Guild Wars 2

panicbutton.1053:

Your traits are like an undecided teenager girl on her period — all over the place.

Couldn’t have been said better. Really, you know a condition build will be terrible when you’re taking 6 divinity runes or when you’re taking 4 trait lines as a thief.

Nice try though.

This is the dumbest thread i have read. I am completely impartial since i’ve played both mesmer and thief extensively. Not to sound immature, but this is like asking “why can’t thieves summon thieves as they dodge?” “Mesmers can do so just by choosing a trait! We have to use a 180 second cooldown top tier elite!”

Clearly, not every elite will have a proportional benefit to other elites. The difference in utility between shadow refuge and mass invisibility is compensated in other aspects of the class. Not to mention, the radius of mass invisibility is significantly larger than shadow refuge; plus it cannot be made useless with a simple knockback.

Thieves’ unique strengths are their stealth and mobility; whilst mesmers have their clones. It’s ridiculous to even entertain the idea of comparing their stealth access.

Nolimitz.9467:

there is…. sadly are you ready to bash your head at the amazing RNG that is loot drops from dungeon bosses? YES!? then and go ahead and far CM p1 to get Spineguard of the North that drops from “Frost” and yes it is soulbound i believe

Does anyone actually have this yet? I read up on it and people are just saying it’s speculative. If so, looks like i’m going to have to do dungeons again nuuuu.

Correct me if i’m wrong, but you have flame legion armor (r50+) but you’re only r46? O.o

Having played both sets rather extensively, i still have no idea which set is more effective.

Using Rabid, i have used full undead runes to capitalize on toughness whilst using sigil of earth for bleed crits procs. (More dps in the short term)

Using Carrion, i used the typical “wild bill” 2/2/2 runes. (Far superior bleed duration and ultimately, higher damage if the bleeds last their full duration, but less DPS meaning those with access to a lot of condition removal pose a greater threat)

For both sets i used the 0/0/30/20/20 traits but recently changed up to take advantage of mug and the trickery trait line buff.

I noticed however, that the majority of P/D (if not most) users use Carrion, why is this? Or perhaps, they’re simply situational?

Awesome vid, but you have a couple immune c/d’s that you could work on, especially considering the revert stealth buff

It saddens me to see Wild Bill lose, since i’m so used to his edited footage

Laserbolt.6731:

Luthan said: “If the team is just not working 1 person can’t make it win.”

Exactly.

Also, one person can’t make it lose if the team is working well.

I’m not expecting you to carry the supposed constant “noob teams” you keep getting; i’m saying over enough games (thus increasing your sample size) the teams you get will tend closer to an average level expected at which point, it will be you, the changing variable that will determine whether you win or not. I’m sick of people saying you’re getting bad teams constantly; everyone who solo q’s does, including me. I myself solo q regularly with over 300 games played (r778 atm) and have several friends who have rankings as high as the 4xx’s who purely solo que.

The reveal nerf is essentially a nerf to our dps, i don’t see why Anet doesnt just reduce damage if they are so worried about the burst, leaving this ‘clunky’ mechanism in sPvP/tPVP is beyond me. If they are worried about continuous stealthing, a “regardless of attacking” nerf should be implemented. These are two far more reasonable decisions than splitting pvp with pve/wvw. Or better yet, replace last refuge with 3 sec reveal: “two birds with one stone” type scenario.

I reckon that’s pretty OP, you’d be essentially getting another minor trait (replacing the previous useless trait). I believe it should be replaced with “3 sec reveal” which is reasonable considering anet is most likely reverting the reveal nerf regardless.

Edit: Minor Trait lol.

Oh please, solo que at lower percentiles will match you with those who share a similar ranking to yourself. Your team and the enemy team is more or less similar to a constant variable. The reason you have reached such a low percentile is because you deserve to be there. “Getting bad teams” will only change your true percentile by plus/minus 5-10%. Yes, luck is involved, but you’re being extreme if you think a 5% player could realistically be a 90% player. (Unless they have played VERY few games and got unlucky, this MAY be caused by a very small sample size, in which case the player can just play more).

After reading rumors that the 4 sec reveal nerf will only be revoked in PvE (and perhaps WvW), but NOT sPVP, i am not only left baffled but additionally frustrated by such a flawed proposal. It is evident Anet realizes the nerf was a mistake, it should be revoked completely, not partially. It’s almost as if they aren’t willing to take responsibility and will not fully admit it was an unprecedented implementation in the first place!

