Guild Wars 2

So based on the trailer, we know at least that it’s getting a rifle. So it’s very likely a Gunslinger. (This, I’ve read, was actually a class early in development but was later scrapped. Some concept art of it can be found)

I’m really excited about the rifle, but also very interested in potential improvements it can provide for P/P.

I’m also very interested in what the replacement to Steal might be. I’m hoping for some sort of active Initiative management to give that system a bit more depth.

Looking forward to more stuff like this on my Thief :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ANcaESZtw

P.S. – We need bigger pistol skins.

That skill in the youtube vid at the “death comes” part is cool but much like mesmer portal.

I was hoping for cross-dressing spy agent
That can infiltrate enemy territory disguised as an ally ..and then guardians would be able to see through their disguise ,or they will give themselves away the moment they attack.

In disguise mode the spy can gather “secret documents” which in turn can be exchanged for cool new disguises (they will also get a disguise wardrobe)

Those diguises have special properties.Some come with cool new ways to ambush/deceive the enemy..Other disguises allow you to escape in style when discovered..

I’m pretty sure the steal function will not be replaced, nor will the initiative functionality of their skills. However, that doesn’t mean other functions of the thief cannot be changed around. The thought that the new class might become more of a sniper isn’t a bad idea, seeing as the hylek are experts with blowdarts and thus precision aiming. Of course, we can’t quite say for certain that it will be a rifle that the thief will gain; for all we know, it could be getting the hammer instead.

I want a hitman who uses their rifle like different weapons in some third person games involving shooting (e.g.: Hitman, Max Payne, etc). With at least one slow activation skill that can be used to snipe key targets from the battlements in WvW.

It’ll have to have have downsides so it can’t be used along stealth very well to deal lots of single target damage from a distance and instantly move in cloaked to finish the target.

For example:

1. Precise Shot. 1200 range autoattack.
   • Bump fire: Sneak attack: A short burst of bullets that deals vulnerability an crippled, but little damage.
2. Spray & Pray: Sprays a low-accuracy 1200 range fan of bullets that can be used as cover fire.
3. Bullet Time: Evasive action that fires at 900 range while dodging backwards.
4. Sawed-Off: 600 range and decent damage. Knocks enemies back if they are closer than 300 units, and launches them if they closer than 150.
5. Snipe: Deals heavy damage at over 1500 units. The attack is charged, moving cancels activation, and takes initiative as it charges. Each charge phase takes 1 second.
   • First stage consumes 3 initiative. Deals moderate damage at 900 range.
   • Second stage consumes 6 initiative. Deals decent damage at 1200 range.
   • Third stage consumes all remaining initiative and prevents regeneration as it charges. Deals high damage at 1500 range.

Maybe even getting a long forced Revealed when the sniping skill hits.
It’s not as if all thief builds are supposed go with the Shadow Arts theme and work well with stealth . There can be some builds that are more on the Acrobatics theme and rely on evades (eg. Using a staff like a quarterstaff with evades and jumps and such) and others that are that and rely on mobility and keeping the distance for defense.

Or maybe even changing their initiative mechanic so their skills get recharges, but F1-F4 now spend initiative to speed up recharges of the 2-5 skills instead.

Even if thieves do not get that specialization now, I will want it later on when they add more.

I’d add to #5 that the player can’t move while the shot is charging. Kind of like how ranger’s 5th longbow skill, Barrage, only drops a burst of arrows until the user moves. When I was still learning the class, I found this a little hard to understand until I noticed this fact. It’d also give other players a better chance to avoid getting hit by this powerful attack. Otherwise, it looks like a pretty solid skill set.

I was also considering a minimum range for the snipe, so if you get close enough the skill fails. So using while being too close to the target can be dangerous if they have time to approach. For example, 150, 300 and 600 range based on the current charge stage.

The problem with that speculative thief set is that if you set so many restrictions on Snipe it becomes one of ‘those’ abilities. You know the ones. Completely useless 99% of the time except in gamey circumstances where it pretty much one-shots people and then they whine and complain and the class as a whole gets nerfed.

I prefer abilities to be generally useful, especially with the way Thief works as compared to other classes (Allows ‘spamming’, for example). Trying to build in too many ‘penalties’ would only discourage people from using the weapon. Instead bring down the damage some and remove said penalties or, in general, just think of a more inventive way to go about it.

