Standard 10 second cooldown melee snare would be good. This coupled with a real charge that isn't tied to being a defensive cooldown which requires mastery points. The game needs a tiny bit more normalization between certain classes/archetypes (not in full mind you, we don't want to homogenize and ruin certain playstyles/identities just provide the same tools that everything else in an archetype has to create a similar baseline which is then built upon with unique abilities and differences). It seems they are working towards that if you look at tank rework with giving all ST punts and upcoming dps healer rework which promises charge and real potentially real dps morales for dps healers.
To preface, I am looking at these changes from the perspective of the average player of these classes who engages primarily in solo gameplay, pug warbands and solo queue or /5 "premade" scenarios. I fully believe that the class is in fully working order, and quite strong, in organized small scale/instanced content like city siege, 6v6 ranked, etc. These propositions are aimed towards improving the class for the 90% of the player base who engage in less coordinated activities and to make the classes more equal to other melee dps counterparts by giving them similar tools to get the job done.
My suggestions:
Movement:
Grant WH/WE a normal charge type ability like every other melee while removing speed bonus from the Sanctified Oil/Elixir of the Cauldron. Disallow it's use while in stealth. This allows WH/WE to have the same fluid movement ability as other classes in the midst of combat to either kite out of dangerous situations, catch up with enemies or keep up with allies. Yes this does hurt our instantaneous escape ability which is gained by using Oil/Elixir a bit as it weakens those abilities but it benefits us in multiple other areas. Further tuning to Oil/Elixir could be done to compensate the balance team feels that is required.
Snares:
Grant both stealth classes a new, baseline Snare ability learned at levels 3-12 that is exactly the same as Slow Down/Don't Go Nowhere or Cleave Limb/Debilitate for Slayer or Choppa and White Lion or Marauder. I would prefer it to be the former, 10 second cooldown 40% snare with 5 second duration. It doesn't need to be permanent, it should mirror what some other melee dps receive. Whether or not it generates combo points can be dealt with by the balance team as well but personally I don't think it should. Remove the existing snare from Snap Shot/Throw Dagger because it would no longer be needed and to prevent the classes from having both a melee and ranged snare. Simply make this ability an Axe Toss like every other melee has, just some pity damage from range to keep in combat for morale generation or hit someone far away.
Stealth:
Stealth has been modified to a point where it cannot really be used as an excuse that it is a "gap closer" since you cannot reliably re-stealth in combat and are easily seen by anyone with more than ~300 ini from far away. I define the strength of gap closing abilities by their combat use, not their pre-combat use. It is only a "gap closer" on the opener of a fight but becomes useless once combat has begun since you cannot reliably re-stealth as any small chip damage (even from aoe abilities or seemingly certain dots) will interrupt the cast.
I do not propose changing stealth in any way, outside of maybe fixing how easily it seems to be interrupted since the ability patch, with the above changes there should be no reason to change it.
In closing I feel that these changes coupled with some other changes hopefully coming to the dps rework (sweeping razor to 9target and perhaps a baseline aoe ability
) would greatly help viability of these classes and improve the
average player's experience when engaging with these classes.
PS: fix dragon gun, sweeping razor and flowing accusation bugs please <3