New video, haven’t made one in a while due to transfering to different servers, leaving my guild (all my previous videos were on the guild channel) so I had to sort out a new channel of my own:
And why on earth are you using Withdraw in a stealth based build? That would suit a S/D evasion build, really, HiS is your best friend for this build.
Also, skale venom and blinding powder seem a bit poor compared to the utility of Signet of Shadows and Shadow Refuge.
Anyway, good gameplay though!
I don’t feel the need to use extra stealth utilities and I’m no fan of Shadow Refuge (shouldn’t stack stealth imo, it’s an easy getaway tool), I’m using Withdraw because together with my Centaur runes (which are dirt cheap) they provide me with Perma Swiftness, which is why I can drop Signet of Shadows.
Skale Venom is amazing and is the reason why my build kills people in the first place, you also want to cover up your bleeds so they are harder to remove.
You need to think out of the box, sure your survivability is a lot higher with all these extra stealth utilities but you trade in a lot of damage for it. I’d pick Blinding Powder over Shadow Refuge anyday.
love your game play and style though sometime if i miss cnd in 1vX i am doomed
why you dont use shadow strike at all after using venom as it will give you 5 stacks
i like the s/p duel in the movie
and what do you think about 20,0,30,20,0 build which give more power and shorter cd on venom?
This is the kind of build I’ve been running. Using a dire set, running 20/0/30/0/20. using spider and skale venom though…. you know what.. the only thing similar about our builds is the use of PD and the end result I guess. I’m glad to see so many more PD thieves out there. Conditions rule!
Great video. a good amount of things to learn for a new thief like myself.
If you don’t mind me asking, what type of weapons are you using (Carrion, Rabid, Giver, Dire) and what sigils?
My entire build is in literally the first minute of the video lol.
@Above, Shadow Strike nono… I only use that when immobilized and mass AoE on me, it’s just not smooth going in for CnD, sneak attack, Shadow Strike & then having to walk up to your target again.. it’s a good skill but it doesn’t work well 1vX.
Perma swiftness is great, but I would rather take many other rune sets.. such as: Scavenger, Perplexity(even with no interrupt spam they are great damage), adventurer, or the classic bleed duration mix and match.
I would also much rather use hide in shadows for any build with 30 in SA, just too much benefit there. Although withdraw isnt bad, I just dont think its as good for a stealth build.
Shadow strike is great, it really increases your damage when you stack it with bleeds and poison from steal/spider.
Everyone has their preferences I guess, and this setup clearly works for you, was a great vid.
Okay. You’ve convinced me to try Withdraw with my P/D setup. I’m afraid without Centaur Runes Withdraw won’t be as nice, but there’s no harm in trying.
Okay. You’ve convinced me to try Withdraw with my P/D setup. I’m afraid without Centaur Runes Withdraw won’t be as nice, but there’s no harm in trying.
Very nice video, excellent gameplay.
You aren’t going to like it as much. The whole point of using centaur runes with withdrawal is to get close to permaswiftness. Without the centaur runes, I wouldn’t use withdrawal especially if you rune 30 in SA.
You aren’t going to like it as much. The whole point of using centaur runes with withdrawal is to get close to permaswiftness. Without the centaur runes, I wouldn’t use withdrawal especially if you rune 30 in SA.
its really depends in your game style
withdrawal gives you health every 15 seconds instead of 30 seconds. so overall health is higher. and also its cures immobilized chill and cripple which are the most dangerous conditions on thieves and also uses as another dodge
so if you are good cnd user you really dont need another stealth ability
Okay. You’ve convinced me to try Withdraw with my P/D setup. I’m afraid without Centaur Runes Withdraw won’t be as nice, but there’s no harm in trying.
Very nice video, excellent gameplay.
You aren’t going to like it as much. The whole point of using centaur runes with withdrawal is to get close to permaswiftness. Without the centaur runes, I wouldn’t use withdrawal especially if you rune 30 in SA.
Not close to.. it is perma swiftness (+3s on dodge, don’t forget) I can stack my Swiftness up to 1min. I just fell in love with these amazing and super cheap runes, I’ll never swap em out.
@Above,
Class easiest to kill for me is ranger and mesmer (unless he’s really good or some crazy perplexity shatter type of build)
Hardest is D/D ele by far.. due to all of the condition removals they have, it’s even tough killing a bad D/D ele sometimes.
