Guild Wars 2

I made a post in Reddit asking for trait ideas. For the thief I asked for traits that offerred diversity on the current stealth meta and explored the other ambits of the thieves, like venoms, movility and even [the three times elected worst mechanic] steal.

I’ll leave some here for you guys to read, maybe balance and if you’d rather, make your own.

• Quick hands: If you have two pistols equipped, increase critical chance by 10%. Decrease weapon swap by 30%.
• Surprise entry: When you shadowstep daze for 1.50 seconds two nearby foes. Cooldown 20 seconds.
• Anti-toxine: Gain a random boon everytime you use a venom. (Up to 4 stacks).
• Trained reflexes: When you steal gain evasion for 2 seconds.
• Venomous break: If you are stunned, dazed or knockback while your health is less than 40%, break away and leave a random venom cloud in place. (Poison, Torment, Chill. Cooldown 20 seconds).
• Tainted blood: If you kill an enemy who had a venom you inflicted, recharge that venom. (Cooldown 20 seconds).
• Master of tricks: Gain up to 4 IP when you use a Trick. (Cooldown 15 seconds.)
• Expulsion: When you shadowstep, teleport away a foe in a random direction.
• Bad behaviour: Inflict one stack of confusion everytime you interrupt an enemy.
• Side effects: Poisoned enemies also become vulnerable or crippled.
• Three Stage Traps – Traps now may trigger two times before they are exhausted.
• Boon Traps: Traps remove 1 boon from up to 5 enemies when triggered. (480 radius)
• Forsee: Walking backwards for 2 seconds will instantly teleport you a short distance backwards. (60 sec cooldown).
• Persistent Venoms: Venom application cannot be blocked, missed, or evaded.
• Rewarding Daring: Successful evades grant random boons.
• Master of Signets: All signets can be used twice within 10s before going on a 30% longer cooldown.(not using the second charge keeps the signet on the origional CD).
• Trixter Training: All tricks have their range/duration increased by 300/20%.
• Sneak Attack Master: Auto attacking a target at the 50% health threshold will use said weapons sneak attack. (30 second CD)
• Dagger Training: All dagger skills get a 7% damage boost, and a range increase of 30.
• Down but not out: Downed state skill CD’s reduced by 50%. Downed skills are more effective.
• Impossible to Catch: If your Steal is on cooldown, stun break from CC once every 30s.
• Random charge: Posionous cloud now applies a random condition.
• Flexible Bow: Shortbow skills have their range extended by 300.
• Bandit’s Reward: Increased effectiveness of all stolen objects.
• Dangerous Smoke: All smoke fields now apply poison.
• Trap Education: Traps are now larger. Needle and Trip are persistent for 5s after activation. Ambush and Shadow have increased effectiveness.

There’s some neat ideas in there, but many of those seem like they’d be broken as all kitten.

All I’ve ever really wanted was a trait that lets me remove a condition or two per dodge roll. Fleet of Foot is a joke.

- Venomous Veins, gain -33% condition duration per stack against the conditions or effects the venoms you have triggered cause. (Idea taken from how regular consuming of small doses of different types of venom will make you resistant or immune against them)
- Bow Mastery, shortbow projectiles travel at 30% higher speed and 15% more range. (cast speed doesn’t increase).
- Guild master, call 2 thieves to distract and blind nearby opponents when you go below 30% health, lasts 10 seconds and 45 sec cd.
- Quick Pockets, 2 ini on weaponswap and 33% reduced cooldown on weaponswap.
- Power Shots moved from SA, and increased to 10%.

Utilities.
- Assassin’s Signet, penetrates 50% of the opponents armor and block on the next 5 attacks.

No Evidence
You do not afflict any conditions directly, you inflict extra direct damage (scales with power, can critically hit) instead.

Blood Frenzy
Whenever you stack (must be your own stacks) more than 3 stacks of bleed on a target, you gain Fury.

Trade Secrets –
Caltrops are now ground targeted
Scorpion Wire teleports it’s target to you
Haste will chill your target
Roll for initiative grants 1 sec of stability

Master Trapper –
All traps create fields when triggered
Tripwire -> smoke
Shadow -> dark
Needle -> poison
Ambush -> lighting

Trickery | Grandmaster | Shadow’s Misdirection

“Smoke fields reflect projectiles.”

I don’t even care how broken this would be. The thought is hilarious.

Auesis.7301:

Trickery | Grandmaster | Shadow’s Misdirection

“Smoke fields reflect projectiles.”

I don’t even care how broken this would be. The thought is hilarious.

If you make it not work on Black Powder, then it’d be ok. Having a PBAoE perma-reflect just sounds stupidly broken. You can just sit there against any ranged attacks and /laugh.

Barrel Roll: Dodging removes a condition.

nopoet.2960:

Trade Secrets –
Caltrops are now ground targeted
Scorpion Wire teleports it’s target to you
Haste will chill your target
Roll for initiative grants 1 sec of stability

Nice ones.
The caltrops one is a needed one, might come on par with the one suggested up there where traps can be used twice.

MakubeC.3026:

… where traps can be used twice.

Traps are bad now. What your suggesting shouldn’t be a trait. Traps should work that way untraited.

Blowback (crit strikes 1 point minor): Roots caster in place when he performs critical hit (internal cooldown: 30s).

Look all I can say right now is leave buffs to steal out of this. Right now it is extremely strong with whole builds built around it. Not only mug but the entire 6 into trickery is all just for steal. We don’t need more added to it.
Thanks, carry on.

