Guild Wars 2

What is the the norm for 15v15 GvG’s for a thief to run? I’m thinking D/P trickery seems like it would be pretty good with that, but is that wrong? What are some builds you guys run in GvG’s?

Great post here and I’m interested what replies are garnered.

Tho I have a sinking suspicion that we have a majority of sPvP heroes and WVW roamers

Forgot to add that most GvG builds are kept locked up like fort knox. The builds are literally the most complex builds in this game due to the nature of game type/rule set

From experience, going melee in GvG is suicidal. We do not have protection or stability to last in a melee train.

Few roles that I can identify for thief is
1. Stomper
2. Rezzer
3. Shortbow blast finisher spammer
4. Range DPS via pistol/pistol.

Often I find spamming pistol 2 every other sec helps. Perm immobilize can really help to focus fire down a target.

Skills to slot will include Withdraw and Roll for initiative are highly recommended. Mobility is very important.

Overall imho, thief is pretty useless in GvG. We do not contribute enough. Some other classes are more suited for bigger group fights.

The above post could not be more wrong.

The best GvG guilds all run thieves…and none in remotely in the way you describe.

GvG thieves are generally of a different breed since they just don’t wade through points being spammed on by 2-5 players.

Are there any posters here who even GvG on a thief??

I do GvG with my thief quite often.
I usually play DP with Shadow Arts, but sometimes swap to trickery if the situation calls for it.
SP trickery is a good choice too, but more risky to play.
DD is still pretty solid as well, though I’ve never run it in a GvG.
I will not discuss my strategies publicly though, but I can share some videos of my PoV in some GvGs if you like.

10/30/0/0/30—-(2/6/0/0/6)
S/D—SB

Haven’t GvGed since the new feature patch, But when I used to I ran 0/6/6/2/0 build standard d/p build. There are most likely a lot better builds to run compared to that now. The role of the thief in a GvG is they are part of the gank squad. Either consisting of other thieves or mesmers depending on your guilds set up. The gank squad calls key targets either eles or necros and they focus them as a team. They don’t run in the hammer train because they will get wrecked. Thieves also have the job of laying poison fields on downed enemies to stop banners from rezing. I would think d/p trickery build would be effective as well as s/d for its cleave would be effective in gvgs today.

Don’t know about builds, but the most effective gvg thieves i have seen stick with backline. Run Bow when the train goes in, blast fields, then switch to mele & follow backline as they move. 2 thieves playing defense is amazing. keep an eye for enemy kill squad, when they move in to engage and take out the backline you protect them by taking the kill squad out. don’t know if thats helpful or not but ive seen it work and it crushed our kill squad. then the enemy backline were free-casting the rest of us till the end.

Anyone ever try the 4/0/6/0/4 trickery/venom share build for GvG?

SB + DD or DP I reckon. Gear as needed?

d/p+sb 0/6/6/2/0
zerk/cav/knights gear
Pressure the caster classes that are away from the train/Burst/stealth stomps or rez

pretty much it

What runes do you use Brando?

jack.6457:

What runes do you use Brando?

Rule of thumb a thief once told me

Go as glassy as you can handle. If you need 3k armor go with it

A teef’s role in GvG is usually to havoc/gank enemy backliners who are out of position.

Most popular builds are the standard d/p and sb, x/6/6/x/x, or trickery heavy d/p or s/d with sb, 2/6/0/0/6. That said, I do think some new builds might be possible with p/d, strength runes, and revealed training. I also think d/p with 0/6/6/2 or 0/6/5/3 could become very popular with strength runes.

As some others have said, thief GVG is DPS/Spike patrol. It’s called “working the periphery”. You’d typically be in your own “periph” group, either a 4man with the GvG leader (who is the 5th and likes to see you call targets) or your own gank squad.

Sword mainhand or Pistol mainhand are both great for GVG thief, because the immobilizes keep that person who is “out of position”, well, out of position, and you chew them up.

Try to find enemy DPS or periph support (messing with staff eles can really give your team the edge, but watch out— they are sturdy and WILL be protected on a good team).

My build is still pretty close to the “mirage” in my sig link, currently running 2/0/3/3/6 s/d p/d.

As always, go as glarss as your arss can parss.

