Guild Wars 2

I believe this is an incredible strong trait and I even like the idea of it, however I also think the mechanics of it are flawed. This is because the trait is a dependent condition clear rather than an independent condition clear. When someone is running a condition build and they realize they are fighting a daredevil, it is FAR to easy for them to hit the daredevil with one or two burn abilities in a row (there are plenty that will put 10k burn damage on you with one ability use) and then simply take a step back to watch them die.

I will admit this does not happen ALL the time, but the more I play daredevil the more people I am running into that realize this flaw and exploit it.

A bit more minor issue with this trait is that if you are ever fighting in a 1v1 situation vs a condition build, even if you manage to kill the foe, you will more than likely die shortly after because your foe has stopped attacking you and as a result you have bled/burned to death.

In all I really like this skill, but it is simply to easy to exploit when the daredevil/thief doesn’t have any other access to condition clear.

It needs to proc on dodge or evade (still a 1 sec cd).

Dakarius.3284:

It needs to proc on dodge or evade (still a 1 sec cd).

I would VERY much like this as then it would give us a reliable condi cleanse, however I feel like this might potentially be a bit too powerful for one skill and make it a mandatory trait. Somethings does need to be done about it though. Good idea

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

There’s a dozen reasonable answers to this, and you know them all Vincent.

I swear, I’ll never understand how in some posts you come across as level headed and reasonable, and in others you’re a purposefully obtuse syntax stickler.

DrDvl trait line is pretty compartmental and EA makes a lot of sense with a certain roll out of that line but is pretty much just taking a trait slot without a roll out that caters to it. I had it for a while but found my usual condition clearing wasn’t great but EA didn’t make a huge impact when I really needed and mostly the reason mentioned, people can starve you out. I don’t think it’s needs to be changed, it works great if you build around it, if it proc’ed on dodge as well I might abuse that one pretty hard, especially considering the build you can already make around Dodging.

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

If the OP is using staff (which I’m assuming he is) then it doesn’t take a theoretical physicist to work out why SA is useless.

evilapprentice.6379:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

There’s a dozen reasonable answers to this, and you know them all Vincent.

I swear, I’ll never understand how in some posts you come across as level headed and reasonable, and in others you’re a purposefully obtuse syntax stickler.

Yes I know. I’m simply trying to understand the notion of “flaw” rather than “trade off” since I don’t see it as a flaw.

If EA should ever change, it needs to be baseline and they need to give us a better trait in its place — like more Physical (skill) damage, so the choice is either more Staff damage or more Physical damage and not damage vs survival, which is a stupid choice because we need both.

As per the OP’s “flaw” problem, I personally trait for Trickster and use Scorp Wire as an independent condition removal. Yes, I know that EA would be better if it is “on dodge” instead, but the Dev already gave a “no” answer to that. To them, it’s already too strong.

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

If the OP is using staff (which I’m assuming he is) then it doesn’t take a theoretical physicist to work out why SA is useless.

That’s a trade-off, not a flaw. And if condition damage really is a problem, then perhaps Staff and DD are not good choices for the meta. It’s a high condition damage meta and you choose a build that has little or no way to deal with condition — and nobody see anything wrong with that?

Perhaps I didn’t word things correctly in my OP. The reason I say “flaw” is because realistically if you are a daredevil and using a staff the only reasonable condition clear you will have is Escapist’s Absolution. So while it may not be a flaw in the trait itself, it is flaw in the overall thief.

Yes you can take the tricks trait to remove one condition per trick, but tricks are not good for daredevil staff wielding builds. Haste doesn’t effect your main skill vault, so that one is out. Scorpion wire still bugs like the old magnet on engi used to, so that’s out. Caltrops is for a condi build which the staff has none of, so that is out.

