Guild Wars 2

To begin with, i think u should play the story of HOT, it is nice and well done. u will have fun and slowly progress trought the new maps, masteries and unlocking specialisation.
Then u will have a better understanding of game new-tools and get your direction.

Paul Ella.2037:

During the Rectification of the Vuldronaii, the Traveler came as a large and moving Torb! Then, during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Slothasor! Many Shubs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Slothasor that day, I can tell you!

Are you a god…?

Imagine if that thing was at Khazad-dum bridge instead of a balrog.. would u watch the rest of the movie? i mean… atmosphere has its impact..

rogerwilko.6895:

Stealth is no longer exclusive to Thiefs.

As it is now, IMO, Thief can deliver decent DPS (condi or non-condi) but with low HP (yes Thief has great healing as long as he is hitting something; should he be in a position to run / be away from a target, 10k hp is… not a good thing) and zero team utility(not counting break bar, anyone can do that).

In the past, for PvE, his low HP was balanced by excellent DPS / interrupts. Now, times have changed.

Thief is OK if all you want from a team member is DPS. Should you require more, there are better choices.

Again that’s my opinion; it may be wrong, and if you think it is, do tell me.

Well this is not a valid reason, the low HP isnt a problem. If a thief is able to play in raids he doesnt get hit and that’s a fact. Another fact is that dps-wise staff daredevil is best phisical direct dmg.
The real prolem is the lack of utility and party-wide buffs. So it’s not a general hate toward the class but the real lack of added value to a raid comp apart from dps itself.

Zeghart.9841:

This is why devs lately don’t post in the pvp section. We finally get something we’ve been waiting for years, and people immediately jump at Grouch’s throat for balance problems.
Chill out, guys.

Personally I can’t wait to try out Leagues

well u probably dont play a thief

Auesis.7301:

Thanks for sharing my screenshot

Auesis i dont get how do u reach 33k poison dot in that screenshot.
Does the multiplier from defiance bar breaking applies to condi dmg in bloomhunger? Is 37 stack all yours? I see the 25 weakness stcks and 18 might but i still dont understand

blarghhrrkblah.3412:

That’s interesting…it never occurred to me to actually walk away from the boss a few steps before WCing…will practice this. Thanks for the video!

This is the correct way to do, hitting WC 3 times, but..
I think that this rotation is good when boss hitbox is big enough to remove the movement required to hit WC 3 times.
The movement required to adjust + the longer animation of WC make vault rotation probably have a higher dps on smaller hitbox.
Something like that:

The real problem comparing Thief and Rev professions isnt dps, but the Herald trait line.
While Daredevil comes up with some buff to our dmg + a dodge, herald trait line seems tailored for raiding. Every trait here is a party wide buff with godly utility skills:
Infused light, Shared empowerment, Envoy of sustenance.. the only personal buff trait is grandmaster.
Glint utility then are on-request party wide buffs, while thief has personal skill to increase HIS dps. You neeed might? facet of strenght. protection? chaos. Fury? darkness.
At the current state of the game the slight increase in dps provided by thief, could maybe grant us 1 spot in raid, but we are not needed like Herald is.
My opinion is that Revenant is too much.. at least something like assassin’s presence should have been granted to thief instead.

i tryed to contact many of u, but its difficult to set up a night when at least 10 are available. the better solution is maybe creating a new guild just for this purpose.
Btw i tried to tank it yesterday and can easily be tanked with pistol-whip + dodge. It becomes more difficult in the other phases cause when i made a mistake boss hit like truck (i had 1390 toughness, full zerk only rings and earrings soldier).
I absolutely think it can be done, but it will be challenging.

Hello caerulean, thief is not in a sweet spot atm, not for his dmg but for the poor utility and unique buffs he can give to the raid.
BUT… if u know how to play a thief is completely viable even if not meta. The only difficult things is find ppl that have an open mind to understand the simple equation: skill > class
Find a nice guild like that and u will have tons of fun. fight against those that throw prejudices at our beloved profession.

Remember the 250 ferocity bonus u get from grandmaster while fury’s up. would be 16,66 more critical dmg. Flawless Strike can compensate the 7% from havoc mastery if u can keep health up.
I dont think havoc mastery increase damage from condition, i believe it was designed to increase phisical dmg from a power staff daredevil. I can be wrong but generally when it’s not specified in description “damage” relates to direct damage.

