Guild Wars 2

Hey guys!

As the title says, I have a question about our utility skills and the uses of them and I would really appreciate it if you took your time to read and reply!

On my thief I have a really really really hard time taking anything else than:
Signet of shadows
Shadow Refuge
Blinding Powder
Scorpion Wire in some WvW and PvP instances
Smokescreen for Dungeons….

The other utility skills seem so lackluster, like the traps and venoms(even Basilisk venom now that it can be broken free of)
Am I missing a lot of the thief gameplay? Am I just that bad and cannot adapt? Or are the utility skills lackluster in general.

I mainly play dagger dagger with shortbow(not a backstab build but a lot of Hide and seek though :P) and also have a tough time playing with pistols and now sword aswell.

So what kind of utility skills do you guys use in PvE and PvP?

Cheerios!

You don’t use Shadowstep? Blinding Powder is good for a free stealth/blind, but it has such a huge cooldown that it’s just a waste imo. In fact, I often use BP just as a panic button, and I find that Shadowstep does a much better job of being a panic button and works in many tactical situations too. Shadow Trap is great in defensive positions where you need to keep your eye on more than one place at any time, and Ambush is great if you place it right at an opponent’s feet and hit C+D to take some steam away from you while you recover.

Venoms only really work well in a venom-sharing build or in a build that focuses ENTIRELY around venoms, and thus a fairly one-dimensional one. At least, that’s how I’ve found them.

In general though, yes, our traps suck. The Tricks aren’t that fantastic, either.

Don’t underestimate Caltrops or Roll for Initiative, though. Haste is just a symptom of how ridiculous quickness in the game is, and it will no doubt be nerfed eventually, so I don’t ever bother using it.

Stun-breakers are a godsend, and caltrops are decimating in PvE.

Thanks for the reply guys! I’ll try to use calptrops and Roll for Initiative!

Try ShadowStep. That is probably the single best Thief utility skill there is. Double 1200 range stunbreaker, condition removal, and absolutely amazing when combined with stealth. Can also be used offensively as well (chasing targets, landing CnD or a stomp, etc)

You’re already using a lot of the better skills. Especially if you get in the habit of actually using the activated ability on Signet of Shadows sometimes, to get the most out of it.

Your list is missing Infiltrator’s Signet and Shadowstep, though. I think any thief bar needs at least one stun breaker (you can’t keep Infiltrator’s Strike ready forever, so it doesn’t count), which these skills provide; and you pretty much can’t go wrong with two. Infiltrator’s Signet provides a decent passive benefit and has a nice low recharge if you’re running the Crit Strikes signet trait. Shadowstep is more versatile but you pay for it with a longer cooldown.

Signet of Agility is incredible when you’re synergized towards it. The passive is useful and works well with any crit-centric build, but the active is amazing. On-demand 100 % endurance when coupled with Acrobatics can mean a triple-dodge with all the invulnerability, might stacks , and caltrops that entails, the fact that it removes conditions for you and nearby allies is just icing on the cake.

In a perfect-world Signet+Acrobatics+Uncatchable+Food setup with Signet of Malice, activating SoA could do the following: Grant 11 stacks of might (385 power and condition damage), give 2 initiative, grant 6 seconds of swiftness (more with duration boosters), give you three dodges, drop 3 caltrop fields on 5 enemies resulting in 6500~ HP healed from Signet of Malice and 12,000-24,000 damage in bleeds plus long-term cripple, and remove conditions from you and your allies. Every 24 seconds. Now obviously few people run a build this specific, and there’s rarely a giant mob of enemies to dodge through repeatedly, but this is an example of how wildly a utility skill’s power can grow given the right situation.

SoA has probably become my favorite thief utility, it just has so much going for it synergy-wise that it seems relatively mediocre until you use it to set off a chain reaction of effects from your traits and skills.

i consider blinding power as the best utility
maybe is because it has no casting time , you can easy counter other thief combo with 1 button or escape 1 warrior burst etc
as well best skill to escape from an zerg