Ability Points and Passive Abilities

Passive Abilities

What are Passive abilities?
Passive abilities are the purple abilities you see on your abilities wheel that can be used anywhere, anytime. Have a pistol passive you want to use with a blood / elemental build? feel free!

Some good rules of thumb:

1. Consider whether the passive would be useful in more than one build Some passives are very specific to an active ability, type of attack, or weapon.
2. Consider what your build will be for Will the passive be good for whatever you're planning on doing?
3. A few passive are staples between many builds My guide is by no means extensive but Iron Maiden is used in many, many builds I've seen or use myself.

Ranged:
Pistols:

Rapid Getaway - Resource consumers give you 15% faster movement for 10 seconds and increases Crit chance by 10% for 8 seconds.
Advantage Me - Critical hits give you a HoT for 5 seconds, Critical heals cleanses your defensive target of one debuff
Seal the Deal - consumers are 15% more powerful and increases their crit rating by 5%.
Closer - increases damage and healing of consumers by 7.5% - good for leeching
Contortionist - increases heal, leech, and barriers by 10% - removes hinders or impairs automatically ever 25 seconds

Shotguns

Breaching Shot - Increases Penetration change by 40% for 8 seconds. BS of the DABS Combo
12 gauge - More useful when you have a high penetration chance - applies weakened
Shield formation gives group members the minor ward, major ward, or Protection. Normally only seen in PVP

Assault Rifles

Experience - increases the effectiveness of leeching by 20%
Lethality - Good for many builds - increases damage by 1% per stack for 10 seconds, can stack up to 10 times. If you have a high glance chance, it's wasted.
Shadow Medic - Increases all healing by 7.5%
Anticoagulant - your leeching now does a DoT
Leeching Frenzy - 2.0% of the damage dealt heals you

Magic:
Elemental:

Elemental force - a staple of most dps builds, on the 5th successful hit, gain a 20% increase in crit chance for 5 seconds. Does not build counters while buff is active.
Aidelon - 40% chance to critically hit afflicted targets with blaze.
Live Wire - after 4 counts from critical hits, this gives your next critical an additional 147 damage. If the mob is killed shortly after, you automatically get two counters.

Chaos

Intensity - Reduces glance chance of Escalation by 5%, Increases hate generation by 20% and exposes the mobs by 2% per stack up to 20%
Breakdown - Exposes mobs by 2% per stack up to 20% from all chaos, blade, or hammer hits. The GO TO expose for tanks/melee dps.
Fever pitch - 10% chance to reduce glancing by 50% for 10 seconds.
Extended Fracture - Gives reality Fracture 15% more damage and affects 2 more targets

Blood

Dark Potency -Whenever you afflict something, penetration increases by 40 points per stack for up to 200 points. Use this until you get Iron Maiden
Coagulation - Increases effectiveness of barriers by 40%
Iron Maiden - Increases penetration by 15% for 8 seconds when you penetrate and afflicted target.
Circulation - When you afflict a mob, gives you a HoT for 10 seconds.

Melee:
Swords:

Perfect Storm - Puts a nice DoT on the Mobs
Twist the Knife - Good for builds with high penetration, increases damage by up to 9% every penetrating hit
Immortal Spirit - Gives you a HoT for 5 seconds every time you penetrate

Hammer

Brawler - Increases crit power by 15%
Cool, Calm, and Collected - if you block an attack, you take 25% less damage for 6 seconds. If you critically hit, you gain 8% damage dealt for 10 seconds.
Insult to Injury - If you critically hit, you reduce your target's damage by up to 3% for 10 seconds for up to 10 stacks.
Sweet Spot - Gain health every time you critically hit
Knuckle Down - increases damage and healing of builders by 10%

Fists

Lick your Wounds - Heal over time for 3 seconds, stacks up to 4 times
Bloodsport - Staple affliction - does 23 damage for 3 seconds for up to 3 stacks
Healing Sparks - Gives your defensive target a HoT
Glimmer of Hope - Your HoTs have a 15% chance to apply a HoT to you as well
Making Amends - Your HoTs are 10% more powerful

Misc Skills
Agitator - Increases how much you earn hate by 350%