Guild Wars 2

Introducing a new series, similar to TEEF’s State of the Thief, on how we can improve the Thief one weapon (set) at a time. Please give thoughts, suggestions, and your own ideas. I give you the…

Thief Improvement Experiment

Shortbow #1 – Trick Shot:

I was thinking of adding Bleeding similar to the Pistol’s auto-attack, but we already have that on Detonate/Cluster Bomb. Likewise, because of the nerf to Choking Gas, I had also thought of adding Poison to keep healing reduced. We have Cripple and Blind on other skills. What’s left? Fire and Ice. While I love the idea of a flaming arrow (especially with Burning being so powerful right now), I think I like the thought of having a sustained method of hindering the enemy even more.

1 second per hit: Chill

There would be no cooldown. If the arrow bounces, then that gives the Thief more bang for its buck. Remember, this is not adding damage to the attack, it is only giving more utility.

Shortbow #2 – Cluster Bomb/Detonate Cluster:

For goodness sake, speed up the projectile! The lack of speed makes it difficult to get a combo off unless you aim at your feet. When the projectile does hit the ground and explode, it should leave a Fire Field that burns anyone who enters it.

2 seconds: Fire Field
2 seconds: Burning
2 pulses

A Combo Field and a Blast Finish in one? Well, there are three different ways to go about that…

A. Allow the skill to combo with itself.
B. Force the Blast Finisher to take effect before the Combo Field.
C. Move the Blast Finisher from Cluster Bomb to Detonate Cluster.

If option C is taken, you could create the Blast Finisher where the detonation takes place, or you could have three separate Blast Finishers depending where the projectiles fall.

Shortbow #3 – Disabling Shot:

There are a few things with this skill. It is a defensive skill to evade and create distance. I would suggest to make it an instant cast. Add a 1/4 seconds daze to it just as Pistol’s Headshot has. Also make sure the evasion frame cover the entire animation.

2 seconds: Cripple
1/4 second: Daze

Shortbow #4 – Choking Gas:

Extend the duration of applied Poison to 4 seconds. If someone continues to stand in it, they deserve it. The only ones who will are those who are downed, and that’s really the purpose of this skill. Also remove the direct damage so it will no longer Reveal a Thief.

4 seconds: Poison Field
4 seconds: Poison
4 pulses

Shortbow #5 – Infiltrator’s Arrow:

Well, this is the big one, eh? It already excels at what it does, but there’s always room for improvement. First of all, why not drop the Initiative cost down to 5? Secondly, add a small arc to the flight of the projectile (without increasing the travel time) so it won’t collide with small hills or obstructions. Also, FIX THE PATHFINDING ERRORS!!!

On top of that, let’s see if we can increase the utility a bit. What about these options?

A: Increase the radius to blind foes where the projectile lands.
B: Add a 1 second Blind to enemies close to the Thief where the projectile originates.
C: Create a 1 second Smoke Screen in the middle of the projectile’s path that blocks other projectiles.
D: Blind all enemies that are within the projectile’s path for 1 second.

Shortbow Stealth Attack – Surprise Shot:

Really? An Immobilize is all it has? You’re going to reveal me for 3-4 seconds for a 2 second Immobilize? That’s not even long enough to get a Cluster Bomb there at range. No, we need something more powerful. Yes, something like what happens when a ragdoll takes an arrow to the knee. Oh yeah, let’s steal their lunch money also!

Launch distance: 350
5 seconds: Cripple
5 seconds: Weakness
5 seconds: 5 stacks of Vulnerability
Steal one boon

Thoughts? Suggestions? Criticisms?

Honestly, to buff any aspect of SB they’d have to leave #5 alone at the very least. it’s already very good at what it does. I’m also of the opinion that cluster bomb would benefit more from range than projectile speed, just because the blast combo nature of it is what prings up its viability rather than its actual damage. The damage/condis are fine as are the mechanics, but allowing it some of its old range back would let us at least contribute to max range fights, albiet with only a pressure role.

1. needs a range/evade buff, and #1 is pretty okay considering it’s a seeking bounce auto. Maybe amp its projectile finisher chance a little so it’s still more utility?

1. could probably use a tiny bit of juice. Duration, aoe size, init discount or something.

I think your suggestions overtune it, as it’s supposed to be a largely utility weapon so upping the utility rather than damage seems the better way to go.

PopeUrban.2578:

I think your suggestions overtune it, as it’s supposed to be a largely utility weapon so upping the utility rather than damage seems the better way to go.

