Under what conditions does Critical Strike become available?

[Harperelle]

I am duoing my LM with a warden through much of the epic volume I content now. I was wondering when critical strike is available to my warden?

1) When a mob is stunned with Light of the Rising dawn, Test of Will, March of the Ents, staff-strike, or Lightning Storm
2) When a mob is mezzed by Blinding flash
3) When an undead mob is dazed by bane flare

It seems like under #1, I never see my warden using critical strike. But occasionally, I'll see it with #2 if I mezz a mob before combat begins, then debuff it, then he does his ambush/crit strike. But then, it could be just the ambush that caused it to happen. Help me out wardens!

--Harperella

[ScionofAngmar]

If I remember correctly, you can use Critical Strike when a mob is knocked-down, not when it is dazed (which happens with both blinding flash and bane flare; daze is the same as a mez) or stunned (which happens with LotRD, Test of Will, etc.), and LMs do not have any knockdown skills. So when you see the warden use his Critical Strike, it is likely because he used his ambush skill.

Edit: upon reading the response below, I am now questioning whether what I said above is correct. Sounds like you and your warden have the perfect set-up to test this out.

[geoboy]

As far as I know it is available during all dazes, stuns, and knockdowns. Could be wrong though.

[chem_aggie]

Don't believe it works for stuns or cj stuns, but definitely for Burglar riddles.

[Telcharan]

To the best of my knowledge, Critical Strike is only available on a mob affected by ambush or any mez, not on a mob affected by a normal stun. I believe that's why the warden has no stuns besides ambush, only mezzes, so he can use Critical Strike. So it should work on a mob affected by blinding flash or bane flare, but possibly only the portion of bane flare that is breakable (since it's a stun followed by a mez).

[Dalthyn]

To the best of my knowledge, Critical Strike is only available on a mob affected by ambush or any mez, not on a mob affected by a normal stun. I believe that's why the warden has no stuns besides ambush, only mezzes, so he can use Critical Strike. So it should work on a mob affected by blinding flash or bane flare, but possibly only the portion of bane flare that is breakable (since it's a stun followed by a mez).

Is Bane Flare still a stun followed by a mez, or was it changed to a mez with "100% chance to break after X seconds" like most others? I know it works right from the beginning of any such mezzes, indeed that's how our brief mezzes work.

Also it is usable on the final boss in FG when he's knocked down by a trap.

[SCHawks73]

I am able to crit strike:

1. After I use ambush (knock down)
2. After I use DAS BOOT (stun)
3. When a mob is mezzed from a LM (mezz)

[head0nfire]

When a mob is dazed or knocked out. Mobs get dazed all the time, but the only times I have seen mobs get knocked out would be ambushing them, or dragging Talug into a trap in FG. Normal stuns or knock-downs will not open Critical Strike

[jeedai]

Critical Strike is available only during the stun from Ambush, any mez (including Riddle, Blinding Flash, and Bane Flare), and certain scripted stuns, such as General Talug in FG and the boss of the Rift skirmish. With that in mind, wardens have 3 skills that can open Critical Strike: Ambush and random mezzes from the Boot and Boar's Rush.

So it should work on a mob affected by blinding flash or bane flare, but possibly only the portion of bane flare that is breakable (since it's a stun followed by a mez).

This is incorrect. Mezzes that claim a 'stun and then mez' simply have a longer grace period on the current mez. For example, the tooltip of Bane Flare states "Several of the Dead will be stunned for 5 seconds and then mezzed for 10 seconds", however, the listed effect is a "15s daze, 100% chance of breaking on damage after 5s". Critical Strike is available at any point during the mez, including the grace period.

The easiest way to test this is to mez a mob with the Boot (5s mez with a 2s grace period). Critical Strike will be available as soon as the mez icon appears.

2. After I use DAS BOOT (stun)

Boot is a mez, not a stun.