Guild Wars 2

I’ve got a 25/30/0/0/15 build going right now (no cookie cutter build, just one I thought looked good). My problem is despite being a thief, my damage is horribly low. I run with S/P and P/P for melee, and S/P + Sbow for dungeons. My crits are usually around 2.5k and from what I understand that isn’t too good. I find it somewhat difficult to survive in groups with a full glass cannon set, so what would you recommend I go with gear + accessory wise? Currently I’m in full rare MF gear that a guildie gave me.

first, drop the magic find gear for gear with 3 useful stats. berserkers or a mix of knights and Valkyrie would both work better. another thing that would help you survive is trying 10/30/0/20/10 or something similar. you will get 2k extra HP and be able to dodge 3 times in a row on top of major trait bonuses from acrobatics. also try precision to vitality in crit strikes for an extra 1k or so hp while you get used to endgame play. are you blinding mobs with black powder or using other control in PvE? thieves can’t take hits so running in, burning initiative and then running out to dps with bow auto attack while you recharge will help you survive until you learn fight patterns.

Could you give me the traits for that build (10/30/0/20/10)? Also, what would provide an optimum mix of damage + survivability, set wise? Yes I’m using black powder, and what utilities would I use with this setup as well?

http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mckmMc9coFLlooFLloax0GacosqMcV8kin7kiH

should be a nice starting point that can be used in both PvE and PvP. you could try knights gear with ruby orbs for armor/accessories. your health will still be fairly low, but you will be far more durable than with MF gear. use orrian truffle soup for might on dodge and increased endurance recovery to might stack on dodge since you will be able to so much while in melee, and pistol whip will supply evasion while it is swinging away. you will actualy be able to survive in melee provided you keep dodging and pistol whiping while in melee range then getting out when your initiative runs dry. when you get used to the play-style and change it to fit you better you can switch to more offense oriented gear if you want, even full berzerker.

Gungnir Grimm.7123:

http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mckmMc9coFLlooFLloax0GacosqMcV8kin7kiH

should be a nice starting point that can be used in both PvE and PvP. you could try knights gear with ruby orbs for armor/accessories. your health will still be fairly low, but you will be far more durable than with MF gear. use orrian truffle soup for might on dodge and increased endurance recovery to might stack on dodge since you will be able to so much while in melee, and pistol whip will supply evasion while it is swinging away. you will actualy be able to survive in melee provided you keep dodging and pistol whiping while in melee range then getting out when your initiative runs dry. when you get used to the play-style and change it to fit you better you can switch to more offense oriented gear if you want, even full berzerker.

Also using 10/30/0/20/10 and liking it a lot.
My armor is a mix of berserker and valkyrie.
I usually run Shortbow with D/D.

Just a few thoughts regarding your trait choices:
Mug is best for wvw, I replace it by sundering strikes in pve (but you can keep mug, it’s not a big deal).
Crit IX only works for the number 3 skill (pistol whip /deathblossom /unload /flanking strike etc.) Unless you’re pistol whip spamming most of the time, swap it with critical haste, side strikes or furious retaliation.
Vigorous recovery is only gonna be worth it for the might stacks you get on dodging. You get plenty of dodges from shortbow 3 if you run out of endurance. When you’re not using orrian truffle soup, swap it out with pain response, assassin’s reward or quick recovery.

All in all a very solid build, if it’s played the way you play it, the traits all synergise well. Just adding those remarks to help OP figure it out, not saying you’re doing anything wrong.

I’ve been playing with this build for about an hour now and its excellent! The survivability is great. Once I got even a green set of valkyrie and berserkers, my health was 17k and my damage was higher. Thanks for the help guys! I still haven’t been able to find some good utilities though..I’ve got Shadow Refuge, Signet of Agility, and the Assassin’s Signet…these good enough?

shadow refuge and agility are great, and assassins signet helps any crit based build. assassin’s signet and signet of agility are the ones you will probably switch around depending on the situation and your playstyle though. scorpion wire is great in sieges, haste can be used in combination with signet of agility to negate haste’s downside. spider venom can poison someone to make their heals less effective if they don’t cleanse it, and blinding powder blinds everything around you and puts you in stealth for a good escape/maneuvering tool tool.

Awesome thanks man. Yeah I don’t really WvW or PvP much so I don’t think I’ll need venom or scorpion wire..haste is really nice. Yeah I guess it is all situational in the end.

I personally like the shadow arts tree over acro tree but that’s just me. I love the ultra regen I get out of it for WvW.
I don’t need the regen in my party because I run with certain people who we all support each other.