It provides the healing power boost I need to make Assassin’s Reward viable while still maintaining an acceptable level of crit damage, as well as boost my toughness, power, vitality, and all them other important stats. Condition damage even comes into play when fighting other thieves, and shotgunning cluster bomb around me spreads those bleeds (that actually hurt) pretty fast.
Taking celestial out only lowers the condi dmg from bleeds by 23 dmg over 3 bleeds (same duration) but bumps the direct damage of each bomb by 23(mix of zerker valk and cavaliar). The extra power also benefits your other skills. I can kind of see the healing power use for AR but it seems like a heavy loss in direct damage just to make it viable. I tried that food btw, it is really nice^^ Makes dealing with condi spammers soo much easier.
“I’m waiting for the staff to get off their lunch
break. I feel like they should be back by now..”
Taking celestial out only lowers the condi dmg from bleeds by 23 dmg over 3 bleeds (same duration) but bumps the direct damage of each bomb by 23(mix of zerker valk and cavaliar). The extra power also benefits your other skills. I can kind of see the healing power use for AR but it seems like a heavy loss in direct damage just to make it viable. I tried that food btw, it is really nice^^ Makes dealing with condi spammers soo much easier.
I’ve tried valk, and the minor loss of healing from AR is significant enough for you to notice a difference in your sustain. I’ve been playing my ele more and that more balanced approach has rubbed off on my thief, and makes for a good consistency when fighting each class rather than adapting simply to deal damage. I’ve also never lost to another S/P thief with this build, and while they do hit significantly harder, they’re also very squishy and I just have to live long enough for them to die rather than focus on the “kill or be killed” method.
That’s the notion I’ve seen with pw thieves. If they catch you with say BV or DV and manage to spam some pw it kinda hurts but often I’ve seen their attempt fail with a simple break stun from SS and they wasted all their burst letting my jump on and beat them to a pulp. Honestly I havn’t seen many pw thieves in wvw, but I’ve seen a good share in pvp and they don’t do well at all. Maybe it’s because im in a tier 1 server and the most I see is “zerg here, zerg there, snooze”. Im just glad my guild isn’t big enough to zerg.
“I’m waiting for the staff to get off their lunch
break. I feel like they should be back by now..”
I was arguing with Arganthium over the viability of S/P in PvP, and from personal experience, Berserker with 30 in CS is far too squishy to be helping your team in any way, let alone take out a bunker who simply has to outlast you. With Soldier’s, you maintain the same base attack and power you get out of berserker, while sacrificing 15% crit damage and about 30% crit chance for an extra 4k health and a whopping 600 more armor. People seem to try to burst with sword, and while S/D is different in that LS actually does do a significant amount of burst, S/P is more a utility bruiser set with sustained damage, much like a hammer warrior with faster attacks and access to more utility conditions. Since I’ve moved to S/P for PvP, I haven’t lost a match (12 with S/P so far, 0 losses since I swapped from Unicorn, and this is completely pugging TeamQ while I micromanage our team’s positioning constantly).
Yeah, 15% crit dmg isn’t much to be loseing but its the crit chance that hurts. I wouldn’t mind to spec 30 into acrobatics for the defensive out-of-stealth style but I hate how they have barbarian’s instead of knights. In Acrobatics I already get a lot of vitality, and add PT from the CS trait line and I get plenty of health, I need toughness. I know anet mentioned more stat amulets in pvp incoming so maybe I’ll get my wish but for now, I rather play with live grenades and hope I don’t pull the pin to early (d/X zerker assassin spec). I’ve messed with pw and its either too slow or puts fourth more risk than stealth spec’s do. I’ve never tried pw in wvw because of how poorly it performs in pvp, and with roamers being out and about I feel like it is much riskier to play.
“I’m waiting for the staff to get off their lunch
break. I feel like they should be back by now..”
But that’s why I like it! When using the “underdog” specs that aren’t blatantly UP (see; P/P) people don’t know how to deal with you, especially when you’re doing it differently than anyone else. It’s that element of “Oh kitten , shouldn’t have gotten overconfident.” when they want to duel the stealthless thief.
Same way I felt right after the cd of steal was reduced to 35 seconds. I made a steal spec that many guildies laughed at, and suddenly I was killing his “unkillable” guardian in spvp. As much as I like running an underdog spec eventually it gets attention (nothing stays original forever) and whether im the 1st or 25th person to run it, eventually it’s just too stale for me to bare. I’ve tried for weeks and months trying to make a good p/d build in spvp, and it just don’t work.
End result I’ve stuck to being an “assassin” despite my attempts to break free. Even if I only use stealth every so often, I don’t feel all that unique. I’d be willing to try some bunker spec if I can get a good idea (seems to revolve around s/x and 30 into acrobatics) but I don’t think it’s something I’ll enjoy.
“I’m waiting for the staff to get off their lunch
break. I feel like they should be back by now..”