Whilst much of the community have been encouraging sPVP, WvW and PvE to be split in regard to class balancing; i believe this is only an appropriate solution for dps problems RATHER than splitting the mechanics of the class itself. The intrinsic reason as to why this is flawed is due to the fact that splitting the stealth mechanics of the class is essentially forcing the player to learn two methods of gameplay. For example, personally as a P/D player, i would have to do 2 autoattacks between c/d chains in WvW/PvE, however, in sPVP i would have to do ~3.25 autoattacks (Yes, ~0.25 secs because 4 seconds reveal ruins the natural fluidity of the autoattack chain). I am only guessing from a D/P, D/D perspective that this would apply to them as well in a similar fashion. Anet must realize the repercussions of their implemented balances. They are asking us to learn two different types of rotations. How do you expect players to improve when they are constantly forced to change the way they play?

Furthermore, it puzzles me that sPVP is the area that they would want to keep the stealth nerf. Stealth is terrible in terms of holding nodes. Not to mention devs have demonstrated a recognition of the thief’s failure to contribute equally to other classes in tPVP. There is no reason why sPVP should suffer such unnecessary punishment.

I hope Anet can demonstrate ownership of their mistakes and show some professionalism. IF NEED BE, and they still believe after this month’s atrocity, that the thief’s stealth mechanics need to be nerfed, i believe it would be appropriate for a 3 sec reveal regardless of stealth-attacking or not (That’s a personal opinion though, i agree with the majority that chaining C/D is nothing but a annoyance because it opens the opportunity for “perma-stealth”, i couldn’t care less about this though).

Agreed.

/Must be 15.

That moment when you get 90% for both tpvp and achievements…cries in corner Q_Q

This is my face. This is my palm.

= FACEPALM

That’s a surprise! ANOTHER request for a thief nerf! How original!

./end sarcasm.

Another reason why the recent stealth nerf was completely unnecessary and didn’t address any problems like this one. If Anet nerfed stealth to give debuff regardless of attacking or not instead of the god kitten 4 sec reveal, this would not be a problem.

Daecollo.9578:

Karolis.4261:

As topic says. Inftract me, ban me, w/e. Remove this kittening trait.

Or replace it with something useful, like…

“Lowers (Revealed.) by one second.” :P

Agreed. +1

Hi guys!

I’m new to the ranger (usually play thief but bored) and i’m fundamentally interested in dueling. Is there any experienced rangers willing to share a 1v1 build with me? Would be preferred if it suited tPVP because i may go for “Champion Hunter” if i can manage to play it well ^.^

Note: I’m completely clueless so it would be great if a summary of the skill rotation could be given. What runes, pets, sigils etc…

Thanks in advance!

Hi guys,

I’m have played thief/mesmer extensively for a long period now, and am quite interested in elementalists as i hear they have a high “skill cap”.

If someone could introduce me to the meta solo build for elementalists, it would be greatly appreciated! A quick summary of the skill rotation would also be extremely helpful.

Thanks in advance! ^.^

Hi guys,

I’ve been playing thief/mesmer for ages now and getting somewhat bored. I’m really into dueling but also absolutely new to guardian.

If any guardian experts are willing to share with me a good dueling build (1v1), prefrebly dps rather than bunker types, it would be tremendously appreciated!

P.S some tips on perhaps how the rotation of skills will work would be very useful.

Thanks in advance =3

Adaneshade.2409:

Or, F, they finally created a balanced class and the bads are simply QQing the loss of their ez-mode.

I’ve played thief as main since release and plan to continue to do so. Right now, I’m in a position where it’s 50/50 when I go into a fight that I’ll be the victor, where previously it was no contest (can I really claim to be so much better than every one else playing any other class at that point in time? no.) Our class was OP, it’s now balanced.

If Thieve’s are so “OP”, perhaps you can explain why they are the lowest tier class along with warrior post-patch in tPVP? They don’t carry their weight anymore and are simply not worthy of holding one of the 5 slots. Let’s be honest. If $10,000 was on the line, NO ONE would pick thieves, their only viable build at the moment is the overrated backstab gc build which was only encouraged by Anet’s blinded decision to nerf stealth and deter users astray from builds that everyone does not complain about. Class balancing should intrinsically be based around their status in tPVP, this is the most fundamental part of the game because it is the most competitive. Evident by the amount of players still complaining about thieve’s ability in PvE, it would be logical to believe that tPVP would be Anet’s primary goal; but they have failed in that aspect as well.

This patch was completely uncalled for, the stealth nerf is detrimental to builds like p/d and quickness should not have been nerfed as significantly as it is now.

How have other P/D thieves taken the stealth nerf, caltrops nerf and “dodgetrops” buff?

Personally, i find my dps has been significantly harmed. Instead of using the pre-patch chain (C/D ->2 autoattacks-> C/D), now i have to use 3 autoattacks. I would have much preferred the expected (but not implemented) stealth nerf where we would be revealed regardless of attacking or not. At least this is reasonable as it removes the problem of perma-stealth. Instead we are hit by a nerf that does not address this problem, no, we get a nerf which simply drops damage. This contradicts the very purpose of the implementation of the nerf…

It’s unfair that P/D users have to suffer, we were already a small population which are nearly never found in spvp tournaments.

