Slash NS Viability - Phoenix Freeshard

Trying to figure out how viable a Slash NS Elf is.

Elf w/ +10 STR gives 50 starting STR...pretty darn low.

How much do these stats effect weapon damage?

Fri 8 Feb 2019 5:30 AM by Zansobar

Elf Bladeshade could quite possibly be the best stealther in the game (not counting the Minstrel, of course).

Fri 8 Feb 2019 10:46 AM by Sepplord

Bladeshades are incredibly strong, despite low Str, because of the armor<->dmgtype interactions against Inf/SBs

Mon 11 Feb 2019 6:24 PM by Pirhana7

Sepplord wrote: ↑
Fri 8 Feb 2019 10:46 AM
Bladeshades are incredibly strong, despite low Str, because of the armor<->dmgtype interactions against Inf/SBs

But there is always the trade off, Blades are going to be very weak against others, and pierce does extra damage to minstrels and the majority of everyone else who wear chain. Pierce will also have a higher weapons kill because your dex will be much higher. Blades were also much stronger with TOA because of blades artifacts. But on phoenix I wouldn't go blades just because of 2 enemy classes that are vulnerable to it. You should be hunting archers and viisibles, not your enemy counterparts.

Mon 11 Feb 2019 6:43 PM by Zansobar

Pirhana7 wrote: ↑
Mon 11 Feb 2019 6:24 PM
Sepplord wrote: ↑
Fri 8 Feb 2019 10:46 AM
Bladeshades are incredibly strong, despite low Str, because of the armor<->dmgtype interactions against Inf/SBs

But there is always the trade off, Blades are going to be very weak against others, and pierce does extra damage to minstrels and the majority of everyone else who wear chain. Pierce will also have a higher weapons kill because your dex will be much higher. Blades were also much stronger with TOA because of blades artifacts. But on phoenix I wouldn't go blades just because of 2 enemy classes that are vulnerable to it. You should be hunting archers and viisibles, not your enemy counterparts.

Since Pierce is half str and half dex, it looks like you have an average of 100 between those for a keen pierce shade vs 70 str for a elf blade shade...so 30 points less in the weapon stat. However, it is easier to spend points into aug str then to spend points into both aug dex and aug str for the piercer, so on average you should assume that gap will lessen. So a piercer shade could spend 35 points into aug str and aug dex to achieve +34 dex and +28 str for a net total of +31 weapon spec stat. For 34 points the blade shade can get +48 str from aug str. This leads to a total deficit of 30 - 48 +31 = 13 stat points for weapon stat. Which is not a big difference.

The reason you go blades is because the highest number of targets you will encounter where you won't just cream the enemy will be against other assassins. Blades or pierce will not matter versus casters, and you are going to destroy a minstrel given the buffs to envenom so the damage type isn't going to matter much.

Tue 12 Feb 2019 6:19 PM by Pirhana7

Zansobar wrote: ↑
Mon 11 Feb 2019 6:43 PM
Pirhana7 wrote: ↑
Mon 11 Feb 2019 6:24 PM
Sepplord wrote: ↑
Fri 8 Feb 2019 10:46 AM
Bladeshades are incredibly strong, despite low Str, because of the armor<->dmgtype interactions against Inf/SBs

But there is always the trade off, Blades are going to be very weak against others, and pierce does extra damage to minstrels and the majority of everyone else who wear chain. Pierce will also have a higher weapons kill because your dex will be much higher. Blades were also much stronger with TOA because of blades artifacts. But on phoenix I wouldn't go blades just because of 2 enemy classes that are vulnerable to it. You should be hunting archers and viisibles, not your enemy counterparts.

Since Pierce is half str and half dex, it looks like you have an average of 100 between those for a keen pierce shade vs 70 str for a elf blade shade...so 30 points less in the weapon stat. However, it is easier to spend points into aug str then to spend points into both aug dex and aug str for the piercer, so on average you should assume that gap will lessen. So a piercer shade could spend 35 points into aug str and aug dex to achieve +34 dex and +28 str for a net total of +31 weapon spec stat. For 34 points the blade shade can get +48 str from aug str. This leads to a total deficit of 30 - 48 +31 = 13 stat points for weapon stat. Which is not a big difference.

The reason you go blades is because the highest number of targets you will encounter where you won't just cream the enemy will be against other assassins. Blades or pierce will not matter versus casters, and you are going to destroy a minstrel given the buffs to envenom so the damage type isn't going to matter much.

I guess if you really want to play against other assasins blades is the way to go but it not a requirement like it was back in the day because of NF. NF made it so every assassin just camped the bridges at the last keep you could port to. There were no routes or running out from the gates like in OF. Because of this, most of the time you were fighting your enemy assassins. BUT since this is OF, assassins can pretty much sit and wait anywhere along the road or any route and not encounter other assassins unless you go and sit at the milegates. Eigther way I personally wouldn't put points in to aug stats, its barely a gain and before you needed to do the first few levels to get access to other abilities so it was like well I already have the first 2 levels, I might as well go further... There are much better RAs, to go after that will effect your more, from Mopain, purge, viper, ect