"You have mastered the art of staff fighting, allowing you to strike at your foes in great sweeping arcs. Staff Fighting provides a good amount of control effects as well as some self buffs. By selecting the Staff Mastery power, you will gain access to techniques that further empower your Staff Fighting techniques and grant you useful augmentations that build up as you fight."
A signature Stalker attack. This attack does superior smashing damage on its own as a frontal attack and cannot be interrupted. However, if it is executed while you are Hidden, this attack will do tremendous damage, as you waylay your unsuspecting foe. This attack may be interrupted if you move or are attacked while executing this power and are hidden. Using this power while not hidden has a chance to critically hit equal to 33.3% times the number of stacks of Assassin's Focus. This power grants one stack of Perfection of Body. Using Assassin's Staff when not hidden will remove all stacks of Assassin's Focus regardless if you critically hit or not.
Challenges a foe to attack you. Useful to pull a villain off an ally who finds themselves in over their head. A To Hit check required to Taunt enemy players, but is not needed against critter targets.
With a lightning fast series of spins of your staff you strike at all nearby foes dealing moderate damage with a chance of knocking foes down. While a form is active, this power will build one level of Perfection if the user has two or less levels, if the user has three levels of Perfection it will consume them and gain some benefit. 3 Levels of Perfection of Body will cause additional smashing damage and reduce damage resistance slightly for a short time. 3 Levels of Perfection of Mind will cause additional psionic damage and reduce attack and movement speed for a short time. 3 Levels of Perfection of Soul will cause additional energy damage and reduce defense for a short time. Critical Hit damage isn't enhanced by levels of Perfection.
You spin your staff like a propeller in front of you dealing Light Smashing damage to enemies in your frontal arc and deflecting any incoming attacks, thus boosting your Melee and Lethal damage briefly. While a form is active, this power will build one level of Perfection.
You repeatedly batter your foes' feet and legs with a flurry of sweeps of your staff. This attack deals Moderate Smashing damage to all foes within its cone. All affected targets will have their movement speed reduced, with a chance of being immobilized briefly. While a form is active, this power will build one level of Perfection.
Damage
High
Recharge
Long
Minimum Level
26 (Brute)
26 (Scrapper)
35 (Tanker)
Effects
Melee Cone, High DMG(Smash), Foe Immobilize, -Speed
You strike your foe with a lightning fast blow from your staff dealing Light Smashing damage. The attack is so unexpected that the target's defenses are reduced slightly for a short time. While a form is active, this power will build one level of Perfection.
Allows you to trick a foe to no longer attack you. A Successful Placate will also Hide you. This Hide is very brief, and offers no Defense bonus, but it will allow you to deliver a Critical Hit or an Assassin's Staff. However, if you attack a Placated Foe, he will be able to attack you back.
Recharge
Long
Minimum Level
12 (Stalker)
Effects
Ranged, Foe Placate, Self Stealth/Hide
Enhancements
Enhance Range
Increase Attack Rate
Set Categories
-
Precise Strike
You attempt to daze your foe with a heavy staff blow to their head. Precise Strike has a higher chance to hit than normal, deals Moderate Smashing damage, and has a small chance to disorient the target briefly. While a form is active, this power will build one level of Perfection.
You fully extend your staff and release a burst of energy to lash out at a distant target and deal High Smashing damage with a good chance to knock your target down. While a form is active, this power will build one level of Perfection.
You leap into the air and hammer your foe with an overhead bash from your staff. Sky Splitter deals Extreme Smashing damage, will knock the target into the air and will briefly disorient your target. While a form is active, this power will build one level of Perfection if the user has two or less levels, if the user has three levels of Perfection it will consume them and gain some benefit. 3 Levels of Perfection of Body will cause additional smashing damage and grant the user a bonus to damage resistance a short time. 3 Levels of Perfection of Mind will cause additional psionic damage and boost the user's chance to hit for a short time. 3 Levels of Perfection of Soul will cause additional energy damage and increase the user's regeneration and recovery rate briefly. Critical Hit damage isn't enhanced by levels of Perfection.
