Guild Wars 2

Sniper Rifles will be a 2 handed weapon and to synergize with the skill tree it will be classified as a pistol.
Skills 3 and 5 will be considered dual wield skills.

What does the Sniper Rifle offer the Thief?

It offers them high single target damage spikes vs a single target at a considerable range at the cost of mobility.

Skill 1: Mobility Shot – cripple your foes with a shot to the legs

Cripple for 3 seconds
Damage: 350 (or something reasonably high)
Range: 1300 (its a sniper rifle)
The casting time of this attack should be somewhat high as well (I’m thinking the came casting time as the current Body Shot), its a sniper rifle with long range and high damage that’s meant to pick on specific targets.

Skill 2: Piercing Shot – Make your foes vulnerable with an armor piercing shot

3 stacks of Vulnerability for 5 seconds
Damage: 550
Range: 1300
Initiative Cost: 4

This shot will pass through any player until it hits its full 1300 range, applying full damage and vulnerability to anyone in its path.

Skill 3: Targeted Shot – Mark your foes with a tracker, increasing your allies critical chance against them.

Damage: 450
Range: 1300
Initiative Cost: 5
Increase Critical Chance against target for 5 seconds by 10%. Stacks in intensity.

Skill 4: Venomous Ammunition -Venoms in your Utility slots are applied to your attacks for the next 5 attacks.

Initiative Cost: 5

This means all venoms (does not include your elite slot) will be applied to any attack you perform for the next 5 attacks.

Skill 5: Tactical Retreat – Leave a illusion behind as you stealth. This illusion explodes after 5 seconds or upon death, dealing high damage to foes closest to the Illusion.

Initiative Cost: 7
Illusion Damage: 50%
Illusion Damage Taken: 100%
Damage at 350: 950
Damage at 550: 450
Damage at 750: 250

I think your ideas are great but they’re a bit ambitious. Also illusions should be left mesmers, maybe #5 can just be an escape skill, maybe stealth+swiftness. The vulnerability is a bit short though, and the venom ammunition doesn’t make sense. Also i would actually classify it as a rifle and a 2h weapon so no dual skills.

If we ever get a rifle with a sniping skillset, it would be my new favourite weapon

so you want the longest range in the game and to cripple on auto attack. this is obviously so fair and balanced that i stopped reading right there.

So you preface this by saying that its ridiculous damage will be justified by lacking mobility yet it could stealth you and drop a clone. Thieves will never have low mobility so long as they can press tilde to get the shortbow and an d teleport across the map in5 seconds.

while we’re at it let thieves use greatswords.

in fact greatsword should be a standard issue weapon

Great idea! Let’s also give thieves dual axes:

1: Whirling Axe

Spin AoE, striking all nearby enemies. Steal life from each enemy hit.
Radius: 300
Healing: 300
Damage: 250

2: Hamstring

Throw your axe to immobilize the enemy for 5s. Bounces up to 4 times.
Cost: 3
Damage: 200
Range: 1200

3: Whirling Death

Whirl your axes around. Applies bleeding (10s) and vulnerability (10s) to nearby enemies every second. Reflects projectiles.
Damage: 200 (per second)
Channel duration: 5s
Cost: 4
Range: 300

4: Dirty Trick

Hit your foe with a dirty attack for a 3s stun. Utility skills recharge 20% faster for five seconds.
Damage: 350
Cost: 4
Range: 150

5: Cunning Swipe

Hit your foe with a flurry of attacks and then vanish into stealth. Gain Mightx5 (15s) and Fury (10s).
Damage: 250
Stealth Duration: 7s
Cost: 6
Range: 150

Stealth: Obliterate

Shadowstep to your foe and hit them with an unblockable attack. Gain evasion for three seconds. Restores 2 initiative on critical hit.
Damage: 800
Range: 1200

What other exciting weapon sets can we come up with? Some other classes get a shield, so we should get one too! Maybe with a block move and a stability move, for about 4 initiative each. And dual skills that stun.

