Guild Wars 2

As an experienced 80 Thief, I see many lower level thieves fail in low level zones many times. This was because they rushed head first into the enemy with dual daggers and only used auto attack standing in one place.
In order to efficiently play Thief you need to teach yourself how to strafe auto attack and use your skills at the right time.
Signet of Malice is a lot better in PvE especially if you are using Sword/Pistol.
If you want to use D/D, start with crippling dagger at max range, then run in and use CnD positioning yourself behind the enemy for backstab. You should have done at least 1/2 damage while still on full hp.

I’ve died over 350 times and it doesn’t bother me because I’ve screwed up by accidentally hitting a veteran while using Dagger Storm or just a patrol group passing by.

I know I have made a thread with my build but I might as well post it here.

High Bleed Semi Glass Cannon Conditions
Link to build

Basically using Dual Daggers as your main weapon set and then Dual Pistol and Shortbow in Inventory.

As you see, from using steal we obtain 4 buffs. Fury (higher crit chance), Vigor (faster endurance regen), Might (increased damage), Swiftness (ms boost).

This build revolves around applying 20+ bleed stacks to multiple enemies and works best when they’re all clumped together.

Gear wise is half and half Rampager’s and Carrion for armour, Trinkets are full rampagers (we want at least 50% crit chance), Weapons can either be carrion or rampagers. My runes atm are superior rune of the pirate for that Magic Find but they should be half and half krait/afflicted. The reason why is so that I can get that extended bleed duration.

How to use:
Multiple Enemies.
If your initiative is at full, run in until you are about in range for LDB (Leaping Death Blossom), If not precast caltrops and then steal (if done this was the following will not be the same, you just need to apply as many LDB and bleed as possible). Spam LDB 3 times following with caltrops (just see all the bleed stacks), from there use steal granting you all those buffs. If you get the item which creates a pool of muck that inflicts conditions (YAY) if not use it straight away on the targeted enemy. Use your final LDB and then depending on the situation, Dagger Storm. After that use another LDB or 2. Also don’t forget to use dodge whenever you can for those might stacks. I’ve been able to get 7 stacks from the traited major/minor slots.

Single enemy:
Normal: beat it to death with CnD, backstab, LDB and HS
Veteran: LDB it to death, use steal.
Champion: Good luck, I only managed to get one down to 3/4 hp. Was an event boss.

You would only use Dual Pistols when your team wants to pull one enemy so that you don’t aggro any adds. Another situation would be when you are getting annoying vistas that are very high up…you don’t want to LDB yourself off and die.

Shortbow usage is mostly for WvW or when you want to have fun.

exphryl.3857:

Chil,

I’ve been enjoying a Condition build lately myself (Switched over from S/P while leveling to do something different, currently 75).

How are you managing conditions put on you with that build? Just with Agility ?

Yeah that’s one downside to it, conditions will be your enemy.
But I usually wait for conditions to stack on me and then use the signet.

I’m basically used to the olde WASD but I’ve bounded F1 to my lower thumb mouse button and the upper mouse button as target object

This thread is for people who have gotten their Thief to 80 and would like to share their builds and experiences.

For me I run a high damage condition build with at least >40% critical chance.
I traited myself to that when I steal I gain might, vigor, protection and swiftness, might on dodge etc. (more detailed when I get on my character)

15/20/0/10/25 is my setup

Weapons: Dual Dagger, Dual Pistol, Bow in Inventory
Heal: Signet of Malice
Utilities: Caltrops, Signet of Shadows, Signet of Agility
Elite: Dagger Storm

Basically I start by running in and landing 3 death blossom followed by caltrops, steal and death blossom. This of course is for huge clumped groups, single target I CnD, backstab.

Best thing I’ve done, took on 10+ dredge constantly which respawned after I killed the 8th-9th. I was able to sustain myself with help from my trusty parrot (pirate runes).

You ONLY got to level 33 and start saying how things should be fixed. The only point I will agree with you is flanking strike.

I made it to 80 with my thief using sword/pistol to 60. Sure I may have over 300 deaths but those deaths made me rethink of how to start dodging. After 60 I changed to Dual Dagger and Dual Pistol.

I managed to get a champion shaman event down to 3/4 hp by myself (this is hard when he can 1 shot you in melee) through caltrops and 3 death blossoms (I traited into trickery) a lot of dodging as well (this was done by hitting and then quickly hitting ‘v’ to dodge.
The way I have traited myself gives me a lot of mobility (swiftness on dodge), chance to apply cripple on pistol crit. Signet of Agility is really good when you really need to dodge more. Use dodge twice pop SoA and dodge twice again while getting a condition removal.

I won’t say that you suck or l2p because it just seems that the thief isn’t the right class for you. I do know what you mean with cloak and dagger in PvP but I don’t use it because I can do a lot more damage from 20+ stacks of bleed.

Well it is kinda in the name “Leaping” Death Blossom but yeah I do know what you mean I once used it and leapt off the side off a cliff…and then died. I was not happy.

But maybe instead of spamming 3 you could hit 3, wait to land reposition and then hit 3

hmm I see what you mean but in WvWvW when I was being chased, I used steal on an animal and got away xD. Little things like this make steal feel a lot better

I’m using Dagger/Dagger as my main weapons and Pistol/Pistol for range and may occasionally switch to Shortbow from time to time.

Traits: 15/25/0/5/25
This may seem a bit weird but it’s a really good high crit condition build.
Deadly Arts major: VI, Sundering Strikes – 40% chance to cause vulnerability on critical (1-sec cooldown). This basically just adds to my raw power.
Critical Strikes major: I and VI, I just gives me a higher crit chance when my enemy goes <50% hp so I am then able to finish them off faster. VI converts 5% of my precision into vitality. I do change it around sometimes like for the cripple on crit-hit.
Trickery major: V and VII, who doesn’t like boons? Fury, Might, Swiftness and Vigor.

Armour atm is a mixture of exotic/rare of power, precision, vitality and condition damage. With 5 superior runes of the pirate ( I only wanted the magic find and wasted money when I found I could’ve got other ones…but the might duration is nice).

Heal: Signet of Malice, This with Death Blossom and Dagger Storm
Utilities: Caltrops (The main skill that gets off those bleed stacks), Signet of Shadows/Shadow Refuge (SoS for when running around and SF for dungeons), Signet of Agility (Increased critical chance and nice condition removal).
Elite: Dagger Storm

How to use: Pre-cast caltrops and run into the enemy by then caltrops should drop from there spam 3 Leaping Death Blossom and then auto attacks and spam a 4th LDB. Use steal (I bound F1 to my mouse button), auto attack a bit more and then 5th LDB. The enemy/enemies would then have 15-22 bleed stacks as well as one of them having poison + weakness while you have all these boons. From this point do whatever you want.

I was able to luckily take down 2 veterans at the same time while rolling around moving while watching bleed ticks go off.

Current Stats:
Power – 1534
Precision – 1905
Toughness – 1101
Vitality – 1129

Attack – 2403
Crit Chance – 51%
Armour – 2136
Health – 12935

I still have to get exotic jewlery.

Hope this helps you and others

I’ve traited myself into trickery and I use steal whenever I can as that it gives me back initiative. With what I’m currently doing I am able to apply 20+ bleed stacks and whatever steal gives me.
If you don’t use steal a lot as a Thief you should start learning to do it because it could just save you.