This leaves you with Roll For Initiative and Withdraw (which still is missing 10% healing power). Roll For Initiative has a long cooldown for just removing one condition. Withdraw with tricks trait seems to be the only skill possible to use for a independent condition clear. However this means you won’t be able to ever use your elite specialization heal which is lame if you ask me, especially with how necessary extra dodges are on a build without stealth. Even still, this means you have 1 single reliable condition clear…that’s it…

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Trickster and use Scorp Wire

That combo has been solid. I can’t recall a time where Scorpion Wire actually pulled a player to me but it’s fast and reliable for a condition clear on low cool down and for an interrupt to stop a buddy from getting stomped and for break bars in HoT.

Eisenwald.8562:

This leaves you with Roll For Initiative and Withdraw (which still is missing 10% healing power). Roll For Initiative has a long cooldown for just removing one condition. Withdraw with tricks trait seems to be the only skill possible to use for a independent condition clear. However this means you won’t be able to ever use your elite specialization heal which is lame if you ask me, especially with how necessary extra dodges are on a build without stealth. Even still, this means you have 1 single reliable condition clear…that’s it…

I really liked RFI for condition clear and small heal traited but the evade and initiative is a nice reset also. I’d still use it if Scorp Wire wasn’t so clutch.

Edit: by the way I’m not arguing against your point, just pointing out possibly why that trait is this way currently and that all of our options might be kind of slim but we do have options from build to build.

SA was nerfed…

Eisenwald.8562:

Scorpion wire still bugs like the old magnet on engi used to, so that’s out.

Um, no. You don’t have to hit with Scorp Wire. It’s simply a low CD condition removal. Same with Bandit’s defense, it’s a low CD stun break. Sure you can pull with ScorpWire and block and KD with BD, but those are secondaries.

This leaves you with Roll For Initiative and Withdraw (which still is missing 10% healing power). Roll For Initiative has a long cooldown for just removing one condition. Withdraw with tricks trait seems to be the only skill possible to use for a independent condition clear. However this means you won’t be able to ever use your elite specialization heal which is lame if you ask me, especially with how necessary extra dodges are on a build without stealth. Even still, this means you have 1 single reliable condition clear…that’s it…

With both Withdraw and Scorp Wire, you have 2 low CD condition removals. This in addition to EA, I think you have plenty given how low the CDs are.

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

If the OP is using staff (which I’m assuming he is) then it doesn’t take a theoretical physicist to work out why SA is useless.

That’s a trade-off, not a flaw. And if condition damage really is a problem, then perhaps Staff and DD are not good choices for the meta. It’s a high condition damage meta and you choose a build that has little or no way to deal with condition — and nobody see anything wrong with that?

I wouldn’t call it a trade off personally. A trade off is when you chose more damage over condi cleanse, dropping SA is a no brainer as Staff has zero stealth options. So it’s more or less a necessity, and all you are gaining is a different playstyle (over D/D or D/P).

I do agree to an extent that complaints about condi-cleanse are a bit silly when you can trait trickster and run withdraw. Cleansing two conditions every 14 seconds is easy using withdraw combined with EA.

The only time a trade off comes into the equation is when you have to choose between Trickster & Bountiful thieft… Choosing boon strips and the DD synergising vigor you get from it or going with Trickster/withdraw for low CD condi cleanse.

If ANet actually bothered their kitten s and added that all elusive 10% to Withdraw it would be a no brainer.

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

If the OP is using staff (which I’m assuming he is) then it doesn’t take a theoretical physicist to work out why SA is useless.

That’s a trade-off, not a flaw. And if condition damage really is a problem, then perhaps Staff and DD are not good choices for the meta. It’s a high condition damage meta and you choose a build that has little or no way to deal with condition — and nobody see anything wrong with that?

I wouldn’t call it a trade off personally. A trade off is when you chose more damage over condi cleanse, dropping SA is a no brainer as Staff has zero stealth options. So it’s more or less a necessity, and all you are gaining is a different playstyle (over D/D or D/P).