I mentioned in another thread that a Sniper-style thief would give Trap gameplay a lot more credence. Basically set up and then have skills to fall back when things get hairy. I like that you’re thinking of ideas here but all of them but the knockback are pretty much ‘pure damage’ skills, and the jump back evade is already covered by the shortbow and wouldn’t need to be repeated with a second weapon.

Just off the top of my head:

1. Burst Fire – Fire a triple burst from your rifle. These apply a condition. (Could be poison, vulnerability, etc. Not a pure damage condition like bleed but a utility one, also something thieves need desperately in PvE group content. Alternatively, have the damage staggered into a chain for the higher damage at one end and a condition on the other, much like dagger chain).

2. Shooting Low – Does weak to moderate damage and applies a cripple. Possible synergy with traits to also make this apply a poison effect.

3. Snipe – Your damage shot. 1 sec cast or so, higher damage at longer range, bonus damage against rooted or snared targets. Must remain stationary while casting.

4. Marksman’s Retreat – Basically teleports you backwards and leaves a root/snare trap where you’d been standing for a few seconds. High ini cost to avoid spamming.

5. Dispatch – Higher ini cost snap-shot. Instant-cast, does only moderate damage against targets above 50% health, good damage against those above 35%, and high damage against targets below that. Ranged heartseeker, in a way. Gives you an option to actually finish off a target you get low but punishes you if you try spamming it at someone who’s high health by draining your ini quickly.

That’s my take on a more balanced weapon set, though that was thought of in the span of perhaps five minutes.

you suggestions sounds like a collection of all op-range-skills around^^(ranger rapid-fire, engi knockback,war snipe,…)

i’d enjoy something differently, more thief-like..how about using it to make those contition/poison stuff work, so a lot of cc with low casttime interrupts and instead of crippling enemy porting away or evadeing a short time and leaving a trap behind

if you want just op range damage you can do ranger^^

Initiative will stay. It’s the core mechanic of the thief, so it’s not likely to change.

Steal however, is likely to be replaced by another mechanic. Some traits (Mug, Improvisation, more range on Steal) would become useless, but it wouldn’t be that bad, and the last trait line would be integrally replaced.

My speculation: a specialization called the Assassin, who would get a rifle and instead of steal, have a weapon-based F1, just like warriors, except it would be a skill you can only use while out of combat. To ease things, we could imagine a F2 skill that would be a long stealth (smith like 10s) that can only be used out of combat. Let’s say we only get the F1.
Examples of possible out of combat skills:

Rifle: 1500 range sniper shot. Even 2000 range if it uses ground targeting

SD: A slow-moving, wide-area smoke-bomb that grants stealth to allies and blind foes. Very useful when arriving in a team fight where a team mate is downed, or to cast one of your other F1 skills

Pistol: a 900-range stun or daze

Dagger: a teleport after which you appear jumping and planting your dagger in your foe’s throat. Doesn’t matter what the skill does really, I just want that cool animation!

Sword: A 900-range leap, to have sword become a weapon you can consider taking over SB for it’s mobility. Could help for our fellow JP lovers too!

I wasn’t suggesting that Initiative might go away. I was saying that I hope the mechanic that replaces Steal directly involves itself with Initiative. Possibly by allowing some way to recover it.
More likely though, it’ll probably just make you step away from an enemy in melee range, instead of toward them. Much like the Ranger pet, there’s too many traits related to Steal spread through all the trait trees.
Unless they plan to replace those traits and keep them organized in Trickery, which would be great.

another specialization I’d like to see very much is the swashbuckler
[img] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/SodaGuy/Pirate.jpg
[img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ee/f8/be/eef8bee79782fc532f94ce91e6836f19.jpg
[/img]
The swashbuckler embodies the concepts of daring and panache
Instead of being thugs,they perfer grand and flamboyant manners; flair; verve.
Their great sense of fashion allows them to learn disguise types from enemies they have bested.(kinda like what i suggested in previous post)

on top
-They get a damage bonus for flanking enemies
-Are able to master acrobatic tricks
-can damage their enemies strenght and constitution temporarily
-Have much more resistance to mind controle

i think this would be a nice specialization for the more “mannered” thieves among us that want to show off.Or for all the maties that fancy pirates y’arrrrrr

As much as I would love to have a rifle, or 1200+ ranged option in general, I find myself hoping they add a specialization that adds offhand ‘hand’ skills.

Something along the lines of mainhand dagger/offhand dirty tricks, or mainhand pistol, etc.

my speculation is that we will be nerfed. ahuehue. just kidding. oh the heartbreak.