Guild Wars 2

These are some thoughts, ideas on changes to the thief to improve some build diversity and give more viable non-stealth alternatives. At least, that’s the intent.

Not saying that all these should happen at once or even happen, but maybe there can be some constructive discussion and the devs might take notice… even if this is all they do with the ideas.

Anyway, here they are:

Skill Changes
Death Blossom: evade increased to 3/4s, dmg per strike increased to 225

Dancing Dagger: daggers are now heat-seeking

Haste: CD reduced to 40s, quickness duration reduced to 4s, haste effect remains at 6s, skill now grants 2.5s of stability.

Roll for Initiative: CD reduced to 30s, Initiative gain reduced to 3, burning added to conditions removed by this skill

Scorpion Wire: now dazes target for 1/4s at end of pull

Trait Changes
Master Trapper: Traps recharge 20% faster and use ground targeting

Hard to Catch: moved to master trait level

Fleet of Foot: moved to Grandmaster, internal CD increased to 30s, now breaks stun on dodge

Assassin’s Reward: base heal increased to 100, now scales at 10% with healing power

Hastened Replenishment: moved to master trait level, initiative gain reduced to 2

Ricochet: moved to grandmaster trait level, pistol shots deal 5% more damage and bounce to an additional target.

Edits:
Critical Haste: removed, replaced by

Swashbuckler: sword attacks deal 5% more damage and dual skills with a sword have a 30% chance to remove cripple and immobilize on critical hits.

Power Shots: Shortbow and harpoon gun damage is increased by 5%. Trick Shot and Cluster bomb range increased to 1,200.

Improvisation: Stealing recharges all skills of one type (venoms, signets, traps, tricks, or deceptions). Deal 2% more damage for each type of utility skill equipped.
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That’s all for now, I don’t think any of those are too absurd. I would like to see something happen to S/P as well. I don’t like that PW roots you, seems counter intuitive to the thief’s play style… but I don’t use S/P enough to make the case.

Buffs need to happen to deadly arts and sword/dagger too. DA is used by non-stealth thieves since stealth thieves takes 30 in shadow arts. S/D is not used by stealth thieves they prefer D/P.

Dancing dagger needs torment or cripple duration increased to 10 seconds.

Traps should be changed to circular, for greater coverage.

Besides that I pretty much agree.

S/D is still used, because D/P won’t help you take down heavy bunker builds such as Guardians/Engineers. Also S/D has some good snare/cripple/boon hate, which’s a lot more utility than D/P.

I think dancing dagger should move faster and cripple longer to make it worth using. As far as the other suggestions, I don’t use those skills/traits now and I still wouldn’t after those changes. When I look at suggestion threads I’m wanting to find things that will improve our weaker weapon sets.

Hype.8032:

I think dancing dagger should move faster and cripple longer to make it worth using. As far as the other suggestions, I don’t use those skills/traits now and I still wouldn’t after those changes. When I look at suggestion threads I’m wanting to find things that will improve our weaker weapon sets.

Thanks for the feedback. Imo, the pistol change I suggested would make that set more viable. Putting at least 20 in CS and 30 in Trickery would net you a base 15% increase in pistol damage and always hit two targets (if they are close enough together).

Hype.8032:

I think dancing dagger should move faster and cripple longer to make it worth using. As far as the other suggestions, I don’t use those skills/traits now and I still wouldn’t after those changes. When I look at suggestion threads I’m wanting to find things that will improve our weaker weapon sets.

5s is a pretty good amount of cripple for a skill that you can use over and over again with little cost. I remember using DD yesterday on some practice golems while waiting for a tourney, and I managed to throw a ton of them before initiative started becoming much of a problem.

I do agree with the speed change, or at least a change to the cast so it’s not some big windup skill.

Arganthium.5638:

Hype.8032:

I think dancing dagger should move faster and cripple longer to make it worth using. As far as the other suggestions, I don’t use those skills/traits now and I still wouldn’t after those changes. When I look at suggestion threads I’m wanting to find things that will improve our weaker weapon sets.

5s is a pretty good amount of cripple for a skill that you can use over and over again with little cost. I remember using DD yesterday on some practice golems while waiting for a tourney, and I managed to throw a ton of them before initiative started becoming much of a problem.

I do agree with the speed change, or at least a change to the cast so it’s not some big windup skill.

Yeah Arganthium you’re probably right. I think it successfully hits so infrequently that it feels like it doesn’t cripple as long as it should. Heatseeking would be great but a faster animation/dagger speed would still be improvements.