But this is just me, i have been deterred from P/D and now i am encouraged to conform and play D/D glass-cannon that everybody complains about, which i DO NOT want to play.

What do you think? Discuss.

How do you obtain these? I used to do ‘free’ tournies for these tokens, but now i get a different type of chest due the new pvp system.

Thanks ^.^

Having used both D/D and P/D condition builds for extended periods of time, i have learnt D/D is far more suitable for PvE whereas P/D is superior in PvP. Reasons for this is that death blossom has a very long bleed duration (with food it’s about 17 secs~), most classes will have some type of condition removal that will take effect easily within 17 secs, meaning the full potential damage of D/D is never fully executed. Whilst P/D has a duration of 7 secs~ which means more damage output in shorter periods of time.

Furthermore, D/D relies on being at melee range to apply bleeds, therefore, CC and general ranged classes will be relatively detrimental to your gameplay. P/D has the ability to apply heavy bleeds from kiting distance AND when the enemy gets close, a simple cloak and dagger → stealth → 5 bleeds. Ultimately turning their strengths into their weakness (if they’re melee).

D/D isn’t inept of course, it’s still viable if the enemy doesn’t know how to counter it. It’s even more viable in spvp + caltrops because the enemy is forced to stay within melee distance (node).

@randomfightfan 8/10

So pweeeety haha =D

Hai,

Wanted to ask which amulet would be best for P/D condition thieves. Optimally, i would want the power/vit/condition (carrion) but i can’t seem to find it in the laurel vendor. The only necklaces with condition damage are the prec/tough/cond OR vit/tough/cond.

So…which out of these two would be better?

I’m thinking the prec will be pretty useless considering with full carrion/traits etc i currently only have 4% prec. But not sure.

OOOO i remember i had a 1v1 with you in JP, took forever. Thought i won, but then you partied me and told me you lagged. T_T

I remember cause you’re still on my friends list haha.

Thanks so much!

Hi,

Was wondering if someone could tell me the names of the food and wrench-buff (sorry don’t know the type of the consumable lol) that would best suit a glass cannon D/D spec. Can’t seem to find the power/prec/crit damage food in the T.P :/

SmokeyNYY.7841:

Red Falcon.8257:

“AoE capped”? DS is not an AoE.
It throws daggers that bounce once to a nearby target.

Dagger storm is obviously an AoE skill. Why do you think it it hits multiple people hahaha. Oh boy.

That’s like saying dancing dagger is an AOE…“Oh boy”.

So i have been using P/D for quite a lengthy period now, and i find myself constantly switching between 20/0/30/20/0 and 0/0/30/20/20. Both are great. Which build do you guys think is better for WvW (mostly for 1v1)? I really like the venoms but i have to give up shadow refuge for the devourer venom. Signet of shadows is a must; i just can’t stand being slow. I feel shadow refuge is so vital for the thief cause it allows for an escape from the worst of situations, but at the same time, i feel like i’m wasting the venom traits by taking it over the immobilize.

What do you guys think?

You beat him, but somehow they are OP…

Thieves make huge sacrifices in defense in order to sustain such backstab damage,i can guarantee you that if he possessed this much burst, you would’ve done just as much damage back to him proportional to his 12-15k health. Let’s be realistic here, if you let a thief backstab you “several times” then you aren’t playing correctly. This simply demonstrates your lack of understanding in countering the thief class which consequently makes this post nothing but a big QQ. Anet has made it clear through the last patch that they believe most professions are relatively balanced, and thus, any future nerfs or buffs will be insignificant at most.

Incinerator. Totally Not biased. wink

Could someone explain to me what exactly “culling” is? I hear that it’s a “major” problem but have no idea what it is. If i could guess, is it when a thief stealths and when he reappears for some reason i can’t target him for a few seconds (unless i manually click him)? Not sure.

Thanks ;D

Alastar.2863:

TakaEagle.9486:

proxy.7963:

Legendaries are skins, not stats.

Legendaries have their own stats, they aren’t just the skin.

The stats on the legendaries are EQUAL to exotics. You want their stats you can find an exotic with the exact same stats in either the trading post, karma shop, loot drop or by crafting it.
Pay closer attention to the stats, not the rarity.
If you don’t like the combination of the stats on the legendary you can transmutate it with an exotic with the stats you want.

That’s what i’m implying, i should be able to transmute it to whatever combination of stats i want. However, with the current system, if i transmute, i will lose the “legendary” rarity and thus when ascended weapons come out, i won’t be getting the free upgrade.

proxy.7963:

Legendaries are skins, not stats.

