Guild Wars 2

This has never happened to me before this evening, but happened twice tonight as I was completing my PvP daily. I had downed an enemy player, they had used their skills, they were on the ropes. I move in for my flag finisher, and they vanish. And I think to myself, “Self… that was a ranger/engineer/warrior. They should not have a downed stealth skill.” Upon checking the leaderboards, the player had actually left the game rather than get killed.

Now, I felt a little cheated. Not sure if I should… maybe motivating someone on the other team quit is better than finishing them off. But I just don’t understand what would motivate someone to do that, I guess. If I play better than you, I win. If you play better, you win. There are sometimes I get finished off thinking “No way that guy is a better player than me.” or “Could’ve taken that guy if he hadn’t had backup/trebuchet.” but that only motivates me to get back out there, take some points, and if I’m lucky enough to meet the dude again, to rematch. shrugs Has this happened to anyone else? Someone who has Downed-quit care to enlighten me as to why this is a good strat?

I found the karka similarly unforgiving. I’m a lvl 80 warrior with full exotic gear and exotic weapons, but if I pull more than one of these normal mobs, I’m toast. And even 1v1, I have to use BOTH my dodge rolls to avoid the initial burst. This doesn’t seem like something ANet intended (they have no qualms about requiring one well-timed dodge, but requiring two is like boss mechanics). Maybe the karka will calm down a bit after the event is over, and scaling returns to normal?

I play a thief. I use this ability, and I’m sure it annoys people. But you have an incomplete understanding of the mechanics. It isn’t a terribly cheap skill to use. Even with an expanded initiative pool and initiative regeneration, a thief can use it at most 5 times in a row. With stealthing I can increase it to about seven times.

Is the skill powerful? Yes. A skill that allows you that much evade is powerful. But once I’m out of initiative, I’m dead in the water (quite literally) because all theif skills except #1 use initiative. Thief underwater abilities (like the underwater abilities of many classes) are underwhelming at best, and this is one of the only good abilities we have. (if you are serious about underwater power, you should also start a thread concerning Engineers and their underwater turrets and grenades).

Now, as far as a counter, someone else pointed out that “evade” is not “inveunerability.” Several skills, including some AoEs (admittedly, there aren’t many underwater AoEs) can push through evade. Sinking/floating enemies is one (and it seriously sucks to be evading and get physic’d like that). Another point to consider is that when a theif goes stealth, they no longer count towards the “capture” population of the circle, allowing their opponents to make a little progress. Also, another good counter is to back it up. If you’re using exclusively melee attacks underwater, you’re missing half your skills, and you’re playing right into this particular theif strategy. Back up to where they can’t hit you and let them have it with your ranged attacks. They can’t evade forever (like you seemed to imply earlier), and if you’re out of their range it’s only a delaying tactic for the theif… they will have to fight you eventually (and without a significant chunk of their initiative).

Now, admittedly, the sharks pose a problem, because you can’t just wait for them to get done… the sharks will eat you. But theives themselves aren’t good underwater fighters (in my estimation). I know you may be frustrated with thiefs taking advantage of their options, but realize that in melee they don’t have very many other viable options. If ArenaNet chooses to alter the skill, or alter the map, or alter the mechanics, then you might find this strategy easier to counter. That may or may not come to pass, so I would humbly propose that thieves are not as powerful underwater as you claim… they are just very good stallers.