Guild Wars 2

Wvw view

1. Which is the best gap closer for traveling? hs or sb? Hs would get you farther with the int. Cost right?

2. how to use a sb effectively(power/crib)? Vs single target do you spam 1 or do throw in a cb on CD for maximum dmg? When or if should I explode cluster bombs? Is the poison field worth the int? People really use #3 when they are so used to dodge? Any neat tricks/combos/tech you want to share.

3. can you cancel dagger storm?

4. Is there any other useful skillS besides c&d to use before stealth.

5.when you steal from a war, is it worth the risk to use the axes?

6. When using d/d what sigil do you put on your other dagger( assuming you have air/fire on the other)?

Thanks for any insight =)

Login.5102:

1. Which is the best gap closer for traveling? hs or sb? Hs would get you farther with the int. Cost right?

Infiltrator’s Arrow. It has double the init cost, but goes double the range is instant (Heartseeker causes you to stand still for a short period on the first use) and doesn’t aggro any NPC’s you are travelling past (Thus putting you into combat and slowing movement)

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2. how to use a sb effectively(power/crib)? Vs single target do you spam 1 or do throw in a cb on CD for maximum dmg? When or if should I explode cluster bombs? Is the poison field worth the int? People really use #3 when they are so used to dodge? Any neat tricks/combos/tech you want to share.

Either go for Power + Crit or Condition Damage to maximise SB. For a single target spamming Cluster Bomb is the way to go (Detonating just before it hits the floor to ensure the maximum 3 hits occur) usually it’s best to get into melee/close range so that CB doesn’t require travel time (In melee range you can just spam “2” and do pretty good damage)

As far as I can tell, the occasional Choking Gas can be useful since it provides a high uptime poison (If people stand in it or if you’re in it and are using #1 for Projectile Finisher). Reducing healing done to people (Also able to easily poison people on walls) is very handy.

The #3 skill is situationally useful, it can be used either as a cripple (Helpful if you have allies around or are trying to kite someone) or as an additional dodge (Helpful against high damage attacks) as it evades without using Endurance it means you can stop some pretty nasty things whilst also being secure of having endurance to dodge really important things (Immobilise/Cripple/Chill effects come to mind)

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3. can you cancel dagger storm?

Yes, rolling (Possible other actions as well) will interrupt Dagger Storm

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4. Is there any other useful skillS besides c&d to use before stealth.

I’m unsure what you mean? In a Power/Crit stealth build it comes down to CnD, Backstab and Heartseeker when the target is below 50/25% health (Depends on how sure you are you’ll take them out before they take you out)

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5.when you steal from a war, is it worth the risk to use the axes?

Yes. It does pretty nice damage and also reflects projectiles. It’s arguably one of the best steals possible.

Login.5102:

6. When using d/d what sigil do you put on your other dagger( assuming you have air/fire on the other)?

Bloodlust for stacking Power (Should be able to pick up a few kills)

Not claiming to be a pro thief, but I can answer these to some degree.

1. I prefer SB over HS spam, as my main weapon isn’t Dagger, so SB gives me to option to have a little ranged/kitting. Either weapon will grant you roughly the same gap closer, so it really depends on what your main weapon is.

2. SB is horrible vs single target, any way you look at it. You CAN spam 2 and explode or not explode if you are close enough, but at that point you might as well be meleeing the target. SB is best used on groups of people, were CB/CG/AutoAttack can all hit multiple targets. 3 is useful when you need to dodge but can’t, but shouldn’t be used in place of dodging, as it costs you your dps resource.

3. Yes you can cancel Dagger Storm. Dodging is one such methods.

4. I’m not sure what you mean by this, CnD gives you stealth, so you would use it before stealing…do you mean Steal/Mug? Any Shadow Step instant ability can be used prior to CnD if that is what you are asking (instant teleports don’t cancel your current ability).

5. Yes. And No. All depends on the circumstance. If you think you can get away with it, it does decent damage, but not as much as some other abilities. Crappy answer, but there ya go.

6. PvP? WvW? PvE? Force (5% damage) is always nice. I’ve seen some people pull of Battle (might on swap) with very nice results. Bloodlust (power on kill) is great if you can keep up the stacks (better for WvW/PvE, and it’s affects diminish the more you die). There are others, so best advice is to test which one suits you best.

1. Sb is generally better since it goes the full distance even if you’re crippled/chilled or rooted. If you use 12 initiative, they would go the same distance (heartseeker is 450 range with 3 ini cost, sb is 900 range for 6 ini).

2. Cluster bomb is good if you can get it to land. You should explode it if you can get all 3 fragments to hit the target. The poison field can be worth it, but generally not against one target. Number 3 is great if you’re out of endurance and need to dodge a skill (plus it cripples).

