Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 4:31 PM | 0 comments  
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Posted by Dunsparrow
Sorry for my extended absence. Between work and other games, and nothing new for Rift, I've been spending my time elsewhere. On Wednesday, 1.8 and Infernal Dawn come down, and with them, some new and changed rogue specs. There's a lot to cover and I'm going to spend some time with it, but I wanted to let everyone know I'm alive and testing.

Here's what to expect in 1.8:

Ranger as the new ranged spec
It's been a long time since anyone ran Ranger in a raid, but I've been toying with some specs and rotations on the test server and you can definitely beat Marksman for single target ranged damage, using the HK ranger crystal.

Sabstreet's Back
Rogues will actually be able to AOE once again, with our old friend Saboteur. The rotation has changed a lot and its nothing like playing Sabo or Sabdancer has been in the past. Get ready for some complex rotations/priorities/dependencies and a lot of botched rotation until you get it down.

Bloodstalker still top dog
The more things change, the more they stay the same. For pure single target damage, Bloodstalker is still tops and nothing has changed in 1.8. Same rotation, same damage. Its really a one-trick pony though. If you need to do something besides kill a boss in melee range, look elsewhere.

Marksman (?)
Marksman is still alive and kicking, and it will be tops on fights where you need to be at ranged, deal single-target damage and pets aren't viable. How many fights like that are there? Well, none in HK. We'll have to see how ID looks before passing judgment on this spec. Right now, its a niche role, at best.

Lightning Ragnarok Shining Majesty
Do not doubt the LRSM. 1.8 breathes new life into this survival/farming spec with the addition of Meditative Trance in place of False Blade. Meditative Trance heals for about 2500 over 12 seconds, making it great for keeping your health up while dealing with tough enemies. Combined with Rift Scavenger and Leaching Poison, you'll be plowing EI mobs like nobody's business.

More to come
I'll be going in depth on the new specs soon. Especially Saboteur and Ranger. Sabo is going to be an important part of raiding and may even find some uses in PvP (who knows). The Chinese curse says "may you live in interesting times" and we are, at that.
Posted by Dunsparrow