Watanabe: Nightblade Leap/Ascension Skills

[unborn osprey]

Leap purpose: Further reflect Nightblade’s identity as an opportunistic and finesse attacker by adding timed strikes on his skill orbs, giving the shades more of a purpose in his kit, and letting his signature move function as more than a defensive tool.

The proposed leap skills address issues with the following:

• The interaction between a Red 3-ping and his core passive (the final strike often misses even when in an ideal situation to use the orb)
• The damage relationship between a Red and Yellow orb (Red and Yellow orbs deal the same damage, with Yellow orbs being far quicker and easier to land)
• Being clipped by enemy attacks during a Yellow orb when you think you should not
• Sneak Attack not functioning well because of how enemies face you on every attack when their super armor is depleted
• Shades only working with basic attacks
• Enemies moving out of the Signature Move throughout its duration

Watanabe: Nightblade Leap Proposal
Precise Strike

• Base DMG of [Black Sakura] (red orb) increases by 20%. The final strike of a Red 3-ping now happens while holding basic attack during its animation.
• Level 9: Watanabe: Nightblade can dodge attacks throughout the duration of [Shadow Thrust] (yellow orb). Dodging an attack this way increases Watanabe: Nightblade's Physical DMG bonus by 10% for 5s. Duration resets every time it is triggered.
• Level 18: Pressing basic attack with proper timing after the final strike of a Yellow/Blue 3-ping during [Fleeting Phantom] (core passive) will unleash a follow-up attack for 110%/200% Physical DMG and extend its duration by 2s.
• New effect of [SS Passive - Sneak Attack] added: Extra DMG Bonus increases by 15% for 5s when dealing a Critical Hit from behind.

Phantomic Resurgence

• Base DMG of [Fleeting Phantom] increases by 10%.
• Level 9: CRIT Rate increases by 20% during [Fleeting Phantom]. Shades released during [Fleeting Phantom] replicate 3-pings after a 0.5s delay at a 50% damage penalty.
• Level 18: Releasing another shade during [Fleeting Phantom] resets the original's duration and releases one more. Watanabe: Nightblade can have two shades active at once, and releasing a third will cause the duration of the first to end. Whenever the duration of a shade ends it will rush towards the target and attack for 500% Physical DMG.

Entangling Blade

• Base DMG of [Signature - Night Blade] increases by 20%.
• Level 9: [Signature - Night Blade] pulls in nearby enemies continuously.
• Level 18: When [Signature - Night Blade] is unleashed during [Fleeting Phantom], the duration of [Fleeting Phantom] is frozen and shades attack the target for 150% Physical DMG every second.

On Precise Strike:

Making the delayed hit of a Red 3-ping optional lets the player choose whether they want more damage or an easy core passive activation. Additionally, in making the move require holding basic attack for the delayed hit, it feels more rewarding in landing the final strike with it.

The Yellow orb causes Nightblade to dash ahead a short distance, even through enemies, but in trying to treat it as a dodge you will get hit. By giving it a dodge property, and rewarding the player for successfully dodging an attack with it, saving it for an upcoming burst of damage or to style on an enemy makes the move far more enjoyable and less awkward when attempting to use it for a purpose it seems like it should have.

Giving follow-up attacks to Yellow and Blue 3-pings during core passive by tapping basic attack at the end lets the player feel more like they are in the shoes of what I imagine the Nightblade frame embodies: precision.

On Phantomic Resurgence:

Nightblade's shades are a core part of his kit, but they are underutilized. Only appearing when entering core passive and pressing basic attack, it feels like they should have a larger identity during his core passive itself.

Since the core passive is where the damage burst happens, increasing Nightblade's critical hit rate helps tremendously during that short window. Additionally, in having the shades replicate 3-pings, Nightblade does not suffer from the dwindling time on core passive for electing to 3-ping instead of using basic attacks.

In the rare chance the player manages another set of two 3-pings during the core passive duration, summoning another shade to further amplify Nightblade's damage, and reset the duration of the core passive, seems an ample reward for accomplishing that. Furthermore, by giving the shades a burst attack when their duration expires, they now have a solidified identity in Nightblade's kit other than just extra damage on basic attacks.

On Entangling Blade:

Nightblade's signature move on paper seems fine, but against highly mobile enemies, especially bosses, it does not deal its full damage. The idea behind it is to reduce an enemy's super armor, then use the signature move, but with how team rotations happen in the game you are not always guaranteed to be able to accomplish that.

By letting the signature move gather enemies like Rosetta's and Luna's, this issue gets resolved. Furthermore, the shades Nightblade summons make a return when he uses his signature move during core passive. With these two changes, his signature move works as intended damage and adds cohesion between two different parts of his kit, instead of being a tool that predominantly serves as a panic button during battle.

[safe nova]

This sounds pretty good, nightblade really needs an upgrade like this.