Guild Wars 2

Roaming in WvW the past couple of days I’ve noticed that some thieves are applying around a 6sec chill, it’s mostly been S/D thieves but a couple D/P too. Is this a new build or something? I know that drake venom applies a short duration chill, but it definitely wasn’t that.

Hmm, well it could be a combination of Sigil of Hydromancy or sigil of Ice and Ice drake venom. These combined with + any number of condi duration foods/traits could bump it up to 6 seconds.

I mean, they could be getting an extra strike of venom from the GM trait, boosting the base to 4 seconds, then using a sigil for +20%, plus the line gives you +30%, so that would be 6 seconds total. I don’t know why you’d take this over panic strike and/or devourer venom.

Maybe Ice Shard Stab?

oops double post edited this

If one goes 6 in the DA line and is SD you can take residual venom. This gives 30 percent duration on conditions and makes ice drake more usable. Take Cactus fruit salad and add in Ice drake venom. You are now sitting at 70 percent duration to chill.

Something like RUNE of the ice then used. This adds vitality and 30 percent chill duration. One can randomly get an ice Nova in such a build AND does 7 percent more damage against chilled foes. (Rune of Svanir another choice that will add chill duration and toughness.)

If you can keep that chill up at all times 7 percent more damge is pretty close to the what you lost giving up power in a rune set.

Sigil of hydromancy will now add 4 seconds per weapon swap. A Sigil of ice will add 4 seconds on hit (it does not need a crit) and ice drake venom will allow 8 seconds of chill.

Your steal off an elementalist will be a full 20 second chill.

One might also take ghost pepper popper and a sigil of chilling along with a givers weapon for that 100 percent duration.It only works at night but will give a 2 second chill if traited for full condition duration along with a 1 second cooldown.

I use something similar in a Necromancer build and used the equivalent in a condition thief in Grenth. I found that in any build that is going to use chill as a focus durations and multiple sources are key. As well even in power builds condition durations are often overlooked.

I would think this would be quite effective in an s/d build. One would have ample sources of chill and the weakness/cripples/immobs in the build with maximized durations would add greatly to ones ability to control an opponents mobility . (The Immob on infiltrators becomes 2 full seconds) Added to that being able to keep that enemies cooldowns locked at 66 percent longer durations can be more advantageous then more immobilize.