Guild Wars 2

In wvw I die a lot. I blame that on me going to 1 v 10 at their attack trebs n stuff.

Ive never felt like other chars outdamage me by much in dungeons. I can perma 25 bleed and perma poison my enemies. I also do decent damage with c&d and sneak shoot o.o oh and i can perma 16 stacksof might on my own…

I prefer to start condition builds at 30+. But if you wanna start low, get caltrops asap. Around 20 and lower, you can prettyy much gib mobs with cnd → backstab and sigil of bloodlust so its hard to pass that up.

Eh… I posted how i would rework the thoef quite some time ago but basically…
I would turb cnd to an aoe with some form of evade. Then i would move stealthing to offhan daggers 3 ability so offhand dagger becomes stealthy and offhand pistol keeps its disruption. Oh and that head shot should deal Cnd levels of damage when you interrupt with it o.o

D/d, s/d, p/d becomes mug → 3→ backstab

D/d will lose burst in exchange for bleed, p/d will have to run up to the enemy, and s/d will need to have its 3 fixed so make the 2nd hit a shadowstep instead or somefing instead of “roll and hit the air”

They didnt nerf revealed. They buffed vital shot to shoot faster o.O

No. It would makenthieves too dodgy cuz 10 points more and you hve 40% or so reduced dodge cost.

Well…I can stack 25 bleeds on my own in dungeons while keeping the boss perma poisoned and snared/weakened if I wanted. o.o Thieves are also the single best blast finisher – spammer in the game.

Have you seen the damage numbers for pistols? Theyre nothing to write home about at all o.o

The first time I read the description, I was like “awesome bouncing projectiles!”
Then I noticed 5%. Then I did a triple take and went “WTF!? kittenOL”

Nvm I mustve missed it the first time I read through. Oh so sleepy x.x And its hardly a nerf its more like a buff tbh o.O

Where does it say that? o.O

People who die quickly to backstab is also susceptible to Churning Earth → Lightning Flash → Switch to lightning and RTL backdraft → switch to fire 4 5.

I love P/D condition build and wear carrion gear. You can pretty much solo champion mobs with clever use of stealth reset timer. I killed the champ alone in the NW cave of the level 70-80 snow area by stealthing and stacking bleeds and dropping caltrops between him and where he resets to.

Now ofc that does not work very well in events. Luckilly, you can always fall to shortbow for that. Drop cluster bombs n stuff!

Or sometimes I just use a dagger in the mainhand and no offhand. Twisting fang looks really nice.

Not sure if serious…
But its a.

Imperator totius Sylvari.9164:

t depends on what server you go to… had 5 mesmers in the opposing team just 30 mins ago, earlier today had a team with 4 thieves and on my team 4 engineers. In all we would need more data before drawing any conclusions :P

This. It changes. Last night I had a match where there were mostly engineers and it completely ruined my thief. All that aoe was just impossible to prevent. Another time it was mostly mesmers and that was hell. Aside from that, it tends to be a nice healthy balance most of the time.

What gear are you wearing and did you change your spec at all?

The only problem with that is if your blast finisher hits an enemy, its bye bye stealth

Cloaked in Shadow – Last I used it, it was around 3 seconds. This was quite some time ago though.

Infusion of Shadow – Stealth is a buff that stacks in duration. All other traits that affects things that stack in duration works when you add to its duration.

Patience – 1 per second.

Shadows rejuvenation – Around 70% of shadow refuge. I distinctly remember Shadow refuge healing me for 350+ and getting 200+ healing from the stealth.

Power of Inertia – 10 seconds

Feline Grace : about 40% of endurance used.

Uncatchable : 4 seconds, does the same as the caltrops utility skill

Long Reach : I remember it saying increases to 1200 range on the trait but I havent checked on it for so long…

Leeching Venoms…I remember someone posting the maths on that in these forums.

If its a bug then several other similar comboes should be considered a bug as well. Such as the Churning Earth → Lightning Flash combo.

From what it looks like, you dont really use C&D and your gameplay isnt dependent on it. I say move your Shadow Arts stuff into Acrobatics. Also, “Damage +%” doesnt work on condition damage so I vote on moving 5 points from either Deadly Arts or Trickery (my vote goes to removing them from deadly arts) and getting feline grace so you can dodge more and maybe even getting another 5 points so you can get the heal on initiative use thing.

