Guild Wars 2

Hey bros, as I’m sure all of you know thief is having some major changes coming to it in December. Let’s make a productive thread to discus some possible builds after the patch. Please stay on topic, there are other threads that provide you an opportunity to voice your dislike, but let’s make this a thread to explore the many new options we thieves will have.

It think it would be best to describe your build as: supportive, damage, mobility, bunker Etc. And make sure to list if it’s spvp, tpvp, WvW, or PVE. (Please list the point of the bills in these subsections as well ie roamer, far point assaulter, dungeon).

I’ll be updating this thread later with more descriptive versions of my build, but to start I’ll describe what I’ll play in tpvp.

TPVP, far point assaulter, damage, some team support.

I’ll be running a dagger/pistol shortbow thief.

I’m going to run force x2 and fire sigil for my weapons and either scholar or Lyssa runes (depending on the other team comp) on my armor.

I’ll take a berserker jewel for that phat deeps.

I currently run a 10/30/0/0/30 build with: mug | practiced tolerance, side strikes, and executioner | thrill of the crime, bountiful theft, and slight of hand.

This build has been popular for a whole now (made famous by caed) and if you have read my sword pistol guide you’ll see it’s very similar to the traits I used for it.

I personally feel this build will be solidly buffed overall. Sadly the bountiful theft trait is getting pretty severely nerfed on the vigor uptime, so I might look into longer range on steal for easier bursting, but I guess we’ll have to wait for the changes to see how much vigor actually affects the build. The initiative regen should be a HUGE buff to the build. You’ll have more initiative for that clutch headshot to interrupt a heal or res.

What about you guys? Wow me with a build or an explanation for why your build is gonna survive/improve after the changes!

Mods: could you please delete posts that are unnecessarily negative or aren’t on topic. I really want to start a good resource here.

I would troll this thread with a link to a crappy warrior build but doing so would make me feel like an kitten . OP is trying harder than most of us.

Zacchary.6183:

I would troll this thread with a link to a crappy warrior build but doing so would make me feel like an kitten . OP is trying harder than most of us.

I’m positive there is an awesome build hiding from the community. I’m going to being looking into bunker condi, power builds that use deadly arts again, venom share, and acro builds. I’m also interested to see how pistolwhip performs now.

This would be a rather hard discussion. All changes listed in the Dec 10th post are subject to change. By Dec 10th they could come up with a completely new list. (With exception to some things that need to be fixed).

pantsforbirds.9032:

Zacchary.6183:

I would troll this thread with a link to a crappy warrior build but doing so would make me feel like an kitten . OP is trying harder than most of us.

I’m positive there is an awesome build hiding from the community. I’m going to being looking into bunker condi, power builds that use deadly arts again, venom share, and acro builds. I’m also interested to see how pistolwhip performs now.

Pistolwhip is ahh still not looking to well…they can well just walk out of it still…before the first swing even goes off(cries)

As I’m mostly wvw, following is only a mere amusement and only to be taken half seriously…no really.

I’m planning on finnally checking out the unicorn point of view and running S/D and P/D zerkers of course as half of it’s not going to work with a condi build, however most of our problem now is covering P/D with more condi’s thus I’m viewing Blinds Chill and well more Blinds as a huge advantage. Going with oldschool S/D stealth blind dance with strength runes force and crit chance topped off with P/D step out capability and bleeds from caltrops…starting to make me drool….obviously going to mostly work 1v1 but…it will be annoying as hell none the less….only thing I’m really kittened about at the moment is how to continue to be viable against conditions without my old condition drop system from the well… hated stealth build….

Something without perma skills.

Well, in an effort to stay positive this is the build I’m currently using. Does decent in both 1v1’s and picking off targets in a zerg. Add your preferred food when you look if you’re curious.

Last time the preview pretty much came out exactly as they posted it would, so here’s the foreseeable changes:

Base initiative increase
Opportunist nerf
Vigorous Recovery nerf
Quick Recovery nerf
Practiced Tolerance Buff

In light of the initiative changes, NOT including opportunist calculations it nets 9.5 initiative every 10 seconds. After the change it will net 11 initiative every 10 seconds. Both of those DO NOT include opportunist (so don’t jump on me whether it’s a boost or a nerf).

The only thing I’m pretty bummed about is the change to vigorous recovery which really helped this build out since the D/D evade skill is (subjectively) crap.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQNAoYVlYmiOHfy4E+5Ey2jdqC5JOFOVS1pgrsKA-jECBYLCikFQEBgUBAZPFRjtMsIas6aYKXER1A-w

Famine.7915:

This would be a rather hard discussion. All changes listed in the Dec 10th post are subject to change. By Dec 10th they could come up with a completely new list. (With exception to some things that need to be fixed).

Well the I posted as a response to all of the negativity and complaints about losing builds to the changes that are coming. I still think we as a community can easily discuss the repercussions of the balance patch (which we have to assume will be close to the preview). It looks like condi is getting toned down some, so we may see ogre/scholar runes become popular again as people feel they don’t need the condi removal of Lyssa. We can’t be positive of how the meta will react to the changes, but we can make an educated guess

I have no idea what I will run in Spvp. In WvW I will just stick with my D/D build which really hasn’t been hit too hard by these changes.

