Thief Especialization: The Assaulter!
I really like your idea of an Assaulter, with the mines and everything. However, I think the rifle (if we get it) will be a power-based weapon. We already have a ranged condi weapon (pistol), while SB is more of an hybrid/utility weapon.
Mines would be pretty cool, but this weapon needs to be good enough to replace either D/P or SB in PvP, because the meta is to stale at the moment. So, it either needs to have god-tier mobility or good direct killing potential. It can’t be just a quirky condi/utility weapon.
I like the idea of a sticky-mine based weapon. Imagine placing a dozen of those on the map, each inflicting long cripple and such, messing with the enemy roamers and softening people up before a team fight. A good Thief would have to not only manage his decaps and team presence, but also make sure the trails remain trapped. It needs an Infiltrator Arrow-type move, though.
Like the others said, it should be power based, but I like the mines planting and more F skills.
Also rifle is typically long range and we don’t need another medium range so it should be 1200.
But at this point the specialization is probably pretty much set in stone. Any suggestions from now on is pretty much pointless, except for more theorizing on future specializations or tweaking.
Lady Minuit
I really like your idea of an Assaulter, with the mines and everything. However, I think the rifle (if we get it) will be a power-based weapon. We already have a ranged condi weapon (pistol), while SB is more of an hybrid/utility weapon.
Its hard to call the Pistol a ranged condi weapon since skill 1 is the only one inflicting a damaging condition. 2, 4 and 5 would be more control-oriented and do not benefit from condition damage. If you pair it with the dagger in off-hand, you get something going on, but not ranged since you must in real close melee range to inflict torment. P/P is a very hybrid set, 1 condi, 2, 4, 5 control, 3 burst. Not something you could really use in a condition build either.
The only weapon that is condition oriented right now is SB, where 2,3 and 4 actually damage your opponents with conditions.
I like the idea of a sticky-mine based weapon. Imagine placing a dozen of those on the map, each inflicting long cripple and such, messing with the enemy roamers and softening people up before a team fight. A good Thief would have to not only manage his decaps and team presence, but also make sure the trails remain trapped. It needs an Infiltrator Arrow-type move, though.
I was refering more about body-mines than floor ones. You could only attach these to players. I think the Rifle should be a defensive/condition weapon cause we already have a lot of power based weapons. Something that allows you to tank a little more by sacrificing movility and stealth. This will introduce more tanky builds and let the Thief finally escape the “roamer” role.
Basically, forme Rifle would idealy have: Blind, knockback, resisistance, area conditions.
I really like your idea of an Assaulter, with the mines and everything. However, I think the rifle (if we get it) will be a power-based weapon. We already have a ranged condi weapon (pistol), while SB is more of an hybrid/utility weapon.
Its hard to call the Pistol a ranged condi weapon since skill 1 is the only one inflicting a damaging condition. 2, 4 and 5 would be more control-oriented and do not benefit from condition damage. If you pair it with the dagger in off-hand, you get something going on, but not ranged since you must in real close melee range to inflict torment. P/P is a very hybrid set, 1 condi, 2, 4, 5 control, 3 burst. Not something you could really use in a condition build either.
The only weapon that is condition oriented right now is SB, where 2,3 and 4 actually damage your opponents with conditions.
That’s debatable. Having a bleed on AA already qualifies pistol mh as a condi weapon (just compare it to the engineer’s pistol AA). And don’t forget the stealth opener, which is our best condi skill.
SB #2 is an hybrid attack, since it deals more power damage than condi (it’s still useful in some weird condi builds like condi SD). SB 4 applies poison, which deals minor damage and is useful only to reduce the incoming heals and to cover other conditions, maybe. I don’t remember SB #3 dealing any king of damaging condition. It cripples, but that does not make it a condition skill.
That’s debatable. Having a bleed on AA already qualifies pistol mh as a condi weapon (just compare it to the engineer’s pistol AA). And don’t forget the stealth opener, which is our best condi skill.
SB #2 is an hybrid attack, since it deals more power damage than condi (it’s still useful in some weird condi builds like condi SD). SB 4 applies poison, which deals minor damage and is useful only to reduce the incoming heals and to cover other conditions, maybe. I don’t remember SB #3 dealing any king of damaging condition. It cripples, but that does not make it a condition skill.
Yeah, sorry, my bad. SB 3 isn’t really usefull in condi builds. Typo on my end.
Going with your example, you can’t really compare engi’s pistols with Thief’s pistol in terms of conditions. Every skill on an engi’s pistol is condition based whilst only the AA on thief’s is.
But it the way it may, at the end of the day, we’re still lacking a condition build worthy of entering meta. That’s what I wanted to achieve with my proposal: To diversify the Thief’s role of roamer, give an option besides “Stealth Thief” through conditions and to maybe inspire a dev that could randomly read my thread.