Guild Wars 2

So these are the changes we got, thoughts?

Thief

Panic Strike:
Reduced the immobilized duration from 4 seconds to 2.5 seconds. Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.

Invigorating Precision:
Increased life steal from 5% to 8%.

Ricochet:
This trait now increases the range of all pistol skills by 150 in addition to giving bullets a chance to bounce to another target.
Fixed an issue that caused tertiary bounces to travel a much shorter distance than intended. These will now travel the full distance.

Assassin’s Equilibrium:
Increased the stability duration from 1 second to 1.5 seconds.

Venomous Aura:
This trait now maintains condition ownership when venoms are shared, using the thief’s condition damage and condition duration attributes instead of the condition damage and attributes of the player that poisoned the creature.
The thief may trigger secondary effects off of these condition applications, such as weakening an enemy with Lotus Poison when an ally poisons an enemy with a shared Spider Venom.
Healing effects, such as those from Skelk Venom or the Leeching Venoms trait, will use the thief’s healing power and power attributes but will continue to recognize the attacking player as both the healing source and healing target.
Basilisk Venom still treats the attacking player as the source. This was done to maintain the ability for other classes to activate on-control and on-interrupt effects such as Halting Strike when using a thief’s Basilisk Venom.

Instinctual Response:
Fixed a bug that caused this trait to grant fury and vigor when triggered on cooldown.

Whirling Axe:
Fixed a bug that caused this skill to continue to channel while dodging.

Double Strike, Wild Strike, Lotus Strike:
This attack chain now hits up to 2 enemies.

Black Powder:
Increased the interval between pulses to 2 seconds. Reduced the duration of blind to 2 seconds.

Unload:
Increased the speed of this skill by 20%.

Signet of Malice:
Fixed a bug that caused the passive healing amount displayed on the skill fact to be lower than the actual healing amount.

Choking Gas:
This skill now deals a small amount of damage on the initial impact.

Flanking Strike:

This skill now must successfully hit a target before giving the thief access to Larcenous Strike. Initiative cost has been increased to 4.

Larcenous Strike:
Initiative cost of this skill has been reduced to 1.

The Ripper:
This skill now pierces. Increased the damage of this skill by 40%. Increased the speed of this skill by 50%.

Deadly Strike:
This skill now cleaves, hitting up to 3 targets. Increased the speed of this skill by 33%.

Needle Trap:
Increased the damage of this trap by 10%. Added 3 stacks of bleeding for 3 seconds on hit.

Ambush:
Increased the speed of the ranged thief’s unload skill by 20%.

Thieves Guild:
Increased the speed of the ranged thief’s unload skill by 20%.

Hidden Thief:
Fixed a bug that caused the stealth from this trait to be applied before the attack from Mug, causing this trait combination to always reveal the thief.

Also some “interesting” runes and sigils:

New Runes and Sigils in PvE and WvW

Superior Sigil of Cleansing:
Remove 1 condition when you swap to this weapon while in combat.

Superior Sigil of Cruelty:
Gain a charge of +10 ferocity each time you kill a foe—five if you kill an enemy player.

Superior Rune of Evasion:
+25 Ferocity
When executing a dodge roll, you gain 3 seconds of swiftness.
+50 Ferocity
When executing a dodge roll, you gain 3 seconds of fury.
+100 Ferocity
When executing a dodge roll, deal a crippling strike to nearby enemies.

Superior Rune of the Trapper:
+25 Condition Damage
The duration of conditions you apply last 10% longer.
+50 Condition Damage
When you use a trap skill, gain 3 seconds of super speed.
+100 Condition Damage
Gain 3 seconds of stealth when using a trap skill.

Superior Rune of Radiance:
+25 Vitality
When you receive an aura, you gain 5 seconds of swiftness.
+50 Vitality
When you use a heal skill, you gain 4 seconds of light aura.
+100 Vitality
The duration of auras you apply are increased by 33%.

Maybe rune of evasion good for S/D acro build?