3. Yes you can cancel it and dodge out of it (stability will remain up as well)

4. I’m not exactly sure what the question is.

5. The axe can do huge aoe damage (up to 12k or so), but you do need to be careful with it.

6. Force or Accuracy (assuming you already have 25 of a stack)

i havent done WvW on a thief but in spvp

1, HS is much better at gap closing and getting away, UNLESS you want to teleport from one level of elevation to another say the middle cap point in khylo to the roof. Also HS like every other movement skill is affected by swiftness increasing the range. But slows also affect it so dont try to escape or gap close while you have chill on you because you wont go far.

With the shortbow you also have to take into account the arrow flight speed so by the time it hits your teleport location you have already travelled a few 100 units.
2. Shortbow is only good for teamfights mostly or other backstab thiefs. If people are ressing run upto them and spam 2 at melee range for best dps. If you are backing your team up sit back set down some cluster bombs from range, then a poison when they get midish hp.

As for combos for a laugh sometimes i like to shadowstep quickly switch to my D/D and start casting cloak and dagger as a quick surprise back stab if steal is on CD tis a big waste of initiative. I almost never use skill 3 unless i really really need to escape. But untargeting and using HS away would be better.

3. Yes with a dodge roll or weapon swap.

4. nope other than a poison utility or assassins signet. Somtimes ive used scorpian wire with a P/D build to drag someone too me for a C/D so they dont dodge, usually i have caltrops at my feet aswell.

5. I think so yes but its risky to dive into a team fight first but its great for killing people who are fighting already.

6. for a while i used air but i found fire to be more effective its also great for doing some damage for clones and sigil of bloodlust in the other.

Login.5102:

Wvw view

1. Which is the best gap closer for traveling? hs or sb? Hs would get you farther with the int. Cost right?

2. how to use a sb effectively(power/crib)? Vs single target do you spam 1 or do throw in a cb on CD for maximum dmg? When or if should I explode cluster bombs? Is the poison field worth the int? People really use #3 when they are so used to dodge? Any neat tricks/combos/tech you want to share.

3. can you cancel dagger storm?

4. Is there any other useful skillS besides c&d to use before stealth.

5.when you steal from a war, is it worth the risk to use the axes?

6. When using d/d what sigil do you put on your other dagger( assuming you have air/fire on the other)?

Thanks for any insight =)

1: In a straight line path, both will get you about the same distance. However, beauty of SB is that it won’t randomly change your direction (considering you have auto target on), and can get you farther in some locations (depending on where it is used).

2: Using CB properly will always maximize damage. Exploding CB JUST before it hits the ground will ensure you hit ALL targets in proximity 3 times (which actually nets in more damage). Poison with CB gives you access to AoE weakness (it doesn’t last long, but it helps given a situation). Properly used DS will save your life. It not only does damage, but it puts distance between you and the target, cripples them for a very short duration, and evades. It’s especially handy in dealing with HB hero warriors.

3: Yes.

4: Not sure what you’re asking.

5: Yes, if you know the war has used up most of his hard hitters, it’s very safe to do so.

6: Personally, I have daggers with stacking effects for luck, precision, power, and condition. Once fully stacked, I have daggers on swap for force, agony, and generosity to replace the stacking daggers. However, I change my playstyle and micro manage my equipment, skills, and traits constantly.

Login.5102:

Wvw view

4. Is there any other useful skillS besides c&d to use before stealth.

I think what he means here is how one would hit CnD then instantly hit steal to land the CnD right as they steal. Pistol whip would work also. Any skill that has a delay in casting would work depending on what you want to achieve.

Lofat.2406:

Login.5102:

Wvw view

4. Is there any other useful skillS besides c&d to use before stealth.

I think what he means here is how one would hit CnD then instantly hit steal to land the CnD right as they steal. Pistol whip would work also. Any skill that has a delay in casting would work depending on what you want to achieve.

Good point

you start casting CnD then follow it up a fraction of a second after with any instant skill so shadow step , steal or infiltrator signet. This also works with heartseeker and is great for finishing people off from a distance. I cast heartseeker followed by steal which teleports me near them allowing me to get a really long range surprise heartseeker off.

Login.5102:

Wvw view

1. Which is the best gap closer for traveling? hs or sb? Hs would get you farther with the int. Cost right?

2. how to use a sb effectively(power/crib)? Vs single target do you spam 1 or do throw in a cb on CD for maximum dmg? When or if should I explode cluster bombs? Is the poison field worth the int? People really use #3 when they are so used to dodge? Any neat tricks/combos/tech you want to share.

3. can you cancel dagger storm?

4. Is there any other useful skillS besides c&d to use before stealth.

5.when you steal from a war, is it worth the risk to use the axes?

