AA – It’s built more for making pve viable with the spec as it does a 3 sec weakness.
Stealth attack – The fact that the weapon doesn’t have built in stealth is probably why they made it so powerful (2 sec KD stealth opener would be broken if you could chain stealth like */d)
Weakening charge – It’s actually death blossom with weakness and direct damage in stead of bleed/evade. Makes the weapon viable to use with SoM as a white damage weapon.
Debilitating Arc – Breaks immob, allowing you greater flexibility in util choices.
Dust Strike – emergency blind if you’re out of end, same cost as Debilitating Arc so probably intended to be a situational/tactical choice between the two
Vault – Probably intended more as a gap closer/support trait proc opener for team fights. Seems a little expensive for what it does. Leap finisher does allow it to set up as a stealth combo so could have interesting team play interactions with the stealth attack?
Channeled Vigor – Any way you slice it it’s a lame heal. If you’re so low on end you need to use it, you’re not in a position where using it is actually safe. Reduce the healing ratio and give it something else. Pulsing blind or projectile reflect or something, IDK.
Reflexive strike – Traited, it’s an 8s recharge stun break as well as a block/reflexive knockdown. Looks like a really solid overall defense panic button.
Fist flurry – Super situational, but it’s unblockable, be a good CC follow up against anybody that runs passive block. Might be mechanically interesting if you can hold palm strike for a while. Good way to force the target to blow a dodge so you can exploit your advantage of extra dodges maybe?
Distracting Dagger – Looks intended for breaking heals to secure kills.
Impairing daggers – Slow makes it easier to exploit interrupt traits/gear and time dodges. Seems better as an opener than a gap closer.
Elite – Solid finisher. Means you don’t have to worry about stomping if you start the chain at the end of the opponent’s HP bar. If the chain times like autoattacks you could down the target with hit 1, miss hit 2 due to downed knockback, blind, etc, and still have time to run in and do hit 3 and finish them. Great roamer/skirmisher elite to full-kill targets and GTFO fast.
Overall staff seems like it’s got good bones, but testing needs to be done on those damage values they might be a little low, or they might be perfect when combined with the traits as a lesser damage/more durable melee set. It’s nice to see that the utilities/elite synergize well with existing sets and add real options as alternatives to deception utils.
It’s definately a better PvE set for non-condi builds just on virtue of spamming 2 and built in mobility, but it might need some cost/damage tweaks to be attractive for pvp.