Thank you for these comments guys.
New funny video, soloing Woodhaven but first had to deal with some unwanted visitors in a really cruel way:D :
My main character (until recently) was a thief that I had been toying around with on the condition side. My largest problem was those blasted warriors and how quickly they could lock me down and kill me (which is why I rolled one). Anyways, how do you counter them and do you find this build effective against them? Is the lack of the SB ever a problem for you? Sorry for all the questions.
Laura Seranus – Mesmer – “Shatter Me!”
“I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
My main character (until recently) was a thief that I had been toying around with on the condition side. My largest problem was those blasted warriors and how quickly they could lock me down and kill me (which is why I rolled one). Anyways, how do you counter them and do you find this build effective against them? Is the lack of the SB ever a problem for you? Sorry for all the questions.
Thief in general just isn’t good against a competent fotm warrior, P/D included. With P/D, instead of locking you down and blocking your bursts with their invuln/stunning you etc, they’ll just outheal your conditions, and use their superior mobility to run for it if they get close to dying.
My main character (until recently) was a thief that I had been toying around with on the condition side. My largest problem was those blasted warriors and how quickly they could lock me down and kill me (which is why I rolled one). Anyways, how do you counter them and do you find this build effective against them? Is the lack of the SB ever a problem for you? Sorry for all the questions.
Thief in general just isn’t good against a competent fotm warrior, P/D included. With P/D, instead of locking you down and blocking your bursts with their invuln/stunning you etc, they’ll just outheal your conditions, and use their superior mobility to run for it if they get close to dying.
^
Warrior mobility is something I can’t match, I tend to leave solo warriors alone because I know there’s a big chance they’ll just outrun me.. I can keep up with my build but I do have to use my stunbreaker, if the warrior makes a turn for me, he can totally screw me up.
As for stuns.. warrior stuns are SO easy to dodge, learn to know them and dodge at the right times, I’ve never had issues fighting a good warrior.
question: do you think 30 points in SA is a must and does the Shadow’s Rejuvenation really needed? if not what do you think about 20,0,20,15,15 build?
which gives more power, cd on venoms, more conditions to cover the bleed and torment and you dont lose the perma dodges (almost)
question: do you think 30 points in SA is a must and does the Shadow’s Rejuvenation really needed? if not what do you think about 20,0,20,15,15 build?
which gives more power, cd on venoms, more conditions to cover the bleed and torment and you dont lose the perma dodges (almost)
I prefer survivability over anything.. and Shadow Rejunevation is definitely needed, unless you go with a high damage single target burst build (kill, stomp & out..)
Every stealth based thief build uses Rejunevation, the only time I didn’t use it I had alternatives to heal me (mango pie for example, but only heals for 85HP per sec, also out of stealth though)
Perma swiftness is great, but I would rather take many other rune sets.. such as: Scavenger, Perplexity(even with no interrupt spam they are great damage), adventurer, or the classic bleed duration mix and match.
I would also much rather use hide in shadows for any build with 30 in SA, just too much benefit there. Although withdraw isnt bad, I just dont think its as good for a stealth build.
Shadow strike is great, it really increases your damage when you stack it with bleeds and poison from steal/spider.
Everyone has their preferences I guess, and this setup clearly works for you, was a great vid.
Cant agree that hide in shadows is better then withdraw on p/d build. Even without centaur runes. When traited withdraw lets u reach close to perma vigor. More evades = more survivability, more caltrops laying around + it cleans chilled, cripple and most important immobilise, what lets you get out of those sticky situations when ppl try and lock u in.
Perma swiftness is great, but I would rather take many other rune sets.. such as: Scavenger, Perplexity(even with no interrupt spam they are great damage), adventurer, or the classic bleed duration mix and match.
I would also much rather use hide in shadows for any build with 30 in SA, just too much benefit there. Although withdraw isnt bad, I just dont think its as good for a stealth build.
Shadow strike is great, it really increases your damage when you stack it with bleeds and poison from steal/spider.
Everyone has their preferences I guess, and this setup clearly works for you, was a great vid.
Cant agree that hide in shadows is better then withdraw on p/d build. Even without centaur runes. When traited withdraw lets u reach close to perma vigor. More evades = more survivability, more caltrops laying around + it cleans chilled, cripple and most important immobilise, what lets you get out of those sticky situations when ppl try and lock u in.
