Guild Wars 2

Hey there! =)
Currently I’m planning my build – I want it ready when I spend 2g for the final manual so I’d really appreciate any advice!

My build is mostly for PVE and I’m using d/d or s/p and sb (sb is for escaping and large grp control)

Also I’m planning getting high prec, good power and maybe some def or vitality options?!

My build idea so far:

0/30/30/10/0

Critical Strike ->
VI bc. health
I bc. as someone here told me goes with XI
XI bc. AWESOME … 20% more dmg when the enemy is below 50%? Sounds insane to me!

Shadow Arts ->
IV bc. must-have condi remover imo or am I missing something?!
VI bc. blinding foes :P OR V for extra ini – not so sure yet
XI bc. I need that healing! (Please don’t tell me it’s not worth it or I start to cry :/

Acrobatics:
III or VI: III bc some Vigor is really needed and if I heal I’m in a tough spot so why not take some stamina regen as well? To switch to VI provides me with some running tool for escapes OR in WvW to get to whatever target I want really fast.

Ok please feel free to shred my dream to pieces ^^
No seriously, any advice is welcome! I’m really excited to see what you may come up with Loving thief so much right now bc. so many awesome-looking traits!

You mentioned using back stab.

Shadow Arts V Infusion of Shadow will allow you to continuously do cloak and dagger, back stab, 1 full auto attack chain then cloak and dagger again just as reveal wears off. It’ll allow you to sustain your back stab damage.

Trickery IV Flanking Strikes has good synergy with Critical Strikes III Side Strike.

As for weapons, when you start running dungeons you’ll end up using all of those =P.

You shouldn’t need shadow arts V. Instead consider blind on stealth to help with trash mobs. Also, quickness on crit proc might not be the best thing ether since you’re focusing on backstabbing things. Instead, the extra health you get via practiced can be a godsend. Only take Executioner’s if you have an easy access to fury – thrill of the crime provides this (or if you can get a teammate to do it, that would be fine too) and also some team support as well. If you’re deadset on using flanking, consider taking furious retaliation instead of quickness proc.

@Impact
Sorry I was incorrect, sarcastic comments really are not helpful.

If you advice me to not use something, please tell me what to use instead or it’s no real help at all :/

@Chicago
So the basic 0/30/30/0/10 looks ok?! I just need to rearrange my traits?!

V exchange seems legit to me but what about that practiced?! I looked it up and most ppl are saying that it just adds 1000 HP if even that?! That doesn’t sound much :O

Where exactly was I sarcastic and not offering exactly what you asked?

Swimfan.8014:

I looked it up and most ppl are saying that it just adds 1000 HP if even that?! That doesn’t sound much :O

It can make a world of difference on a thief.

Also, if you’re pillar los’ing mobs, backstabbing/heartseekering isn’t the best thing you can do. switch to sword pistol for this – blackpowder autoattack, or if fighting a mini-boss, pistolwhip like mad.

Impact.2780:

Where exactly was I sarcastic and not offering exactly what you asked?

->

As for weapons, when you start running dungeons you’ll end up using all of those =P.

Not using sb is like the only thing I know is bullkitten.

The only thing I plan on keeping is using sb and d/d from time to time bc. those are the weapons I play thief for.

Chicago Jack.5647:

Swimfan.8014:

I looked it up and most ppl are saying that it just adds 1000 HP if even that?! That doesn’t sound much :O

It can make a world of difference on a thief.

Hmmmm valid point.
Ok I guess quickness isn’t such a good idea afterall, I get that.
Thanks for that

Yea I know that’s why I already use s/p – but I wanna use d/d bc I really love them … maybe I can’t use them all the time but when I said “backstab” I didn’t meant to plan my whole tactic on it

Chicago Jack.5647:

You shouldn’t need shadow arts V. Instead consider blind on stealth to help with trash mobs. Also, quickness on crit proc might not be the best thing ether since you’re focusing on backstabbing things. Instead, the extra health you get via practiced can be a godsend. Only take Executioner’s if you have an easy access to fury – thrill of the crime provides this (or if you can get a teammate to do it, that would be fine too) and also some team support as well. If you’re deadset on using flanking, consider taking furious retaliation instead of quickness proc.

Blind on stealth for trash is not a good idea. It implies stealthing against trash, and stealth attacks are single target. This doesn’t help the group clear. For trash you want weapons with the capability to hit multiple targets, and to use those skills, such as sword (not stealth attack) and short bow.

30 in critical strikes means you have the 25 minor trait, which requires above 6 initiative to maintain that +10% buff. That it was infusion of shadow allows you to do. Maintain back stab damage, and maintain initiative to do so, which results in that 10% buff always being up while you are back stabbing.

Executioner is a good trait, regardless of fury. I think you means only if the OP has a high crit chance (like above 50% with or without fury). Taking hidden killer for a sure crit for each back stab may sound nice but it’s throwing away +20% damage below 50% health, and essentially making all that crit chance wasted stats when you back stab. With executioner, you get that damage buff, and you still have a high chance to crit.