I just want to point out that if you are going to suggest weapon sets and skills, it’s best to make sure they don’t overlap with other professions. New ideas that aren’t already being used will generally get a closer look and a higher chance of actually making it into the game.

ie; A ranged attack that does damage and applies vulnerability is just a dual pistol body shot, why would the developers at Arena net put resources into making a rifle ability do the same thing when it’s already there on a pistol?

Ideas and suggestions are great, but if you want the developers to take you seriously, I would suggest looking over the non-Thief profession weapon skills first to make sure you don’t just write down something that already exists. Some professions do have similar abilities to others, but there is usually some kind of flavour variation that makes it unique to that profession.

Example Torch dual skill for the Thief:
Torch
3. Slash and Burn: Slash at your foe then set them on fire.
Initiative: 5
Damage: 252
Burning (6s): 504 Damage
Range: 130

Elthurien.8356:

I just want to point out that if you are going to suggest weapon sets and skills, it’s best to make sure they don’t overlap with other professions. New ideas that aren’t already being used will generally get a closer look and a higher chance of actually making it into the game.

Yes. You’ll also want to make sure they aren’t ridiculously overpowered, like both mine and OP’s are. Just look at his suggestion. For one thing, its base attributes (1300 range, piercing attacks) are something that other classes need multiple traits for. The spam skill is high damage and a perma-cripple. The #3 skill adds a new condition that’s ridiculously powerful and that no other class has. The# 4 skill allows you to use three venoms for the cost of a mere 5 initiative. Combine this with venom traits, and that’s so blatantly overpowered that it would be borderline OP for an elite skill with a two-minute cooldown. The #5 skill is a stealth and an obscenely over-powered illusion capable of dealing more damage than backstab when it dies.

His suggestions are clearly over-the-top powerful, so I was making a weapon set to parody that. I tried to make my proposed weapon set also be ludicrously powerful, but still within the realm of something that you could believe someone thought was OK. I hope no one took it seriously.

BabelFish.7234:

Sniper Rifles will be a 2 handed weapon and to synergize with the skill tree it will be classified as a pistol.
Skills 3 and 5 will be considered dual wield skills.

What does the Sniper Rifle offer the Thief?

It offers them high single target damage spikes vs a single target at a considerable range at the cost of mobility.

Skill 1: Mobility Shot – cripple your foes with a shot to the legs

Cripple for 3 seconds
Damage: 350 (or something reasonably high)
Range: 1300 (its a sniper rifle)
The casting time of this attack should be somewhat high as well (I’m thinking the came casting time as the current Body Shot), its a sniper rifle with long range and high damage that’s meant to pick on specific targets.

Skill 2: Piercing Shot – Make your foes vulnerable with an armor piercing shot

3 stacks of Vulnerability for 5 seconds
Damage: 550
Range: 1300
Initiative Cost: 4

This shot will pass through any player until it hits its full 1300 range, applying full damage and vulnerability to anyone in its path.

Skill 3: Targeted Shot – Mark your foes with a tracker, increasing your allies critical chance against them.

Damage: 450
Range: 1300
Initiative Cost: 5
Increase Critical Chance against target for 5 seconds by 10%. Stacks in intensity.

Skill 4: Venomous Ammunition -Venoms in your Utility slots are applied to your attacks for the next 5 attacks.

Initiative Cost: 5

This means all venoms (does not include your elite slot) will be applied to any attack you perform for the next 5 attacks.

Skill 5: Tactical Retreat – Leave a illusion behind as you stealth. This illusion explodes after 5 seconds or upon death, dealing high damage to foes closest to the Illusion.

Initiative Cost: 7
Illusion Damage: 50%
Illusion Damage Taken: 100%
Damage at 350: 950
Damage at 550: 450
Damage at 750: 250

Sorry op but those skills are horribly designed.

