Guild Wars 2

Hello friends of the shadows,

just a quick question to the viability of said profession.
I imagine it would be fun to play a venom daredevil, but i don’t want to miss out on too much dps in the long run. Let’s say my goal is to play him in open world (i know everything works there, but i want a bit of efficiency at least) and fractals/dungeons.

Crafting a set of viper’s armor is incredibly costly (i don’t know about the berserker runes tho…), so i want to hear from players who have played a venom build if they think its fun and how strong it is. (Build would be DA, Trickery and DD i guess?)

And does anyone have some dps numbers? I want to compare it to my power thief (pretty meta i know )

Have a nice day and don’t let any dragon kill you,
Lostyx

Here ya go for a starter!

http://qtfy.enjin.com/thief

Well, that are really nice power builds… but i was asking for the condi version of the thief.
Maybe I’m blind, but i can’t see one on that site. Just some dps numbers i will never achieve

Lostyx.6035:

Well, that are really nice power builds… but i was asking for the condi version of the thief.
Maybe I’m blind, but i can’t see one on that site. Just some dps numbers i will never achieve

Metabattle straight up best place for your Condi build or cruise these forums, bound to be several.
Aside from that others are sure to reply with some suggestions, always heaps of help here.

Yeah, that metabattle venom build is the reason why i want to try it. The question is: can it compete with the power build in terms of damage, survivability and usefulness in group content?

From what I have been told by Guildies who run it, and also what I have read here, I think so. Many claim it rocks. But hang for a bit and I am sure some of the top Thief people will respond with proper info!

If wanting PvE venom consider p/p as a weapon. It might seem counterintuitive but you slap on Aristocrat runes and trait trickery for pressure strike and confusion (DA DD and trickery) and you can not only load the venoms on with any part of the weapon set , but spike that and normal damage up via the might stacking (you use vipers after all so why not both?). This in turn fuels party wide damage via shares.

You can easily get 10k poison ticks in PvE doing this and high bleeds/torment/confusion all in what shot that can near double that is you get a share in. (sharing a Skale venom with 5 is 20 stacks of vuln just from you so not only does might kick in but that vuln as well)

Any of the three GM traits in DD work fine here depending one what else you want in the build . Ie access to stealth via BP bound , more conditions via impaling or survival and mobility via UC.

If you load on your venoms and then do some unloads all those venoms get applied , and the might you stacked lasts 11 seconds. If you have concentration sigil on use SB and fire a poison field over target, swap and load venoms and unload your might lasts 14+ seconds. Those much harder ticks mean less a need for duration.

Depending on how much cleanse you want, DD can be traited for PI which can get you 3 stacks torment and a PI on a headshot interrupt which is not reliant on high precision for damage and can do significant damge when might is stacked.

It has weaknesses of course. There little to no AOE , Condition cleanse can be an issue and it can be flimsy with few of the other outs other sets have , but in PvE you can adapt to that.

babazhook.6805:

If wanting PvE venom consider p/p as a weapon. It might seem counterintuitive but you slap on Aristocrat runes and trait trickery for pressure strike and confusion (DA DD and trickery) and you can not only load the venoms on with any part of the weapon set , but spike that and normal damage up via the might stacking (you use vipers after all so why not both?). This in turn fuels party wide damage via shares.

You can easily get 10k poison ticks in PvE doing this and high bleeds/torment/confusion all in what shot that can near double that is you get a share in. (sharing a Skale venom with 5 is 20 stacks of vuln just from you so not only does might kick in but that vuln as well)

Any of the three GM traits in DD work fine here depending one what else you want in the build . Ie access to stealth via BP bound , more conditions via impaling or survival and mobility via UC.

If you load on your venoms and then do some unloads all those venoms get applied , and the might you stacked lasts 11 seconds. If you have concentration sigil on use SB and fire a poison field over target, swap and load venoms and unload your might lasts 14+ seconds. Those much harder ticks mean less a need for duration.

Depending on how much cleanse you want, DD can be traited for PI which can get you 3 stacks torment and a PI on a headshot interrupt which is not reliant on high precision for damage and can do significant damge when might is stacked.

