Guild Wars 2

I’m getting a new computer that can actually run the game soon and I’m waiting until I do so to make my main, and I was wanting to main Thief ever since I got the game about 2 years ago. I have a ranger that I’ve been playing all this time but I always knew I wanted to main a thief. With the recent patches/nerfs/changes to the class and all the talk about it, I am questioning whether or not it’s a good choice. I’ve always liked the stealthy, damaging, and mobile classes in games and thief fits that, and I find it the most fun. But it has so many difficulties now that idk if I want to main another class. I’ve been playing PvP with it and I find it fun, but frustrating whenever I make a mistake or cannot kill an enemy (looking at the DHs) because we’re squishy and fragile. I’ve read that other classes bring more support than us while we bring little, and while our damage is good we don’t excel in many other areas. I know fun is the whole point and thief is the most fun to me but is it worth it?

Yes. A good thief still shines. The last patch just made more of a split between good and bad (regardless of if the stealth attack nerf was needed or not). Good thieves will continue to excel.

I think, therefore I am.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Haha, I suppose it depends on what you would consider “worth” doing.
You’re not going to be making money by playing Thief… or GW2 for that matter.
So it depends on your purpose for playing the game :-)

As for me, the Thief gives speed and challenge.
Of course, I always played “underdog” builds in other games.
WWII flight sims in particular, while others would be flying the Spitfire, I’d be flying the Hurricane and ME-110. Wow… where did those days go? :-D

Okay thanks guys, I’ll go with my gut and roll a thief, I’ll definitely get better at it and it’s the most fun to me

Just go for it.
See, even I as a vanilly D/D thief, without food, without boons with SIGNET OF SHADOWS gasp kill stuff in wvw. Is only bad if it’s bunkers but I heard that isn’t really possible in pvp right now, so with some practice you should have a good time.

Yeah I’m gonna do my best with it, I feel like it’s the class with the most reward for how you fight

Theifs are a blast in fractals too if your keen. I have alot of medium gear sets so I shared one with my theif and I’m loving it!!

Would you recommend D/D or staff for fractals/raids?

Both are fine although ddevil has more options and suvivral I hear from family. I myself haven’t unlocked my staff so I can’t say personaly. I’ve been running d/d although I must say I am a bais player who also plays ranger sword/x

Ok, I’m used to using CnD and backstab with d/d, and staff has no reliable stealth outside of utilities so that’s a downside to me, but I’ll keep trying with them both and find the superior

I always use D/D and makes the most sense to me in PvE. I usually have SB as my second, but I guess staff is just as good for that.

Edit: Not really true, I also use S/P sometimes and P/P even – I guess the only “mode” where I use all weapons thief has got is in fractals.

DRAK.8643:

Ok, I’m used to using CnD and backstab with d/d, and staff has no reliable stealth outside of utilities so that’s a downside to me, but I’ll keep trying with them both and find the superior

Because I haven’t unlocked ddevil, I run that trait that gives +3 initiative weapon swap. There is a ranger trick were you stagger your weapons er.. Have your main hand dagger in your 1st weapon set and your offhand dagger in your 2nd weapon set. That way whenever I’ve used 3 or more initiative I can weapon swap without lossing anything. So I can CnD ( weapon swap) backstap for inatance

Jana.6831:

Just go for it.
See, even I as a vanilly D/D thief, without food, without boons with SIGNET OF SHADOWS gasp kill stuff in wvw. Is only bad if it’s bunkers but I heard that isn’t really possible in pvp right now, so with some practice you should have a good time.

vanilla thief is unplayable……. -.-

Menyus.4610:

vanilla thief is unplayable……. -.-

Yeah, someone just told me that I’m wonderful =)

Jana.6831:

Menyus.4610:

vanilla thief is unplayable……. -.-

Yeah, someone just told me that I’m wonderful =)

Vanilla thief is NOT unplayable, DareDevil is NOT mandatory. Find a build that you like, and run with it. (personally: d/d, s/b with DA, Trickery, and ACro)

Lets say: D/D is not unplayable but I have to skip a lot of classes/builds as I stand no chance. I’m well aware that my thief is the weakest it can get – but I want to play him that’s why I’m doing it and since “my” bug has been solved I’m having fun again. Minus the stealth attack cooldown which can be rather frustrating at times.