1. Is supposed to be your spam skill, something you do when you don’t have init or don’t want to spend your combo yet, adding a long cast time isn’t exactly okay. Also perma crippling through auto attack isn’t balanced at all, especially at that range.
2.This type of aoe seems very meh and dependent on enemy bad skill/stupidity. Vulnerability really isn’t the thieves thing., nobody likes body shot.
3. Bad design, there is a limited pool of boons and conditions and a few other exceptions (quickness for example or stealth), creating new special statues that effect something that is also affected by a boon defeats the purpose of the common pool established by anet with boon sand conditions.
4.Plain wrong in every aspect possible. Weapon skills shouldn’t reference utility skills and this should be self evident.
5.Illusions are a mesmer mechanic through and through, not to mention it acts like mesmer skill.

Dacromir, I realised that your axe suggestion was a parody I was only responding to the OP and anyone else thinking of offering suggested weapon skills. There is a fairly basic format to weapons skills and it’s quite easy to come up with a few if you use a trait builder website for guidance on the format.

You know, i really want this idea to develop enough to be considered, so instead of just saying whats wrong and overpowered about the weapon set he suggested, why not give suggestions or write your own, here I’ll start.

Skill 1: Piercing Shot
2 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds
Damage: 200
Range: 1200
Cast time: 1.5

Skill 2: Cripple Shot
3 sec cripple
Damage: 100
Range: 1200
cast time: 1 second
Initiative Cost: 4

Skill 3: Tag Shot
Rips boons from target and grants them to allies around the target
Damage: 100
Range: 1200
Radius: 200
Cast time: 1.5
Initiative Cost: 5

Skill 4: Venom Shot
3 second poison
Damage: 250
Cast time: 1 second
Initiative Cost: 5

Skill 5: Vanish – Gain stealth and swiftness
Stealth duration: 2 seconds
Swiftness duration: 5 seconds
Initiative cost: 8

I would probably also add that all skills do 15% more dmg if you are standing still, meaning that u have to trade mobility for dmg. Note: these numbers are arbitrary and are just there for reference.

lethlora.1320:

while we’re at it let thieves use greatswords.

in fact greatsword should be a standard issue weapon

That would actually be awesome. Strange, unlikely, and I have no idea how exactly it would work, but it would be very awesome.

FrozenLuv.6017:

You know, i really want this idea to develop enough to be considered, so instead of just saying whats wrong and overpowered about the weapon set he suggested, why not give suggestions or write your own, here I’ll start.

Skill 1: Piercing Shot
2 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds
Damage: 200
Range: 1200
Cast time: 1.5

Skill 2: Cripple Shot
3 sec cripple
Damage: 100
Range: 1200
cast time: 1 second
Initiative Cost: 4

Skill 3: Tag Shot
Rips boons from target and grants them to allies around the target
Damage: 100
Range: 1200
Radius: 200
Cast time: 1.5
Initiative Cost: 5

Skill 4: Venom Shot
3 second poison
Damage: 250
Cast time: 1 second
Initiative Cost: 5

Skill 5: Vanish – Gain stealth and swiftness
Stealth duration: 2 seconds
Swiftness duration: 5 seconds
Initiative cost: 8

I would probably also add that all skills do 15% more dmg if you are standing still, meaning that u have to trade mobility for dmg. Note: these numbers are arbitrary and are just there for reference.

Hey look, someone who didn’t troll.

FrozenLuv.6017:

You know, i really want this idea to develop enough to be considered, so instead of just saying whats wrong and overpowered about the weapon set he suggested, why not give suggestions or write your own, here I’ll start.