It might be time to try P/D in Spvp, even though last time I tried it it sucked. No damage, even when stacking poison with torment on your bleeds.

Twilight Undreaming.5197:

pantsforbirds.9032:

Zacchary.6183:

I would troll this thread with a link to a crappy warrior build but doing so would make me feel like an kitten . OP is trying harder than most of us.

I’m positive there is an awesome build hiding from the community. I’m going to being looking into bunker condi, power builds that use deadly arts again, venom share, and acro builds. I’m also interested to see how pistolwhip performs now.

Pistolwhip is ahh still not looking to well...they can well just walk out of it still...before the first swing even goes off(cries)

As I’m mostly wvw, following is only a mere amusement and only to be taken half seriously...no really.

I’m planning on finnally checking out the unicorn point of view and running S/D and P/D zerkers of course as half of it’s not going to work with a condi build, however most of our problem now is covering P/D with more condi’s thus I’m viewing Blinds Chill and well more Blinds as a huge advantage. Going with oldschool S/D stealth blind dance with strength runes force and crit chance topped off with P/D step out capability and bleeds from caltrops...starting to make me drool....obviously going to mostly work 1v1 but...it will be annoying as hell none the less....only thing I’m really kittened about at the moment is how to continue to be viable against conditions without my old condition drop system from the well... hated stealth build....

Pd/sd zerkers does work well from a WvW point of view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHNUtnV-GsI have better vids come soon though that cast time to sd will make it alot less viable. In spvp you will be way better going ddsb or dp sb after patch. The cast time will destroy S/x moblity and you just dont have enough burst. Even as it is right now I would say mesmers counter S/x builds pretty well and it will just get easier for them after the patch.

The nerf to sword is what really kills me. What brought about this idea? It literally kills sword specs in pvp.

I can’t believe they nerfed LS and then next patch plan to nerf IS and our vigor… do they just not want anyone to play sword?

vincecontix.1264:

Twilight Undreaming.5197:

pantsforbirds.9032:

Zacchary.6183:

I would troll this thread with a link to a crappy warrior build but doing so would make me feel like an kitten . OP is trying harder than most of us.

I’m positive there is an awesome build hiding from the community. I’m going to being looking into bunker condi, power builds that use deadly arts again, venom share, and acro builds. I’m also interested to see how pistolwhip performs now.

Pistolwhip is ahh still not looking to well…they can well just walk out of it still…before the first swing even goes off(cries)

As I’m mostly wvw, following is only a mere amusement and only to be taken half seriously…no really.

I’m planning on finnally checking out the unicorn point of view and running S/D and P/D zerkers of course as half of it’s not going to work with a condi build, however most of our problem now is covering P/D with more condi’s thus I’m viewing Blinds Chill and well more Blinds as a huge advantage. Going with oldschool S/D stealth blind dance with strength runes force and crit chance topped off with P/D step out capability and bleeds from caltrops…starting to make me drool….obviously going to mostly work 1v1 but…it will be annoying as hell none the less….only thing I’m really kittened about at the moment is how to continue to be viable against conditions without my old condition drop system from the well… hated stealth build….

Pd/sd zerkers does work well from a WvW point of view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHNUtnV-GsI have better vids come soon though that cast time to sd will make it alot less viable. In spvp you will be way better going ddsb or dp sb after patch. The cast time will destroy S/x moblity and you just dont have enough burst. Even as it is right now I would say mesmers counter S/x builds pretty well and it will just get easier for them after the patch.

Honestly in all my time running S/x I’ve never felt that much of a need for a burst, always been aiming for more of a casual duelest playstyle that requires mor timing and a good set of decent damage dealing skills more worthwhile. That aside the S/x damage output is for me ‘normally’ enough that after I hammer away at the opponent for a while (exceptions being bunker classes which I just tend to slowly mow down anyways by stealing boons with S/x I <3 ele’s) dropping them to around 1/3hp and being close to the same myself or less popping P/D with Sigils of Lightning and Fire with a little luck turn into a quick ~3k slash step away quick stealth ~2.5k from a unstealth barrage and toping it off with some decent luck brought by having massive crit getting another ~2k damage is quite a backlash for a running circuit and even if it fails out it leaves quite a few options remaining for the ever disliked by foes P/D set (hard to kill etc) not to meantion if they do chase with their abysmall (hopefully) health it can score with caltrops on roll and some minor plinking/ restepping in for more of the unusually high damaging attack that steps you out of range (forget it’s name) or C&D (which also hits well). Of course through all this I might even re-drop runes of strength for runes of the mez again even though it got nerfed through the roof, it’s still good for some giggles and extra time on or dismal stun from behind in stealth on sword.

Ahh just trying to mix the steady damage output from S/x with P/D in a unicorn build is kind of amusing. Also funny if I can get the P/D to be my mainstay in burst.