backstab macro weapon swapFollow

ok right now i am duel mace, i want to swap my main for backstab in combat. can this be done? if so whats the macro
thanks

CAN this be done, sure. You can make a macro to equip weapons. I did it on a reroll planned it so I equip the dagger for ambush then equip sword for the rest of the fight. You have to know however that switching the weapon renders you unable to take any action for 1 second due to the coold down. So you can't have a macro that does sth like "equip + attack" (because the attack can't take place due to the cool down). So what I did on my reroll was sth like:

Macro to go stealth and equip dagger:
/cast stealth
/stopcasting
/equip dagger ---> CD here but I don't care, I just entered stealth and am walking towards my target

Macro to ambush and equip sword:
/cast pickpocket
/stopcasting
/cast ambush
/stopcasting
/equip sword ---> CD here but I don't care, I just ambushed my target anyway

(that's just for the general idea, not sure the macro grammar is 100% correct).

This allowed me to have the 1 sec pauses at times where it would hurt because I wasn't attacking anything anyways.

But you've also got addons to switch weapons which would allow you to do this more easily than with macros (one is named weaponrack I think or sth like that).

SHOULD this be done, I'd say no because:
1) Due to the 1 sec pause following weapon switches, you'll waste a lot of combat time doing nothing but taking hits and
2) Backstab is one of the worst attacks in terms of energy management. I'd only use it in a highly specialized build that takes the most benefit from it, such as combat daggers. Otherwise, I think you should better stick to your maces (although maces aren't top notch for pve, I'd recommend swords).

nostra

Edited, Aug 28th 2007 10:36am by nostraaa

If you want to be able to Ambush but want a slow weapon for using SS/Hemo mainhand, get the mod Outfitter, it will swap your gear based on whether you're stealthed or not. Does what you need to do perfectly.

As for swapping weapons mid combat to Backstab, there is absolutely no reason. If you want to use a dagger attack, just use a dagger. DPS is DPS, no weapon is superior to any other as far as white DPS is concerned (ignoring weapon specs, that is).