SW feedback 2026/7/23 Patch Nite

[siglade]

Second tic get benefit from stack that increase damage, not the first hit

[Avernus]

We can't expect an elf to shoot better than gobbo are we?

It went exactly as i expected - the guy who is responsible for SW is clearly prefer melee - thats why the melee changes are mostly reasonable (for example, aSW doesn't suffer too much from losing disarm)

As for SW as rdps - tactic for +skirmish range is good (but you are just getting what SH got back first). +duration for Armor debuff is good - but again, you are getting it only because SH does...

Overall, what did you expect when you hear something like

skirmish ST build

or calling Flanking shot finisher (!).

1. Just in case you missed the point, skirmish ST died when M2 for +100% damage was deleted.
2. Calling some skill "finisher" when the basic spam skill from the actual max ST speck deals more damage is just beyond any reasoning.

[Fenris78]

I think this patch forgot the +35% AA speed in assault stance was meant to compensate for the lack of off-hand weapon, to be on par with other melee classes.

Less hits per second = less procs, less chances to crit, easier to parry, more damage being nullified at once for the enemy.

Also, the added slow on Exploit weakness may sound nice, but the real effect is just under 3s of slow because half the time will be spent on the ground not moving.
Guess it will be useful against KD immune targets...

Removal of Armor bonus is very bad, generally speaking : it was the only thing allowing aSW to keep up against other mDPS in medium armour despite its newly lowered parry chances (after the WS>INI change).
Trading that for a mere 3% increased parry wont do the deal because parry dont protect you from the back unlike armor...

Now we lose pretty much everything, even Shadowstep got butchered and gives increased defenses no more.

Whats the point of the new skill (Blurring Blade) if you cannot use it to gain defense againt ranged kiters ? Before you could at least gain 15% dodge/disrupt using Shadowstep 45ft away from a SH/Magus hitting you at range, now you'll just die against those classes, being perma slowed, bumped away, etc. before you could even get into melee range to get the skill to work...

It's very sad to see every defining tool being gutted from the class, especially when SH didnt get anythin remotely close from this nerf...

[Avernus]

Whats the point of the new skill (Blurring Blade) if you cannot use it to gain defense againt ranged kiters ? Before you could at least gain 15% dodge/disrupt using Shadowstep 45ft away from a SH/Magus hitting you at range, now you'll just die against those classes, being perma slowed, bumped away, etc. before you could even get into melee range to get the skill to work...

It's very sad to see every defining tool being gutted from the class, especially when SH didnt get anythin remotely close from this nerf...

With gas squig buffed you'll often find yourself outranged while playing against SH, with no option to respond since SH has off cd disarm and better ability range while SW has...well, 2s stun which even with +range tactic slotted and scout stance on is still outranged by SH.

Oh, and since we can't give you actually useful stats for melee stance after your armor is no more (wounds, like SH...) you can take initiative instead!

Ofc, no core knockback (you are not SH, remember!).

Basically, SH>SW.

[Amakusa]

Whats the point of the new skill (Blurring Blade) if you cannot use it to gain defense againt ranged kiters ? Before you could at least gain 15% dodge/disrupt using Shadowstep 45ft away from a SH/Magus hitting you at range, now you'll just die against those classes, being perma slowed, bumped away, etc. before you could even get into melee range to get the skill to work...

It's very sad to see every defining tool being gutted from the class, especially when SH didnt get anythin remotely close from this nerf...

With gas squig buffed you'll often find yourself outranged while playing against SH, with no option to respond since SH has off cd disarm and better ability range while SW has...well, 2s stun which even with +range tactic slotted and scout stance on is still outranged by SH.

Oh, and since we can't give you actually useful stats for melee stance after your armor is no more (wounds, like SH...) you can take initiative instead!

Ofc, no core knockback (you are not SH, remember!).

Basically, SH>SW.

I blame Teefz!

[ponko22]

The concept of stance dancing is interesting, but currently it seems to be nothing more than the developers' self-indulgence.

- The forced stance change to use specific skills hinders smooth gameplay. This makes the character one step slower than other characters. And it's not even particularly powerful. SH can already use Finish em off immediately while skirmishing.

- Furthermore, a dedicated TAC is required to make it effective, and it's only effective for 5 seconds. It's even more half-baked.

SH's pet switching is similar to stance switching, but the pet deals damage and also has a stat that extends range without TAC, making it very powerful. Why don't they mirror this?

[Nauht]

The concept of stance dancing is interesting, but currently it seems to be nothing more than the developers' self-indulgence.

- The forced stance change to use specific skills hinders smooth gameplay. This makes the character one step slower than other characters

Marauder says hi

[Dekata]

Fester Arrow now is a joke skill form devs. Useless with 9 sec add damage when fight usuall continue no more then 5 sec.

[ponko22]

Shadow Warrior

* Festering Arrow: Can no longer be cast while moving.

* Grim Slash: The Strikethrough buff is no longer considered an Enchantment.

They've become even weaker.
Whose opinions are they even listening to?

[rorswar]

Here's what I said in the PTS feedback thread:


As an aSW main, I'm kinda dismayed by these changes.

"The Assault SW has been turned away from a stance-camping playstyle with high passive mitigation and towards a more fluid high risk/reward hybrid range opportunist."

I'm good with high/risk reward, stance dancing, being a fluid hybrid and all that, but then give us the tools to survive in melee.

At the same time, SH can benefit from tons of passive armour defences AND passive damage from pet: the exact opposite of what you're doing to the aSW.

Simple fixes would have been:

- Remove +100 INI from assault stance, put back 2x armour. If not, do the following two:
- Increase 5s AOE detaunt to 10s
- Increase 5s Blurring Strike to 10s, so uptime can at least be 1/3, now half our armour is gone.
- Make Wrist Slash tactic +WS stack with +WS from Triumphant gear set proc.

P.S. nobody ever saw a problem with Grim Slash.