The perk documentation from a week ago (and still in the one today) has the spirit phylactery aao/aad transfer as well as the dot/nanodot durations down to 15s in pvp (currenly they are 60s). It means an up to -711 equivalent evade nerf for shades that decide to even keep the line trained, and an up -861 total loss if the line is untrained in favor of something else with the defensive aspect of the drains being so largely discounted. Consider shades have less static def rating than a crat, even with CiB perked, as well as making that comparison based on the shade's highest evade skill (evadeclsc). We need our drains. Yeah I know the "nerf" is in a time window so to speak, but it's one that didn't exist before if we took the time to drain. Keep in mind how many buttons shades already push, now our drainline will be nearly half over by the time we finish executing it. How is this going to affect us in more ways than just a defensive nerf, such as using other perks/perklines?
It's nice that in the changes the line is broken into its nanodrain/nanodot and aao/aad transfer components so that we can use them separately if we wish too, but man... The number one change any shade would have wanted was less than 100% check on SP and instead we get 15s durations on the perks while the check remains at 100%. It's offensive use was already highly situational (mainly thanks to it's duration and/or mongo rage...), and served more as a defensive perkline (the static mods are also nice) but the proposed changes tremendously affect it's use for the worse in both those regards.
I'm also kind of bummed that the positive changes to shade perks have been so minimal, and not to our "core" perks. I mean we are the supposed most perk intensive profession. Piercing Mastery remains the same. Totemic Rites gets a slightly better heal % for the lower perks. Spirit Phylactery is getting nerfed to kingdom come in pvp. CiB's perk Evasive Stance is getting shortened. Our stun perk Disorient is shortened by 1s. Shades have needs that could be addressed. We are mostly about perks, yet there is no fundamental change for the better, no scrapping of perklines with a total rethink in a positive direction like with crats or mps for example. With SP's duration being nerfed so heavily it could have at least had a lower check so we could ladder up to being able to perk someone and could get off our MR dependancy.
The perkline Sublime Rapport has been seen and gotten a tiny bit of adjustment yet, aside from the stun perk (which is getting negative adjustment...), the perks in the line are just crap and will remain crap even after the changes. They consist of smallish damage perks, with barely noticeable/useful "extra" actions, and a very small and fast recharging lifetap perk (halved in pvp...) and Symbiosis. Symbiosis I have never ever ever used though it does look interesting to at least try (horde effect, +damage when a bunch of shades use it unless I'm mistaken). But I just can't afford it perk wise, and it will remain unused even after perk changes. What about giving shades and keepers, the two SL professions, the ability to have more than 40 SL perks trained? I would venture to say that no one is more torn over which perks to choose than shades and keepers
To end on a positive note, the Shade Touch perkline is going to be usable since it's now based on AMS skill instead of MA skill. So we get to use that giant dd perk which is nice. Also the improved range of our perks will be a big help.