Guild Wars 2

So my Thief is now level 18 but i find I’m not able to fight in melee at all as i just get stomped on. Ive been stuck using the shortbow for pretty much the past 2 levels which to me sucks as when i first started out i loved using the S/P combo.

My skills are Hide in Shadows, Assasins signet, and Spider venom if knowing them helps, my traits are all in Deadly arts so far.

any suggestions as to what weapon combo to use or what skills or traits to get?

Withdraw is amazing. Though you can immobilize after stealthing with the sb I got withdraw and roll for initiative for maximum survival while killing everything with the sb, love the weapon for solo/world content

Oh also caltrops and 5 points in acrobatics will serve you very nicely. Sword and pistol is may other favorite. If you get signet of malice to heal while striking with it you can melee all day, almost since skill 3 pistol whip is evasion, short stun, and with the malice heals also mitigation

From my personal experience, the shortbow is utter rubbish for us Thiefs. The only useful thing about it is the number 5 ability.

Using double daggers gives you Death Blossom which is good for evading while doing damage. Also, make good use of dodge, it will save you.

The acrobatic trait line has lots of goodies in there for staying alive. Take a look and see which ones take your fancy.

Remember to stay mobile and on your enemy’s flank and rear. Melee ranged foes and use your ranged attack against melee foes. Use Steal to quickly close the ground on a ranged target and remember you can use many of your movement skills (like your leaping strike) to get out of combat as well as into.

As a Thief your greatest weapon in melee is your mobility, make sure to use it.

I will second the recommendation about Acrobatics as well – your second option in an Acro build offers an auto Caltrop drop when you dodge, a very nice ability.

Jack of Tears.9458:

your second option in an Acro build offers an auto Caltrop drop when you dodge, a very nice ability.

It’s a shame it only lasts 4 seconds :/

I’m hearing a lot of advice from people recommending more focus on Acrobatics and traits that keep you alive. They tell me you’ll be doing plenty of damage anyway so you should focus more on surviving.

Try a dagger/pistol combo and use Black Powder. It causes blind on its initial attack and all attacks afterwards in the circle for about 5 seconds.

Join the club on having a hard time with thief class.

I am wondering when thieves come into their own (PvE). I keep hearing people say they are overpowered but I just don’t see it.

I have played a roguish character in EQ1, DAOC, EQ2 (16 years worth of playing rogues) so I am used to playing the “glass cannon” dps builds but thieves in this game are just WAY too squishy without the dps tradeoff that comes with being squishy.

I get so mad in game when I am having trouble with some mobs 1 at a time and a warrior comes at a lower level and pulls 4-5 at a time and minces them. Warriors seem to have their cake and eat it too.(Heavy armor and high AOE dps)

I am trying to stick it out with thief since that is the class I love but I just end up logging off mad most nights.

You’re having the exact same problem I am Kizee.

Around level 30, the garden varity enemies suddenly became punishingly hard to kill. I think I have not picked my traits well.

Jack of Tears.9458:

Remember to stay mobile and on your enemy’s flank and rear. Melee ranged foes and use your ranged attack against melee foes. Use Steal to quickly close the ground on a ranged target and remember you can use many of your movement skills (like your leaping strike) to get out of combat as well as into.

As a Thief your greatest weapon in melee is your mobility, make sure to use it.

Totally agree with Jack of Tears. When playing with D/D, D/P, S/D or S/P, I’m constantly circle strafing. When the mod emotes a big attack I dodge. For single target this works perfectly (even on bosses).

For multi mods I use a combination of caltrops(the skill or the trait or both), (if your off hand is a dagger) stealth, to circle the large mod so I can hit which ever is in range. If your off hand is a pistol you can just skill 5 and stand there while the mod is blind.

- Signet of Malice is a godsend for survival, especially with sword/pistol or dagger/dagger. Get it! The trick I’ve found with SoM is to not use the active heal, since it’s weak and triggering the cooldown will remove the life drain effect. Instead, Pistol Whip and Death Blossom become your “heals”.

- Take 15 Acrobatics soon as you can. Feline Grace is three dodges on full endurance, and we need the bonus Vitality at low levels.

- Always be moving, unless Pistol Whiping or in a blind field. Dodge, circle strafe, kite…a stationary thief is a dead thief. Our playstyle is mobility!

Hope that helps!

Kirin.8465:

- Signet of Malice is a godsend for survival, especially with sword/pistol or dagger/dagger. Get it! The trick I’ve found with SoM is to not use the active heal, since it’s weak and triggering the cooldown will remove the life drain effect. Instead, Pistol Whip and Death Blossom become your “heals”.

ive tried using signet of malice but it only heals like 7 each hit which really isnt enough when i have mobs pounding on me, i find the invisibility of the initial heal u get saves me more then the actual heal does

BTW since your using s/p. Cycling in skill 5 “black powder” will help (too bad you can’t use your combo field with it). Also you have an extra utility skill, “blinding powder” will also help. (shadow refuge is better once you unlock it).

In a more extreme case you can try subbing your pistol with a dagger so you can drop in and out of stealth.

I am also having slight difficulty with mobs… especially if there is more then 1. If i see 3 mobs bunched together i run away. My thief is a level 11 using D/D and SB.