By Purchasing this power, you will gain access to the following powers: Form of the Body, Form of the Mind and Form of the Soul. Each of these toggle powers will allow the user to build up levels of Perfection, which grant the user a stacking short duration buff. Each buff is unique to the active form, and only one form can be active at a time. Perfection can be released by executing Eye of the Storm or Sky Splitter. When either of these attacks are empowered with Perfection they will have additional effects that are unique to each form. See Forms for additional details.
Minimum Level
8 (Brute)
8 (Scrapper)
20 (Tanker)
Effects
Change Stances/Special
Set Categories
None
Editor's Note:
Although Stalkers do not receive Staff Mastery as a power choice, they do inherently receive all benefits of Form of the Body.
Form Types
Form of the Body Grants Perfection of Body levels This power is obtained by purchasing Staff Mastery. All Staff Fighting attacks will build a level of Perfection of Body while this toggle is active. Each level will boost the user's damage output slightly. Once the user has built up 3 levels of Perfection of Body and they execute Eye of the Storm, the attack will reduce the target's damage resistance and will deal additional smashing damage. Executing Sky Splitter with three levels of Perfection of Body will deal additional smashing damage and grant the user a moderate resistance buff for a short time.
Form of the Mind Grants Perfection of the Mind levels This power is obtained by purchasing Staff Mastery. All Staff Fighting attacks will build a level of Perfection of Mind while this toggle is active. Each level will boost the user's recharge rate slightly. Once the user has built up 3 levels of Perfection of Mind and they execute Eye of the Storm, the attack will slow the target slightly and will deal additional psychic damage. Executing Sky Splitter with three levels of Perfection of Mind will deal additional psychic damage and grant the user a moderate to hit buff for a short time.
Form of the Soul Grants Perfection of Soul levels This power is obtained by purchasing Staff Mastery. All Staff Fighting attacks will build a level of Perfection of Soul while this toggle is active. Each level will grant the user an Endurance Discount. Once the user has built up 3 levels of Perfection of Soul and they execute Eye of the Storm, the attack will target's defense slightly and will deal additional energy damage. Executing Sky Splitter with three levels of Perfection of Soul will deal additional energy damage and grant the user a moderate regeneration and recovery buff for a short time.
Taunt
Taunt foes to attack you. Useful to pull enemies off allies and keep them attacking you to raise your Fury. A To Hit check is required to Taunt enemy players, but is not needed against critter targets.
This section contains information about changes that took place in City of Heroes Freedom. It is provided for historical purposes.
In late July 2011, a hacked video (linked below) was distributed showing the different attacks of Staff Fighting. Some days later, players found out they could already pull up the power descriptions of several powers by linking the Power Names in general chat in-game.
Staff Fighting was officially announced at the Player Summit on November 19th, 2011; the announcement used the hacked video.
Assassin's Staff
6 (Stalker)
Enhance Accuracy
Enhance Damage
Reduce Endurance Cost
Increase Attack Rate
Melee Damage
Build Up
Enhance ToHit Buff
To Hit Buff
Confront
12 (Scrapper)
Enhance Range
Enhance Taunt Effectiveness
Taunt
Eye of the Storm
6 (Brute)
16 (Tanker)
Enhance Knockback Distance
Knockback
PBAoE Damage
Guarded Spin
Enhance Defense Buffs
Defense
Innocuous Strikes
Enhance Immobilization Duration
Enhance Slow
Immobilize
Slow Movement
Mercurial Blow
Enhance Defense Debuff
Accurate Defense Debuff
Defense Debuff
Placate
Precise Strike
Enhance Disorient Duration
Stuns
Serpent's Reach
Ranged Damage
Sky Splitter
Staff Mastery
Taunt