Superior Rune of Evasion:
+25 Ferocity
When executing a dodge roll, you gain 3 seconds of swiftness.
+50 Ferocity
When executing a dodge roll, you gain 3 seconds of fury.
+100 Ferocity
When executing a dodge roll, deal a crippling strike to nearby enemies.

Anyone for some S/D 2 0 0 6 6 ??? I might run this on my D/D acro set. I did a quick test and I could dodge 8 times in just under 30 seconds if I dodged every time my endurance was up and if I used vigor from the acro trait line paired with Withdraw.

So with 30% boon duration the swiftness and fury last 3.9 seconds and if you dodge 8 times in 30 seconds you get 31.2 seconds of both of these, not counting the trait for swiftness on dodge. You aren’t going to be using your dodge or heal skill the second it comes up but I would guess around 70%+ fury and swiftness upkeep just by dodging and healing during a fight. Seems pretty awesome to me

Stealth on trap use…needle trap buff.. quickness on trap use…not in pvp -.-…

LOL

“When you use a trap skill, gain 3 seconds of super speed.”

“….super speed”.

kitten?

Rise in trapper stealth rangers?

I believe super speed is quickness but lol trap runes.
A condition rune too…nah not much will keep it at least conditions ones…ranger tough…wonder if and what is the ICD?

1) “Invigorating Precision: Increased life steal from 5% to 8%.”
- As I understood it, IP heals you for a percentage of outgoing crit damage. They way they word it here, using the key phrase “life steal”, they are implying that you now do additional damage that is 8% of outgoing crit damage, and are also healed for that amount. I take it this is just poor wording on their part?

2) There is no mention of dagger now cleaving on 2 enemies.

Thoughts?

sirrealist.1360:

1) “Invigorating Precision: Increased life steal from 5% to 8%.”
- As I understood it, IP heals you for a percentage of outgoing crit damage. They way they word it here, using the key phrase “life steal”, they are implying that you now do additional damage that is 8% of outgoing crit damage, and are also healed for that amount. I take it this is just poor wording on their part?

2) There is no mention of dagger now cleaving on 2 enemies.

Thoughts?

1) it wasn’t life steal before (afaik), doubt it is now
2) yes there was

evilapprentice.6379:

sirrealist.1360:

1) “Invigorating Precision: Increased life steal from 5% to 8%.”
- As I understood it, IP heals you for a percentage of outgoing crit damage. They way they word it here, using the key phrase “life steal”, they are implying that you now do additional damage that is 8% of outgoing crit damage, and are also healed for that amount. I take it this is just poor wording on their part?

2) There is no mention of dagger now cleaving on 2 enemies.

Thoughts?

1) it wasn’t life steal before (afaik), doubt it is now
2) yes there was

1) That’s my thought too. It’s not listed as a “life steal” skill, so I think they were just careless with their description here. Can anyone confirm that IP does not give life steal, but instead just heals for 8% of outgoing damage? I’m not sure how to verify that.

2) I see it now, my mistake.

sirrealist.1360:

evilapprentice.6379:

sirrealist.1360:

1) “Invigorating Precision: Increased life steal from 5% to 8%.”
- As I understood it, IP heals you for a percentage of outgoing crit damage. They way they word it here, using the key phrase “life steal”, they are implying that you now do additional damage that is 8% of outgoing crit damage, and are also healed for that amount. I take it this is just poor wording on their part?

2) There is no mention of dagger now cleaving on 2 enemies.

Thoughts?

1) it wasn’t life steal before (afaik), doubt it is now
2) yes there was

1) That’s my thought too. It’s not listed as a “life steal” skill, so I think they were just careless with their description here. Can anyone confirm that IP does not give life steal, but instead just heals for 8% of outgoing damage? I’m not sure how to verify that.

2) I see it now, my mistake.

