So, a few hours ago I started my brand new thief (which I streamed, and will continue to do so on http://www.twitch.tv/motrokarg/new after a break) and I had a lot of fun while getting him to level 10. Here are my thoughts so far.
I started as a human, because I dislike how Asuras look, I already completed the Sylvari starting area, and I don’t like Norn’s snowy-mountain-theme. And Charr thieves look plain ridiculous. I picked my background as a Noble, my divinity, branded myself as a charmer, and set off into the big world.
First few hearts weren’t hard, they aren’t supposed to be anyway, but right from the beginning I noticed a few things:
- GW2 thieves aren’t supposed to be just squishy damage dealers like in most other games. They can be tough, and they don’t deal THAT much damage. And certainly they don’t seem to be designed around crit.
- Stealth is a mechanic that the class does have, but it isn’t built around it either. You can use stealth, take some advantage with repositioning or a big hit/root/snare, but that’s about that. Forget about sneaking everywhere.
- At least for these first 10 levels, our unique class mechanic, Steal, feels kinda gimmicky. Sure, it’s nice to have, but you can go on without even noticing it’s there. I even forgot about it for several levels. Perhaps 1 minute CD is too much?
- You have a LOT of control over your enemy. Wielding a Pistol allows you to blind, snare, confuse, and even root an enemy I think? Thats great. Many mobs cannot touch you.
-Backstab from stealth is insane. INSANE.
- There seems to be a lack of AoE for the class, which is similar to what most rogue classes suffer in other games. Sure, the Shortbow autoattack is AoE by nature, but if I wanted to use a bow, I’d be a ranger.
- Pistols are GREAT. I mean, GREAT. Not only they have some nice skills (Black powder, switch to daggers, heart strike into stealth, and backstab. Amazing.), but also look very good. I felt like a true bucaneer. In this game, being a thief means you can be a pirate. Yarr.
- Wielding a Pistol and a Dagger so far seems to be the way to go. It gives you mobility, control, and damage. BUT, this is the class with which I’ve most had to switch weapons, and that may turn some people off, but I find it a lot of fun.
- Swords aren’t bad, in fact, I like how they have a wide arc damage, and flank strike is frankly very good, but again. If I wanted to be a warrior, I’d be a warrior. Sword/Pistol is pirate material tho. Yarr again.
So far the class has been amazing. Tried some PvP but, as expected, those Infinite Battlegrounds are no place for a level 9. Will go back to them later on.
I love how the class keeps you on your toes, you always have to be doing something, as opposed to my Ranger, where my pet tanks while I just randomly press some button. Yawn. More interactivity = better.
I would like some advice on slot skills. So far I’m running with the signet that gives me Precision and the one that gives me Power. I figured that you can’t go wrong with passive dmg and crit, but perhaps I’m missing something. Also, I may be missing something cool that the class can do. Feel free to instruct me.
I will keep sharing my experiences, probably my next post will be when I reach 15 or 20. See you at the stream. Bye!
TL;DR: Class is great, pew pew, I’m a pirate yarr!