Ofc I have never used a condition build based on d&d. I typically only move my extra dagger to the main hand on my weapon switch so I can use C&D → Steal → Caltrops → Death Blossom once or twice followed by a c&d to hide again o.o

I find using deathblossom, even as a defense, quite weak unless I need the aoe but caltrops usually takes care of my aoe needs.

I find that, at 80, there is no need for condition duration aside from sigil of agony and the 40% condition duration food. Well..For me that is. If the fight is going to drag out, a simple caltrops can keep me at 23-25 stacks of bleed on my own. This along with caltrops on dodge lets me just wear 2 sets of P&D (just 1 pistol and 2 daggers you can leave the other spot empty).

Anyways! I use sigil of agony on the pistol and sigil of endurance regen on weapon swap on the other one. This allows me to dodge whenever I use c&d. o.o

Im sure you would need condition duration if you did not take the “caltrops on dodge” trait. Caltrops on its own, however, will stack up to 14 times on its own if you had 100% condition duration. Add that with C&D + sneak shot + 2x autoattack, youll have 25 stacks of bleeds on your own.

Ive been wondering if Backstab build was viable in PVE. I need to get some money and get gear for it x.x

I use a P/D condition build for pve right now. 0/0/30/20/20. Caltrops takes care of all my aoe problems and if its aoe spam events, I just spam cluster bomb o.o ’

All you really need is to autoattack as you get closer, c&d →dodge then use the stealth attack. 2nd time you do it, the enemy will have something like 15-18 bleeds in a few seconds.

Edit : Removed vid
This one works. That link you gave says invalid parameter

Also, lol I do that a lot in wvw

Also isnt arcane the one with the trait to make stafe aoe ginormous?

Delete thief and give us the commando profession.

I think the 1 hit one was eviscerate or somefing

Awesome job! Is that greatsword mesmer at max range btw?

I vote to trade out dual skills +5% damage because that only affects direct damage and not conditions. Id take the venom recharge over that tbh.

As for thrill of te hunt… Ita goodfor groups but i imagine caltrops on dodge would be faster when soloing. Also caltrops on dodge will heal you for 3 ticks iirc if there are enemies on it.

I run something similar to knyx in wvw.

0/0/30/20/20.

D/d and short bow.

C&d → steal in middle of zerg→ db spam→ dodge twice → switch to bow(spike on switch rune)→ shadow refuge→ drop out poison fields.

Caltrops are extremely powerful. Mine stacks 12-14 stacks on its own if people dont get out of it and the dodge one gets up 6 stacks for a few secs.

Guanglai Kangyi.4318:

Why are people getting hit by backstabs in the first place? That’s the easiest thing in the world to dodge.

Hell, how are you people even failing to kill the thief the instant he’s in melee range? It takes, like, 2 seconds to kill a thief by auto-attacking.

Because we just used our cc breaker ( if we put it on our slot ) on that mace warrior who knocked me back and now Im stunned with BV and no way to get out. Why am I going in alone? Because I am obviously Rambo.

I have 2200 armor and I remember thieves hitting me for 9k with what I assume is backstab. But that wasnt happening too often. Im guessing thats the effect of the power signet? Hurts a lot because I only have 12,805 hp

Edit : apparently we can change the jewel in our amulet thingie! Switches it now to reach 13k hp

If your clusterbomb hits enemies, it will count as damage during stealth and give you the revealed buff. Fail I know.

Lan.1968:

6 might be a bit too much for thieves to handle

Cloak and dagger is 6 initiative cost right now though o.O

For dungeons, shadow refuge. For PVP, roll for initiative. Have you seen all those hammer warriors recently? They set up kills so well.

Zunhar.4079:

… You sure do like high Initiative costs.

I decided to keep stealthing abilities initiative cost to 6 since there is a trait to reduce it to 4 on adept level of shadow arts.

So Im bored at work and decided to come up with a list of stuff I want to change with the thief.

So yeah! here it is!

This ones mine

Quickness – Now only affects each ability once.