I can see your build is very well tinkered, and we are at a point where we are trying to min/max cause there is no room for big improvements. I can just propose something different to your attention, but warning you, that i only theorycrafted it and not tested it yet.

My point is: in my experience with condi builds i could see (different from other profession) the our condi dmg follow a “spiked” graph. We have good dmg when we use poisons utility and tend to lower dps to the next poison cycle.
Is there a chance a hybrid build could be used to maximise dps in-between? like that:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQRAoY4YnMJCFNhNNBOOB8PhjWiafoRXiyX0joI0BQIuAA-ThSAQBRU9nLpEEbK/i2DAQg7PMhDCQA1DAgTAAf0MQgjAApAgZZF-e

following a standard rotation applying all poisons, then swap weapons, CnD + backstab (revealed training), autoattack to max ini, dumping initiative on death blossom, autoattack till enough ini for a new CnD and again. This going on untill poisons off cds, swap again and burn all poisons again for a condi spike. What u think?

ok i add all of u, so we can organise in-game

is [teef] still up?

u just need a higher toughness tank on first boss, the others 2 isnt a problem who hold aggro

yes and u should believe your guildies lol!

full glyph (u can use druid runes too)

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNBmYD7keVogVsmVwkVgoVsYIYwd1waZ1p1F7yaMBg1VDA-TRyGABAcFAwTJ4Q7PskyP20Boi6P5eQAETzA5PAAA-e

spirit support (bugged atm unfortunately)

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNBmYD7keVoZFsmVwVFgoFsYIYwd1waZ1Z1F76BMBg1VDA-TRyGABAcFAwTJ4Q7PskyP20Boi6P5eQAETzA5PAAA-e

key features of both is quick draw, grandmaster talent. choose wisely the skill to reduce cooldown, usually call of the wild and ancestral grace or ancestral wisp.
cat pet for might buff, spider to immobilize gorseval spirits, fern hound for more healing and so on

both chill/alacrity should affect ini regeneration IMO, but i dont know how this could be balanced in pvp.

We can try to organise it! would be nice if some1 could take a vid. tomorrow evening prime time?

Steinpilz.5078:

I have a ranger which I level as a druid currently and I would like to know what equipment I should give her for raids.
Which weapon sets are best for healer druid in raids?

Cleric is a solid choice atm.
monk runes (ascalonian catacombs tokens) or druid runes (if u going for a glyph build +500 Healing power always up when u need the burst)

Staff + sword/warhorn is what i used till now. U can choose different secondary, just keep staff
best sigil is trasference + water on staff (the first one very expensive)

TurtleDragon.3108:

Builds that try to be a DPS ranger that off heal and rarely use staff are not utilizing the druid properly IMO.

I feel the same… in beginning i was playing much more offensive and not camping staff, planning on a zealot armor. But after raiding experience, and recent nerfs to astral energy i feel that camping staff and grace of the land are the key points to focus on.
I equipped cleric in the end and find myself stay in staff most of the fight. Generally when u learn the fight u want Celestial Form ready when damage spikes up, trying to anticipate it with glyph of empowerment already used (if u didnt use it to boost dmg)

There are several combos u can use to refull HP like:

Glyph of Empowerment (CaF) + Glyph of Rejuvenation or/and Glyph of Alignment or/and Rejuvenating Tides

consider Glyph of Empowerment bonus to heal has a 6 secs duration so u can use more healing, u can even choose to exit celestial form and Ancestral Grace where u need to heal.

i think stealth should work cause from my experience they react like all mobs ai, they follow players, so if u are stealthed they should not come by. i hope the bolt is shared even if are in stealth tough cause i know that if u are downed it doesnt count u.

Yes might stacking could be a problem, maybe with 4 condition leeching poison would be enough, but should be tested. In general there would be less room for mistake but i think it can be done, at least spirit guardian. Tank doesnt need to be extremely tanky, just a bit of toughness to keep aggro and i think he can tank pretty well with S/P + malice dishing out good dps.
Would not be ideal, but an inc with 30 person (al thieves guild).. LOL

Dont u think that S/P + Signet of Malice would be better if u want to tank?
Btw i would love to see your calculation cause just watching the vids on internet doesnt seems that we actually lack dps, but support to the raid in terms of unique buffs.

