Ebon Blade, Useless or just [Removed for Content] opionings please.

[Kelst]

Ok IMHO this spells is useless for regular encounters / groups.  It sounds nice enough 400 or so dmg + about 200  points of piercing mitigation decrease.  However it shares the same timer and BOTH Shrouded Strike and Shadow Blade(Elaa's for me), so you give up using both of those for 1 ebon blade.  In normal groups we got plenty of vs. piercing mitigation skills and using a shrouded stike followed by elaa's does more damage.  I can however see this being used in a raid 1 time (ex. 6 assassins present,  only 1 needs to use this).

 

Opinions? Flames?

[khalysta]

It is supposed to be the upgrade to shadowblade which is why they share timers.  With scouts you replace most combat arts every 14 levels with a few exceptions.  The shadowblade replacement is ebon blade which comes at 24.  Training skills add another dimension to the choices but if you choose that skill I would probably stick with it over ebon blade since its adept2 already.  Otherwise I would upgrade ebon blade to adept1 and switch to that over shadowblade.  I don't remember it being on the same timer as shrouded strike though and if it is thats a bug since other skills in that line do not share timers.

So ebon blade has its use just realize that many of our skills will share the same timers as you level up and continue to get replacements to old skills.

[Graton]

it's definately not on the same time as shrouded strike. i just put both on my hot bar to test since i've lvl'd past shrouded strike and there is no linking bug. ebon blade is hardly useless. i'll try and use it near the beginning of battles to up my piercing dmg. i have a brigand i've grouped with a few times who says her hits are consistently better when i'm grouped with her and i suspect using debuffs, like ebonblade, are a large part of this. not to mention it's the 2nd hardest hitting attack after the assassin blade line and it refreshes a heck of a lot faster, though not fast enough for my tastes =). we're certainly not enchanters but we do up the dmg of the rest of the group when we debuff mobs early. if you're ignoring this aspect of your skills, you should rethink it, particularly in a heavily melee group.

[Syanis]

Notice the skill mentioned was shadowblade and not shrouded strike. Ebon Blade is the upgrade for shadowblade. Its hardly useless thou. More damage and better upgradeability.

 

Flitch Flea 49 Assassin

[Wham]

Here is a nice link for you for upgrades and replacements for Assassins.  This way you can tell which new skills replace which old ones:

 

http://www.thescoutssanctuary.com/viewtopic.php?t=3442

[CloakV]

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Removed. By self.

Message Edited by CloakVai on 04-29-2005 04:32 AM

[Graton]

actaully shrouded strike was mentioned. the poster here and in another thread insists it shares a timer with shrouded strike which it doesn't.