Rendiviel wrote:

Tyvm! Another question = Is Shadowzerker the highest possible dps for pvp as a SB?/is it the ultimate rogue?

Shadowzerker is the most reliable for sustained damage. You're playing a solo zerker with stronger combat styles. Crit strike has really high scaling, and the shadowzerker spec gives you 50 LA so you have access to all of those combat styles. To say that it's the best spec would be a lie. Shadowzerker struggles against shield tanks. You just don't have the poisons at your disposal, and a smart tank knows how to draw out the fight. More importantly, you don't have the points at early realm ranks. Only RR4 are you capable of doing 5 spec, because that's the earliest you can get composite 50 envenom without seriously gimping your damage output. Once you get to rr4+, you have the necessary skillpoints that 5 spec is viable. It's also another reason why you need to AT stealth. Your end game is very much effected by how many points you have at your disposal. If I remember correctly, you should have 0 points to spend if you're 5-spec at rr8 if you fully AT stealth. But I digress. The answer to your question is that it's the highest DPS for a shadowblade that isn't RR4, possibly RR5 yet. You CAN still get lifebane applied to your weapons, someone will just need to do it for you after every fight. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get a D/Q charge item, and a str/con if you can afford it. The nice thing about mid is how many Str/con charges there are. Buff potions are pretty cheap if you're not getting regen pots. You should always try to be buffed if you can help it.

th0msdk wrote:Critblade is best for this patch... Due to CS styles don't need LA in order to do more offhand damage etc. Shadowzerker is basically ****** compared to any Critblade.

Rendiviel wrote:

Pop wrote:

Fabulabelle wrote:Nop, Shadowzerk is (at 4L):
50 LA
36 weapon
36 stealth
36 venom
rest CS

So you play like a zerk, with stealth and venom.

Just curious, but Why Venom over CS?

Because he doesn't understand how to spec. Shadowzerk is meant to utilize everything except envenom

Pop wrote:

th0msdk wrote:Critblade is best for this patch... Due to CS styles don't need LA in order to do more offhand damage etc. Shadowzerker is basically ****** compared to any Critblade.

What's the cookie cutter for Critblade?

Pop wrote:There's so many variations and differentiating opinions here it's impossible to know who's right and who's wrong and what the ultimate DPS Shadowblade is...

Sorry but Shadowzerk doesnt avoid poison. With the spec I suggested, you are spec like a zerk, with 50LA, 50 composite weapon, 50 composite stealth, 50 composite venom (to get 50 dot). No Viper, and what? Dot is still a nice asset to bet in.

Anyway, you can spec as you want, but as a shadowblade has many "names", here for you :
- Critblade : CS, Weapon, Stealth, Poison
- Shadowzerk : LA, Weapon, Stealth, Poison (what you were asking for, and what I answered you to)
- Soulblade : LA, CS, Weapon, Stealth (what Rendiviel suggested you, but with condescension... but unfortunately he was just wrong )
- 5 spec : CS, LA, Weapon, Stealth, Poison

No, don't thank me

Pop wrote:There's so many variations and differentiating opinions here it's impossible to know who's right and who's wrong and what the ultimate DPS Shadowblade is...

Voo wrote:I really don't get how having Realm ranks changes what skills you need? All these threads keep saying drop stealth as you gain RRank, but why? :S

Besides training, increases to your skills can come from two sources that stack: items and realm bonuses from earning realm ranks.

These increases to skills are capped as follows.

Items can increase a skill by a maximum of 1 + (your level/5) skill points.

Each realm rank (not realm level) beyond rank 1 increases all of your skills by +1.

Therefore you can earn up to 10 skill points by being rank 11. The total skill increase cap at level 50 is therefore 11 + 10 = +21 to a given skill.