Again I like to experiment and while I have not abandoned the Runes of the Noble and the hybrid build using might, I wanted to use new traits and rune sets to try a different build.
I finally got the 6th of the Rune of the nightmare and while I would need one more for underwater this was enough to allow me to test in battle.
The goal was to get ALL condition durations to 100 percent. Unless others have an idea of an alternate method, this the only way I could think of to get durations on ALL conditions into one rune for a condition build set.
More on durations later but I accomplished 100 percent duration with these runes , A signet of malice/bursting combo in either hand, and the consumption of the toxic crystal and rare veggie pizza.
This was coupled with a 30/0/10/0/30 build for 105 percent. If one wishes they can go to a 25/0/15//0/30 for a bit more condition cleanse from stealth and still maintain the 100 percent.
Now it often said that longer durations do not benefit a person as much as one would think as they generally cleansed before the course of them run and that is true to an extent. My other condition builds that relied on the Aristocrat Runeset saw durations of 40 percent and did quite nicely.
That said durations do not just apply to those bleeds, torments and confusion stacks. They apply to a whack of other conditions we often take for granted.
Every person using conditions as their main source of damage knows one needs cover conditions but many of the cover conditions a thief gets are of short durations. When an enemy is timing the use of a cleanse they can often let these cover conditions expire while playing defensively those few seconds so as to use the cleanse on the big stuff.
If those conditions durations go up , they are under greater pressure to burn cleanses to rid themselves of them as the other damage ticks away in the background. Contrary to claims made by some the thief DOES have a lot of cover conditions and can reapply them quickly.
With a single steal and using BA just as example The thief puts on ten seconds of confusion at 5 stacks , 20 plus seconds of poison , 8 plus seconds of weakness and can follow this up with a shadowstrike away for 10+ seconds of torment .
The bleeds from the pistol autoattack in a pd set are now 8 seconds. If one uses deathblossom the bleeds are now 20 seconds. Your stacks with the p/d set build higher again pressuring the use of that cleanse.
If one uses skale venom you get an extra torment stack at 10 seconds and vulnerability that lasts 20+ seconds.
Devourer venom is a full 4s immob and the much maligned ice drake venom now jumps to a 2 second chill per strike.
Now if one takes residual venoms you can get 4 ice drakes and chill the enemy for a full 8 seconds. That is something an elementalist would hate as they try and change to a different element. The devourer venom stack can now get you a 12 second Immob.
This also increases the efficiency of your regular weapon attacks and in essence cuts the ini costs. For example body shot will give 6 seconds vulnerability and a 2 second immob for the same ini cost. When one is trying to close the gap with a fleeing opponet that extra second on the immob for the same ini cost can be telling. A higher immob from Body shot and a 6 second cripple from dancing dagger makes those skills more useful.
In essence using this build you get all the condition durations of every other runeset such as krait/tormenting/perplexity/grenth that focus on one.
Now to the fear and 6th trait on that runeset. At first I was not all that impressed with that long cool down but taking it into WvW I grew rather fond of it. The duration is 4 seconds with this build but where it shines is the beginning of an engagement.
Very often the first few seconds of a fight is where an enemy will seek to get the upper hand and load you down with conditions or damage so as to put you on the defensive. As you try and deal with that initial burst he tries to keep the pressure on and maintain the initiative. With the high proc rate of 50 percent that initial fear can give you the upper hand. A thief that has stolen to you and then used Basilisk and CND to get off that backstab can have his day ruined when he finds himself running away before his backstab.
(edited by babazhook.6805)