Guild Wars 2

Anyone tested which on is better for movement?

I have 10 in acrobatics so I have swiftness on dodge, swiftness plus heart seeker covers some decent ground and is spammable, where as infiltrators arrow covers large chunks of ground in shorter increments. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to get around for world completion.

Heartseeker. Done numerous tests on it. There are some time when you need IA though. some ledges can be jumped or launched on-top of using it.

HS on flat areas. IA anywhere else.

Taril.8619:

Well, when it comes down to it:
SB > HS in terms of speed (No needing to stand still for a second when starting a chain of IA’s)
HS > SB in terms of Init usage (Uses the same amount per movement but HS favours the slower regen of init that comes from passives such as the default regen + Regen trait + regen signet)
HS > SB when under speed enhancing effects (Swiftness, Signet of Shadows) as it increases the distance HS goes while reducing the effect of SB (By the time the arrow has flown there with the additional speed it actually moves you less than the max range)
SB > HS when NPC’s are nearby as HS will put you in combat if you hit one.
SB > HS if you have auto-target on as there’s definitive control over it.
SB > HS for burst movement (Can do all 1800 range possible with 12 init in 2 quick casts rather than needing the 4 HS)
SB > HS for direction changing (HS likes to just go forwards, while SB can be placed)
HS > SB if you’re not good at hitting the max range with ground locations abilities.

I posted this into another thread that asked about it.

Wow kitten thanks everyone for the quick responses and great info. Much appreciated.

SB has a huge edge for get away because it will port you while rooted/crippled.. and if you get stunned after it fires off it will still port you. Downside is they emeny can see the swirls of the shadowstep if you are doing it in stealth (if they know), with HS they can only hear your first couple.

Stiv.1820:

SB has a huge edge for get away because it will port you while rooted/crippled.. and if you get stunned after it fires off it will still port you. Downside is they emeny can see the swirls of the shadowstep if you are doing it in stealth (if they know), with HS they can only hear your first couple.

Well the real downside of Infiltrators arrow is that it breakes stealth.

Karolis.4261:

Stiv.1820:

SB has a huge edge for get away because it will port you while rooted/crippled.. and if you get stunned after it fires off it will still port you. Downside is they emeny can see the swirls of the shadowstep if you are doing it in stealth (if they know), with HS they can only hear your first couple.

Well the real downside of Infiltrators arrow is that it breakes stealth.

It actually doesn’t break stealth. This is a well known bug, but although you’ll appear on your client, and those of your allies, to have broken stealth, you’re actually still stealthed. This has been tested multiple times.

Basically, try the following:

Stealth
IA
Check out your buffs, you’ll see you’re still stealthed.

Heck, IA next to some mobs and watch as they completely ignore you.

Additionally, it you wait, you’ll see another “bamf” when stealth wears off for real.

As best as I can figure it, the “bamf” effect is coded in such a way that the effect itself alters the way the model is rendered to the player/allies, and some designer somewhere took a shortcut and reused the same “bamf” effects script for IA as was already present with stealth.

This bug is as old as release, and confusing to new thieves. Really wish they’d fix that.

Can you IA out of Shadow refuge without being revealed + invis debuffed?

PopeUrban.2578:

Karolis.4261:

Stiv.1820:

SB has a huge edge for get away because it will port you while rooted/crippled.. and if you get stunned after it fires off it will still port you. Downside is they emeny can see the swirls of the shadowstep if you are doing it in stealth (if they know), with HS they can only hear your first couple.

Well the real downside of Infiltrators arrow is that it breakes stealth.

It actually doesn’t break stealth. This is a well known bug, but although you’ll appear on your client, and those of your allies, to have broken stealth, you’re actually still stealthed. This has been tested multiple times.

Basically, try the following:

Stealth
IA
Check out your buffs, you’ll see you’re still stealthed.

Heck, IA next to some mobs and watch as they completely ignore you.

Additionally, it you wait, you’ll see another “bamf” when stealth wears off for real.

As best as I can figure it, the “bamf” effect is coded in such a way that the effect itself alters the way the model is rendered to the player/allies, and some designer somewhere took a shortcut and reused the same “bamf” effects script for IA as was already present with stealth.

This bug is as old as release, and confusing to new thieves. Really wish they’d fix that.

