Guild Wars 2

I’ve always loved thief, it’s just such an elegant class. But I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that there really wasn’t an “assassin” archetype outside of backstab. By assassin I mean someone who slips in and silently executes a target before their allies even know.

Just a few things I thought could not only make this happen but also possibly shift the meta for thieves away from swords or conditions.

Assassinate-Trait-Probably GM trait in Shadow Arts or Deadly Arts
Sneak attacks that reduce a target to less than 5% have a chance(maybe like 20-30%) to instantly kill a person, bypassing downed status. 10 Second cd to reduce multiple assassinates on a person after a failed attempt. Must be performed from behind or to the sides of target.

Stifled Screams-Trait-Probably in Shadow Arts or Trickery as a GM trait
When downing your opponent, stealth them and yourself so that their allies can’t see either of you for 3 seconds. Definitely would need a long cd, probably 45 seconds minimum.

Disorientation-Adept Trait in Shadow Arts or Trickery
Stealthing causes confusion to nearby foes. Probably something like 3 stacks.

Scapegoat-Acrobatics-GM trait
At 1% health you evade backwards and remove conditions and enter stealth for 3 seconds leaving behind a downed copy of yourself. Long cd, at least 60 seconds.

Just a few ideas. Do you guys have any cool ideas for skills or traits that you think could either bump thief up or shift their current meta?

You have some interesting ideas here and I like how you have tried to think of something unique, especially Assassinate. However things like scapegoat would have to be at 25% health as doing it at 1% would not work. I really love Disorientation however that is extremely OP. 3 stacks to nearby foes on stealth is too much. Would have to be 1 stack to nearby foes whenever you stealth at the MAX.

Stifled screams is interesting but how would you be able to stomp them if they are stealthed?

With stifled screams I was imagining it’d be like you applied a stealth like buff to them, making it so their teammates can’t see them but you can, sort of like if you stealthed an ally. So basically both of you are invisible to your opponents.

I imagined scapegoat being the way it is so that you literally disappear and the opponent thinks they downed you when really you are backing up. It could apply some sort of invulnerability or be like A.E.D and activate once you take lethal damage, saving you from the damage and teleporting you back. Obviously if it activated when you still have like 20% hp it would be obvious the downed copy was not you. unless the person really wasn’t paying attention.

Would be fun for us, but you have to consider they are trying to make fun fights for everyone. The reason people have mini-seizures about stealth is it’s annoying to play against. Most of what you listed, while cool, would be REALLY annoying to fight against, so not likely to happen.