Guild Wars 2

Dee Jay.2460:

“Viable” is always a very tricky term as people tend to only consider the absolute best build “viable”.

• Anyway, D/D works fine for hotjoin, as does pretty much every build.
• It would be less effective in SoloQ just because GW2 PvP is full of cleave damage and AoE. A glassy Thief can barely spend a second in a node fight without dropping dead from splash damage. You could still contribute but after catching a few people off guard they’d quickly catch on and focus you down very quickly.
• In TeamQ you’d be a liability playing D/D. You won’t be able to win a single 1v1 and constantly die to cleave damage.

D/P at least gives you Black Powder which helps you prevail in 1v1 situations as it mitigates a lot of damage. You still have Backstab too for the burst so imo it’s a superior weapon set.

With a SA build, I’d say that it’s certainly viable. Since the initiative change, you don’t need the initiative on stealth trait and can easily get blind on stealth. This allows a D/D to AoE blind similarly to a D/P thief while being able to get the additional burst of D/D (CnD -> Backstab instead of a HS against a target that’s not yet low health -> backstab).

In team fights, you should be using Short Bow for the majority of the time when there’s heavy AoE, regardless of what spec you’re using (except for R.I.P. S/D).

If you run D/D in something like a full glass 25/30/0/0/15 or 10/30/0/0/30 build, then yea, it won’t work well, but with 0/30/30/0/0+10, you have more sustain and can still burst heavily.

I think D/D is still highly underestimated since it’s been out of the meta for so long and when most people try it, they don’t learn it well enough to time a CnD-> backstab to land the second you come out of stealth. Instead, most people just stealth, run up, and backstab alone.

One of the main problems is that Capture the Flag is a gametype that’s really best when it’s done on a reasonably sized map without too many extra objectives. This way there is a sincere focus on the flag carrier as well as enough space for enemies to have a chance at getting a flag carrier with their cooldowns gone. When it’s a tiny trek like in Spiritwatch, a carrier can just blow all their cooldowns to cover the majority of the terrain.

Farcus.6953:

To continue with this post, what two ascended dagger? I’m currently on one zerker, should i continue on with another or go with a soldier or knight?

Go both berserker.

animalmom.1062:

Sorry to bump an old thread but I am using traveller runes with inf signet and cloaked in shadow post the initiative bump. I dont notice a difference losing infusion of shadow.

I also would like thoughts on orrian truffle and meat stew?

Yea, I think Yishis switched Infusion of Shadow for Shadow’s Embrace. Personally, I still use Infusion since I just put the extra initiative to use with Death Blossom as an evade with damage against some classes (evade shatter/kill clones against mesmer, evade through Necro marks, etc.).

As for Orrian Truffle, it’s a good choice, but it can be a bit pricey. If I was going to spend that much on food, I’d probably go with Bowl of Butternut Squash Soup (80 precision and 8 critical damage). If you are already light on defense stats with your gear, you may like the orrian truffle more.

Figerion.6159:

Edit: What does it mean the arrow from Shadowstep to Shadow Return?

Hmm, I’m not sure I understand what you are referring to. It’s probably one of two things:

1 – The arrow from the short bow skill Infiltrator’s Arrow

2 – The utility skill Shadowstep. Once you use this skill, it changes to Shadow Return

Aaroneous.6190:

Going to be pretty short on this, as I’m trying to my hardest not to let my anger govern this post. However anger is what finally pushed me to make my first post about a real issue.

I don’t play spvp, so I don’t know if this is an issue there, but in WvW perma-stealth thieves are pretty much beyond ridiculous and into the absurdity level. Two of my friends have quit playing this game entirely because of thieves, mesmers.. thieves, mesmers… repeat. I told them that mesmers are simply a learning situation, but thieves? No buddy. Who ever designed thieves were just one of those spoiled kids that would cry if they didn’t get whatever they want. so enough with the ramble, I said i’d be short.

Thieves IMO are completely busted in WvW because of how intangible they are to catch. But guess what? it’s not because of their stealth. let them be invisible all day, I don’t care.

