Guild Wars 2

So before all the nerfs and stuff when thief was a good class, I was a d/d roamer. I would stalk people down and get my nice, solid backstab heartseeker combo, then finish them. Now, just like the rest of the average skill players, I am a p/d thief. Is it still possible to not have to lower my skill ceiling and put out a good amount of damage while surviving more than 2 seconds? I know that it’s impossible to win against a Ranger with d/d since their #2 kills me instantly, but is d/d viable against other classes?

xXBurningEmberXx.6085:

… I was a d/d roamer …is d/d [still] viable…?

Yes it is viable.

D/D is still viable. I run 2 6 0 0 6 with zerk armor, valk weapons, and a combination of valk zerk and caviler trinkets. Solo roaming with this build needs getting used to but it’s really rewarding to play and it’s also great in team comp.
Conditions builds are hard to beat but winnable.

Azawrath.7304:

D/D is still viable. I run 2 6 0 0 6 with zerk armor, valk weapons, and a combination of valk zerk and caviler trinkets. Solo roaming with this build needs getting used to but it’s really rewarding to play and it’s also great in team comp.
Conditions builds are hard to beat but winnable.

With this build, though, you must not be hitting the 6k backstab, right?

I hit around 5-10k backstabs depending on which class I hit and what builds I face. The mug CnD BS combo does around 9-13k I think. I haven’t been on this week so I can’t remember any numbers very accurately. The build is very busty due to the high crit chance.

Here is a guy still doing d/d 6/6/x/x/x, you can still achieve decent numbers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10doqNw3IVE

The main difference between “back in the day” and now, is that people are on to our lil tricks. You never see this guy 1v1 from a /bow for a reason, it’s more about surprise.

If you want something d/d but more balanced, there is always the ever present “yishis” x/6/6/x/x “outnumbered” build.

Woaden.9425:

Here is a guy still doing d/d 6/6/x/x/x, you can still achieve decent numbers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10doqNw3IVE

The main difference between “back in the day” and now, is that people are on to our lil tricks. You never see this guy 1v1 from a /bow for a reason, it’s more about surprise.

If you want something d/d but more balanced, there is always the ever present “yishis” x/6/6/x/x “outnumbered” build.

I’m seeing 10-11k backstabs with 15k base health. How is this possible?

His health is 12.2k, he’s getting the other 3k from wvw guard stacks.

He’s getting HP over base health due to practiced tolerance. Without that, he’s at around 10.9k.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fZAQNAoYVlsMp0pdPxzJ8PNRLRtdHEdfgXnh2PQAEiA-T1RBwAX3fU+dT9H86BQpp5xJAAwDAwsSQSBExyI-w

Edit: That said, I really wouldn’t go this route for roaming. Run in to the wrong necro, ele, or guard and you’re gonna have a bad day.

Do something more balanced with some built in mitigation. You can still go 2/6/x/x/x and get some decent opening burst and have points to spare for some survivability.

xXBurningEmberXx.6085:

So before all the nerfs and stuff when thief was a good class, I was a d/d roamer. I would stalk people down and get my nice, solid backstab heartseeker combo, then finish them. Now, just like the rest of the average skill players, I am a p/d thief. Is it still possible to not have to lower my skill ceiling and put out a good amount of damage while surviving more than 2 seconds? I know that it’s impossible to win against a Ranger with d/d since their #2 kills me instantly, but is d/d viable against other classes?

If a ranger can insta down you with lb 2, you can do the same to him with backstab combo.

I play 20606 with d/d. 40-50% crit chance, pack runes, thrill of the crime, and fire/air sigils means you’ll still do very solid damage, with good sustain and team utility.

And d/d still does well against rangers (as all teefs do). Pets make for a very easy CnD target, and you have a ton of gap closers.

However, I think the meta is at a point where there are certain builds you just won’t be able to kill running the standard x66xx Yishis build (various guardian builds, d/d ele, condi warrior, etc.). If you want to play d/d teef, I highly suggest investing 6 into trickery.

mango.9267:

I play 20606 with d/d. 40-50% crit chance, pack runes, thrill of the crime, and fire/air sigils means you’ll still do very solid damage, with good sustain and team utility.

And d/d still does well against rangers (as all teefs do). Pets make for a very easy CnD target, and you have a ton of gap closers.

However, I think the meta is at a point where there are certain builds you just won’t be able to kill running the standard x66xx Yishis build (various guardian builds, d/d ele, condi warrior, etc.). If you want to play d/d teef, I highly suggest investing 6 into trickery.

What is your opinion on Bountiful Theft (BT) vs Flanking strikes?

Vigor and boon is nice, but so is also 5% dmg on the back/sides of the enemy.

Thinking I will try BT as one will get a nice fury from TotC which will get my critical chance up to 66% with my current setup 2/0/6/0/6 (rune of the pack).

What about fury runes tho (superior rune of rage)? One doesn’t have the best critical strikes with this kind of setup, and will make almost 1/2 of your backstabs dealing lower damage, so why not “abuse” that fury we get from TotC? You get +30% fury duration, a 25% chance of getting fury (30 sec CD) and +5% dmg while under the effect of fury.

mompen.7952:

What is your opinion on Bountiful Theft (BT) vs Flanking strikes?

Vigor and boon is nice, but so is also 5% dmg on the back/sides of the enemy.

Thinking I will try BT as one will get a nice fury from TotC which will get my critical chance up to 66% with my current setup 2/0/6/0/6 (rune of the pack).

What about fury runes tho (superior rune of rage)? One doesn’t have the best critical strikes with this kind of setup, and will make almost 1/2 of your backstabs dealing lower damage, so why not “abuse” that fury we get from TotC? You get +30% fury duration, a 25% chance of getting fury (30 sec CD) and +5% dmg while under the effect of fury.

I think bountiful theft is a must. One of the best traits for team utility, especially when paired with sleight of hand. The bountiful theft/mug/sleight of hand combination is one of our only answers to the boon spam/heal bot meta. And nothing is funnier than stripping a d/d ele’s (supposed) perma-protection/25 stacks of might.

Runes of rage are also a solid choice, but I prefer pack because it allows me to maintain perma-swiftness, in addition to (near) perma-fury, in combat. The swiftness is especially nice because d/d requires you to position extremely well and move very quickly. I think if you go without critical strikes on d/d, you need either rage or pack to compensate. Which one you choose will come down to personal preference.