Sword in a GvG just seems like it wouldn’t be all that great. Yeah working with 4 other guys it helps but immob is better on other classes it seems. Also you don’t have a true burst with sword. That 6 – 10k back stab just seems too valuable tbh

As for pistol main hand….uhh no. The power damage is too low to properly spike

It largely depends on your periphery group make up. This works in the one I run with.

Your mileage may vary.

Woaden.9425:

It largely depends on your periphery group make up. This works in the one I run with.

Your mileage may vary.

Just seems like you’re dead weight with a sword build. Yes you can immob but other classes are going to be able to do it and do better damage than you.

Unless you’re only focus is to deter the other teams gank group……but it’s such a waste it seems

What guild you in btw?

S/D P/D or S/D SB in zerker gear put out plenty of damage. Paired with the access to daze and immob it is quite potent.

The situation goes like this: An enemy is out of position, you or your periph leader calls target. You Sword 2 to target (immob), Dagger 5 (stealth), Tactical Strike (daze,), auto attack chain, waiting to steal (daze, blablaTrickery, mug damage/heal) any critical cast. Your 1, 2, or 3 periphery teammates also converge on your dazed, immobilized target, making quick work.

If the target somehow escapes (using their stunbreaks), swap pistol, immob/vuln shot, cast basilisk, auto attack freeze, cast immob shot, steal+cnd unload, dagger 3 blink/torment, and find next target.

I am in [EP] GvG/Raiding and [Grim] Roaming.

Woaden.9425:

S/D P/D or S/D SB in zerker gear put out plenty of damage. Paired with the access to daze and immob it is quite potent.

The situation goes like this: An enemy is out of position, you or your periph leader calls target. You Sword 2 to target (immob), Dagger 5 (stealth), Tactical Strike (daze,), auto attack chain, waiting to steal (daze, blablaTrickery, mug damage/heal) any critical cast. Your 1, 2, or 3 periphery teammates also converge on your dazed, immobilized target, making quick work.

If the target somehow escapes (using their stunbreaks), swap pistol, immob/vuln shot, cast basilisk, auto attack freeze, cast immob shot, steal+cnd unload, dagger 3 blink/torment, and find next target.

I am in [EP] GvG/Raiding and [Grim] Roaming.

I think s/d+d/d would be a good set for that kind of playstyle.
s/d for the immo/daze/aa chain cripple then CnD swap weps to get the nice BS off.

Brando.1374:

I think s/d+d/d would be a good set for that kind of playstyle.
s/d for the immo/daze/aa chain cripple then CnD swap weps to get the nice BS off.

For sure! s/d d/p is great too, with more access to daze. It’s certainly true that nothing beats the single target burst damage of a backstab, or the finishing power of heartseeker. Not bringing those to the table, though, is also fine!

To your point, I’d personally still probably go d/d as you suggest, if my only choice was d/p or d/d, pistol offhand is just not my bag!

Brando.1374:

Woaden.9425:

S/D P/D or S/D SB in zerker gear put out plenty of damage. Paired with the access to daze and immob it is quite potent.

The situation goes like this: An enemy is out of position, you or your periph leader calls target. You Sword 2 to target (immob), Dagger 5 (stealth), Tactical Strike (daze,), auto attack chain, waiting to steal (daze, blablaTrickery, mug damage/heal) any critical cast. Your 1, 2, or 3 periphery teammates also converge on your dazed, immobilized target, making quick work.

If the target somehow escapes (using their stunbreaks), swap pistol, immob/vuln shot, cast basilisk, auto attack freeze, cast immob shot, steal+cnd unload, dagger 3 blink/torment, and find next target.

I am in [EP] GvG/Raiding and [Grim] Roaming.

I think s/d+d/d would be a good set for that kind of playstyle.
s/d for the immo/daze/aa chain cripple then CnD swap weps to get the nice BS off.

No cleave
No poison on downed

The problem with S/D like this fella described it is it’s too slow, and allows for an easy escape.

Quick Stun or Quick Immob and then bam downed

T raw.4658:

Brando.1374:

Woaden.9425:

S/D P/D or S/D SB in zerker gear put out plenty of damage. Paired with the access to daze and immob it is quite potent.

The situation goes like this: An enemy is out of position, you or your periph leader calls target. You Sword 2 to target (immob), Dagger 5 (stealth), Tactical Strike (daze,), auto attack chain, waiting to steal (daze, blablaTrickery, mug damage/heal) any critical cast. Your 1, 2, or 3 periphery teammates also converge on your dazed, immobilized target, making quick work.

