Rending Shade: Should Fear around TARGET not self

[Lithril Ashwalker.6230]

Hear me out. If you are melee range and backstab then you wont notice the change, that target will be feared and anyone around it as well as the aoe...if ranged that target will be feared as well AS AoE around the target, which is what youd want...more room to snipe/range. Can we have this small adjustment? imagine how useful it would be to pick people out in groups! help me get this post recognized

Some are suggesting we have fear around ourselves AND around the target like Fire for Effect does for boons

[TeaGarden.2901]

I've used it to my advantage in its current form, but it feels kinda cheesy that way. Hit some random mob from range and the booned-up organized squad around you suddenly scatters. At the very least, it should fear the target, regardless of distance.

[Yasai.3549]

The point of Rending Shade isn't to be a CC skill though, it's meant to provide anti retaliation when a Thief goes for a squishy target, more specifically a Thief that is going for a Stealth Attack melee strike.

I don't think I would like Rending Shade to fear people in AoE coming from a Death's Judgement.That's like really spammable CC on a single target especially when DE still has the single most overloaded Boonstrip + CC skill : Binding Shadow.

[Lithril Ashwalker.6230]

@Yasai.3549 said:The point of Rending Shade isn't to be a CC skill though, it's meant to provide anti retaliation when a Thief goes for a squishy target, more specifically a Thief that is going for a Stealth Attack melee strike.

I don't think I would like Rending Shade to fear people in AoE coming from a Death's Judgement.That's like really spammable CC on a single target especially when DE still has the single most overloaded Boonstrip + CC skill : Binding Shadow.

even if it were to fear the target hit by the stealth skill that hits, even primary target, it should apply the fear around the target not the thief this way all weapons could be viable with the trait and not pidgeon-hole it into melee only to create build diversity.

[Yasai.3549]

@Lithril Ashwalker.6230 said:

even if it were to fear the target hit by the stealth skill that hits, even primary target, it should apply the fear around the target not the thief this way all weapons could be viable with the trait and not pidgeon-hole it into melee only to create build diversity.

I think the point of the trait is that it is primarily designed to provide anti-retaliation specifically for melee tho.Ranged builds don't have this problem, especially when they hit from 1200 range away.

Also, there are way more damage oriented Melees in Thief's arsenal than Range, so naturally it's a more melee oriented trait which supports Stealth attacks.Besides, even if the fear doesn't land, it does serve as a Boon removal tool (which tbh idk why they nerfed)

Maybe it can be changed to fear around the thief and the primary target, but I'm strongly against fearing around the target.

[Cynz.9437]

@Lithril Ashwalker.6230 said:

@"Yasai.3549" said:The point of Rending Shade isn't to be a CC skill though, it's meant to provide anti retaliation when a Thief goes for a squishy target, more specifically a Thief that is going for a Stealth Attack melee strike.

I don't think I would like Rending Shade to fear people in AoE coming from a Death's Judgement.That's like really spammable CC on a single target especially when DE still has the single most overloaded Boonstrip + CC skill : Binding Shadow.

even if it were to fear the target hit by the stealth skill that hits, even primary target, it should apply the fear around the target not the thief this way all weapons could be viable with the trait and

not pidgeon-hole it into melee only

to create build diversity.

But i think that is the idea. Thief is pretty squishy, going in melee is huge risk of getting blown up hence why you get fear in melee. See it as bit of trade off. You take risk for going in melee - you might get fear off (assuming enemy doesn't have some kind of defensives up) which gives you more chance to pressure or stay alive for longer. As ranged you don't take such risk so i don't think you would need such "perk".

I mean why even play melee if you can just be as effective as ranged and take less risk? At least in competitive environment like conquest.

[kash.9213]

@Yasai.3549 said:

@Lithril Ashwalker.6230 said:

even if it were to fear the target hit by the stealth skill that hits, even primary target, it should apply the fear around the target not the thief this way all weapons could be viable with the trait and not pidgeon-hole it into melee only to create build diversity.

I think the point of the trait is that it is primarily designed to provide anti-retaliation specifically for melee tho.Ranged builds don't have this problem, especially when they hit from 1200 range away.

Also, there are way more damage oriented Melees in Thief's arsenal than Range, so naturally it's a more melee oriented trait which supports Stealth attacks.Besides, even if the fear doesn't land, it does serve as a Boon removal tool (which tbh idk why they nerfed)

Maybe it can be changed to fear around the thief and the primary target, but I'm strongly against fearing around the target.

Two good points. With line of site we're likely to hit up close with Rifle and Shortbow Stealth Attacks anyway if we do connect. Also that boon removal nerf did us wrong, that's the only other option I know aside from Larcenous Strike that takes the stack and it's already tricky enough reaching through boon steal priority to grab something.

[Yasai.3549]

@kash.9213 said:Also that boon removal nerf did us wrong, that's the only other option I know aside from Larcenous Strike that takes the stack and it's already tricky enough reaching through boon steal priority to grab something.

I will always advocate removing boons from the gameplay.Boons are extremely difficult to balance around, and Anet should have never nerfed Boon removal.

In fact, it makes sense that Thief STEALS them because they lack personal Boon capability in the first place.Nerfing Boon removal across the board basically changed nothing in terms of Boon oppression.

They really need to revert changes to all Boon Rip skills, and specifically for PvP only : removing the Boon share portion of Bountiful Theft.Less Boons on the field the better for game health in general.

With less Boons, Thief wouldn't have to constantly find themselves stuck against Resistance tanks or Perma Protect builds and put more dueling power back into them, meanwhile Necro will find their niche back of Boon removal instead of being a dumb bunker.

Boon classes will still be relevant because Boons is always better than no Boons, and they will still be relevant in sPvP and Ranked PvP due to how they are generally Boons + Heals build.