Guild Wars 2

Please read past the first sentence if you’re reading it at all…
Also, the topic is actually “Quick ‘little’ Thief Suggestion”. How that tripped the sensitive filter idek.
Take Backstab off of Daggers and instead give the stealth skill some form of damaging condition application and make Daggers a Condition damage weapon instead of what it is now.. a mess. Currently there’s the high damage, burst skills, on the bar and then the condition ones. If you spec either way you’re not using some skills to their full potential. Find a common goal for the weapon set. (Same advice for Pistol fyi)
Then, take Tactical Strike and give it Backstab’s functionality and rename it Impale. This makes Swords the powerhouse they feel like they ought to be.
Finally, exchange the two offhand pistol skills for two completely different skills.
- Ex:

• Skill4-
  Disrupting Shot:
  Fire a shot that Blinds(5s) and Dazes(1s).
  Minimal Damage, low initiative.
• Skill5-
  Vanishing Shot:
  Fire a shot that explodes in a smoke cloud when fired granting you stealth and explodes on impact Blinding nearby foes.
  Moderate damage, same initiative as CnD.

These skills are just quick, on the spot suggestions but keep the feel of the offhand pistol the same as it is now but finally granting it the stealth ability it was lacking to allow proper utilization of stealth skills.

More than aware some people like the mixed skills on the weapon bars but I don’t. I like having a weapon set serve a defined purpose and as it is now, most of the sets have skills that just don’t belong in the general feel of the weapon and I didn’t even cover them all… maybe later I’ll put something more detailed together. Anyways, commence the traditional flaming that accompanies alterations to Assassin classes.

While your suggestion is well thought out and prepared, I think this oversimplified Thief a bit and moves it too far in the Warrior direction. Part of the beauty of thief weapon setups is how each one can do both condition and direct damage. These changes would hurt that a bit. That’s just my opinion.

I like the fact that you’re taking time to think out suggestions instead of just calling for nerfs. I don’t, however, like the suggestions.
Since 4/5 of D/D skills are direct damage, it would make more sense to make LDB do direct damage.
I like the daze on Tactical Strike and its what makes S/D worth playing.
Your pistol suggestions are pretty cool though. I think all of our weapon sets should have some way to go into stealth (maybe not shortbow though).
If they changed Body Shot to apply some sort of condition (I’m thinking short duration burning) then P/P is now a viable condition set, but then it lacks direct damage. Not sure what to do with that set.

@Never
These aren’t very thought out sadly, I was bored and threw a few suggestions out. As I said, some people like the dual function of weapons but it is true in terms of sheer effectiveness it is purely detrimental. The reason the Warrior is so popular is because of it’s fluid skill design. Having weapon sets that are fluid and serving a purpose should not be considered “following the Warrior” it should just be standard game design.

@Zunhar
The reason I suggested a change to Backstab instead of LDB (which I would personally much rather see changed) is because tbh, if you had another way to apply very damaging conditions on the Dagger weapon it would actually begin to synergize with the natural high damage of the weapon skills. (i.e. Heartseeker becomes legitimately usable when a target your conditions are DPS’n gets low instead of just a redundant damage spam due to it already high raw damage)
In addition to this despite how much I like the idea of Tactical Strike myself I find it just plain unviable in the long run. Same problem with Surprise Shot on the Shortbow. Good ideas, I just think they’re not conducive to the Thief’s feel nor can they be used with any sort of effective frequency as their effects are rather indeed lackluster.
Finally, Pistols are indeed a complete mess but at the same time I feel Unload is kind of a staple of P/P so I think changing the first two attacks is the more appropriate option to be honest. I like the idea of applying vulnerability but due to the cost of Initiative to do so it becomes an obsolete effect. I would move the vulnerability to the first skill and have the second skill something like;

• Body Shot: Shoot your target with a Poisonous(5s) shot. If target was already poisoned, they are instead chilled(2s).

This adds a conditional snare to the weapon which also synergies with poison if it happened to already be applied if used right by increasing the recharge of the now less effective Healing skill.

To take it even 1 more step further; Removing the condition damage stealth skill “Sneak Attack” for something maybe like a Pistol version of the Shortbow’s “Surprise Shot” but adding in additional damage or vulnerability would probably synergize a whole lot more with the Pistol than it does Shortbow.

Anyways, again, just a few of many suggestions. Hopefully they get some thought going.

Sco.9615:

@Never
These aren’t very thought out sadly, I was bored and threw a few suggestions out. As I said, some people like the dual function of weapons but it is true in terms of sheer effectiveness it is purely detrimental. The reason the Warrior is so popular is because of it’s fluid skill design. Having weapon sets that are fluid and serving a purpose should not be considered “following the Warrior” it should just be standard game design.
…
Anyways, again, just a few of many suggestions. Hopefully they get some thought going.

That’s cool. I’d just hate to see Thief become too similar to everything else out there. I like its duality, so for me, the fluid weapon sets concept just comes across as oversimplified. But, hey, that’s why we have multiple professions.

Never.6014:

Sco.9615:

@Never
These aren’t very thought out sadly, I was bored and threw a few suggestions out. As I said, some people like the dual function of weapons but it is true in terms of sheer effectiveness it is purely detrimental. The reason the Warrior is so popular is because of it’s fluid skill design. Having weapon sets that are fluid and serving a purpose should not be considered “following the Warrior” it should just be standard game design.
…
Anyways, again, just a few of many suggestions. Hopefully they get some thought going.

That’s cool. I’d just hate to see Thief become too similar to everything else out there. I like its duality, so for me, the fluid weapon sets concept just comes across as oversimplified. But, hey, that’s why we have multiple professions.

Yeah man, I fully understand your point. No worries^.^ I’m just the type of person who likes to really maximize the effectiveness of all the skills I choose to bring and having so many weapon sets be designed to serve two purposes just kind of irks me, that’s all. But the way I set up the D/D suggestion that I explained to Zunhar actually keeps the dual function you love so it may be worth looking at. Also, it doesn’t become too much of an issue as it is now though because it limits the number of skills you actually care to use therefore in a way, helping to manage Initiative. But still…irksome to someone such as myself.

Also, I’d like to say I’m 100% impressed in the mature and constructive manner this thread has kept thus far….Yes, I just jinx’d it… sadface. But thank you you two for keeping it that way.