Guild Wars 2

Hey guys, since the patch has been our for a couple of weeks now and im stuck studying (in other words bored to death) i wanted make this topic to keep me entertained over the next few days.

I think most of us will agree that d/p seems to be the way to go currently and i want to talk about specific trait choices and hear your input on what you prefer.

There are imo 3 trait choices that are not a 100% obvious.

1. Improvisation vs. Executioner
I think Improvisation wins this one, the added utility makes fights a lot smoother and enables a more versatile playstyle. In addtion to that, the reset can be a clutch lifesaver or turn the tide of the battle. However, missing executioner becomes quite annoying when fighting tanky builds and you are unable to increase the pressure after the intial burst.

2. Thrill of Crime vs. Flanking Strikes
Now this one is kinda tricky. Usually the 60sec cd on flanking strike(aka haste) makes it seem much less desirable than a 60% uptime on fury and swiftness for potentially 5 teammates (courtyard anyone?). If combined with trickster however the cd becomes 48 (currently bugged to 36) seconds and it removes a condition when it proccs. The condi removal is somewhat neglectable since its nearly impossible to time it correctly, does on occasion help however. Imo its only worth it, if combined with trickster, which brings us to the third trait choice.

3. Trickster vs. Bountiful Theft
Oh boy, bountiful theft is kinda the holy grail of trickery combined with Sleigh of Hands, taking out this trait is surely not an easy decision. the boon removal is so valuabe since it makes your steal an almost guranteed interrupt, the vigor it provides is imo neglectable post patch but still worth noting. Trickster on the other hand seems to only benefit withdraw at first (which is btw. also still bugged and doesn’t provide the promised 10% increased healing). It reduces the cd to below 15sec and adds a condi cleanse. As mentioned above, it also benefits the trait flanking strike by reducding the cd and provinding another (albeit unreliable) condi cleanse. I do feel like that the current meta with an even bigger emphasis on burst and changed stability makes bountiful theft less desirable than it used to be. In addition Trickster adds some condi cleanse which was lost with the old 60206 build.

What do you guys think?
Is flanking strike+trickster worth it? would you just run flanking strike? would you still run it if they fix the cd reduction?

finally, the build i’m currently using:
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=Vh3RV;1Vwk0-7-FOFd0;9;4IJM;0147146147;4INl6h;1IBl3IBl3a0;9;9;9;9-cYDucYDuy

Thanks for putting these all in one thread, these traits keep coming up and I think most of us are kind of in limbo trying everything over and over again. Out of those traits in question I’m messing around with a stupid Improv-FStrikes-Trickster with Swindlers Eq build from rage resetting traits after milling over these three very decisions. I think Exec-ToC-BT is generally better but the other three might perform better for some people who use more active builds that have to maintain tempo like the Diablo 3 Monk skill Sweeping Winds, it’s effects can be maintained by being active but would die out if not.

I dont think its worth it personally. Stripping stab or even protection is huge for your overall damage. You could probably run flanking strike instead of thrill of the crime though. 60 seconds is still reasonable if you learn to time when its off cooldown.

Awesome post man!! These are great questions and the top 3 hardest trait choices

Exe all day- I wanted to love improv. But truth be told I’m finding it’s too much of a dice role. With the thief we are often so close to being downed that I need predictability. Exe is always there. There were a few times using improv that my steals weren’t yeilding any resets and when your counting on that, it hurts bad when you don’t get it.

Flanking strike- what a beauty when paired with steath on steal. If the cool down goes up it’s gone.

Trickster. I find it way harder to survive without that cooldown on withdraw, and the condi cleanse is nice

from team pvp perspective:

1. i tend to go executioner if i pick SA because dmg is definitely lacking; if i picked CS then impv does help… however if my team is good and got some support then CS line + exe is yummy and viable
2. Thrill of Crime is just too nice to have with pack runes + teammates; targets in pvp are not dummies, they are not gonna stand there and wait for you to get your traits working so not big fan of flanking strikes~
3. Bountiful Theft will be always a must for interrupting stab stomps/rezzes :|

1> I tend to Improv. The double steal is just too much to pass up and every steal now has more utility due to that. Ie stealing whirling axe from a warrior then doubling up using it as he tries to rez a fallen friend. Devastating and it can reflect projectiles twice in a row and is a whirl finisher. The reset of a utility I do not see as a gamble, i see as a bonus.

2>I read but have not confirmed that thrill of the crime will give that 250 extra ferocity to teamutes when you apply fury. That makes it very much nicer but that said I prefer flanking strikes. It also triggers fury which can kick off the NQ run from the CS line and can cleanse a condition.

3>Bountiful theft as opposed to trickster depends. If I take flanking strikes I like trickster. If I go thrill of the crime or Caltrops I like bountiful theft. I would say this 50 50 weighted a lot on the build itself.

If I play DA+CS usually I will go for improvisation, I love that trait and the options it opens. Thrill of crime and bountiful for me are no brainers.

Bountiful Theft is a no brainer IMO. Taking trickster depends on the situation, but most of the time you’ll want to take the former; to rip boons and for that 10s of vigor.

Potential damage from Critcal Strikes is good enough, to at least take alone or with DA, it’s far from a useless traitline that some people thought it would turn into.

Executioner, Thrill of the Crime, Bountiful Theft.

Only time I would go for Improvisation over Executioner is in “tryhard” duels. Maybe in a 2v2 against certain comps… but in a team based situation, Exe>>>Improv.

Improvisation is good against other thieves because you can stealth twice for more time, causing the enemy to appear quicker.

Thanks for the input guys, i think i agree that bountiful theft is prolly still stronger overall. I wonder how trickster will feel once they fix the heal amount on withdraw, the haste cd and make (not sure its gonna happen) improvisation reset flanking strike (note: the cd is on the utility (haste) which should reset with an improv procc).

I also want to point out that i strongly agree with those saying Improv is worth it for the extra steal and you don’t rely on the reset (although it can potentially be huge). giving up the dmg of executioner is excuseable if you go DA,CS and Trickery imho but i can see how some people prefer the extra dmg, works well with +1 fights with bunkers and pressuring them down quicker.

On a seperated note, i have had a lot of fun trying this build and its variations with s/d. you run with a lot less dodges (sometimes with a second signet instead of shadow step), but the pressure is pretty strong. Plays a bit more like the classic d/p in a sense that you go in and out more often and higher pressure than the classic s/d.

Do you guys think SA has a place in the current meta? I personally feel like the nerf to SE makes it not worth pickung up since you loose a lot of pressure and normal stealth duration is usually enough.