Guild Wars 2

This is my first post after lurking for a while. Before the i actually start the thread, i want to state that yes im a bad thief but im hoping people who are legitimately interested in giving actual feedback and tips for me to help me out or any of the other P/P enthusiasts out there. Thanks for helping me!

current build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQNAqaVlYm6OXcS0E+5Ex2DgKUe6p4ritTxVtKA-jEyAYLBRyCAVAM5VEN2qYR0Y1LYKTioa3RR0qBA-w

I’ve been running P/P on my thief in WvW for a really long time now, and although most people see this negatively, ive been somehow been getting success in it. I thought id list why its actually better than i thought it’d be, then ask for more help or ideas on making it better.

- With increased initiative, initiative regen (+ signet regen) , + Steal (initiative recover), roll for initiative, you can get off around 5-6 unloads just relying on regeneration, before using a skill like roll or steal.

- While most people would argue about sustained fights, i find that im not always spamming unload because i need to dodge and kite. This is where roll for initiative, withdraw, and (not tested yet) using signets with a trait that recovers 2 initiative comes into play. Using signets can remove conditions and give me extra initiative. That being said, the fight isnt always instant and i can get off way more than 6 unloads before i get caught.

- Running SB on the side is great for escapes with the two back-rolls, and cluster-bomb is really nice.

Of course, there’s still a ton of problems (get caught = die unless im fast enough to use withdraw/roll/swiftness dodge) – Ive been experimenting with caltrop dodges but thrill of the crime is really nice too esp if you do that with a quick roll back and then reset your unload spam

My main concerns are what skills should i use, what traits should i try (and i really want to find a way to keep initiative levels up, hence regen + max initiative. Im trying to go for a more pokey-kite build (hence heal dodge initiative dodge speed dodge and shortbow… iffy about caltrop dodge.

I’m running Berserker’s exotic armor + Lyssa runes, and then valkyrie trinkets + ascendeds, which gives me about 17K HP and 2K armor (not much, i know, hence why im getting mobility)

My Traits are 0/30/0/20/20, and i know there’s got to be some other options for this.
Im using two berserker pistols with superior fire, and 5% damage. My trait gives pistol bounce, which surprisingly lets me hit a ton of people in fights + the fire proc. Its not a whole lot of damage but i think being able to tag a lot of people in a group helps everyone out.

The slot skills im confused about using are : Power Signet, Initiative regen Signet, Precision Signet, Roll for Initiative, Shadow Refuge (always using this though), and spider venom. My elite skill is often Daggerstorm (for some reason i dont get focused when im using it, or i can use it in a shadow refuge sometimes), but ive looked at thieves guild ( i dont think its good though?.. ) and basilisk venom (idk..)

Ive been hearing about a venomshare version of P/P. Can someone elaborate and help me out? I just want lots of ideas.

Tl;DR Im bad at thief. I run P/P but i still want to make it work. Help please.

You’re not bad at theif just because some one may have said so. I love P/P for various reasons, the main reason is its not cookie cutter. You look at 99% of all other theives their all running the same 3-4 builds. This is unique, not popular, and people dont know what to do when they see it either.

I love the range/kite/evade abilities. I can escape a zerg on demand, pick off stragglers at a safe distance, 1v1 with gingerbread man mobility. Good luck to you, sorry I wont comment on build, I run my own, its probably not the most potential because I dont watch youtube vids or research google for my builds. But it works great for me, good luck in your endevaors.

Littlefeather.8623:

You’re not bad at theif just because some one may have said so. I love P/P for various reasons, the main reason is its not cookie cutter. You look at 99% of all other theives their all running the same 3-4 builds. This is unique, not popular, and people dont know what to do when they see it either.

I love the range/kite/evade abilities. I can escape a zerg on demand, pick off stragglers at a safe distance, 1v1 with gingerbread man mobility. Good luck to you, sorry I wont comment on build, I run my own, its probably not the most potential because I dont watch youtube vids or research google for my builds. But it works great for me, good luck in your endevaors.

even if you dont like it, id love to look at it and glean off what i can learn from it!

Forte.3149:

Littlefeather.8623:

You’re not bad at theif just because some one may have said so. I love P/P for various reasons, the main reason is its not cookie cutter. You look at 99% of all other theives their all running the same 3-4 builds. This is unique, not popular, and people dont know what to do when they see it either.