It has weaknesses of course. There little to no AOE , Condition cleanse can be an issue and it can be flimsy with few of the other outs other sets have , but in PvE you can adapt to that.

Could you post your build? It sounds interesting and I’d like to try it. Been playing P/P thief in PvE for ages and it’s starting to get just a tiny bit dull (just a tiny bit though, seriously I am not growing tired of P/P anytime soon), and a condi-build sounds like a nice pace of change.

Looks really interesting

I would really like to see your build, too, babazhook.
I’m not really a fan of P/P as weapons, but i want to try it in the PvP lobby.
Btw what is your strategy to boon sharing? For venom sharing and boons from friends you need to stand close together, so normally in near melee range, don’t you?
Also, losing death blossom from D/D seems like a big hit to your overall damage output, because with pistols you only apply damaging condis with auto-attacks and venoms plus whatever you slot as utlity. So if the venoms run out… not great, i imagine.
By all means, i don’t want to critizise your build. Just mentioned some points i’m unsure about. But i never tried it like this, so maybe i’m totally wrong.

Black Powder + Bounding Dodge lets you spam Sneak Attack and rack up a lot of Bleeding stacks that way. Or just directly spam conditions via Lotus Training.

On top of that, Impairing Daggers or Needle Trap can add extra non-Venom conditions as well.

Lostyx.6035:

I would really like to see your build, too, babazhook.
I’m not really a fan of P/P as weapons, but i want to try it in the PvP lobby.
Btw what is your strategy to boon sharing? For venom sharing and boons from friends you need to stand close together, so normally in near melee range, don’t you?
Also, losing death blossom from D/D seems like a big hit to your overall damage output, because with pistols you only apply damaging condis with auto-attacks and venoms plus whatever you slot as utlity. So if the venoms run out… not great, i imagine.
By all means, i don’t want to critizise your build. Just mentioned some points i’m unsure about. But i never tried it like this, so maybe i’m totally wrong.

You asked for PVe not PVP. PvP this would be weak defensively.

Sources of Conditions are the AA, sneak attack if traiting bounding dodger for stealth access, torment off pressure strike and headshot, Poison and Confusion or toment off the steal. You also have weakness and cripple along with any bleeds off uncatchable.

Knowing what i know about Pvp this will not really work too well there as it would be hard to venom share and that key to getting those uber high ticks.

I have used in WvW and in 1v1 you can do very well if you get that first shot in dependent on who you face.

Nasty trick

Precast your heal and steal to the enemy. This will drop needle trap on him IF your steal hits. Thats 11 stacks of might. Thats 3 poison and three bleeds. Thats 5 confusion and 5 vulnerability. Thats also weakness and if you dodge away right away cripple off Uncatchable. Thats a condition spike without a venom used. (and yes works with d/d or p/d condition) and it also immobilizes.

if he is not cleansing stack up might with unlaod even as you do pretty fair raw damage. if he cleanses load them venoms get stealth via BP and Bound, sneak attack.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAqaFn8lCNNhFNBsPhFZCbuDGCPha7ppQAwbLco+QA-TVyCQB3TfAyOFAA4IAcRlHVUJ2BV/RP7P0wHAAKVCSKAtGbB-w

Note this a raw build example. You have to tweak dependent on where you are fighting, what you face condition wise, numbers in your party. if open world PvE as originally requested maximize venom share early.

There a whole lot of personal choice in the buid depending on what style suits you. As I said with GMS in Trickery and DD there no real bad choices.

You can get a whole lot of might just off your heal so do not just spam unload. Look at unload as a Might source for condition ticks and perhaps akin to a heartseeker like finisher when an enemy near dead.

if you start SB drop a poison field then swap to p/p.

Note that marjories gives 3 stacks of might at 20 seconds on heal. This adds to 3 stacks of might at 10 seconds from your runes. This is base.

if you swap to p/p while in battle and then heal you will get 3 stacks at ~18 seconds and 3 stacks at ~36 seconds.