Looking at the old styles list, it's hard to choose. On live I loved thrust, but going back to old styles means lower growth rates, weaker bleeds, and no good snares.

For now I'm expecting to be duoing at least 75% of the time, but anything could change.

I intend to go hybrid, leaning further towards mellee as realm ranks increase.

starting spec would be something like:
35 stealth
36 bow
42 shield
41 weapon

Which line do most scouts here follow and why?
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Thrust:

Advantages:
higher dex = greater weaponskill.
anytime snare chain at 44 if i manage spec it (but it chains off detaunt)
id need to check but iir the 39 style has a great ASR on it.

Disadvantages:
half the styles are stuns, which is redundant with slam.
offblock reactionary is a stun.
lower growth rates overall on styles.

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Slash:

Advantages:
more style options even at lower specs.
solid anytime
good side side snare for duoing
fantastic off block style (good dmg, good utility, low endo)
great dmg on backslash (see endo disadvantages)

Disadvantages:
Low str on scout, made worse by being saracen
lack of rear snare
backslash uses a ton of endo

you forgot something...
as scout your main targets are stealther..

slash-advantage:
your enemys are vulnerable (SB + Hunter)
thrust advantage:
your enemy is neutral (NS + Ranger)
you have an ''after target blocks'' if you like to face a tank
after evade combo (low endu)

thrust disadvantage:
your enemys are resistent (SB + Hunter)
nearly all styles use medium or high endu
slash disadvantage:
your enemys are resistent (NS + Ranger)
NO after evade!!

my scout is thrust..why?
because on thrust the Str/con debuff does not reduce damage so much which almost any good SB/NS uses..

Interesting angle. I tend not to worry too much about dmg type vs armor because im more of an equal opurtunity killer.

but, you are right, if i end up in melee odds are pretty good that its a sneak.

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any experience with the melee snares as a scout on uthgard?

on live with thrust id do numb->run through->rear hinder, then kite for bow dmg vs tougher targets where mellee alone wasnt working. in order to replicate that here id have to go slash and use the lvl 18 side hinder.

with regen rates rolled back to being a non-issue here, im not as concerend about bleeds or health regen, so other than adds, a kiting strategy might work for tanks

Hrmm it seems like I may have the wrong style info...

1) Does slash have any attack speed reduction (ASR) styles? It looks like riposte isnt as great a style as i thought. although the bonuses on it are all good, it doesnt have any special effect. Im not sure if thats a deal breaker for me, but it certainly would help to slow enemy dmg and make gettign off reactionaries easier.

it looks like if im going to hit 39 spec, my options are

UTILITY:
slash = side snare is the only "utility" style
thrust = almost everything is a bleed (makes snares worthless) or stun. lvl 39 side ASR.

DEFENCE:
slash = only defence penalty is on enrage. medium bonus on riposte.
thrust = penalties on several styles including rear style. only bonus is on evade chain and bassy fang (side).

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I was looking at the two most common styles to use. anytime and off block.

ANYTIME:

SLASH =
Amethyst Slash
Fatigue : Medium
Damage : Medium
Attack : Very High Bonus

THRUST = what is the standard anytime? puncture -> lunch chain?
Puncture
Fatigue : High
Damage : Low
Attack : Medium Bonus
Special : Bleeding - Does damage to a target over a period of time. Damage per tick (every 4 seconds) 3 Damage type Body Duration 20 seconds

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OFFBLOCK: because scouts block more than not

SLASH=
Riposte
Opening : You block
Fatigue : Low
Damage : High
Attack : Medium Bonus
Defense : Medium Bonus

THRUST=
Beartooth
Opening : You block
Fatigue : Low
Damage : Medium
Attack : High Bonus
Special : Stunned - Stuns the target for a brief period of time. Duration 6 seconds

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It seems to be a fairly clsoe matchup between the two lines. It looks to me that slash has slightly better styles, but taking a HUGE hit in weaponskill i think would offset the gains. I might give slash a shot from lvl 40+ while pveing, but it seems like the dmg with thrust would be superior simply because id have so much more dex.

As Musikus stated your biggest foe will be the str/con debuff if you face NS/SB. That will drop your damage through the floor with slash.

how expensive are respec stones on uthgard?

slash would likely be faster for me to pve with 40-50 because trees are thrust resistant and slash weak. with a net dmg difference of about 20%, id be better off with slash even with the lower weaponskill.

but i think i agree that thrust is likely to work out better in end game rvr.