Guild Wars 2

If you sit here my forum poster I will tell you a tale of how steal used to be.
Once in the land of Tyria, there was a time (we’ll call it Beta) when a thief would use steal he would essentially lose his weapon set and gain 5 new skills in 1-5 slots. Similar to an engineer kits. The Stolen item was a bundle and this skill boosted the damage of those skills. Now, it is just a shadow of it’s former self where you have to group with another class to get any effect from it. There are rumors that it could boost siege weapon damage. With a new skill balance coming I hope this one gets fixed. It dodged the last set of trait changes for thief lets see if it does it again.

Crosses Fingers

The % Damage boost is good, the only trick is getting it to trigger.
So far in my testing it only works with Ele summoned weapons.

This is very nice! I have been looking for some more thief resources ever since SOAC ended the thief podcast. +1

Male Norn Thief

Still messing with the colors, but I’m colorblind so what we see may be very different.

Top Down
Head – http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Panscopic_Monocle
Gloves – http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Medium_Fused_Gauntlets
Everything else – http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Wolf_armor

*Note The Norn Teir 3 Medium cultural head piece has a bug where my nose pokes out of it, so I have opted for what I call the combat shades.

Magitech looks really nice – http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Magitech_Medium_Armor_Skin

Norn Thief Here
Totem Animal Snow Leopard (Elite gives you another Stealth)

It will affect it, however suffer is too strong of a word to describe what is going to happen. The sigil right now is more like icing on the cake for preference instead of an integral needed part.

Ink Shot- Being able to end the teleport sooner has at least one use I have found.

Since the change so you can’t teleport to land from water when you use this close to the shore it will just fire a harpoon and not teleport you. It is useful when you approach the shore so you can detonate it early to actually travel some of the distance as opposed to it hitting the shore and traveling no distance.

Scorpian Wire- This skill can often miss due to terrain, or fail to perform the pulling action for reasons unknown to me.

Body Shot- The Devs have said this is getting changed again. I’m personally excited to think there could be an immobilize on it.

Ostricheggs.3742:

No dire gear in pvp!!!

I second this.

If you thought we had a condition meta right now, with dire it would be even more prevalent.

Blind is the best method. When I play vs Stun-Lock Warriors they always complain about the blinds as the reason they couldn’t touch me.

If you are having a lot of trouble I suggest using liberal amounts of
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shadow_Shot

Careful timing of
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Black_Powder

in a pinch
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Infiltrator%27s_Arrow

Utility options are
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blinding_Powder
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Signet_of_Shadows

(http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Smoke_Screen
Smoke Screen will be hard to use properly since it has such a short duration blind and you would have to kite them in it, although it does have a decently long duration that it stays out)

Traits that can blind are
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Cloaked_in_Shadow
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Instinctual_Response

Last and probably least appealing is
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Hard_to_Catch

This will prevent them from using their normal rotation because you will auto shadowstep away every 30 seconds when they land a stun.

Some of these are unconventional, but I find those to be the more intersting options because people are not often prepared for them.

I didn’t mention this earlier but there is one more, however it’s hardly worth mentioning.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Vanish_in_the_Deep

Anubarak.3012:

30-30-10-0-0 full zerker or 25-30-10-0-5 if you like that better
D/D and S/P

^—- This right here

The best thing to do as a new thief for Fractals would be to get with another thiefhave them explain the mechanics/tactics to you. Then there is youtube. You can find some really good Fractal Thief Runs on there.

This should get you started with a few tricks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOOCeO3kS3k

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/thief/Building-a-better-D-D-thief/first

You can also use Hide in Shadows under water
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Hide_in_Shadows

@ Clumsy.6257
Yeah, stayed up moving and got 3 hours of sleep T_T I thought he was referring to the stat distribution on Divinity by calling them Celestial/Divinity. I now see he was talking about Celestial Armor and Divinity Rune on top of it.

