Guild Wars 2

I’ve been wondering lately if Signet of Shadows is really worth a utility slot in wvw roaming?

The main use for Shadow Sig was when everyone was running D/D before dancing dagger dps got destroyed.
The active was really useful for stomps.
But with the utility from D/P it’s not necessary.

It depends on your build and your playstyle. For example I prefer to get
“fleet shadow” and swap SoS with Infiltrator’s Signet (check my video), but when I run D/D I feel that SoS is somehow “required” because you don’t have access to “fleet shadow” and all the damage is focussed on backstab and you can’t land the bs if you are slow. Especially now that Mug isn’t an opener anymore.

if you have any points in acro I would not use it, use sig of agility instead

if you don’t, it then depends on your build.. if you use sword mh with no acro, then maybe I would use it, as when you hit your sword auto rotation, you need to be gaining on the enemy to ensure you hit them

No. However you can slot it for when you are running with no one around, when combat starts however I deem it not worthwhile.

I can’t run without it, I’d go insane from moving so slow. (Enter combat, move like snail. No thanks) It’s useful for stomps as an on demand blind, I hate how mandatory it is but it’s too good to pass up. I don’t run D/P

Elmuerto.9840:

No. However you can slot it for when you are running with no one around, when combat starts however I deem it not worthwhile.

This. Treat it like a mount or run it when you want to be lazy. It doesn’t pull its own weight in combat barring some very specific situations (signet build, very skillful with blind timing). If I see a groupmate running Signet of Shadows, I know they’re not pushing their full potential. Unlike a lot of folks, though, I’m fine with that. People running any vit/toughness in PvE instead of just dodging everything aren’t living up to their potential either, but at some point you have to draw a line and say you care more about convenience and ease of play than effectiveness.

Any thief build I look at I assume to have SoS “on swap” for long distance travel. I’d rather not see it as part of the build itself unless it is part of their ideal combat load.

It is worth it unfortunately and practically required for D/D.
I hate Signet of Shadow~ It’s like a curse.
Unless you wanna spec for high endurance and roll everywhere as if you were playing Ocarina of Time, or simply don’t care about traveling fast or being able to stay on target.

Doggie.3184:

Unless you wanna spec for high endurance and roll everywhere as if you were playing Ocarina of Time…

Brilliant, sir.

Doggie.3184:

It is worth it unfortunately and practically required for D/D.
I hate Signet of Shadow~ It’s like a curse.
Unless you wanna spec for high endurance and roll everywhere as if you were playing Ocarina of Time, or simply don’t care about traveling fast or being able to stay on target.

Acrobatics isn’t the only way to get swiftness, you can also get it from Trickery. If you’re not actively engaged in combat, just swap SoS in for travel, if you’re actively engaged in combat you aren’t going to catch anyone without swiftness anyways. There’s no reason to rely on SoS as a crutch 24/7.

Tulisin.6945:

Doggie.3184:

It is worth it unfortunately and practically required for D/D.
I hate Signet of Shadow~ It’s like a curse.
Unless you wanna spec for high endurance and roll everywhere as if you were playing Ocarina of Time, or simply don’t care about traveling fast or being able to stay on target.

Acrobatics isn’t the only way to get swiftness, you can also get it from Trickery. If you’re not actively engaged in combat, just swap SoS in for travel, if you’re actively engaged in combat you aren’t going to catch anyone without swiftness anyways. There’s no reason to rely on SoS as a crutch 24/7.

Not being at speed cap as Thief in WvW gives such a dirty, disgusting feeling. :<

I use it to travel around and change it to different utilities based on occasion.

The problem is when combat finds me before I can change it…

Another thing I do to get speed is to play a bit on my norn guardian… then get back to my human thief… no need for swiftness, no need for SoS, it just seems sooooo fast!

Doggie.3184:

Tulisin.6945:

Doggie.3184:

It is worth it unfortunately and practically required for D/D.
I hate Signet of Shadow~ It’s like a curse.
Unless you wanna spec for high endurance and roll everywhere as if you were playing Ocarina of Time, or simply don’t care about traveling fast or being able to stay on target.

Acrobatics isn’t the only way to get swiftness, you can also get it from Trickery. If you’re not actively engaged in combat, just swap SoS in for travel, if you’re actively engaged in combat you aren’t going to catch anyone without swiftness anyways. There’s no reason to rely on SoS as a crutch 24/7.

Not being at speed cap as Thief in WvW gives such a dirty, disgusting feeling. :<

Yeah, and SoS doesn’t speed cap you. If SoS was equivalent to perma-swiftness I’d have a much different opinion of it, but it isn’t fast enough to let you catch the many professions that do run perma-swiftness (barring shadowstepping/cripple to even the odds).

Dear ANet,

Due to the injustice of the Trick Shot nerf, I will accept reparations in the form of a buff to Signet of Shadows from 25% movespeed to 33%.

Forever yours <3

I usually have it by default as a sucker for speed, but I’ll switch it out for something like Smokewall in dungeons. Been experimenting with other SoSless builds too.

Remove the blind and add 30 sec swiftness.

PearlGore.7419:

Remove the blind and add 30 sec swiftness.

