Guild Wars 2

I personally find duel pistols extremely fun, even when doing map completion. I personally don’t give a kitten about the whole meta build dps kitten as I play the game how I find it fun and not following a meta using a play style I don’t find fun. Hopefully theres other people that feel the same way and who also enjoy using pistol/pistol. Saying this though, I feel as though Pistol/Pistol should be improved. At the moment the best way to get really good damage out of it is Pistol 3. I feel as though pistols should do a bit more damage and maybe have a skill or shot that pierces other classes reflects (although this should require a lot of initiative). Anyway that’s just one guys thoughts. I don’t know if suggestions belong in this area but oh well.

yep, p/p 2 has always been straight up garbage while 4 and 5 have really poor synergy with p/p kit (no need to bring up DD traits for god’s sake, weapon skills should synergize within the whole class, not a single spec tree)

fortunately thief can get away using just one ability over and over and Unload is a skill you’d want to use in that way. I’d like of course some other weapon skill on p/p instead of 2, 4 or 5 like a precise, delayed high damage shot to counter retaliation spam for example, but oh well, Unload will do too

The way weapon sets work, a fix to p/p has to focus on #1 and #2.

3 provides enough. If more added to 4 and 5 it just boosts d/p which already overused.

2 works as a choice ONLY if condition durations are high in a build. Otherwise it just not worth using. As such I think a boost to the base duration of the Vuln and Immob might be helpful. (vuln 5 seconds base immob 1.5 sec perhaps)

1 needs something else and I am not sure what. Perhaps a pierce or make #1 ricochet?

P/P AA is trash. Body Shot is fairly crappy but can have its moments. Unload is the only solid skill but chews through init and the might buff rolls off too quickly. Headshot is pretty awesome once it is mastered. Black Powder has no synergy with P/P outside of taking Bound.

All that is fine but what is missing… any form of built in escape and no multi-target pressure. Unload reads like it does amazing damage until a thief finds themselves against multiple opponents where AoE begins to dominate. Escalate more players and P/P is outclassed by even the most basic of AoE spam.

ChasingTheDragon.1534:

maybe have a skill or shot that pierces other classes reflects (although this should require a lot of initiative).

For what purpose do you want to go through reflection in open world? If you’re aiming for PvP forget it, the only thing worthy of going through reflection is p/p 3 and that would never happen. I’m not against having fun with p/p if you like it, but it’s the cheapest and easiest burst for pvp and even a monkey could kill with it. That’s why it must have a solid counter (reflection).

If you’re talking about adding a new skill, well, dreaming is free.

Honestly,

I’d like to see:

Stealth: Stay the same
AA: Stay the same
#2: Reload (New) – Short cast time small iniative gain, maybe 4
#3: Unload (Update) – Stay the same, but possibly bring in ricochet mechanics for only this skill (maybe add low % chance to apply burning or a trait that would add this). Giving pistol more condi options.
#4: Head Shot – Stay the same.
#5: Black Powder – Turn this into a dark field to nerf D/P stealth stack (which simultaneously makes stealth utilities and smoke screen more valuable, possibly allowing them to be buffed), also allows for P/P to be more defensive and actually use BP more frequently outside of Bounding Dodge trait.

You could see a Signet of Malice P/P build that would engage with unloads, then reload for Black Powder and Headshots while increasing health with signet and life drain. Could synergize well in a condi build too with Needle trap on heal, Trapper runes, etc.

Just a way that could really mix things up with only minor changes and a good change to skill #2.

Your Reload idea is pretty intriguing. It’s definitely something new and useful.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a reload idea before, but I must admit that’s a pretty cool idea.

It could have some very slick gunslinger animations tied to it too.

I’d like to see Anet make a decision on whether P/P is a condi set or a power set. Sneak attack is bleeding based, Unload is pure power. The auto is whatever. Pistol 2 is horrible. Pistol 4 is expensive (initiative wise) for what it does. Pistol 5 is fine I guess? Aside from unload I don’t get this set.

The only trait available for pistols is garbage.

IMO short bow should be a slightly better condi weapon, while retaining its utility, and PP should be a power set with more to offer than Unload.

that baby stealing dingo.7216:

I’d like to see Anet make a decision on whether P/P is a condi set or a power set. Sneak attack is bleeding based, Unload is pure power. The auto is whatever. Pistol 2 is horrible. Pistol 4 is expensive (initiative wise) for what it does. Pistol 5 is fine I guess? Aside from unload I don’t get this set.

The only trait available for pistols is garbage.

IMO short bow should be a slightly better condi weapon, while retaining its utility, and PP should be a power set with more to offer than Unload.

Your solution just robs Peter to pay Paul .

P/X is used by P/D as well and turning P/P into pure power destroys the p/d condition build.

