Guild Wars 2

I believe what people are failing to realize is that you only need 10 in Shadow Arts in order to achieve “permanent” stealth while outside of combat. Utilizing two thieves with a smoke field and the ridiculously overpowered shortbow, perma stealth is a breeze and simple even while in combat. Take the V train under SA if you guys didn’t know.

Stealthing while in combat to hide in a tower is very useful. It attracts lots of enemies away from where they are actually needed, thus aiding the map.

Yours truly,
Stealth Capper of TC

I see the value of legendaries. I have the Twilight. However, I am contemplating about the Mjolnir. The requirements are as egregious as legendaries but without the “accomplishment”. In fact, it will cost more to craft than some legendaries. It’s rare but the ele conjure hammer also shares the same skin. idk…

Auesis’s portrait!

click on the link in my sig
enjoy

Hello

Since I’m getting bored I decided to draw all my characters from Gw2

here is my 1st character – Charr Elementalist

more art from me you may find here ->http://h1fey.deviantart.com/gallery/43526796

Kitty golems from Uncategorized fractal

The actual best is one that I haven’t seen posted yet (but I haven’t look all too hard either). It’s 30-30-0-0-10. You run signet of assassin (obv), another signet, signet heal, and shadow trap. You wait till someone procs your trap, use the 3 signets, then you shadowstep to your target and are invis with 25 might and fury. You need signet might trait for this and everything else is damage traits.

I’ve hit over 20k against fully geared and armored people without any outside buffs (including not having food).

The other day I played WvW for like 4-5 hours, killed 100~ people and died 4 times. All 4 of my deaths were the direct result of last refugee proccing as I hit CnD giving me revealed at the worst possible time. I’m all for fixing or removing this trait, it is the bane of my existence when it comes to this game.

OIIIIIO.7825:

Instead of giving me Blinding Powder at 25% health Give me
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Black_Powder

eh? eh?

And ya, this is the best solution I have heard, mainly because its good and easy to implement.

SF Represent!

Woaden.9425:

But I don’t take advantage of toughness, I hardly get hit, and when I do I have a low cooldown heal/evade to top me off. So in that case, I have to disagree. I would rather have more crit damage from my gear than more toughness. I do still highly value HP though, as a buffer for condition damage. I have tried it with the “correct” gear and it is not as effective.

If you have that much of a problem with conditions I suggest Runes of Lyssa/Bask Venom or Melandru/Lemongrass. Either of those options will win out over stacking HP.

Big Tower.5423:

You are wrong, celestial + zerker prvovide better damage becuse more critical damage = more damage

lol… Please try and understand the discussion before typing, and learn to pay attention to the math posted that clearly shows Celestial and Berserkers does less damage and offers less survivability than Soldiers with Berserkers.

Here, I will help you and explain the math behind it. Maybe you can learn something from it. Here’s the problems for your average attack:
Old:
(2166+250+(35*6)) * ((1 * .48) + ((1.5 + .92) * .52)) =
4565.0384 Damage
Celestial:
(1991+250+(35*6)) * ((1 * .45) + ((1.5 + 1.05) * .55)) =
4540.4775 Damage

To break the numbers down into what they are, it’s…
(base power + bloodlust stacks + (35 * average might stacks)) * ((none-crit damage * .none-crit chance) + (base crit damage + .added crit damage) * .crit chance)) = average damage

These are the only parts of the damage equation that change between the 2 builds, so theyre the only parts of the problem we bother with. The skills you use, your weapon damage, the armor of your targets, etc, would be the same no matter what, so we simply eliminate those parts when comparing the damage, because they would affect both sets in the same way and the answers would still be the same.

And just to explain simply why you’re wrong. What if your crit rate is 5%? Even if you added 100 crit damage to that, it would be reduced by an effectiveness of 95%, since it only triggers on 5 out of 100 hits. Get it? Power/Crit Chance/Crit Damage all matter.

Sitting at like 35% Crit chance with 140 crit damage isnt as good as sitting at like 55% crit chance 90 crit damage.
.35 * 1.4 = 0.490
.55 * .9 = 0.495
Get it?
I really hope you do, it would help clean up the forums.

Condimentalist! Use Ketchup Attack!

(Sorry, someone had to say it. Personally I prefer the sandwichmancer.)

Viking Jorun.5413:

Use dagger storm, dodge to remove the attack animation to do other things while maintaining stability. Stealth otherwise. Good day. Also boon duration for 20% stability uptime.