Legendaries have their own stats, they aren’t just the skin.

I strongly believe that the legendary stat problem should be addressed. It is rather unfair that someone puts so much effort into the “high end” gear only to suffer, technically not a stat loss, but most likely not the optimal stats that the user wants. I understand the legendaries are not supposed to advantage players in anyway, but i see no reason as to why they should disadvantage players. With ascended gear presumably coming, it is unfair to expect us to transmute the legendary and waste all our efforts.

Discuss.

Would like some viewpoints regarding the advantages and disadvantages of both the 20/0/30/20/0 (Venom) or 0/0/30/20/20 (Condition) builds. I like them both a lot. Which build is more appropriate for 1v1? I ask this because this is what i enjoy the most whilst PVPing.

Thanks ^^

ah i guess this explains why if i initiate with the steal and haven’t attacked yet; it only works then. Guess i’ll be re-traiting >.>

Hi,

So i tried a new build out today (P/D) which uses the trait hidden thief. I initially believed it would stealth me so i could immediately do a sneak attack afterwards. However, it instead stealthed me for a short amount of time and my sneak attack din’t go off. I also saw that the stealth cooldown signal was flashing indicating that it DID stealth me. So why would it not activate my sneak attack ability?

EDIT: It seems to work if the mob, enemy has not attacked me yet. But not if they are attacking me.

Hi!

So i have two builds at the moment which i am very fond of. The first is my current one, 25/30/0/0/15 (A D/D burst spec with full zerker gear). My second is a 20/0/30/20/0 build (Venom/Tanky/Condition P/D spec).

I was wondering which build you believe to be more effective for WvW. I am a person who enjoys 1v1 fights and often spend time looking for them.

I feel as though the D/D spec does really well against another squishy player, however against a good bunker player like a tanky guardian/warrior, my opening burst either gets blocked or simply doesn’t do enough damage to bring them below 50%. The burst really allows me to pick off people who wander from the zerg and allows me to down them quickly before anyone comes to assist.

I haven’t had much experience with P/D, i’ve only used it in sPVP. I’m not sure how great it will be in WvW. So far in sPVP however, it’s been pretty awesome at 1v1’s (a bit slow at taking down the enemy).

Advice on which build i should take please! Thanks

Agreed. It’s stupid especially when “fleet shadow” is not working as intended which was meant as our compensation for the other class’ agility buffs.

Thieves are not OP. They can be burst down as quickly as they can burst down others. I cannot reiterate this more.

Let me ask you: if thieves were so “OP”, then why in the world is it so rare to see a thief in high level sPVP or tPVP? They are only seen as OP by those who do not how to counter them, hence most of the “PVE” players in WvW complain endlessly.

Personally, i couldn’t give less about the blade itself, i like glows because that’s pretty much the only thing that is easily visible on such a small weapon. Hence, MY personal favorites would be the Christmas winter needles or the corrupted shards.

Hi,

Whilst farming the mats for my legendary, i realized i will very likely have all the mats before i get that 1mil+ karma. I need about ~630k karma.

What would be the best method to farm karma? I hear plinxx got nerfed (never tried it). I’m doing CoF/AC dungeons quite regularly for the drops of karma and the karma reward but that’s pretty much all i can think of right now.

Help is appreciated!

You obviously have not played any tPVP, because if you had, you would know backstab builds are anything BUT overpowered. The fact that you are letting backstab builds hit 10k+ on you, is purely because you decided to roll a squishy build. That is simply a consequence you should deal with and not whine about. A backstab thief can’t do kitten to a tanky guardian/warrior. The fact you are asking for nerfs simply demonstrates your lack of understanding of the class. The purpose of the thief as anet has described is to: get in, kill quickly, get out. Nerfing the backstab/HS would just hinder the WHOLE POINT of the thief. Yes thieves have high burst damage, but they also have ~12k hp, they can just as easily be burst down at the same rate.

Hi,

What is your preference out of S/P or D/D for WvW? Both of these sets i’m referring to the glass-cannon/direct damage version of them by the way.

P.S reasoning would also be appreciated!

Thanks.

Hi!

So i was wondering what you guys do.

At the moment, i run a tanky condition DB build (full carrion gear) which i find extremely effective for PvE/Dungeons. I feel this build doesn’t perform as effectively in WvW however. I’d much rather use a glass cannon build with a berserker set or perhaps a venom p/d build. This would require changing traits, skills and armor sets…

So do u guys bother changing? or do you simply keep the same everything for PvE/Dungeons and WvW?

Hi,

As i’m nearing 100% map completion, i noticed in the exploration tab that i’m only 174/175 for Kryta. (P.S i have compelted all areas of Kryta). Does this mean i happened to miss a “discovery” with perhaps no poi and wp in it?

Any tips?

Thanks!