Deadeye – The Scoundrel Archer
The deadeye is a more deliberate version of the huntsman. Focusing heaving on applying statuses and punishing foes afflicted by them with harsher status effects or more damage. The Deadeye’s unique utility lies within it’s Malice. Marking a target for death enables them to build their Malice and manifest it as a lethal ranged attack that is stronger with every stage of Malice gained.
The Deadeye is a bow and crossbow playstyle within the Scoundrel’s wheelhouse. Attack skills require a ranged weapon. For the most part there is a naming convention. Most "Shots" apply basic status effects, while most "Snipes" apply basic status effects with additional status effects being applied under specific conditions.
Utility
- Deadeye’s Mark – Mark a target for death. Gain Deadeye’s Gaze which lets you build malice with other skills, and gain your first stage of Malice.
- Malice – A status effect that gives you access to Death’s Judgement and improves some combat stats. Malice can only progress in it’s stages if you are invested in Scoundrel. Stage 1 requires 1 point in Scoundrel, and the highest stage – Stage 5 – requires 5 points in Scoundrel.
- Death’s Judgement – A lethal ranged attack that will consume all stages of Malice and can only be used on your marked target. Each stage of malice unlocks a stronger version, and Stage 5 is the max.
- Malicious Restoration – Poison your target and heal yourself (heals undead). Gain Malice.
- Mercy – On usable on your Marked target. Clears the mark, your Gaze, and your Malice in exchange for healing (heals undead).
- Focused Stance – Become immobile and gain range, accuracy, and damage bonuses. Unlocks "Reposition" and "Free Movement". Is removed automatically at the end of combat and has no duration.
- Quickfire Stance – Become immobile, lose accuracy and damage, but gain significant AP recovery.
- Smokescreen – Blind nearby enemies and create smoke clouds around you.
- Shadow Refuge – Create an area that will make allies invisible. Allies who lose invisibility from this skills will be Revealed for one turn and unable to become invisible again while under it’s effects.
- Shadow Meld – Target and yourself become invisible. Clears Marked and Revealed and makes you both immune to them for one turn.
- Blinding Shadow – Deal magic damage to your target, applying Blind and Slow. Gain Malice.
- Malice Unleashed – Gain Deadeye’s Gaze and Stage 5 Malice, regardless of Scoundrel investment.
Weapon Skills
- Brutal Aim / Deadly Aim – 1AP skills that reduce resistances and let you gain Malice.
- Trick Shot – Bounce an arrow between three targets and bleed them. Gain Malice.
- Cluster Shot – Fire an explosive arrow that burns. Additional arrows explode on up to 3 nearby enemies. Gain Malice.
- Choking Snipe – Fire a poison arrow. If the target is poisoned, poison and suffocate nearby enemies. Gain Malice.
- Ensnaring Snipe – Fire a poison arrow. If the target is poisoned or slowed, entangle them as well. Gain Malice.
- Cloak and Arrow – Leap to a location, dropping arrows on enemies both where you left and where you land. Each arrow has a chance to grant Malice.
- Infiltrator’s Arrow – Deal some damage and go invisible for 1 turn. Gain Malice.
- Disabling Snipe – Slow target. If they are already Slowed or Bleeding, Cripple your target as well. Gain Malice.
- Skirmisher Snipe – Cripple target. If they are already Crippled or Slowed, knock them down as well. Gain Malice.
- Snipe Tendons – Bleed target. If they are already Bleeding, apply Ruptured Tendons as well. Gain Malice.
- Wrist Snipe – Bleed target. If they are already Bleeding or Blinded, apply Atrophy as well. Gain Malice
- Head Snipe – Blind target. If they are already Blinded or Suffocating, Apply Mute as well. Gain Malice.
- Infiltrator Rush – Rush to a locations. Arrows drop on enemies you move through and have a chance to each grant Malice.
- Shadow Assualt – Flicker between up to three targets and cripple them. Gain Malice.
- Double Tap – Fire an arrow at up to two targets. Enemies affected by Atrophy, Mute, Knockdown, Entangled or Cripple will take additional piercing damage.
- Shadow Arc – Leap high into the air and fire arrows with guaranteed high ground advantage at all nearby enemies. Gain Malice.
- Shadow Storm – Fire arrows into the sky. On the turn cast, and for two more after, 6 of those arrows fall. Each arrow does either Magic or Corrosive damage and will apply a status. If the enemy already has the status that would be applied, they instead take piercing damage. Statuses: Slowed, Blinded, Suffocating, Poison, Burning, Bleeding.
All skillbooks have a unique icon (really just a slightly different colored Huntsman book icon, and can be purchased at all regular scoundrel merchants. Additionally, there is a new vendor named Cleric the Cleric who will sell skillbooks from any of my class mods you’ve installed! Their locations are listed in the shared resources mod description.
Tips?
– Torturer will be a solid way to ensure poison, burn, entangled and bleed are applied.
– Working with a torturer mage or ranger would enable a Deadeye to ramp up statuses earlier.
– Crafted arrows and grenades are the ideal starting point if you want to save memory slots or a basic skill is on cooldown. They are the intended "openers" for the Deadeye. If using Odinblade’s Huntsman Overhaul, Savvy Hunter will make them more potent.
– Both Brutal and Deadly Aim are starter skills. Choose the one (or both) that works with your team and always check class preset ability and talent points.
– The deadeye will function with elemental weapons, as most skills will deal the damage type associated with your weapon (or they deal piercing damage – which does scale like Physical Damage, but ignores armor).
– Two deadeye’s can function together quite well. Just keep in mind they cannot build malice without first marking a target, but once malice is gained, they can use Death’s Judgement on any marked target, not just the one they’ve explicitly marked. Malice is also ONLY gained through Deadeye skills.
Credits:
Guild Wars 2 and ArenaNet – for skill and status icons and inspiration
Path of Exile – for the Ranger artwork used in the images above
Larian Discord and Modders – for continued help and assistance
