Ive got a couple issues to bring up, but first an outline of what Backstab currently does.
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Haste:
Backstab gains haste only till a combined total of 100%. (From item or spells combined.)
Example: Glory of Enthann (77% haste) and 23% worn item haste caps. Any haste added to your character after this point has no effect on Backstab's refresh timer.
Backstab Delay averaged:
10.7 seconds with no haste
10.7 seconds with agressive style
7.7 seconds with 42% worn haste
6.3 seconds with 77% Glory of Enthann
5.6 seconds with 42% worn haste and 60% empower
5.6 seconds with 42% worn haste and 77% Glory of Enthann
5.6 seconds with 42% worn haste and 77% Glory of Enthann and 100% overcap Gift of Giantkin
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Slow:
Backstab completely ignores any haste on your character (item and spell).
Example: If you have Glory of Enthann (77% haste) And Legguards of Deception (45% worn item haste) and also have Rust (5% slow) You end up with 5% slow total.
Example 2: Auto attack works differently. With the above hastes you would still have (77+45) -5) =117% haste.
PARSES WITH STOPWATCH:
1:42 - 10 backstab delays - No haste
1:07 - 10 backstab delays - Empower 60% haste
3:02 - 10 backstab delays - Forlorn Deeds 45% slow
3:02 - 10 backstab delays - Empower60% haste and Forlorn deeds(45% slow)
3:02 - 10 backstab delays - Empower, 42% worn haste, and Forlorn deeds
Auto Attack: *no worn haste* *Hand 2 Hand weapons*
25 hits - 40 sec duration - No haste
20 hits - 40 sec duration - Forlorn Deeds
30 hits - 40 sec duration - Empower + Forlorn Deeds
46 hits - 40 sec duration - Empower
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Summary: Backstab parses around 55% of my total dps on Ponden. I usually have 42% worn haste, 77% Glory of Enthann and Agressive style (10% haste) for raids. Currently: 29% haste does nothing for half my damage. Also, if I am hit by a slow (1% or more) it completely cripples half of my damage.
What this means is that for spells like Gift of Giantkin a high end rogue will gain around 20% more damage.
A monk or ranger on the other hand will gain 40% more damage. (estimates based on GOE + 45% worn haste compared to DPS gain from adding in another 100% haste.) (not counting the +ATK +PROC on giantkin but i tossed the monks down 5% for flying kick which AFAIK works similar to backstab.) Which puts rogues and monks and rangers in the same DPS range in the presence of an enchanter.
I think this is broken because it means rogues, monks and rangers will do the same end dps on raids. (This is the current situation with High-end monks hitting 430-480 DPS with giantkin and rogues hitting the same.)
Again: Even if non-giantkin parses are balanced between the 3 classes -- giving enchanters essentially a pro-monk/ranger and anti-rogue spell buff is not balanced!
Possible solutions:
1) Change Giantkin and Rust type spells into purely +ATK/-ATK spells. This would allow the base difference in DPS to stay between melee DPS. Drawbacks: Clerics would gain less benefit from giantkin since most of their damage is procs. Also, the +ATK for giantkin would have to be huge and possibly rediculous. And this wouldnt adresss other slow/hastespells.
2) A coding fix to enable backstab to gain or loose damage based upon the % of haste and % of slow active. Drawbacks: I dont know if this is even possible. High % slows might have the potential to let rogues frontload on the first backstab a little bit more then usual.
3) Remove the 2x damage to daggers over 13 and lower backstab damage in general. Give rogues triple attack in exchange. Drawbacks: rogues generate more agro, lessened value of a class defining ability. I personally dont like this one but it is a possible solution so I included it.
If you made it this far... congratulations and thanks for reading. This is to the best of my knowledge how current mechanics work. Its not 100% accurate and there might be typos.
-----------------------
Haste:
Backstab gains haste only till a combined total of 100%. (From item or spells combined.)
Example: Glory of Enthann (77% haste) and 23% worn item haste caps. Any haste added to your character after this point has no effect on Backstab's refresh timer.
Backstab Delay averaged:
10.7 seconds with no haste
10.7 seconds with agressive style
7.7 seconds with 42% worn haste
6.3 seconds with 77% Glory of Enthann
5.6 seconds with 42% worn haste and 60% empower
5.6 seconds with 42% worn haste and 77% Glory of Enthann
5.6 seconds with 42% worn haste and 77% Glory of Enthann and 100% overcap Gift of Giantkin
------------------------
Slow:
Backstab completely ignores any haste on your character (item and spell).
Example: If you have Glory of Enthann (77% haste) And Legguards of Deception (45% worn item haste) and also have Rust (5% slow) You end up with 5% slow total.
Example 2: Auto attack works differently. With the above hastes you would still have (77+45) -5) =117% haste.
PARSES WITH STOPWATCH:
1:42 - 10 backstab delays - No haste
1:07 - 10 backstab delays - Empower 60% haste
3:02 - 10 backstab delays - Forlorn Deeds 45% slow
3:02 - 10 backstab delays - Empower60% haste and Forlorn deeds(45% slow)
3:02 - 10 backstab delays - Empower, 42% worn haste, and Forlorn deeds
Auto Attack: *no worn haste* *Hand 2 Hand weapons*
25 hits - 40 sec duration - No haste
20 hits - 40 sec duration - Forlorn Deeds
30 hits - 40 sec duration - Empower + Forlorn Deeds
46 hits - 40 sec duration - Empower
--------
Summary: Backstab parses around 55% of my total dps on Ponden. I usually have 42% worn haste, 77% Glory of Enthann and Agressive style (10% haste) for raids. Currently: 29% haste does nothing for half my damage. Also, if I am hit by a slow (1% or more) it completely cripples half of my damage.
What this means is that for spells like Gift of Giantkin a high end rogue will gain around 20% more damage.
A monk or ranger on the other hand will gain 40% more damage. (estimates based on GOE + 45% worn haste compared to DPS gain from adding in another 100% haste.) (not counting the +ATK +PROC on giantkin but i tossed the monks down 5% for flying kick which AFAIK works similar to backstab.) Which puts rogues and monks and rangers in the same DPS range in the presence of an enchanter.
I think this is broken because it means rogues, monks and rangers will do the same end dps on raids. (This is the current situation with High-end monks hitting 430-480 DPS with giantkin and rogues hitting the same.)
Again: Even if non-giantkin parses are balanced between the 3 classes -- giving enchanters essentially a pro-monk/ranger and anti-rogue spell buff is not balanced!
Possible solutions:
1) Change Giantkin and Rust type spells into purely +ATK/-ATK spells. This would allow the base difference in DPS to stay between melee DPS. Drawbacks: Clerics would gain less benefit from giantkin since most of their damage is procs. Also, the +ATK for giantkin would have to be huge and possibly rediculous. And this wouldnt adresss other slow/hastespells.
2) A coding fix to enable backstab to gain or loose damage based upon the % of haste and % of slow active. Drawbacks: I dont know if this is even possible. High % slows might have the potential to let rogues frontload on the first backstab a little bit more then usual.
3) Remove the 2x damage to daggers over 13 and lower backstab damage in general. Give rogues triple attack in exchange. Drawbacks: rogues generate more agro, lessened value of a class defining ability. I personally dont like this one but it is a possible solution so I included it.
If you made it this far... congratulations and thanks for reading. This is to the best of my knowledge how current mechanics work. Its not 100% accurate and there might be typos.
