Oppa patch note style!
Weapons
- Shadow Strike (Pistol/Dagger 3) now causes a 2 second blind on the first hit, so it is as defensively useful against ranged attacks as it is against melee attacks. (Due to the current linear shadowstep, projectiles would still likely hit the thief.)
- Surprise Shot (Shortbow Stealth) no longer applies Immobilize, but instead inflicts a 4-second Confusion, making it more useful against ranged opponents, who would otherwise react to the “surprise” with a fistful of arrows to the face of the hapless thief who thought Immobilizing an archer was a useful opening ploy.
- Disabling Shot (Shortbow 3) now has a 4 second cripple, making it comparable to the current Dancing Dagger.(A base 2 second cripple for a single-target evasion, versus a 5 second cripple on a 4-target attack for the same cost doesn’t seem quit balanced. Especially if Dancing Dagger double-taps an enemy for 10 seconds of cripple.)
- Dancing Dagger (OH Dagger 4) now has a 2 second cripple, but only costs 3 initiative.
- Cloak and Dagger (OH Dagger 5) blinds the target for 2 seconds, preventing the thief from being hit by attacks with long cast times from tracking them after going into stealth.
- Stab (Sword/Empty 3) now applies a 2 second immobilize. That skill needed some flavor, even if nobody is going to just use just a single one handed weapon.
- Pistol Whip (Sword/Pistol 3) no longer roots the player in place during the animation.
Utility
- Caltrops can no longer roots players. Sound effect has been changed to be quieter, and more akin to the jingling of small metal coins. This was decided to be more appropriate than the loud clang of what sounds to be a sledgehammer pounding against the Black Citadel. An aware player will still be able to hear the caltrops, but at a shorter distance, and only if they are paying attention, as opposed to half of a sPvP map hearing it every time a thief dodge rolls.
- Smoke Screen can now be used underwater as the “Ink Cloud” underwater skill. Functionally, it is unchanged. It’s a PBAoE, and thus shouldn’t have any difficulties working underwater.
- Blinding Powder can now also be used underwater as the “Blinding Silt” underwater skill.
- Scorpion Wire should now properly pull the target to you on hit. If they have stability or otherwise cannot be moved, you will instead be pulled to them.
- Venoms now work like Signets. Each active effect is the same as the skill is currently. The passive effect would be a 30% chance of the skill condition being applied on any given weapon skill, but each will have a 10-second internal cooldown. Spider Venom would provide a 5 second poison on passive application, Skale Venom would provide 5 second of vulnerability, and only 2 seconds of weakness, Ice Drake Venom would Chill for 2 seconds both passively and actively, and Devouerer Venom would Cripple for 3 seconds, and Basilisk Venom would Immobilize for 2 seconds. All Venoms have their recharges increased to 60 seconds to support this stronger version, and the Traits “Venomous Aura,” “Leeching Venoms,” and “Venomous Strength” would only apply to activated effects of Venom skills.
Elites
- Dagger Storm can now be used underwater as a skill called “Whirling Frenzy” that is functionally the same.
Underwater
-Tow Line (Spear 4) now works the same way Scorpion Wire does, pulling enemies towards to player when possible. While this would marginalize Scorpion Wire’s usefulness in underwater combat, this will allow players to maintain their attack tempo against non-stable targets. The pull of the attack left players “hanging” for a moment, even after the animation was complete, affecting the fluidity of combat negatively. This should hopefully fix that against most opponents, while allowing savvy players to weight the pros and cons of using Tow Line as a fast approach against a stable target.