Guild Wars 2

ive mastered D/P ….D/D ….D/D evade….P/D bleed (variations) and S/D(variations)

so ive been messing around bc i usually run 5 0 30 30 5 build for my bleed which is amazing defense and good offensive capabilities too. but it was lacking the ability to really pound down thieves so i had to change it a lil so i can mess with those pesky d/d ele heal builds and thief remove condis (d/p) so this is what i came up with and i dont lose 1 v 1 and more than often i beat 2 v 1 and quite alot of 3 v 1s too. here goes.

10 0 30 0 30

MUG
SHADOWS EMBRACE/CLOAKED IN SHADOW/SHADOW REJUVENATION
LONG REACH/BOUNTIFUL THEFT/SLEIGHT OF HAND

p/d p/d 2x sigil of energy 1 x sigil of doom 1 x sigil of paralyzation (or 2 doom/para)

FULL CARRION ARMOR
2 runes of krait 2 runes of centaur 2 runes of afflicted

FULL CARRION ACCS
carrion jewels matched in all

HIDE IN SHADOWS
SHADOW STEP
SHADOW REFUGE
BLINDING POWDER
THEIVES GUILD/DAGGERSTORM (guild for solo and storm for zerg type)

TIPS/POINTS/TRICKS:

stack bleeds then blind/poison so they get removed in best order.

save steal for their first heal dont use it as your opening gap closer.

take your time while invis for heals/condi removal.

choose targets by which can drop conditions the worst.

steal —--CND——sneak attack (combo)

shadow refuge —- dodge —--dodge——swap weapon—-dodge (combo keeps you inside)

run thru target while using CND or just to the side of.

COMMENTS:

this build will keep you very much in the fray of battle and allow you to pack a punch. you will not die in 1 v 1s unless ur bad…. this is much better overall than D/P. the only weak points is your attacks only do 1k ish dmg which is fine bc ur doing dmg while invis.

ALTERATIONS:
you can change in caltrops for shadowstep depending on the situation.

i will make a real video once i have somefootage. i just took a 2 mins clip today ill go make more now to share the work. few mistakes in here bc i havent played thief in like 2 weeks almost bc of my engineer (although thief is my main )

i think your build will be nerfed in the next patch
it’s good ….too good !!!

dont think its THAT good but i think its balanced enoughto beat anyone.

No, SB (= too few shadow steps/ evades/aoe) and overly relying on stealth.
Yup, best build indeed!

sb sux…..6 init for 600 range is no good….. its mediocre at chasing ill say that. but its def the best OVERALL build as i dont die even with 10 people come….i win all my 1 v 1s (95%) more than naught of 2 v 1s and a heavy portion of 3 v 1s. over 18k hp. heavy heals heavy condi removal. stuns. almost 3k instant gap closers…. double condition duration. 140 tick bleeds. yeah it gets up there. the only thing i truely miss i think is poison field and thats why i used sigil of doom…plus poison/stun on steal breaks up any heal (excluding one from guardians) but still guardian has 0% win against me so i dont mind that so much. i was sharing a wvw build with other thieves that are still using d/p when its really not that playable unless roaming against 1 or MAYBE 2 people. size of zerg doesnt bother me

if i were runnign a dmg build as in like DIRECT dmg zerker style i would prolly use backup shortbow but with condition build….skills 1 2 and 3 are almost usless (the bleeds are ok on CB but id rather have an extra dodge from another p/d)

see…if you use CB as backup you kill your dmg in the small style battles bc u cant switch in middle of fighting…if u do you obviously lower dmg….not only that you lose the poison and the extra free evade. my init is always fine but if used IA iw ould just waste init for an extremely small gain that wouldnt really let me get away/closer. hence 2700 range gap closer i run.

pretty good in wvw and pvp, beyond trash in pve. You won’t be dying much but also won’t be doing much either. Even if you took thrill and bountiful in pve you’d still not be doing anything but keeping fury and vigor up.

Yeah Travlane, the range isn’t that good, but you shouldn’t forget that you
can port over the z axis too, which often is a huge advantage. And yeah you
are right, I was playing the so called “unicorn” build for a while, and 3 v 1
aren pretty much manageable, but it takes ages to kill somebody, and against
condition cleanse heavy classes/builds it takes even longer, I remember a fight
against a guardian …. there was simply no outcome. But well maybe it was the
fault of d/d and not using p/d, who know.

