Guild Wars 2

Hey thieves guild,
Managed to level up my thief a week ago and have been doing some free roaming in wvw with mixed results so far.

At first I started with a 2/6/0/0/6 build but I felt that the complete lack of condi cleanse got me killed more often than not so I switched to a 0/6/4/0/4 one to get the condi cleanse while in stealth. I’ve liked it so far cuz it lets me get the extra initiative and the boon rip but I encountered a brick wall in the form of a D/P 2/6/6/0/0 thief that seemed to have been doing everything I could but better. My question is… is the HPS while in stealth and the might on stealth worth dropping the boon ripping and 3 extra initiative?

What would be the most up to date option for D/P thief in wvw roaming atm?
Should I just opt for a D/D spec instead?

Thank you in advance for the tips.

Hey!
So I am maining thief and playing only PvP and WvW Solo Roaming for a year now.
I’ve tried a lot of builds in WvW, among them:
D/D 06620, 04640, 06440, 26006, 06206
D/P 06620, 04640, 26006, 60206
S/D 20606, 03650, 04640, 20066
S/P 62006, 26006
P/D 20606 [yeah I was trying out condi ]

So this alone should show you what incredible build diversity there is for WvW, and there are way more (like 20606 for D/D or D/P)
Three Things I learned:
- a) never go condi
- b) never go D/P and use more than 2 Trait Points in Stealth (for Shadow’s Embrace) [why? because it’s ridiculous and doesnt support skillful play at all – 6 in Shadow Arts aka SA generally does that but for D/D I can somehow accept it, even though it still doesn’t prove any kind of skill]
- c) don’t go for SA on S/D, you’ll lack burst dmg and it’s hard to finish a bunkery class once they’re below 25% health as they usually pay more attention then – you’d have to rely on Air/Fire Procs and may have problems keeping up sometimes if you dont have swiftness on dodge

I can’t answer your question for you, you gotta find out what’s fun for you but let me tell you my personal experience:
I used to play D/D 06620 for a few months but as soon as I tried out 6 in Trickery on S/D Evade I just couldnt stop missing that on any other build.
So I tried out a lot of builds as you can see, but in the end the two builds i’m playing regularly in WvW now if I am not in sPvP are:
- S/D 20066
- D/P 60206
Why that? Well you need some kind of condition clear in WvW, thats for sure. S/D offers that [even though its kinda lackluster against condi engis or condi necros – you can beat them tho by playing well and smartly] and D/P 26006 doesnt – you dont get the [awesome if you are full Berserker] Heal of Mug with 06206, but 60206 give you improvisation and panic strike while I still have 54% crit chance and 98% uptime on fury [pack rune]
26006 is just not worth it imo, can be fun but you’ll regret it against any decent condi player

So if you play the two builds i use long enough, know how to play them, know which skills to dodge and you are able to dodge them, you’re good in WvW
If you wanna try some more I’d rather reccomend you D/D 06620 or any other build i listed above, just try a few builds that seem fun and see which one you like the most

Of course it also depends on what you wanna be:
- You can be completely burst, go D/D 56003
- You can go for EASY outnumbered fights, go SA
- You can go for more sustained burst with 06620 or 26600 [pack rune, full bersi, executioner]
- You can go for “fair” and “skill supporting” builds like S/D 20066 and D/P 60206
Whatever you chose though keep in mind:
There will always be someone you won’t be able to kill, either because of skill difference, a cheesy build [i generally count everything that is condi as cheesy] or as its your counter
That shouldn’t stop you having fun with your build and shouldn’t frustate you, trying to change your build all the time. It’s okay, look at the three options
- Skill difference: You can work on that, give it time and analyze what you could do better and how you can counter your opponent
- Cheesy Build: Enjoy the knowledge that you’re likely a better player and have more honor [i hope]
- Counter: Not a lot can be done there, same as with Skill difference but you may still loose

Have fun with thief!

Oh and to answer your question:
Full SA only for learning the profession or Solo Towers or so imo, it’s a good but maybe too good trait line – too passive for my liking at least.
60206 is nice for everything, has some nice condi remove and i would never go only 4 in trickery, always pick up sleight of hand to get the reduced CD and the daze
And with 6 in trickery Mug is REALLY good healing if youre full bersi
thats why i chose 60206 for my main build in wvw, it has all ov that and the only real problem with “low” precision (on full bersi with food still 54% lol) gets evened out by a lot of extra power and almost PERMA FURY

1st if you do not have a set of full ascended gear do not chose a build without defence options, you will constantly face players with a very significant gear advantage and get killed.

If you are running with exotics go into shadow arts and play defensively, ignore all the idiots telling you otherwise, if you are at a stat disadvantage you need the defensive options to outplay your opponents.

Use shadow step and roll for initiative you need the escape options again remember you are at a stat disatvantage.

You can get enough power and crit chance by buff food you do not need to go into critical strikes use 0 0 2 0 6 as a basis and go from there, mug will help alot you will need the extra healing, trickery is very good fully trait steal there. Embrace of shadows is almost a must if you do not have someone around who can cleanse the conditions for you. consider 3 into deadly arts aswell the weakness on poision will allow you to stay on your target without taking to much damage after steal backstab openers.

Good luck.

P.S.: If someone tells you to not do something because it is not “skillful” that is probably exactly what you want to do… Why because it will work and make you beat the “skillful” guy. Always remember the winner is the guy who is alive when the smoke clears.

oh yeah and…

P.P.S.: Do not go D/D it sucks, as hard it is to admitt that but it is true, it lacks the interrupts and controll D/P offers and commes down to being a one trick pony, the only thing it is good for is killing upleved charakters.