Is Backstab Worthless?

[Skellum]

Hey, has anyone found a way to make this skill work? Do you use your rogue as the combat initiator or do you just use the "Turn invisible" ability to some quick extra damage to make this thing work?

[Rhymfaxe]

Use one of your other characters to inflict conditions Backstab triggers for, and your rogue will wreck people. If played/specced correctly rogue is the highest single target dpser in the game.

[Enoch]

Use one of your other characters to inflict conditions Backstab triggers for, and your rogue will wreck people. If played/specced correctly rogue is the highest single target dpser in the game.

"Backstab" is different than "Sneak Attack."

[HozzM]

Agree.  It's not good.  And, why do you get access to it before Shadowing Beyond?  That makes even less sense.

[Lohi]

Seems to be ok for me with a test run of the beginning.  Key is to realize this is not D&D.  You can be seen and still use sneak attack.  Backstab is harder but not critical to the game play.  Sneak attack feels like the real bread and butter, and so many conditions allow it, much better than the stereotypical massive-first-hit rogues who then have to go hide that so many games use.

[Weeman0313]

Rogue is good for traps and chests, combat wise it's a combo character.  Damage significantly increases if whatever you're whapping on has a status effect like blind or hobble.

[Veynn]

Backstab is useless at the moment, unless Obsidian make the Rogue stealth separately with the other party members.

 

My Rogue is currently the highest/fastest damager at the moment, even without backstab. But I'd still like to use Backstab ala D&D since I like stealth characters.

[PrimeJunta]

It's not strictly useless I think, but it does require something of a gimmick build to really work. Things to note:

 

(1) The 2 x damage multiplier is a Big Deal

(2) You need to be stealthed or invisible to use it

 

I.e. if you pump Stealth and use a high-damage two-handed weapon, take Shadowing Beyond, Reckless Assault, and Vulnerable Attack, then use Crippling or Blinding Strike, your backstabs will do scary point damage. Those damage multipliers stack.

 

But that's a lot of talents to spend on something you can only use once per encounter + twice per rest.