Skill 1: Piercing Shot
2 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds
Damage: 200
Range: 1200
Cast time: 1.5

Skill 2: Cripple Shot
3 sec cripple
Damage: 100
Range: 1200
cast time: 1 second
Initiative Cost: 4

Skill 3: Tag Shot
Rips boons from target and grants them to allies around the target
Damage: 100
Range: 1200
Radius: 200
Cast time: 1.5
Initiative Cost: 5

Skill 4: Venom Shot
3 second poison
Damage: 250
Cast time: 1 second
Initiative Cost: 5

Skill 5: Vanish – Gain stealth and swiftness
Stealth duration: 2 seconds
Swiftness duration: 5 seconds
Initiative cost: 8

I would probably also add that all skills do 15% more dmg if you are standing still, meaning that u have to trade mobility for dmg. Note: these numbers are arbitrary and are just there for reference.

The damage is too low, The skills are good:

1: Inflicting vuln is great, wouldnt make it OP cus of the short duration but good enough to make it viable for teamfights.
2: a cripple that is needed. good
3: I love this, would make perfect sense, like to remove important boons from guardians and so but without making it too OP
4: This is the only issue i have, Venom shot dont have any synergy with any of the other skills, i would replace it for a blind or even a daze.
5: Great idea, but too much ini cost,7 would be enough.

I really really hope Anet listen to this because we really really need a 1200 range weapon, and gicving shortbow 1200 range would just make it terribly OP.

Sniper rifle damage should get significantly weaker in close range.
Also you need a stealth skill.

This is a great idea though.

The numbers were totally…yeah…not good. I stand by the general concept though.

I always thought the Rifle would work with the Thief too. Here’s a couple of my ideas that I came up with, though I really like FrozenLuv.6017’s idea of the boon stealing shot.

1. Penetrating Shot

Fire a penetrating shot that increases in velocity the further it travels, leaving your target vulnerable.

0-500 range: 120 damage
500-1000 range: 150 damage + 1 stack of vulnerability (6s)
1000+ range: 170 damage + 2 stacks of vulnerability (6s)

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile (20% chance)

1. (While Stealthed) Sniper’s Eye

Fire a shot at extremely long range, damaging your target and stunning them if you hit from behind.
Unable to be used on targets at closer ranges.
Damage: 560
Stun (1.5 sec)
Cast time: 1.5 sec
Range: 900-1800

2. Aimed Shot

Aim a shot that does more damage the longer it is aimed. Must stand still to aim.

1 sec charge: 170 Damage
2 sec charge: 310 Damage
3 sec charge: 450 Damage
Range: 1200

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Initiative cost: 2 – 5

3. Deceitful Evasion

Evade backwards, leaving three small bombs at your previous location that
detonate to damage and bleed foes caught in the blast.

Damage: 80 × 3
Bleeding x3 (6 sec)
Radius: 200
Combo Finisher: Blast

Initiative cost: 4

4. Tag Shot (FrozenLuv.6017’s idea for skill #3, because I like it too!)

5. Hunter’s Memory / Reposition

Mark your current location for 15 seconds. Skill becomes Reposition which
will shadowstep you back to your marked location,
removing Crippled, Chilled, Immobilized and stealthing you for 3 seconds.

Initiative cost: 6 when using Reposition.

I really think anet should really take a look at this, there reallly some nice ideads that would giv the thief a needed ranged fresh gameplay

I love when posts like this actually get proper discuss. Cherry love your ideas, glad you like my tag shot. I came up with it after someone said that we need something that doesn’t overlap with our other weapons and here it was, thieves can’t steal boons (flanking strike is bad). Keep up the good work and i really hope this gets implemented or considered even. +1 for everyone with constructive ideas.

Illusion can be sostituted with a ninja stub XD

Yeah I think the idea of a shot that steals a boon from your target and shares it with your team fits well with the Thief theme. The only thing is you don’t want it to be too powerful as to make something like Bountiful Theft useless.

5 or maybe 6 initiative cost would make it so that it couldn’t be spammed (two shots would drain most initiative bars). It should also only steal one boon, and maybe only share it with one nearby ally instead of multiple.

Then again, Thieves are generally somewhat lacking in the support skill set, so keeping it as a sort of “mini Bountiful Theft” that still granted the boon to multiple allies might not be so bad.

