Hello folks, i’d like to start a discussion on condition based thief.
I’m not going to talk about raids since i’m not there yet (and probably won’t be there with thief) but about lesser pve formats.
Since thief condition application isnt tied to crit i’ve spent a hefty amount of gold on crafting trailblazer set to increase survivability. Also for the sake of argument i’ve traiblazer necro (that can tank almost anything) and carrion condition ranger.
In average circumstances both necro and ranger stack condition faster (have lower ramp up time) and to higher numbers whille also having easier application.
As example i’ll take rangers axe/torch vs thiefts dagger:
1. Weapon & pet active skills (since thief don’t have pet y’know):
In time thief spends dumping initiative on deathblossom, ranger bonfire/torch/splitblade + two pets specials (pet swap). Even if target won’t stay in bonfire for long rangers result will be much higher with added benefit of creating combo field.
2. Passive application:
In skirmishing line ranger have access to passive bleeding application at 66% on crit rate (so above 50% crit it outweights theif passive poison application) that also affects pet. Also pet have it’s own bleeding proc in beastmastery line tied to it’s autoattack crits.
Autoattack condition stacking is much stronger for ranger and it matters a lot between weapon cd/initiative unload cycles.
3. Utility skills:
For thief you’ve to weight Venomous Aura (apply to nearby allies) & Leeching Venoms in combination of basilisk venom for break bar nuking and spider venom – the only skill allowing thief to reach high condition numbers in group through venom share.
For ranger you’ll have to factor spirits that are just there and constantly benefit your group or whatever skills you prefer for doing world activities.
I’ve seen pretty high poison numbers through Venomous aura so in specific group under specific circumstances bringing condition thief can possibly have some benefits. But when i factor banners, spirits, epidemic condition spread and better survivability those classes bring i fail to see such benefits.
When it comes to solo gameplay i can’t imagine a condition build that’s worse then thief. You not only have to get in their face, you also have week conditions outside of venom sharing, long ramp up and least survivability (even in trailblazer).
I might be missing something and under ideal circumstances (no survivability issues) viper’s gear will be better, but then again there’s no reason going viper condition build over berserkers (or marauders for extra survivability) daredevil staff build that scales extremly well (have probably the most % multipliers of all classes), have zero rampup, is bursty and self sufficient.
So getting back to the main questions:
- why with so much emphasis on condition dmg in thief traits their condition build pales in comparison to anything i can imagine (exept condi mesmer, but they can play whatever as long as alacricity is up);
- em i missing some secret behind dealing meaningfull condition dmg as a thief?
Also i understand that there’s pvp aspect of the game, but as far as i know thiefs aren’t exactly owning there…