new DLC changed anything for NB Archers?

Hauztein

DW got some buffs, but im not sure if something changed for archers... any kind of synergy with class skills? disease changed somehow bow gameplay? changes that improved gameplay somehow?
(the only thing i saw was a morph with more time to barrage)

GreenSoup2HoT

Here's the changes to bow in darkbrotherhood.

Draining Shot (Scatter Shot morph): Redesigned this morph so it now heals you when the disorient ends.

Poison Arrow:
Increased the damage over time from this ability and its morphs by 12%.

Fixed an issue where this ability and its morphs were not applying their damage over time to targets that blocked or absorbed the damage.


Scorched Earth (Volley morph): Renamed this morph to Endless Hail.

Redesigned this morph so it now increases the duration of the arrow volley to 10 seconds, reduces the cost, and deals Physical Damage instead of Flame Damage.

Volley: Fixed an issue where the visual effects from this ability and its morphs were not displaying when you cast it while silenced.

Additional Changes that may help out a Bow Skirmisher Nightblade

Incapacitating Strike (Death Stroke morph): This morph now always stuns the target when it is used, regardless of the caster’s health. This morph now also deals Disease Damage instead of Magic Damage.

Killer’s Blade (Assassin’s Blade morph): This morph now deals Disease Damage instead of Magic Damage.

Relentless Focus (Grim Focus morph): This morph’s spectral bow proc has been renamed to “Assassin’s Scourge”, and now deals Disease Damage instead of Magic Damage.

Power Extraction (Drain Power morph): This morph now deals Disease Damage instead of Magic Damage.

I think the changes to Power Extraction, Killer's Blade, Relentless Focus and Incapacitating Strike are all good for a skirmisher type bow build. All you need now is to use Draining Shot as your CC/Heal and Poison Injection as your DoT.

Nightblade's now have the tool's to make a pure bow build on both bar's. Power Extraction can provide the Major Brutality and Draining Shot can be a decent burst heal.

My double bow skirmisher build would look somthing like this (not a true build):

-Shadow Cloak (either morph is fine)
-Draining Shot
-Surprise Attack
-Killer's Blade
-Poison Injection

-Vigor
-Power Extraction
-Shuffle
-Relentless Focus
-Piercing Mark

You may ask why no Ambush? Well this is because we are a skirmisher Bow type. If someone jumps you, you could just Surprise attack then Draining Shot into Poison injection / Draining Shot Weaving. This build would be playing around your target as much as possible and kind of running around them in circles.

I have decided to use Killer's Blade because all though Poison Injection can do the job, if you do get your target to 25% it's nice to finish it when you want. You will get the assassination passive buff's with killers blade. You could use Ambush if you wanted to.

You could technically drop surprise attack since you will have draining shot for cc and piercing mark for Armour de-buff. Which could give you room for possibly Lethal Arrow or Bombard. Bombard is nice at locking your enemy down and getting them to waste stamina, it also has a snare after also.

Back bar is just buff's and whenever you have relentless activate-able.

Gear would probably be any of these set's

-Agility/Endurance
-Shield Breaker
-Hawk Eye
-Marksmen
-Clever Alchemist

Remember this is just something i'm thinking about off the top of my head that may be interesting to use. There is no Mass Hysteria because to take advantage of the Draining shot heal your enemy cannot be immune to cc.

Summon Image may be fun to play with as-well in a build like this but also for the minor maim and teleport action.

No one ever make's neat build's like these and i encourage players to try. Now that i'm thinking about it i may try and make something like this once the dlc hit's. I do have an all gold set of marksmen jewelry and shield breaker Armour :P

Did my comment spark any idea's for you @Hauztein ? You defiantly got me thinking about something fun.