Concealment w Volatile Strike - help please

[chrisforester]

Hi there, I wonder if better players than me could help with my using volatile strike with concealment. My focus is unranked warzones and very light PvE.

 

I like the idea of the volatile strike tactical but I get so confused as to when to use abilities in what order:

 

If I have this right then

 

Stim Boost boosts alacrity

Backstab applies acid DOT

Backstab gives 10% crit boost for 15 seconds

Backstab increases Armor Penetration by 30% for 15 seconds

Volatile Substance boosts elemental and internal damage by 7% for 45 seconds ( presume this means acid, your dart and VS itself)

Volatile Substance when detonated makes your next backstab better, as if it was from stealth

Veiled Strike boosts tech damage by 5% for 45 seconds

 

ALSO Laceration gets a 10% buff "if effected by Acid Blade."

 

***Does this laceration buff just mean effected by the 6 second acid poison or does it mean effected by the 15 second armor penetration??***

 

Then along with all this the tactical

 

Makes Veiled Strike auto crit if you've applied Volatile Substance

Insta detonates volatiile substance

This makes your next backstab critically hit.

 

So reading all this makes my head hurt:)

 

OK, so when I open an attack, I could

 

Stim Boost for alacrity and TA

Backstab from stealth: Gives TA, applies Armor Penetration and poison. But it wont benefit from Veiled Strike's 5% tech buff

Apply volatile substance which will now have a plus 10% crit chance from back stab

Apply veiled strike, this will crit and explode volatile substance, and will benefit from Armor Penetration

get my next backstab to crit from the tactical and also be treated as from steatlh because of revealing weakness from volatile substance

 

But the negative side of the above seems to be

- Backstab wont benefit from 5% tech buff

If Im too slow or interuppted then my next backstab won't crit from the tactical as there is a time limit on that

 

Or I could

 

Stim Boost

Apply Volatile Substance

Veiled Strike

Backstab

 

This would deprive my volatile substance and veiled strike of the armor penetration boost/crit chance boost from back stab

BUT it would give a backstab which will now crit a 5% tech damage boost

AND it would mean I would be confident that backstab will crit as the window for that will be triggered immediately.

 

 

So which approach is best? :)

 

Also I don't get in which order to use stuns. What do better players do?

 

Should I use the ability which makes backstab immobilise you or leave it?

 

At the moment I use debilitate first, then after 2 damage abilities use crippling slice - any advice?

 

Many thanks in advance if anyone can help.

[cflems]

You're thinking wayyyy too hard about this. Your burst combo is this:

1. Volatile Substance

2. Veiled Strike

3. Backstab

 

After that, spam Laceration and Veiled Strike as fillers (they do pretty identical damage. Laceration consumes a tactical advantage and Veiled Strike grants one, so that's how you decide which to use) until Volatile Substance comes back up.

 

As for Stim Boost, it's mostly a defensive cooldown more than anything. Use it when you need damage reduction and self healing (Revitalizers utility.) If you must use it offensively, use it for the extra tactical advantage it grants.

 

Now, seeing as you have a 3 GCD burst window (4.2 seconds with 1.4 GCD), and a stun lasts 4 seconds, the main thing you will generally do is this:

1. Volatile Substance

2. Debilitate (Hardstun)

3. Veiled Strike

4. Backstab

This ensures they remain stunned for the whole time you're delivering your burst, and can't escape any of it. You will have to catch them to stun them after Volatile, but Volatile is not time sensitive unless you dart the target (you shouldn't with this tactical).

 

Another thing you can do, if you're opening from stealth or have flashbang ready, is this:

1. Mezz (Sleep Dart or Flashbang)

2. Volatile Substance

3. (Optional) Kolto Probe x2 on yourself

4. Hardstun (Debilitate)

5. Veiled Strike

6. Backstab

This will also deliver all your burst without the target being able to escape. The upside is, you don't have to chase them down to hardstun after volatile. The downside is this will give your target whitebar (full resolve) so they will likely feel comfortable breaking your stun if they have breaker available.

 

One final trick if you have the Debilitator's Set and both hardstuns available is this:

1. Hardstun (Debilitate)

2. Volatile Substance

3. Veiled Strike

4. Hardstun (Debilitate)

5. Backstab

6. Laceration

This will let you get slightly more burst in as compared to the first two before the target is able to move/pop defensives again.

 

Usually you'll use the first option as it blows fewer of your tools at once than the second and third.

[chrisforester]

You're thinking wayyyy too hard about this. Your burst combo is this:

1. Volatile Substance

2. Veiled Strike

3. Backstab

 

You're right, overthinking this stuff is definitely a challenge for me.

 

Thanks for taking the time to simplify this and set out the best way of achieving burst and doing the rotation. Really appreciate the time you've taken to spell it out.

 

I have the tactician tactical for the extra damage buff etc but am collecting debilitator as that does seem like a lot of fun.

 

Thanks again!

[Dimitir]

If you're going for pve, use acid lash tactical, it will net you around 2k dps more...

In pvp use the volatile strike tac the way the above poster described, it s extremely powerful in ripping enemy players to shreds but rather not suited for pve imo