First impressions, I am really impressed and enjoying the spec. A full cele build with travelers runes has no trouble surviving and taking down difficult enemies solo, not bounties or anything but still stuff that my other builds have struggled with.
The self healing is really nice and the healing output is really high on a single target. Scepter/pistol dual attack heals for almost 2.5k then adds over 5k barrier and that just one skill. The barrier that shroud can passively apply is quite significant.
The low cd on siphon means my party has permanent swiftness, fury, vigor and some might as well as whatever other boon I can steal on top of the personal stealth and interrupt. The build is capable of providing permanent alacrity with the wells trait.
I love the well skills, they feel strong and impactful and I find myself using them off cooldown to heal, do damage and move around. They do feel a bit clunky though, but that can be ironed out eventually.
The decrease in initiative does not feel punishing because I make much more use of my utilities and shroud.
Some negatives:
Scepter 2 feels redundant, just a slightly bigger AA that doesn't feel like it's worth the initiative input. Maybe a skill with a small aoe would fit in here and stand out among the thief weapon skills.
The scepter weapon skill icons don't really mesh well with the art of the dagger or pistol, so they stand out visually in a bad way.
The scepter animations are quite loud.
I wish the shadowstep on the elite well was longer. 600 feels a bit short for an elite on a 75s cd.
Overall my favorite elite spec released potentially ever. It feels mobile, elusive and sinister while adding a lot of needed utility. I really like it and can't wait to see how people make use of it in various game modes and the improvements to come.