Nemarus Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) This is not a farewell to the game, but a farewell to a build--a lifestyle... Since shortly after the game's launch, I've been running this build on my Assassin, when doing PvP or less-than-hardest PvE. Why so deep into Madness? Because of Claws of Decay. I combined it with the PvE set bonus to give Thrash +15% chance to crit, then stacked Crit and Surge rating. Yep, even in warzones, four of my armor pieces were PvE with no Expertise. But Bolster made up enough of the difference. My rotation was simple, but satisfying. I'd alternate hammering enemies with huge energized Shock crits (sometimes chained), which then increased my chance (via Exploitive Strikes) to deliver huge Thrash and Assassinate crits, which then proc'd more Energized Shock crits. Almost every Shock an auto-crit for over 170% damage, and every Thrash with well over 50% chance to crit for over 220% damage. Just a rolling engine of big solid crit numbers all over the place. Then follow it up with a Reckless, fully harnessed Force Lightning from 30m out, to burn down some unsuspecting or fleeing foe. And then I'd use my second charge of Recklessness to bomb some an individual or a group with Death Field--nothing makes you feel as powerful as pointing at a group of enemies 30m away and exploding them for internal damage (plus it was great for interrupting caps). Was it optimal? Naw. I certainly wasn't as tough as other tanks. No Wither, and my Dark Protection fell off sometimes, if I didn't get enough Energize procs. And I certainly couldn't burst DPS like a Deception Assassin. But I was versatile. Good sustained DPS because of my Thrash and Shock crits; solid staying-power because of Dark Charge, defensive cooldowns, and decent defense and shield; able to taunt and guard; able to stealth and CC; able to teleport; able to AOE from long-range. I could go anywhere and do anything. Guard a node. Solo-attack an enemy node. Wade into a melee and rack up Protection medals, while keeping sustained pressure on the enemy healer. Stealth-cap a door while an ally drew enemy attention away. Force-speed the huttball over the final fire pit. Stealth-pull an enemy ball-carrier INTO the fire pit. And that was just in warzones. In Flashpoints, I could be the tank, while also sometimes being the main DPS. I was tough enough that the healer didn't need to work too hard to keep me up, and I had the tools and skill to keep aggro so that the healer didn't need to work hard to keep anyone else up. With my healer companion, I could solo many heroics quickly. Never have I played a class in an MMO that could do so many things so well, and feel so cool and fun doing them, both in PvE and PvP. Now sure, if I was tanking Hard Mode, max-level content, I put on my Dark Ward/Shield/Absorb gear like a good tank. I didn't want to make my healers' lives miserable. But for any other content, I was a Gloriously Fun Hybrid, and while likely not unique, I never encountered any other who had my combo of build and set-piece bonus. That, combined with the fun I had, just made me feel good and special, and likely contributed to my attachment to SWTOR these long, uncertain years. All that being said, I know times change. I know that while my hybrid may have been "good", other hybrid builds are probably broken and very difficult for the designers to account for. I look forward to the Discipline system. I look forward to exploring my Utility choices, and perhaps trying out a road less taken. I will likely stay with Darkness as my Discipline, but I hope that some of my favorite perks make it as utilities: Chain Shock and Exploitive Strikes have a decent chance I think. Claws of Decay would be a dream come true, but I suspect it will belong to Hatred(?). I already know I've lost Death Field, and for that I mourn. I'll miss that dark purple/black BOOM, as little motes of darkness bring me fresh health. Wither just won't be the same. Anyway, I'm not looking for specific replies. I just felt the need to write something--to say a proper farewell. Goodbye, dear friend, and thank you. Edited October 13, 2014 by Nemarus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolixe Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 What is this monstrosity that you call a spec..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master-Nala Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I didn't really realize it until reading your post and checking out your build, but I'm going to miss using the skill calculators. Sometimes, I'll just work on a spec I know I won't ever play. Ah well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemarus Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) What is this monstrosity that you call a spec..? Fun for me to play. Also I never called it a spec. See my OP for a description of why and how I played / enjoyed it, and how I admit it is not an optimal specialist, and yet served as as a very fun and solid jack of all trades. As far as performance, I didn't do ranked, but in warzones I am often complimented for my tactical utility in winning matches, and in arenas I often outdamage the dedicated DPS on my team (sometimes because I outlast them, but not always). That's all I need. Edited October 13, 2014 by Nemarus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubaco Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Wow. I completely understand you. Although I never tried your claws of decay and shock combo, I always loved the death field from 30 meters away. I did end up exchanging that for wither, since I don`t have to click at the field to activate it and wither helps me with the procs. I know what you will miss. I love the assassin because you really feel like a force user. Like the jedi and sith from the movies/kotor. It might not be the most powerful thing to do, but it certainly feels powerful. Hope you can keep your play style the way you like. And if they change that, try going full darkness. I love it for the same sense of utility that you like. Lifting the enemy with the force and impaling it with your blade even though you are not in stealth feels good too. And maul also feels nice. Hope you`ll still be as happy as you are today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemarus Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Wow. I completely understand you. Although I never tried your claws of decay and shock combo, I always loved the death field from 30 meters away. I did end up exchanging that for wither, since I don`t have to click at the field to activate it and wither helps me with the procs. I know what you will miss. I love the assassin because you really feel like a force user. Like the jedi and sith from the movies/kotor. It might not be the most powerful thing to do, but it certainly feels powerful. Hope you can keep your play style the way you like. And if they change that, try going full darkness. I love it for the same sense of utility that you like. Lifting the enemy with the force and impaling it with your blade even though you are not in stealth feels good too. And maul also feels nice. Hope you`ll still be as happy as you are today. Oh I've been full Darkness from time to time. I was definitely tempted when they added Darkness facemaul. But I didn't like the 10 second cooldown on the proc, compared to my Thrash/Shock combo, which has no throttling. Plus I'd already invested a lot of time in getting the +Thrash crit chance PvE set, so I decided to stick it out. I love tanking (and trying to find creative ways to still do good damage). Hopefully the Darkness Discipline will give me enough wiggle room to satisfy my creative juices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calligan Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 What is this monstrosity that you call a spec..? Well, if "spec" is short for specialization, it doesn't fit. It's more of a "gen" for generalization Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPepssi Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 What is this monstrosity that you call a spec..? ^ This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedihippo Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 (edited) Fun for me to play. Also I never called it a spec. ^This. Edited October 14, 2014 by jedihippo Misquote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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