1) Still heals, no life-stealing

2) does not need any of my input

ninja BUFF

in case you haven’t noticed Reveled in Spvp now lasts 3 seconds again!!! xD

Volrath.1473:

ninja BUFF

in case you haven’t noticed Reveled in Spvp now lasts 3 seconds again!!! xD

wow! rly) i hope its planned

Volrath.1473:

ninja BUFF

in case you haven’t noticed Reveled in Spvp now lasts 3 seconds again!!! xD

if that is the case i will be happy with this buff… that nerf has no sence now.

brah my d/p thief is sooo fraked right now lol

they stand in my blind field like i’m a joke…i mean u don’t fight ele’s in their lava tomb
so why would u stand in a thief’s blind field?

but NOPE.

time to find a new build…back to burst i guess

Superior Sigil of Cruelty:
Gain a charge of +10 ferocity each time you kill a foe—five if you kill an enemy player.

oh F**K YEAH
I am back

Panic Strike:
To me, this is a buff. Most people will clear the immobilize after about 2 seconds (except when they are all blown already, but you’re not going to keep a target from <50% health just to maximize this trait anyway). The shorter cooldown makes it a bit easier to know if your target is going to get immobilized or not.

Venomous Aura:
Definitely a buff for venom sharers. Concept is still the same though, which means venoms still can’t get real buffs, making them more viable as solo utilities.

Double Strike, Wild Strike, Lotus Strike:
Definitely a buff in theory, but not sure what it would give in practice. Would like to hear more about this from other people.

Black Powder:
No more guaranteed finishers on downed enemies. It’s easy enough to clear the blind now and use the anti-finish skill (fear, hammer, pull, whatever). If you have a smart opponent, stability (or sometimes portfinish) will be needed.

Choking Gas:
I liked to throw down this while being stealthed, and still have the ability to immobilize the opponent afterwards with AA(stealth). This patch did nerf this ability. Granted you can still shoot the field in front of the enemy (where he’s heading to) so he isn’t damaged, but it’s harder.

Needle Trap:
Ambush:
Honestly, these changes do not make traps more viable. They are still single target based (it’s hard to hit multiple targets as we all know unless you put it on a clogged up group). They can do better.

Thieves Guild:
Well … guess more devastating (for the target or for the npc himself if reflected)?

Hidden Thief:
Been about time this got fixed

What exactly is ‘The Ripper’?

CobOfCorn.6352:

What exactly is ‘The Ripper’?

Harpoon gun stealth attack

Harpoon Gun stealth attack skill.

And before you ask, Deadly Strike is the Spear stealth attack skill too.

don’t forget, we also received the awesome steal bug.. -_-

Black Powder is so useless now, thank you Anet for ruining thief even more…………

Gwalchgwn.1659:

Panic Strike:
To me, this is a buff. Most people will clear the immobilize after about 2 seconds (except when they are all blown already, but you’re not going to keep a target from <50% health just to maximize this trait anyway). The shorter cooldown makes it a bit easier to know if your target is going to get immobilized or not.

Probably the only actual “Buff”, and even then it was a buff to your opponents as well. Less Immob uptime means it isn’t a death sentence to someone without a block/immob break up (which is fair), and in recompense you get 10s off the ICD.

Venomous Aura:
Definitely a buff for venom sharers. Concept is still the same though, which means venoms still can’t get real buffs, making them more viable as solo utilities.

A kitten with sprinkles still tastes like kitten when you’re forced to eat it. Thanks for the sprinkles I guess?

Black Powder:
No more guaranteed finishers on downed enemies. It’s easy enough to clear the blind now and use the anti-finish skill (fear, hammer, pull, whatever). If you have a smart opponent, stability (or sometimes portfinish) will be needed.

Also no more use for practical use for Black powder except as a single initial blind and smoke field. It’s not worth anywhere near 6 init anymore when players can just stand in it and whale on you, would probably be more balanced at 4 init. Remember when Anet buffed Weakness and then gutted thieves access to weakness? They keep steadily chipping away at out defenses. Now BP is a 6 init trap – D/P can’t stealth without it, and it can’t be effectively used as a melee defensive tool anymore. Since we don’t get protection/stability/good sustain options, you can’t eat big swings while players mindlessly stand in your BP as though it weren’t there (because as far as they’re concerned, it really isn’t)

Let’s also note that Anet decided thieves wouldn’t get access to immunes/protection/stability/reasonable sustain options and all their defensives would be active, so standing still for 4 seconds to stomp can be a death sentence in any sort of organized play.