Power builds for a thief newbie
I think thieves are meant to b d/d style. Tried all the rest, just din’t feel right.
LvL 80 Thief “Axxeman”
Sorrow’s Furnace
Planet Earth
Sorrow’s Furnace
Planet Earth
I have no idea what lead you to conclude D/D was geared towards Condition Damage. If you ask me, no Thief weapon is really geared towards Condition Damage. In fact I don’t think any weapon has more than two attacks with significant Condition Damage attached to them.
Power is useful for any build and should work equally well for every weapon-combo you chose.
Some weapon combos however depend on your character level because you’ll need certain traits to make them effective. Pistol Whip spam for example is highly effective in PvE but requires a lot of Initiative supplements.
Well, I figured the spammable bleed, and the poison on the auto attack, and the fact that most condition builds are D/D. I haven’t read much about Power builds, so I just thought there might be a different weapon combination for them.
Afterall, if I don’t start stacking condition damage soon, my dual wield skill is going to be largely worthless, I would think.
how id D/D leaning towards condition damage? the ONLY skill they have that does condition damage is LDB, everything else is power based.
Wolfe
You should do some research before posting ONLY in caps . . .
Caltrops are a bleed
Lotus Strike is a poison
Dagger Storm is a bleed
all of those are afftected by your + Condition Damage.
Caltrops is up constantly with a 24s cd (traited) and the trait of dropping Caltrops when dodging.
and I’m not saying that D/D is geared to CD . . . just saying that there are a few very powerful skills that use +CD
Farson
lotus strike lasts 2 seconds, dagger storm isnt D/D specific neither is caltrops.
ive played condition D/D i just tried to callit LDB build cuz it revolves around that almost to the exclusion of utility skills.
Maybe I didn’t explain myself very well…
This thread is to ask for input on a Power build. If you have advice or suggestions, please share them. If you would prefer to berate me for my lack of knowledge, then find another thread to flame in.
Honestly there is so much PvP, be it WvW or sPvP, that it really comes down to what feels right.
I wanted to try out Pistol/Dagger recently. I picked up a rare pistol and gave it a go in WvW using my current utility skills. It didn’t feel right. It actually gave me a false sense of security being at range from my enemies – but I had no inherent escape ability at range. Usually you’re only at range to pick away at the enemy until being able to move in for the kill. But, my ‘kill’ weapon set was now Pistol/Dagger. So it was weird. I got caught by a mob of players a couple times even though I know I could have escaped if I wasn’t feeling so ‘secure’ at range. And if I wasn’t dead tired.
There is a guy who posted a P/D video where he was owning complete groups of players with P/D and his utilities. I’m sure it’s good in some situations, but any AOE kind of ruins it IMO. So it all depends on how you play.
I may try Dagger/Pistol as the Daze is very useful in PvE and PvP. I see people healing all the time with no recourse. So maybe I’ll swap hands and give that a go. It all depends on preference and what feels right, however like someone else said, D/D just seems to feel the best. You get in, feel the risk, feel the enemy closing around you, and then shadowstep out to safety.
What sort of utilities do you use for D/D, usually? I’m only at level 13 right now, but I’ve been using Roll for Initiative and Blinding Powder. With the lack of initiative-boosting traits, I figured something to help me regain initiative mid-fight would help immensely. And I’m going for a stealth playstyle, so that’s why I’m using Blinding Powder.
Also, if I stick with D/D, am I best off picking up Power/Prec/ConDam gear, or Power/Prec/CritDam gear?
If only L13, then really, just play the game. It’s meant to be played not theorycrafted so early on. I promise it will all come to you eventually. It’s been 22 days, I don’t think there is a perfect build for every player. Try everything out and see what works for you. Everything I use in WvW is nothing I used leveling, so go figure.
I have a level 71 ranger, so I’m aware of how the game generally plays out.
I’m not looking for a “best” build, I’m looking for build*s*, to give me a better idea of how the thief profession works, internally. Experience from other players is the best way to start building that knowledge, and I’d rather do things that way, than fumble around for the next 67 levels on my own.
Wolfe
Ah ok . . I see what you are saying now . . .
And really you should think about a CD build too . . .the bleeds are incredible from Caltrops and Dagger Storm . . . here’s the base build that I am looking at with 20 points to play with . . .
The build is all about generating Initiative with the 30 in Trickery and 20 in Shadow Arts
I really like putting 10 points into Acrobatics for the Power of Inertia (Gain Might from Dodging) as Might also increases CD. The final 10 points I’m thinking following a build I saw that would take 10 more in Acrobatics to get the Vigor trait that would grant Vigor on Healing – this would help with stacking Might.
or putting the 10 in Deadly Arts for CD duration and so that Steal would deal some damage to my primary target since I’m constantly using Steal.
Farson
“How well does Dagger/Pistol perform? I know the 3 skill is a blind, and 4 is a very very short daze, but I’m not sure how well it’ll hold up whenever I end up fighting more than 1 mob at a time.”
D/P and S/P are amazing PVE combos. S/P is great for tanking multiple mobs and D/P is great for veterans and the like. Blind really helps mitigate the damage you take.
ive done LDB unicorn builds, they are fun, but again, they are imo gimmmicky and i prefer power builds for straight up damage, at least in pvp.
also for dagger/pistol is fine, if you can keep BP up you can stand in it and tank most melee mobs fine.
tho PVE i do tend to go the condition route, if only cuz im finding it easier to kill things atm
What sort of utilities do you use for D/D, usually? I’m only at level 13 right now, but I’ve been using Roll for Initiative and Blinding Powder. With the lack of initiative-boosting traits, I figured something to help me regain initiative mid-fight would help immensely. And I’m going for a stealth playstyle, so that’s why I’m using Blinding Powder.
Also, if I stick with D/D, am I best off picking up Power/Prec/ConDam gear, or Power/Prec/CritDam gear?
The D/D build is a pure precision and backstabbing build, have to get those crits and do maximum damage. I have personally incorporated a lot of stealth utilities, including the 100% crit chance from stealth trait, into my build to get those criticals and I literally wreck everything. Use the signet that grants faster initiative regeneration and your damage output greatly intensifies.
D/P is my build of choice for sPvP, WvW and single target PvE.
S/P is a bit better for dungeons and general-purpose PvE (with the same build underneath) due to the PBAoE you get from auto-attack and Pistol Whip.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/en/?fYAQNAoaVlUmaOHfS4E95Ex2jeKUe6pgsjtTBXtKA;TsAA2CnoqxUjoGbNuak1swYgxECA is my D/P build with (usually) SoShadows, SoAgility and Blinding Powder. Very strong in sPvP due to the Blinds, gap closers and mobility you get out of the build. Strong in WvW also, for the same reasons. Tweak the traits to suit the specific encounter.
[TKG] Mollify