@ OP Beserker Armor is the End All Be All for thief, however if you have trouble with surviving you can replace certain pieces with PVT (starting with Legs, Chest, & Helm since you lose the least amount of offensive stats on these) until you learn the encounters well enough to use all beserker armor.

TL:DR
Damage Focus
Armor BIS =Beserker
Runes BIS=Scholar (there are other high damage runes, but scholar is highest damage)

@ Excalibur.9748
Superior Rune of Divinity +60 to All Stats; +12% Critical Damage

@Anubarak.3012 you seem to be confused with the question about runes. Beserker is not a rune. You may mean Ruby Orbs. The ones when applied to armor attach the suffix “of the beserker”, even then it’s weaker than Scholar runes for damage.

Edit Celesial/Divinity is awesome, stick with it.
For Damage use Scholar, nothing beats these.
If you are undecided on a spec Divinity is always a decent choice.

If you are doing open world PvE you can skip all defense once you know how to dodge.

Now if by open world PvE you mean WvW then I would say Celestial is one of the better runes since you get more stats from it than other runes.

I would point you to https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/thief/Building-a-better-D-D-thief/first this has all the math for a balanced thief for WvW. A hybrid of offense and defense all mathed out to perfection.

I have recently started using Travelers runes in WvW to afford myself an extra utility slot (the 6th set bonus is the same effect as the passive on Signet of Shadows) I don’t always maintain swiftness and this little rune helps me get around the map faster for doing havoc.

Sensotix.4106:

There is no counter to perma evade – fact

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Immobilize

This doesn’t counter it 100% but it is a counter.

Hey Divinity.8041

In the thread

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/pvp/pvp/Legacy-of-Foefire-Unplayable-Lag/first#post2882379

Josh posted this

Josh Davis.6015:

Hey folks,

If you start lagging in-game, please respond to this post with:

• The server IP address (Type /ip in-game)
• The map you were playing on.
• Your region.

Thanks guys!

If you would post this in that thread which you have already mentioned this issue I am sure it would get quicker results since Anet is already watching that thread for info on this issue.

Best of Luck to you

@Caine.8204

like this?
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Fort_Aspenwood

On Mobility

“Thieves are the masters of mobility, stealth and high single target damage. They can be very fragile if you counter their stealth with area of effects or large stacks of conditions, but they trade this fragility in order to have some of the highest burst damage in the game. They are able to help allies through traps, venoms and the mobility to flank most encounters.”

This quote from Anet points out that they want the thieves to be the most mobile class and Infiltrator’s strike is just one example of what makes this statement true. I don’t think it punishes good position, but rather forces you to be more aware when fighting vs a thief as opposed to I am on this hill I am safe.

On evasion the last line of this quote is relevant.

“Experts at stealth and surprise, thieves can move through the shadows, vanish into thin air, or steal items from their opponents and use them as weapons. Thieves practice an agile, acrobatic fighting style, which can make them very hard to hit.”

The evasion a thief has is higher than other classes, however this is supposed to be one of the things that defines a thief.

Hi,
Thieves are generally not desired in Dungeons or Fractals because it requires a skilled /experienced player to perform as well as a mid-range / mediocre warrior. This is due to having a low health pool primarily imo.

I don’t solo much, but there is a thief Randomfightingfan here on the forums who has a youtube channel of him soloing a lot of content if you are interested in that.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9DCl9Sns5bpluZsB1SdFiA

Upon going there it seems he is not going to make any new videos , but you will find many older ones that could give you some insight on the Solo Thief.

PvP thieves are in a fairly bad spot atm imo. We have the S/D build which is getting a nerf soon which is the primary build I see being used due to the high amount of evasion uptime. There are good sets like D/P however in the current condition meta it’s more difficult because low health pools means conditions have to be dealt with quickly or they will melt you down. I would also like to point out that stealth, a primarily thief ability is a bit of a handicap since all the pvp maps are the same format Conquest / Cap points & you can not cap points while in stealth. (Another reason the evade S/D thief is used more because it uses very limited to no stealth.