Travlane.5948:

see…if you use CB as backup you kill your dmg in the small style battles bc u cant switch in middle of fighting…if u do you obviously lower dmg….not only that you lose the poison and the extra free evade.

The shortbow #3 is a way better evade imo, and there is poison too, but yes you are
right about the dmg.

Well, since I am bored anyway I will give it a try in sPvP.

randomfightfan.4091:

pretty good in wvw and pvp, beyond trash in pve. You won’t be dying much but also won’t be doing much either. Even if you took thrill and bountiful in pve you’d still not be doing anything but keeping fury and vigor up.

yeah. not GREAT in pve but it can down 10 mobs fast with Daggerstorm and caltrops :P VERY fast. but going from 1 solo mob to the next? easy also just not as fast as zerker style

Cyhann.2609:

Yeah Travlane, the range isn’t that good, but you shouldn’t forget that you
can port over the z axis too, which often is a huge advantage. And yeah you
are right, I was playing the so called “unicorn” build for a while, and 3 v 1
aren pretty much manageable, but it takes ages to kill somebody, and against
condition cleanse heavy classes/builds it takes even longer, I remember a fight
against a guardian …. there was simply no outcome. But well maybe it was the
fault of d/d and not using p/d, who know.

Travlane.5948:

see…if you use CB as backup you kill your dmg in the small style battles bc u cant switch in middle of fighting…if u do you obviously lower dmg….not only that you lose the poison and the extra free evade.

The shortbow #3 is a way better evade imo, and there is poison too, but yes you are
right about the dmg.

Well, since I am bored anyway I will give it a try in sPvP.

guardian has literally no chance against me….dont care WHAT build he plays. the only builds that are tough to play with this are against D/P thief and D/D healing/cleanse ele. both of which i WILL kill although the ele would take 2 mins prolly…but then again nobody runs the ele cleanse bc that build cant kill a rabbit :P the dmg is so redic low its not funny. basically no diff than a troll build.

Travlane.5948:

guardian has literally no chance against me….dont care WHAT build he plays. the only builds that are tough to play with this are against D/P thief and D/D healing/cleanse ele. both of which i WILL kill although the ele would take 2 mins prolly…but then again nobody runs the ele cleanse bc that build cant kill a rabbit :P the dmg is so redic low its not funny. basically no diff than a troll build.

I remember using a very similar build in tpvp (where EVERYONE is bunker). I was shooting and sneak attacking this ele constantly but all she needed to do was ignore me to win. I was shooting her from one node to the next and 1 water dodge would cleanse 90% of my damage and all my bleeds. It wasn’t even funny how disgustingly bad it was to try and fight. After about 2 minutes of trying to get the ele off a point I just had to give up b/c there was no chance of ever moving her. At the same time though the ele didn’t do any damage but when all you have to do is stay alive on a point, you don’t need to do damage.

eles need a slight nerf. +5 secs to each attunement recharge. atleas that way there arent spamming without a break. every other class has small breaks where they are waiting for recharges. but i know what you mean… i steal 2 boons every 20 seconds with my build….it REALLY helps.

Maybe it would be better if you pair it with s/d ?

same respect to you that you dont have to do dmg either. just stay there at the poitn with her…..exit stealth soon as you enter it. caltrops in the center…maybe 20% recharge on tricks instead of long reach or something.

perhaps in spvp s/d as backup. but only for spamming 3…..not really for dmg.

Yeah, I just tried it, makes those boons guys way easier imo. Also the sustain is not too
bad, but I still need how to time attacks while in stealth.

timing is VERY important with this build. i never have a problem with it but thats bc i know all the other classes pretty well. especially in predicting what they are going to do next. and never make a pattern for yourself. for wvw there is no better build overall. this can 1 v 1 ….1 v x …..and Z v Z. d/p can only 1 v 1. s/d can only 1 v 1. venom share can only Z v Z.

since Cluster bomb…..trick shot…..and weakness has been nerfed….i find little use for SB. i cant justify using it for poison as i have plenty of access to it without losing my main dmg weapons and also have plenty of INITIATIVE-FREE access to dodges without it and also have ways of crippling for the same amount of init without having to increase gap. SB is detrimental to this kind of build.