Did you not see the PvP variant of that Shortbus build I posted a while ago, Ninja? It’s pretty kitten successful at holding point, you just have to get used to not spamming shortbow 3 and landing off point. Pair it with S/D and you’ve got a potent dodge bunker as long as you don’t resort to stealth, which is a last ditch effort when holding point.
if u plan on doing only 1v1 or MAYBE mediocre enemies on 1v2 then d/p is the way to go. if u play on doing 2v2 or 1v2 or 1v3 etc then id say p/d is the way to go. basically direct dmg for even 1v1 s and p/d carrion condi for larger attrition fights.
if u plan on doing only 1v1 or MAYBE mediocre enemies on 1v2 then d/p is the way to go. if u play on doing 2v2 or 1v2 or 1v3 etc then id say p/d is the way to go. basically direct dmg for even 1v1 s and p/d carrion condi for larger attrition fights.
While those are two viable options, they aren’t exactly the only way OP can go. D/D burst takes much more skill and is just as apt at 1vX fights as D/P is, and he can always go P/P if he enjoys the playstyle (and having dual Quips with unload is more hilarious than a ranger spamming 1 with The Dreamer).
Did you not see the PvP variant of that Shortbus build I posted a while ago, Ninja? It’s pretty kitten successful at holding point, you just have to get used to not spamming shortbow 3 and landing off point. Pair it with S/D and you’ve got a potent dodge bunker as long as you don’t resort to stealth, which is a last ditch effort when holding point.
It looks a little strange on paper but I can give it a shot. I’d prolly tweak a thing or 2 just for my taste but it looks like against melee, it’d be pretty fun to play with.
“I’m waiting for the staff to get off their lunch
break. I feel like they should be back by now..”
Did you not see the PvP variant of that Shortbus build I posted a while ago, Ninja? It’s pretty kitten successful at holding point, you just have to get used to not spamming shortbow 3 and landing off point. Pair it with S/D and you’ve got a potent dodge bunker as long as you don’t resort to stealth, which is a last ditch effort when holding point.
It looks a little strange on paper but I can give it a shot. I’d prolly tweak a thing or 2 just for my taste but it looks like against melee, it’d be pretty fun to play with.
if u plan on doing only 1v1 or MAYBE mediocre enemies on 1v2 then d/p is the way to go. if u play on doing 2v2 or 1v2 or 1v3 etc then id say p/d is the way to go. basically direct dmg for even 1v1 s and p/d carrion condi for larger attrition fights.
While those are two viable options, they aren’t exactly the only way OP can go. D/D burst takes much more skill and is just as apt at 1vX fights as D/P is, and he can always go P/P if he enjoys the playstyle (and having dual Quips with unload is more hilarious than a ranger spamming 1 with The Dreamer).
i personally dont like d/d bc the only line of defense lies within your utilities.
deathblossom was meant to be the defensive part of d/d but its obviously a total bust.
personally if they turned 4 into some kind of super low dmg but high utility skill on d/d that would have high evade or something it would make the set much much more viable.
dont be decieved by yishis. hes decent. well good. but anyone who looks back can vocalized that they had clairavoyance while playing. also it takes him weeks to make 1 video. when i made my vids i put mine in mostly unedited from a couple of hours straight in wvw. anyways to cut a long story short…all you see is those fights that happen 1 out of 20 times and put them together in a montage making it look viable. when in reality 80% of the time or more you either run….lose….hide…or have so much help from allies. its hard to actually get a 1vx fight and win…. especially with d/d. you need mediocre enemies in addition.
d/d is good … wvw is just not tha best place for it.
if u plan on doing only 1v1 or MAYBE mediocre enemies on 1v2 then d/p is the way to go. if u play on doing 2v2 or 1v2 or 1v3 etc then id say p/d is the way to go. basically direct dmg for even 1v1 s and p/d carrion condi for larger attrition fights.
While those are two viable options, they aren’t exactly the only way OP can go. D/D burst takes much more skill and is just as apt at 1vX fights as D/P is, and he can always go P/P if he enjoys the playstyle (and having dual Quips with unload is more hilarious than a ranger spamming 1 with The Dreamer).
i personally dont like d/d bc the only line of defense lies within your utilities.
deathblossom was meant to be the defensive part of d/d but its obviously a total bust.
personally if they turned 4 into some kind of super low dmg but high utility skill on d/d that would have high evade or something it would make the set much much more viable.
dont be decieved by yishis. hes decent. well good. but anyone who looks back can vocalized that they had clairavoyance while playing. also it takes him weeks to make 1 video. when i made my vids i put mine in mostly unedited from a couple of hours straight in wvw. anyways to cut a long story short…all you see is those fights that happen 1 out of 20 times and put them together in a montage making it look viable. when in reality 80% of the time or more you either run….lose….hide…or have so much help from allies. its hard to actually get a 1vx fight and win…. especially with d/d. you need mediocre enemies in addition.
d/d is good … wvw is just not tha best place for it.