Dagger offhand rework -

Cloak and dagger (x/d 5) – throw out a shadow cloak around you while delivering a 360 degree slash with your dagger. Evading causes nearby enemies to be blinded and poisoned(500 range for the blind and poison). 5 ini cost.
Reasoning : this nerfs c&d mug backstab burst quite a bit and gives a decent aoe option and the much needed defense when aoe-ing. This will give you defense while black powder continues to give team defense as a whole.

Death blossom (d&d 3) – do an evasive attack over your opponent, striking nearby enemies before vanishing. Each hit causes bleeding. 6 ini cost
Reason : death blossom -> mug -> backstab. Less burst. Initiative was also increased to prevent spamming but taking the trait “Infusion of Shadow” will allow it to be used more often as the fight drags on.

Shadowstrike (p&d 3) – stab your foe with a dagger before shadowstepping away and firing 1 shot and vanishing. 6 ini cost
Reasoning : we are supposed to use shadowstrike to get away but currently, c&d + dodge roll is so much better. So stealth is being moved to this skill. Currently, P&D condition builds bounce in and out of melee range anyways. This change will alow it to be a defensive move on its own but it will still force the user to move back into melee range if they wish to stealth again.

Flanking strike (s&d 3) – attack your foe with your sword then shadowstep behind them for a dagger strike before vanishing in stealth. The first strike removes a boon and the second strike poisons the enemy. 6 ini cost
Reasoning : S&D users already have a gap closer and because cloak and dagger now has an evade, this move will be used more for positioning and setting up a tactical strike, providing more control and some additional damage.

Pistol offhand rework :

Assasinate(x/P #4 from stealth) – deals 1.25xthe damage of backstab from the back and stun for 2 seconds.
Reasoning : Because stealth cant be used as often when the thief is wielding a pistol offhand, its getting a big boost to headshot. While you can still daze with it when not stealthed, using it from stealth now makes it deal tremendous damage.

Head Shot (x/P #4) – Successful interrupts cause it to deal 5x the damage. (same damage as last hit of sword combo)

Shadow Shot (d/p #3) – Currently, this does not work well enough as a gap closer due to the root. Instead of a rooting dagger strike, it will now deal damage the same way as mug from stealth.

Pistol Whip (s/p #3) – Damage is reverted to old numbers.

Black Powder (x/p 5) – Fire a black powder shot under your feet, blinding them with the smoke cloud. 6 ini cost. Smoke cloud radius is increased by 50%.
Reasoning : to make up for the change in c&d, increasing the radius will also allow it to be more useful in defending the team.

Unload (p&p 3) – Damage increased by 5%, combo finisher projectile chance increased to 50%.
Reasoning : Right now, people tend to spam unload. This change will push player to save that bit of initiative t ouse for when there is a combo field instead.

Short Bow :

Surprise Shot – Do 2x more damage, immobilize duration increased from 2 to 3 seconds.

Trait :

Pistol Mastery – +5% damage with pistols. Removes the bleed component of vital shot and increase its base damage by 75%.

Tricking the Blind – Blinding enemies also confuses them for 3 seconds. This will replace the “oh so useful” ricochet master trait in the trickery line.
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How bout you guys? Anyone else bored at work and have nothing to do? Post your thief reworks here! n stuff…..gawd Im bored

I have trouble when i stack 25 bleeds on a necro and he sends my bleed, weakness, cripple, and poison back to me.

Headshot(pistol #4 from stealth) – deals 1.25xthe damage of backstab from the back and stun for 2 seconds.
Reasoning : you cant stealth often with pistol offhand.

Experimental venom (elite) – your next attack deals damage based on how many bleeds are stacked and how many seconds of poison and bleed are left. Their duration are cut in half and deal 2x damage. Further attempts at poisoning, bleeding, or burning the enemy causes it to combust, dealing damage equal to 1/4its intended damage until the remaining conditions are consumed.
Reasoning: to help condition builds out during boss fights. 1/4 damage from a bunch of conditions is better than most peoples conditions doing nothing.

Death blossom (d&d 3) – do an evasive attack over your opponent, striking nearby enemies before vanishing. Each hit causes bleeding. 6 ini cost
Reason : death blossom -> mug -> backstab. Less burst.

Shadowstrike (p&d 3) – stab your foe with a dagger before shadowstepping away and firing 1 shot and vanishing. 6 ini cost
Reasoning : we use shadowstrike to get away but currently, c&d + dodge roll is so much better. So i moved the stealth here. This is sposed to do as much damage as the current c&d because who goes pwr/pre on a p/d?

