Tessitura (Day 192)

After getting all the way to level 45 in Rift, I've finally decided to try out PVP. I've been scared off by a lot of folks in the public chat whining about how unbalanced low level PVP can be, but I'm glad I finally decided to try it. Although I haven't been stomping every game so far, it definitely seems like I can make an impact, at least in my current spec. Being able to initiate on enemies from range while in stealth is pretty interesting--different from a rogue's playstyle in WoW, for instance. I can also chase fleeing opponents for days by spamming Twilight Force, which applies a slow at a 20 meter range.

Against casters (especially healers), I can open up with Smother, which deals damage and applies a 5 second silence. If I can output enough damage in that 5 second window I can usually take them out, provided no one else is around to heal them. I tend to skulk around the edges of fights and pick off stragglers, because as a stealth class I feel like that's what I should be doing. I played feral druid in PVP quite a bit in WoW, which had access to a pouncing ability from stealth to close the gap. In the case of Rift's Nightblade, I don't actually have to close the gap. I have access to ranged abilities and CC.

If I want to nuke my opponent down, I'll open up with Death from the Shadows, which awards me three combo points, as well as applying a stack of Fiery Spike, a fire damage over time effect that stacks up to five times. I can usually chain that with Dusk to Dawn once I pop out of stealth, which roots for four seconds and significantly increases the damage of my finishers for an entire minute, while also dealing a hefty amount of damage over time. Once I've used these two abilities, my next open is dependent upon a variety of factors. If Scourge of Darkness is off cooldown, I'll use that. It buffs my next several abilities (anywhere from 10 to 25, depending on soul build) to deal a flat amount of extra death damage. If I can't close the gap on them (usually my root would be on cooldown or they have a way to break out of it), I'll spam Twilight Force until I can catch up. However, if Scourge of Darkness is on cooldown, I still have access to a ranged finisher in Flame Thrust and Blazing Strike for melee.

I really enjoy the versatility of the class. I remember playing several melee classes in WoW and being frustrated at not being able to catch my opponent when my mobility spells were on cooldown. The issue was especially irritating when playing my warrior. I'd close the gap to them with Charge, but then they'd find a way to disengage and I would begin running after them futilely while they hurled attacks at me. This was exacerbating when attempting to engage hunters, who had every way they needed to outplay me. With Nightblade, as long as I can get to within 20 meters of my target, I can still contribute--although I'll still put out a significantly larger amount of damage in melee range with Dusk Strike and Blazing Strike.

I've yet to try PVP with any of my other specs, but I imagine I'll give it a try soon. I haven't tried Bladedancer since I got access to the spec's 4 second stun. Saboteur would also probably be interesting, since they output the majority of their damage in one giant burst. I can't imagine Riftstalker would be very useful for much--at least not with a full tank build. Their damage is abysmal, and they don't even have a lot of CC to contribute.