Shadow Bind (What's the point)

[Shyd]

I find heavy trammel helpful when kitting aswell. Heavy make the mobs move slower, so after i knock up arrows and let them fly ill que up heavy trammel.

[Calpis_G]

I'm only lvl 30, and still consider myself fairly new to the game, but my experience thusfar with shadowbind has been pretty positive. I mostly solo, so I use it if I need to pull back from the mob and heal up.

[TirionCrey]

As long as every stupid Mob in the game has a ranged attack, Shadowbind is just a wasted skill. It will never ever have the strategic value it had in XI, if all mobs will have ranged attacks forever.

[Spider-Dan]

Saying that every mob in the game has a ranged attack is missing the point; most mobs' ranged attacks are much weaker and a lot slower (i.e. they don't attack nearly as often) than their melee attacks.

When solo, Shadowbind allows you to bind the mob, back off while it spams its ineffective ranged attacks so you can heal up, nock three arrows, and (of nearly the most importance) wait out the Shadowbind recast. The TP cost on Shadowbind is so incredibly low that you can practically loop Multishot and Shadowbind on anything you're having problems with, as long as the bind lands.

Even in a party, Shadowbind has the best damage/TP ratio of any WS Archer can use. The only drawbacks to it are the long recast and the huge stamina cost, but if you are in a situation where you have stamina to burn, Shadowbind is an extremely useful tool.

[Deubion]

Saying that every mob in the game has a ranged attack is missing the point; most mobs' ranged attacks are much weaker and a lot slower (i.e. they don't attack nearly as often) than their melee attacks.

When solo, Shadowbind allows you to bind the mob, back off while it spams its ineffective ranged attacks so you can heal up, nock three arrows, and (of nearly the most importance) wait out the Shadowbind recast. The TP cost on Shadowbind is so incredibly low that you can practically loop Multishot and Shadowbind on anything you're having problems with, as long as the bind lands.

Even in a party, Shadowbind has the best damage/TP ratio of any WS Archer can use. The only drawbacks to it are the long recast and the huge stamina cost, but if you are in a situation where you have stamina to burn, Shadowbind is an extremely useful tool.

QFT. I was under the impression that by the time you received Shadowbind, you were aware of your ability to do this. Archer burst damage is ridiculous after you get multi-shot. Shadowbind allows you to burst one target twice in one battle as well as heal up if you need to... all at the same time. It's the one skill I never forget to put on my bar. Arrow Helix, on the other hand...

[Mephala]

Completely agree with Spider-Dan. I use Shadowbind as a rank 30 Archer to stop rank 40 and up mobs. Because of Shadowbind, I was able to take Skeleton Swordbearers at rank 36 when I was 28 solo.

When in a party, Shadowbind can be used to incapacitate one mob while you strike down another (though this can be difficult to pull off with the current targeting system.) Me and my friend use a combo of Shadowbind and Repose to stop mob groups, allowing us to do higher quests without a tank.

[Vanguard319]

I also place shadowbind as one of my preferred ws. The dmg is decent enough, and the bind is very useful if used properly. As for how long it lasts, as long as you DO NOT hit the target again, it will last long enough to buff and heal sometimes. (On the Prince of Pestilence, it lasted long enough for the recast timer to reset.)

[Rak_Boy]

useless when all mobs have ranged attack... so what's the advantage of "Bind"ing

[Messenger]

Lol, in my opinion, Shadowbind is an Archer's bestfriend, Solo or non solo, Levequest or NM hunting you will need it in any run.

Only Hardcore Archers or Archer lovers knows that majority of Archer skills are useful in any situation. Lazy bums never bother to test, play or figure out if a skill is useful or not, for them its all about what skill deals the most damage.

[Warlyx]

for CC , yup lots of mobs have ranged skills ...............

and i remember in FFXI , some god (the tiger? or raptor? ) , was used to run away from him , in partys was used for CC melee mobs , or run away ....

a root is a root