There are enough builds that have weaponsets best suited to a power build. P/P can serve in both and should not be dedicated to just the one.

P/P can be effective as a condition build with some combination of Pressure strike and a means of gaining stealth (or applying conditions via a venom). The unload can then be used to spike the condition ticks in a cycling burst style. It just hard to survive on the set.

To the utility of 2 and 4. I do not find 4 expensive for what it does. It an interrupt and even not traiting for PI or Pressure strike a well timed interrupt is a very useful ability.

2 CAN be useful. I never much used it however until I made a very high condition duration build. In such a build it becomes very useful. Without that duration it simply not worth the INI spent. On demand spamable Immob is not to be ignored. 1 second of it is very meh. It also way to slow a projectile speed.

I have been strongly considering.g running pistol pistol in my swap for dagger dagger. But I can’t see myself sacrificing short bow.

Pistol skills are all useful in some regard. Some could use some fine tuning in exchange for finally dealing with the one hit wonder that Unload has become.

The autoattack is useful. Since firing rate was recently increased the damage potential has been considerable without spending initiative. Sure the damage is less than Dagger, but this is a ranged attack with a decent rate of fire. No one should be dodging the auto attack—it would be individually a waste of a dodge—but the damage quickly adds up from constant auto attacking. I might tweak the damage up slightly in exchange for the changes discussed below.

Pistol 2 is extremely useful. Sometimes immobilize for even a short time is what your group needs. If you boost condition durations you will get even more out of this. Personally the only weakness of this is the projectile speed. Consider also that in a P/P set this gives you immobilize to help land a full Unload.

Unload is quite overtuned at the moment. Single target damage is high and it serves as the main single target damage for the build. It is also a one hit wonder, spam until dead kind of attack. I think Unload should be a directional attack that can hit multiple targets. You sacrifice single target accuracy for hitting more targets in a hail of gunfire. Single target damage should be the focus of the Stealth attack.

Pistol 4 is great due to the interrupt it provides, with synergy using PI, and I see no reason to change it.

Black Powder is also strong, due to the smoke field combos, interaction with stolen items, and its own blind. I don’t see a reason to change this.

EDIT—

And as a P/D user I would obviously not condone removing bleed from Sneak Attack or the auto attack. Condition builds use a different stat set to make those bleeds effective so leaving both in makes the pistol a valid option for either.

Hybrid damage is fine. The reload sounds so great. Fire, stealth, realod in stealth. And a nice animation added. Awesome idea for #2 :-).

Devs have actually said P/P (or just pistol in general) is intended to have a hybrid nature when they added Might to Unload.

You can Power Unload which is fun, or Bounding+ BP for consistent Sneak Attack (or traps and Trapper runes), or get both Pressure Strike and Pulmonary Impact for a ‘rupt build. There’s almost a build per weapon skill, which isn’t too bad a situation.

It certainly much more diverse than it was befor since might added to 3 and people really got to get away from that unload spam for might mentality to make this set work. You really have to use the rest of the set or another weapon in conjunction with unload.

I really think we need a trait that lowers weapon swap cooldown as it opens up a whole lot of potential.

I personally use P/P in my WvW/PvP build and granted mobility wise I miss the sb, I don’t think I could go back. I agree that some changes could be made…I 110% agree with some sort of bounce/ricochet on an ability (Unload would be the perfect ability, maybe make a change elsewhere on the wep set to balance it out or increase the init by like 1 as it will lower the spamability a bit or reducing the # of shots by 1)

I also agree with something piercing, and would be a dream if something went through reflects, however if unload attacks bounced, P/P would be wayyy OP imo combined with piercing reflects.

I also agree to revamp the only pistol trait or add another (useful) pistol trait. Something that rewards the use of abilities outside unload or use it as the bounce attacks on unload.

I haven’t used Thief/Daredevil as long as some people as I used it to lvl 80 2 years ago and picked it back up for getting the specialization for HoT, then dropped it until 3 montsh ago. despite the learning curve and skill level, I really prefer this class over any other (unless I have a hankering to play something else for a couple days as a change) but always come back to it. P/P is def a very good set but def does need something.

Biggest improvement I’d want is a significantly better coefficient and vulnerability duration on Body Shot. That’s it really; the auto is more or less where it should be with the faster animation frame, Head Shot is still fantastic, and Unload is the overtuned spam skill that everything viable on thief has.

I do think Black Powder is undertuned post-HoT; the blind pulse reduction was a pretty big nerf to the skill that might have mattered pre-HoT but leaves the skill pretty weak now. You don’t see it used outside of D/P stealth stacking out of combat now. While I’d personally like to see a bit of a rework there (ground targeted smoke grenade instead of PBAoE, to give it more utility on P/P) I don’t think it’s a big issue overall.