Shadow step is the problem. Cut the range of that move in half. I have faced off against actual speed hackers before, and let me tell you, I always have to pay real close attention to whether it’s a real speed hacker or a shadows stepping thief.
I’d like to see what you guys think though. Surely I don’t know everything.

People get really frustrated when they can’t get the closure of a stomp, but a thief that simply leaves instead of getting completely downed still doesn’t accomplish the objectives of WvW: Capturing towers/supply camps.

And honestly, a warrior can often disengage from a fight just as easily if not more so. =P

Ragnar.1546:

Okay well it sounds like they do quite a bit. The whole roaming bit doesn’t appeal to me, I’ve done it with my other classes and it’s fine just not my thing.

I’m debating on whether to go Mesmer or Thief as my new character, Mesmer I’ve had a little more experience with as the Thief I’ve never leveled over 15. Between the two it sounds as if Mesmer has more team assist thru utilities where as Thief is more offensive in it’s “assisting”. My only problem with that is I know Mesmers can dish out really good damage as well.

If roaming really doesn’t have any appeal to you and you’re mainly focused on WvW, then something like a Mesmer may be a better choice. Thieves are far from useless in large groups, but there are still other classes who have a bigger role to play in these situations. If you haven’t yet, also consider Necro and Engineer.

Hey, welcome to the thief class!

PvP/WvW
Nerovergil’s advice for WvW is good, but I would advise looking at the build Yishis runs since it’s a D/D build that, personally, I think works better. His build is here:
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-c;4RwkZ0J5R-Vd0;9;5TT9;225B35A0;3JNV4-F04m9fgm9fgm-FTF6-6-N_schVlWYXv21475230B-2c;5kV05NV05;9;9;9;9;86-6U
And you can see a video where he explains his gameplay here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEEYhovtwBo

If you use D/D in PvP, be sure to pick up the trait in the Shadow Arts tree that grants blindness on stealth since this will contribute to shutting down your enemies while also allowing you to land stomps against downed opponents that try to interrupt you.

Also, for anyone new to the thief class, I would highly recommend watching the below video, as it gives you a lot of little tips about the thief class for tricks that will make a big difference in your gameplay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUmrfBr1R5s

Additionally, there are a lot of good shortcuts that you can take in sPvP maps with the short bow when you use Infiltrator’s Arrow. I would highly recommend experimenting around on PvP maps with this and/or watching some videos that show how these work.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gw2+infiltrator%27s+arrow&sm=3

Another tip that I didn’t see in the tip video above is for getting strong burst when using D/D: When stealthed, cast Basilisk venom and move behind your enemy. Wait until your stealth is just about to wear out and cast Cloak and Dagger. If you time it right, you should land the attack after the stealth wears off on its own. This will prevent you from getting the revealed debuff and will allow you to immediately backstab.

PvE
The builds above are ok for PvE as well, but generally, you can go for more of a glass cannon build that focuses on damage since it’s easier to dodge predictable NPC attacks. Surviving on a thief is harder than probably any other class, so it may not be best to go for a full glass cannon build imediately, but ideally, a 25/30/0/0/15 (http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQJAo4EBnLOpcORs9Yn6kn+HIrODa2SA) build with berserker gear (power/precision/crit damage) will allow you to contribute maximum damage to your group.

As for which skills are useful, here’s a list of some of the best skills for thieves in PvE and PvP along with a brief explanation of why they are good:

Shadowstep – Stunbreakers are crucial in PvP and this is one of the best. It not only can break stun twice (once when you port away and once when you port back), but it will also give you awesome mobility and more options when stomping enemies (see vid linked earlier). The condition cleanse is an added bonus.
Shadow Refuge – This skill ends up in most PvE and PvP builds because it’s incredibly useful for so many situations. You can prevent allies from getting stomped by stealthing them and then rezzing them, you can hide a group of allies past enemies, you can stealth yourself right before you die, then port away with your downed #2 skill to rez in stealth, you can get 2 stealth attacks in PvE with the right timing, and you can also use it to stealth for a stomp.
Signet of Agility – The overall versatility of this ability makes it pretty amazing, particularly in PvE. It can save you by cleansing conditions or simply giving you extra dodges and when you don’t need this, it will increase your dps by boosting your precision.
Blinding Powder – It’s a simple, on demand, instant stealth that costs no initiative and can be cast while stunned. This will also stealth allies that are very close to you.
Signet of Shadows – If you don’t have Runes of the Traveler, then this is a great way to get around quickly. However, it really shines while you’re leveling up since it just lets you get around faster.
Infiltrator’s Signet – The extra initiative passive is decent, but the active ability is a stunbreaker that will also port you to your target. As mentioned in the video, this is great for landing stomps against other thieves who port away while you’re in the middle of your stomp animation.
Shadow Trap – The long range on this makes it great for moving around in sPvP, such as when you need to get back to your team to help out in a fight. Outside of this, it has a few situations where it can be helpful, such as the Swamp fractal in Fractals of the Mists.
Assassin’s Signet – When you don’t need the utility of other skills, this is a great way to simply boost your dps. It can also be activated for some extra burst damage.

Anyways, I know this is a lot for one reply, but hopefully it helps. =)

Awesome guide, thanks for sharing!

Thief – Best mobility in the game.

Running around opening up waypoints and grabbing easy PoIs/skill points/vistas along the way is a really powerful way to level that’s often overlooked. Not only is it faster than actually doing all the heartquests, but you’ll have the map open to do stuff like Guild Missions.

Yea, if ultra settings are possible with an AMD rig, then it’s only with a really beastly one. I have an 8320 overclocked and the game runs decently at high.

If you want to see serious performance, go with an intel system of i5 or greater.

Move to a better server. That’s definitely not my experience. (I’m on Tarnished Coast)

Daroon.1736:

Earn Glory in PvP and buy gifts from the merchant.

Yea, I’ll second this. If you have a decent win ratio, you can get a lot of gifts quickly. This has been the fastest method for me.

This is one of the most honest titles I’ve seen for a thread in these forums…and it would probably be just as accurate for more than half the threads in this subforum.

Ummm…what?

Valid post patch PvP builds are the same as pre-patch except that S/D is pretty much dead.

Karizee.8076:

Here’s another good site for viewing weapons:

http://argos-soft.net/GW2/WeaponGallery/index.php?weapon=12&lang=en

Argos Soft is back!?! Awesome!

Warriors have a lot of stuns, but they also have some pretty obvious tells on them. If I lose to a warrior in a 1 v 1, it’s generally because I wasted endurance when I shouldn’t have or because I just missed a dodge that I shouldn’t have. I rarely have a loss to a warrior where I can’t see what I did wrong.

My favorite alt is my Guardian since they’re so strong in dungeons. This is also why I do progression fractals on my Guard instead of my Thief.

That being said, nothing is nearly as fun in just about every other aspect of the game (especially PvP). Switching to any other class instantly makes me miss the mobility of the thief. =P

Venom share builds have never really been solid builds and that’s still pretty much the case. The concept can sound appealing on paper, but when you consider the 360 range restriction, the 5 person cap, and the likelihood of losing out the benefit to either overhealing or just adding to the duration of a condition that’s removed an instant later, it just doesn’t pan out well in practice.

You also get no stun breaker or condi cleanse from venom skills, which is a pretty big disadvantage in PvP.

As for the heal itself, you’ll get much better personal healing from Withdraw (in addition to mobility and an evade), which has a 0 cast time. Even Hide in Shadows surpasses it in most situations because of the condi cleanse.

The biggest reason most people tend to lose about thieves is usually because they just don’t understand the mechanics. One of the major people make when fighting thieves is to forget that they can still dps the thief while stealthed. If I had a dollar for every time I used Shadow’s Refuge and watched enemies just walk around, not knowing what to do, I’d be a rich man.