Play what you want, OP, but you’re in for a rude awakening with power D/D with the stealth attack ICD. In more competitive environments, it’s D/P or bust.

Thief is one of those classes where you get better relying on frustration, no matter what your build is ^^

So if you are ready to get frustrated a lot for small but intense satisfaction, welcome

Wargameur.6950:

Thief is one of those classes where you get better relying on frustration, no matter what your build is ^^

So if you are ready to get frustrated a lot for small but intense satisfaction, welcome

I second this. Frustration and dying a lot are part of the experience in learning how to thief. You slowly learn what to do and not to do by making mistakes here and there, until you find a playstyle and build that fit what you envision in playing it. But when you found that sweet spot, oh man does it feels good xD

Even the dying on the thief is more fun.

I have oftimes brought in my warrior to WvW and went an entire evening without dying, only to bring in my thief because the thief just more fun.

As another stated you can go non daredevil. Acro is an excellent traitline for those needing survival.

True, I always port back into my zerg when downed “REZ MEEEE” – maybe that’s why people are now running after my downed body because they’re used to having it to do anyway.

Maybe. Thief is still the most fluid combat class in the game and because of this can feel the most rewarding. However, it can also be a very frustrating class.

Power builds are brittle and do not forgive mistakes yet provide the most exhilaration of any class in WvW IMO. Thieves are cannibals to their own kind and in some sense we are weakest against our own since other thieves are typically the easiest to blow up. If you don’t mind porting frequently and a steep learning curve against bunker builds, this is where you belong.

Condi builds play like other condi builds… they dish out the condi and then survive often via dodges long enough to see your opponent to go on full cooldown. Lower risk, less frustrating but not as fun.

If you want to run in a non-stealth skirmish team, look to another class. A pack of stealthy thieves is murderous running full gank and will often get your guild the full attention of zergs in some cases…. if that appeals to you. What a single thief lacks in burst 2+ make up for against most opponents even if they have to be patient while Invulns run off.

Straegen.2938:

Maybe. Thief is still the most fluid combat class in the game

Speaking of which, I do wish they would make things more “fluid” inside of combat… from a technical aspect. QoL, I suppose. Like making evade skills/animations take priority over normal skills/animations. Perhaps reducing some of the aftercast delays of skills.

I know it’s a Third Person MMO, but some tighter controls would do wonders for a Thief.

Random thought… why can every Shortbow skill EXCEPT the auto-attack shoot backwards or at a target behind the Thief??? Would it be too much to add the same ability to the AA?

Kageseigi.2150:

Straegen.2938:

Maybe. Thief is still the most fluid combat class in the game

Speaking of which, I do wish they would make things more “fluid” inside of combat… from a technical aspect. QoL, I suppose. Like making evade skills/animations take priority over normal skills/animations. Perhaps reducing some of the aftercast delays of skills.

I know it’s a Third Person MMO, but some tighter controls would do wonders for a Thief.

Random thought… why can every Shortbow skill EXCEPT the auto-attack shoot backwards or at a target behind the Thief??? Would it be too much to add the same ability to the AA?

All ranged attacks cannot shoot from behind the player casting them.

DeceiverX.8361:

All ranged attacks cannot shoot from behind the player casting them.

I just did a quick test with the Shortbow to be certain.

When standing still…
1, 3: Shoots where you are facing (without target) or rotates to face target, then shoots (with target).
2, 4, 5: Rotates to ground target, then shoots.