What about doing a raid only with thieves?
Tank thieves, condi thieves and power thieves. Who need a healer when u can rotate Skelk Venom with venomous aura + personal healing? Only problem i can think of is might stacking.. maybe thrill of the crime with strenght runes.. i dont know..
That would be hilarious i think noone will have problem going share the aoe on first boss lol.
what u think guys?

The mechaninc change has its logic, but actually it nerfs too much the healing capabilities of the class. You can still manage to build enough energy in raid to turn in celestial form but u almost have to sit on staff making the gameplay much boring than before and less effective. If Anet think (logically) that energy should come from effective healing then should buff its gain from this.
Should be very nice to see a mechanic “on request” like necromancer Death Shroud.

Aggrostemma.1703:

I used to be a medi guardian than a hybrid (gs/hammer+virtue/rad/valor).

Now I give a go to the OP DH with DH/valor/zeal or rad

I shall not know but here is my feedback:

Thief is actually a stronger +1 against me if I play DH than against my regular medi/hybrid build.

If my attention is to pewpew people and someone blows my traps (mesmer/necro/ranger) than I have actually less defence than a regular Guardian build.

Also if a thief is prepared for the fight (like I used to be against my archenemies like necro/mesmer) they bring Thief’s Guild !!! (yeah, I know…. I have a thief as well….) or Daggerstorm… The DH pushes their pants just further down once the traps are blowed. Even a burn/hybrid guardian is more capable of doing 1v1v+1 than a Draghonhunter.

All the sudden their +1 present is deadly for my DH meanwhile I could manage this pretty easily on my hybrid guardian.

So if a thief plays it’s (I know… forced…) role as +1 it can be even more deadly to a DH than to a vanilia guardian….

My two cents…

im agree with you (except the +1 role, forced indeed), but i dont want to address the DH as a whole, but the damage from procession of blades specifically. I can stand and try to counter the insane damage from longbow skills (true shot). but the deadly trap + that damage from 1200 makes it… frustrating in Spvp.
Dodging the trap is possible, but in this actual state even if u have very low latency and try to ista-dodge (or pre-dodge like in the video i linked) the damage spike is too high.

Ghotistyx.6942:

There are better ways of getting your message across, like not using caps and typing out complete words in the forum language (which happens to be English). Also, actually making a point is very helpful but obviously not required as evidenced by the many posts in the profession forums as a whole, let alone this thread.

Looking back at your post, I’m having a hard time resisting the urge to be a sassy Sally. Like, it would probably be easier to give up food for a day than to not just go to town.

well not everyone is english native, so u should have a little open mind and trying to understand trough grammar mistakes.
i used caps to just highlight the burning damage factor.
the point of the post is “im astonished there are people that can defend the actually DH as not being op”

Aveneo.2068:

Gwalchgwn.1659:

You should thanks those people, having some really really bad Players on DH will maybe show people that you can kill them hahaha

Cat Has Ducks.1982:

Highly agree!

I’m tired of stupid thieves talking crap in say chat that I only killed them because I’m using OP DH. And it definately isn’t the thousands of hours I have on guardian, and it’s not the fact a stupid thief decided to 1v1 a guardian.

So you killed them because you’re using guardian* and not DH? So it’s just Guardian OP to thieves? (I’m not saying this, but that’s what you last sentence kind of implies

I think any class that they can’t kill with their oneshot macro is OP to them.

i main a thief, all this sentence let me understand why pvp is so kitten in this game.
the arrogance and the presumption of sentence like “the stupid thief that tought to engage a guardian 1v1” or like the “smart sentence”: I think any class that they can’t kill with their oneshot macro is OP to them… when it is ok every other class should have the power to oneshot us in passive aoe lol. just for information: thief no longer have a one-shot macro since long time. a backstab crit hit 6k in pvp.
lets’ talk about burn, do u rly think it is balanced?

bleeding (0.06 * Condition Damage) + 22 damage per stack per second
torment (0.045 * Condition Damage) + 15.9 damage per stack per second
poison (0.06 * Condition Damage) + 33.5 damage per stack per second
BURNING (01.55*CONDITION DMG) + 131.5 DMG PER STACK PER SEC.