Here are some general tips that should help you out:

- If you use the tool kit, save your block for after a thief stealths to prevent backstabs.
– Save your big burst abilities to use after you drop your supply crate. Having your weapon skills off cooldown on your bomb kit will allow you to get a lot of damage in.
– Save your shield knock back for when a thief uses Shadow’s Refuge. If a thief leaves SR before the edges disappear, they will be de-stealthed and hit with the revealed debuff. If you don’t get the knock back, just continually drop AoE in the area to keep up pressure.
– When the thief gets into the downed state, don’t bother trying to stomp since they will port and then stealth. Instead, keep up dps pressure and keep poison up. Blinds will also prevent them from hitting an enemy and potentially rallying.
– Big AoEs are best when you can get a snare on the thief first. Thieves are very mobile, so you’ll rarely catch them with something like a Big ‘ol Bomb unless they’re immobilized or stunned.

DatPieGuy.6540:

So I just came back from a hiatus from gw2, and wanted to get back to playing my thief, which was my favorite class before I took a break. From what I’ve collected it seems that the flanking strike S/D build (10/30/0/30/0) and Trickery D/P (10/30/0/0/30) are the most popular builds being run at this time. However, I am a primarily D/D user, since the S/D set can’t match the single target damage that a Dagger set deals out, and I’ve never liked D/P because I suck with it and It just doesn’t fit my playstyle. So basically, my question here is, is it viable to switch out the pistol offhand in the trickery build to a dagger and run that in a tournament environment?

You could…but I’ve found that D/P tends to do better in a situation like that. D/D can be strong, but I find that it does much, much better when you can get the SA trait to blind on stealth since one of the major advantages of D/P is the blind. Not only does it help survival and in team fights more, but it also makes stomping against a lot of classes much more viable.

Mijo.3274:

Hi guys,
I took a pause from this game in September, cause i found myself simply running from one “2weekpatch” event to another without the opportunity to ever reach the 100% of the achievements due to my lack of free time.
And the meta in pvp was dat horrible condition meta.

If i come back i’ll do 80% spvp in solo tournaments or browser matches with some wvw and pve.

But is this game improved in the last 3 months?
How is the meta now with the last patch?
Please help me cause tomorrow i’ll play this game OR delete it and download Path of Exile

Thanks

Well, it will cost you exactly $0 and will require absolutely no grind to catch up on gear….

So why not? I mean, jump in a few games and if you have fun, then keep at it. If not, then it’s no big loss.

Awesome job on all the vids Killchained! I frequently pass on links to a lot of your videos to many of my friends who are new to the game.

@ hooma: The videos WoodenPotatoes did to introduce PvP were good, but he never really finished the series and a good bit of it is outdated, so I don’t think there’s any danger of redundancy.

Something you may want to include for any intro vids is an explanation of general roles in things like solo Q as well as general strategy (going for home, mid, etc.) as well as the terminology.

Welcome to online games, my friend! Perhaps I can give advice to you!

Having trouble performing while on your own? Make some friends! You may find that if you get to know some people on the internet, you can join up with them and bring them along for your activities! Once you get your social prowess up and running, you can even convince people that play the game in a way that you find suitable to join up!

Fortunately, Team PvP is perfect for such occasions as you can bring a fully virtual posse to rumble up for some good ol’ fashioned video game playing together!

Now, meeting people can be intimidating, but here are phrases you can use to break the ice:

“Hello. I find your aesthetic tastes to be quite supreme. I also noticed that you play (insert OP class here). Would you like to be my friend?

“Greetings fellow video game hobbyist! I am building a group for tPvP and believe that your personal charm would perfectly accentuate my preferred group dynamics!”

“Ahoy there! Did you know that rank gain in team PvP is significantly superior to solo queue? Join me and we can partake in such abundant benefits while giving our enemies a good walloping!”

Good luck! And remember, every person you meet on the internet is a potential friend!

Dardamaniac.1295:

This is ridiculous.
A SB/GS Ranger with boar-wolf, aoe cc-feared me to death…2 knockdowns-2 aoe fears for a long duration-2 daze stuns from Boar and another 2 dazes in 20s cd from GS-SB….

They had the petting zoo so far now they have huge amounts of CC and aoe Fear..