But you’re not restricted to Staff, you can always swap to a weapon set with stealth. Or trait Hidden Thief so you gain stealth on Steal, which is also on a low CD if also spec with SoH (Trick).

The bottom line is, the perceived flaw or weakness is cause by a weak build, not by a single trait.

I do agree to an extent that complaints about condi-cleanse are a bit silly when you can trait trickster and run withdraw. Cleansing two conditions every 14 seconds is easy using withdraw combined with EA.

Exactly.

The only time a trade off comes into the equation is when you have to choose between Trickster & Bountiful thieft… Choosing boon strips and the DD synergising vigor you get from it or going with Trickster/withdraw for low CD condi cleanse.

If you choose to drop SA, the other choice is either DA or CS, which means you’re trading survivability for damage. If you drop SA for Acro, then you should spec for anti-condition like Pain Response. There’s really no room to complain since there are so many options.

If ANet actually bothered their kitten s and added that all elusive 10% to Withdraw it would be a no brainer.

Currently I bring Channeled Vigor since it gives the most heal for a short CD, not to mention it refills endurance too. So it seems that because of CV that the missing 10% will simply fade into the background, which is a shame.

I think the more important issue is regarding the lack of reliability of the condition removal, rather than it being necessarily a flaw with the traitline. With that said, most classes have a few passive or pseudopassive sources of condition removal, so EA having this type of usage is less of a problem in my mind, specially when used in conjunction with other reliable removal. However, seeing a change to this trait to make it a reliable removal, with a likely longer cd (2s) would be an arguable improvement. It would increase the skill usage of the trait as you’d need to make the decision to either burn a dodge for an immediate condi clear or save it as an actual dodge. As is, the trait promotes a more dodge spammy type of play, hoping to catch an active dodge as often as possible, rather than thoughtful usage. In turn, a large amount of the playerbase would likely consider this a nerf, specially if the cd was extended (which it would need to be). As such, I can’t see this change being implemented.

That, my friend, is called counterplay. Nothing is wrong here and everything is working as intended.

IMO, EA should be merged with Driven Fortitude.

My issue with using using Scorpion Wire is that you would literally be taking an entire utility skill slot for a 1 condition cleanse ability because it’s actual ability use only hits once in a blue moon. This is HUGE waste of an ability slot. Roll For Initiative is great, but again has too long of a cooldown to be a reliable condition cleanse considering how fast people apply conditions to you nowadays. I like withdraw but after trying it out for several matches I’ve realized that by not taking the vigor on steal AND losing Channeled Vigor you really lose out on a lot of evasion which is necessary to survival while not running stealth. Also yes, the 10% is still missing and will be a shame if they don’t ever fix it.

If you decide to go for Acro or SA instead of DA or CS then yes you are trading damage for survivability, but the thief in it’s current state needs that damage to ever kill anyone at an effective speed. If you do not take DA or CS you hit like a wet noodle and will be no threat to all these new super bruiser builds with lots of sustain and damage. This is more an issue with base thief though rather than Escapist’s Absolution.

I would simply like to see some other form of reliable condition cleanse without being forced into this gheto tricks cleanse build to play sPvP. So yes, you can get condition cleanse, but at what cost? That’s what matters

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

If the OP is using staff (which I’m assuming he is) then it doesn’t take a theoretical physicist to work out why SA is useless.

That’s a trade-off, not a flaw. And if condition damage really is a problem, then perhaps Staff and DD are not good choices for the meta. It’s a high condition damage meta and you choose a build that has little or no way to deal with condition — and nobody see anything wrong with that?

I wouldn’t call it a trade off personally. A trade off is when you chose more damage over condi cleanse, dropping SA is a no brainer as Staff has zero stealth options. So it’s more or less a necessity, and all you are gaining is a different playstyle (over D/D or D/P).

But you’re not restricted to Staff, you can always swap to a weapon set with stealth. Or trait Hidden Thief so you gain stealth on Steal, which is also on a low CD if also spec with SoH (Trick).