not all class (like thief for ex) have access to burning but let it be.. a condition to rule em all…

did any of u look at this vid maybe? how can u dodge that kind of dmg?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3RRn09JKNI
if thief is such in a bad spot atm (like the general balance of pvp) is for this kinds of assumptions.. in a good pvp enviroment every 1v1 should be a fair challenge no “one-shot macro” no “one-shot traps” no “one shot condi” and so on

Power D/D is no more viable in pvp since long time. CnD almost impossible to land in current meta (for the reasons u said) its damage is ridicolous and it has cast time too..
The mobility is comparable to a crippled snail, u will die often to passive aoe.
The set would need a massive buff for pvp but then how do u balance it pve side? it’s still one of the best choices for pve dps.
Maybe CnD should be made unblockable, just dodgeable…
About backstab, i dont think this skill has any meaning in today pvp. It’s damage is so low for his requirements, many many professions have higher dmg skills easier to land.

well it depends how u want to play it.
i personally would drop scorpion wire cause atm i dont think is very reliable like impairing daggers considering u have no condition clear u could chose signet of agility. it gives u condi clear and free endurance on activation.
then i would change trickster with bountiful theft, u have low steal cd so its a solid choice.
bound is a good choice and allow u stealth access trough BP.
swindler eq. is questionable, hard to catch if u want another free stunbreak or guarded initiation if u feel confident enough with the build.
ofc this is pvp wise

Runewolf.8456:

The only thing that keeps thieves alive in PvP in back capping and +1ing. Now many thieves myself included do not like only back capping and +1ing but we are pretty much pigeonholed into doing it unless you’re a lot better than your opponent or playing medic/condi thief. This is where many of the “underpowered” claims come from, people who try to go outside that one role and get rekt for doing so. In short thieves are balanced for their role, but they only have one general roll, unlike other classes that can fill several, and that is where thief needs buffs.

when ppl will understand that +1 is not a role? rly guys… every profession can be +1… and can be a better +1 than thief, look at mesmer for example…

the day comes and trolls turn to stone..
btw OP.. THIEFS are absolutely balanced, indeed i think they are very OP in current meta. THIEVES on the other hand are not…

sadly i must agree.. the rly rly sad thing is that no matter how further into glass-build we go we cant produce dps comparable to other classes (pve-side)
let alone pvp…

Cbomb.4310:

Nephar.3746:

no love for thieves at all?
dont u think a power D/D, Staff or sinister condi can perform a good dps?

I did mention a ven thief as a ‘maybe’ in my bottom party, but overall no. Things that made thiefs awesome in dungeons I dont see being a thing in raids. Mainly stealth. Raw dps isnt really enough. You could maybe take one in the power group too but.. again.. its not my ideal group. People that insist on playing thieves in raids are going to get on my bad side very quickly.

i can agree on they are not “ideal” if we want to min/max, and that rly depends on how well devs did their work.. i mean that enrage timer should be large enough to allow every dps-builded profession in, and rerolling should NOT be the way to solve the problem.
i cant agree on your last quote.. i mean it’s not player fault that even when u play well a certain profession it cant keep up in “meters” or utility with others. devs should make it balanced, that’s all.
i would like to test a sinister condi venom share build. can buff others condi builds and got a ton of defiance strip (ofc i dont think can keep up with sinister engi)

no love for thieves at all?
dont u think a power D/D, Staff or sinister condi can perform a good dps?

i suppose u are speaking bout a pvp-build?

the big dimension is a plus to discourage zerging, cause it is no more efficient to zerg when small groups spread around can achieve something and the zerg take too long to reach and disrupt them.
the vertical layout is too confusing.
my feeling atm when i enter is that i need a mount and a gps…

Lucky Shot.7650:

Also, does it make sense to still talk about max dps and stuff atm? I mean, dungeon speedrunning might actually die, and who knows what kind of content will people run to get gold. Baybe the new meta will simply be PVT shortbow mob tagging in some random train. For instance, I’ve been running S/D in pve for boon stripping and breakbar draining and the daredevil’s elite skill.

i think that could make sense if we want to min/max about raid dps.
sinister D/D could be a valid candidate too, what u think?

jozefka.7256:

Nephar.3746:

i dont get your point rly..
i just play like 2 hours each day in the evening and i fully unlocked the daredevil spec yesterday (4 days after release), with 210 Hp already stored.
i am unlocking the druid spec with just 40 HP stored and i began using the druid spec even with only the first trait.. just for using the staff.
i dont see this as an issue unless u want it ALL and NOW when the game just release…
take your time and relax… u can even play the spec without being fully unlocked u know?