I feel like this is a joke considering your lack of survivability and reliance on stealth coupled with the fact that you don’t use caltrops, Uncatchable or any other condition complimenting trait. Literally the only thing in this build that shouts “conditions!” is your carrion gear, which people seem to think is good for thieves.

Maybe it’s because I’ve built myself as an invincible condition thief, but for the most part I feel like little effort is put into making the thief more survivable than berserker builds. For me, survivability is the ability to be at a stalemate with a zerg while they try to kill you for over 10 minutes when you finally decide to let them kill you so that you can release back to the main group or run away depending on the situation.

Post your builds all you want, Trav, but for kitten sake man, stop declaring that they are the best Thief builds. This is the second or third mediocre P/D build you’ve posted and it’s just as bad as the other(s).

Seriously, even your claims that other weapon sets can only 1v1 is ridiculous. Speak for yourself, but I can 1v3+ with D/D, D/P, S/D and even S/P, all using almost the exact same trait allocation. I guarantee I would beat you in any duel with any of these sets.

Viking Jorun.5413:

I feel like this is a joke considering your lack of survivability and reliance on stealth coupled with the fact that you don’t use caltrops, Uncatchable or any other condition complimenting trait. Literally the only thing in this build that shouts “conditions!” is your carrion gear, which people seem to think is good for thieves.

Maybe it’s because I’ve built myself as an invincible condition thief, but for the most part I feel like little effort is put into making the thief more survivable than berserker builds. For me, survivability is the ability to be at a stalemate with a zerg while they try to kill you for over 10 minutes when you finally decide to let them kill you so that you can release back to the main group or run away depending on the situation.

really? lol wtf are you talking about? its a bleed build. which falls into conditions….;paired with mass blinds and decently consistent poison. you really dont need any others…if u bring others its a downgrade in utility. and what do you run? venoms? lol sure thats invincible. D/P? i used to run this as a 5 0 30 30 5 build but changed it to this as i saw more energy more steals more stuns more poisons and more stealing boons and more range a worthwhile trade off for the drop in hp from 22k to 18k. a zerg doesnt kill me ever unless i let them. d/p dies all the time bc 5 2 2 2 is NOT viable when theres alot of people around….HS hits people etc etc…AOE = death. i run shadow refuge + blinding powder + Shadow step…..not sure i could get more much defensive (which is also offensive due to sneak attack) . what do you run thats so different? i guarantee the only thing different is your traits. which are im willing to bet kitten ed close. you prolly what put a lil more into vitality and take it from somewhere other than shadow arts righT? i bet im right on the money mr cookie cutter. did u even read/watch ? i mean your comments are so far off they dont even make sense lol/. uber fail brah lol

Incurafy.6329:

Post your builds all you want, Trav, but for kitten sake man, stop declaring that they are the best Thief builds. This is the second or third mediocre P/D build you’ve posted and it’s just as bad as the other(s).

Seriously, even your claims that other weapon sets can only 1v1 is ridiculous. Speak for yourself, but I can 1v3+ with D/D, D/P, S/D and even S/P, all using almost the exact same trait allocation. I guarantee I would beat you in any duel with any of these sets.

the point wasnt a nanana boo boo. i was sharing (in my experience) the best OVERALL build for wvw. if ur an expert thief as well just keep it moving. not everyone is and would love to try somethign different. i highly doubt this is a mainline/FOTM/META build. if it is plz do show me where its been used so much. 99% of the videos i see of d/d or d/p or s/d etc are of 1 v 1 and 1 v 2 max. 1v3 MAYBE for a sec or 2 or if ur escaping but be real they dont have the defense/hp to really hold up in any big fight. this allows a player to fight 1 v 1 and LITERALLY get into the middle of a zerg and do something. sorry but d/d d/p and s/d ARE NOT going to do that. they end up dead. stay on the edges and hope for a wounded lamb to walk on by :P maybe i mis typed what i meant on the title. this was to help alot of other players i see asking for runes…traits….builds….bc lets face it…wvw is very hard for alot of players.

