Guild Wars 2

I have just started playing GW2 after a long break. In general, I’m enjoying PvP here more than other MMOs. However, things have changed quite a lot since I last played and I find myself struggling quite a bit in matches. Right now, I am only playing sPvP.

I see that a lot of people are playing S/D with some build like 2/0/0/6/6. WTF makes this build good? I know there is a lot of endurance which is fun, but I must be missing some pro tricks with the weapon set that makes this viable. I run a Valkyrie armor set and my DPS seems so low.

I am also struggling against heavy control builds. It seems that everybody and their mother is playing warrior, necro, mesmer, ranger control builds right now. I feel like there are more crowd controls in this game than even in WoW right now. I can only assume that I’m doing something wrong which is causing me to be stun locked so much.

Any advice/tips/tricks for playing this class better would be much appreciated. I could always log on my warrior and have much better results, but that seems like a noob way out. Plus I love the mechanics of the thief and would rather just become more skilled. Thanks very much.

2 big things: you NEED fire and air sigils on your sword and dagger. This is what makes up for the loss in dps. When these proc together there’s a huge spike in dps.

Second, along with that vigor and loads of evasion, you’re free to go Zerk stats and still stay alive.

Valkyrie armor is intended for the Hidden Killer trait, usually associated with Backstab builds because of the burst/survival mixture.
The crowd control is definitely ridiculous BUT the number 3 skill is an evade with a 1/8-1/4 delay in cast and a 1/2 second evade time (half of dodge frame length). If I see ham bow warriors, I know to dodge earth-shaker with the 3, the following swing around with 3 again and a jump dodge forward (just to freak em out ) and then 3 again for the skill 5. You are an evade based damager (the Thief dream without stealth). Just make sure to practice queuing your natural dodge AND your skill dodge.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fZAQNAsYVl0MpyplOx7J8PNBNh4d4vl1KQ3HL2E-TZBEwAGODAp2fAwhAIbZACPAAA
without having seen Sizer’s new build, this is the closest I can guesstimate it. Basically, you have a control/heal/boonrip on a 20~ second cool down that lends an extra attack. You get procs from both sigils (they now coexist and work right) that increases your damage back to the old 2/6/0/6/0 (which I still use because I mesh with it better). It increases your dodge uptime if you trade might on dodge for vigor on heal. Or quick recovery, but I would never drop it with this weapon set personally. Basically after Strength Runes and Pirate Runes got a buff, Sizer posted having used this build (I think, I missed memo) and saying the damage was almost the same if not exactly so.

TL;DR? Crowd Control can be dodged repeatedly and the new build gives out the same damage as the old one AND increases survivability and gives access to more boons and another source of control.