Swimfan.8014:

Impact.2780:

Where exactly was I sarcastic and not offering exactly what you asked?

->

As for weapons, when you start running dungeons you’ll end up using all of those =P.

Not using sb is like the only thing I know is bullkitten.

The only thing I plan on keeping is using sb and d/d from time to time bc. those are the weapons I play thief for.

[/quote]

….Re-read what I said…

You’d be using all of them. I.E What you said is good.

How does that translate to “do not use them”?

Impact.2780:

How does that translate to “do not use them”?

UPPPS O_O
My bad, I’m sorry – it’s late where I live, I really misread your sentence, sorry ^^"

Edited my build
MOre advice please!

No worries.

Basically that trait set up is solid and very user-friendly for someone new to the class. x/30/30/x/x is also quite common in PVE and PVP both, and 95% of builds will have at least the 30 in Critical Strikes with Executioner. The other two Critical Strikes traits vary from Side Strike for additional critical chance, Practiced Tolerance for some additional health, Pistol Mastery for those that take P/P alternate for boss fights (Unload has nice synergy with signet of malice on single target where Pistol Whip and Cluster bomb do for trash), and Combo Critical Chance for those that use Pistol Whip and/or Unload a lot. Personally I change those trait combinations throughout a dungeon depending on the weapons I equip (change those often too), but generally they’re set to Practiced Tolerance and Side Strike.

Shadow’s Rejuvenation is great for PVE, much better than Assassin’s Reward (even before it was an adept tier trait) because you get the heal as soon as you enter stealth, and if you feel you need more healing, you can wait for 1 second for another tick before attacking. The condition removal from Shadow Arts again, solid. Condition removal is a must, and that is thief’s only reliable source of condition removal. The others are passive with long cool downs. In PVE signet of agility can be used for condition removal with a nice passive buff to critical chance, but if you’re going to get Shadows Rejuvenation, getting Shadow’s Embrace is a no brainer. The other, like I said, would be Infusion of Shadow so you can maintain your back stab rotation and that +10% buff from Critical Strikes 25. Most thieves running D/D or D/P (D/P is more for PVP, only a few cases is it worth using in PVE in my opinion) will have Infusion of Shadow. The only times you’ll see a thief not using it, is when they are 30/30/0/0/10 ro 25/30/0/0/15 in speed dungeon groups, where the group kills bosses faster than you would fall below 6 initiative.

The remaining 10 can go anywhere really:
- Deadly Arts for Mug (III) will give you an additional heal, or Sundering Strikes (VI) to further increase your damage by applying vulnerability.
- Acrobatics for swiftness on dodge and Fleet Shadow (VI) to stay ahead of your party when stealth running past trash (point of this is for longer runs where you stack stealth first with cluster bomb in smoke screen, and later drop shadow refuge in front of the party allowing them enough time to react and stop so they don’t run through it and get revealed).
- Trickery for either Flanking Strikes (IV) for additional back stab damage, or as you have it, Thrill of the Crime (V) for 33% up time on fury and swiftness.

Ok that’s what I call some good advice

I’ll take it all into consideration and I’m happy to hear that what I’ve seen by myself at first glance (when I read through all the traits to create the first layout of my build) isn’t all that bad – it’s somehow a relief to start with something you found on your own even if you got much help and many traits were changed over the course of the planning

And god am I happy to learn that Shadow’s Rejuvenation will help me a little by filling up my health bar over time and is worth the investment! The only thing I disliked about thief so far is that if he’s nearly out of health he’s most likely dead or must flee from the battle. If I can heal me up a little from time to time by sneaking around the battlefield I really will fall in love with this class once I reach 30 on that trait-line

Some advice needed:
10 points into Trickery or 10 to Acrobatics?

Trickery would let me steal and give me some buffs + Ini with 10 points into it
VS
Acrobatics means some Vitality (always needed on thief) + Vigor reg when healing OR really fast running while in stealth.

What do you think?

i’ve always gone with 15 acrobatics instead of trickey. if you already have high crit%, there’s no need for more fury from stealing. also, i’d drop the shadow arts XI. it’s not worth it. ;p

J Night.3468:

i’ve always gone with 15 acrobatics instead of trickey. if you already have high crit%, there’s no need for more fury from stealing. also, i’d drop the shadow arts XI. it’s not worth it. ;p

If are using a backstab build and you run with executioner’s, you need fury. Otherwise take hidden killer.

^
Hm yea I think I’ll use steal more often after I have learned all the items that I can steal. Some really strong thief I know told me that he didn’t use stealing either until he reached much higher level. Sometimes it’s about some fun … why not add random boon/attack to the already thrilling high risk-high reward package we call thief?!

J Night.3468:

i’ve always gone with 15 acrobatics instead of trickey. if you already have high crit%, there’s no need for more fury from stealing. also, i’d drop the shadow arts XI. it’s not worth it. ;p

The only thing I’m certain of regarding my thief is that I want those 20% extra damage :P

yes, don’t you dare remove that trait. ;p