Guild Wars 2

what do you guys think? do you find yourselves using staff 3 often? would it make more sense to have #3 evade forward?

its awesome, if you picked the stomp evade instead of the 3way run. immob inside metoer shower hurs

It’s pretty bad, I’ve never used it. If anything, it helps set you up for an offensive Bound, but good with good spacing you don’t need it. The initiative is better spent elsewhere.

Staff 3 is ok to set up vault also. You get a double evade. That said, I seldom use it, but it has its place.

Edit: I actually think it would be better if you evaded through your target and turned around to face them, auto attacking again. I don’t feel staff needs an escape skill since usually you are trying to get into range.

On the paper it’s a great skill if you don’t use UC as it’s a spammable anti-immobilization skill (and a thief who can’t move is pretty much a dead thief). In practice, even though the skill is not supposed to have an activation delay, the “cure immobilization” effect only triggers once the animation is over – in other words, it takes too long. That’s one of the reasons (among other) I use Withdraw as a healing skill. I start using Staff #3 a lot more if it wasn’t for that delay.

PS: if you want to go forward with Staff #3, just use the Withdraw trick: use your “about face” shortkey (or do it manually), then use the skill.

EDIT – Well you won’t strike your enemy if you do so though.

Can staff #3 be used to set up #2 (weakening charge) by setting you up at a good distance to hit with more of #2’s strikes?

I may try this…

Theoretically its useful, but in actuality: The skill feels very akward to use.Something about the animation, it doesnt ‘flow’
If I need an evade and can spare the initiative, I somehow rather end up with vault, since it also deals damage/opens a gap
If I want a quick denial of an attack, I rather use #4
I use it sometimes, against telegraphed attacks, that I have to dodge but dont want to waste a dodge on. Thats all.
Things would be different, if the travel distance was significantly increased, more like a withdraw. Or at least like an unhindered combattant. But that could also become too strong.

fluidmonolith.3584:

Can staff #3 be used to set up #2 (weakening charge) by setting you up at a good distance to hit with more of #2’s strikes?

I may try this…

I think you really only get one hit like this. Better to be about max melee range for weakening strikes. You can get 2, sometimes all 3, hits.

Asrat.2645:

Theoretically its useful, but in actuality: The skill feels very akward to use.Something about the animation, it doesnt ‘flow’
If I need an evade and can spare the initiative, I somehow rather end up with vault, since it also deals damage/opens a gap
If I want a quick denial of an attack, I rather use #4
I use it sometimes, against telegraphed attacks, that I have to dodge but dont want to waste a dodge on. Thats all.
Things would be different, if the travel distance was significantly increased, more like a withdraw. Or at least like an unhindered combattant. But that could also become too strong.

He is very right there. The reason it feels “awkward” is the pre-&aftercast. The aftercast is almost as long as the dodge itself, making u very vurnable (sry too lazy to check translator). But if this isnt enough, it brings u in a very bad position especially wielding staff making u need to spend even more initiative using 4 or vault to hit in range.

Only found it useful vs melee people. Warriors sheild bash for example, is a nice use for #3 as it dosnt put you miles away from them.

staff 3 is autowin vs rev becouse it evades all rev skill dmg (sword 2 and 3). It is also Most important skill vs dp thief. Helps vs dh when u run out of dodges.

It’s good, specially if you run bound. Quick immob cure and evade, not bad damage actually, aoe, cripple. It’s literally a buffed version of shortbow 3, only difference being that the damage is close range, but the damage isn’t really what it’s used for.