Guild Wars 2

Just speculating some Ideas. Maybe something to do with the assassin from gw1 and bringing back the old defensive, evasive, damage repelling kind of playstyle.

The first idea I have is Shadow Form, also a gw1 assassin skill, which could be a new Guild Wars 2 thief elite
X seconds: Enemy Spells can not target you. Evade all attacks. You may still attack. Also breaks stun. This would be a great way to start gearing towards the evasion builds and would really bring out some unique thief gameplay.
The second Flashing Blades: Elite or utility
X seconds, 75% chance to evade attacks. Whenever you successfully evade an attack, your attacker takes X damage

Just some Ideas of what could happen.

I’m betting on a specialisation into assassin and then getting a rifle [hopefully] as that would be really well done and fit so perfectly with the profession. As for the new mechanic I only had that ideas.

Suggestions welcome

Shadow Form could be a good one, but with Rifle coming I don’t see it. Maybe when a Specialization gets packaged with a melee weapon. Though it needs to be balanced. I can see it more as a Mist Form kind of ability, but not a “Lolucandonothingwhileibackstab”

I think an F1 mechanic for Assassin could be Shadow Form. It would essentially operate like Adrenaline – any combat action gives you charge to the energy bar. Once you hit the maximum, you can activate it and you will evade damage and be unable to be targeted (whether you can cancel it before you spend the whole bar or not, I think it would be better to be limited to spending it all at once for balance reasons). The caveat would be that you cannot trigger Stealth at the same time, so no invulnerable Backstabs. There could also be a damage penalty of some sort like the original. Traits can be based around getting more time, reducing the penalty etc.

As for skills, I’d like Stances to return, Flashing Blades being the Elite version. My version would be a pulsing Aegis every second for the duration (10-15 seconds?) and enemies that are blocked take damage. Other Stances for utility slots can be translated from GW1 as well.

Deadly Paradox – disable autoattack, double/triple initiative regen

Unseen Fury – basically the same

Mirrored Stance – Gain a certain type of Stance depending on parameters eg. gain Balanced Stance if target has Stability, gain Dark Escape if target has Haste etc in a hierarchy or order of application (last applied boon to the target).

Dark Escape – could become the Healing stance, gaining Super Speed, heal a good amount and take half damage for a time

DUDE I think you are on to something here

Stances sound like an epic addition to Thieves. I love Dark escape being a stance but if stances did become a thing, it would be awesome if the healing skill was Dark escape.

Could be, Gain 55% movement speed increase and channel healing for ‘Z’ seconds. Take half damage

If the rifle is the new weapon, I think steal will be replaced with something, but the ini system will stay.

Maybe F1 to go prone and enter first person mode and fire manually like in a first person shooter?

There is no confirmation that rifle is the new weapon, so to those stating that as fact, please stop.

On topic, I think these are great ideas, although they might be a bit OP and need to be toned down lol.

What if with Rifle, Steal was replaced by different types of rounds (F1-F4) and initiative became the Magazine?

What if…
We got a specter off-hand instead of a so-hoped for rifle (actually I want a great sword).

Lights and shadows right?

We’re getting main hand torch; it’s going to be used like a melee weapon. The new mechanic will involve summoning clones that stealth.

nopoet.2960:

Lights and shadows right?

We’re getting main hand torch; it’s going to be used like a melee weapon. The new mechanic will involve summoning clones that stealth.

More like, specter’s light/glow causes us to have perma-reveal debuff… what other players always wanted!

Initiative isn’t going anywhere, just like Mesmer clones and Ranger pets. Too deeply ingrained in the profession. F1 is definitely getting replaced though. My bet would be that F skills get replaced.

How about an Infiltrator kind of class? Rifle would be the new weapon, with long charging but heavy damage skills, and initiative being the energy for a cloaking device of sorts. The other invisibility skills would become detect skills, or add elements to your bullets (which would work more or less like venoms). I know I would love that, creeping behind enemy lines picking off targets from afar (not too far to prevent OP ofc). Prolly not gonna happen, but it’s good to dream, right?

I’m linking a post of mine here, what I’d love to see for the Thief being their first Specialization: Longbow using Infiltrators, that lose Venoms and Traps and receive Espionage Gadgets and Ways (practically Stances, just with a more nostalgic GW1 Assassin Terminology)(changed my mind about Signets, so that the Stigma System can be also more punishing when fighting against Thieves self that use alot of Signets

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/Thief-Rifle-Sniper/page/3#post4768742

Once all Classes receive more Specilizations, I hope the next one after Infiltrator will be the Rogue, which adds as a new Weapon to the Game Quarterstaffs and gives the Thief an acrobatic Specialization that feels more like a Martial Artist that has improved Steal Skills/Mechanics (can steal more than once) and is more dodgy together with Counterattacks/Shadow Walks (Shadow Step Improvement) (maybe together with Cantha xD one may dream)

And then there may not be missing the Saboteur, which would be a Specialization about Traps and Tricks that is able to manipulate also mechanic things like Turrets/Drones, making them a strong counter against Engineers/(Inventors/Demolishers/Machinists/Pioneers whatever the Engineer Specialization may be called later)
Saboteurs are the Specialization, which may get then the Rifle or Maces or perhaps both.

Assuming that rifle is the new thing (not confirmed, but it makes sense)

Gunslinger:
Thieves that choose the path of the gunslinger forego the up close and personal art of theft for the deadly precision that a practiced aim provides.

New weapon – Rifle:
In the hands of a gunslinger, The rifle is not merely a tool for putting down opponents. A gunslingers’s rifle is a precision instrument, used to disable, disarm, stun, and interrupt targets at long range. This weapon set posesses moderate damage, but superior ranged control, as the gunslinger’s legendary aim allows him to target even the tiniest weak point, weapon, or device.

New offhand: Sword

A practiced gunslinger has learned to wield a sword in the offhand as a masterful defensive tool. The thief may use the sword to parry single blows both ranged and melee, combine it with a mainhand pistol to execute a channeled projectile block while firing rounds from his pistol, or execute a dazzling flourish to blind neaby opponents.

Lost weapons: MH Dagger and Sword
Gunslingers are firearms specialists, and as such may no longer equip swords or daggers in their main hand.

New Mechanic: Aim (replaces steal)

The gunslinger may use the F1 key to closely study his opponent. Aiming is a channel, costing one initiative per second, and adds one stack of Aim to the gunslinger for each initiative consumed. A gunslinger may not accrue more aim stacks than his maximum initiative. Initiative does not regenerate while aiming, and for each stack of aim, the thief’s next weapon skill is granted additional damage and condition duration. If the gunslinger loses sight of the target, uses a non-weapon skill, or moves, the gunslinger loses all stacks of aim. The gunslinger may use aim while stealthed.