A Swordsman's Quaundry

Darkpower Alchemist

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

NYC

The Circle Of Nine[NINE]

E/N

14 May 2006 at 17:04 - 1

I don't know if a discussion for this has come up in the past,or a thread about this is already in circulation,but I have to voice my disatisfaction with Savage Slash in comparison to Disrupting Chop.

Why in the world does it take 20 seconds to recharge and 10 mana to use Savage Slash,while Disrupting Chop uses 6 Adrenaline points?This is totally outrageous.This puts the Swordsman at a clear disadvantage in all aspects.

1) The Axe damage spike is greater,even if less controlled.

2) This means that the Swordsman MUST use his secondary to interupt
as effectively as an Axeman.

3) In a 1 on 1 confrontation,the Axeman will disrupt twice as fast as a
Swordsman,unless the Swordsman uses multiple interupts.This being said,
the Swordsman will now have to allocate attribute points into a secondary
attribute set.Hopefully, one he is willing to use.

I believe that since according to speed statements and balance situation,the sword and the axe are believed to be equal in heft and weight,as well as weilding speeds,then the skills should be just as equal.

Savage Slash should be an adrenaline skill,just like Disrupting Chop. Even if they want Savage Slash to take more adrenaline to use,I would feel it to be better than the current situation that it finds itself in.Please,chime in as any would see fit. I am more than willing to listen,as I hope ANet will be.

FoxBat

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2006

Amazon Basin [AB]

Mo/Me

14 May 2006 at 18:19 - 2

Savage slash now has a 1/2 activation speed. It's much faster at interruping things, so you can nail faster casts and more reliably than disrupting chop. Not sure if it balances out totally, but it's something.

frojack

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

London, UK

Rite Of Passage [RP]

E/Mo

14 May 2006 at 19:20 - 3

Why even bother with it? It only applies it's extra damage to spell casting foe's. It is now stupidly nerfed. So just use Distracting Blow. Half the recharge (now anyways. Thanks a lot). Half the cost. Same speed. Interupt's more than just your target. A great, poor-man's CoF. It deals no damage but damage is not the primary functional requirement here. Interuption is. Correct?

Although Disrupting Chop is superior to Savage in everyway (the 20 second disable is awesome) Distracting Blow has still always been a better alternative to both in my eyes.

Concerning making Savage an adrenal skill. One, it would be hideously over-powered with the new elite, Dragon Slash. Unless the required adrenaline was so high that it would be made redundant anyway. Secondly, one of the best warrior spikes in the game (Galrath, Final) would seriously hinder it's effectiveness. Example...
You deliver your spike. By some miracle your target, say a monk, barely survives, but endures nontheless. He goes for a massive Divine favour powered heal. Quick! Interupt! Oh. Oh dear...
It's better energy based.

Savio

Teenager with attitude

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

14 May 2006 at 19:48 - 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkpower Alchemist

It's actually a bit more controlled in my opinion, but it takes up an Elite slot. Spiking has nothing to do with interrupt skills though.

Quote: 2) This means that the Swordsman MUST use his secondary to interupt as effectively as an Axeman. Warriors aren't typically used to interrupt because all they have is only melee range. Swords users if anything are better than axe users at interrupting because Savage Slash now activates in half a second as FoxBat mentioned, compared to 8/9 of a second at best for Disrupting Chop.

Quote:

3) In a 1 on 1 confrontation,the Axeman will disrupt twice as fast as a
Swordsman,unless the Swordsman uses multiple interupts.This being said,
the Swordsman will now have to allocate attribute points into a secondary
attribute set.Hopefully, one he is willing to use. One on one aspects have never been the basis for balancing issues. So leave that out of this.

Quote:

I believe that since according to speed statements and balance situation,the sword and the axe are believed to be equal in heft and weight,as well as weilding speeds,then the skills should be just as equal. Axe users get slightly higher DPS and an unconditional Deep Wound skill, sword users get a spike that doesn't rely on an elite. Balance doesn't mean that two things are the exact same, it means that in the end they have roughly the same power. Swords aren't intended to be axes, and axes aren't intended to be swords. Savage Slash and Disrupting Chop do two different things and should be left that way.