Thank you for the feedback. Yes, that’s why I tried to stay away from adding damage to the skills. I believe I only extended the Poison duration for Choking Gas and replaced instant Bleeding with Burning from a Fire Field on Cluster Bomb. Everything else is utility, I believe.

Hmm.

Wouldn’t mind Chill on SB1, wouldn’t care about it either.

Would love to see Cluster Bomb sped up considerably, but the fire field would be a bit much, no matter how it’s done. Just give me the ability to fire at max range and not take 2-3 seconds for it to hit and we’re good.

I’d like to see the poison duration increased however they can, but not sure about letting you shoot it from stealth. Wouldn’t you be able to shadow Refuge, then drop poison all over the place while remaining invisible, and run away? Seems OP to me.

I don’t see them buffing Infiltrator’s Arrow, but I suppose the most plausible one would be to buff up the damage at the point of impact. Making it cheaper would be nice but would probably be harder to balance.

I also would like to see an improvement to Surprise Shot, it’s just so pointless. I’d say just make it a free shadow step to the target (in addition top its regular damage). If you don’t want to be there you can always just SB3 back once or twice and you’re fine.

I’m also of the opinion that cluster bomb would benefit more from range than projectile speed, just because the blast combo nature of it is what prings up its viability rather than its actual damage.

It used to be 1200, and while I’d love to have that back, the speed is still a real bummer, because if you’re trying to use it at that range you only get one shot every 3-4 seconds. The only way that would be cool is if its’ damage increased for every half-second it’s airborne.

Ohoni.6057:

I’m also of the opinion that cluster bomb would benefit more from range than projectile speed, just because the blast combo nature of it is what prings up its viability rather than its actual damage.

It used to be 1200, and while I’d love to have that back, the speed is still a real bummer, because if you’re trying to use it at that range you only get one shot every 3-4 seconds. The only way that would be cool is if its’ damage increased for every half-second it’s airborne.

Well, the thing is, it’s obvious that donm’t want want us doing, like 1200 range builds. I think the old version was fine specifically because of the travel time. It gave us a skillshot that didn’t make us 1200 range murder machines who still had massive escape potential.

Basically, it’s a useful thing to do out at range that doesn’t make it a “1200 range weapon”

True. I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind it going back to a “too slow to abuse” artillery effect, but I’d probably prefer a more damaging mid-range effect. Right now there’s just no way to do real damage with it well, you either do chippy damage at long range, or decent damage at melee range, at which point you might as well be using a melee weapon, which just pushes it into a very “back-up” role. I think this is fine for the default option, but I would love to be able to trait into making it a solid primary contender.

A lot of those things are over the top. Chill on AA? That is really too strong.

Ragarding n.2 I would agree with slight speed change to missile speed to make it faster. (30%?) It would also be nice that undetonated cluster bomb causes 1-2s burning (1stack), instead of bleeding which you can get with detonation.

n.3 could use slight increase in dodge duration, but it should be handed carefully, spamming disabling shot shouldn’t be perma evade (for those few seconds). +1s cripple would be great.

n.4 Should get back to 3s poison per hit. 2s is really weak even with grandmaster trait increasing poison duration. Spamming Choking gas with all initiative even on stationary target doesn’t become dangerous atm at all. Damage component at start is fine otherwise it allowed some stupid strategies. 1 think that I don’t really like, is that it is considered like projectile, so it gets absorbed.

n.5 is fine as it is. Just some pathing problems, but that’s the problem of maps and not of the skill.

Stealth attack is imo fine too.

kitten like this is a guaranteed way of making sure no dev is going to take you seriously.

Some of those things are just straight up insane, like giving 3 blasts to skill that is already the most spammable blast in the game.

Also why even buff shortbow so much, it already does what it’s supposed to do and is probably one of the last things on thief that needs to be changed.

Zaerah.1630:

Also why even buff shortbow so much, it already does what it’s supposed to do and is probably one of the last things on thief that needs to be changed.

It’s perfectly fine…..if you’re looking to run away.

I could literally say the same thing about the Thief as a whole. Why buff it? It already does what it’s supposed to do. After all, it was a Thief who won MVP!

Besides, that’s why I am putting options in the listings. Don’t want three Blast Finishers? That’s why it was not the only thing mentioned. That’s also why I did not leave Cluster Bomb as a self-comboing skill.

One of the last things I want is to get stuck in a fight with my Shortbow out for 10 seconds. Little damage, no access to stealth, and nothing really to strike fear into my opponent. It gets used to run away, poison downed foes, and to blast. There is definitely room for improvement to make it a “combat” weapon, even if only as a control/support weapon.