Guild Wars 2

did not realise how bad you have it against thief

doesn’t matter how much toughness I have they just go 1 2 3 dead <not literally but nearly. no point using stealth because their attacks are chained and follow you anyway.. no point blinking because their skills do that for them anyway :s and the damage zomg! they are a pest on my necro but I can at least deal with the stupid ones and the smart ones if they stuff up and fall for my tricks but I cant seem to deal with them on this even tho I know what they are going to do >.<

I do fine against the other classes.. even warrior. im playing sword pistol gs shatter could go gs staff but have not really figured that out yet

this is mainly for pvp not wvw

Typically kill them fairly quickly or make them run. Thief in most cases that I have dealt with are pretty easy to keep up with.

This is the reason all mesmers use Staff in PvP. Agaisnt thieves, it’s the only way to not die in 5s and have the time to put the pressure back on him.

mikeew.8607:

Typically kill them fairly quickly or make them run. Thief in most cases that I have dealt with are pretty easy to keep up with.

but how?.. I at least had a way to damage them without a target on necro with daggers and wells but on this “you must have an enemy targeted to use that skill” I cant do anything and just get the typical blind dagger 1s 222 dead.. <simplified ofc

What spec are you running? I use a shatter spec and thieves are the reason i run around with mainhand sword active unless I see someone. Right after a thief opens if you can Blurred frenzy and mirror images then mind wrack (if you play shatter) you can usually get them to back off which allows for some more clone generation for distortion on their next burst or just move in for the kill if they are at lower hp.

A a condi mesmer thieves are so easy to kill. Torment, confusion, bleeds, poison, etc. make easy work of them. Now, as a Power mesmer…..that’s another story. I find that having access to multiple ways to stealth is key to beating them as well. Between traited torch, decoy, and blink I’m able to survive their onslaught.

I use a pu spec utilising sword/torch and great sword. The build is a 4/4/6 build. You can probably figure out the build if not i can post here in a bit fixing to go to CS class then will post build maybe even work on a vid tonight of some footage.

EDIT: The gear is Zerker gear with runes of the warrior for quick weapon swap and stack bloodlust.

What loony says, and also be agressive, look at Vasherys youtube clips.
Scepter can also be a defensive substitute for staff. The block is nice and they hate torment, might be difficult in a shatter spec though.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tY8Y7pvQQuA
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9PLs0cReY9A

Mesmer built properly wreck thief every time.

build is/was 4 4 0 0 6 and im talking about pvp situations not wvw should probably add that to my main post. I was starting to use blurred frenzy when they try to steal but usually they just dodge away and wait it out. will give your combo a go tho thanks =)

will try most of these things tomorrow thanks for the responses

I’m going to assume GS/Staff Shatter here, if not its np just adjust based on your own weapons. To beat a thief with shatter the BEST thing you can do is avoid Steal – this is hard but hear me out. You need to learn the teleport distance and if they turn towards you and run at you directly dodge as they enter that sweet spot distance. Them missing Steal is the single best thing that can happen. Its worth a dodge even if they don’t use it.

Now since that can be difficult and clever thieves (aren’t many but there are enough) will not try to Steal you immediately the next thing you need to learn is to deal with their weapon sets.
Against SD the most effective trick you can learn is dodging Flanking Strike and pushing Shatters at the end of the move where they are vulnerable for an instant – if this damage hits they panic and gives you an advantage. If they turn towards you dodge that tends to indicate a Sword#2 tele. If they run towards a clone use a Shatter – it will stop them stealthing.
Against DP getting an interupt on Heartseeker when they are trying to stealth from Black Powder is the most effective thing you can do – this is difficult because of the blind being shot at you and if you’re on top of him you’ll have the field blinding you too. Chaos Storm and Diversion are the most useful tools – dodging and pushing Diversion while dodging if you’re close will be the best way to hit this. Other than that its dealing with stealth and if you get blinded while the thief is stealthed DODGE because that means they have just used Shadow Shot.
SBow – kitten SBOW… Basicly stay at max range and don’t use Shatters and if possible stay away from your clones.

Now if Steal hits you need to basicly waste time until the boons are gone – don’t bother trying any grand attacks or shatters during this time – also do not use your heal until Poison has run out on you.

Finally you will just need to be a bit lucky – the thief needs to CHOOSE to die. They need to get overconfident or kitten up and not run away – they have the option to run away from you at any point they need to choose to stay and die. You also need to get lucky they don’t get too many Auto Attack Fire+Air procs.

Basicly thieves will kill you with minimal effort and coin flips but good dodging can give you the kill IF they are stupid/overconfident enough to let you.

you say vashery like it is meant to mean something useful to me.. that name doesn’t show up on yt unless its a twitch thing

Well,I ususally get on corners and wait for them and than i just use diversion+chaos strom switch to w/e dps spec you have->if it is gs ill use mirror blade + mind wrack if it is sword->dodge-> blurred frenzy->+mindwrack and if you have mantra of distraction charged up use it while you doing the dmg.

unlucky.9285:

you say vashery like it is meant to mean something useful to me.. that name doesn’t show up on yt unless its a twitch thing

He spelled it wrong.

