Good day!
I’ve been messing around with the Thief profession, and I like it. Alot! However, I am still relatively new (also new to the whole assassin characters in general). I’m thinking that I would like to go with a dagger/dagger main set, with a shortbow offhand. My logic is that I can get close and personal with the dagger/dagger set, and also pick off/distance myself with the shortbow or stealth skills. I’ve been reading through the wikis, various guilds and forum posts. However, I am still very confused on how to approach the build. My main concern is survivability. But I guess that what dodging, stealth and add healing bonuses to armor are for? What would be the staple build for this kind of approach that I could read up on? There are so many it seems (very daunting lol).
Edit: I’m more concerned with PvE, than I am PvP or WvW.
Good day!
I’ve been messing around with the Thief profession, and I like it. Alot! However, I am still relatively new (also new to the whole assassin characters in general). I’m thinking that I would like to go with a dagger/dagger main set, with a shortbow offhand. My logic is that I can get close and personal with the dagger/dagger set, and also pick off/distance myself with the shortbow or stealth skills. I’ve been reading through the wikis, various guilds and forum posts. However, I am still very confused on how to approach the build. My main concern is survivability. But I guess that what dodging, stealth and add healing bonuses to armor are for? What would be the staple build for this kind of approach that I could read up on? There are so many it seems (very daunting lol).
Edit: I’m more concerned with PvE, than I am PvP or WvW.
Good, you didnt get sucked into thinking a condition or venom build is viable. Thats great man.
Run a 25-30-0-15-0 build for max zerk with a little survive based on active mitigation. Spam backstab when you can and switch to heart seeker at 25%. Use sb on anyfights with more than 1 mob, cluster bomb is you bread and butter spam it like crazy and throw in poison fields for good measure. Always wait a wile before attacking a boss so you dont over aggro and die. When kitten hits the fan in meele range and you out of healing dont obe afraid to switch to shortbow and take it easy untill you got a heal on cd and some hp.
If you’re worried about survive-ability, definitely put 15 into Acrobatics. This will give you Feline Grace, which boosts your endurance regen. In addition to that, I always run with Signet of Agility which will passively increase precision and actively refill your endurance 100% if needed. Other than that, just focus on berserker stats like Zepidel said. 25/30/0/15/0 is a very good build, although I personally run 0/30/0/25/15. But ultimately, as you play more, you’ll learn which traits will go best with your play style.
As they said, 15 points in Acrobatics is a must for survivability – Feline Grace is an excelent trait since it returns some of the endurance when you dodge
Shadow Arts is not a great thing. Imo, it’s really weak compared to the other trait lines, so I prefer spending my points in other lines.
Deadly Arts is gives you power and has some nice traits, especially if you like using venoms. Critical Strikes is probably a must, really strong trait line. Trickery has some ups and downs, but I like it, especially the Steal effects (boons when you use Steal)
Shadow Arts is a great trait line, as long as you’re using either X/D or D/P.
Deadly Arts is the crappy one. The second and third minor traits are decent, but the major traits are hands down the worst selection in the game. Every last one of them is terrible. Unless you focus on Venoms and have Venomous Aura from Shadow Arts, in which case a few of them are mediocre.
It’s worse than Trickery if you want condition damage, and worse than Critical Strikes if you want direct damage.
You’re better off skipping over it in favor of extra defense or utility from another trait line.
The only people who take it are either running a Venom Share build, or trying to min-max the hell out of their offense for useless five-digit Backstabs.
I don’t know what you mean by five-digit Backstabs? Again everyone, thanks for the information. This is a great community. I didn’t expect this many replies lolll.
I don’t know what you mean by five-digit Backstabs? Again everyone, thanks for the information. This is a great community. I didn’t expect this many replies lolll.
10,000+ damage. People building just to sneak up on another person in WvW to insta-kill them then flee.
Good for nothing except making video montages that get everyone ranting about how “OP” Thieves are.
Good day!
I’ve been messing around with the Thief profession, and I like it. Alot! However, I am still relatively new (also new to the whole assassin characters in general). I’m thinking that I would like to go with a dagger/dagger main set, with a shortbow offhand. My logic is that I can get close and personal with the dagger/dagger set, and also pick off/distance myself with the shortbow or stealth skills. I’ve been reading through the wikis, various guilds and forum posts. However, I am still very confused on how to approach the build. My main concern is survivability. But I guess that what dodging, stealth and add healing bonuses to armor are for? What would be the staple build for this kind of approach that I could read up on? There are so many it seems (very daunting lol).
Edit: I’m more concerned with PvE, than I am PvP or WvW.
Good, you didnt get sucked into thinking a condition or venom build is viable. Thats great man.
Run a 25-30-0-15-0 build for max zerk with a little survive based on active mitigation. Spam backstab when you can and switch to heart seeker at 25%. Use sb on anyfights with more than 1 mob, cluster bomb is you bread and butter spam it like crazy and throw in poison fields for good measure. Always wait a wile before attacking a boss so you dont over aggro and die. When kitten hits the fan in meele range and you out of healing dont obe afraid to switch to shortbow and take it easy untill you got a heal on cd and some hp.
Does anyone else smell… cheese?
:P
Anyways, I run S/P P/P Knight in PvE/WvW, and it works very well. Really steady damage, lots of survive, lots of cleave with intelligent choices.
Faolain Mag Aoidh / Diarmuidh
Leader of Thunderguard
Tarnished Coast Representative, Mist League
Good day!