6. When using d/d what sigil do you put on your other dagger( assuming you have air/fire on the other)?

Thanks for any insight =)

1. HS is much better if you are using signet of shadows, MUCH better.
2. I used them a while back, I preferred using SB with my pow/crit set over my condition dmg set.
3. Yes, roll.
4. Yes, basilisk venom.
5. Since warriors should be an easy kill for you, yes. Spin2win for the luls. Do not use to fight multiple targets though, and only use it to kitten the person off.
6. I like Battle, I run D/D + S, and swap quite often while in combat.

Thanks for all the responses!!! But there is some conflicting answers =(

1. Some people swear by hs and others by sb. We need a thief race!

Lofat.2406:

Login.5102:

Wvw view

4. Is there any other useful skillS besides c&d to use before stealth.

I think what he means here is how one would hit CnD then instantly hit steal to land the CnD right as they steal. Pistol whip would work also. Any skill that has a delay in casting would work depending on what you want to achieve.

That’s exactly what I meant by that question, that’s for clarifying for every one.

Login.5102:

Thanks for all the responses!!! But there is some conflicting answers =(

1. Some people swear by hs and others by sb. We need a thief race!

Well, when it comes down to it:

SB > HS in terms of speed (No needing to stand still for a second when starting a chain of IA’s)

HS > SB in terms of Init usage (Uses the same amount per movement but HS favours the slower regen of init that comes from passives such as the default regen + Regen trait + regen signet)

HS > SB when under speed enhancing effects (Swiftness, Signet of Shadows) as it increases the distance HS goes while reducing the effect of SB (By the time the arrow has flown there with the additional speed it actually moves you less than the max range)

SB > HS when NPC’s are nearby as HS will put you in combat if you hit one.

SB > HS if you have auto-target on as there’s definitive control over it.

SB > HS for burst movement (Can do all 1800 range possible with 12 init in 2 quick casts rather than needing the 4 HS)

SB > HS for direction changing (HS likes to just go forwards, while SB can be placed)

HS > SB if you’re not good at hitting the max range with ground locations abilities.

Taril.8619:

Login.5102:

Thanks for all the responses!!! But there is some conflicting answers =(

1. Some people swear by hs and others by sb. We need a thief race!

Well, when it comes down to it:

SB > HS in terms of speed (No needing to stand still for a second when starting a chain of IA’s)

HS > SB in terms of Init usage (Uses the same amount per movement but HS favours the slower regen of init that comes from passives such as the default regen + Regen trait + regen signet)

HS > SB when under speed enhancing effects (Swiftness, Signet of Shadows) as it increases the distance HS goes while reducing the effect of SB (By the time the arrow has flown there with the additional speed it actually moves you less than the max range)

SB > HS when NPC’s are nearby as HS will put you in combat if you hit one.

SB > HS if you have auto-target on as there’s definitive control over it.

SB > HS for burst movement (Can do all 1800 range possible with 12 init in 2 quick casts rather than needing the 4 HS)

SB > HS for direction changing (HS likes to just go forwards, while SB can be placed)

HS > SB if you’re not good at hitting the max range with ground locations abilities.

Great post, clears that up

Login.5102:

Taril.8619:

Login.5102:

Thanks for all the responses!!! But there is some conflicting answers =(

1. Some people swear by hs and others by sb. We need a thief race!

Well, when it comes down to it:

SB > HS in terms of speed (No needing to stand still for a second when starting a chain of IA’s)

HS > SB in terms of Init usage (Uses the same amount per movement but HS favours the slower regen of init that comes from passives such as the default regen + Regen trait + regen signet)

HS > SB when under speed enhancing effects (Swiftness, Signet of Shadows) as it increases the distance HS goes while reducing the effect of SB (By the time the arrow has flown there with the additional speed it actually moves you less than the max range)

SB > HS when NPC’s are nearby as HS will put you in combat if you hit one.

SB > HS if you have auto-target on as there’s definitive control over it.

SB > HS for burst movement (Can do all 1800 range possible with 12 init in 2 quick casts rather than needing the 4 HS)

SB > HS for direction changing (HS likes to just go forwards, while SB can be placed)

HS > SB if you’re not good at hitting the max range with ground locations abilities.

Great post, clears that up

I’d also like to add to the OP:
SB really maximizes mobility on a terrain-heavy map such as the Wv3 maps. There are a lot of elevations and depressions, and in many cases, you can use the IA to, essentially, bypass going around a corner to get up a hill. You can cast an IA to the ledge of an adjoining hill and you’d have saved yourself time and death (potentially).

It all really comes down to what situation you’re in. If you’re trying to rush to a small group of enemies, and there’s a clear line of sight (free of monsters), it might be viable/better to use HS due to its low init cost. But if you’re trying to run away from a zerg, using the SB/IA and casting on ledges will increase your chance of a get-away