SaintSnow.6593:

Look all I can say right now is leave buffs to steal out of this. Right now it is extremely strong with whole builds built around it. Not only mug but the entire 6 into trickery is all just for steal. We don’t need more added to it.
Thanks, carry on.

Mug is +2k hp and 800dmg. How’s that OP?
And the trickster traits are mostly boon ripping.
Steal could use a whole lot of changes.

Most of these sound extremely OP, particularly surprise entry, trained reflexes, and rewarding daring. Sw/d thief would be so insanely OP i dont even wanna think about it

MakubeC.3026:

Mug is +2k hp and 800dmg. How’s that OP?
And the trickster traits are mostly boon ripping.
Steal could use a whole lot of changes.

It’s 2k+ hp
800dmg (no crits anymore at least)
Dazes
Poisons
Boon steals (stab primary)
Grants might fury and swiftness to yourself and others oh and vigor.
All while stealing an ability to counter your opponent and is a instant blink to combo with.
This is all in one single skill that with the trickery trait line is on low cooldown and sleight of hand lowers it more too.
This all happens when you take the typical 5,7 and 12 traits in trickery as well as going 2 points in deadly arts for both serpents touch and mug.

I think steal is fine, a bit powerful but manageable. I never said “OP” bud, but it definitely doesn’t need any buffs..

Grievous Insult:
Acrobatics Master(replaces Hard to Catch) – If the thief suffers lethal damage, he/she shows double middle fingers @ the target that dealt it to him/her, prior to going in downed state.

Pavel.8531:

Grievous Insult:
Acrobatics Master(replaces Hard to Catch) – If the thief suffers lethal damage, he/she shows double middle fingers @ the target that dealt it to him/her, prior to going in downed state.

I actually like hard to catch, but this would be fun too ^^

Mark of Death;
Any target you steal from is hexed by Mark of Death. Target takes +10% damage from all sources for 10 seconds. You deal 10% less damage to all other opponents. This effect does not stack. (max 5 players)

If I’m honest, I literally just came up with that. Seems like it could work.

SaintSnow.6593:

MakubeC.3026:

Mug is +2k hp and 800dmg. How’s that OP?
And the trickster traits are mostly boon ripping.
Steal could use a whole lot of changes.

It’s 2k+ hp
800dmg (no crits anymore at least)
Dazes
Poisons
Boon steals (stab primary)
Grants might fury and swiftness to yourself and others oh and vigor.
All while stealing an ability to counter your opponent and is a instant blink to combo with.
This is all in one single skill that with the trickery trait line is on low cooldown and sleight of hand lowers it more too.
This all happens when you take the typical 5,7 and 12 traits in trickery as well as going 2 points in deadly arts for both serpents touch and mug.

I think steal is fine, a bit powerful but manageable. I never said “OP” bud, but it definitely doesn’t need any buffs..

You need to trait for all that though. Plus, I wouldn’t exactly call stolen bundles “counter” to class.

Whirling Axe doesn’t exactly counter a Warrior since they can Endure Pain, or simply move away.
Healing Seed doesn’t counter a Ranger either. Don’t even need to explain that one.
Throw Gunk I suppose can give Chaos Armour, but again.. still wouldn’t call it a “counter”

Yes the steal bundles do counter the class. Most warriors run longbow as it’s the best pvp item so whirl’s reflect counters that entirely making the fight much easier. Throw gunk stacks condis onto engi’s which have a hard time sustaining against (and can crit procing your air and fire sigils if you’re running them). Healing seed is so kitten good it helps with anything with that condi clear and prolonged water field. I can go on but it’s a fairly simple concept.
Yes what I stated you have to trait for but honestly, what build doesn’t trait for it? All current meta builds do and always have in the past since it’s too good to pass up.
Long story short, steal is perfectly fine and doesn’t need buffs. I myself don’t mind it but most of the pvp community believes it’s actually a bit too powerful still.
In all honesty this potential list is full of ridiculously overpowered traits. Got to think on more realistic terms.

SaintSnow.6593:

Yes the steal bundles do counter the class. Most warriors run longbow as it’s the best pvp item so whirl’s reflect counters that entirely making the fight much easier. Throw gunk stacks condis onto engi’s which have a hard time sustaining against (and can crit procing your air and fire sigils if you’re running them). Healing seed is so kitten good it helps with anything with that condi clear and prolonged water field. I can go on but it’s a fairly simple concept.
Yes what I stated you have to trait for but honestly, what build doesn’t trait for it? All current meta builds do and always have in the past since it’s too good to pass up.
Long story short, steal is perfectly fine and doesn’t need buffs. I myself don’t mind it but most of the pvp community believes it’s actually a bit too powerful still.
In all honesty this potential list is full of ridiculously overpowered traits. Got to think on more realistic terms.

I’m sorry, but I’d like to see some evidence of “most warriors use longbow”.
If anything, they use it for the root, fire field and blast. I can’t say I’ve seen many Warriors using it as a primary weapon.
Oh, and it’s not difficult to weapon swap from bow to primary when you’re being reflected regardless.

Healing Seed may be good, yes. However, it doesn’t necessarily counter Ranger like you said. It just helps a great deal.

Again, Slow Gunk is great for the Chaos bubble, but it doesn’t “counter” Engi in my opinion. It’s very easily avoidable because it’s such a slow projectile.

I won’t deny that they help a great deal, but I wouldn’t go quite as far as saying they counter the class stolen from.