Back in beta there was a nasty issue with AS aggroing multiple spawns due to some reason or other. I suspect that the icon is actually a debuff of some kind for mobs out of sight - possible some kind of -Percep so only the mobs around you can ID you.
It's a stealth debuff.
"I know 653 ways to kill a man. Fist to the face is #56."
No it's not, I can re-hide while that icon is still up.
Only with placate, and thats not a proper hide.
Why would you need a stealth debuff there anyway? Every attack breaks stealth. Going from AS to hide still has the 10s stealth suppression like everything else
I'm just repeating what I read in a Dev post. If I had to guess, it's to stop Stalkers going around PvP zones in teams of 8, one of them ASing and the other 7 immediately applying Grant Invis.
"I know 653 ways to kill a man. Fist to the face is #56."
I thought you could do that? Never tried though
IIRC It's just there to remind you of the stealth debuff after attack, but I could be wrong.
Although you are hidden, you have less stealth than you normaly would when hidden.
Finally got tired of trying to work this out myself:
What is it about Assassin Strike that requires the power icon to remain on show for several seconds after use (you know, up under the health/end bars there)? After 27 levels I still haven't noticed any personal debuff associated with using AS (and there's certainly nothing in the power description) so what does the icon signify, if anything?
"If there's anything worse than being sacrificed, it's being sacrificed incompetantly."