Darkpower Alchemist

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

NYC

The Circle Of Nine[NINE]

E/N

15 May 2006 at 15:18 - 5

In addressing to Savio's statement(since he pretty much shoots my whole opening statement down,to a degree), the fact that Savage and Disrupting do 2 different things is no where near to obvious. In essence one just does more damage to spellcasters than the other(maybe,if a critical doesn't occur).

However, Savage being overpowered is always someones concern. Hence, why I really never worried about the damage dealing situation. It can be just like Disrupting Chop,but for Swordsmen.

Also,warriors are definitely involved with disrupting spellcasters(if they are worth their salt),since they are right in the center of the situation(i.e. melee range)or in the face of a rival warrior who attempts to heal himself.

If you have ever gone 1 on 1 with The Master Of Axes on the Isle Of The Nameless,his Disrupting Chop makes a remarkable appearance,as well as a rememberable impression on the battle.It will turn the tide of the confrontation.

Also,just to point out a Factions mission where a Disrupting warrior is key,I'll convey a story. I'll try to make it brief.

It was during the mission where you must get the Spear Of Archemores in Boreas Seabed. Once my group had the spear and made it passed the kraken spawn, you face Zhu Hanuku,The Great Kraken. His spells do tremendous damage to the upfront warriors,unless he is prepared.

He has 3 monster spells that will kill anyone close to it,warrior or monk alike,once you are knockdown. The key is to disrupt this spell. Rangers seemed unprepared for the most part,coming with Distracting Shot only.And the warrios never brought Balanced Stance to not get KD'd. So,I came with Balanced Stance,Savage Slash,and Distracting Blow.Low and behold,even when the other warrior got killed and the monks died,I was still standing,thanks to my interupts.But, this alone doesnt win the battle.When I got a solid group together,we went through it with ease,and my build kept the Kraken from hardly do any damage to us.

Anyway,realize that the warrior in front is just as important in battle as the ranger in the back when it comes to interupts.

In closing,though I have been abit longwinded,I still think that Savage Slash should be made into an adrenaline skill.It isn't useless as it is,but it could be so much more useful to the dedicated Swordsman.Distracting Blow is a good substitute,but its a general melee interupt,not like Disrupting Chop or Savage Slash, which are both dedicated to a specific weapon preference. They have different end results,but are doing very specific things.

That being,interupting a skill,or spell,while being used.

Darkpower Alchemist

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

NYC

The Circle Of Nine[NINE]

E/N

15 May 2006 at 15:33 - 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by frojack

Although Disrupting Chop is superior to Savage in everyway (the 20 second disable is awesome) Distracting Blow has still always been a better alternative to both in my eyes.

Concerning making Savage an adrenal skill. One, it would be hideously over-powered with the new elite, Dragon Slash.
Have you seen Auspicious Parry? That works for all warrior weapon types,so Dragon Slash is just an alternate route to follow.I created a build for an Axeman using it and owned the 12 vs 12 Battle against every warrior in isolated situations.Yet,have you noticed that axe skills now make you bleed too?

Seems that Axe is catching up to Sword when it comes down to its functionality.And doing it better IMO.

BLODORN

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

15 May 2006 at 15:52 - 7

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkpower Alchemist

Owned ... against every warrior in isolated situations. Which means absolutely nothing.

GranDeWun

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

15 May 2006 at 18:44 - 8

I don't understand the recent nerf. I mean, increasing the enery requirement OR increasing the recharge, maybe. But both? Was Savage Slash SO overpowered that it needed to be made essentially unusable?

Winterclaw

Wark!!!

Join Date: May 2005

Florida

15 May 2006 at 22:23 - 9

The only way for sword skills to get better is for everyone to switch over to axes causing anet to nerf them (the axes).

Kawai

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jul 2005

[cFo] Crusaders from Orr

15 May 2006 at 22:57 - 10

A reason for this nerf i think is probably for the 55 monking in UW. (ppl still go down there?). Now those Aataxe can intterupt 1 second casts like prot spirit with savage slash. For players that cant react as fast as AI to get those 1 second casts, its horrible, i think they shuda just left it alone. The Savages' ( Bow and Sword) were supposed to be similar, were they not? I think it should be kept as an energy skill, however lower the refresh to 10sec it should be decent to even consider slotting.

It also seems like to get a decent sword warrior, you need the new faction skills for good constant damage, but the sever>gash>final is still the best sword spike.