If the target somehow escapes (using their stunbreaks), swap pistol, immob/vuln shot, cast basilisk, auto attack freeze, cast immob shot, steal+cnd unload, dagger 3 blink/torment, and find next target.

I am in [EP] GvG/Raiding and [Grim] Roaming.

I think s/d+d/d would be a good set for that kind of playstyle.
s/d for the immo/daze/aa chain cripple then CnD swap weps to get the nice BS off.

No cleave
No poison on downed

The problem with S/D like this fella described it is it’s too slow, and allows for an easy escape.

Quick Stun or Quick Immob and then bam downed

s/d does cleave. You can still poison from mug and shortbow.

s/d gives access to both hard and soft CC’s with daze, immob, and cripple. The auto chain does good damage. s/d 3 also strips boons, which is great when coupled with bountiful theft; you can precast s/d 3, then hit the second part of the chain with your steal, stripping 3 boons instantly. Overall, it’s a great GvG set, especially when paired with a good shatter mesmer.

T raw.4658:

The above post could not be more wrong.

The best GvG guilds all run thieves…and none in remotely in the way you describe.

GvG thieves are generally of a different breed since they just don’t wade through points being spammed on by 2-5 players.

Are there any posters here who even GvG on a thief??

I GVGed alot with thief,and used valkyrie armor s/d-d/d set switching from shortbow in the start.I find that the majority of the thieves in gvg are d/p or d/d. and our job is to KILL THE ELEMENTALISTS plain and simple.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fZAQNAV8YnMJOJqrpopFNhTTw/0/0E3EE3fYGxwztkFNDQrB-T1hHABCcRAyd/h20NAwTAYR1fsTJoRK/CAcAM+4JexDGf8xHf8x76rv+6rvuUATKNC-w

Take this build and party up with the 4 best aoe bombers in your guild preferably necro or dagger ele go in using a poison about every 2-3 seconds to make sure they get to get full use out of the heal then once all 5 poisons are on CD you use steal to reset CD and use poisons again feel free to find and ctrl+T people you recognize are tearing up the field because you will be insanely tanky on this build.

YOU personally will do almost no damage you need to rely on using the poisons you gave yourself and your shortbow skills to tag people so you can get some credit for carrying your guild to victory

Find a build that can kill the things and use it.

thief role as mention above is to kite and kill the periphery mostly the ele which heals and aoe and mesmer or other thief and ganking fast the necro who is an easy target

as group move closely its hard for the thief to gank freely thus sometime some prefer the s/d as it immbolize and put distance from the enemy regroup while your team can see it and burst on 1 target to secure the kill

also if the thief manage to pressure the ele not to use his skills in key moment its also good as the enemy missed their heal or burst aoe dmg.

if you check videos you proabaly see thief running around using SB to blast and run out fast looking to gank fast and all over again.
its hard role as good guilds who know their movment and stack close the thief wont be much danger to them

builds are preety common

2,6,6,0,0 d/p
0,6,6,2,0 d/p
2,6,0,0,6 s/d

regarding p/d venom share the thief take a role of condi necro to spread conditions and not ganker so i can see guild maybe try it but as ppl only use common builds most of them wont take the chance to try it out
and also guild like power necro in the group and not condi one
imo p/d thief can be more danderuse then condi necro

T raw.4658:

No cleave
No poison on downed

The problem with S/D like this fella described it is it’s too slow, and allows for an easy escape.

Sword auto attack cleaves. The build 2/x/x/x/6 gives aoe fury, might, and swiftness, gains ini, rips and aoe shares 2 boons, gives vigor, heals you, damages target, and poisons every 19 & 3/4 seconds.

And I can assure you, if someone on the periphery has my attention, they have a hard time escaping.

To the point of some of the other commentors here, though— if you’ve come to this thread out of curiosity to know what “the best gvg build” is: It is any build that you can play at your best. Working gank/counter periph in GVG does not have the same strict build/theory crafting of the front line and their support. Frontline/Support are supposed to behave as a single organism (like a Siphonophore of doom). Gankers just do more ganking. Bring the build you gank with more effectively. FOTM and Meta builds work, so do homebrews.

The more important fact is, know your tactics and work well together. But that’s for another thread.