Riot Blade > Rage of Halone Needs Work - Some Ideas

[stanleyyoung]

how i see pld all its ws combos need to be activated from the front point simple. pld is not a dd so their is really no need to be behind or the the sides of a mob, since most likey we are tanking a mob the last thing we wanna do is change the mob positioning and cause an actual dd to miss their combos.

i can agree with few of u guys about the additional effects are done with being on the sides or back of mob. also i would really like to see shield bash along with wardrum included in the combos mainly due to the fact they have little relavent/practical use this will give players a reason to use them more for enimty+ and some dmg.
example phanlax-wardrum-circle slash
example fast blade- flat blade- shield bash

[Brannigan]

also i would really like to see shield bash along with wardrum included in the combos mainly due to the fact they have little relavent/practical use

War Drum is pretty okay for AOE hate. Shield Bash has no practical use? It's an amazing on-demand stun that you'll almost always have available due to its low TP cost and the fact that it's not used in a combo. Pretty much every boss out there (except Ifrit and Garuda) is susceptible to stun as well.

Compare it to the other stuns in this game:
Pounce - used as a combo opener
Steel Cyclone - standard combo ender
The dragoon stuns - both used in combos
Thundara - If your BLM uses the Thundara stun they lose their best damage spell for like a million years
Rain of Death - comboooo

Shield Bash is the only one you can just let sit there and use specifically as a stun to interrupt an enemy.

As far as Riot Blade goes, I don't really have a problem with the rear requirement (though it's not ideal), but you're right in that the TP cost is pretty prohibitive. I can usually find a few good opportunities in the fight to sneak in a rear attack, but 2000 TP is too much. Halone's damage is also a bit low when you consider the duration of animation lock and other combo requirements.