Guild Wars 2

I have seen good game play of both for WvWvW… but I have a general question.
Is one better than the other overall, or do they both have unique strengths?

I ask that because from experience fighting both types of thieves and from watching their game play, I have found that they both basically rely on the permanent stealth (well… thieves generally do)…

The major difference I notice is that with D/D, they focus on health/toughness more so with armor while their traits are offense oriented.
The D/P builds I have seen seem to have more defense oriented builds while the armor is primarily berserker…

What do you guys prefer in WvWvW?

I have been leaning towards D/P + S/D
(S/D secondary because I bought a Firebringer sword skin a while back… and don’t want it to collect dust in the bank).

D/P > everything. You CAN’T lose against anything if you are skilled enough.

Most people have caught on and are using the D/P + S/D build for dueling. D/P is usually considered superior because it brings so much utility over D/D while still maintaining a good amount of dps. I use D/P + Shortbow though.

Frenk.5917:

D/P > everything. You CAN’T lose against anything if you are skilled enough.

indeed

are you saying that you are going around in wvwvw without a short bow?
o.O’

D/P is better for WvW because it has much better sustain than anything else from other thf weapon sets. You can reliably engage multiple targets over a long period of time.

You can do something similar with C&D, but the damage output is abysmal since you are pretty much relying on C&D to do dmg, whereas you can actuall afford to be revealed with D/P.

D/P also benefits the most from shadow arts traitline for that purpose. The large amount of stealth without having to resort to utilities is too good to pass up in WvW.

ryokoalways.3450:

D/P is better for WvW because it has much better sustain than anything else from other thf weapon sets. You can reliably engage multiple targets over a long period of time.

You can do something similar with C&D, but the damage output is abysmal since you are pretty much relying on C&D to do dmg, whereas you can actuall afford to be revealed with D/P.

D/P also benefits the most from shadow arts traitline for that purpose. The large amount of stealth without having to resort to utilities is too good to pass up in WvW.

Pretty much this. Also, it’s the most forgiving of the weapon sets. I’ve been able to go toe to toe with a guardian since the blackpowder keeps half if not most of his attacks from hitting. Adding with the shadow arts line, you pretty much grow stronger when the fight drags out due to the stacks of might you’ve gained from going in and out of stealth. Do you do the top damage, no. Are you able to hold your on against multiple opponents? Very much so.

Question for those saying D/P is the best way to go for WvW...

What’s considered the best build for it right now?

I’m kind of a noob and I haven’t played in a while in any case, and I’m looking to refine my build since I’ll be playing more this summer. I’ve looking for a good source of what’s considered good builds but the info is kind of sketchy in most cases, and I’m not sure what’s considered the best approach.

Right now I’m d/d cond and it is both boring and non-optimal for WvW.

Anything that has 20 in shadow arts for IV and V should be sufficient. The rest is pretty much spec as you please.

I personally run 0/30/30/10/0. I found mug to be pretty useless for any sustained combat while solo/duo (which will be even more so after the patch), and the extra HP and 50% faster movement in stealth to be much more useful as positioning is everything when you are fighting outnumbered.

Additionally take hidden killer instead of executioner (if you go down crit trait line) because you are pretty much doing dmg through bs galore, and knowing exact amounts of dmg you will do (vs the variable of a crit/no crit) is way too important when trying to stomp/dps a downed in a 1v4-5.

TJL

I run DP and SD. For me DP beats DD because of the more on-demand stealth. The blind makes it so easy to take supply camps and take on stronger targets. I have the 50% movement speed trait which I utilize for hunting small groups of players and just roam around the battlegrounds. In my eyes it’s superior, just be carefull against ranged targets. That would be when I change to SD to close the gap and have som fun, especially against rangers since their pet goes kitten every time I shadow step :p

D/P vs D/D is no contest. D/P has more mobility, more access to stealth (non targeted stealth that can be spammed 3 times for 8 init vs 12 CnD that can’t stack), blinds for increased survival, and an interrupt that can stop heals/100b/etc. The only argue point that can be made for D/D is the CnD > Mug > BS combo… but that’s only effective against people that don’t don’t dodge the second you port behind them. The second that combo fails or doesn’t kill the target, D/P is better in every way imaginable.

As for the alternate weapon, it’s a tough choice. S/D + D/P makes a good brawler combo. Nothing really beats it in small scale as both combos are highly mobile. Large scale, you pretty much have to stay back and mass targeting > single, so SB is important. But amazingly we have a thing called inventories and the ability to swap weapons out of combat, so just be sure to bring all of it.

CookMETEnder.7582:

I have seen good game play of both for WvWvW… but I have a general question.
Is one better than the other overall, or do they both have unique strengths?

I ask that because from experience fighting both types of thieves and from watching their game play, I have found that they both basically rely on the permanent stealth (well… thieves generally do)…

The major difference I notice is that with D/D, they focus on health/toughness more so with armor while their traits are offense oriented.
The D/P builds I have seen seem to have more defense oriented builds while the armor is primarily berserker…

What do you guys prefer in WvWvW?

I have been leaning towards D/P + S/D
(S/D secondary because I bought a Firebringer sword skin a while back… and don’t want it to collect dust in the bank).

after the RTL patch they gonna bring back the 3secs revealed buff in WvW, Yishi’s 1 vs X zerg slaying video is good example.