Guild Wars 2

Also costs 4 initiative, unknown how long it lasts.

Annoying and useless I’d say. I’ll just tail guild groups and spam body shot on their players and then Perma Stealth away since trolling is the only thing thief excels in if upcomming nerfs are true. =.=

According to the twitch stream tooltip, it lasts 1,25 sec.

Edit: they had at least +30% condition duration via deadly arts, and no runes were shown.

Wow…totally useless, this make pistol in main hand just more scrap.

Will the 10 stacks vulnerability be replaced by the immobilize or will they stay?

1 second immobilize base. Too strong in my opinion.

Still going to be difficult to make Pistol work in tpvp.

It applies both immob and vulnerability.

Then it will have a good place preparing a spike from an ally i think. (Eviscerate/backstab…)

Looks like a good way to get folks to blow a condition removal utility, could see this being kind of interesting as a set up tool.

It will benefit P/D way more than P/P I think. With a power build, SB still gives you a bouncing auto (untraited), an aoe damage attack, a 3/4 second evade, aoe poison, aoe weakness, and a shadowstep for utility. It’s much less initiative intensive. P/P will still be initiative heavy to deal damage. P/D users will have a nice snare now to set up C&D much like S/D using IS.

P/D users running caltrops will benefit as well. If you have a full init bar, you can force them to sit in the caltrops for 3-4 seconds on a full bar (depending on traits of course).

Edit: Even if you don’t have caltrops, but have Uncatchable, you can dodge away and apply immobilize while they’re in it briefly.

Uncatchable can put some nice cripple duration on them if they stay in it long enough (if you hae decent +condition duration). I had a build with 75% condition duration, and every pulse of caltrops was 7 seconds of cripple. 2-3 seconds of that, and it’s pretty decent, making them blow a removal if they have no other way of removing cripple.

This is the most useless thing ever. This is arenanet’s idea of something supportive for Body Shot? Dual pistols are even MORE useless in dungeons now.

I’m so disgusted by this “massive balance overhaul.” rofl

In summary: Good for P/D; Horrible for P/P

How is it bad for p/p? wouldn’t the vulnerability and immobilize help with landing unload? and how would an added benefit make it more worthless Paw? The vulnerability is staying you know.

bobomb.5209:

How is it bad for p/p? wouldn’t the vulnerability and immobilize help with landing unload? and how would an added benefit make it more worthless Paw? The vulnerability is staying you know.

This is true, but it’s only half the vulnerability as before, it’s 5 stacks compared to 10, though honestly that doesn’t bother me TOO much.. it’s the extra point of Initiative that gets me a little bit… Mind you just a little… I don’t know how to feel about it till after I play test it some.

Useless change for p/p, renders dancing dagger close to useless for p/d but overall a good change for the set.

Best designed class.

I cant’ believe this change went live. The problem with P/P is and always has been that it’s overly reliant on Initiative to be effective at dealing damage. This is why Body Shot sucked (it was in indirect problem, not a direct one).

What should have happened is a buff to Vital Shot and a redesign to Unload to make it have a different domain than Vital Shot and put it on a more level playing field with the other utilities that you currently get little use out of because you have to drop all your damage to use them.

Seriously, whoever is in charge of balance updates is atrocious at their job.

Einlanzer.1627:

I cant’ believe this change went live. The problem with P/P is and always has been that it’s overly reliant on Initiative to be effective at dealing damage. This is why Body Shot sucked (it was in indirect problem, not a direct one).

What should have happened is a buff to Vital Shot and a redesign to Unload to make it have a different domain than Vital Shot and put it on a more level playing field with the other utilities that you currently get little use out of because you have to drop all your damage to use them.

Seriously, whoever is in charge of balance updates is atrocious at their job.

I don’t agree. Many thieves have wanted body shot changed for a long time. I do agree that vital shot should have got a buff though. I am not sure if I would change unload much. If I did anything I might just speed up the animation and lower initiative cost by 1.

Ashanor.5319:

Einlanzer.1627:

I cant’ believe this change went live. The problem with P/P is and always has been that it’s overly reliant on Initiative to be effective at dealing damage. This is why Body Shot sucked (it was in indirect problem, not a direct one).

What should have happened is a buff to Vital Shot and a redesign to Unload to make it have a different domain than Vital Shot and put it on a more level playing field with the other utilities that you currently get little use out of because you have to drop all your damage to use them.

Seriously, whoever is in charge of balance updates is atrocious at their job.

I don’t agree. Many thieves have wanted body shot changed for a long time. I do agree that vital shot should have got a buff though. I am not sure if I would change unload much. If I did anything I might just speed up the animation and lower initiative cost by 1.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a buff to Unload’s dmg. Something like 5-10% would be nice

What I really would have liked to see is a body shot be 1 second of stealth and a 1 second immobilize and remove the vulnerability portion. Just so it would have more synergy with pistol from stealth attack (can’t remember name atm).

A pistol that shoots bolas kinda tests my suspension of disbelief, but eh, I may find use for it in my contol/support build.

Unload should apply the vuln, the vuln on body shot should be changed to a diff condition, maybe some poison.

Has anyone tested out Ricochet with Immobilize added to Body Shot?

It shoots bolas(the warrior skill), lmfao.

Just tried it. The projectile traveles extremely slow, about the same speed as shortbow AA. Misses most moving targets. Other than that it seems fine.

Seriously… tell me,
What is a thief’s role in SPvP?! what is a thief better at, then any other profession?!