@incurafy show me some builds where there are decent players in a 1 v 3 or 1 v4 or + . ive seen prolly 200+ thief videos roughly and i notice that d/p averages 1-2 tops and p/d averages 2-3 …. s/d is usually 1 and occaisonally 2…..2-3 for s/d usually has d/p as main/backup. if you disagree with that then u just havent watched many videos. and again ill bet you gold you cant get in the fray with any of these 3: d/d d/p or s/d. really plz get in there and mix it up on video plz! and be real dont go make 100% defensive s/d bc we all know s/d is direct dmg build. challenge accepted?

Viking Jorun.5413:

I feel like this is a joke considering your lack of survivability and reliance on stealth coupled with the fact that you don’t use caltrops, Uncatchable or any other condition complimenting trait. Literally the only thing in this build that shouts “conditions!” is your carrion gear, which people seem to think is good for thieves.

Maybe it’s because I’ve built myself as an invincible condition thief, but for the most part I feel like little effort is put into making the thief more survivable than berserker builds. For me, survivability is the ability to be at a stalemate with a zerg while they try to kill you for over 10 minutes when you finally decide to let them kill you so that you can release back to the main group or run away depending on the situation.

also…as a thief what is better than carrior for thiefs? plz give me a lol

I’ve played P/D for a bit and it’s pretty good. You can be darn near unkillable but I definately would not call it the best build for thieves.

It kills things too slow unless you put a high amount of points into deadly arts. I’d say that any raw damage thief build is more effective simply based on time.

Also you can only use one on swap sigil at a time as they share cooldowns. In addition you only really need 2 weapons and 2 sigils.

You also should get rid of SR in favor of caltrops or a venom, the skill is worthless if you’re solo roaming since you can easily get away. You can also drop hide in shadows for withdraw since you have shadow’s embrace (optional). Personally I find thieves guild worthless at all times, but daggerstorm has its uses.

Edit: removed a paragraph.

WonderfulCT.6278:

I’ve played P/D for a bit and it’s pretty good. You can be darn near unkillable but I definately would not call it the best build for thieves.

It kills things too slow unless you put a high amount of points into deadly arts. I’d say that any raw damage thief build is more effective simply based on time.

Also you can only use one on swap sigil at a time as they share cooldowns. In addition you only really need 2 weapons and 2 sigils.

You also should get rid of SR in favor of caltrops or a venom, the skill is worthless if you’re solo roaming since you can easily get away. You can also drop hide in shadows for withdraw since you have shadow’s embrace (optional). Personally I find thieves guild worthless at all times, but daggerstorm has its uses.

A problem I see with your personal incarnation of the P/D thief is the low bleed stacks. It seems like it would be extremely difficult or even impossible to down someone with condition removal or just good healing.

i agree with your points but as i said its a “do it all” kind of build….most …if not all other builds can really only do 1 thing well. i do trade out caltrops when im in zerg style for shadowstep….. and 1v1 shadow refuge out for a venom……but basically if you HAD TO keep one build with one set of utilities to face all things such as zerg…1v1 1 v 2 and 1 vx….this is what i keep.

thieves guild is amazing in 1 v 1. theres no other dueling elite that u can use in this case. the rare occaison you meet the engineer that cant take bleed condition under 25% hp…. well then u want it also its amazing bc at 33% hp…. u blind powder….thieves guild……sneak attack quickly as it finishes into another quick steal for a 2 sec stun …during the stun one of the thieves uses scorpion wire pulling him then u CND to a stomp. i use TG as a finisher…and its amaaaaaazing. dueling only. any other style i use DS…. now daggerstorm is amazing too if used right. soon as enemy swaps to ranged use your daggerstorm….also when they are using those pesky KDS and CCs ….use DS then dodge roll out which keeps you about 8-10 secs of stability if traited for it. thats nice especially against the first 10 seconds fighting a guardian/engie/warrior.

some people seem to love or hate p/d …personally its not the “funnest build” lol but its overall the most useful. i have had a fight where they take 90 seconds to 2mins to kill but those are literally 1 in 100 for me. timing stuns and sneak attacks/CNDs etc right is the key to making this successful.