Sure, if we pretend that shortbow isn’t absolutely required for a thief be of any use in the meta, we can use another weaponset – of course when we return to the real world, you’re still stuck with Shortbow and 1 other weaponset. And turning Steal into your only option for condition cleansing feels outright silly – now your only access to SE is gated behind steal (20s CD) so now you have to save steal for when you get hit by condi’s or risk not having any cleanses at all? That’s not what anyone would call “reasonable options”

The bottom line is, the perceived flaw or weakness is cause by a weak build, not by a single trait.

I do agree to an extent that complaints about condi-cleanse are a bit silly when you can trait trickster and run withdraw. Cleansing two conditions every 14 seconds is easy using withdraw combined with EA.

Exactly.

Yeah no, 2 conditions every 16 seconds (because that’s what the traited CD of Scorp wire is) is kind of terrible for taking use a utility, your heal, and a trait that competes with BT (BT enhances the DrD line with vigor AND makes SoH worth due to Daze-through-stun, it’s a big trait).

The only time a trade off comes into the equation is when you have to choose between Trickster & Bountiful thieft… Choosing boon strips and the DD synergising vigor you get from it or going with Trickster/withdraw for low CD condi cleanse.

If you choose to drop SA, the other choice is either DA or CS, which means you’re trading survivability for damage. If you drop SA for Acro, then you should spec for anti-condition like Pain Response. There’s really no room to complain since there are so many options.

Better hope all those conditions hit you before PR triggers, or else you’re left with 0 condi cleanse… it’s almost as if PR is pretty terribly designed as a condi counter…

If ANet actually bothered their kitten s and added that all elusive 10% to Withdraw it would be a no brainer.

Currently I bring Channeled Vigor since it gives the most heal for a short CD, not to mention it refills endurance too. So it seems that because of CV that the missing 10% will simply fade into the background, which is a shame.

Eisenwald.8562:

If you do not take DA or CS you hit like a wet noodle

Most thieves I know take improv over executioner. If you’re referring to the minor trait that increases damage by 10% when target is afflicted with conditions, I doubt you’ll miss that much. If you’re referring to mug, again, theres a substitute for that if you look hard enough. Very easy to replace DA and not feel much of a dps drop.

SlayerSixx.5763:

Eisenwald.8562:

If you do not take DA or CS you hit like a wet noodle

Most thieves I know take improv over executioner. If you’re referring to the minor trait that increases damage by 10% when target is afflicted with conditions, I doubt you’ll miss that much. If you’re referring to mug, again, theres a substitute for that if you look hard enough. Very easy to replace DA and not feel much of a dps drop.

I suppose that’s true with DA. You won’t lose out on a TON of damage, but more so if you drop CS. DA also does have nice poison damage uptime, that mug damage for burst, and a nice immobilize for more offense. It’s mainly giving up utilities and being forced into trait lines that don’t promote the staff playstyle (Shadow Arts) that bothers me. Yes you can build a stealth staff build somewhat, but I don’t think that’s what the staff was suppose to be and it definitely shouldn’t be a requirement.

The 2 conditions per 14seconds using withdrawl and EA was referring to the fact you can use withdrawl, traited, to remove a condition while dodging an attack with it, thereby removing two conditions when traited with EA.

Sir Vincent III.1286:

IMO, EA should be merged with Driven Fortitude.

Agreed, I would LOVE to be able to take pulmonary impact.

evilapprentice.6379:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Nocta.5274:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I have one question:

What did you do to counter conditions BEFORE Escapist Absolution?

I think you’re relying on EA too much.

We used Shadow Arts.

Then if what the OP said is to be believed that DD has a flaw that can be exploited, then why choose a trait line with such flaw and not use SA?

If the OP is using staff (which I’m assuming he is) then it doesn’t take a theoretical physicist to work out why SA is useless.

