Since we’re approaching the release of Shadowland’s final patch, I thought it would be a good time to post this since this is when development will be switching over to the next expansion in earnest.
There are loads of dead talents on Outlaw currently, and many of them feel like they’re placed amongst competitors that just don’t fit on one row together.
The fact there isn’t a talent row for hitting max level is also really weird, though a more general issue overall.
The following is just my personal ideas on what could be changed or added, and anyone and everyone should feel completely free to point any issues or problems with them, or even to suggest their own.
Anyway, enough preamble. Anything in italics is new, whether it’s a small addition to something existing, or completely new.
Level 15 (Combo Point Generation)
- Swordmastery ~ Additional strikes of Sinister Strike are now followed up by a third strike using both weapons, generating 1 additional combo point.
- Quick Draw ~ Pistol Shots enhanced by Opportunity deal 50% additional damage, generate 1 additional combo point and cost no energy.
- Poised Strikes ~ Finishing moves have a 2% chance per combo point spent to fully refund combo points. Devalues by .5% per combo point per successive trigger.
Level 25 (Quality of Life)
- Acrobatic Strikes ~ Increases the range of all melee attacks by 3 yards.
- Deadly Trade ~ Tricks of the Trade now increases the damage done by you and your target by 5% for 6 seconds, as well as reducing damage taken by 5% for 6 seconds.
- Hit and Run ~ Sprint and Grappling Hook now remove movement impairing effects on use.
Level 30 (Energy Regen)
- Vigor ~ Increases maximum Energy by 50, Energy regeneration by 10%, and raises the attack speed increase of Slice and Dice by 20%
- Blade Rush ~ Charge to your target, dealing (200% of attack power) physical damage to the target and (60% of attack power) to all other nearby enemies. While Blade Flurry is active, damage to non-primary targets is increased by 100%. Generates 50 Energy over 10 seconds. (20yd range, 45 second CD)
- Alacrity ~ Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point spent to grant 2% haste for 20 seconds, stacking up to 5 times.
Level 35 (Survivability)
- Cheat Death ~ Fatal attacks instead reduce you to 7% of your maximum health. For 3 seconds after, you take 85% reduced damage. Cannot trigger more often than once per 6 minutes.
- Elusiveness ~ Feint also reduces all damage you take from non-AoE sources by 30% for 6 seconds.
- Crimson Syringe ~ Inject an alchemical concoction that immediately heals you or your friendly target for 40% of your or their maximum health. Replaces Crimson Vial. (20 energy, 30 second CD)
Level 40 (Crowd Control)
- Prey on the Weak ~ Enemies disabled by your Cheap Shot or Kidney Shot take 10% increased damage from all sources for 6 seconds.
- Blinding Powder ~ Reduces the CD of Blind by 30 seconds, and increases its range by 15 yards. Upon removal, the afflicted enemy has a 50% chance to miss for 5 seconds.
- Dirty Tricks ~ Reduces the CD of Shiv to 12 seconds. Gouge no longer requires you to be in front of your target.
Level 45 (Roll the Bones)
- Count the Odds ~ Dispatch has a 35% chance to grant you a Roll the Bones enhancement you do not already have for 5 seconds. Ambush has triple the chance to do the same for triple the duration.
- Weighted Dice ~ Roll the Bones will always grant you two enhancements, but can no longer grant any more than two.
- Foul Play ~ Roll the Bones becomes a finishing move with no CD, its enhancements lasting for 8 seconds per combo point spent.
Level 50 (Damage)
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Greedy Steel ~ Dispatch has a 35% chance to follow up into a sweeping attack against all nearby enemies for (119%+119%) physical damage, healing you for (Total health x .05) per target hit. If taken, Blade Rush can also trigger Greedy Steel, with a 75% proc chance.
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Run Through ~ Finishing move that aggressively impales the enemy on both weapons, dealing damage per combo point. Increases the chance of your Sinister Strike striking twice by 20% per combo point spent. Replaces Dispatch.
1. ((50% of attack power) x 1) damage
2. ((50% of attack power) x 2) damage
3. ((50% of attack power) x 3 damage
4. ((50% of attack power) x 4) damage
5. (50% of attack power) x 5) damage -
Lethal Bullets ~ Casting Between the Eyes loads a Lethal Bullet, increasing the damage of your next Pistol Shot by 200%. This Lethal Bullet persists until your next Pistol Shot.
Level 60 (Cooldowns)
- Marked for Death ~ Marks the target, instantly generating 5 combo points. CD is reset if the target dies within 1 minute (30 yard range, 1 minute CD).
- Killing Spree ~ Strike at an enemy from multiple angles within 10 yards, attacking with both weapons for a total of (1500% of attack power) physical damage over 2 seconds. While Blade Flurry is active, also hits up to 4 nearby enemies for 50% damage. (10 yard range, 2 minute CD)
- Dreadblades ~ Strike at an enemy, dealing (95% of attack power) physical damage, increasing your damage done by 10% and empowering your weapons for the next 12 seconds, causing your combo point generating abilities to fill your combo points, but your finishing moves consume 5% of your current health.
