Guild Wars 2

There is a new thief trend in WvW and SPvP that uses basilisk venom while in stealth in order to proc rune of the krait for backstab.

The result is an instant hit stunning backstab that also applies poison, torment, and bleeding for 8s at the same time. It’s nearly impossible to recover from and you can’t anticipate it because the attack comes from stealth and there is no delay from when the rune procs to when backstab hits.

Thank you for sharing this. I’ll be sure to try it out!

I agree with this. It’s worsened by the fact that basilisk venom has such a short CD.

Why in heavens would you use kraits on a backstab build?

I mean, a P&D Build can use the very same strategy in a more effective way.

And how much damage these condis deal with power spec over 8 seconds? Half of a single auto-attack?

I don’t think the backstab component is relevant. I think it’s more the relation ship between the ability and the fact that it’s usable from stealth, with no target required, no directional prerequisite either, an aoe. And it’s short cd, to trigger the kraits bonus

Even on a P/D heavy condition build, the krait runes provide conditions that a P/D setup already has access to. Poison on Steal > CnD > Sneak Attack > Shadow Strike.

You’re still better off getting the extra condition in the form of confusion from perplexity runes. Krait runes aren’t doing much.

I’m not even going to touch on the fact that these runes are garbage for a backstab build.

Awesome 1k backstab….

randomly.6395:

Even on a P/D heavy condition build, the krait runes provide conditions that a P/D setup already has access to. Poison on Steal > CnD > Sneak Attack > Shadow Strike.

You’re still better off getting the extra condition in the form of confusion from perplexity runes. Krait runes aren’t doing much.

I’m not even going to touch on the fact that these runes are garbage for a backstab build.

^ This in a nutshell.

If you lost to a backstab thief running runes of krait then yea I don’t even need to say it.

I can understand maybe if it caught you off guard not prepared but after that you shouldn’t have died.

The issue here is not all professions can use these stupid ‘on activating an elite’ runes.

dietzero.3514:

The issue here is not all professions can use these stupid ‘on activating an elite’ runes.

Why not? All professions have elite skills.

Just because some professions have lower cooldowns than others does not make it somehow impossible for the rest to use elite skills.

You want actually useless runes?

• Rune of Baelfire on Thief
• Rune of Soldier on Elementalist/Engineer
• Rune of Earth on Warrior
• Rune of Mesmer on Guardian
• Rune of Orr on Mesmer

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

lordhelmos.7623:

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

Spread the word, the world is full of ESPs.

>>The issue here is not all professions can use these stupid ‘on activating an elite’ runes.

not all professions have a pet and can use Ranger Runes. Not all professions have shouts and can remove conditions just by a shout.

lordhelmos.7623:

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

Really? If you are afraid of 1 stack of bleed, 1 stack of torment, and 8 seconds of poison on a 45 second cooldown from a power build, then you have bigger worries.

Your scenario will never happen. No backstab thief would want to use these runes. If they do, they have no idea what they are doing.

Your concern might be more valid if we were talking about a P/D condi build, but even then, these runes add less than perplexity. The bleed duration on the krait runes is more valuable. Krait runes are more important to builds that do not have easy access to poison or torment, both of which a P/D thief has plenty of.

lordhelmos.7623:

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

Sometimes, this is the best response to the things I see on this forum

http://youtu.be/uq-v1TTUyhM

Condition damage runes do not work with power builds. You’de waste the entire runeset by doing so.

lordhelmos.7623:

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

I can dodge stealthed attacks.

But I admit, I’m quite the psychic.

So to sum up
-On a D/d power spec, Bleed, poison, (have access already) and torment with 125 condi damage from the rune ( a little more if you go into trickery) will tickle

- p/d set already have these conditions

- a condi d/d.... Hahaha

SoulSin.5682:

Why in heavens would you use kraits on a backstab build?

cuz of poison your heal cannot burst you up enough to have any chance of surviving the oncoming heartseeker or to survive another backstab.

I hope I find these Thieves running this build. I’ll at least know they’re wasting rune slots on their Power-based sneak attack that do no damage and feed my Consume Conditions bigger heals.

Cogbyrn.7283:

I hope I find these Thieves running this build. I’ll at least know they’re wasting rune slots on their Power-based sneak attack that do no damage and feed my Consume Conditions bigger heals.

Or give you better ammo to throw at them

Prysin.8542:

SoulSin.5682:

Why in heavens would you use kraits on a backstab build?

cuz of poison your heal cannot burst you up enough to have any chance of surviving the oncoming heartseeker or to survive another backstab.

But backstab build already has poison :/

Drarnor Kunoram.5180:

Cogbyrn.7283:

I hope I find these Thieves running this build. I’ll at least know they’re wasting rune slots on their Power-based sneak attack that do no damage and feed my Consume Conditions bigger heals.

Or give you better ammo to throw at them

Also true. So very true.

This is the sort of combo that someone comes up with that doesn’t really understand how to play the Thief and GW2 in general. Backstab is a Power attack and Krait inflicts Conditions. Putting Runes of the Krait on a Backstab build is inefficient and will end with either a very weak Backstab or very weak Conditions.

This isn’t cheese. This is just bad. You shouldn’t die to someone 1v1 who uses such a bad “trick.”

It doesn’t sound bad to me, just a different strategy if the poison is what they are really after. It certainly doesn’t sound ideal to me though, let alone cheese.

Roe.3679:

It doesn’t sound bad to me, just a different strategy if the poison is what they are really after. It certainly doesn’t sound ideal to me though, let alone cheese.