When moving…
1. Shoots where you are facing (without target) or does not do anything at all if facing away from the target (with target).
3. Shoots where you are facing (without target) or rotates to face target, then shoots (with target).
2, 4, 5: Shoots wherever you ground target without rotating… at any angle, actually.

So basically, the auto-attack is the only skill, at least in my experience, that you have to manually face the target (when moving) before it will activate. Sadly, it won’t even do a quick turn-around to shoot like Disabling Shot does :-(

Thief is far from unplayable. A buddy of mine came across a vanilla thief and was able to recreate his build (in WvW). Pure condi, just about a 100% stealth uptime with good immob uptime. When he and I (non meta DPS daredevil) roam together, he forgets sometimes that he stealths (a lot) and leaves me as the only target,lol. Luckily (while I re-learn daredevil), having that much stealth himself, he can usually rez me and not be seen.

Not to continue off topic, thief/daredevil is a great class to main, but unless you are running cheese, it has a higher skill cap than most other classes to be somewhat decent at. When you start to become somewhat decent, you are extremely valuable.

Spec power build>die a few times>respec condi trapper build>kill many times>feel happy for a while>starts wondering whether u r good or carried by build>respec power build…….. the vicious cycle of playing thief.

yiksing.9432:

Spec power build>die a few times>respec condi trapper build>kill many times>feel happy for a while>starts wondering whether u r good or carried by build>respec power build…….. the vicious cycle of playing thief.

Yeah my buddy that I mentioned feels bad and feels cheese with his vanilla condi thief build, but it sets my bursts up nicely (immob enemy drops very fast when im on them) but his build is effective (love watching him troll 4 ppl hovering over by body, only to get me up and we end up beating them…its magical) best part is he records us roaming so its better to watch the events again (minus me dying being a noobish DPS daredevil with little stealth uptime,lol…I need to learn to use my d/p stealth combos more often)

Kageseigi.2150:

DeceiverX.8361:

All ranged attacks cannot shoot from behind the player casting them.

I just did a quick test with the Shortbow to be certain.

When standing still…
1, 3: Shoots where you are facing (without target) or rotates to face target, then shoots (with target).
2, 4, 5: Rotates to ground target, then shoots.

When moving…
1. Shoots where you are facing (without target) or does not do anything at all if facing away from the target (with target).
3. Shoots where you are facing (without target) or rotates to face target, then shoots (with target).
2, 4, 5: Shoots wherever you ground target without rotating… at any angle, actually.

So basically, the auto-attack is the only skill, at least in my experience, that you have to manually face the target (when moving) before it will activate. Sadly, it won’t even do a quick turn-around to shoot like Disabling Shot does :-(

All Ground target Aoe attacks can be placed in any direction, SB isn’t the only one weapon to do that, he was referring to the AA and number 3 since they are the only non Ground target Aoe skills

BlaqueFyre.5678:

he was referring to the AA and number 3 since they are the only non Ground target Aoe skills

Perhaps so, though AA is still the only skill that won’t activate if I’m not facing the target. Disabling Shot will turn me around, activate, then turn back to where I’m going. It makes AA feel very awkward in comparison while moving. I wish AA would also momentarily turn around and activate just as Disabling Shot does.

BlaqueFyre.5678:

Kageseigi.2150:

DeceiverX.8361:

All ranged attacks cannot shoot from behind the player casting them.

I just did a quick test with the Shortbow to be certain.

When standing still…
1, 3: Shoots where you are facing (without target) or rotates to face target, then shoots (with target).
2, 4, 5: Rotates to ground target, then shoots.

When moving…
1. Shoots where you are facing (without target) or does not do anything at all if facing away from the target (with target).
3. Shoots where you are facing (without target) or rotates to face target, then shoots (with target).
2, 4, 5: Shoots wherever you ground target without rotating… at any angle, actually.

