Why not leap attack for bvc?

[Quasimofo]

So, I'm in the process of distributing skill points for my first bvc. Most people more knowledgable than I about bvc's advocate maxing leap, for the knockback in pvp. However, according to Arreat Summit leap attack also has knockback radius. Is this an error, or is it that leap's knockback works in pvp while leap attack doesn't?

[Ce Olba]

So, I'm in the process of distributing skill points for my first bvc. Most people more knowledgable than I about bvc's advocate maxing leap, for the knockback in pvp. However, according to Arreat Summit leap attack also has knockback radius. Is this an error, or is it that leap's knockback works in pvp while leap attack doesn't?

I'm not sure of how that works, but 1 thing is sure, Leap Attack needs a target or Shift, making it troublesome, whereas Leap only needs to be on the right click.

[ubermoose]

IIRC leap attack only has a very small knockback radius just to give the barb somewhere to land if you leap into a horde of monsters. It doesnt grow with additional skills either.

[Romper Stomper]

Think of leap attack as an extremely slow swinging attack. Making it useless.

[Quasimofo]

IIRC leap attack only has a very small knockback radius just to give the barb somewhere to land if you leap into a horde of monsters. It doesnt grow with additional skills either.

From Arreat Summit...'Leap and Leap Attack both have a hidden knockback radius associated with them. With leap, it has a base of 2.6 (actually 2.64) yards, and gains 0.66 yards per level. Example, a level 10 leap will have a knockback radius of ( 1.98 + ( 10 * 0.66) ) = 8.5 yards. This is an approximation. With Leap Attack, the base knockback is 2.6 yards, and gains 1.32 yards per level. Example, a level 15 Leap Attack will have a knockback radius of ( 1.98 + ( 15 * 1.32 ) ) = 21.7 yards. Leapattack causes knockback to a monster, just like a NEF rune would do.'

Thus, according to Blizzard, leap attack should be more effective than leap at knockback. So, is this an error on Blizzard's part or does it not affect hostile players?

*EDIT* - Ok, tried them both, and leap attack doesn't seem to knockback anything. This is a Blizzard bug or error then?

[Uncle_Mike]

*EDIT* - Ok, tried them both, and leap attack doesn't seem to knockback anything. This is a Blizzard bug or error then?

Leap attack knocks back your target whereas leap knocks back anything within its radius and hence is superior.

Mike

[Lyrs]

Leap attack is slow to activate and complete. However, the main point of weakness is simply its predictability. Any smart player will know where a barb will land and move/attack accordingly. Now, if you were attempting to duel in close quarters, you could crtl attack; however, for that, beserk or concentrate is usually superior.

[Ax2Grind]

Leap Attack isn't meant to knockback your target, at least not until after you've hit it, so in 1v1 PvP there's almost no point unless you're fighting a summoner - that's probably not the caster you mean. It knocks back all non-target hostiles and 'stuns' your target, giving you a clear shot at it, whereas Leap is just a movement skill with a nice side effect - one affecting all enemies. The stun isn't the same as the skill by name, Warcry or Smite. It seems made to lock in the target once weapon range has been achieved after landing, forcing hit checks to be made. If it didn't, the time between landing and swinging could be used to walk out of range and the skill would be practically useless. We can wonder why the animation wasn't a one-piece attack, hacking the target at the same time your feet hit the ground.

Now, player-killers it takes off guard, and a high-damage swing can break them in two with one shot. If they survive, however, they tend to look for it, as Lyrs says. Of course, the Shift+Alt+Leap Attack is still one of the easiest monster-killing techniques, if you can get used to it. If you use the SALA method without a monster highlighted, then - like any other Shift+attack - the server decides the target at the time of landing and all others are knocked back, another reason LA just isn't a good choice against ranged PvP as there's only one target. The damage just looks too enticing to end a duel quickly, but you should try it PvM to see the dis/advantages first-hand.