Guild Wars 2

Hey thief community,

I wanted to check in with others to see if anyone else has been using Shadow Trap lately. I noticed Toker it recently, so I decided to give it another shot.

In theory it seems to have some pretty decent potential for quick decaps or +1ing side node fights and the trait for CD reduction + might is easy to take. However, it still has some pretty buggy behavior. More than a couple times, I’ve popped it to return and just ended up faceplanting a wall.

So, has anyone else been using this skill lately? If so, what situations have you found it to be most useful?

It’s pretty fun to play with, but it is very troll in pvp. I like to place it on a point to defend or I sometimes like to be really troll and put it behind the point so when they make a cap, you flash in behind the point and retake it. Most people don’t expect it so they don’t even turn around to recap it. But yeah it’s a little glitchy. You have to play with it a little to know where it does and doesn’t work, it would be very powerful if it wasn’t so glitchy :p

Yea, it’s definitely not expected. I’ve confused the hell out of some players by using it already, haha.

I’m hoping I can get a feel for what causes the glitch so that I can work around that, but so far I’m not sure.

I haven’t used it since the unnecessary nerf to it long ago.

Dahkeus.8243:

Yea, it’s definitely not expected. I’ve confused the hell out of some players by using it already, haha.

I’m hoping I can get a feel for what causes the glitch so that I can work around that, but so far I’m not sure.

I think it’s just weird pathing. It thinks a path will work, but the shadowstep stops short on some things like thick walls, or even tiny rocks sometimes. You kinda just have to learn where you can place the trap and where you can destroy it so the pathing works out. They really just need to update it to a teleport like mesmer portal.

I’m not really fond if it. It requires LoS, it’s unreliable and it’s a dead utility slot in most cases. Most of the time, you’re not going to cap one uncontested point and immediately move back to another uncontested point; typically there will be a defense there.

DeceiverX.8361:

I’m not really fond if it. It requires LoS, it’s unreliable and it’s a dead utility slot in most cases. Most of the time, you’re not going to cap one uncontested point and immediately move back to another uncontested point; typically there will be a defense there.

It doesn’t require LoS, and it’s finicky, but reliable enough if you know how to use it. Also, I think you underestimate it’s uses. For example, say I’m supporting a team fight at mid and notice far gets capped. Knowing whoever capped it is probably now heading mid, I destroy the trap I left off point at far and decap. The enemy comes back since he’s close, and I dash back to mid while he wastes another 10s capping far.

Alternatively, you can place it on point and use shadow pursuit for cross map sneak attacks with 15 might.

I do not use it in PvP but swear by it in Wvw.

I took some time to test the pathfinding and where it will and will not work. In WvW there certain places where you can be sure to get those long ports and I spent some time just finding them so I know when and where I can use them. If you can do this in PvP I am sure you will get far more use out of it.

In WvW I will use it a lot when scouting, laying it down in a safe area and running some ways ahead till I see a zerg. I might at times engage the periphery of the zerg and just port back. They spend a whole lot of time swinging away at where I was wondering where I got to. I have also used to as a quick way to run supply to fix a gate or port back to safety after a push starts to go wrong against larger numbers. I also like to lay it down when a zerg heads my way, allow the zerg to chase and port back in behind them so as to proceed unmolested to my orginal destination.

It also fun to use as a trap where you can see a player waiting to flip a camp when you leave and running off as soon as you approach him. Lay it in the camp and take off. He tends to think it safe and goes back into the camp to flip. Port back and kill him dead.

That said it also works very well close up and while engaged. I really like it with staff or with a condition p/x build as it garners stealth , ports and gets you might and fury. I will often lay it on a periphery of a battle where someone is sure to trip it which allows for a very nice hook strike and might stacked attack with that staff.

Whether any of this would apply to PvP I can not tell you. I expect there fewer areas where you can take advantage of long ports.

Used to like it. Would enjoy trying it again if it got some fixes.

I use it in PvP (or used, I don’t play anymore) since 2012, and I can’t play without it, on pair with shadowstep. Vanishing and reappearing somewhere distant is what defines a thief.

It has diverse functionalities; can be used both for defense and offense. However, it requires some planning and preparation – another thiefy things.

I use it in WvW to troll glassy builds when I get bored. Place it on sentries and it can be a free kill of sorts. Makes for a decent scouting tool as well. You would think it would have similar applications in sPvP but my guess is terrain height changes F it up.

Deciever it works better in Pvp then it does in Wvw. Just like Inf return. this is probably due to terrain (again)

I used Shadow trap for a long time. It’s good for backcapping.

Did the fix the vulnerability glitch yet? It wasn’t applying the trait (master trapper) vul the last time i checked.

Highlie.7641:

Deciever it works better in Pvp then it does in Wvw. Just like Inf return. this is probably due to terrain (again)

I used Shadow trap for a long time. It’s good for backcapping.

Did the fix the vulnerability glitch yet? It wasn’t applying the trait (master trapper) vul the last time i checked.

Yes that’s fixed. Shadow pursuit also said it applied vuln. That has been removed from the tooltip, but the vuln from deadly trapper works.

I use it for my condi build atm, it’s better than refuge when traited in my opinion. You do have to be careful where you use it, but it’s pretty strong if you use it right.

So, just to post an update. After using it for a while, I went ahead and dropped it to get Black Powder again. Shadow Trap was nice for some situations, but just wasn’t worthwhile often enough and with the cast time on the return, it doesn’t even work well to get you out of a tough situation very often.

And ultimately, Black Powder is just too useful and so much more versatile.