Guild Wars 2

It’s kinda of a nuisance that Anet took a hard nerf on the S/D considering that it is already a build for experienced players. To be honest, I really love this weapon set due to the abundance of dodging and the ability to go in and out in a clash because of the sword skill 2. It would be a shame if Anet would completely destroy this build in the next expansion considering that the skills in this weapon set are only functional in pvp.

Really appreciate everyone’s input! Let’s just hope Anet would not further deteriorate the current status of thieves. Cheers!

I’ve been seeing lately that the current meta for thieves have become D/P. Most of the ESL tournys (Heck, most of the thieves currently) are running 26006 build with vamp runes or pack runes. Whereas the previous meta was S/D which runs 20066 with either strength/pack runes. In my opinion, I do find the D/P build to be lacking in mobility as compared to the S/D (The feline grace trait and Expeditious dogger trait). Additionaly, in terms of survivability, as thieves get to be relatively squishy, it is to be noticed that D/P don’t have the abundance of dodging as seen in the S/D. However, a player can be good at escaping if he knows correct tactical usage of the smoke + heart combo but this does not guarantee that the D/P thief won’t get hit as compared to the excess dodging of S/D . Also, it is with no doubt that the D/P do have the higher damage in terms of bursting an opponent, whereas the S/D can provide the player with substantial sustain with adequate damage.

Nevertheless, the comparison between these two builds do have its pros and cons but I have yet to understand why D/P have become the current meta for thieves lately.