Welcome rogues, scoundrels, and cutthroats! You may have heard, (incorrectly I assure you), that the thief is predominantly a PvP class, and has a limited or ineffective role in PvE parties. Luckily for us, this is not actually the case; thieves have an impressive array of support skill that may not be immediately obvious to a player coming from MMOs that utilize the holy trinity. Once you see how the thief’s abilities apply to the unique mechanics in Guild Wars 2, however, you will see that the humble thief is a force to be reckoned with.
This post is focused on dungeons and overworld gameplay, so there are no PvP tips here. There are plenty of other resources for PvP thieves, and if that’s what you’re looking for I’d start with Lowell’s excellent Thief PvP guide. This is also not about specific weapons or builds so much, but rather, our roles and abilities in PvE and dungeons.
If you disagree with something in this article or wish to add something, please say so! While I am a successful PVE thief, I am by no means the very best, nor am I always right. If there’s an error, I’ll fix it!
(Due to post length restrictions, this will be three posts long.)
PART I: The Theme and Starting Guidelines:
This is important for more than just roleplayers and lore nuts, because understanding the “theme” of the class helps you understand the design of the mechanics, and the intent behind the thief. The Thief in GW2 is primarily a “skirmisher” and a “dirty fighter”. You should always be moving, in and out of melee range as needed, and always trying to throw your enemy off balance with your deep bag of tricks.
Always Have an Exit Strategy! A downed thief supports no one. The Thief is not a rogue in other MMOs, who can stay behind the enemy and merely manage his “threat”. That’s not how aggro works, and at any moment an enemy can turn and decide you are now it’s new best friend. Always have situational awareness of who the enemy is targeting, and always have an exit planned. A dodge and cripple, a stealth: always have a way to quickly move out of melee range at a moment’s notice.
Always have one ranged weapon! Even if you like melee, as I do, the thief is not built to stay in melee 100% of the time. You are a skirmisher, and your range from the enemy must be adaptable. Right now the Shortbow has an edge over pistols, but depending on your build and if you already have another shortbow thief or a hammer guardian, you may be better off with pistols.
Don’t get tunnel vision! Under specific abilities I’ll explain the various ways you support your party, but remember that you have a lot of party support, and the lives of your teammates are more important than landing an extra Heartseeker or Pistol whip. Always keep and eye on your allies HP, and be ready to dodge-roll away and help them immediately if needed.
Don’t be concerned with your DPS, not at first! This is the big paradigm shift from previous MMOs that a lot of thieves are struggling with. Your DPS (damage-per-second) is not the defining feature of your class. Especially when learning story-mode dungeons or early explorable-mode dungeons, the amount of damage you deal is not that important. A warrior or an elementalist is almost always going to out-damage you, unless you are
a pure-damage glass-cannon build…and this game will punish you hard for taking a glass cannon into a dungeon. Some expert thieves may learn to pull it off, but starting out: don’t worry about your damage that much. There are no time limits or rage timers on bosses, not that I have ever seen.
(continued…)
(edited by Kirin.8465)