Scorpion wire doesn’t need anything other than it’s coding fixed. If it worked as intended (obstruction anyone?) it’d be amazing. I view pistol as a single target ranged dps option so ricochet doesn’t excite me… finding ways for it have a niche in a thief’s build is something that’s still missing.

Stability on thief would be nice but I don’t see it happening. We still have more ways to secure a stomp than any other class w/o it. Either way, anything to get the devs thinking about how to improve the thief (not buff/nerf… just improve) is something I support.

Thanks again everyone, for the responses. Added a new idea i had regarding Improvisation, 2% additional damage for each type of utility skill equipped vs the 10% bundle damage.

Some good ideas but the main one i like is the change to roll fo initiative, mostly bc i find myself needing to use it for a breaker or otherwise before i need 6 initiative.

Arganthium.5638:

Hype.8032:

I think dancing dagger should move faster and cripple longer to make it worth using. As far as the other suggestions, I don’t use those skills/traits now and I still wouldn’t after those changes. When I look at suggestion threads I’m wanting to find things that will improve our weaker weapon sets.

5s is a pretty good amount of cripple for a skill that you can use over and over again with little cost. I remember using DD yesterday on some practice golems while waiting for a tourney, and I managed to throw a ton of them before initiative started becoming much of a problem.

I do agree with the speed change, or at least a change to the cast so it’s not some big windup skill.

Agreed. Allthough I think a lower initiative cost would also make it more worthwhile to use.

Ivonbeton.6814:

Arganthium.5638:

Hype.8032:

I think dancing dagger should move faster and cripple longer to make it worth using. As far as the other suggestions, I don’t use those skills/traits now and I still wouldn’t after those changes. When I look at suggestion threads I’m wanting to find things that will improve our weaker weapon sets.

5s is a pretty good amount of cripple for a skill that you can use over and over again with little cost. I remember using DD yesterday on some practice golems while waiting for a tourney, and I managed to throw a ton of them before initiative started becoming much of a problem.

I do agree with the speed change, or at least a change to the cast so it’s not some big windup skill.

Agreed. Allthough I think a lower initiative cost would also make it more worthwhile to use.

Eh. 3 initiative tends to be fairly cheap unless you’re pure GC. It’s really not all that much tbh.

Arganthium.5638:

Ivonbeton.6814:

Arganthium.5638:

Hype.8032:

I think dancing dagger should move faster and cripple longer to make it worth using. As far as the other suggestions, I don’t use those skills/traits now and I still wouldn’t after those changes. When I look at suggestion threads I’m wanting to find things that will improve our weaker weapon sets.

5s is a pretty good amount of cripple for a skill that you can use over and over again with little cost. I remember using DD yesterday on some practice golems while waiting for a tourney, and I managed to throw a ton of them before initiative started becoming much of a problem.

I do agree with the speed change, or at least a change to the cast so it’s not some big windup skill.

Agreed. Allthough I think a lower initiative cost would also make it more worthwhile to use.

Eh. 3 initiative tends to be fairly cheap unless you’re pure GC. It’s really not all that much tbh.

It’s reasonable, but for only 5s of cripple, I wouldn’t call it cheap. I guess it wouldn’t be so much of an issue if it indeed was faster moving. Right now I sometimes press it twice by accident simply because the slow movement makes me think I didn’t go off yet.

Fleet of Foot: moved to Grandmaster, internal CD increased to 30s, now breaks stun on dodge

To strong, disagree

this sounds like a massive buff that I can’t all together agree with. I main a thief I have no problems with the builds I’ve theory crafted. Against popular belief thief is not a beginner class this has a huge learning curve. intricate combo’s with fine tuned timing with shadow steps/returns.

If you die in wvw with any build as a thief you made the three biggest mistakes most new players do.

1.) you weren’t panning during your fight and got ran over and spiked. UNAWARE of surroundings
2.) you left stealth to early not allowing your cool downs to come off. Cause you saw a pretty backstab… you got baited.
3.) You blundered

If you play your cards right as a thief, you should almost never die. Fluks happen, but experience tells me good luck catching me greatsword warrior. I juked you 4 seconds ago and went ah’that’way. Laterz.

Just give as a viable way that would make us want to go into DA and not kill ourselves.

Yes DA tree needs to be buffed.

Almost noone goes 30 into DA (except for me), for good reason I’d say.