Made a new video, commentary one.. really short, I tried to make a seperate topic for it but the forums are lagging again, soon there will probably be 10 topic of mine again but w/e….
Perma swiftness is great, but I would rather take many other rune sets.. such as: Scavenger, Perplexity(even with no interrupt spam they are great damage), adventurer, or the classic bleed duration mix and match.
I would also much rather use hide in shadows for any build with 30 in SA, just too much benefit there. Although withdraw isnt bad, I just dont think its as good for a stealth build.
Shadow strike is great, it really increases your damage when you stack it with bleeds and poison from steal/spider.
Everyone has their preferences I guess, and this setup clearly works for you, was a great vid.
Cant agree that hide in shadows is better then withdraw on p/d build. Even without centaur runes. When traited withdraw lets u reach close to perma vigor. More evades = more survivability, more caltrops laying around + it cleans chilled, cripple and most important immobilise, what lets you get out of those sticky situations when ppl try and lock u in.
I’d rather have the much more efficient healing, the removal of damaging conditions, especially poison, and most importantly, stealth. As far as survival goes, yes evades are great, but stealth is even better. There is a good chance you will remove that root or cripple just by using hide in shadows anyway.
Perma swiftness is great, but I would rather take many other rune sets.. such as: Scavenger, Perplexity(even with no interrupt spam they are great damage), adventurer, or the classic bleed duration mix and match.
I would also much rather use hide in shadows for any build with 30 in SA, just too much benefit there. Although withdraw isnt bad, I just dont think its as good for a stealth build.
Shadow strike is great, it really increases your damage when you stack it with bleeds and poison from steal/spider.
Everyone has their preferences I guess, and this setup clearly works for you, was a great vid.
Cant agree that hide in shadows is better then withdraw on p/d build. Even without centaur runes. When traited withdraw lets u reach close to perma vigor. More evades = more survivability, more caltrops laying around + it cleans chilled, cripple and most important immobilise, what lets you get out of those sticky situations when ppl try and lock u in.
I’d rather have the much more efficient healing, the removal of damaging conditions, especially poison, and most importantly, stealth. As far as survival goes, yes evades are great, but stealth is even better. There is a good chance you will remove that root or cripple just by using hide in shadows anyway.
I don’t agree with a bunch of things, HiS is good for direct condition removal and yes, stealth.. but it doesn’t heal more than Withdraw does.
On top of that the amount of damage you OUTDODGE every 15s is insane.
In a nutshell: Withdraw heals more, cures immobilized, chilled & crippled, is a great gap closer, counts as an extra dodge/evade and can be used effectively with runes that grant you a boon whenever you heal. (such as Centaur)
Whenever I go D/D, I’m still using Withdraw.. it’s something I’m too attached to, best thief heal. I don’t like HiS. :/
Perma swiftness is great, but I would rather take many other rune sets.. such as: Scavenger, Perplexity(even with no interrupt spam they are great damage), adventurer, or the classic bleed duration mix and match.
I would also much rather use hide in shadows for any build with 30 in SA, just too much benefit there. Although withdraw isnt bad, I just dont think its as good for a stealth build.
Shadow strike is great, it really increases your damage when you stack it with bleeds and poison from steal/spider.
Everyone has their preferences I guess, and this setup clearly works for you, was a great vid.
Cant agree that hide in shadows is better then withdraw on p/d build. Even without centaur runes. When traited withdraw lets u reach close to perma vigor. More evades = more survivability, more caltrops laying around + it cleans chilled, cripple and most important immobilise, what lets you get out of those sticky situations when ppl try and lock u in.
Yes, but assuming you have the Condition removal trait the Hide in Shadows will remove 2 of any conditions that might affect you, including immobilize. It also allows you to stealth without a target which can be quite useful running Dagger offhand.
PS: When comparing the two heals you should also account for the Regeneration you get from HiS and the 4 seconds of Shadow Rejuvenation.
As I see it, both have their pros and cons and can be a viable choice either way. And that’s the way it should be.
Soloing Hills under Heavy Pressure (was expecting a 50 man Underworld zerg to storm in any second, my keep caps are usually a lot smoother as I normally don’t go downed like I did in the vid once, still a good time though)
) they provide me with Perma Swiftness, which is why I can drop Signet of Shadows.