I love the range/kite/evade abilities. I can escape a zerg on demand, pick off stragglers at a safe distance, 1v1 with gingerbread man mobility. Good luck to you, sorry I wont comment on build, I run my own, its probably not the most potential because I dont watch youtube vids or research google for my builds. But it works great for me, good luck in your endevaors.

even if you dont like it, id love to look at it and glean off what i can learn from it!

Oh, I love it, but its like a hidden tresure to me lol.

Forte.3149:

This is my first post after lurking for a while. Before the i actually start the thread, i want to state that yes im a bad thief but im hoping people who are legitimately interested in giving actual feedback and tips for me to help me out or any of the other P/P enthusiasts out there. Thanks for helping me!

I run a high-mobility kiting dps build that uses no stealth. It’s meant for solo and small group play. Here is the build I use, and here is a playlist of videos that show how I use it. It’s by no means the only way to make an effective P/P build, but it’s the one that fits my playstyle the best.

If you’ve got any specific questions on traits/skills, please let me know and I’ll do my best to help answer them!

P/P is very powerful in WvW — don’t let anyone confuse you otherwise. ;P

what traits should i try

I run 10/30/0/0/30 — Valkyrie armor, and the rest Berserker (Ascended) — Withdraw, Roll, Shadow Step, SoS, and Basilisk (Lyssa).

Having 20 is Acrobatics is very unnecessary — especially for what you’re losing in other traits. I have 10 in DA for Mug (Damage + Heal), and 30 in Trickery for Sleight of Hand (21~ second Steal, instant interrupt). IMO, those are far more valuable than what you’re getting from Acrobatics.

For Trickery, I also use Thrill (mainly for Fury and Swiftness) & Bountiful (mainly for boon-stealing, but vigor is nice). Much better than a typically lackluster caltrops (for us). I miss Ricochet, however — used to use it often — but it’s more important being able to steal boons from certain professions.

what skills should i use

If you’re using Lyssa runes (I recommend), then you should use Basilisk — it’s a very short cool-down.

You should not use venoms (except maybe for underwater ;P). If you trait 10 in DA, you Poison on Steal anyways.

You may want to try Shadow Step — it’s incredibly useful for many different situations. You can Shadow-Step into an objective’s portal (to avoid a 50+ gate blob), you can instantly close a 1200-range gap (I drop MANY targets <5 seconds with this), or use it to escape/travel.

Depending on the situation, you’ll probably want to alternate utilities and/or traits.

Ive been hearing about a venomshare version of P/P

Venom-sharing P/P would make very significant sacrifices by going further into DA, and also neuter their very-needed utilities (by replacing them with venoms). Sounds like a death sentence to me.

I’m not going to tell you how to play P/P because quite frankly its one of those builds that hasn’t yet been set in stone. First of all, don’t listen to those people who say P/P sucks because its a really powerful set once you get over the fact that you wont be hiding in stealth 24/7 like you do with other sets. Unloads does damage more or less equal to that of backstabs and can be hit a lot easier and more frequently without putting yourself at too high of a risk.

You’re traits look pretty solid. The only problem I see with your build is your lack of condition removal. Currently the only form of condition removal you have are your Lyssa Runes coupled with Daggerstorm. Lyssa Runes usually work better with Basilisk Venom due to the cooldown. Spider Venom doesn’t really serve a purpose in your build and I would suggest your replace it with Shadowstep. It removes 2 conditions on return and it has huge range which helps a lot for escaping (it breaks stuns too) or chasing down an enemy using our shiny new body shot. Also shadowstep stomps are awesome since you wont be able to stealth stomp.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQRAqa8YlYm6OHdS4E/5Ey2DgqC5J/DOYPDuyqA-jUDBoLDimoAgsAiII0JPCiZPKrlhFRjV7ATVKpKXCy2bBymD2bQZVKgIWGB-w

This is the build I use when I run P/P, it may not be the best but its what I’m comfortable with. It focusses more on dodges, initiative regeneration and damage buffs under certain conditions. I use S/D as my offspec for the infinite amount of dodges with my high initiative regeneration and condition removal with infiltrator’s strike (when all my other options has been exhausted). This build also has alota damage multipliers such as +10% from pistols, +10% when endurance isn’t full (which it never is), +10% when initiative is over 6 (most of the time) and +20% when your enemy is under 50% health. You could improve that even more using runes like scholar, thief etc. or the flanking strikes trait. I’ve seen my unloads go up to 10k already with the help of some external might stacks.

Its best to keep experimenting with the possibilities of the weapon set. Most players just set it aside without giving it much thought due to its lack of stealth or terrible auto-attack.