That’s a trade-off, not a flaw. And if condition damage really is a problem, then perhaps Staff and DD are not good choices for the meta. It’s a high condition damage meta and you choose a build that has little or no way to deal with condition — and nobody see anything wrong with that?

I wouldn’t call it a trade off personally. A trade off is when you chose more damage over condi cleanse, dropping SA is a no brainer as Staff has zero stealth options. So it’s more or less a necessity, and all you are gaining is a different playstyle (over D/D or D/P).

But you’re not restricted to Staff, you can always swap to a weapon set with stealth. Or trait Hidden Thief so you gain stealth on Steal, which is also on a low CD if also spec with SoH (Trick).

Sure, if we pretend that shortbow isn’t absolutely required for a thief be of any use in the meta, we can use another weaponset – of course when we return to the real world, you’re still stuck with Shortbow and 1 other weaponset.

Does the meta also require Staff?

Let’s be honest, I’m also pretending that Staff is viable in the current meta.

If we return to the real world, you’re stuck with SB and D/P.

And turning Steal into your only option for condition cleansing feels outright silly – now your only access to SE is gated behind steal (20s CD) so now you have to save steal for when you get hit by condi’s or risk not having any cleanses at all? That’s not what anyone would call “reasonable options”

An option being “reasonable” is subjective and if it’s not reasonable to you, that’s fine because it doesn’t fit your playstyle, so you’ll have to find other options. In a condition heavy meta, I doubt you’ll have to wait long enough to get conditions on you.

The bottom line is, the perceived flaw or weakness is cause by a weak build, not by a single trait.

I do agree to an extent that complaints about condi-cleanse are a bit silly when you can trait trickster and run withdraw. Cleansing two conditions every 14 seconds is easy using withdraw combined with EA.

Exactly.

Yeah no, 2 conditions every 16 seconds (because that’s what the traited CD of Scorp wire is) is kind of terrible for taking use a utility, your heal, and a trait that competes with BT (BT enhances the DrD line with vigor AND makes SoH worth due to Daze-through-stun, it’s a big trait).

It’s not Scorp Wire, it’s Withdraw, hence the 14s CD. If you evade an attack with Withdraw, you trigger EA also, removing 2 conditions.

BT is no doubt a good option, however the OP post a situation where he has no independent condition removal — Trickster is a way to give a Thief exactly that.

The only time a trade off comes into the equation is when you have to choose between Trickster & Bountiful thieft… Choosing boon strips and the DD synergising vigor you get from it or going with Trickster/withdraw for low CD condi cleanse.

If you choose to drop SA, the other choice is either DA or CS, which means you’re trading survivability for damage. If you drop SA for Acro, then you should spec for anti-condition like Pain Response. There’s really no room to complain since there are so many options.

Better hope all those conditions hit you before PR triggers, or else you’re left with 0 condi cleanse… it’s almost as if PR is pretty terribly designed as a condi counter…

It’s more like a failsafe than a condition counter, thus the 75% health threshold. Also only if they choose Acro and having trouble with conditions. The bottom line is, there’s not room for complaint if you choose to not spec against conditions.

I accept the fact that Thief is horrible in 1v1 due to a lot of weaknesses, thus I will not build to win a 1v1 rather I would build a DPS and find myself a Druid partner and win a 2v2 instead. Many players are still in denial and still trying to make 1v1 work, thus the source of a lot of complaints.

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I accept the fact that Thief is horrible in 1v1 due to a lot of weaknesses, thus I will not build to win a 1v1 rather I would build a DPS and find myself a Druid partner and win a 2v2 instead. Many players are still in denial and still trying to make 1v1 work, thus the source of a lot of complaints.

To be honest, I’ve been making Staff work pretty kitten well in WvW. I’ve won more 1v1s than lost, against Scrappers, Druids, Zerkers, Tempests and their elite-less brethren. I’ve had a few stalemates here and there and had a few Chronos bail from fights. The only classes I’ve had any real trouble with are D/P Thieves, Reapers, Dragon Hunters & Revs… They give a really stiff challenge to a DD Staff wielder. You’d be surprised how stupid casters can be when they’re hitting a long cast skill while you vault them a couple of times and take 15k HP off them!