Vashury: Owner of the gnarliest shatter bursting known to GW2.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vashury

Hi,

I’ve tried everything and have played mesmer exclusively on the Anvil Rock server. I WvW only and found the clone on death build with sword, torch, staff to be most effective vs theives. (note: my experiances only, yours may very)

It is important in this build to also have as high a crit chance as possible. Mine is at 68% when sword is equiped. That way your clones apply bleeds on crits and also apply confusion, bleeds, and other conditions on death. Theives back off right away becuase conditions are applied faster than they can cleanse them.

Don’t knock the torch phantasm either. It applies confusion & bleeds with crits and gives you retaliation. A theif can kill themselves on your retaliation.

Here are the specs I’m currently running for Harken Too Face my Charr mesmer:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhIQNAsfWlknpMtNqxTNUrRSpxYycOCdlRqAK7LlD-TFCBwAw03URJIgnUwP1f+q8LypUghJId7PEAABgduzhuzhmUALKMC-w

Anvil Rock

Thieves are definitely the hardest fight you will encounter in GW2. IMO nothing competes with the mobility, blinds, consistent burst dmg, and access to stealth. Forgot to mention they don’t have any cooldowns on attack skills, therefore, you have to understand their stealth to have a chance to beat them. The best advice I can give you is to dodge roll 3 seconds after they stealth. This is a guess but they have to come out of stealth by 4 seconds so it gives you time to see them and counter their attack. Use blocks after dodge roll, utilize your immob with main hand sword, and don’t forget about the F3 skill if you are playing shatter and you take the trait to allow yourself to shatter. The F3 skill will stun a thief and interrupt their shadow step or heal. This is great to ensure your shatter lands for max dmg.

Here are some vids of several different ways I have dealt with thieves in the past. Please note that my playstyle is more reactive and therefore I use a lot of blocks to weaken enemies before I attack. Also, please note that I am by no means an expert at beating thieves, however, once you understand them better you can stand a better chance of winning.

dodge roll to blurred frenzy
http://youtu.be/kIuLiRHB4UE?t=7m58s

Scept 2 on spinning thief
http://youtu.be/kIuLiRHB4UE?t=3m52s

Fight with Test thieves – running for my life.
http://youtu.be/dwj_uZDtAUs?t=8m40s

Shatter vid – def watch at 2:30 fighting a thief
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_EQTI6VTR4&list=UUnIrOfuurog3fhylpEOJTqQ

Power/crit phantasm mesmer fight against thief
http://youtu.be/maVS9zYIgYg?t=10m36s

I am starting to move on from GW2 since WvW has been so neglected (only exception is the amazing fix to culling), but if you need help with a build or have any questions just PM me here or leave a message on my youtube channel.

well I watched the vashury vids. I have no idea how he gets the skills off so fast if I try to go that quick it will put the previous skill on cool down and not cast them and some of the skills went off before he had even changed weapon sets completely…

TogoChubb.3984:

Thieves are definitely the hardest fight you will encounter in GW2. IMO nothing competes with the mobility, blinds, consistent burst dmg, and access to stealth. Forgot to mention they don’t have any cooldowns on attack skills, therefore, you have to understand their stealth to have a chance to beat them. The best advice I can give you is to dodge roll 3 seconds after they stealth. This is a guess but they have to come out of stealth by 4 seconds so it gives you time to see them and counter their attack. Use blocks after dodge roll, utilize your immob with main hand sword, and don’t forget about the F3 skill if you are playing shatter and you take the trait to allow yourself to shatter. The F3 skill will stun a thief and interrupt their shadow step or heal. This is great to ensure your shatter lands for max dmg.

Here are some vids of several different ways I have dealt with thieves in the past. Please note that my playstyle is more reactive and therefore I use a lot of blocks to weaken enemies before I attack. Also, please note that I am by no means an expert at beating thieves, however, once you understand them better you can stand a better chance of winning.

dodge roll to blurred frenzy
http://youtu.be/kIuLiRHB4UE?t=7m58s

Scept 2 on spinning thief
http://youtu.be/kIuLiRHB4UE?t=3m52s

Fight with Test thieves – running for my life.
http://youtu.be/dwj_uZDtAUs?t=8m40s

Shatter vid – def watch at 2:30 fighting a thief
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_EQTI6VTR4&list=UUnIrOfuurog3fhylpEOJTqQ

Power/crit phantasm mesmer fight against thief
http://youtu.be/maVS9zYIgYg?t=10m36s

I am starting to move on from GW2 since WvW has been so neglected (only exception is the amazing fix to culling), but if you need help with a build or have any questions just PM me here or leave a message on my youtube channel.

Well,fighting thieves with PU is pretty much easy and good for practice.

Sandrox.9524:

Well,fighting thieves with PU is pretty much easy and good for practice.

If its easy it isn’t good practice.

Coulter.2315:

Sandrox.9524:

Well,fighting thieves with PU is pretty much easy and good for practice.

If its easy it isn’t good practice.

it is good for beginners.to understand the mesmer mechanic and how thieves work.