The damage it does, if any, should be low. I’m thinking something like Headshot (pistol offhand) damage. The skill would be almost entirely utility/support, which is something the Thief is sorely lacking in. I think Headshot and Black Powder are really the only weapon skills that could be considered ultility/support skills.

[edit] Oh, and the Tag Shot would fit well with my skill ideas because of the emphasis on range that I gave the Rifle. It would steer it more towards being a support skill that would be used to bolster teammates rather than the thief alone, seeing as the thief would want to remain at range and the stripped boons would only apply to allies around the target.

Bump, for the sake of Anet listening to thieves and what we actually NEED.

But i wouldn’t like the idea oof the closer you are the less damage it makes, its boring for pve and such.

Also the stealthed skill shold be something like Warriors killshot.

Cherry.5712:

2. Aimed Shot

Aim a shot that does more damage the longer it is aimed. Must stand still to aim.

1 sec charge: 170 Damage
2 sec charge: 310 Damage
3 sec charge: 450 Damage
Range: 1200

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Initiative cost: 2 – 5

How about for this, use the animation and mechanics of the rifle training in Claypool with these changes.

The bar takes 5 seconds to fill, with damage and a small crit chance boost rising each second and when the bar is full the shot is fired automatically (to stop people sitting somewhere holding it ready).

So something along the lines of;

1 sec charge: 100 Damage
2 sec charge: 200 Damage with +2% crit chance
3 sec charge: 300 Damage with +4% crit chance
4 sec charge: 450 Damage with +8% crit chance
5 sec charge: 600 Damage with +10% crit chance
Range: 1200

For moving targets give us a 60 degrees field of vision so we can track targets, but gives closer targets more of an invitation to flank as a drawback.

Also add a 3-4 second cooldown maybe to offset the crit chance and exiting stealth when charging past 3 seconds maybe?

To me it covers the reduced mobility, looks cooler, and anyone that’s in front of you for the time to sit down and prepare don’t really have much to complain about as the animation takes time to start and to finish. Looking at a more risky but rewarding skill with this idea.

Other than that, the whole idea of your sniper rifle skills is a Do Want! from me.

5 secs is maybe too much, but 4 and instead of crt chance, crt damage!

And yeah give a window of 3-4 secs to cast the skill even after the stealth is gone, that would be great!

i have to say i was expecting rifles from the beginning and was a little disappointed we didn’t get them. Even though I would really really like this to happen, I guess it won’t. First possible new weapon sets (and skills) will probably come with expansions. Still, we lack 1200 range attacks and it will, sadly, probably stay this way. Adding new weapon with new skills needs a lot of testing, two weeks just won’t cut it.

they could really just make p/p that playstyle with a couple trait changes.

Actually, one set is really easy to add, and not necesary with an expansion, wouldnt surprise me if ina couple of months we get the so wanted rifle we all thieves want and need.

Also P/P wouldn’t fit with 1200 range at all.

I like FrozenLuv’s version to be quite honest, though I agree that the #4, and indeed the entire concept of a “venom shot” for theif rifles seems unfitting and something that belongs on an engineer skillbar (which, incidentally, they already have in their pistol sets as far as cwaaazy ammo)

Take FrozenLuv’s version, reduce the initiative on #5 to 6, and turn #4 in to a channeled skill like so:

Skill 4: Clever Aim

Description: Size up your target, channeling an aimed shot that deals additional effects and costs less initiative the longer it is channeled.
Staged Channel, 1-4 seconds, roots while channeling, Reveals from stealth when beginning channel.
Damage: 250
1 sec – Vulnerability (5)
2sec – + Cripple (2 seconds)
3 sec – + Confusion (5)
4 sec – + Daze (2 seconds)

Cast time: Instant (when channel is released)

Initiative Cost:
1 sec – 6
2sec – 5
3 sec – 4
4 sec – 3

This allows the rifle-thief to use his mobility tools to “set up” somewhere not as noticeable, and then channel for a devastating debuff stack to support his allies or himself. Its a risky channel, and at lower levels of channeling does not pay off nearly as well as at higher levels, but does allow the thief to release the channel early if he comes under attack and still gain benefit for as long as he was able to channel.

