Guild Wars 2

Hey everyone, I just rolled a thief and I’m actually using this build

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vYAQNAoaVlsMp0pdOx7J8PNhs9onqQey7BZNWmlWBaC-TsAg0CnIqRVjrGTNyas1MKYZx0CA

Is that build still viable ? or is it lacking something to be better ?

I went D/P because I keep reading that it’s the best all around kit and it sounds better to get used to these weapons in case I lvl the class for WvW , tried S/P but I didn’t liked it much , and D/D is probably a build I’ll try when I’ll be more familiar with the class because it seems a bit harder to manage atm.

Now my question is, do you always go for a backstab when you use blackpowder + heartseeker ? because the stealth doesnt last that long and I find it pretty hard to always land a backstab during those 2 seconds, and if I heartseeker more than 1 time to stack stealth to 6sec+ I end up with low initiative which make the fight worst once I’m out of stealth.

So atm I find myself auto attacking and using 3 to blind/charge people more than I use my stealth abilities (which sounds bad for a build that is supposed to abuse stealth ), it’s like I never find the right time to land a backstab after my stealth combo (I always end up not being on the back of my target) , so any tip about that is welcome.

Also does anyone know good videos of spvp D/P thieves ? so I can watch and learn from people who master the class.

Thanks

Caed (Narcarsis.5739) is currently the best D/P thief playing the game. He streams on Twitch usually once or twice a week where you could watch/ask questions

He uses this build: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?vYAQNAoaVlsMp0pdOx7J8PNhs9onqQey7BZNWmlWBaC-TsAg0CnIqRVjrGTNyas1MKYZx0CA

It’s just slightly different from yours.

The best tips I can tell you are remember that this is a steal based build, meaning if you land your steal every time you are at a huge advantage.

Another important thing about thief gameplay in tPvP is that in tournaments thief is not intended as a 1v1 class, instead you stay between home and mid and burst people who have already used their cooldowns in fights. Then, as soon as you see far point left undefended you shadow shot out there really fast, decap the point, and then run back to mid to start bursting people.

Lyssa runes and infil signet. Hit steal if u need to run faster

Teleport for the seeker bs’s

Spam auto attacks like mad

Blind field vs vulnerable specs and seeker before it ends for value

Use stealth & bow vs thiefs

Congrats u pro thief nao

Welcome to spvp!

Please feel free to read this post for any tips.

I would recommend you use ogre runes, instead of divinity, since it will allow you to deal the most reliable damage. Don’t use lyssa since lyssa is for man-babies who need a crutch. Infiltrator signet is one of the strongest utilities possible, so I would recommend replacing signet of shadows with it.

Get used to using shortbow over all other weapon sets – since you will be using it the most. The first thing I tell everyone new to the class is to spend at least one full day where the only weapon set you use is shortbow to get familiar with how it works and how the cooldowns on your utility/heal skills work with it. Shortbow is the weapon set that easily/reliably deals with many classes such as mesmer, certain warrior specs, ranger, and engineer (which you really can’t use d/p against an engineer, if they are smart). Also, a big part of the build you posted is being able to wisely use your steal items. A lot of those steal items will require some type of immobilize to pull off well. Hence, learn how to use shortbow. Bassi is like a big brother to immob, but you can use it out of stealth – try to avoid using them in conjunction with each other as you will be wasting a cooldown if you do. If you do use bassi out of stealth, try to apply it when you are behind your target (this can be easily achieved by shadowstepping behind them) so they don’t know the bassi is coming.

Once you get good, you will be able to co-ordinate spikes with your teammates. Using your interrupts help defend other teammates, and to deal your spike damage. Shortbow is also a great support weapon for the immob, and poison field.

thank you very much for all answers, after reading everything I found some very useful infos in linked topics , like the “Blackpowder => heartseeker + Steal => backstab” made it easier to engage fights on unaware targets , I was initialy thinking that steal would destealth me but with the right timing it’s an awesome engage

Watched some d/p thief gameplay and also understood that playing too offensively could lead to death even when target seems low hp.
Also asked some tips in game to some thiefs that beated me hard

after 10+ hours of playing thief I now start to understand the mechanic and I must say that I’m loving the class, I’m still bad but it’s fun to feel like every target can kill you if you make a mistake while on the other side you can feel so OP when you can keep pressure on a target and interupt all the important skills

The only reason why I main thief is because of d/p trickery. To me, it’s the closest thing to a Cripshot ranger back in my GW1 days. So much of it is being able to read your target and interrupt the right stuff.