Torment-based, Condition Damage Thief?
You can do this. P/D Condi build full dire. I’ve been running a custom Condi p/d build for ~7 months. Very fun. You use the torment venom and use #3 as your main dps output. It works well. I focus more on bleeds with a bonus of torment in the build. I also use spider venom to give me some poison against passive heal classes (can stack 2 and a half minutes of poison:)
Dont use this in PVE at all
^ Oh yeah, forgot to mention that ^
Though I have soloed a lot of champions (I think I’m at 19 different champions) with this bud:)
Adding to what Carpboy.7145 said also don’t use this in PvP, save this for WvW.
and refuses to spare the life in return for the surrender at discretion (unconditional surrender)
of a vanquished opponent.
Dont use this in PVE at all
Why though? Wouldn’t Torment-based damage omit the issues with condition damage builds?
Condition builds aren’t fun to me anymore. I recently salvaged my thieves full dire gear with perplexity because it just gets boring. Spam pistol 1, p/d 3, steal, p/d 3, maybe a venom, daze, etc. it’s just boring.
Torment alone is useless because if you have 10 stacks of torment and nothing else it won’t matter when it is cleared instantly, and your ability to get that many stacks of torment is on a decent length cooldown. p/d 3 skill 2 or 3 times, stealth and then the torment venom, then heal for aoe 2 more stacks and you’re up to ~9 stacks. 45 sec cd on venom, 30 cd on heal, p/d 3 skill takes like 4-5 initiative, etc. it just isn’t sustainable and i think with 30 in trickery you are better off just running perplexity for that daze on steal and bas. venom.
Dont use this in PVE at all
Why though? Wouldn’t Torment-based damage omit the issues with condition damage builds?
At a (very high) 2100 condition damage (assumes 25 corruption stacks, 0 might):
1 stack – Standing still: 110.625 – Moving: 221.25
2 stacks – Standing still: 221.25 – Moving: 442.5
3 stacks – Standing still: 331.875 – Moving: 663.75
4 stacks – Standing still: 442.5 – Moving: 885
5 stacks – Standing still: 553.125 – Moving: 1106.25
6 stacks – Standing still: 663.75 – Moving: 1327.5
7 stacks – Standing still: 774.375 – Moving: 1548.75
8 stacks – Standing still: 885 – Moving: 1770
9 stacks – Standing still: 995.625 – Moving: 1991.25
10 stacks – Standing still: 1106.25 – Moving: 2212.5
11 stacks – Standing still: 1216.875 – Moving: 2433.75
12 stacks – Standing still: 1327.5 – Moving: 2655
13 stacks – Standing still: 1438.125 – Moving: 2876.25
14 stacks – Standing still: 1548.75 – Moving: 3097.5
15 stacks – Standing still: 1659.375 – Moving: 3318.75
16 stacks – Standing still: 1770 – Moving: 3540
17 stacks – Standing still: 1880.625 – Moving: 3761.25
18 stacks – Standing still: 1991.25 – Moving: 3982.5
19 stacks – Standing still: 2101.875 – Moving: 4203.75
20 stacks – Standing still: 2212.5 – Moving: 4425
21 stacks – Standing still: 2323.125 – Moving: 4646.25
22 stacks – Standing still: 2433.75 – Moving: 4867.5
23 stacks – Standing still: 2544.375 – Moving: 5088.75
24 stacks – Standing still: 2655 – Moving: 5310
25 stacks – Standing still: 2765.625 – Moving: 5531.25
How many NPCs do you know that actually move around a lot in big zergy events? The above table is assuming 1 second. I don’t know how durations factor in, but let’s assume the average. Rune = 10 seconds, venom = 5 seconds, shadow strike = 5 seconds. Avg = 6.66 seconds. With toxic tuning crystal (10%), koi cakes (40%) and runes (+45%), that comes to 13 seconds. If you have 30 in deadly arts, that’s a total of 15 seconds. So, assuming that (rune 2, 3x shadow strikes, 3x skale venom) your total of 8 stacks ticks for 15 whole seconds (it won’t) and the enemy is moving, that’s 26.5k damage over a 15 second period. I think it’s definitely possible to do more than 26.5k damage with the usual backstab build or even with pistol whip. You can get off 3 pistol whips in like 6 seconds or less and that is already over 26k damage.
Also, you aren’t rendered totally useless when your initiative is recharging because you can still auto-attack for higher sustained DPS than a few pistol shots and minimal bleed stacks.
For reference, 8 stacks of (relatively) easily attainable confusion ticks for 1780 on skill use with 2100 condition damage.
I dunno, it’s up to you. Torment runes aren’t really all that cheap so I guess it’s really your choice if you want to test it.
(edited by Spicyhash.7605)
You’ll be happier with Perplexity over Torment. I run with 2250 condition damage, with Perp runes, and it can get pretty funny when a thief comes in to backstab, and you can land an interrupt somewhere in their chain, and they keep attacking.
I was having a tough fight with a D/P thief, and luckily had that happen, and he went from around 75% health to downed in a flash. I think we were both scratching our heads about what happened for a second.
I’ll be the first to admit it’s a little cheesy, though.
Dont use this in PVE at all
Why though? Wouldn’t Torment-based damage omit the issues with condition damage builds?
Well for one how many mobs even move that much? You’re doing a lot worse dmg then you would just stacking bleeds, even if torment is a lot rarer. Condition dmg also just sucks in PVE, youre WAY better off just going zerker. Its great for WvW tho
Enjoy your 20-25 stacks of torment.