I sense a troll…

The YouTube channel in his sig is all gameplay of a Ranger.

frans.8092:

SR maybe, might last long enough to for stealth-attack-revealed-stealth-attack. Smoke Screen should easily last long enough to do this.

Yup, you can also do the same with D/P if you time your HSs right.

Leadfoot.9071:

D/D is pretty bad actually – here is a common D/P build (runes/sigils are suggestions but not the rule):

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQNAoaVlUmSOHdy9E/5Ex2jdKUe69gsj1saFoJA-ToAg0Ecp4yxlhLJXWuGWs+YCB

And a common S/D build:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQNAsYVlYmSOHcy9E/5Ex2jdKUeqVgmdP4q8rKA-ToAg0EFpKyVkpIZR2iGWs+YWA

Replace the dagger offhand in his build with a pistol offhand and it’s one of the popular meta builds that’s been around for a long time.

Personally, this is what I’ve had a lot of success with. It’s basically Yishis’ build with the acro trait swapped out for might on dodge. Yishis pretty explicitly pointed out that his build isn’t designed for sPvP, but…I’ve started winning a lot more fights and a lot more games since I switched to is (I ran the meta D/P builds primarily before). Normally I’m not a fan of D/D, but the blind on stealth really makes it work, especially for stomps. The biggest downfall of the build is that it’s hard to keep a point contested while you’re stealthed, but you encounter this with D/P as well and I find this wins 1 v 1s faster since it has more dps (due to CnD).

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQJAoYlUmiO3eS+E/5Ey2jeqCJKuHGVS1UdFuKA-ToAg0CnIKSVkrITRyisFNKYSB

That being said, it’s not as much of a glass cannon as the other builds listed (except for the S/D build).

MastaNeenja.1537:

I couldn’t watch the whole thing, it hurt my head. I had to stop at 1:17.

I’m sure this is an attempt at satire but the narrator’s voice was too grating, because they tried too hard.

You made it farther than me…

I have very little patience for hyperactive kids on YouTube.

Well….I hated this trait for the longest time…but the more I’ve learned to watch my health and expect this to proc, the more it’s been a benefit to me.

I think I’m ok with this trait now.

Travlane.5948:

Dahkeus.8243:

Travlane.5948:

you have to have the dmg set in place already…. i think thats the trick … and thieves have 0 aoe placed dmg that pulses :/

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Choking_Gas
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Caltrops

points up

re read earlier passages.

TLDR: no loot from those.

Points up You said there was no AoE damage that pulses. Those are AoE that pulse.

I really have no idea what your problem is. Cluster bomb and short bow auto attack alone is all you need to tag every mob in sight. Choking gas tags mobs for me…and I run a direct damage build, but it’s rarely if ever necessary since you can just cluster in the face of enemies.

And yes, I’ve done all the Orr events enough to make my eyes bleed on more than just my thief.

Tab target auto attack, run in circles, spam 2, loot. It’s really that simple.

There’s no special magical formula or hidden thief skill you’re missing. You don’t need some special build just for tagging mobs. You just run around, faceroll with your short bow, and nothing will tag mobs better than you except for a Guardian with a staff.

Faeyd.5094:

If I want to relax and play thief while having a beer or two then I run this heal setup that let’s me set a slow pace and still have some fun and is fine for glory.

Yea….I can see this as something to run when you’re drunk, lol.

Travlane.5948:

you have to have the dmg set in place already…. i think thats the trick … and thieves have 0 aoe placed dmg that pulses :/

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Choking_Gas
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Caltrops

Awesome video! Great job!

I really hope these things don’t become useless once they phase them out. The devs have said to use up the Glory Boosters, but it seems like every time I use one, I get another to take its place…and I already have over 180 sitting in my locker. >.<

It also doesn’t help that half the time I still either forget to use one or don’t want to use once when I know I’ll be PvPing for less than an hour.

The good:
– Initiative changes allow for a lot more flexibility with a lot of thief builds (I actually use Deathblossom with my D/D power build).
– Vigor nerf was justified.
– Hammer nerf to warriors pushed them in a better direction.
– Being able to earn gold from PvP is awesome. I actually feel like I’m not wasting time by PvPing when I’m also trying to get stuff in PvE.

