Guild Wars 2

I currently have my thief as level 20.
At this point I still haven’t placed any trait points.
I’m looking for the best way to fly through PvE to help me hit 80.
Once 80 i’ll spec for WvW.

If possible show the best allocation of points up to my level, 20, then points where you get the book unlocks (I think 40 and 60).

Currently finding it difficult to level the thief.
Ranger and Warrior were so much easier.

Thanks for the help

Use S/P or D/P. Boost attack with traits. Guide complete :-)

I’m 40 now and still learning, but with my short experience I can say that S/P is the best option for leveling in PvE. Group attacks combined with Signet of Malice results in quick fights 1Vs many and you will heal yourself while attacking,combining it with Black powder to negate melee damage. If things get really hard, use Caltrops and switch to SB for kiting and area attacks.

For the traits, Deadly Arts and Critical Strikes for improving your damage, but I guess this changes when reaching 80.

I agree with Deathspike and Bjornen, Sword Pistol + Signet of Malice is very good in PvE. Here’s the build I use, it works well in PvE and I can easily swap utility and healing skills around to change roles without needing to change traits or gear.

My main Thief is a S/P & SB build. That was pretty easy to level with. I personally prefer the HiS heal, but that’s a very personalized decision. Pistol #5 gives you AoE Blind fields that lock down targets in your melee range. SB is there for when you need a bit of ranged AoE combat. This build went a more group focused route that was designed towards eventually getting the Venomous Aura trait. Deadly Arts 30 / Critical Strikes 10 / Shadow Arts 30.

I’ve also got a Thief alt that I’m leveling with S/D & P/P. Though P/P is weak in the dps department, it works well for short bursts of ranged dps. This build is focused on using Caltrops through the Utility skill and the Trickery 10 trait. Basically you dodge all around and create overlapping caltrop fields. Then you either melee within that mess or you ranged kite the mobs through those fields. (Caltrops applies a Cripple effect that makes this easy to pull off.) One surprising part about this build was my falling in love with the Ambush trap skill. Using my Acrobatics 10 to reduce the recast timer, I’m constantly running around with x1 Thief NPC pet through that skill Or when I also activate my Thieves Guild elite skill, I can swarm with x3 Thief NPC pets. Critical Strikes 10 / Shadow Arts 10 / Acrobatics 30 / Trickery 20.

I agree with the above posters especially about Sword/Pistol + Signet of Malice. I tried d/d s/d and a few others but that pistal black powder just cant be beat for pve. I went from dieing fairly often to being a little bored, but could tank vets all day long that didnt have ae attacks. Just watch out for all the mole mobs (immune to blind).

But 2 things to keep in mind Ranger and warrior are 2 of the BEST pve leveling classes!

I would also add get a sigil of bloodlust and do daily quests! Daily quest will get you a level in 10-15 minutes once you get the hang on them. That pretty much stays true to 80.