D/P BUILD:

-good build for 1 v 1 and maybe 1 v 2……….
-Bad build for 20 v 20 or 50 v 50
-Bad build for 1 v x (IF you are actually fighting and not running)
-One mess up and its more than likely lights out against a good player
-easily predictable and easily able to plan against Black powder shot / HS combo
-cant use condi builds
-best used in WVW and decent in SPVP TPVP PVE

S/D BUILD
-tied for d/p as a good 1 v 1 and occaisonally 1 v 2 build (if the 2 are not masters)
-bad build for 20 v 20 and 50 v 50 (lack of HP/Stealth/Heals)
-bad build for 1 v x (against unless running away even thats harder than d/p)
-hard to fight another zerker or AOE and / or condi caster
-cant use condi builds with this
-best used in SPVP TPVP (can be used in pve but not preferred)

D/D

-arguably good 1 v 1 build depending on opponent
-worst defense out of all builds (next to s/p arguably)
- worst at 1 v x
-worst at 50 v 50 and 20 v 20
-good for conditions and spike dmg builds
-good for small group skirmishes build
-well balanced on offense
-best used in PVE and Dungeons

P/D

-best out of the builds at 1 v x
-best out of the buidls at 20 v 20 and 50 v 50
-mediocre at troll builds such as cleansing/healing ele or thief troll
-best defense / healing / condi removal
-best condition(bleed) applier
-worst damage for spike/burst
-mediocre at chasing
-best areas WVW SPVP TPVP ….can be used well in PVE/dung but not preferred

What type of D/P builds exist for WvW?

roaming d/p…..as in the few solo floaters you see and attack. in a zerg 5 2 2 2 2 1 5 2 2 2 2 1 doesnt really work that well…. not very much dmg and also too much incidental dmg while in larger groups.

1 engineer taking on 2 thieves.

and another http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMdcB6Ssd38

these 2 really show how easily d/p or d/d or s/d can go down against another decent player.

this following set of videos shows the difference in your average p/d and your avergate d/p video. notice the fights

this guy only fights 1 v 1 ….soon as 2 or more people hes in defensive mode and on his way running for safety…atleast until he can even the odds again. decent player….playing it smart within his builds capabilities.

another good/decent player but this is p/d and she is NOT running from 2+. shes in there dealing with it and winning alot…… you will see if you watch both what i mean. (to all of the nay sayers or people not understanding what the point of this post was for wvw overalll builds)_

Nice build but you’re not missing the Swiftness?

The problem is you cannot really kill anyone in 1v3 against decent players.
I mean, the only way you can achieve a stomp is to steal a fear and cast it when they have no stunbreaker and be lucky.

You can kill ppl when they swing at the air with a downed mate, but they are not decent players.

Lol of course P/D is unkillable, but it’s also insanely easy to play and thus boring. I find it funny you say ele needs to get nerfed (attunement swaps) just so you have an easier time using 1 and 5 against them.

Also, sigil of doom + sigil of energy share the same cooldown. You make yourself look like a fool claiming to ahve the best build blablabla when you don’t know this basic info.

vinceftw.5086:

Lol of course P/D is unkillable, but it’s also insanely easy to play and thus boring. I find it funny you say ele needs to get nerfed (attunement swaps) just so you have an easier time using 1 and 5 against them.

Also, sigil of doom + sigil of energy share the same cooldown. You make yourself look like a fool claiming to ahve the best build blablabla when you don’t know this basic info.

So essentially you’re saying its a crutch build. Couldn’t agree more.

With S/D as primary set for 1v1, I carry shortbow as swap for 1vX and ZvZ. Gets me tons of bags in ZvZ bro.

Says the video is private!!

I’m testing this build http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQRAqY4YlUmKNHfy9E+JFB/Bn69osj1s6C6UgVtC-j0yA4sBRTdCEBCmQAmCLiGbBLa1sgU+CrmBTjSEV7RKiWtQALWDA-w
seems to work well but I want to try better the Traviane’s build…. (I miss the Swiftness)

I love 10/30/0/0/30 for WvW…but I’ve been running it with the S/P direct damage build that Tessa Avery posted in the GuildWars2Guru.com forums. So far, I’ve really liked it:
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/83957-tessa-averys-swordpistol-shortbow-daze-burst-build/

Piola.3782:

Nice build but you’re not missing the Swiftness?

i know!!!!!!!!! i hate not having swift but it was a choice of long reach vs thrill of the crime. still feeling it out.

also testing out ricochet…. i kinda like it about even with bountiful theft however….. not sure which is preferred as of yet.