The bad:
– Less viable builds for thieves.
– With the S/D nerf, the Acrobatics tree for thieves is even less viable than ever, despite efforts to make it more appealing.
– Many changes didn’t really make a difference to viable builds.
– Elementalists still seem to be in a bad spot.

The Ugly:
– Diamond skin doesn’t really fit in anywhere. It’s a niche trait that is OP against some opponents some of the time, but requires a heavy investment in a place where most wouldn’t put points in otherwise.
– Venom builds for thieves still aren’t really good for PvP. Unlike Spirit Rangers, you can’t just fill up all your utility slots with venoms and beast through the damage you take. There needs to be condi cleanse and/or stun breaks that are available to venom builds without requiring them to drop a venom.
– Hard to Catch is still not worth taking in any build under any situation. The trait is often more of a liability than a save. It would take a major redesign of the trait to make it worthwhile since any ability that randomly ports you somewhere is inherently problematic, even if it didn’t trigger when you have stability, lol.
– Pistol as a mainhand is still in a very bad spot, particularly with a pistol offhand.
– The new heals didn’t really open up many new possibilities for most classes. New elites could shake things up though. =)

Engineers are probably one of the toughest 1 v 1s…but there’s a reason people put them as home bunkers so much, so that’s no surprise. =P

I have documented a film to explain to you the intricacies of tagging mobs. Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0esK73JaDA

You’re still getting some of the best gaming value for your dollar:

- No sub fee
– Constantly updated content
– Everything in the cash shop can be bought with in game currency instead of cash

Evan Lesh.3295:

The system is working as intended. You left 3 times all on December 20th. (time zones may vary).

^ I love the devs on these forums, lol. <3

I have yet to see a WvW build I like better than the one Yishis runs:

It’s only gotten better since the Dec 10th patch.

Travlane.5948:

Dahkeus.8243:

Travlane.5948:

i dont think i explained myself well. yousee the mobs runningtoward you…… they are invulnerable until they reach their attack point…… at this “attack point” (like melandru 2nd beacon) there is a kitten load of symbols and fire ele powders used and caltrops and poison fields and many many many dozens of aoes pulsing on the ground. so finally when they reach this attack point they are able to be hit and no longer invulnerable. im standing right in the middle of it spamming 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 and still only lucky to hit 2 out of 10 bc their hp blinks gone bc of the dmg that is stacked up.

lets say there is 60 people there. each person casts 1-2 (call it 1.5) AOE pulses on ground plus there is 25 fire eles summoned. thats 115 AOES pulsing with dmg on the ground at the point of the mobs being able to be struck. now in ONE second these mobs are being hit for lets just say 500 damage per pulse to be conservative. so we have 115(aoe type stuff) x 500 dmg per pulse/hit etc which is a grand total of 57,500 hp worth of dmg when they only run about 12-15k ish (depending on mob). not to mention the spamming of auto attacks and weapon attacks.

since we dont have any of these aoe pulse types other than caltrops which wont give loot if its the only kskill used.

see what i mean now?

which skills do and dont give loot BY THEMSELVES and on what classes? why dont we have something we can just do to be lazy like other classes. all these other classes have all this passive defense (healing signet like etc) and passive dmg that just pulses in PVE.

Poison field where they go to or hit them as soon as they’re vulnerable.

Problem solved.

If tagging mobs is really that troublesome for you, then I’m not sure what to tell you. You’re talking about the most brainless aspect of the game. =P

what skill can you use that activates AND…yes AND….hits in under .1 seconds? link me and ill feel dumb. btw im sure you know poison/blind/caltrops doesnt give loot right? the problem is on anets. if i was on my guardian dropping symbols or my necro dropping marks that activate only on non invulnerable mobs …… id be getting 4x the loot.

how about you make a video of you at melandru with 60-80 people getting drops. i usually get about 100 ish drops there when theres less than 20 people. show us how its done. u will prolly say you dont have a recording program so its easy to downloand bandicam or fraps.

problem is on anets side not thieves. its a problem only hav on my thief. hrm….. and my thief is my main…. 4 legendaries full armor/accs/weapons ascended 10k ap . not a nub ….brah. come again.