So basically, the auto-attack is the only skill, at least in my experience, that you have to manually face the target (when moving) before it will activate. Sadly, it won’t even do a quick turn-around to shoot like Disabling Shot does :-(

All Ground target Aoe attacks can be placed in any direction, SB isn’t the only one weapon to do that, he was referring to the AA and number 3 since they are the only non Ground target Aoe skills

Correct. Couldn’t make this claim due to forum suspension.

Abilities which require a target on any ranged weapon will not land if used when not facing the enemy. The same is said for disabling shot’s projectile. The evade is a separate mechanic.

Jana.6831:

Just go for it.
See, even I as a vanilly D/D thief, without food, without boons with SIGNET OF SHADOWS gasp kill stuff in wvw. Is only bad if it’s bunkers but I heard that isn’t really possible in pvp right now, so with some practice you should have a good time.

why did you post a pic of afk reaper?

Jayden Ennok.3687:

Jana.6831:

Just go for it.
See, even I as a vanilly D/D thief, without food, without boons with SIGNET OF SHADOWS gasp kill stuff in wvw. Is only bad if it’s bunkers but I heard that isn’t really possible in pvp right now, so with some practice you should have a good time.

why did you post a pic of afk reaper?

He wasn’t afk.

I find vanilla thief is ok for wvw. I like to control battlefield so I play D/P. Very few can kill me on 1v1 so most of time my targets are small groups. D/P is perfect to slow down groups, down or kill players. Usually I roam alone. Due to lag I cant play in big groups. Most of mistakes are lethal. Also this nerf to stealth attacks. Its nearly impossible to predict targets movement and even make a hit because of defensive boon sharing in blobs or zergs. Is thief fun? Oh yeah.

P.S. Necros are easy targets.

Necros usually don’t move at all – I should probably play the class for a bit to get behind that secret. Well and they don’t have all the passive blocks.
Sometimes I have no chance at all though, if they’ve got signet of plaque eqipped (I should know how to dodge it but somehow fail it every time) or if I really mess up.
D/P is another story as it should be a lot easier to kill anything with D/P. Topic was that one can do whatever one wants and still have fun. You just shouldn’t be afraid to die, especially as vanilla D/D and well, there’s no “getting better” as there’s a) no balance, b) everything is bugged and c) the lags. You can’t say “Well, I made this and that mistake, that’s why I lost” it’s all more or less random.

Dangus.6572:

I find vanilla thief is ok for wvw. I like to control battlefield so I play D/P. Very few can kill me on 1v1 so most of time my targets are small groups. D/P is perfect to slow down groups, down or kill players. Usually I roam alone. Due to lag I cant play in big groups. Most of mistakes are lethal. Also this nerf to stealth attacks. Its nearly impossible to predict targets movement and even make a hit because of defensive boon sharing in blobs or zergs. Is thief fun? Oh yeah.

P.S. Necros are easy targets.

If you want a fast fight, thieves are only ok in WvW…after trying my buddy’s build, the slow agonizing trolling death it brings with permastealth is extremely satisfying…expecially when you can down/stomp without them even seeing you. HIDDEN KILLAH

Bigpapasmurf.5623:

If you want a fast fight, thieves are only ok in WvW…after trying my buddy’s build, the slow agonizing trolling death it brings with permastealth is extremely satisfying…expecially when you can down/stomp without them even seeing you. HIDDEN KILLAH

Does this build work on people who ignore you? Whenever I / my buddies come across one of the permastealth trapper thieves, we just ignore them and go on our merry way. It seems like it only works if the opponent tries to vainly swing at the air.

Though I imagine it’d be a fun build for an afternoon before the novelty wore off. Would you mind posting what you’re using?

Im not home atm so I will post the build later. For those that don’t care and leave, My buddy and I (who runs the same build) use them as practice tbh. Eventually someone cares or they down quickly. 99% of ppl we come across fight back (or try). The fun of the hunt.

I also only run 1 trap utility but do use trapper runes