I main a thief and I find it the most enjoyable of all the classes. There is little room for error and you either learn to play better or just die a lot.

Thief has the highest DPS currently and will probably remain that way, however it’s at a cost of defense. The good news is after getting some experience you can negate this weakness mostly by a proper dodge / shadowstep to safety while preparing your next assault / recovering.

Also: If you want to roam or duel in WvW a lot the thief is one of the better classes for that.

I would love to have something like this for Guild Wars 2.

http://www.gamezone.com/news/2013/08/12/amex-debit-card-rewards-you-with-league-of-legends-riot-points

“The new line of prepaid debit cards will feature images and characters from League of Legends and will allow cardholders to earn Riot Points, in-game currency used to purchase characters, alternative outfits (known as skins), and other in-game extras.”

+1 for Cosplay

Nice suggestions.

I would like a better way to assure that everyone will have a fair match.

@Ivonbeton.6814 I would suggest using a back stab build with this and play around with different utilities in place where you would have Signet of Shadows

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Assassin's_Signet
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blinding_Powder

These are a couple of the common favorites

I’ll elaborate a little more on what Ray.3780 mentioned.

IF you use runes of the centaur you will need to use your heal skill for utility. This can cause problems of being unable to heal when you need it. It also locks you down to using a particular heal (less build flexibility)

on the contrary using Runes of the Traveler will enable you to use whatever heal you like and free up a utility slot for you to use as well. You will be marginally slower than someone with swiftness but for me the trade-off is well worth it. (more build flexibility)

Dahkeus.8243:

I’ve almost never had a problem with it being on cooldown from when I used it to travel.

FTFY

WvW Runes:
Scholar – Ganking
Ogre- Ganking (less situational than Scholar)
Traveler – Roaming
Divinity – Balanced Stats

Lyssa is better for sPvP where you are forced into fighting in smaller areas. They are adding cap points to WvW soon so these could also be quite beneficial there, but we will have to see how the meta forms around these new Cap Points.

Hey Aerin, I got some images for a character sketch I sent a PM with the links.

I also have some images for you with My character and Two others for a more detailed painting. I took some screenshot and recorded some video of me panning around the characters. Let me know when you are ready for me to send the stuff for the detailed painting and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Ivonbeton.6814:

Coloxeus.3480:

i run perma swiftness with my Superior rune of centaur + withdraw healing skill… +165 attack power.

I guess that’s still the better option unless you want different choices in traits and utilities.

These Runes also allow on demand usage of your healing skill as opposed to using it on recharge to maintain a speed buff.

Have Black Powder trigger instead of blinding powder. The only issue I could see with this is in it’s current form black powder is a weapon skill and applies damage which would be upsetting to be ripped out of stealth when low health. I envision a black powder that just drops the 4 second smoke field.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Black_Powder
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blinding_Powder

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

I will try this later, however it look pretty fun. Nice Job

How do you deal with retaliation? (The Bane of S/P)
I see the ability to steal two boons with the trickery trait, is it left to that or waiting it out?

Scholar is best if you can maintain the bonus

Edit*

“Scholar runes do 7.5% more damage than ruby orbs when your health is above 90%.
Scholar runes do 2.5% less damage than ruby orbs when your health is below 90%.
If you are above 90% health 25% of the time, you will deal more damage with scholar runes than ruby orbs.”

For roaming & short 1v1 fights I take scholar.
If I expect to do any team fighting then I use ogre.

Caed
- Good Q&A with chat (explains skill interactions / combos)
- Funny/Entertaining personality (gotta watch to appreciate)
- Great music (#Pandora Wax Taylor)
-Not prone to raging (even when cruuk showed up and started going beserk in chat)

Damage dealt depends on the level and power of the Retaliation’s source (i.e. whoever gave Retaliation to the entity being attacked). At level 80 this is:

198.45 + (0.075 * Power)

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Retaliation

Clockwork Bard.3105:

I’ve tested it in a handful of situations, and it does seem to only apply to items that replace your weapon bar. General consensus seems to be (really no idea how to test this proper) that it bolsters WvW siege weapon. At this point, it should probably be an engineer trait. We can trade them. We’ll take… um… I don’t know, how about Incendiary Powder. I’m sure they’re not using it. <.<;

I will test this to find out about potential siege damage increases. (That would be OP giggle)

Clockwork Bard.3105:

• Improvisation: I think thieves are not big fans of RNG. This has enough going for it to earn its spot, but I doubt it’ll ever be popular. Because Steal related abilities are often called “bundles”, the added damage functionality is ambiguous and misleading.

