How is the Mute ability supposed to work?

So I have the Mute ability in one of my sets but I'm having a tough time figuring out how to actually use it. It's supposedly prevents any Templar around me within a certain distance from being able to kill, stun or use their abilities. I figure the orb that forms around me shows the region it's supposed to affect. However it doesn't seem to be working for me at all.

If I'm on the hunt and use it on a target, they almost always are able to contest the kill or stun me. Likewise when I'm being defensive, my pursuer is able to just run up to me and kill me. Yet somehow, if other people manage to use it on me, it always seems to affect me. It doesn't seem to matter if I use it only when close or preemptively for the approach.

In case it matters, I'm playing the PC version and it seems I'm connecting laggy hosts every once in a while. Kills, stuns or contested kills I know I should have gotten don't seem to register for me at times. But even if this is causing problems, why isn't it working even when I use it before they're anywhere near striking distance and if I try to compensate for the lag?

How the heck am I supposed to use this thing?

Solution 1:

Unfortunately the ability is incredibly buggy is greatly affected by lag. Just be aware that if you have a terrible connection with the host, you will have a lot of trouble using this ability. A lot of times it's hit-or-miss. But you have the highest chance of success if you use it on flat ground (sloped surfaces messes it up a lot) and you aren't too close your target.

There's one thing I've never realized about until now, the duration of the Mute is incredibly short. Uncrafted, it is 1.5 seconds to be exact. So you really need to be in position and time it right for it to be useful. So no using it too early to create a safe zone, you gotta wait til your target is close enough for you to make your move but not too close where they can overtake you. Also you must use it before they attack/stun/use an ability, it will not cancel it out.

Once I've realized this, I've been able to to make greater use of this ability. No more stunning then dying of poisoning, mute them so they can't poison you and you get your uncontested stun.

Solution 2:

Mute is actually just as useful as smoke bombs... if you know how to use them... for example I do.

click mute when your target/pursuer is roughly on the edge of the distance your mute will reach... press mute and then close the distance to kill/stun.

In AC, 1.5 seconds is actaully a lot longer than you believe.

It is extremely useful to use in a team with smoke... specially in Manhunt, when you are hiding.. the smoke will do its job... and the mute will allow you to stun that last pursuer and allow for a nice run away... or you can mute, and then during the stun animation... to catch those foolish enough to run at you... smoke... they will run in... you will stun and run away happily.

It did take me a while to get use to mute, and I hated it in AC:B... However in AC:R it is by far the most improved ability IMO