http://www.roguard.n.../classes/Rogue/
Hi hi, as we all know, many classes underwent some changes into their skills trees with this new patch and Rogues were no exception.
Being them one of the most affected by this update, we are facing new options that will distinct a character between a Rogue oriented for PvP and another for PvE.
First off, we have the sexy standard buffs from the transformation <Ymir's Child> (and the batman costume)... why standard? Well, because we get exactly the same as any other transformation: 30% ATK/Move Speed and 15% Acceleration (AKA, Haste)
What is your opinion on about getting Haste when Rogues has no skill with a casting time and it doesn't accelerate the skills animation? Wouldn't Vigor have been a much better option?
Second skill with a notorious change is <Smoke Bomb>, first it has been extended by 3 levels, having a wooping cooldown of 90 seconds on max, but also the surprise that it has 5 seconds immunity after cast! This skill is definitely one you will want to have maxed if you are PvPer, and also a great option for PvE, altho maybe no need to have it higher than lvl 1 for that.
Hoho! But hold it right there, it might look great on paper, after all its 5 seconds immunity! No more getting revealed right after casting it! However that doesn't mean DoTs will go off, and many classes got their DoTs boosted, or gained a new one. So you might end up being revealed 5 seconds later :v
Fast desitions, fast fast fast.
On the other hand, having it back 90 seconds later would mean you could hide maybe 5 times per round in colo at minimum... hum :/
Next we have <Dual Stab>, this skill up until now was sorta dull and lame, but now it got some extra side effects that will make it a must if you are a PvE focused Rogue! Having been extended by 5 levels, now at max it does a 29.4% damage strike and aside from granting 2 combo points on a succesful hit, it gives you a 30% chance to "weaken" your oponent. This side effect will give a boost power to <Deadly Blow> and <Moonlight Drive>.
It might look just as good for PvP, but its great downside is that it has a 10 secs cooldown, and chances for the boost aren't perfect. In a situation where each and every move per second makes a difference like PvP, I really wouldnt count much on it. Still, not like it'll hurt to have.
The fourth skill with a remarkable boost is <Rolling Cutter>, which many of us missed the chance for it to poison each target it hits with <Poison Weapon>, now it has its own DoT <Bleeding> and its not any simple boost.
Leaving aside its damage modifier which didn't suffer any change, its level cap was doubled as well, giving now at max a strike of 18.2% which is techincally the same as <Dagger Throw> lvl 1 and the Bleeding effect has a 27% damage modifier! Which is more, it seems it will stack up to 3 times upon critical hits on the target with Rolling Cutter.
You can cast this skill non stop, it has a barely 1 second animation, you can move while casting it, it has a 4.5 meters radius range around you, and you can hit up to 10 targets. This skill has high potential for either PvP or PvE >=D!!
<Crescent Moon>, the skill I think got the best boost in all the Rogue skills, is this one. It got its level cap boosted up by 5 levels, but thats the only thing there is to it.
I dunno if you noticed but as of late Crescent Moon was doing 1 damage on the enemy you flipped with it. Well, now it seems the skill does have a proper damage modifier! Being of 25.1% at max level! Woot!
What? thats the same as <Double Attack>? But its a DA you had no time to use, right?
So whats so great about this skill anyway? Well, at max level this skill has now a 15 seconds cooldown, it still knocks your oponent down by 1 second per combo point... but this skill has a second and deadlier side effect added to it starting level 6, Fracture.
Fracture will slow your oponent down by a 70% and s/he won't be able to heal at all for 10 seconds! Whats more, you don't seem to need 5 combo points for that to work, so if you catch someone with 1 combo point or 5 you'll have them just as disabled for 10 long annoying scary and deadly seconds in which you can rain your skills at your hearth content!
Over all, this skill now is the main outside of hide PvP utility for Rogues. Run Ranger ruuuun!
<Mark of Death> also got a change, but it was a quite simple and predictable one. It got its level cap doubled as well as its % modif per level. Giving a wooping 40% Rogue damage on target and 20% boost for any other. Now it really makes honor do its name.
Sadly <Unestable Doping> has no change at all, so wasting pots to get the ATK boost will still be a pain in the wallet :v (altho the skill description doesn't say <Adrenaline Rush> effect expires after 3 minutes...)
As the final note, <Moonlight Drive> (which in the page is refered as <Moonlight Dance>), got nerfed :v
Yea, it got its level cap increased by 5 levels, but its max power at lvl 10 is of 142%
As it used to be, it was 150% at lvl 5, but now lvl 5 is 110% hohoho.
As we say in spanish "otra vez la burra al trigo :v" (again with the same)
Anyway, unless the skill animation got changed (which I bet it didnt), only by maxing the skill you will get a DPS increase.
Of course, this skill also has a side effect! A positive one at that! If your target is Weakened by Dual Stab, it will give deliver 3xLevel% extra damage on your oponent! Then again, the chances of weakening your target is of 30% at maxed Dual Stab and level 5 Moonlight Drive's boost is 15% :/
This skill has become again arguably about getting it or not .___.
Well, I would get it anyway, for PvE it makes wonders, but as for PvP...
As for Thieves skills, they dont reflect any change aside from Deadly Blow getting a boost from the Weaken state of Dual Stab (which doesn't say anything about it btw), I bet it will be like a 15% extra damage at level 5 too.
So! What are your opinions on Rogue's new skills?
Oh, we still have our lovely and never-changing <Cross Impact> <3
Edited by Leinzan, 18 December 2013 - 10:12 AM.
