Guild Wars 2

What’s the biggest problem a condition thief has? He can only apply one condition to the target. A P/D classic build was just a 5 -> 1 1 1 1 -> repeat, with occasional use of caltrops.
With the new buff to shadow strike I’ve thought a new thief build, based on applying more than 1 condition: bleeding (of course), poison, torment and burning. Yes burning.

THIS is the build.

As you can see I chose a 20 0 30 20 0 build, basically to get all the venom buffs in the deadly arts trait line (2 stacks of might on use, 20% reduced CD). You may wonder why I didn’t take Residual Venom, and it has really been a tough decision to pick 10 more points in acro instead. You really NEED that extra evade plus the +2 initiative, since your gameplay is no more 5 -> 1 1 1 1 -> repeat.

The strangest choice, as you probably noticed, are the armor runes: AOE burning when using withdraw (15 seconds CD healing skill). I wanted our thief to put more than 1 condition, and torment + poison + burning is really what I needed.
You start a fight with all your venoms up, you apply basilisk with a CnD -> Steal combo, now your target is stunned and has poison and torment. SInce you are stealthed, you proceed with the classic sneak attack, purposely don’t waste your evades, use shadowstrike as a gap opener immediatly followed by a withdraw used as a gap closer, with which you will burn your target, be in melee range again, CnD, sneak attack etc.

It’s mostly based on how many might stacks you get from both venoms and stealth to buff your condition damage and you power (an amout of the damage I deal comes also from the rough power attacks) and how good you are with your movement skills and CD management. This is, of course, not a brainless build but it’s quite effective since even if it can’t be compared to necro and engi (speaking of condition damage) it still has it’s troll component from the classic P/D build. I tried this in tournament and it works (a part from when I fall off high places because of withdraw).

Give it a try and provide me feedback!

I’m a fairly new thief, and something caught my eye. As a condition thief, you can only apply one condition? So you cannot stack torment with poison/bleed? I don’t which build to go for, D/P build or P/D build because I do not know the pros and cons of each.

I would not recommend getting infusion of shadows. Having a blind is way more important.

It still has the same weakness as other P/D builds: Any shatter mesmer poses a serious threat and every bullrush+skull crack+100blades warrior will instagib you.

Not enough stun breaks to get out of tight spots and not enough control to avoid being put into one.

The burning is an interesting flavor, though. Can be done.

Also, sigils with cooldowns don’t stack. Drop these earth sigils. your crit chance is only 30% anyway.(ugh, get carrion armor, would you?) If you get sigils of agony, your pistol bleeds will tick for another damage instance, effectively raising your bleed damage by 25%.

Interesting, so something like THIS would be better? I’m still not sure about blind on stealth, but having quick recovery could help.

Burning on heal doesn’t work that good with withdraw, since it applies the burning at the end of the evade.

Withdraw with burn on healing is very situational due to how dynamic fights are. Not to mention, this relies on you aiming backwards, essentially, thus taking focus off of the fight.

For P/D, I think Hide in Shadows offers more utility with the benefit of ending it with a Sneak Attack. Is the chance of you applying a situational burning on a Withdraw to the enemy greater than that of hitting the enemy with a Sneak Attack (direct + condition damage)?

With regards to stun breakers as P/D, it’s a trade-off. I typically do not run with one, and shatter Mesmers and 1k blades Warriors will do what they do. Sometimes, the reduced cooldown on stealth. (Stealhing to a distant enemy with Hidden Thief can help). Sometimes I just eat it. Thems the breaks. xD