Yea, after thinking about it, my #4 doesn’t really make sense, i think i would change it to an interrupt but pistol has that covered. Maybe a bleed.

There is a Sniper Rifle on the Game, I think all we know that!
Is the Sniper Turret, you can use that near the Ebonhawke area..
But sob, I prefer to see that on an Engineer class (He have all the weapons turret XD)

There are also some sniper turrets in the Plains of Ashford but those hav 2k range and ridiculously high dmg, so a bit overpowered for any class to be able to deploy 1

Nice idea, but there are two fatal flaws.

1. Venoms are already awesome in their own way.

• They are balanced around group usage and the use of Venomous Aura.

So sorry if that doesn’t suit you, but that’s how cookies crumble.

2. A sniper rifle, simply does not suit a thief.

• The problem here is you’re bleeding into assassin territory. ANet chose the naming of this class very carefully. They’re a flexible class that thrives in slipping around between melee and moderate range.
• Long range contradicts the very nature of a thief, which is to go in close, take their prize, and slink away fast or deal out a can of dexterous whoop kitten

The concept of a sniper rifle would better suit the Ranger. Their current concept is much closer to the long-range attacker type then the Thief.

Note that, I am not saying I don’t think thieves shouldn’t have another weapon or two.
This one just doesn’t fit. You need to be able to sell your idea, and this one ain’t gonna sell.

@DreamOfACure:
I tried selling this idea over at the range forums before i rolled a thief. They argued that “lorewise, rangers are meant to be one with nature, and therefore guns are not suitable” or “wot can a rifle do that another weapon can’t do better”. So they’re not buying it.
But i can see that this idea may work for the thief which has degenerated into an “assassin” anyway because that’s the play style that most people prefer/ have been forced into. We need a 1200 range weapon, every other class has one, but there isn’t one for thieves.
To address your other point, most of us agree it’s best to not include venoms in the sniper rifle skill set.

+1 to all of this. I was talking about similar ideas with a guildie on teamspeak this morning, hopped onto the forums to see if anyone else had put a thread up (I had planned to put one up myself) and look what I find. Your ideas blow mine out of the water, so I’ll just leave by saying; good job. If this gets implemented, I will find you. And I will hug you.

Thematically, i really feel that what defines the Thief is quite simply “being clever”

From the way that all of the current sets are designed, it seems the design ethos of the thief is simply one of unconventional tactics with conventional arms, which have been combined with some core systemic concepts. Thieves mitigate by evasion and stealth, and damage through debuffs or ambush.

That, combined with the lack of a 1200 range weapon option says to me that a debuff-heavy damage-light 1200 range weapon option rifle on the thief is just the way to go. Perhaps the entire “sniper rifle” concept is a misnomer, but rifle does simply feel like a better move for the class than a longbow. honestly, shortbow always felt like a weird option and Thieves in general are a sort of anti-ranger in theme. That said, the way the shortbow skills are set up makes sense. Thief shortbow skills are largely “clever” in terms of attaching payloads to arrows or performing “tricky” shots rather than more conventional methods of attack.

Similarly, the rifle with a heavy focus on single target conditions and boon rips just feels right for the class, because its so backward from the way that other classes use the rifle, and it keeps the sort of “sneak up and then MAKE TONS OF NOISE” roguelike sarcasm of action that the pistol and shortbow aesthetics have.

You can make tons of noise to create chaos or mayhem in a large battle, or you can be sitting somewhere calm and peaceful like the Shiverpeak Mountains, and you can let off that crisp, resounding bang as you take out mobs one by one while sipping from your flask or just chatting to your friends.
Either way the Thief Rifle is the weapon for you