Using dodge to stop the attacking = you are doing it wrong.
Try a button for “sheath weapons” button, and enjoy way more effectiveness!

I’m going to follow this thread like I follow girls in Barnes & Nobles.

I predict a record setting run with innovative strategies that radically alters the current paradigm.

In fact I would love to see all venom traits on the same tree. Merge Quick Venoms with Venomous Strength (there are multiple utility skill families that get a bonus on use on the same trait that gives the 20% cooldown reduction) and put the result where Quick Venoms is, then put Leeching Venoms on the spot that Quick Venoms just fred, and finally make Venomous Aura (or a mix of it and Residual) on the 30pts for Deadly Arts.

“Shadow Arts” and Venoms aren’t related to each other in concept, everything venom related should be on Deadly Arts and mixing the traits with each other would help with them

I’m a longtime Venom Sharer and while I love the build, I would love this change so I can invest in other traits and trait lines.

And create a new grandmaster trait in shadow arts that has to do with shadow arts at all.

A trait worthy of grandmaster btw. Any ideas?

lvis.3824:

you cannot instagib people who don’t run & specc glass themself.

And if they do, they will hit you as hard as you hit them.

It’s just WvW kitten // stat stacking

Can still insta gib eles and guards b/c they have thief caliber hp pools. Just can’t insta gib necros or warriors since they have disgustingly high hp pools and passive damage mitigation. As said before, the instagib build is completely useless since you’re trapped in melee range, with armor of paper mache, and no way to get out. You better make sure your enemy is completely alone or else you’re f’d.

lol @ the title

Yeah, should still work, doesn’t remove the stoned effect though, it needs to wear off
after using shadow return.

No, I’ll take shuriken or kunai instead.

Oh man, another thief whine thread. Let me guess, you were in hotjoin and a thief stole your boons. You didn’t think how to actually counter it but instead came here and made this post hoping that thieves will get nerfed yet once again. Kudos for your originality!

Overall thoughts:
It justifies what others have already stated: D/P and D/D still rule supreme and while this is so, the lesser used weaponsets will continue to lie dormant. Unfortunately for pure Shortbow builds, the nerfs to this rarely mained weaponset have unarguably made them even weaker and therefore they will become even rarer. Thankfully, small improvements to P/D and S/P builds will hopefully keep things interesting and diversify the thief population somewhat.

However, for the niche thieves out there, condi Dagger/Dagger is definitely worth another shot. Also, with the improved weakness on Sword and numerous improved regen traits, I’m also looking at the possibility one or two tanky Sword/x sustain builds.

Overall, although there are still several traits that I guarantee will never see any play, thief traits as a whole have generally improved and have even opened up some new build options. But if anet is really interested in build diversity, the next balance patch needs to balance weaponsets. Thanks, anet, for the effort. Keep it up!

Pistol/Dagger 2%
Buffs:
- Scorpion Wire: Decreased the aftercast by .2 seconds. Reduced the cooldown to 20 seconds. (Good for the lack of P/D chase and for pulling enemies into caltrops)
- Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds. (Good, allows P/D to close more often for a stealth.)
- Skale Venom: Replaced weakness with torment. (Creates some cover condis. Nothing to shout about. I wouldn’t take this on my P/D thief.)
- Dancing Dagger: Reduced the initiative cost to 3. (Improved P/D lack of chase and kinder on ini-problems in certain builds)
- Pain Response: Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds. (A small buff for some P/D builds.)
- Shadow Protector: This trait has been changed to apply 10 seconds of regeneration when the players stealth them. This effect will not occur if the ally already has regeneration on them. (An interesting option for some P/D builds)
- Sleight of Hand: In addition to dazing the player’s target, this trait now reduces the recharge of Steal by an additional 20%. (An interesting option for a Mug/sustain build. Traiting adds condi damage. More ranged stealths with cloak and dagger.)
- Ricochet: The chance to bounce for this trait has been increased from 25% to 50%. (A small buff for a trait no one will take. I know I wouldn’t.)

Nerfs:
- Last Refuge: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. (A big nerf to P/D. Thief rage 33% more often!)
Overall: A series of small buffs with an increased number of options to play around with. More players may be interested to main P/D. Torment probably won’t see much play at all beyond a hardcore venomshare build.