Flanking strike (s&d 3) – attack your foe with your sword then shadowstep behind them for a dagger strike before vanishing in stealth. The first strike removes a boon and the second strike poisons the enemy. 6 ini cost
Reasoning : we already have a gap closer so i made this more of a damage and stealth move. 1st hit is 1/3 of the current c&d damage while 2nd is 3/4th of c&d. More on why when i get to c&d.

Cloak and dagger (x/d 5) – throw out a shadow cloak around you while delivering a 360 degree slash with your dagger. Evading causes nearby enemies to be confused for 5 seconds. 5 ini cost.
Reasoning : this nerfs c&d mug backstab burst quite a bit and gives a decent aoe option and the much needed defense when aoe-ing.

Black Powder (x/p 5) – Fire a black powder shot under your feet, confusing nearby enemies then blinding them with the smoke cloud. 6 ini cost, 5 sec confusion.
Reasoning : to make up for the change in c&d. This gives you defense and slight damage.

Thats how i would fix the thief class o.o

Umm…I ran across quite a bit of them earlier today. They used quickness and the age old tactic of “Spam 3 to win!”

Edit: i just spent an entire match following around an elementalist and interrupting as much as i can with head shot and that worked surprisingly well. People just go “WTF!?!?” when they try to heal and it gets interrupted.

Shadow refuge + unload spam heals surprisingly well too.

Ill try the juking thing with shadow step! But even with 2000 toughness, all people seem to do is peppering it with aoes and killing me even from full hp and like.500 hp ticking on it (shadow refuge ticks + shadow rejuv) .
As for 15 seconds of stealth movement…I tried that once but even after the aoe pulse thing faded, I got the revealed debuff the moment i leave where the circle was. Is there a way of not makign that happen or should I wait inside longer?

Tuli – My experience with it even as an initiation tool, everyone just peppers the shadow refuge with aoes or guardians just knock me right out. How do you use shadow refuge? aoe blindness/lifesteal? o.o

Edit : Im only talking about pvp. I use shadow refuge in pve but for some reason, people always knock me out/pepper me with aoes in pvp.

@ZLE – Shadow refuge is not a very good ability to have. Usually, they just flood that with aoe and youre dead even with shadow rejuvenation. Or worse. They knock you out. I stick to blinding powder or roll for initiative. If I get teleported and Im out of combat, Im definitely using tripwire though. And yes. Traps are friggin awesome.

Send an engineer down there and hell clear out the sharks and anyone trying to defend it.

Also, have you tried killing off the sharks first then killing him?

They tend to target the ones moving most. If you have 20 in shadow arts, go up to their face and perma blind them. They shoot slow so its possible to do that. I think they attack the squishiest. I use shaman gear and have 30 in shadow arts and they havent gone after me in forever. They usually gib my elementalist friendo though o.o

I play a condition thief and I love it. Just remember to take caltrops o.o its your single best aoe skill as a thief especially since you can use it while stealthed. You can usually drop it and if you stacked condition duration, itll stack 12 times on its own and you can give 25 stacks of bleed if youre continuously going 2x pistol shots → c&d→ stealth shot while theyre over caltrops. The main thing you have to look for is that you can fight an exteded fight in a condition build unlike our more bursty counterparts. However we will still die if cc’d (but who doesnt?) and you will absolutely hate necros that return your conditions to you and spread it to everyone around you. All condition build chars hate necros. Youll learn to fear them as well when you fight good ones.

Going p&d will remove most of the effects f condition removal. You stack bleeds often.

Everyone knows that shadow trap has to be the most Op ability EVER! It effectively allows you to have 1 node completely undefended and itll just telEport you to it! Yes there is a max range on it… But it is friggin huge! In quite a bit of maps, you can be in mid and have the trap on either side and you get pulled right to it if its activated!

Simply amazing skill! Have any of you guys tried it yet? My disruptive tanky condition thie uses it and i can ruin peoples days with it o.o

Theyd be all like “freee node!” and id be like ZIPPIDY DOODAA EAT MY CALTROPS!

Its kinda awkward though when im in a fight and i get zipped to the trap… Lol

Test it out! :o