Guild Wars 2

I’ve attached a pic of me getting hit for a 10k with backstab. Thought it might have been pure luck or something like that but soon after that I got hit for a 12k (I didn’t get a pic of it). I am not here to rant, I just wanted to ask what kind of build allows for such high power because last time I remember the thief had been nerfed to combat such high hits. I have not played gw2 for a lot time so I might have missed something so please if possible add best power nourishment, runes, traits etc.

Thanks a lot!

What are your stats? If you are glass then another glass thief can easily get those numbers. Also the thief could have been a signet thief and hit you with 20 stacks of might on.

It must have been a signet thief, 22 might stacks followed by a backstab can hit for up to 12k+ on most targets. It’s very gimmicky, 1 lucky dodge and the thief is a sitting duck.

I know you can get 15 stacks from activating signets but how exactly do you get 22?

Gain might in stealth, strength runes, battle sigils, other players, lot of ways.

Anyway, I used to run a build like that, it was 6/6/2/0/0(or even 6/6/0/0/2 for max burst). I didn’t even need all those signets, with full zerk gear, ascended daggers, guard stacks, seaweed salad(10% damage bonus when moving) I could usually hit a 9k-13k backstabs on light/medium classes, with up to 19k on uplvls, that with only 5-7 might stacks and scholar runes. Those % dmg bonuses really add up.

A CnD-Mug-BS chain could easily deal around 16k damage, it’s really fun but it’s kind of a one trick pony and will most likely not win any serious fights.

Thanks, this helped me a lot!

OP, if you think 10k backstab is that high, pray you won’t meet zerker mesmer/warr/ranger or engi. Since ferocity change, I haven’t met a thief that would backstab me for more than 9k. They can but seems like almost no thief runs full zerk build in wvw.

warriors can eviscerate for 18k wile still being tankie so…

Ehh, warrior is strong but that’s a huge exaggeration, I play warrior and the most common zerk roaming build will evis for about 12k, while still being somewhat hard to kill. Maybe a full glass traited one, but that’s a stretch. Also, evis has much more of a telegraph than backstab and has a CD + adrenaline requirement so if you miss you can’t just try again immediately.

METAShift.2913:

Ehh, warrior is strong but that’s a huge exaggeration, I play warrior and the most common zerk roaming build will evis for about 12k, while still being somewhat hard to kill. Maybe a full glass traited one, but that’s a stretch. Also, evis has much more of a telegraph than backstab and has a CD + adrenaline requirement so if you miss you can’t just try again immediately.

He can start evis and turn around making the telegraph really hard to see. Evis also hits in rather large aoe, he’d have to get immobilised/chilled/crippled for the jump to be short enough so it wouldn’t hit. Tho I agree with that 18k evis, I barely ever get hit by half of that dmg and I am zerker.

I think of shieldslam-evis like I think of our own Steal-CnD-BS – it’s a great move against newer players and people who aren’t paying attention, but it takes a lot of work to actually land it on a decent player who’s actively fighting you.

This is the build I run (Berserker/Valk armor, scholar runes):

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fZAQJAoYlsMpypNOxzJ8PNRLhs9oVv87tuPCA

Engaging a target (2100 range with infil signet + steal) will put you at a ’50% damage modifier and 16 might with around 70% crit chance, and may also let you stack up to 16 might and a 65% damage modifier on a stab.

10k seems rather low on a pure stab build. My guess is the guy was SA with some good food. My numbers usually land around 15k depending on the target. I know I got kind of lucky with how glassy this unlucky fellow was, and mind you, this was after the drop in crit damage from the ferocity change:

Why improvisation? 75% of the time, the trait is useless for you, don’t you prefer dagger training for a constant 5% boost?

I honestly never looked up this trait until now. Didn’t realize the damage modifier didn’t apply unless holding new skills.

DeceiverX.8361:

Nope, because you engage on steal which grabs you a bundle, causing you to gain 10% more damage rather than 5% (you don’t use the bundle until after the fight or when desperate). Getting a refresh on signets also re-grants you your utility or more might stacks, and a refresh on venom leads to a proper re-engage if you need to for the backstab. Only on traps does nothing change, but 10% is better than 5%.

Hate to tell you, but improv doesnt interact at all with stolen items

Yep, edited and fixed above :P

For some reason though I could have sworn I saw increased damage numbers in my test, but maybe it was just really unfortunate luck on the damage range rotations.

Anyways I think if he’s using Signets of Power with Infiltrator’s Signet, Assassin’s Signet, Strength Runes and 10% increase dmg while moving he can easily hit you with that damage.