Guild Wars 2

I’ll be doing a thread with my opinions on each Specializaiton line:

• Ready Up AMA Inititial thoughts: Deadly Arts
• Ready Up AMA Inititial thoughts: Critical Strikes
• Ready Up AMA Inititial thoughts: Acrobatics

High Level thoughts:

• Screen shots of the traits
  Initially the community at large will hate thieves running SA. People don’t like fighting what they can’t see, we get complaints as thieves for non-shadow arts builds already, so understand that people will be complaining. Even seasoned PvPers will be complaining until they get their internal stealth timers adjusted, fighting 4 second stealths instead of 3 second stealths requires a timing adjustment. I don’t know how everything is going to shake out with all the power creep everywhere so it’s hard to gauge how OP SA is as of the AMA, but I can with certainty say this is another mandatory line in the state they showed everything in.

Minor Traits
The minor traits are all useful. I like that they fit with the theme of stealth. There are some changes that do seem warranted though.

• Last Refuge – Unchanged. I’d consider moving this off minor as people want the option to play without this triggering.
• Meld with Shadows – Unchanged. This in the meta is going to ramp up the rage levels on thief haters.
• Resilience of Shadows – This is now gained for using SA. It’s a great support concept. The numbers will need lessened play around with 30 and adjust from there.

Adept Traits
At first glance I saw to take Shadow’s Embrace. I get that you could combo Merciful Ambush off Resilience of Shadows and that could be a thing, but I don’t know. This set lacks an offensive option in my opinion, but that doesn’t mean it has to have one.

• Merciful Ambush – I’ll take this if the combo with Resilience of Shadows is worth it. Condi damage not being reduced could be a deal breaker for this trait depending on the meta.
• Concealed Defeat – I don’t think anyone will ever touch this. Maybe merge it with Merciful Ambush or some other trait or junk it and put something else here.
• Shadow’s Embrace – Unchanged. This will be the go to currently in my opinion.

Master Traits
The master traits seem solid. There’s a support and offensive option.

• Shadow Protector – Unchanged. You get regen, unless you already have it. I’d rather see the duration shortened and guarantee regen, but no big deal.
• Descent of Shadows – Unchanged. Fall damage trait, I guess these have to be somewhere.
• Leeching Venoms – Unchanged. The core venom power creep I’d move to this trait honestly, give this the +1 venom charges don’t make it core. Maybe adding life steal thief burst could become a thing with this and leeching sigil procs.

Grandmaster Traits
I think there’s a lot of mixing and matching that can be done between the Blind on Stealth, Initiative Gain Interval on Stealth, Healing during stealth, damage Reduction in Stealth, boon gain in stealth, and Condition removal upon stealth effects. Maybe merge more of these effects into two traits, a selfish and support version when stealthing and make them compete in the Grandmaster row. As it stands right now, you can spec to get all the benefits.

• Cloaked in Shadow – This doesn’t feel like a Grandmaster. Lots of stealthing involves blinding anyway, so it’s not build defining. I’d consider moving this to master or adept or a minor trait or merge it somewhere (an option could be Resilience of Shadows with a reduction to the Damage Reduction and move it to a Grandmaster option).
• Shadow’s Rejuvenation – This is the other thing that will have the thief haters raging. It’s too potent currently, but maybe I’m wrong given all the other power creep.
• Venomous Aura – This seems appropriately placed. You’re either a stealth buffed thief or a venom thief. The problem with making venoms a compelling choice though is that you miss out on a lot of defense. I don’t know if you’ve played with having venom’s break stun or give stability, but this could be a trait to put that on if it can be balanced.

I like the idea of choosing between being a venom thief or stealth buff thief in this line, with the stealth buffs having the additional choice of choosing between supportive damage reduction or selfish stealth choices. I just think competitively venoms need some survivability options, otherwise everyone is going to take the stealth path. The numbers obviously need to be addressed with Resilience of Shadows; I’m sure others will need tweaked as well.

Lately I have been moving away from SA, as I have found it promotes poorer play. Do you really think people will run it in PvP though, specifically conquest? Not contributing to point cap is still the same, no matter how good the stealth traits are.

I await your thoughts on Acrobatics. I’ve really been liking it lately, and I’d like to hear some analysis on the supposed “nerfs”.

Well written mate!
I would change some traits position: I’d move Merciful Ambush or Concealed Defeat to minor traits, giving their spot in adept traits to Cloaked in Shadow and making Resilience of Shadows a GM trait.