Yishis is a pretty decently skilled player, but I think any half skilled player who spends that much time voicing over every action you make, most of which weren’t conscious decisions, can look good to anyone who has less experience. That being said, there are a myriad of builds you can run, not just burst D/P, D/D, and Condi P/D.
if u plan on doing only 1v1 or MAYBE mediocre enemies on 1v2 then d/p is the way to go. if u play on doing 2v2 or 1v2 or 1v3 etc then id say p/d is the way to go. basically direct dmg for even 1v1 s and p/d carrion condi for larger attrition fights.
While those are two viable options, they aren’t exactly the only way OP can go. D/D burst takes much more skill and is just as apt at 1vX fights as D/P is, and he can always go P/P if he enjoys the playstyle (and having dual Quips with unload is more hilarious than a ranger spamming 1 with The Dreamer).
i personally dont like d/d bc the only line of defense lies within your utilities.
deathblossom was meant to be the defensive part of d/d but its obviously a total bust.
personally if they turned 4 into some kind of super low dmg but high utility skill on d/d that would have high evade or something it would make the set much much more viable.
dont be decieved by yishis. hes decent. well good. but anyone who looks back can vocalized that they had clairavoyance while playing. also it takes him weeks to make 1 video. when i made my vids i put mine in mostly unedited from a couple of hours straight in wvw. anyways to cut a long story short…all you see is those fights that happen 1 out of 20 times and put them together in a montage making it look viable. when in reality 80% of the time or more you either run….lose….hide…or have so much help from allies. its hard to actually get a 1vx fight and win…. especially with d/d. you need mediocre enemies in addition.
d/d is good … wvw is just not tha best place for it.
You make a few good points. However, why the aggressive stance towards yishi?
You really do a good job, from my perspective, of losing respectability by attacking someone else. Keep that out of here and continue the discussion please.
Anyways, d/d can be a very good build in the right hands and practice – though there are other builds like p/d that are very rewarding with similar survivability and can easily transition into a venom share build like pandicond from messiah for some group support.
if u plan on doing only 1v1 or MAYBE mediocre enemies on 1v2 then d/p is the way to go. if u play on doing 2v2 or 1v2 or 1v3 etc then id say p/d is the way to go. basically direct dmg for even 1v1 s and p/d carrion condi for larger attrition fights.
as wvw player mainly (only) i can sum up the uses of weapon set for each situation (imo)
power d/d – more group play . roaming is fine but hard to do 1vX against average players
condi d/d – roaming 1v1 mainly. fun to play not more. for group play you better run something else as necro can stack lots more than you. for 1vX you will run/hide most of the time
power d/p – roaming 1vX (ppl hate you ). for group play its bit lower dmg and cant utilize better the fact you got more easy targets with cnd. can be use as second weapon for escape
power s/p – group play and roaming 1v1
power s/d – group play and roaming 1v1
condi p/d – group play and 1vX
power p/p – group play
condi p/p – group play and 1v1 but less effective
armor
for condi go dire (more safe) or carrion (bit more direct dmg)
for power go mix of valk/zerk/pvt etc depends on your skills
My advice is to put condition clearing as first priority in your build and then go from there. So many cheesy condition builds out there and uncontrolled condition damage is way off the charts. Spec for condition removal first.
I don’t know about celestial. I haven’t tried running full celestial, but on paper jack of all trades just seems like the build that is weak against the most other builds and strong against none.
if u plan on doing only 1v1 or MAYBE mediocre enemies on 1v2 then d/p is the way to go. if u play on doing 2v2 or 1v2 or 1v3 etc then id say p/d is the way to go. basically direct dmg for even 1v1 s and p/d carrion condi for larger attrition fights.
While those are two viable options, they aren’t exactly the only way OP can go. D/D burst takes much more skill and is just as apt at 1vX fights as D/P is, and he can always go P/P if he enjoys the playstyle (and having dual Quips with unload is more hilarious than a ranger spamming 1 with The Dreamer).
i personally dont like d/d bc the only line of defense lies within your utilities.
deathblossom was meant to be the defensive part of d/d but its obviously a total bust.
personally if they turned 4 into some kind of super low dmg but high utility skill on d/d that would have high evade or something it would make the set much much more viable.
dont be decieved by yishis. hes decent. well good. but anyone who looks back can vocalized that they had clairavoyance while playing. also it takes him weeks to make 1 video. when i made my vids i put mine in mostly unedited from a couple of hours straight in wvw. anyways to cut a long story short…all you see is those fights that happen 1 out of 20 times and put them together in a montage making it look viable. when in reality 80% of the time or more you either run….lose….hide…or have so much help from allies. its hard to actually get a 1vx fight and win…. especially with d/d. you need mediocre enemies in addition.
d/d is good … wvw is just not tha best place for it.
I’ve seen his videos. Even he admits to many mistakes of either missing CnD or getting caught up in chain immobilize/stuns and having to back off and recover. He is good but d/d has numerous flaws because the #3 skill has no place in any build, not condi or power (maybe in pve, but this is about wvw). I’’ve switched between d/d and d/p and for the sake of utility and BS’s, I’ve stuck with d/p (mainly because I love #3, dunno how many times I’ve said that but tis true^^).
“I’m waiting for the staff to get off their lunch
break. I feel like they should be back by now..”