No way! The blind is what makes my build works. Swiftness is a useless boon in my build.

If you don’t like the signet, then don’t use it — don’t try to change it based on a probability that you MIGHT use it.

My D/D build utilities: HiS, SR,SS, SoS. I really want blinding powder since DD has no gap instant gapclosers like DP does so going into stealth without a target would be great, but that speed is useful, especially when I can’t stealth stomp so the blind is the next best thing, especially on guardians. That feeling you get when you get one to the ground and pop SoS, they use the bubble only to get a miss and wonder wth happened.

When it comes to just roaming, I find putting 15 points into both Acrobatics and Trickery, makes you a lot faster. It gives you swiftness on dodging, while returning some endurance, and 3 more initiative for Infiltrator’s Strike/Heartseeker. Thrill of the Crime then gives you 10 seconds of swiftness on steal, and if you have a target when you steal (like a critter), you also get 3 initiative back. Of curse, it means you have to sacrifice some damage if you play burst, but the Thief already have so much of it, so it’s not really that big of a sacrifice.

Acrobatic’s Lvl 5 passive should just give permanent swiftness at all times and signet of shadow’s passive can cause a 1 second blur effect every 10 seconds in combat that evades anything instead. Then I wont have to worry anymore.

only use it til you go into battle then swap it out for blind powder. thats what i do. SoS is near usless in battle unless youare about to stomp.

Doggie.3184:

…signet of shadow’s passive can cause a 1 second blur effect every 10 seconds in combat that evades anything instead. Then I wont have to worry anymore.

The movement speed is a big plus during combat. It is a major advantage that allows for quick positioning and flanking.

Just leave this skill as it is. If you really want something different, then suggest to Anet to add a skill that does exactly what you want it to do.

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Doggie.3184:

…signet of shadow’s passive can cause a 1 second blur effect every 10 seconds in combat that evades anything instead. Then I wont have to worry anymore.

The movement speed is a big plus during combat. It is a major advantage that allows for quick positioning and flanking.

Just leave this skill as it is. If you really want something different, then suggest to Anet to add a skill that does exactly what you want it to do.

Of course you cannot deny you secretly want this signet’s active to be a blinding, massive aoe flame blast that does 10k dmg at its weakest and it instastomps while giving you 10 seconds of stealth. Why are you guys looking at me? That’s perfectly balanced……

I feel it’s worth it. Adds to speed when traveling, escaping, and positioning while fighting. Maybe not the “best” for large field fights, but not useless either.

Plus… I’m addicted to it and now hate moving slow.

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Doggie.3184:

…signet of shadow’s passive can cause a 1 second blur effect every 10 seconds in combat that evades anything instead. Then I wont have to worry anymore.

The movement speed is a big plus during combat. It is a major advantage that allows for quick positioning and flanking.

Just leave this skill as it is. If you really want something different, then suggest to Anet to add a skill that does exactly what you want it to do.

I should correct it~ perma swiftness + 25% movement speed on lvl 5 passive.
I just want speed cap at all time with no effort or utility slots needed.
Is that too unreasonable?

RedSpectrum.1975:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Doggie.3184:

…signet of shadow’s passive can cause a 1 second blur effect every 10 seconds in combat that evades anything instead. Then I wont have to worry anymore.

The movement speed is a big plus during combat. It is a major advantage that allows for quick positioning and flanking.

Just leave this skill as it is. If you really want something different, then suggest to Anet to add a skill that does exactly what you want it to do.

Of course you cannot deny you secretly want this signet’s active to be a blinding, massive aoe flame blast that does 10k dmg at its weakest and it instastomps while giving you 10 seconds of stealth. Why are you guys looking at me? That’s perfectly balanced……

I actually miss the Ranged Immobilize it used to do. They shoulda buffed it to be range immobilize + aoe blind instead. :P

Doggie.3184:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Doggie.3184:

…signet of shadow’s passive can cause a 1 second blur effect every 10 seconds in combat that evades anything instead. Then I wont have to worry anymore.

The movement speed is a big plus during combat. It is a major advantage that allows for quick positioning and flanking.

Just leave this skill as it is. If you really want something different, then suggest to Anet to add a skill that does exactly what you want it to do.

I should correct it~ perma swiftness + 25% movement speed on lvl 5 passive.
I just want speed cap at all time with no effort or utility slots needed.
Is that too unreasonable?

RedSpectrum.1975:

Sir Vincent III.1286:

Doggie.3184:

…signet of shadow’s passive can cause a 1 second blur effect every 10 seconds in combat that evades anything instead. Then I wont have to worry anymore.

The movement speed is a big plus during combat. It is a major advantage that allows for quick positioning and flanking.

Just leave this skill as it is. If you really want something different, then suggest to Anet to add a skill that does exactly what you want it to do.

Of course you cannot deny you secretly want this signet’s active to be a blinding, massive aoe flame blast that does 10k dmg at its weakest and it instastomps while giving you 10 seconds of stealth. Why are you guys looking at me? That’s perfectly balanced……

I actually miss the Ranged Immobilize it used to do. They shoulda buffed it to be range immobilize + aoe blind instead. :P

the good days of bwe 1/2..