Line of Sight(city raids/defense)

Thalak

So, I'm a blademaster, which, as far as I can tell has zero LoS or area attacks. I've recently been trying to put effort in to city defense(not raids yet) and have realized how much of a problem this is, because at this time, the only contribution I can put in is face-to-face with the enemies.

I know other classes, like .. Bard for instance, also doesn't have LoS or area attacks. I was wondering what most people do in the situation where the class doesn't have these types of attacks. Suggestions for such things. I know there's meteor arrows, which everyone(I believe) can access and use. Other than that single area attack, my only option would be buying an artifact bow.

Again, I'm not fully sure on all this, so I'm really just looking for suggestions, ideas and such. Would people suggest buying an artifact bow strictly for one LoS attack? Other area wide attacks available to everyone?

Rajan

Tossing concussion/web bombs from adjacent and artifact bow are going to be your only range options. Unfortunately, you're usually just better off hanging with the main group and waiting for the melee if you can't afford a bow. I speak from experience when I say tossing bombs makes you a priority target. There's a few instances when you can solo-rush for Annihilation (which still isn't even ranged, but support), but melee is where you're home.
Also, yes, bow allows you to use meteors, so you get LoS and area.

Antonius

You need to have the SHOOT ability to use meteors, which means either being a bow using class (knights and serpent) or buying an artefact bow.

Blademaster is in a pretty unique position. It lacks a line of sight ability but also has no other ways to help out either. Bard has harmonics, Priest lacks a meaningful ranged attack but has rited, hands, healing and ally shield.

So what can you do? Get a set of firelash, firewall, and icewall rings. Icewall will reduce the accuracy of bows in addition to outright stopping some line of sight attacks. If your group is losing the line of sight fight, putting up an icewall can help.

If your group is winning, an icewall may be put up by the other side. Firelash will remove it and firewall will prevent another one being put up. If there are multiple rooms between the groups, and no guards hostile to you, you can possibly evade in to drop icewall and raise a firewall.

Atalkez

You can also use fire lash to attack from adjacent. 

Blademaster is the worst LoS class in the game. Just how the class is.

Torinn

omg firelash can attack adjacent?!  I've had options for so long and never knew..

Sena

You can also throw weapons from adjacent, but that's unlikely to be very useful. Then there are atlatls, but those are too limited to be worth using most of the time.

Krypton

Javelins! :bleep_bloop:

Cooper

I use firelash in raids all the time. 

Exelethril

Run in and thunderstorm

Nazihk

Bash up to Dragon and then breathstream people.

Atalkez

Thunderstorm gives room wide hamstring and does 0 damage. Don’t run in and thunderstorm

Nazihk

I think they mean Annihilate, the thing with the chance to throw people out of the room.

Achilles

yea annihilate is really strong especially on clouds, sucks if you have a group without wings though.  All the best fight happen in clouds.

BM best option are meleeing an attack or two and leave before getting targeted.  Be more like a ninja.

Kogan

Firelash isn't great but iirc it was like 7-9% depending on whether I was lesser or dragon, my resists, and the either the users int or their collar made a difference. Can't remember which. And that was from adjacent. Its not fantastic but its better than standing there.

Atalkez

It’s great because you’re not getting attacked. Good for post-burst leap out attack

Ahmet

Kogan said:

Firelash isn't great but iirc it was like 7-9% depending on whether I was lesser or dragon, my resists, and the either the users int or their collar made a difference. Can't remember which. And that was from adjacent. Its not fantastic but its better than standing there.

IIRC, firelash scales with int, but in dragon it hit me around 5% with just dragonarmour affecting it.

Krypton

^ Thermology also had to do with it

Ahmet

Krypton said:

^ Thermology also had to do with it

Oh, yes. Thermology. That.

Sena

Last I tested it, firelash enchantment (which was identical to firelash with inept elementalism, since the enchantment still scaled with elementalism skill) did roughly 170 plus 8% of max health, at 12 int and before resistances. That's not the exact damage formula, since it was just a quick test with 2 data points, it could be anywhere from 184+7.71% to 159+8.65%.

Armali

You could probably get higher DPS with a thrown weapon. Firelash is still 4s. Handaxe throws are like half that.

Nazihk

Handaxe throws require learning weaponry and carrying around a sack of disposable handaxes.

Kogan

Nazihk said:

Handaxe throws require learning weaponry and carrying around a sack of disposable handaxes.

This part of it sucks, but can envenom as well I guess.

Edit: weaponry, buying the handaxes, venoms, AND preferably proficiency with handaxes. I believe proficiency should help with throws? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Which is another 100 lessons if so.

Sena

Proficiency is needed if you want a reasonable chance of hitting anyone.

Regi

Javelins do huge damage j/s. Also concussion and web bombs are amazing (ly annoying) for group combat.

Ziahra

The arte bow is well worth it because even if all you do is shoot meteors, you'll feel useful. You'll have to buy the SHOOT ability as well. The nice thing with meteor arrows is you don't need LoS.

Kasa

Krypton said:

Javelins! :bleep_bloop:

Penwize

Regi said:

Javelins do huge damage j/s. Also concussion and web bombs are amazing (ly annoying) for group combat.

I know this used to be true, but I actually tested this yesterday and ... wow, javelins do horrible damage now.  I realize I was testing against a knight, but that's kind of deliberate.

Where snipe did around 21% in around 2.4s, an L3 javelin did 9% in around 4.8s.  In comparison, an L3 handaxe does around 4.5% in 2s.  Yeah, a javelin is lower DPS and lower afflictions/sec a handaxe.

I feel like maybe something was overlooked in the weaponry change so long ago.  I'm not sure why you would ever buy an L3 javelin at this point.  It's objectively worse in every way to a handaxe, and you would never pick a handaxe as a ranged attack to begin with.  Yes, L3 javelin has returning so it works at range, but I'm pretty sure firelash has higher DPS than an L3 javelin does.

Sort of surprised by that, not sure if it's intentional.

Cooper

I don't think javelins are intended to be good.

But did you have a javelin proficiency?

Penwize

Cooper said:

I don't think javelins are intended to be good.

But did you have a javelin proficiency?

Yep! Have for a long time.  I used to use the javelin pretty often actually.  They were pretty great for burst damage.

Nazihk

If the damage equations in Achaea work anything like they do in other IRE games, thrown weapon damage is massively mitigated by armor so they're pretty much universally garbage against knights. 

Sena

From some brief testing years ago, armour seemed to be 50% more effective against thrown weapons. So armour that reduces a dagger jab by 20% would instead reduce a dagger throw by 30%.