So, I suppose I should explain my reasonings for these.
I chucked out Weaponmaster, Retractable Hook, Iron Stomach, Loaded Dice and Dancing Steel because they’re either awkward or useless. Loaded Dice had a brief spotlight when Memory of Perfection was still around, but that time is past.
Swordmastery is essentially the same role as Quick Draw, but it’s making the extra combo point something you gain immediately rather than putting it into another ability to cast. I’m not sold to this one, it’s mostly here to synergise with Run Through for super speedy combo points.
Quick Draw is already good, and the removal of energy cost on the buffed Pistol Shot is mostly here just to make it help rotations flow even better.
Poised Strikes just strikes me as an idea with very satisfying potential, opening up windows of sporadic burst damage and leaning a little into the RNG element of Outlaw. Ghostly Strike was just a boring modifier, and felt like more hassle than it was worth. Imagine popping Marked for Death and triggering Poised Strikes, and then again, netting you a brutal opening of several finishers in a row.
Deadly Trade is basically just something Tricks used to do with a little bit added. Nothing much more to say other than it’s replacing something very useless.
Hit and Run was just never going to have more value than Acrobatic Strikes in its Live form. Being able to slip out of roots or slows with Vanish is already really nice, so I think opening up the number of abilities you can do that with would be a nice form of value.
Vigor was in a very weird spot, lumped in with two talents that just didn’t share any theme across one another. To help it compete with its new row-mates, it buffs SnD, which will in turn buff your auto-attacks; those are already one of the biggest damage sources of Outlaw.
Blade Rush is the same, but now has synergy with the new Greedy Steel and gives you more Energy, but you get that Energy at the same speed and rate as before; didn’t want to make it something that would always overcap you.
Alacrity is the same, it’s just moved. It’s very powerful already and needed competitors.
Iron Stomach was never going to beat out Cheat Death or Elusiveness–the potential to skip mechanics is too strong, and prevention is better than a cure, so Crimson Syringe brings some support to bear as well as improving your immediate healing ability. Tank dropping low? Just slip him some drugs. Who cares what’s in them, he’s feeling better now!
Blinding Powder adds in a…well, blinding effect after it fades for a little bit. Mostly a PvP idea, and one I put in just to give the talent some additional value.
Dirty Tricks is essentially completely new in all but name. Shiv being a 12 second CD like other enrage dispels shouldn’t have to be talented, and neither should Gouge be locked to being in front of your target; you can stab someone’s eyes out from behind them, we all know where someone’s eyes are.
Count the Odds is just a really good conduit and it really improves RtB, and adds value onto Vanish as a damage cooldown. Felt like a no-brainer to make it into a talent.
Weighted Dice is here for people who don’t like the RNG of RtB. It doesn’t eliminate the RNG, but it ensures you’ll almost always get something powerful, at the expense of losing the slim chance of getting everything at once.
Foul Play…is a tentative name, probably something better, but it’s just pre-Shadowlands RtB. It’s here to hand back control of the RtB buffs to the player. No more being locked into Grand Melee until your RtB comes off CD. But, you’ll miss out on the power of Count the Odds.
Greedy Steel is just Greed from Legion, and I’ve added synergy with Blade Rush. Outlaw is meant to be the AoE spec for Rogues, but the current talent pool doesn’t really enforce this at all. So Greedy Steel is here to remedy that.
Run Through was a way better name than Dispatch, why the hell did you change it Blizzard? Anyway, this hits harder than Dispatch, and lets you get a running start to your next finisher by netting you an extra combo point guaranteed.
Lethal Bullets. It’s Greenskin’s, and also Deadshot. This legendary/azerite power has been around for every expansion that Outlaw has existed, and been the meta or near meta every time. It’s a no-brainer that it should become an actual part of Outlaw’s kit and not just a borrowed power.
Marked for Death has just been moved, since it didn’t fit in with Vigor at all. So, here it is now, with the other cooldowns.
Killing Spree is the same but it’s beefy again. Actually does damage. Current Killing Spree hits like a wet noodle and nobody likes it. For comparison, current Killing Spree only does around 575% of attack power total. A crit Dispatch does as much damage as a Killing Spree with zero crits. That just isn’t right.
Dreadblades is the same…as its Legion counterpart! Seriously, why wasn’t it like this in the first place? Legion Dreadblades gives you a 10% damage increase for its duration, which is also 2 seconds longer than Shadowlands Dreadblades. A needless loss of value, now undone.
So, thoughts? Are my reasons flawed? Do some changes not go far enough? Is this post stupid? (Probably yes)
If you’ve read everything and arrived here, at the bottom, thank you very much for reading, whatever your opinion.