Cempa.5619:

Says the video is private!!

how do i change that?

Excalibur.9748:

With S/D as primary set for 1v1, I carry shortbow as swap for 1vX and ZvZ. Gets me tons of bags in ZvZ bro.

i call that “tagging” ….anyone can get bags with shortbow in any build. however the topic/post is about actually performing/doing stuff in a zerg without staying on the edges and doing small dmg with bow or taggign a few here and there then bailing out. stays right in the mix and allows you to zerg style it up. not only that but 1v1s etc.

vinceftw.5086:

Lol of course P/D is unkillable, but it’s also insanely easy to play and thus boring. I find it funny you say ele needs to get nerfed (attunement swaps) just so you have an easier time using 1 and 5 against them.

Also, sigil of doom + sigil of energy share the same cooldown. You make yourself look like a fool claiming to ahve the best build blablabla when you don’t know this basic info.

d/d ele troll build i cant 1 v 5. bc of the aoe heals. 1 v 1 i can fine. but generally in a z v z i ignore eles as they really dont bring much to the table offensively…unless they are zerk spec in which case it takes about 8 secs to drop them.

about the sigils. if you read (maybe i misposted them) i use two weapon SETS not weapons. so when i switch one set has doom the other energy. i also dont really run doom anymore as its more of a 1 v 1 trait and just bring sigil of para and sigil of corruption.

Daendur.2357:

The problem is you cannot really kill anyone in 1v3 against decent players.
I mean, the only way you can achieve a stomp is to steal a fear and cast it when they have no stunbreaker and be lucky.

You can kill ppl when they swing at the air with a downed mate, but they are not decent players.

A) you are pointing out a general problem against all thieves not just p/d.
B) i have bllind AOE on stealth (CND to stomp)
C) in zerg running i use DAGGERSTORM when needed and then stomp with stability.
D) Shadow Step stomp.

plenty of ways to get it down and plenty of vids to prove so. ive been looking online for zerg style thieves that can also 1 v 1 but have yet to find one video. im sure theres prolly 1 out ther but looking as to have a contrast of builds.

PS….i dont think ele needs to get nerfed in the sense of what usually happens. im talking a few extra seconds on cooldowns between attunements. there are no classes/builds that can spam attack skills for hours without stopping. none. ele can. thats all im saying. eles have great defense (top 2 in game) 2nd best healing behind guardians and average dmg. pair this with spamming skills non stop…… i mean i think its a lil bit much. i mean i dont really ever see auto attack more than a rare situation from eles like this. every other classes use auto attack.

Condition thief it is a picture on the wall, for new on this class players. Best way to beat condition thief – walk away while laughing.

walk away? idk what kidna build others are playing . but i set mine up so i can catch up…even without swiftness. 2700 range instant is quite nice. 1500 instant range every 20 secs is nice. cripple on demand is nice. stun is nice every 20 seconds. swiftness for 14 seconds every 20 seconds is nice too. :P

again s/d in wvw :P hard to finish (he uses SB mostly to finish?) https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/thief/Sword-Dagger-Build-Video

You cant kill with condi thief anyone who can remove conditions. Only glass only noobs only upleveled. And show your godly video with condi thief. Or you afraid of comments?)

Another self-proclaimed guru, that plays condi crap. But it is ok, play whatever you want. No, you just blow in trumpet about your condi superiority, don’t make people laugh.

im in the midst of collecting enough footage now. and i do kill thieves with descent so it does work. my old 5 0 30 30 5 build wouldnt really be able to. hence i cant show that footage as it only works on non descent theives. not a guru. this thread is NOT for master thieves …its for the 4-5 posts a day i see people asking for advice in wvw. if u think u got it goin on and are fine they way you are doing 1 v 1s then stay there doing 1 v 1s aor maybe the occaisonal 1 v 2. no need for you to do both that and zerg style. just do what makes you happy and stop the hate man. cmon no need for that.

im not against d/p or s/d. i just was letting other newer thieves know which is best ALL AROUND for wvw…..not just roaming. and roaming is why people hate us. not zerg/group builds. sorry to take the attention away from the d/p spot light :P but what im saying is true.

if uwant my opinion on which is more fun…..well i slightly give the edge to S/D then p/d then d/p then d/d then p/p then s/p.