ArcheAge Skill Set Guide – Shadowplay

With the way the ArcheAge class system works, players will need to know what each skill set brings to the table. In my first series of ArcheAge guides I’ll cover each skill set and what they offer.

In this guide I’ll cove Shadowplay. Shadowplay is the staple skill set for your rogue or assassin type builds. Both of my characters currently use the Shadowplay skill set as the second skill set. Shadowplay contains a mix of mobility, stealth, melee and ranged abilities. This skill set complements Physical Damage skill sets such as Archery and Battlerage.

The Skills: 

Here I’ll list all the skills of Shadowplay and what they do. I’ll split the lists up between active skills and passive skills to make the list easier to read.

Active Skills:

These are your attacks, heals, or defensive abilities depending on the skill set.

• Rapid Strike: Slashes an enemy repeatedly, dealing Physical Damage. Has a chance to generate additional Bloodthirst. Marks the target with each hit; 10 stacks inflict a distressed. Increases Critical Rate by 50%.
• Overwhelm: Triggers a leap towards an enemy that deals Physical Damage and stacks 1 Bloodthirst upon landing. Also stuns the enemy for 1.9 seconds. Can’t use while snared.
• Drop Back: Triggers a backwards leap to escape a dangerous area or back away from an enemy. Eleminates the Cast Time for Flamebolt, Earthen Grip (Witchcraft), and Sunder Earth (Battlerage) for 2.5 seconds. Can’t be used while snared.
• Wallop: Launches four attacks in quick succession dealing Physical Damage. Accumulates Bloodthirst for every hit.
• Stalker’s Mark: Deals Ranged Damage and marks enemies for 15 seconds. Increases recieved damage by 15% and decreases healing effectiveness by 25%. When the mark disappears, the target recieves additional damage of 50 times the number of ranged attackes suffered during the mark’s duration. Damage is reduced by 20% if target is within 8m.
• Stealth: Prevents enemies from seeing you. Any actions other than moving will cause Stealth to end. Decreases Move Speed by 30%.
• Toxic Shot: Fires a toxic arrow dealing Ranged Damage, and Poison Damage over 4 seconds. Damage is reduced by 20% if target is within 8 meters.
• Pin Down: Pins an enemy to the ground dealing Physical Damage. Direct hits stack up to 6 Bloodthirst.
• Shadowsmite: Launches a surprise attack, dealing damage equal to 90x your stacked Bloodthirst and Shackling target for 5 seconds. Backstabbing adds Physical Damage equal to 600% of Melee Attack.
• Freerunner: Increases Move Speed by 35% and Agility by 160%. Grants immunity to Poison while in effect. Lasts 30 seconds.
• Shadowstep: Teleports caster behind an ally or enemy, reducing Aggro by 50% for 15 seconds. Also increases Move Speed by 50% for 3 seconds and has a 50% chance to reset it’s cooldown.
• Throw Dagger: Flings a dagger that deals damage to a single enemy, then ricochets to 5 additional enemies within 10m of the initial target, dealing less dmage each hit. Enemies hit: decreases Move and Attack speeds by 40%, and increases cast time by 40%. Lasts 3 seconds. Gives 2 stacks of Bloodthirst for each target hit with a maximum of 12 stacks.

Passive Skills:

Passive skills require a certain amount of skill points used within the set to allow point allocation into them. Passive skills buff the skill set once you unlock them, allowing for easier combat. In addition to the skill’s effect, I’ll list how many spent points are needed before you can allocate points to the passive skill.

• Evasive Counterstrike: Launches a counterattack and accumulates 5 Bloodthirst after a successful Melee Evasion. (Requires 2 points spent in Shadowplay.)
• Consecutive Evasion: Increases Melee Evasion by 16% for 7 seconds after a successful Evasion against melee attacks. (Requires 4 points spent in Shadowplay.)
• Disregard: Permanently decreases Aggro generation by 20%. (Requires 6 points spent in Shadowplay.)
• Loophole: Decreases recieved Ranged Damage by 30% for 3 seconds after receiving a Ranged Critical Hit. If Loophole triggers too often, it will be disabled for 30 seconds. (Requires 7 points spent in Shadowplay.)
• Piercing: Increases the Critical Rate by 10% for 8 seconds after a successful Melee or Ranged Critical hit. (Requires 8 points spent in Shadowplay.)
• Bloodthirst Intensified: Increases accumulated Bloodthirst by 2 times. (Requires 9 points spent in Shadowplay.)
• Shadow Mastery: Decreases Shadowplay skill cooldown by 20%. (Requires 10 points in Shadowplay.)

I hope this gives a clear view of what the Shadowplay skill set offers your build. For more guides on ArcheAge check my content directory.

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