Guild Wars 2

Can someone link me to a viable (meaning, I can get a few kills from fellow new players) non-hot thief build? I understand I have a 0% chance to play competitively without the new expansion, but I just want a semi-decent build to play around with in WvW and SPvP.

Da/Tri/Sa, Da2-2-2;Tri 3-1-2; Sa 3-2-2. With D/P and SB; heal is Withdraw; Utilities Shadowstep, Blinding Powder, Signet of Agility; Elite is Basilisk Venom.

Edit:
You can always swap Bountiful Theft for Trickster provides more condie cleanse with Withdraw and makes it a 14 1/2 second heal.

Depending how quickly you want to die/kill, you could go with either Berserker or Maurader with the following…

D/P with Air and Fire sigils
Shortbow with Air and Fire (for damage) or a combo of Agility/Energy/Bloodlust/Generosity/Nullification (based on need)

Runes of the Pack

Utilities
Withdraw
Roll for Initiative
Shadowstep
Assassin’s Signet (damage) or Haste (quickness/condi-removal)
Basilisk Venom

Deadly Arts
Mug
Panic Strike
Executioner

Critical Strikes
Side Strike
Practiced Tolerance
No Quarter

Trickery
Flanking Strikes
Trickster
Sleight of Hand

I ran this build through Seasons 2 (Berserker) and 3 (Marauder). The goal is to engage and down a target before they know you’re there. Once they react, you have to be ready to disengage immediately. Take notice that if you get hit, you will die quickly. So don’t get hit, and be ready to stun break instantly.

You have to be 100% aggressive… except when you must be 100% defensive, haha! And that is the truth. Of course, squishies are your primary targets, and many builds become decently squishy against this build. However, you are squishy to everyone, and no matter how squishy an opponent may be, passives can make them very, very dangerous to stay aggressive against.

Perhaps the biggest warning I can give you about this build is this… once you get used to the playstyle, every other Thief build feels so slow and weak. I’m trying to adjust to Shadow Arts again, and it is so very difficult. It will, however, also make your reflexes so much faster. I would almost suggest it as a training build for new Thieves… because it is a trial by fire.

But good luck to you no matter what build you choose! :-D

+1 to Kagesegei.

I goofed around with a similar build with some variations in Trickery and utilities on zerker ammy for a while and had a blast. Might be challenging to play; definitely go Marauder amulet if you have trouble staying alive. Just remember, that extra vitality doesn’t mean you can bruise it out in a prolonged fight. Just gives you a slightly larger cushion to get out of bad spots.

Edit: BlaqueFyre’s posted build is excellent for F2P builds too. Offers better survivability with a bit more condi clear and stealth at the cost of damage as compared to Kageseigi’s. Goof around. I hope you find something you enjoy

Ennui.1597:

Offers better survivability with a bit more condi clear and stealth at the cost of damage as compared to Kageseigi’s.

Indeed, that’s something I forgot to mention. One reason I switched to Marauder is because I had already proved to myself that I could be successful with Berserker. With Marauder, you only lose about 10% damage output, but you gain around 40% health. That extra vitality helps tremendously, especially against conditions…

And that’s one of the main things to remember… you have very limited condi-removal. In fact, it mostly comes from Trick utilities. And because at least three of your utilities are serving multiple purposes, you need to learn the best uses for each of them based on the situation…

Withdraw: Heal / Immobilize removal / Single condition removal / Evade

Roll for Initiative: Stun break / Single condition removal / Evade / Initiative regeneration

Shadowstep: 2x Stun break / Multiple condition removal / Escape / Vertical mobility / Stomp assist

Haste: Stun break / Single condition removal / DPS increase

I must confess, I cannot run any build without Roll for Initiative now… or have it assigned to any other button than what I’ve been using it on. It has become a terrible reflex to tap that button the moment I suspect anything is wrong. It’s not just a stun breaker to me… it is my “get out of jail” card. It not only gets me out of the “frying pan,” it also gets me out of the “kitchen.” Hehe, just be glad they added walls to Skyhammer ;-P

Roll for initiative is great for core thief builds if you run Trickster its on shorter cd and an additional condie cleanse, core thief builds do surprisingly well in today’s meta due to the nature of what thief was shoehorned into.

BlaqueFyre.5678:

core thief builds do surprisingly well in today’s meta due to the nature of what thief was shoehorned into.

Alas, the shoehorn. I agree with your initial build suggestion if anybody is wanting to fulfill the Thief’s “role” in PvP. It’s extremely similar to what I’m using now. I’m using Roll for Initiative instead of Signet of Agility, though… and I’ll trade Blinding Powder for Shadow Trap if mobility is needed more than condi-removal in that particular match.

I am trying Leaching Venoms instead of Hidden Killer at the moment. After not using Shadow Arts for so long, the Stealth on Steal throws me off, and I’m still trying to spam auto-attacks post-Steal. With the new ICD, I find myself doing nothing for a full second because I Backstabbed air instead of auto-attacking, haha! I’m also a point fighter, so Stealthing on Steal means I’m giving up control… and it makes me sad to do that :-(

So yes, Shadow Arts is definitely the way to go if you want to give your team the best chance of winning. Critical Strikes just makes me happy because I feel so powerful… at least until someone hits me :-P