Being a die hard fan of the classic D/D, I refuse to adapt to this D/P playstyle. I’ve been working on a build since I returned to the game after the major changes to all classes. I’m not saying this is the end all be all D/D build to revitalize the spec in terms of viability, but this works for me personally and I find I can still hit hard as hell and play almost like I used to be able to.
So for starters it’s got 21.4k hp without wvw buffs so you can afford to take some hits, considering the insane burst meta going on right now we just can’t afford to be walking around full zerker anymore, so I’ve replaced everything with valkyrie or zerker/valk. We sit at 24% crit chance which is pretty low, but we take hidden killer to bring our crits up to 100% out of stealth. This works with D/D because of our main source of dmg being backstabs.
I take runes of speed for the extra vitality and for the 25% movespeed bonus. As a D/D you need to be able to move to get your cnd’s and I prefer a constant 25% at least. On the other hand we do take Totc so if you prefer pack runes they are still viable with this build, just not my personal preference.
236% crit dmg is pretty standard, we have ferocity in everything we can get it (besides runes) but I think this is a decent amount to keep us going.
2522 power, not as high as some other builds but again, it will get us by.
On to the traits, I take crit strikes, trickery, and shadow arts because this is the best possible combination for and outnumbered build. I don’t take DA because I can’t bring myself to part ways with any of these lines and I don’t feel my damage is lacking too much without executioner.
I take the signet recharge trait so I can’ do more CnD Inf signet combos, I also take the Steal recharge trait for this reason as well (plus daze as a bonus).
I take the regen on stealth instead of stealth on steal because it would break the CnD/steal combo which would hurt dps, plus it gives me a little extra sustain.
Here’s the big one, I take shadow rejuve over blind on stealth (oooooof). The reason being, I find being able to regen is much more important then blinding one of the attacks. Once you get good at dodging upon entering stealth you can learn to mitigate the dmg that blind once did for you, plus we get a nifty minor trait that reduces the dmg we receive in stealth. If you find you just can’t live without blind on stealth you can swap it and replace the food with mango pie to try to make up for the lost regen.
The rest of the traits are no brainers but in case someone was wonderingTotc for buffs, boon rips for counterplay, condi cleanse in stealth because we will die without it, and extra ferocity based on precision for the extra ferocity we can squeeze out.
On to utility skills,
I take blinding powder instead of shadow refuge because I want instant stealth that I can’t be knocked out of. I’ve found the shadow refuge gets me killed more often than not, but you can swap this if you find you can’t live without SR.
I take withdraw because instant heal and evade, more health regained over time, and because I feel like I already have enough stealth. If you prefer hide in shadows cause you’re a stealth fiend go for it.
Infiltrators strike is very important as we get 5 stacks of might on it’s pop, and we can use it to combo cnd from afar.
And the elite you swap out as you see fit, Basi for quick burst, so on and so forth.
If I didn’t clarify anything enough please ask your questions, and if you have suggestions please submit them!
(edited by reinforever.8902)