First line of induction is 15% critical damage on maul. That shouldn't need to have surging active.

Trade instant whirlwind and improved thrash for better mauls. I hope those mauls are worth it. Spec is worth a look.

Can I hit as hard as a pve boss because pve healers can heal through that pretty well. I'll take that trade.

1. How do you think your Assassin spec is perceived by other classes? I only PvP. Everyone assumes I am the tank that I have been forced to be due to the lack of survivability / burst of deception and general distaste for the madness spec (DoTs don't go over well in group pvp; can't do that spec as well as Sorcs). So I use the 23/1/17 spec to bring loads of utility to the group. My group appreciates this as well as having a guard and stealth. I am a preferred node defender due to above average dueling capabilities. 2. How do you perceive your own spec? I dislike that only one spec is really valuable. Madness is better done by our sorc counterparts and deception just isn't feasible when utilized as a killer when compared to other classes. I play as a darkness utility spec and enjoy that role. My largest complaint is not being able to effectively use my stealth / control abilities to kill / neutralize equally geared healers. I apply good pressure and steady damage but in this game burst is king. Coordinated CC's with burst damage is the name of the game and darkness assassins don't have a place in this. Force shroud and Undying rage are similar abilities but in practice a marauder can do much more useful burst in that small time frame than an assassin can. Simply put, assassins DON'T assassinate. We control, guard, and provide steady damage and that's okay, just not great in the current CC -> Kill metagame. I can duel with the best of them but in a group fight my value gets lost due to uninspired killing abilities and jack of all trades utility. A team of 2 pure healers, 2 pure tanks, and 4 pure burst dps has no room for an assassin and it would be difficult to justify bringing one in favor of a Jug/power tank or a mara/pyro burst. Notice that the powertech AC has two viable roles across two specs. We have 1 suboptimal role in only 1 spec. If a way could be found to increase the usefulness of steady damage then I believe assassin tanks would be extremely viable.

It should be obvious. If someone is calling INC and asking for help, simply GO TO WHEREVER YOU AREN'T. If you're at mid go to the side you're defending. Or, if you're attacking go to the side you're attacking.

For me, it has a lot to do with standing still. In 31/x/x you rely on HD + FL to both do damage and heal yourself. People know this and will try to stop you from recuping. Burst comes from Reck + energize + shock which isn't always enough. In 23/1/17 you get to keep the best survivability talents only losing HD. You don't really miss HD though since you get a little life back from DF but you are no longer standing still casting FL praying no one notices the GIANT lighting coming from your finger tips. This build allows you to be moblie and avoid damage better than the tank spec as well as provide 30m damaging capability (great for defending). I'm also having an easier time finishing people off since the burst is more on demand. I'm thrashing their life down then I can pop reck then cast DF -> shock (relic + adrenals) for some nice crit damage with no wind up. You don't know how many times I've lost kills to being CC'd while in force lightning. To sum up; I don't miss Force Lightning at all as it is a blessing and a curse in pvp.. Instant whirlwind / Improved thrash / DF more than make up for it.

I'd be pigeon holed into any role that's viable/effective. Assassins are running out...

Shinarika, Thanks for the informative video! I have a question. I recently returned thanks to server transfers so I won't be able to fully gear up to WH in time for ranked. Is there a down side to just purchasing WH Force Master gloves and putting the armor/mods/enh into augmented shells for legs/head? The innate stalker mods have WAY too much crit and not nearly enough power. Its a lot of RWZ comms to buy both Stalker set + Force Master mods. Thoughts?

Not entirely true. That fight is CD dependent and very close. You could easily lose to a Mara if deflect and/or shroud is down. Or if the mara bubbles and gets healed.

Having no leaps would put your team at a severe disadvantage.

What classes are you targetting?

You kill operatives in 6 seconds? Either you're a liar or your opponents are really bad.

Sorry mate but it was your own comrades that did you in on the gearing issue. For a month straight people (Battlemaster and above) *****ed that fresh 50's would be handed gear that they worked so hard for once 1.2 hit. There was multiple threads about it everyday. So BW went ahead and made WH gear the single greatest PvP grind in MMO history (at least it feels like it). Thank your fellow posters for that one.

My question still stands: What War Hero gear are you guys going to be purchasing first?

Saber strike/assassination/ the occasional Thrash?