Well ill be kitten I do know the issue with any shadowstep screwing up stealth animation, but for some reason i was sure that IA was actually breaking stealth ( that knowledge comes from newbie times, i dont use IA at all for escaping now, HS or CnD on random targets does the job and im still have full acess to stealth w/o 10 s cooldown). Oh well, just another rock to my garden.

PopeUrban.2578:

Karolis.4261:

Stiv.1820:

SB has a huge edge for get away because it will port you while rooted/crippled.. and if you get stunned after it fires off it will still port you. Downside is they emeny can see the swirls of the shadowstep if you are doing it in stealth (if they know), with HS they can only hear your first couple.

Well the real downside of Infiltrators arrow is that it breakes stealth.

It actually doesn’t break stealth. This is a well known bug, but although you’ll appear on your client, and those of your allies, to have broken stealth, you’re actually still stealthed. This has been tested multiple times.

Basically, try the following:

Stealth
IA
Check out your buffs, you’ll see you’re still stealthed.

Heck, IA next to some mobs and watch as they completely ignore you.

Additionally, it you wait, you’ll see another “bamf” when stealth wears off for real.

As best as I can figure it, the “bamf” effect is coded in such a way that the effect itself alters the way the model is rendered to the player/allies, and some designer somewhere took a shortcut and reused the same “bamf” effects script for IA as was already present with stealth.

This bug is as old as release, and confusing to new thieves. Really wish they’d fix that.

Actually, I’m pretty sure that at release IA did break stealth (I’d take agro when I used it after I stealthed). Nowadays it won’t break anymore though.

Kincaidia.3192:

Can you IA out of Shadow refuge without being revealed + invis debuffed?

You’ll become revealed.

Taril +1 very nice. I run SB in my P/D build cause I loves the poison!!! Still those are really good facts to know. I figured the one about moving and IA some of the others I didn’t really realize.

Karolis.4261:

PopeUrban.2578:

Karolis.4261:

Stiv.1820:

SB has a huge edge for get away because it will port you while rooted/crippled.. and if you get stunned after it fires off it will still port you. Downside is they emeny can see the swirls of the shadowstep if you are doing it in stealth (if they know), with HS they can only hear your first couple.

Well the real downside of Infiltrators arrow is that it breakes stealth.

It actually doesn’t break stealth. This is a well known bug, but although you’ll appear on your client, and those of your allies, to have broken stealth, you’re actually still stealthed. This has been tested multiple times.

Basically, try the following:

Stealth
IA
Check out your buffs, you’ll see you’re still stealthed.

Heck, IA next to some mobs and watch as they completely ignore you.

Additionally, it you wait, you’ll see another “bamf” when stealth wears off for real.

As best as I can figure it, the “bamf” effect is coded in such a way that the effect itself alters the way the model is rendered to the player/allies, and some designer somewhere took a shortcut and reused the same “bamf” effects script for IA as was already present with stealth.

This bug is as old as release, and confusing to new thieves. Really wish they’d fix that.

Well ill be kitten I do know the issue with any shadowstep screwing up stealth animation, but for some reason i was sure that IA was actually breaking stealth ( that knowledge comes from newbie times, i dont use IA at all for escaping now, HS or CnD on random targets does the job and im still have full acess to stealth w/o 10 s cooldown). Oh well, just another rock to my garden.

IA doesn’t break stealth BUT another person can see your arrow while you are stealthed. So if instance in spvp, you shadow refuge out of the gate in forest of nilfhil, and you start shooting arrows, anyone with eyes can see black blurrs going across their screen.

Heartseeker when just moving from Point A to Point B with no threat of combat to throw you off. You’ll win a race with an infil user every time in that situation.

Infil for actual combat movement, movement up hills or certain terrain, and other general usefulness. I wouldn’t use heartseeker for movement in combat, too unreliable. Infil is superior in that regard because of movement when immobilized, crippled, chilled, clearing guardian lines and rings, and other things that only a shadowstep can do.

I believe HS is better to cover distances, not sure why some Thieves insist on SB.
In combat SB is better but not outside imo.

Inf can also port you up things that you’d have many collisions with while doing HS. Example:

Spawn point right by the MF. you can INF from the platform down to the repair agent and back up.

HS can’t do that.