They already have access to poison in a backstab build.
Hell they even have utilities that add poison

This is just a bad combo, and someone died to this horrible combo.
I dont know which one is worse honestly

Troll of the week and if by any chance you ain’t one feel free to pwn me in PvP with that op combo. I will play the class that you pick for me. Just dont be so mean as to choose ele/necro as I almost never play them.
Kudos for making me burst into laugh.

Prysin.8542:

SoulSin.5682:

Why in heavens would you use kraits on a backstab build?

cuz of poison your heal cannot burst you up enough to have any chance of surviving the oncoming heartseeker or to survive another backstab.

Boo-hoo!
Anet nerf poison plz, too op, cant heal.

Erm, with 5 Deadly Arts a Backstab Thief can already apply poison. There is literally nothing different.

Complaining for the sake of the complaining. Seriously, Krait on a power build, rofl.

Is this an attempt to manipulate the rune market?

I can understand that being poisoned might be a pain after just being BS’ed because of the heal reduction.. but there are much better ways a thief could achieve that than wasting and entire runeset just to poison their opponent every kitten .

Dont see a problem here really O_o

I once saw a Perplexity Guardian
Condi Guards are so OP

NERF CONDI GUARDS

kitten these 1k backstabs that give 1 stack of bleed torment and poison, this kitten kills, just like Perplexity Guarss kill. Did I said to nerf condi guards?

Not only is this a bad synergy on a backstab build, but if I would rely on my elite to put low conditions and backstab/stun my ennemy, I would rather use the Runes of Tequatl for the actual poison and fear my target so I don’t have to move around my foes back.

maybe the person he was fighting was so good that they used that runeset just to give other people a handicap!

Thief dagger autoattack chain has poison already :x can’t imagine a reason why someone would use that trait on a backstab thief x3

SoulSin.5682:

lordhelmos.7623:

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

Spread the word, the world is full of ESPs.

I’m one.

Dodging steal since 2012

K U T M.4539:

SoulSin.5682:

lordhelmos.7623:

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

Spread the word, the world is full of ESPs.

I’m one.

Dodging steal since 2012

That’s a little bit more impressive. How?
It’s like dodging an arcane wave from an ele, except it isn’t always used in a combo field.

you get the conditions the moment the elite is activated don’t you?
so theoreticly as soon as the conditions were applied a instand block, dodge, evade will nullify the bs and since i doubt someone will go full condi damage just relying on the runes the damage from the conditions isn’t great at all.

So in the End it’s not about the rune but again about the stealth QQ?
If so use this thread: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/sPvP-Thieves-gameplay-concerns-possible-solutions-merged

lordhelmos.7623:

There is a new thief trend in WvW and SPvP that uses basilisk venom while in stealth in order to proc rune of the krait for backstab.

The result is an instant hit stunning backstab that also applies poison, torment, and bleeding for 8s at the same time. It’s nearly impossible to recover from and you can’t anticipate it because the attack comes from stealth and there is no delay from when the rune procs to when backstab hits.

If you can’t recover from 1 stack of torment, 1 stack of bleeding, and one 8 seconds of poison, I think you might want to reevaluate your build.

No power build is going to use Krait runes, so a condi spec backstab won’t hit too hard.

P Fun Daddy.1208:

K U T M.4539:

SoulSin.5682:

lordhelmos.7623:

Rune of krait basilisk spiking from stealth requires a stunbreaker, condition clear, and heal (if backstabbed) to counter. Unless your a psychic and can dodge stealthed attacks.

Spread the word, the world is full of ESPs.

I’m one.

Dodging steal since 2012

That’s a little bit more impressive. How?
It’s like dodging an arcane wave from an ele, except it isn’t always used in a combo field.

I’m guessing he would dodge upon seeing Lyssa boons suddenly appear on the enemy Thief. Or you watch for the left arm to start swinging from long-range, as the only way the CnD is going to land is if they do a shadowstep/Steal at you.

The poison was what probably got you. Don’t forget to cleanse that, otherwise, you may waste your heal.

Olba.5376:

dietzero.3514:

The issue here is not all professions can use these stupid ‘on activating an elite’ runes.

Why not? All professions have elite skills.

Just because some professions have lower cooldowns than others does not make it somehow impossible for the rest to use elite skills.

You want actually useless runes?

• Rune of Baelfire on Thief
• Rune of Soldier on Elementalist/Engineer
• Rune of Earth on Warrior
• Rune of Mesmer on Guardian
• Rune of Orr on Mesmer

/rollseyes

Thanks, captain literal…

The point is, a 40 second cooldown elite >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a 3 minute one when it comes to these runes. Using them as an Ele, for example, would be incredibly stupid.

>>The point is, a 40 second cooldown elite >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a 3 minute one when it comes to these runes. Using them as an Ele, for example, would be incredibly stupid.

So what? .

A thief does not even access to protection or Shouts so can not benefit from those types of runes AT ALL. The coooldown of a rangers shouts that utilizes “Rune of the Soldier” is much lower then anything the thief has because the thief has no access to shouts at all.

No access at all is >>>>>>>>>>>> then a 3 minute elite .

It would be incredibly stupid for a thief to use Runes of the Soldier, but I have yet to see one complain that they can not benefit off its elite like a Guardian/ranger/ or warrior can.

Runes of the ranger benefit the ranger more then they would a thief. They do not even have a cool down to benefit off that 6th tier. It would be pointless for a thief to use it. No thief is whining about those runes.

ITT: Someone who doesn’t know the definition of “cheese”.

The OP is silly. Kraits runes is not that great. Just because you found a combo doesn’t makes it “cheese”. The whole rune set is horrible.