Guild Wars 2

The leaked patch notes twas true. /Discuss

Thief:
Lotus Strike: Increased the poison duration from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
Shadow Trap: Increased the recharge to 45 seconds.
Destroy Shadow Trap: This ability now teleports the thief back to the trap location when it is destroyed. Added range skill facts. This skill now breaks stuns. Using this skill puts Shadow Trap on recharge.
Shadow Pursuit: This ability now grants fury and 10 stacks of might for 5 seconds along with stealth when used to teleport to the enemy who triggered Shadow Trap. This ability now breaks stuns. Using this skill puts Shadow Trap on recharge.
Death Blossom: This trait now costs 4 initiative.
Body Shot: Reduced the aftercast by .4 seconds. Decreased the vulnerability duration to 3 seconds. Increased to 10 stacks for vulnerability.
Pistol Whip: Decreased the time between the stun and the sword flurry.
Scorpion Wire: Decreased the aftercast by .2 seconds. Reduced the cooldown to 20 seconds.
Signet of Malice: Increased the base heal by 33% of the passive ability.
Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds.
Cluster Bomb: Decreased the range set from 1200 to 900.
Larcenous Strike: Increased the initiative cost to 2.
Nine Tailed Strike: Increased the initiative cost from 3 to 5.
Shadow Assault: Increased the initiative cost from 5 to 7.
The Ripper: Increased the bleed duration from 5 seconds to 7 seconds.
Deadly Strike:. Increased the damage from 1 to 1.2.
Skale Venom: Replaced weakness with torment.
Dancing Dagger: Reduced the initiative cost to 3.
Shadow Return (Infiltrator Strike Toggle): This skill is no longer a stun breaker.
Withdraw: The travel distance underwater has been cut in half to match the land distance.
Acrobatics
Assassin’s Retreat: This trait now grants 10 seconds of swiftness when players kill a foe. This effect has a 5-second internal cooldown.
Pain Response: Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds.
Hard to Catch: Reduced the cooldown from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.
Critical Strikes
Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds.
Signets of Power: The 5 stacks of might that this trait grants have been increased to 10 seconds.
Deadly Arts
Corrosive Traps: This trait now grants 5 stacks of vulnerability for 8 seconds (up from 5 seconds).
Sundering Strikes: Vulnerability caused by this trait has been increased from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
Panic Strike: Reduced the cooldown from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.
Lotus Poison: Increased the weakness duration to 4 seconds, but it can only apply once every 20 seconds per target.
Shadow Arts
Last Refuge: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.
Slowed Pulse: The effect of this trait now occurs if the player has 2 or more stacks of bleeding.
Shadow Protector: This trait has been changed to apply 10 seconds of regeneration when the players stealth them. This effect will not occur if the ally already has regeneration on them.
Trickery
Merciful Ambush: This trait now grants 2 seconds of stealth to players and their allies when beginning a revive.
Long Reach: This trait now increases the range of Steal to 1500 (up from 1200).
Ricochet: The chance to bounce for this trait has been increased from 25% to 50%.
Sleight of Hand: In addition to dazing the player’s target, this trait now reduces the recharge of Steal by an additional 20%.
Instinctual Response: This trait now properly blinds enemies struck by the feathers. Increased the radius from 120 to 180.
Bountiful Theft: This trait will now trigger before Sleight of Hand.

Bye Bye fun S/D spec. Hello boring D/D unicorn/dodge specs.

Let’s all just do what Anet clearly wants us to do and run D/P burst, as that’s all this class is apparently meant to ever do.

seems like my D/D got buffed, dancing daggers costing less!

now I just dont know if I gonna keep my sbow since my cluster will be bad to shoot at walls now.

This is a sad day, Lotus Poison nerf was completly unnecesary and a hard hit to the support role that if anything could have used a buff.

I though they wanted for every profession to be able to perform any role… but whatever.

Oh and not that many would care (except for Raid on the Capricorn) but bye bye to underwater efficency. The nerf was brutal.

Well, good bye thieves in PVE and destroying siege. In my opinion ANET made first step towards deleting this class – first make it uselesss, then delete it when no one plays it. Also, torment or its description is bugged. And who cares if it stacks intensity if i can use it once every 45 seconds.

I quite like the Trait changes but changes like the reduced range of cluster bomb and the fact Shadow Return is no longer stun breaker changes alot IMO, at least we could of had a trait to increase cluster bomb range rather than a outright nerf.

http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mVkzzzz9Monwbmonwbma9MxxcMabckb8khf70z7kiO70z7070z7kGW70V7ow38of3

A good starting point for DB Unicorn spam builds. At least it’s better than just going back to D/P Burst again.

EDIT: Assassin’s Reward Should be Quick Pockets.

Hmmm not very impressed by the changes … i thougth they would get rid of all the traits and utilitys that nobody ever wants and either buff them or put something new in instead.
I was hoping for a real change to even the way for more diversity ….

it’s a lot better than leaked patch notes.

Also forgot to mention, 1500 range on steal + Mug +Hidden Thief + d/x = even more QQ’ing about thief mobility and nuking people down

The change to Body Shot still feels like a very bad and mean joke.

I like how Anet wants thieves to be more mobile and less bursty… then slightly nerfs our mobility and boosts out burst.

Such a professional company.

17.5 Steal recharge? Is this a dream? 4-5 death blossoms. Lol. 10,000 range on destroy trap. on top of a shadow step utility. I will be way to slippery.

AikijinX.6258:

17.5 Steal recharge? Is this a dream? 4-5 death blossoms. Lol. 10,000 range on destroy trap. on top of a shadow step utility. I will be way to slippery.

17.5 second steal recharge in a build that can spare 30 points in trickery (IE, Unicorn DB builds, maybe). The ability to spam DB is also only relevant for Unicorn builds. IF you’re running Shadow trap and SS, you’re running 1 non stun break utility (probably trops? it’s been a long time since i tried condi’s on my thief).

evilapprentice.6379:

AikijinX.6258:

17.5 Steal recharge? Is this a dream? 4-5 death blossoms. Lol. 10,000 range on destroy trap. on top of a shadow step utility. I will be way to slippery.

17.5 second steal recharge in a build that can spare 30 points in trickery (IE, Unicorn DB builds, maybe). The ability to spam DB is also only relevant for Unicorn builds. IF you’re running Shadow trap and SS, you’re running 1 non stun break utility (probably trops? it’s been a long time since i tried condi’s on my thief).

It shows 17,5 but if you use it it’s 21

Well…looks like a picked a good time to start (or NOT start) a thief character. I was really looking forward to trying this class. I thought, “cool, I can use sword with thief, too;” but NOW, WHAT’S THE POINT?!

Call me crazy, but I like some room to experiment within a class. And basically limiting me to D/D or D/P is NOT my idea of a good time. It’s bad enough there aren’t many weapon choices for thief to begin with.

NyuuNeeChan.2891:

evilapprentice.6379:

AikijinX.6258:

17.5 Steal recharge? Is this a dream? 4-5 death blossoms. Lol. 10,000 range on destroy trap. on top of a shadow step utility. I will be way to slippery.

17.5 second steal recharge in a build that can spare 30 points in trickery (IE, Unicorn DB builds, maybe). The ability to spam DB is also only relevant for Unicorn builds. IF you’re running Shadow trap and SS, you’re running 1 non stun break utility (probably trops? it’s been a long time since i tried condi’s on my thief).

It shows 17,5 but if you use it it’s 21

How does that work? Something Broken or are they applying the math in some way I don’t quite follow?

evilapprentice.6379:

NyuuNeeChan.2891:

evilapprentice.6379:

AikijinX.6258:

17.5 Steal recharge? Is this a dream? 4-5 death blossoms. Lol. 10,000 range on destroy trap. on top of a shadow step utility. I will be way to slippery.

17.5 second steal recharge in a build that can spare 30 points in trickery (IE, Unicorn DB builds, maybe). The ability to spam DB is also only relevant for Unicorn builds. IF you’re running Shadow trap and SS, you’re running 1 non stun break utility (probably trops? it’s been a long time since i tried condi’s on my thief).

It shows 17,5 but if you use it it’s 21

How does that work? Something Broken or are they applying the math in some way I don’t quite follow?

Trickery increases your steal recharge rate, not decreases cooldown. So if you somehow had 100 points in trickery your steal cooldown would be only halved. 30 points give you 23% cooldown reduction,

NyuuNeeChan.2891:

evilapprentice.6379:

NyuuNeeChan.2891:

evilapprentice.6379:

AikijinX.6258:

17.5 Steal recharge? Is this a dream? 4-5 death blossoms. Lol. 10,000 range on destroy trap. on top of a shadow step utility. I will be way to slippery.

17.5 second steal recharge in a build that can spare 30 points in trickery (IE, Unicorn DB builds, maybe). The ability to spam DB is also only relevant for Unicorn builds. IF you’re running Shadow trap and SS, you’re running 1 non stun break utility (probably trops? it’s been a long time since i tried condi’s on my thief).

It shows 17,5 but if you use it it’s 21

How does that work? Something Broken or are they applying the math in some way I don’t quite follow?

Trickery increases your steal recharge rate, not decreases cooldown. So if you somehow had 100 points in trickery your steal cooldown would be only halved. 30 points give you 23% cooldown reduction,

Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s not how it’s worked since launch, is it? I’ve never run with many points in trickery for too long, but for a short time I was running 30 trickery, and I recall a 32s listed CD on Steal (45s – 13.5s)

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/thief/Anets-math-on-steal-is/first#post2281800 go heere for the real steal math. its suppposed to be 17.5 secs just as the tooltip says but its 21. its a bug. report it.