what if i have like 5% map completion and a level 80 character and i want to try the elite in HoT? I first have to collect enough points to even activate the elite and after that i won’t be nearly as powerful as to play HoT with it. it doesn’t help that all hero points in HoT require multiple people.. what happened to “we want you to play the game the way you want to”?

i get your point jozefka, but i think even with a very “casual solo play” u will need less than two weeks to fully unlock a spec from 0 HP.. and regarding HP that requires multiple ppl, i usually play solo but i had no problems at all finding players around HP to help/collaborate. I still think a 2-weeks time investment isnt that bad for a newly released game to unlock an elite spec from 0 HP… and probably most of players will have some HP stored as well dont u think?

i dont get your point rly..
i just play like 2 hours each day in the evening and i fully unlocked the daredevil spec yesterday (4 days after release), with 210 Hp already stored.
i am unlocking the druid spec with just 40 HP stored and i began using the druid spec even with only the first trait.. just for using the staff.
i dont see this as an issue unless u want it ALL and NOW when the game just release…
take your time and relax… u can even play the spec without being fully unlocked u know?

best gift for me would be HoT for my friend.. i cant afford to gift it to him and he cant afford to buy it :/

i dont think so no..
it is like WoW master looter ninja, u should give power to someone trustworthy, if not it is your responsability.

this is just a bet.. nothing “sure” atm. i would suggest to open them now.
if u want to wait and “gamble” i think it’s like throwing exotics in mystic forge…

it seems rox quiver, so it isnt part of the outfit but an individual skin u could buy from cosmetic shop in the past.

Meters are not bad for themself, but for the attitude they bring to the game. It is a tool that is not used like it should be used 90% of times from 90% of ppl.. Everyone that played WoW (expecially good players) understand what i mean.

Tarkan.5609:

That is true, but you shouldn’t make one skill too strong to better Thief’s squishyness. That will only lead to the necessity of Daredevil in order to take a very strong skill that just outbalances the weakness of the core profession (if you take it to an extreme).

and this is exactly what is happening right now. after beta weekend i feel that daredevil is mandatory to compensate thief actual weakness.
take dodges for another fitting examples…

id like WvW to be like that: http://imgur.com/aBXd0Fk
I think in this way ppl will tend to zerg less, and will incentivate more party play.
There will be many objectives on all the maps doables by small groups of players.
I would replace ruins system, placing the same concept around the inner frontiers of every server with a different playstyle: there should be like many mini-event (instead of ruins) to acquire this servers-wide buffs, not only standing in a place for some time. for example u can create an undead mage tower with veterans and a champion to defeat to acquire an item that gives this buff. This item must be brought to the nearest keep (like the old orbs)
and it will expire after some time respawning at the eveunt start with the mini-event.
I would make supply depot more rpg style too, with workers to defend in order to get the materials ready to be delivered. this could cause more counter-play by other servers: small groups could focus on just sabotage the supply depots without conquering them if they are far away from their server “frontline”
All this and many more addiction would make feel the player more “inside” a real open-world huge area. if u are going to zerg in an huge enviroment like this would not be convenient cause small organized groups would take more objective.
Would be nice if there would be small villages too for conquering.
Another great idea that i liked from an old mmo, is an area accessible to only the server that has the most of the keeps at the very moment (like daoc darkness fall).
Would be nice if only champions there for insane farming and huge bosses. that would be accessible from LA so ppl have to exit the frotiner to get in and other realms can get keeps back in unguarded.
what u think?

none of u just noticed how is it impossible to play thief in wvw since league start cause of insane lag? i cant land a cnd or avoid to be melted cause of healing skill/stubreak delay (or just wont work at all).
all i can see is that bunker classes/spec have a much easier life…
i really cant play thief anymore in wvw.. lag just kills me in seconds… on my warrior on the other hand seems much easier and that sucks since i love thief playstyle

same issue here,
when i finally can enter wvw at some point i get huge lag spikes (still i see others moves smoothly and attacking me) where i cant use any skills, after like 10-20 secs
i just die slowly from ppl attacking me (and i cant see anyone around, but i can read combat log in real time). then i have to manually restart game otherwise it wont stuck.