Guild Wars 2

I would like to ask you guys about build with main-hand sword in pve and wvw? It is said that sword is weak and nobody us it. I started to play thief recently, i use ofc d/d build but i would like to focus on S/P build. Is the any good build you an recommend or it will be always weaker than d/d?

It depends on where you want to use it. It does less dps then dagger on single targets, but it cleaves, so it will pull ahead significantly on more then one target.
Also, it does synergize well with pistol offhand, mainly due to black powder, which can be pretty awesome in coordinated groups where people know to stand still and keep mobs inside it.
I’d say it is definitely underrated.

Most of the more experienced thieves actually do use S/D or S/P for at least one of their sets.

DPS is not everything. D/D offers NOTHING in the form of good CC other than dancing dagger. Also it has no inherent stun breakers or condition cleansing like sword builds do.

Sword is certainly not underrated and I find myself using it more in PvE than I do use Daggers.

It’s just less archetypal for a Thief class to use Swords which is why many players will initially opt for double Daggers.

Sword really only becomes more attractive once you grasp some of the more intricate mechanics like standing in a Black Powder combo field cleaving away at mobs or the base-line stunbreaker in Infiltrator’s Strike.

The first thing I tell anyone who is starting a new Thief is to roll with Sword mainhand and none of them have ever regretted it.

I love MH sword, wish I started using it earlier, but thief was my first toon and I did not know much … we are given a dagger…i went d/d but was never really a fan of that, went d/p…went through many weapon sets over time…now MH sword is a favorite

I tend to use s/d, s/p, d/p..for ranged I will switch btw p/p and Sb…but really, sword MH is just great

I’m traited to pick up stealth benefits from an offhand dagger and that still allows me to use either a dagger or sword in the main hand. Getting the tactical benefits from the sword can certainly be worth it.

For example in ice fractals, shadow stepping to/from the elemental pillar is better than leaping over it with a dagger and trying to make it bleed.

I like to do The Hustle – so shadow stepping is much more fun than back stabbing for me

For PVE, I suggest trying S/D. It’s the second highest DPS kit after D/D, but gives you better tools to work with. Flanking Strike does good damage while being able to remove a boon and having a relatively low ini cost. C&D + Tactical Strike also delivers good damage along with a 2 sec daze. If you get Infusion of Shadow (10 pts Shadow Arts) and a Superior Sigil of Paralyzation, you can up the daze to 3 secs and lower the total ini cost of the combo to 4, letting you pretty much lock down mobs indefinitely.