Flawed "AoE"s

[Helion]

The 2 AoEs for the trickster are massively flawed. The first one is Harsh Blow, which you get after the L60 job change. You target the main mob you want to hit, and then as the trickster spins and whirls his claws or blades, he will randomly hit other surrounding mobs. Note - not all of the surrounding mobs, but a few of them. To make it worse, this is a MAGIC damage skill, therefore INT is needed. At L91, my max physical damage is 4.4K, but my INT damage is 223. Needless to say, you won't do much damage with this skill. Recently I hit a red nix in Flaming Mine with a crit damage of 26 - yes, I just said 26 - as the blades passed by. At best, the skill is good for maybe grabbing agro away from another player in party if you hit the mob, and it also acquires 2 souls per use.
The other AoE is the Soul Trap skill, also known as Ice Field to some players, which you get at level 75. In solo, the trickster can only use it as a solo skill, since you must slow the mob first before the skill will work (sequence of soul stealing move/Enfeeblement/then Soul Trap). Enfeeblement will only slow one mob, so you can then only freeze one mob. In a party, you will still need to first steal a soul, then use Soul Trap AFTER a mage slows the mobs with it's own AoE or after a fighter stuns a group. Note - if you can time the use of Soul Trap to the end of the fighter's stun, it makes for a quick end to almost all groups of mobs. Anyway, you as a trickster become a slave to hoping you have a good mage that understands to cast their mob slowing AoE first. Timing is critical, and that really makes this skill crappy. No other AoEs are the game is dependent on other players to make them work or need a combination of moves to make them work.

[Hessah]

I laughed when I saw you crit a 26 dmg.

That sounds horrible...

[Destrus]

is it even possible for a trickster to gain enough magic attack to make that worth it?

[Helion]

No, the skill will hit your main mob 6 or 7 times, and each hit gets progressively stronger, so after the 3 seconds the skill lasts you can do some damage to 1 mob, anything else is just letting the other mobs know you exist.

[Destrus]

so it's just a single target skill you don't want to use near things that might attack you ;_;?

[Helion]

You target a single mob, but anything other mob that is in a tight radius can also be hit - usually just any mob that is attacking you is close enough, but I will use it if a cleric or mage draw agro to attempt to get agro back, I just have to be close enough to the cleric or mage to affect the other mobs.

[Hessah]

So much to look after for one skill!

I reckon I'd just go into a button bash then trip over myself and die... done that plenty of times just AOEing on my archer..

[Helion]

Harsh blow isn't a bad skill, but it's best use is for stealing 2 souls at once, not as an AoE, since it really doesn't measure up IMO. You get a feel or it after a while, and the pause you have to take before you can cast your next skill is great for stoning and potting without losing your attack rhythm. Still, it would be much more useful as regular damage and not magic damage, because you will never develop enough INT stat to make it worth it in the damage department.

[crystalblueheart]

Harsh blow isn't a bad skill, but it's best use is for stealing 2 souls at once, not as an AoE, since it really doesn't measure up IMO. You get a feel or it after a while, and the pause you have to take before you can cast your next skill is great for stoning and potting without losing your attack rhythm. Still, it would be much more useful as regular damage and not magic damage, because you will never develop enough INT stat to make it worth it in the damage department.

lol imagine a full-int trickster xD

[Helion]

lol imagine a full-int trickster xD

A full INT trickster would look like this: