[1.2.381] The Wind

Firstly, it doesn't say Expert Star handling even affects TT, does it?
Secondly, you're complaining because you can get FREE star recharging w/o having to use stars (besides 200 upfront)? And you're complaining that it doesn't have synergy? You're frustrated because there's an overlap in your skills that makes it easier for you to not use stars...? I'm not sorry, that seems silly.

The second half of the passive is that when a star is recharged, the next hit is a guaranteed critical hit. This DOES affect Triple Throw. However, stars cannot recharge if Shadow Stars is active. Using Triple Throw without Shadow Stars is counterintuitive and using Shadow Stars makes the whole second half of Expert's passive meaningless. Negative synergy.

I'm sorry, I was mistaken, Shadow Flare doesn't block damage, it reflects it. What a dreadful and useless skill. Sure sucks to have a skill that does damage without you even having to do anything. And what is this about Shadow Shifter having any impact on Dark Flare at all? Trying to do my research and the Ultimate Skills Table says SS helps YOU not take damage. How does that have any bearing on your Dark Flare reflecting damage that your PARTY members take? There's no problem at all. I could make a case for there being some synergy but it's tenuous at best.

The reflecting part is fine. That's not a big issue at all. But here's the problem, it'll only deal damage based on the damage you receive. In regards to other party members not taking damage, that's where the terrible synergy extends even further. Let's take a look:

Warriors, Paladins especially, take a lot less damage than normal due to their damage mitigation buffs. Less damage reflected back. Negative synergy right there.
Mages possess elemental resist. Considering most of the attacks at bosses that hit them are elemental, the damage is reduced again. Less damage reflected back. Negative synergy once again.
For thieves, I've covered NL's, but the same applies to Shadowers.

So this means out of the 5 class sets, only 2 benefit from Dark Flare. But from what I know, archers get a passive increase to avoid, too. On top of that, they have a decent amount of DEX, which further increases their avoid and reduces the likelihood of them being attacked. Corsairs fall under this condition, too, with the exception of having avoid skills. So, that leaves Buccs (poor Buccs) being the only class who will usually front the entirety of damage with minimal mitigation to generate decent damage for Dark Flare. What they SHOULD have done with this skill was include the Night Lord's damage range into the damage reflected in addition to the damage taken, too.

And stop trying to make the skill look better when it's clear as day that this skill sucks even if we "have a skill that does damage without you even having to do anything."

Again, who cares when YOU go, what matters is if your PARTY members take damage. And this is all fairly irrelevant as it'd be primarily used at bosses where everyone stands in about the same place for periods of time, and thus NO ONE is moving, and it can reflect perfectly fine.

Let's take a look at what you said a few posts back. The typical bossing parties consist of NL, NL, NL, Bishop, mule, some other mule. So in that context, Dark Flare only has semi-decent synergy with three of six characters. Wonderful. Standing in the same place for periods of time doesn't suddenly place the skill into a useful state. Furthermore, not all bosses are stationary. Especially in the more recent cases of Von Leon and the soon to come Empress, Dark Flare's even less likely to see the light of day.