I already know how thieves work. it changes nothing and I have been doing the frenzy shatter thing but it doesn’t kill them its usually easily evaded by them actually then they just stealth steal burst win… or stealth run away heal burst win -.-.. and lets not forget you usually have blind shoved on you regularly

unlucky.9285:

I already know how thieves work. it changes nothing and I have been doing the frenzy shatter thing but it doesn’t kill them its usually easily evaded by them actually then they just stealth steal burst win… or stealth run away heal burst win -.-..

do it while dazing them with MoD or F3

Power PU sorts it out. Use lemongrass poultry soup too. I have no condition removal, I just rely on the -40% duration and usually survive, even against heavy conditioners. If they apply confusion, stealth and run away for the time being. If they apply torment, Stealth and sit on your kitten . It doesn’t actually hurt too bad if you don’t move believe it or not.
My build: Zerker with some cavalier’s. Full stack applied fortitude, Potent SSS, Lemongrass poultry soup, Greatsword + Sword Pistol traveler rune. All ascended with infusions that provide toughness.

Here’s what I do as a GS/Staff shatter mesmer: count to three.

From what I can tell, no good thief opens with steal because they want to save the daze/initiative gain/boon strip to counter your response to their opening burst. So, if you see a thief coming for you and pop into stealth, they are going to be on your back within three seconds.

Depending on your cooldowns and energy, there’s a lot you can do. Chaos storm around you, dodge roll, diversion, distortion… if it’s a 1v1, one of my favorite things to do now is mass invis immediately after they stealth. I’ll typically see them drop out of stealth first, and then I can get the jump on them. If they try to escape via shadow refuge, you know where they are so just blow every PBAOE you have in the area and look around for the body.

NB – I just started esporting and am coming up with most of my strategies on the fly, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt.

Mckeone.9804:

Here’s what I do as a GS/Staff shatter mesmer: count to three.

From what I can tell, no good thief opens with steal because they want to save the daze/initiative gain/boon strip to counter your response to their opening burst. So, if you see a thief coming for you and pop into stealth, they are going to be on your back within three seconds.

Depending on your cooldowns and energy, there’s a lot you can do. Chaos storm around you, dodge roll, diversion, distortion… if it’s a 1v1, one of my favorite things to do now is mass invis immediately after they stealth. I’ll typically see them drop out of stealth first, and then I can get the jump on them. If they try to escape via shadow refuge, you know where they are so just blow every PBAOE you have in the area and look around for the body.

NB – I just started esporting and am coming up with most of my strategies on the fly, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt.

You gotta love those Shadow Refuge thieves. Especially when you wield a greatsword yourself. Walk up next to it, and push #5 ;D

Mckeone.9804:

Here’s what I do as a GS/Staff shatter mesmer: count to three.

From what I can tell, no good thief opens with steal because they want to save the daze/initiative gain/boon strip to counter your response to their opening burst. So, if you see a thief coming for you and pop into stealth, they are going to be on your back within three seconds.

Depending on your cooldowns and energy, there’s a lot you can do. Chaos storm around you, dodge roll, diversion, distortion… if it’s a 1v1, one of my favorite things to do now is mass invis immediately after they stealth. I’ll typically see them drop out of stealth first, and then I can get the jump on them. If they try to escape via shadow refuge, you know where they are so just blow every PBAOE you have in the area and look around for the body.

NB – I just started esporting and am coming up with most of my strategies on the fly, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt.

Valid point here.

My two cent

If using s/s and Staff or s/p and Staff.

When they vanish and with staff, drop your chaos field down
at your location. Maybe not right away, hold for 1-2 sec. Since they like to attack from the back, this will

1 slow their next attack,
2 give you more time to heal up or put skills off CD.

If with s/s or s/p, swing away in all direction you might be
lucky a get a hit or again slows their next attack out.

Don’t use dodge only when in combat.

If they run, then you are doing well. Mind you they will come back, that is what they do best, hit and run hit and run.

All I can say is hang in there, in time you will get used to
it and you will in turn find your own way to make them pay.

Sandrox.9524:

Coulter.2315:

Sandrox.9524:

Well,fighting thieves with PU is pretty much easy and good for practice.

If its easy it isn’t good practice.

it is good for beginners.to understand the mesmer mechanic and how thieves work.

PU gives you aegis if you use stealth so it would be the same as a Guardian except that Guardians have way more access to aegis than a PU mesmer. Anyway, PU wasn’t the question from the OP, but a strategy to fight thieves. Having PU doesn’t change the strategy to fight thieves, but does allow for a mistake or two.

Each video contains a different build (i.e. see the shatter vid) and some do include PU builds and some do not. However, the strategy doesn’t change when fighting thieves. I kill thieves all the time on any class I play…PU or not. It’s because I understand thieves mechanics and implement the same strategy to beat them.

If a thief has access to no cooldowns, venom, condi cleanse on stealth, blinds, and pretty much stealth at any point they please…wouldn’t this qualify as easy mode too? Maybe that’s why I named my thief that exact phrase and is one of the most boring classes i’ve ever played in my 15 plus yrs of playing MMO’s.

PU is a good place to start on mesmer and when you become comfortable with thieves try to pickup other traits that are much better than PU.