Dude if you are going to do an overview please make sure you read the traits carefully

You stated “Descent of Shadows – Unchanged. Fall damage trait, I guess these have to be somewhere.”

Well descent has been changed because it now applies stealth on steal to

Something that I don’t think has been touched upon is that the meta for PvP is definitely going to be 60606, however you don’t really NEED Shadow’s Rejuvenation as you’re not going to be in Stealth all day and doing sustained 1vXs like in WvW. You’re getting Resilience of Shadows so that’s plenty of help to escape as it is.

This means that you could, theoretically, share Basilisk Venom while still in a full burst DPS setup. A Basilisk Venom that now has 2 charges as base.

NOTHING would survive that.

BFMV.3198:

Dude if you are going to do an overview please make sure you read the traits carefully

You stated “Descent of Shadows – Unchanged. Fall damage trait, I guess these have to be somewhere.”

Well descent has been changed because it now applies stealth on steal to

Yup I definitely missed that. This would be interesting either way they implement it, with it triggering before the teleport or after the teleport and Mug.

If it triggers before people will drop mug and have the option to land easy stealth needle traps via healing; the efffect being blinding powder makes it unclear if it’s the slot skill, the minor adept triggering, or steal. If it triggers after the teleport, you land a blind on Steal, which would further make the current Cloaked in Shadow less needed.

Do not forget that the new Descent of shadows turns steal into a blast finisher. This is very significant. Couple it with mug as example and steal in a water field.

Now with more power creep of choosing 3 complete lines, I can expect ALL THIEVES to choose this line because it’s just too strong and too potent in WvW and maybe the future stronghold. Any sane person can figure out the current design they showed just going to be insanely OP because not only you get EVERYTHING in a full bar without choosing, you now have more points to burn in SA while not sacrificing a single point in damage.

Thief will essentially get default -50% damage (where’s the counter-play?), TWO passive healing (450 hp per second anyone?), condition removal, initiative gain in one bar WITHOUT THE NEED OF MAKING CHOICES. It’s just god mode for thief considering how easy thief can enter stealth, that any skillful thief will heavily exploit this and live like a God with just this new SA traitline. All rangers probably will have to run sick-em if they really want the team have a slim chance of killing a potent thief with this new SA line.

My thought? Just return SA similar to old ones, because it’s already good enough with that, especially when you now be able to choose 3 full lines, and not sacrificing damage for choosing SA. (Stat points is bound on gears only now) At least now thief has to make CHOICE, not GETTING EVERYTHING.

My main concern is that I’m still not convinced this is the best line for venoms to be in, in the first place. No venom grants stealth, so you have to get it from a melee weapon, or sacrifice a utility slot for a non-venom. My ranged venom specialist will still be forced into minor traits focused on a mechanic she has virtually no access to. Humbug.

(Yes, I know focusing on ranged and venoms and not utilizing stealth is as far from meta as you can get. Too bad – I like how it plays. If it makes you feel better, my other thief is a stealthy melee spiker just like all the other Heathers.)

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Thief_-_VenomShare

I like the changes for the ninja medic. I’m a big fan of the playstyle. My other thief is actually a non meta p/p ricochet built around 100% crit chance, IP, and signet of malice for sustain. Sadly that build is dead (rip in pieces). This should be interesting for all the other builds that abuse stealth, like thieves getting “trapped” inside an enemy tower and stealthing off of walls. It does seem like an incredibly tempting line for almost anyone

The first thing, I will try with the new build is:
merciful ambush – leeching venoms – venom share.
The rest will be a panic strike setup. Trickery steal stack, mug – strikes – executioner.
Skills: Hide in Shadows(we lack cleanse), Devourer Venom, Refuge, Step, Basi.

Some of the changes make me thing what devs smoke before going to work, so blind in stealth is just as good as ~300hp/s heal that was already weak (really really?!!) so they added ini regen to it >.<

Shadow Arts will be the thief “Medic” trait line. Resilience of Shadows (-50% damage) + Merciful Ambush (Stealth yourself and ally when reviving, revive 10% faster) + Shadow Protector (Stealth ally they gain Regen 10s 1,300 Heal) + Either Cloaked in Shadow or Shadow’s Rejuvenation. The blind from CiS would be nice for reviving allies, and the Shadow’s Rejuvenation would be a great recovery tool for thief to reset fights. For a pure “medic” build CiS would probably be better to ensure a full revival on an ally.

I’ll miss Infusion of Shadow.