Really? Is this where you’re going with the thread? Come on, tagging mobs with a short bow isn’t rocket science.

Hmm…now to see if the old one can be exchanged through a support ticket. =P

I noticed that the Fancy Winter Outfit in the Trading post is blue this year, whereas it was red last year. I also know that the outfit from last year wouldn’t really work with dyes except for the boots…but does anyone know if the one from this year can be dyed normally?

obal.3218:

The hammer build is best for fractals which is 15/15/0/20/20 or 15/25/0/20/10 if you have someone else with condition removal for max dps. You would change secondary to gs for grouping mobs, staff for running, kiting, or pulling mobs and cc them at start, and sword/focus for extra blocks at harder bosses like archdiviner. The gs sword/focus build is best for dungeons other than fractals.

^ Best advice in the thread so far. Obal is also the most knowledgeable guardian I’ve seen on GW2 forums when it comes to Fractals and I probably spend way more time than I should, lol.

Travlane.5948:

i dont think i explained myself well. yousee the mobs runningtoward you…… they are invulnerable until they reach their attack point…… at this “attack point” (like melandru 2nd beacon) there is a kitten load of symbols and fire ele powders used and caltrops and poison fields and many many many dozens of aoes pulsing on the ground. so finally when they reach this attack point they are able to be hit and no longer invulnerable. im standing right in the middle of it spamming 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 and still only lucky to hit 2 out of 10 bc their hp blinks gone bc of the dmg that is stacked up.

lets say there is 60 people there. each person casts 1-2 (call it 1.5) AOE pulses on ground plus there is 25 fire eles summoned. thats 115 AOES pulsing with dmg on the ground at the point of the mobs being able to be struck. now in ONE second these mobs are being hit for lets just say 500 damage per pulse to be conservative. so we have 115(aoe type stuff) x 500 dmg per pulse/hit etc which is a grand total of 57,500 hp worth of dmg when they only run about 12-15k ish (depending on mob). not to mention the spamming of auto attacks and weapon attacks.

since we dont have any of these aoe pulse types other than caltrops which wont give loot if its the only kskill used.

see what i mean now?

which skills do and dont give loot BY THEMSELVES and on what classes? why dont we have something we can just do to be lazy like other classes. all these other classes have all this passive defense (healing signet like etc) and passive dmg that just pulses in PVE.

Poison field where they go to or hit them as soon as they’re vulnerable.

Problem solved.

If tagging mobs is really that troublesome for you, then I’m not sure what to tell you. You’re talking about the most brainless aspect of the game. =P

The only thing in the game that beats a thief using a short bow for tagging mobs is the Guardian staff.

I’m not sure what issue you’re running into…spam tab target enemies and explode clusters into mobs. =P

P.s. stand close. Thieves have the most mobility of any class, so it shouldn’t be hard to get near enemies first. If you’re lobbing a cluster at max range, don’t expect to hit much. Pop it off like a shotgun at close range.

It’s sad how posts like this fall so quickly when so many other posts that are based upon blaming the aspects of the game for one’s own shortcomings stay so popular.

Unfortunately, this speaks volumes about most of the community here. =(

Valentin.2073:

Dahkeus.8243:

D/D thief here. I find that I don’t tend to have too much trouble with spirit rangers anymore. ~shrug~

you might be a really good thief if that’s the case or you’re just fighting really bad spirit rangers.

According to the posts above, a spirit ranger can just stand in one spot and spam abilities, so I’m not sure how that comes into play.

However, I am playing D/D and not D/P. It’s been maybe a month since I played D/P, but I do recall having more trouble with them then, so I think the build I’m running has a good bit to do with it.

Also, one thing I’ve found is that the occaisional Death Blossom can do well against spirit rangers with the right timing. Since the patch, I have more ini to play with in my build, so I can use this to help AoE down spirits while evading attacks without wasting a dodge.

The blind on stealth talent is particularly helpful as well.