Death Blossom: This trait now costs 4 initiative.
Body Shot: Reduced the aftercast by .4 seconds. Decreased the vulnerability duration to 3 seconds. Increased to 10 stacks for vulnerability.
Pistol Whip: Decreased the time between the stun and the sword flurry.

Interesting, but meh.

Scorpion Wire: Decreased the aftercast by .2 seconds. Reduced the cooldown to 20 seconds.

I could use this.

Signet of Malice: Increased the base heal by 33% of the passive ability.

Bleh this is crap.
What it needs was to retain the passive effect after activation — but whatever.

Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds.

Hmm, did Anet just indirectly brought back Mug’s pre-nerf damage? — but now with added heal?

Larcenous Strike: Increased the initiative cost to 2.

Not surprise. Always thought it was too good in the first place.
But why Flanking Strike’s cost didn’t get reduced? sigh

Skale Venom: Replaced weakness with torment.

THIS-IS-LAME!!!

Who cares about the other venom skills that are not seeing play and let’s nerf the one seeing play so that all venom is in the same boat.

Grrrrrr!

Dancing Dagger: Reduced the initiative cost to 3.
Shadow Return (Infiltrator Strike Toggle): This skill is no longer a stun breaker.
Withdraw: The travel distance underwater has been cut in half to match the land distance.

WHO CARES?!

Lotus Poison: Increased the weakness duration to 4 seconds, but it can only apply once every 20 seconds per target.

What’s the point of this if they replaced weakness with Torment for Skale Venom?

Long Reach: This trait now increases the range of Steal to 1500 (up from 1200).

I can already hear the angry mobs armed with nerf bats rallying at the town center.

Ricochet: The chance to bounce for this trait has been increased from 25% to 50%.

Wow! Really? That angry mob is getting closer.

Sleight of Hand: In addition to dazing the player’s target, this trait now reduces the recharge of Steal by an additional 20%.

Angry mob getting closer and closer…

I guess abuse it while it last before the next major “balancing patch.”

But I can see Anet’s effort to emphasize that this profession is a Thief and not an Assassin. Kudos to whoever.

i think s/d is no longer a viable build in spvp. could be wrong but time will tell.

They should have reverted mug changes.

Huge sword nerfs.

Other than that not much has changed unless you run 30 trickery. Which, I don’t.

They should have reverted 4s stealth nerf in spvp. Given thieves burst back.

Wait for iiiit.

I don’t read these forums very often, can someone tell me what Unicorn means?

Cotillion.7625:

I don’t read these forums very often, can someone tell me what Unicorn means?

A condi spec that spams DB via high init regen and dodges around alot via High energy regen.

So for me this is pretty much all bad. I run S/P Shortbow in PvE and S/D Shortbow in PvP.

Cluster bomb is still awesome, but the range is important in shooting down off walls in WvW. Why was this needed? I guess I use it at the same range as choking gas in PvE. Still, I don’t see the need for this change.

Larcenous Strike cost will mean I just get to steal less in PvP. It wasn’t so powerful before that I loved it, so maybe I should look for a different build.

Since my mainhand is always sword the change two sword #2 is very bad for me.

Nerfs down the line for my builds. Maybe I should look into trying some new builds?

I also am new to this forum. What is "DB ", “S/P” and "S/D

TheThinker.8461:

I also am new to this forum. What is "DB ", “S/P” and "S/D

I believe DB was a reference to Death Blossom: it’s skill 3 with the dagger / dagger set. Leap over your enemies, slice them all for AoE bleeds.
S/P and S/D are abbreviations for common weaponsets. Sword/Pistol and Sword/Dagger. (Sometimes S stands for scepter as well, but there’s only a few professions where that’s an issue. Typically Sw and Sc are used there when necessary.)

TheThinker.8461:

I also am new to this forum. What is "DB ", “S/P” and "S/D

DB = Death Blossom (Dagger/Dagger skill #3)
S/P = Sword main hand/Pistol off-hand
S/D = Sword main hand/Dagger off-hand.

Cotillion.7625:

I don’t read these forums very often, can someone tell me what Unicorn means?

Unicorn refers to a DB-spam build that’s ideal for non-stealth trolling with almost limitless evasions.
Here’s Lowell’s basic build, it’s from last year but the principles still apply:
http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQRAoY4Ylcm6OXeS6E+5ECXBL07xXNWoV3jrSrqKA;TwAg2Croay0koJbTumkNt+Y8xeh5CA
With this update’s reduced DB cost, all Unicorn variants got a nice buff.

(on the other hand, the only “Unicorn” that got a nerf was “The Dreamer”)