I’ve been messing around with the Thief profession, and I like it. Alot! However, I am still relatively new (also new to the whole assassin characters in general). I’m thinking that I would like to go with a dagger/dagger main set, with a shortbow offhand. My logic is that I can get close and personal with the dagger/dagger set, and also pick off/distance myself with the shortbow or stealth skills. I’ve been reading through the wikis, various guilds and forum posts. However, I am still very confused on how to approach the build. My main concern is survivability. But I guess that what dodging, stealth and add healing bonuses to armor are for? What would be the staple build for this kind of approach that I could read up on? There are so many it seems (very daunting lol).
Edit: I’m more concerned with PvE, than I am PvP or WvW.
Good, you didnt get sucked into thinking a condition or venom build is viable. Thats great man.
Run a 25-30-0-15-0 build for max zerk with a little survive based on active mitigation. Spam backstab when you can and switch to heart seeker at 25%. Use sb on anyfights with more than 1 mob, cluster bomb is you bread and butter spam it like crazy and throw in poison fields for good measure. Always wait a wile before attacking a boss so you dont over aggro and die. When kitten hits the fan in meele range and you out of healing dont obe afraid to switch to shortbow and take it easy untill you got a heal on cd and some hp.
Does anyone else smell… cheese?
:P
Anyways, I run S/P P/P Knight in PvE/WvW, and it works very well. Really steady damage, lots of survive, lots of cleave with intelligent choices.
IDK but I definitely starting smelling some Limburger when I saw you use P/P. Theres bundles you can find in the open world that will do you better than that.
I don’t know what you mean by five-digit Backstabs? Again everyone, thanks for the information. This is a great community. I didn’t expect this many replies lolll.
10,000+ damage. People building just to sneak up on another person in WvW to insta-kill them then flee.
Good for nothing except making video montages that get everyone ranting about how “OP” Thieves are.
Instantly killing anyone is a bad thing? Sure it is lol….
Sounds like your just mad. 1st off you need to know who you can and can’t instakill with a rotation. Guardians are easiest (remember to not be a turboscrub and probe aegis off b4 u blow ur load) necros and mesmers would be among the hardest. Taking out a support like a guardian completely out of a fight before it even really starts is HUGE. Not to mention if you go a sr lined up you can not only escape the front/back lines but most ppl will pull their attention to you mitigating alot of damage off your buddies. Then you switch to sb and go to town till your cd’s are off and your rotation is ready to go.
This is how you should play a stealth class in any game, thats why I always laugh at bunker/condition thief’s. You entire job in life is to pick up weak people in the back lines and get out of town, although thanks to anets policy on the trinity it is less true in this game perhaps.
Good day!
I’ve been messing around with the Thief profession, and I like it. Alot! However, I am still relatively new (also new to the whole assassin characters in general). I’m thinking that I would like to go with a dagger/dagger main set, with a shortbow offhand. My logic is that I can get close and personal with the dagger/dagger set, and also pick off/distance myself with the shortbow or stealth skills. I’ve been reading through the wikis, various guilds and forum posts. However, I am still very confused on how to approach the build. My main concern is survivability. But I guess that what dodging, stealth and add healing bonuses to armor are for? What would be the staple build for this kind of approach that I could read up on? There are so many it seems (very daunting lol).
Edit: I’m more concerned with PvE, than I am PvP or WvW.
Good, you didnt get sucked into thinking a condition or venom build is viable. Thats great man.
Run a 25-30-0-15-0 build for max zerk with a little survive based on active mitigation. Spam backstab when you can and switch to heart seeker at 25%. Use sb on anyfights with more than 1 mob, cluster bomb is you bread and butter spam it like crazy and throw in poison fields for good measure. Always wait a wile before attacking a boss so you dont over aggro and die. When kitten hits the fan in meele range and you out of healing dont obe afraid to switch to shortbow and take it easy untill you got a heal on cd and some hp.
Does anyone else smell… cheese?
:P
Anyways, I run S/P P/P Knight in PvE/WvW, and it works very well. Really steady damage, lots of survive, lots of cleave with intelligent choices.
IDK but I definitely starting smelling some Limburger when I saw you use P/P. Theres bundles you can find in the open world that will do you better than that.
I don’t know what you mean by five-digit Backstabs? Again everyone, thanks for the information. This is a great community. I didn’t expect this many replies lolll.
10,000+ damage. People building just to sneak up on another person in WvW to insta-kill them then flee.
Good for nothing except making video montages that get everyone ranting about how “OP” Thieves are.
Instantly killing anyone is a bad thing? Sure it is lol….
Sounds like your just mad. 1st off you need to know who you can and can’t instakill with a rotation. Guardians are easiest (remember to not be a turboscrub and probe aegis off b4 u blow ur load) necros and mesmers would be among the hardest. Taking out a support like a guardian completely out of a fight before it even really starts is HUGE. Not to mention if you go a sr lined up you can not only escape the front/back lines but most ppl will pull their attention to you mitigating alot of damage off your buddies. Then you switch to sb and go to town till your cd’s are off and your rotation is ready to go.
This is how you should play a stealth class in any game, thats why I always laugh at bunker/condition thief’s. You entire job in life is to pick up weak people in the back lines and get out of town, although thanks to anets policy on the trinity it is less true in this game perhaps.
It’s bad because you’ll die if anyone sneezes on you, so you can’t do a thing once you blow your initial ambush and utilities on someone.
In PvE you’ll also have to constantly be rezzed by teammates as stray AoEs gib you instantly.