• Thief burst is pitiful, any professions can survive it and outlast the thief
• Condition is laughable, it is countered by PASSIVE abilities.
• Poisons are terrible I have the filling they exist to fill the minimum amount of available abilities for the profession.

aw wait!! i know!! thief is good for resing ppl in stealth and blasting fields!

awesome!

Petition to rename this skill “Bola Shot”, pending a more clever suggestion.

It’s useless. I don’t see any sane person using it (just like the ol’ body shot)

Kerishan.8460:

Wow…totally useless, this make pistol in main hand just more scrap.

Thieves take few nerf in direct dmg, but got good boon in combos.
Dark + Projectiles or Whirl scales with power. Now deals more dmg and steal more health.
It’s possible that Short Bow, Pistol and OH Dagger deals double of dmg now.
Was a ridiculous boon in dps and sustain at same time.

JETWING.2759:

Kerishan.8460:

Wow…totally useless, this make pistol in main hand just more scrap.

Thieves take few nerf in direct dmg, but got good boon in combos.
Dark + Projectiles or Whirl scales with power. Now deals more dmg and steal more health.
It’s possible that Short Bow, Pistol and OH Dagger deals double of dmg now.
Was a ridiculous boon in dps and sustain at same time.

hump!? o.O’

Volrath.1473:

Seriously… tell me,
What is a thief’s role in SPvP?! what is a thief better at, then any other profession?!

• Thief burst is pitiful, any professions can survive it and outlast the thief
• Condition is laughable, it is countered by PASSIVE abilities.
• Poisons are terrible I have the filling they exist to fill the minimum amount of available abilities for the profession.

aw wait!! i know!! thief is good for resing ppl in stealth and blasting fields!

awesome!

+1
Kinda loled, but sadly its true.

JETWING.2759:

Kerishan.8460:

Wow…totally useless, this make pistol in main hand just more scrap.

Thieves take few nerf in direct dmg, but got good boon in combos.
Dark + Projectiles or Whirl scales with power. Now deals more dmg and steal more health.
It’s possible that Short Bow, Pistol and OH Dagger deals double of dmg now.
Was a ridiculous boon in dps and sustain at same time.

rofl, are you serious or you are just trolling?;)

p/d thief dont need immobilized and if one need it to secure cnd he should practice more on landing cnd on moving target

using it on target while using caltrops is nice but most target will just cleanse it or jump away with other skills
and only 1 seconds its not enough to use 4 initiatives so still cnd and aa much better

the only thing its good at is counter big burst warrior/melee and to keep them in place far from you. but again thief good at dodging and evades

so imo its useless

1 second? Wtf? Make it at least 2.

Lyndis.2584:

1 second? Wtf? Make it at least 2.

Better yet, they reduce the vuln stacks and increase the ini cost for a 1 sec immobilize. EPIC RIGHT?!!???!?!

… I’m feeling less and less inclined to play my thief, why can’t we have nice things?

Thief since launch, In fact over 70% of my time played is on thief and I enjoy it. Month after month of nerfs and I still managed to find some joy in it because I can adapt. This patch however went in the wrong direction. It’s called balance, we should lose some and gain some not lose a lot and gain a little. Bug fixes are not buffs, meld with shadow’s wasn’t working properly and withdraw/roll for initative didn’t remove immobilize correctly. Those are bugs, not buffs.

Venomous aura just barely made an old build slightly easier to play, not stronger. Larcenous strike was nerfed by adding 2 initiative a while back, which is fine considering how strong it was, but now it only steals 1 boon and costs the same.

Warrior’s on the other hand got stronger shout heals, as if they weren’t already good, and have a stronger shout build from the trait relocation (good thing I have a warrior, but still it’s not like we were suffering). Please anet, stop giving in to player QQ posts on thief. A large population of kittens shouldn’t be allowed to change the game because they cannot play well. Give counters like blocks, counters, reflects. Don’t just nerf thief, that’s a horrible solution.

Ashanor.5319:

Einlanzer.1627:

I cant’ believe this change went live. The problem with P/P is and always has been that it’s overly reliant on Initiative to be effective at dealing damage. This is why Body Shot sucked (it was in indirect problem, not a direct one).

What should have happened is a buff to Vital Shot and a redesign to Unload to make it have a different domain than Vital Shot and put it on a more level playing field with the other utilities that you currently get little use out of because you have to drop all your damage to use them.

Seriously, whoever is in charge of balance updates is atrocious at their job.

I don’t agree. Many thieves have wanted body shot changed for a long time. I do agree that vital shot should have got a buff though. I am not sure if I would change unload much. If I did anything I might just speed up the animation and lower initiative cost by 1.

This isn’t really an opinion. Body Shot didn’t suck any more or less than any other vuln stacking skill. Its main problem is that it takes Initiative to use, and so does your main damage skill. No other class OR weapon pits your damage and your utility directly against one another that way. You always have to over-sacrifice on one to get the other, and it makes the whole set feel clumsy and feeble. Since damage is essential in most circumstances, the utilities have to be egregiously overpowered to compete. It’s also a bit of a problem with the Shortbow, but no other class has it and even the other Thief weapons aren’t as bad because the #1 (free) skill usually serve as your primary source of damage (this is how it should be).

In other words, no matter what Thief players may think, the problem with P/P is the design of Vital Shot and Unload that results in your main damage skill being an Initiative hog, not Body Shot. The fact that whoever does these balance updates doesn’t seem to get that leaves me with little hope for the game in general, to be frank.