SK: Best aggro snap spell

[VII]

What is the best spell to use to snap aggro? Is it pretty much disease cloud all the way through? That'd be cool with me! :) then just use the lifetaps when I need some hp or to finish a mob off etc..

Just wonder which spells garner more threat per cast.

Thanks!

[pallius]

Find it odd no one uses clinging darkness here. I used to do that like 100% of the time on live. Even at 70.

[Nogdar]

Darkness is mana intensive so it really comes down to 4 things to decide whether you use it or not in addition to the DC/SV rotation:

1. If the mob flees: then you just have to - especially if you're the only group snarer. Not much use casting darkness on a non-fleeing, read mostly undeads, mob however.
2. Do you have clarity 2 and/or bard regen
3. Do you have BE gauntlets (you should) and the willpower to keep switching if you have better ones
4. Is the group chaining pulls hyper fast or is the puller slacking/are the dps ripping through mobs so fast you don't even get the time to cast it (since you have to cast a few other spells first, and clicky (BE gaunts) is a long cast for example).

Note that points 2 and 3 imply you're higher level. When you're lower level, and especially before lvl 39 when you get SV, darkness is your 2nd aggro tool that you should always be casting between 2 disease clouds, but SV takes on this job at 39+, it's really an uber spell. Besides, at lower levels darkness spells aren't so hard on mana as Dooming and Cascading are, especially if your group is killing/pulling fast.

It's great aggro, but according to many factors you might not be casting it on every single mob pulled at higher levels.

[Danth]

The most important thing is that you shouldn't rely solely on Disease Cloud. It has a fairly long cooldown and generates only moderately high snap aggro (worse in this respect than, say, Shadow Vortex). You WILL lose aggro at times if you try to rely only on DC. If you want to be a good SK, you should keep up Disease Cloud along with at least one other high-aggro spell. Both Clinging Darkness and Shadow Vortex work as a second aggro spell for general use.

Clinging Darkness came into heavy use on Live as a primary aggro spell mostly after Disease Cloud was nerfed. I don't know if that'll even happen on P1999. Clinging isn't a bad spell and uses a bit less mana than Shadow Vortex. Although, on P1999 (aggro here not being exactly the same as on Live) I find Shadow Vortex to be worth the extra mana cost. The later spells in the Darkness line should be used for their snare properties, not as aggro-spam spells.

It should be noted that the Heart Flutter and Arystole line--despite their excessive mana costs--generate significant threat. They're not spells for general use but can be helpful when you absolutely, positively, MUST hold aggro. Lifetaps also generate mediocre yet perceptible threat which means keeping Vampiric Embrace running should be beneficial.

Danth

[Nogdar]

Hey,

I thought lifetaps were really 0 aggro (cept for vampiric curse) but if they're not it's virtually equal to 0 tbh.

SV is the defo way to go, especially for the non damage component, you can build aggro on your next mob while your group is finishing your current mob. I see few doing it and I really recommend that. After a SV or 2, if you break a mez with DC for your next tanked/dpsed mob, you have aggro guaranteed from second 1, and a good advance on everyone.

[Danth]

Hey,

I thought lifetaps were really 0 aggro (cept for vampiric curse) but if they're not it's virtually equal to 0 tbh.

Lifetaps are not huge aggro, agreed. However, they do generate a modest amount (more than they did on Live, perhaps--I don't know) so it doesn't hurt to keep Vampiric Embrace running. It can be refreshed between combat simply by clicking blood ember arms. I never use standard lifetap spells for aggro since that'd be pointless. I only use those spells for gaining health when I need it.

Danth

[Nogdar]

Yup

[pallius]

Darkness is mana intensive so it really comes down to 4 things to decide whether you use it or not in addition to the DC/SV rotation:

1. If the mob flees: then you just have to - especially if you're the only group snarer. Not much use casting darkness on a non-fleeing, read mostly undeads, mob however.
2. Do you have clarity 2 and/or bard regen
3. Do you have BE gauntlets (you should) and the willpower to keep switching if you have better ones
4. Is the group chaining pulls hyper fast or is the puller slacking/are the dps ripping through mobs so fast you don't even get the time to cast it (since you have to cast a few other spells first, and clicky (BE gaunts) is a long cast for example).

Note that points 2 and 3 imply you're higher level. When you're lower level, and especially before lvl 39 when you get SV, darkness is your 2nd aggro tool that you should always be casting between 2 disease clouds, but SV takes on this job at 39+, it's really an uber spell. Besides, at lower levels darkness spells aren't so hard on mana as Dooming and Cascading are, especially if your group is killing/pulling fast.

It's great aggro, but according to many factors you might not be casting it on every single mob pulled at higher levels.

Clinging darkness is the first darkness spell. Its like 10 mana or something

[Nogdar]

Yep. But you can't pick all spells in your loadout. Clinging will not stick if you used a stronger snare and I prefer by far SV over clinging, mostly for the no damage component.

[pharmakos]

is disease cloud AE here? it's single target on EQMac

[Danth]

Disease cloud is single-target. Shadow Knights do get a couple of area effect spells: one AE strength debuff and one ~100 point AE damage spell. Both of these spells are sometimes useful for aggro purposes, although neither of them generate particularly high hate.

Danth