AlnilamE wrote: »

Where is the "Hell no!" option?

I just discovered this skill and I don't know how my NB lived this long without it.

Also read the thread from the NB that's working on soloing DSA.

I have read that thread and NO . The fact that this skill may have some restricted uses such as dealing with AI limitations and their inability break free doesn't change the fact that it is still one of the most if not the most situational class skill in the game. The fact is this skill needs a good rework or complete overhaul in order to be brought to a level of versatility and usefulness even on par with some of the least popular class skills in the game.
-PVP- The usefulness of this skill is almost non existent.Some people have tried and got some results. Overall it isonly one of those skills you use to feel special knowing too well that you are seriously gimping yourself.
-Serious end game group pve as dps or tanking. Useless.
-Solo Vet PVE- I have used it the first few months as a CC in V5+ zones and It worked somewhat. Considering that the difficulty of the solo pve was wreaked in the current game such methods are useless. All classes have multiple options to reduce all solo pve to a single button press deal.Unfortunately such a hard CC is just unnecessary.
-The use for solo DSA. I admit that I think it is very cool what that guy does but the fact that that is possible is actually a proof of how messed up some of the mechanics of this game are after 1.6 and how much ZOS ruined their end game PVE.

Agony grants CC immunity when duration ends/when target takes damage (which is detrimental when PvPing). There is also the lackluster damage for the amount of time being spent to cast it. 0 reason to use this ability, not even worth leveling until a buff or a skill is replaced over Agony. Mass Hysteria (Fear) is more than 3x better than Agony due to: affecting 3 targets, 4.5 seconds of CC, less damage done when effect ends (debuff on targets affected), and the 50% snare attached - all last another 4 seconds after the fear. I do not know 1 nightblade that uses agony and I have not leveled it or touched it since launch - I also have 2 Veteran Rank 14 Nightblades now and neither use it nor have a skill point wasted for this ability - 1 of which was prestigious in the PvE community and one of the first DC NA players to complete Sanctum Ophidia (which by the way there no rotations for Agony).

This ability was actually of great use for the underpowered Nightblades of 1.0 during the Veteran Rank grind due to mobs doing an absurd amount of damage and when faced with multiple "OP" mobs some/most fights needed to be CC'd for long periods of time. At the current state of the game, the mobs are now easier (a lot weaker) than they were at launch and we do not require this skill at anymore.

@Axorn
Care to explain how this ability is good? That is like saying how Trap Beast is a good ability - which nobody uses. You cannot give your opinion on something you have 0 experience of and have never/rarely ever seen in-game. You do not even play this class and you have attempted to deceit other players with false opinions. If you truly did believe Agony was a good skill, you are most, and truly wrong. You have also given no explanation as to how this skill is good and we would like to hear an explanation because you say you have never played Nightblades before and have never used this ability, but have the guts to say Agony is fine.

Again, there are 0 uses or utility from this spell. It breaks on the smallest bit of damage - same as "Rune Prison" (Sorcerer's cast time - similar to agony but does not grant CC immunity). You cannot play a DoT build in this game due to the lack of damage they do - unless playing a DK valkyn PvE end-game build (all their dps is revolved around their class DoTs which do more damage than any other DoT in game, although can be argued as weak when PvPing). This ability needs a major revamp which either needs to be buffed tremendously or replaced with something less lackluster. NPCs use this skill in game and it does not break on damage - it runs through the whole duration unless the player CC breaks.

If this spell ignored block/granted disorient instead of a stun like "Rune Prison", and if it dealt twice - even three times - even four times as much DoT damage, then this skill may become even slightly competitive in PvP and PvE. Crippling Grasp already deals twice as much damage, doesn't grant CC immunity due to being a snare, it grants Major Expedition (40% run speed) for 8 seconds, and is an instant cast. Instant cast, more damage, no cc immunity granted, and 40% run speed, I would take that over a 1.2 second "stun" that breaks on 1 bit of damage that also does close to 0 damage and cannot be used nor will the DoT be placed on elite mobs or on cc immune players/NPCs. DoT damage requires a buff in general, a player will not kill another player when Crippling Grasp can only hit 1.5k crits per tick - which means Agony will do far less damage per tick around 500-600 per crit. Again, agony needs to be replaced or buffed tremendously in order to be competitive or even remotely useful.

PBpsy wrote: »

AlnilamE wrote: »

Where is the "Hell no!" option?

I just discovered this skill and I don't know how my NB lived this long without it.

Also read the thread from the NB that's working on soloing DSA.

I have read that thread and NO . The fact that this skill may have some restricted uses such as dealing with AI limitations and their inability break free doesn't change the fact that it is still one of the most if not the most situational class skill in the game. The fact is this skill needs a good rework or complete overhaul in order to be brought to a level of versatility and usefulness even on par with some of the least popular class skills in the game.
-PVP- The usefulness of this skill is almost non existent.Some people have tried and got some results. Overall it isonly one of those skills you use to feel special knowing too well that you are seriously gimping yourself.
-Serious end game group pve as dps or tanking. Useless.
-Solo Vet PVE- I have used it the first few months as a CC in V5+ zones and It worked somewhat. Considering that the difficulty of the solo pve was wreaked in the current game such methods are useless. All classes have multiple options to reduce all solo pve to a single button press deal.Unfortunately such a hard CC is just unnecessary.
-The use for solo DSA. I admit that I think it is very cool what that guy does but the fact that that is possible is actually a proof of how messed up some of the mechanics of this game are after 1.6 and how much ZOS ruined their end game PVE.

PvP and PvE are two different games though. Just because a skill is not useful in PvP doesn't make it useless to everybody and vice-versa. People play the game in different ways. How many NBs do you know that use Mass Hysteria outside of PvP? Should they all come here and say the skill is useless and should be replaced?

I barely use Shadowy Disguise in PvE, except for a few choice situations (though I might use it more if it actually removed DoTs reliably like it's supposed to), yet NBs are hated in PvP because of it. Same with blur. Best thing about it for me is the pretty visual effect.

I'm currently working my way through the NB skills I never used before to level them and see if they can be integrated into my gameplay. And I understand that there is a lot of variation in how NBs play the game and that just because I don't use a skill doesn't meant that it's not extremely useful to somebody else.

As it stands now, Agony is a mostly useless skill taking up space in the skill bar.

AlnilamE wrote: »

If you think it's useless, why do you keep if on your skill bar? You have plenty of other skills to choose from.

I don't have it on my skill bar. I should clarify my statement. The agony skill is a useless skill taking up space in the Siphoning branch that could be used for something more effective.