ArenaNet:Skill feedback/PvE/Deft Strike

File:Deft Strike.jpg Deft Strike

Issue -- 10:05, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Discussion

Issue

Unless your target already has cracked armour, this simply does a meagre amount of damage, and inflicting bleeding as well isn't worth going to the trouble of getting CA on someone first. As a caster it's useful for giving you an attack skill without you having to waste points (and may synergise if you are a caster capable of inflicting CA) but it's still not great and as a paragon you may as well take Barbed Spear.

Suggestion

Make the damage add to your base weapon damage. This would mean casters would inflict the damage type their weapon does with it, possibly opening up some synergies or something (although casters who take a spear wouldn't get much out of it) as well as allowing them to deal some extra damage. Paragons and rangers would especially benefit from it.

Also, make fulfilling the condition more rewarding. Applying CA is tricky so it's got to be worth it. Furthermore, casters can apply it more easily than rangers or paragons so this would help balance out the above suggestion (so that the skill is as good for casters as it is for them).

In short, I would change it to something more like:

File:Deft Strike.jpg Deft Strike 5 ½ 8

Ranged Attack. If this attack hits, target foe takes +10...25 damage. If that foe has Cracked Armor, it is interrupted and begins Bleeding for 20...30 seconds.

In terms of attack skills, Disrupting Throw is better at interrupting and Spear of Fury totally beats this, so it's not OP but is a bit more useful. It's also a bit more useful for casters like the mesmer whose interrupts are all spells, allowing them to bypass skills like Spell Breaker, while doing some damage too.