Pistol/Pistol <1%
Buffs:
- Body Shot: Reduced the aftercast by .4 seconds. Decreased the vulnerability duration to 3 seconds. Increased to 10 stacks for vulnerability. (A fairly useless buff for a useless waste of ini.)
- Pain Response: Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds. (May be useful for more condi cleanse.)
- Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds. (More steals = more ini gained)
- Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds.
- Sundering Strikes: Vulnerability caused by this trait has been increased from 5 seconds to 10 seconds. (A small buff, though I still wouldn’t trait it)
- Ricochet: The chance to bounce for this trait has been increased from 25% to 50%. (Better for P/P than P/D, but there are still much better options to take.)

Nerfs:
None!
Overall: An array for very minor buffs. P/P is still broken and everyone knows it. It won’t see more play as a main weaponset, but due to the SB nerfs, it may see increased play as a secondary weaponset for burst thieves.

Sword/Pistol <1%
- Pistol Whip: Decreased the time between the stun and the sword flurry. (A step in the right direction, but not a huge game changer. It may entice some to dust off this weaponset, but not many will linger.)
- Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds. (A bigger buff than for D/x and even S/D, due to the usefulness of steal halfway through a Pistol Whip and the dire need for ini return)
- Long Reach: This trait now increases the range of Steal to 1500 (up from 1200). (Awesome potential for chase and cherry-pick)
- Sleight of Hand: In addition to dazing the player’s target, this trait now reduces the recharge of Steal by an additional 20%. (Going this far into Trickery is almost a must for S/P due to the +15% full ini damage. This trait will almost certainly see play here, even though it will be the only daze available.)
- Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds. (Core trait)
- Weakness: Changed from 50% fumble on regular attacks to 50% fumble on all attacks. Now only stacks up to 5 times (still stacks duration). (Strong buff for S/P)

Nerfs:
- Shadow Return (Infiltrator Strike Toggle): This skill is no longer a stun breaker. (A small nerf for S/P imo.)
Overall: The changes to steal will almost certainly convert a few thieves to S/P and that’s a good thing. This weaponset won’t see a return to greatness though due to Pistolwhip damage and the Quickness change.

Sword/Dagger 15%
Buffs:
- Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds. (A bigger buff than for D/x because ini-hungry S/x is more likely to trait into Trickery)
- Long Reach: This trait now increases the range of Steal to 1500 (up from 1200). (Awesome potential for chase and cherry-pick)
- Sleight of Hand: In addition to dazing the player’s target, this trait now reduces the recharge of Steal by an additional 20%. (Synergises well with daze build and new steal CD. Will likely see play.)
- Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds. (Core trait)
- Dancing Dagger: Reduced the initiative cost to 3. (Good, this skill will see occasional use now)
- Weakness: Changed from 50% fumble on regular attacks to 50% fumble on all attacks. Now only stacks up to 5 times (still stacks duration). (Strong buff for S/x)
Nerfs:
- Larcenous Strike: Increased the initiative cost to 2. (A big blow to evade builds, but not too bad for stealth builds)
- Shadow Return (Infiltrator Strike Toggle): This skill is no longer a stun breaker. (Again, a bigger problem for ini-heavy evade builds. Not too bad for stealth builds.)
- Last Refuge: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. (the ability 99% of thieves love to hate!)
Overall: With the weakness change and new possibilities with steal builds, S/D has the best buffs out of all weaponsets imo, however this is counterbalanced by two very hefty nerfs, especially to the evade variant. Overall, S/D popularity probably will remain static or perhaps increase slightly, though within the S/D weaponset, new builds are certainly viable.

Shortbow 2%
Buffs:
- Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds. (Core trait)
- Panic Strike: Reduced the cooldown from 60 seconds to 30 seconds (Unlikely to be traited on SB, however could be useful for short-range clusterbombs – clutching at straws here!)
- Pain Response: Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds. (Useful buff, since SB has few ways to cleanse condis.)
- Last Refuge: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. (Useful buff for a non-stealth SB build, though no-one will likely trait 5 points into Shadow Arts for it alone.)

Nerfs:
- Cluster Bomb: Decreased the range set from 1200 to 900. (Significant nerf for many reasons. This one really hurt SB.)
- Lotus Poison: Increased the weakness duration to 4 seconds, but it can only apply once every 20 seconds per target. (Can still stack weakness with cluster bombs, but with overlapping blast fields and nerfed range it’s another big nerf in my book)
Overall: The buffs are very small and the two nerfs are big ones. I strongly believe we will see those few weakness generating, cluster bombing SB users dwindle away even further. With Shadow Trap, increased Steal range and new steal cooldowns for mobility now, SB will likely dwindle as a secondary weapon also. A big fail here for thief diversity. I’ve gone SB/SB before and I know how fun it can be.

