Guild Wars 2

hi guys. thinking about coming back to gw2. but havent decided yet, so want to play some time without buying hot.
i know, that daredevil is a must in any sPvP build, but maybe there is some no HoT build for sPvP for thief that still ok?

ty

The old Meta Thief D/P build is still a contender and in my opinion one of the best core specs to “compete” with HoT specs if you don’t have HoT.

It’s D/P DA/Tri/SA using Withdraw, Shadowstep, Blinding Powder, Signet of Agility or Assassin’s Signet, and Basilisk Venom.

Use the Marauder Amulet with Scholar Runes, and Fire and Air or Air and Blood for sigils.

Use SB as the secondary weapon

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAqaVl0MhCnYjTw0Jw/EH0ElOAmwIYXBD3e6DjvoMA-TpBFABCcCAQa/B1PEAMcEAEvMAAPAAA

The mighty unloader!

D/P DA, Acro, Trck

HoT isn’t necessary to reach legend in sPvP. It helps, but it’s not mandatory. Thief manages very well without elite specs and I think Vitali’s link is a very good one to try out.

I had a lot of success with these two builds before I broke down and got HoT.

This one is as close to the D/P daredevil meta as you can get with Core Thief I think:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAoaVl0MhSnYhTw8Jw/EHwEkOBBY39Cnkq4TzZaDA-TpBFABJcEAA4BA0whAom9HEvMgAnAAA

This one I prefer vs a heavy condition comp/CC comp and is my personal fav core build:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAoaVl0MhSnYxTw3Jw/EHwEUvwJpK6EEgd7TTcaDA-TpBFAB1s/QDHCAAeAACcCAEvMQCHBAA

Best of luck

I’d say there’s 2 solid options.
There’s the D/P with DA/SA/TR: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAoa1k0MxSnA/TcATQ+0cm2oTQA2NvHxYHA-TpBEABmXGAgjAQEHCADOBA5s/ABPAAA
It has High Stealth uptime, solid Condi Cleansing and some rather impressive sustain with the Health Regeneration.
The other option is D/P with DA/CS/TR: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAoa1k0MxSnA/TcATU7Ad5GUdCEA7mPNOj2A-TpBEAB5s/g5lBA4IAExhAwgTAABPAAA
Much riskier to play than the SA variant, but you gain a bucketload of damage potential in return. Real solid on the +1’s against tankier classes.

For the empty Utility Slots there’s a few options: Infiltrator’s Signet, Blinding Powder, Signet of Agility and possibly Shadow Refuge or Shadow Trap.
For traits, there’s also some other options. Against tanky comps where you don’t face an enemy Thief, you could opt to swap ‘Improvisation’ to ‘Executioner’ (Deadly Arts) and ‘Thrill of the Crime’ for ‘Flanking Strikes’ (Trickery).
Other good Runes are Scholar, Eagle and maybe even Strength or Rage.

Good luck! Hopefully Cynz sees and replies to this topic as I know (s)he has played a lot of core thief in/into the higher tiers of PvP since HoT’s release.