I’ll post my build when I get a chance.

Hitsuke.5304:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

I accept the fact that Thief is horrible in 1v1 due to a lot of weaknesses, thus I will not build to win a 1v1 rather I would build a DPS and find myself a Druid partner and win a 2v2 instead. Many players are still in denial and still trying to make 1v1 work, thus the source of a lot of complaints.

To be honest, I’ve been making Staff work pretty kitten well in WvW. I’ve won more 1v1s than lost, against Scrappers, Druids, Zerkers, Tempests and their elite-less brethren. I’ve had a few stalemates here and there and had a few Chronos bail from fights. The only classes I’ve had any real trouble with are D/P Thieves, Reapers, Dragon Hunters & Revs… They give a really stiff challenge to a DD Staff wielder. You’d be surprised how stupid casters can be when they’re hitting a long cast skill while you vault them a couple of times and take 15k HP off them!

I’ll post my build when I get a chance.

Any of them condition based? If so, how do you handle conditions?

Winning against other profession doesn’t negate the fact that Thief is horrible at 1v1. From what you’ve posted, you less than 50% chance of winning — that’s horrible.

Eisenwald.8562:

SlayerSixx.5763:

Eisenwald.8562:

If you do not take DA or CS you hit like a wet noodle

Most thieves I know take improv over executioner. If you’re referring to the minor trait that increases damage by 10% when target is afflicted with conditions, I doubt you’ll miss that much. If you’re referring to mug, again, theres a substitute for that if you look hard enough. Very easy to replace DA and not feel much of a dps drop.

I suppose that’s true with DA. You won’t lose out on a TON of damage, but more so if you drop CS. DA also does have nice poison damage uptime, that mug damage for burst, and a nice immobilize for more offense. It’s mainly giving up utilities and being forced into trait lines that don’t promote the staff playstyle (Shadow Arts) that bothers me. Yes you can build a stealth staff build somewhat, but I don’t think that’s what the staff was suppose to be and it definitely shouldn’t be a requirement.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAqYVn8lCVmiFmCmOB8Phlmiy7FahZgbAOgAY+8b/5H-TpBFABCcCAEvMQDHBga2fYhDBAAPAAA

This is what I’m using. You replace mug with impacting disruption. Yes, this means you can’t just bp>heartseeker>steal whenever you feel like. You have to time it and oh boy, nothing says kitten you better than having the pulmonary impact proc a few seconds later when they thought they were safe and watching them die. Can I hear a five finger death punch :P?

Why did I take fist flurry? Shadow shot into this is just too fun. Throw in a basilisk venom to guaruntee it landing. The burst potential is just too ridiculous with this. If this isn’t your cup of tea, go ahead and take anything else (I recommend giving distracting daggers a shot for chain proccing impacting disruption, although you can do the same thing with headshot).

Superior mobility through unhindered (also why we’re not taking withdraw). Proper usage of steal is even more important than ever since it bolsters your dodge uptime by a gazillion% (one free dodge + 10s of vigor). BP > heart seeker at a little distance away from then and the jump unhindered right behind them for the instant backstab or even fist flurry them since they won’t see it coming. Even more rewards for proper headshotting. I just love this build. Since we’re taking SA, we don’t need to worry about condi cleansing. As for the reveals, lets be real here and admit that it isn’t as bad as everyone thought it was. If you see a herald, avoid him entirely or rek him 1v1 since theres absolutely 0 chance he can pin you down. If you see stealth gyro (no serious engi takes this) smash it or unhindered away from your last known position to avoid the reveal. No DH takes the reveal trap. Rangers have far more toys to play with, so no need to worry about sic em.

Anyways, give it a shot and tell me how it goes for you. You can PM me here or in game if you have questions.