I exclusively play WvW and spvp as a thief and have done since launch. The below list attempts to roughly illustrate the popularity of main thief weaponsets as estimated via my own encounters during the last few months:

Dagger/Pistol 50%
Dagger/Dagger 30%
Sword/Dagger 15%
Shortbow 2%
Pistol/Dagger 2%
Pistol/Pistol 1%
Sword/Pistol 1%

Again, these are my own rough observations and only in those two game modes. Other players on other servers may see things differently or have friends/guildmates who main what I view as unpopular builds. I myself main S/D and have tried not to let my familiarity with this weaponset influence my judgement, however the above numbers are the general trend from my point of view.

What I’d like to do now is match each buff/nerf from the recent patch with a specific weaponset to see if some weaponsets may see more playtime in the future beyond curious tinkering. I will pass over traits that I feel users of that weaponset will probably ignore.

Dagger/Pistol 50%
Buffs:
- Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds. (Increased frequency of Mug, steal as engage/mobility and certain stolen items)
- Long Reach: This trait now increases the range of Steal to 1500 (up from 1200). (Awesome potential for chase and cherry-picking targets)
- Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds. (Core trait)
- Signets of Power: The 5 stacks of might that this trait grants have been increased to 10 seconds. (An improvement if traited)
- Panic Strike: Reduced the cooldown from 60 seconds to 30 seconds (An improvement if traited)
Nerfs:
- Lotus Poison: Increased the weakness duration to 4 seconds, but it can only apply once every 20 seconds per target. (Minor trait, not integral to D/P)
- Last Refuge: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. (the ability 99% of thieves love to hate!)
Overall: Moderate Buff. Thieves everywhere now have even more reasons to play the most hated build of the more hated class in all of WvW!

Dagger/Dagger 30%
Buffs:
- Steal: Reduced the recharge to 35 seconds. (Increased frequency of Mug, steal as engage/mobility and certain stolen items)
- Long Reach: This trait now increases the range of Steal to 1500 (up from 1200). (Awesome potential for chase and cherry-pick)
- Furious Retaliation: This trait now grants 10 seconds of fury when striking a target whose health is below 50%. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds. (Core trait)
- Signets of Power: The 5 stacks of might that this trait grants have been increased to 10 seconds. (An improvement if traited)
- Panic Strike: Reduced the cooldown from 60 seconds to 30 seconds (An improvement if traited)
- Dancing Dagger: Reduced the initiative cost to 3. (Good, this skill will see occasional use now)
Nerfs:
- Lotus Poison: Increased the weakness duration to 4 seconds, but it can only apply once every 20 seconds per target. (Minor trait, not integral to D/D)
- Last Refuge: Reduced the cooldown of this trait from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. (the ability 99% of thieves love to hate..)
Overall: A slightly larger buff than D/P due to Dancing Dagger. Maybe we’ll see more D/D thieves if the Last Refuge ‘buff’ doesn’t put them off. It should also be noted that, while I didn’t include D/D condi changes, some may be tempted to experiment with these waters.

It’s patch day and Jimmy a 13 year old gw2 enthusiast logs onto to his warrior for a day of fun and games in WvWvW. But unbeknownst to him a sinister and evil force lurks in the unseen shadows, a thief. As Jimmy leaves his server camp to meet up with the warband the thief readies his basilisk venom, and activates his assassination signet. As soon as poor jimmy is in range the thief precast his cloak and dagger and steals onto Jimmy. Jimmy was talking to his friends in guild chat “My mom says I can stay up all night guadasdwawdasdwad234423333333adwad” And like that the thief lands his end all be all “Backstab” 14k damage it hits Jimmy for. He now has 3k hp and just regained control of his character, but its too late. Two more auto attacks and hes down. The thief stealths, and Jimmy has no chance to even interrupt his stomp.

“How could this happen” Jimmy thought to himself. It surely was not that he was snuck up on by a stealth class, no no… couldn’t be that. He decides to read the patch notes for thief, Furious he sees that thief has some new condition! How can such an overpowered class be buffed! So now Jimmy is off to the thief forums to tell those stupid thiefs how it is….

Seriously, zerker thief’s were nerfed this patch with our only 1200 range attack gone. Our “insta-kill” rotation was not changed AT ALL with the exception of a cd reduction on steal (which means we only would take advantage of it if the fight lasted 30 seconds…that’s not really an insta kill). So why are there so many uneducated idiots out there complaining on the forums about thief’s this patch? You guys realize no one uses venoms right? right…?