you are naturally in position for a rear attack.
The enemy just starts wandering off, making it impossible to scoot over to the “side” (not a clue where “front” ends and “side” begins) for a Backstab and extra damage from the trait.
Visualize looking down on a character from above. Draw 2 perpendicular lines through him, so he’s quartered — with a front quarter, back quarter, and two side-quarters.
Anything in the back or sides counts as a backstab and gets associated trait benefits. It’s only the 90 degree arc at the front of their character that doesn’t count. So as long as you’re not looking directly at their face, you’re good.
Also, the D/P “infinite stealth” thing is a little overplayed — at least by people who don’t understand it. It’s not something you can easily pull off right in the middle of a fight, partly because you must de-target first to pull it off, partly because you’re still very much susceptible to AE/cone damage and CC while stealthed. Ideally it requires some space — shadowstepping away is really the best immediate exit strategy — meaning it’s better as an escape or preparation tactic.
So for your regular, in-combat backstabs, just work on your positioning and learn to predict target movement, now that you know where on the body you need to land a hit. The 50% stealth speed trait or access to swiftness can definitely help with maneuvering.