When I last tested this several patches ago the only thing I noticed it increasing damage on was summoned ele weapons. Has anyone been able to get Bonus damage from this? or is it only taken for the RNG CDR?

In GW2 Beta as a thief when you stole an item it would replace your weapon skills, and this trait boosted all those skills. The thief steal bundle mechanic was changed to what we have now, and the trait has been left the same since then.

*To use this trait to full effect you have to team up with an ele who summons weapons. *(Not very likely)

None of the other event items have been added. *Skins are the exception

-Runes of the Mad King
-Sigil of Generosity / Night
-Sentinels Gear

It’s nice to think of having alternates to current builds and I would love to have an interrupt spec, however I would be surprised to see this leave PvE/WvW. It’s good to see new things being tried though, because that’s what keeps the game fresh.

I would suggest getting this for your Thief!
-Blast Finishers
-Evading with 3 is always useful even better when something has to eat a unicorn that cripples them
-Mobility, running around I always use 5 to get places quicker
-I play a thief and love/use my bow often

In PvE you will have no trouble staying alive since the attacks are telegraphed and you can dodge / evade them when needed.

You can not have the best damage possible w/o shadow arts unless you are looking at small skirmishes where you can regenerate initiative between fights. The shadows arts lets you maintain your Backstab combos almost endlessly with one 10pt trait.

In Fractals especially as you get higher up it will basically be required for you to go this route or else take considerably longer.

*Note in high level fractals it becomes dodge, reflect, or die and defensive stats aren’t very helpful

Ruby Orbs are good for budget, but eventually if you want “Full DPS” you will need Runes.

Thank you so much for this. Now when I want to watch some PvP
I have a place I can always go <3

Runes
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_Melandru (-15% condition duration)
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_Hoelbrak (-20% condition duration)

Sigil
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_Sigil_of_Purity
60% Chance on Critical: Remove a Condition

I think these are what you are looking for, however if you really want the chance to remove one condition on hit I only know of one option.

Engineer Trait
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Transmute
8% chance to convert incoming conditions into boons

GL

TheWalkingDead.7298:

Make every class identical. It is the only way.

Whats This? No Items!, Fox Only!, Final Destination!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-7gmds2njg

^^ You left out the “Go! Go!”

OIIIIIO.7825:

Thief + Warrior = Dynamic Duo! Go! Go!

Quoted from the link in my first post.

I am a huge fan of the Thief + Warrior duo.

Warrior Stun & DPS
Thief DPS

Also here is a thread that is similar, however it wasn’t specifically for PvP
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/thief/Best-wingman-profession-for-thieves/page/2#post2643487

I would be happy to see any “Ninja Weapons” including the chain and sickle aka kusarigama.

This weapon consisted of a weight on one end of a chain, and a sickle (kama) on the other. The weight was swung to injure or disable an opponent, and the sickle used to kill at close range.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Kusarigama-crop.jpg

No, Flanking Strike is in a good place right now. (IMHO)

I would debate that the bonuses from Runes are better than those from orbs, but that is not the topic of this discussion

Title is for full DPS (This to me means no defensive gear)

If you are still learning content use Soldier’s Gear (PVT) for 3 slots
-Head
-Chest
-Legs

These are the best pieces to use for defense since you lose the least amount of offensive stats here.

You can get this from turning in Ascalonian Tears to the dungeon vendor in Lions Arch.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dungeon_merchant

Best of luck, as you get more proficient you will be able to go full Zerker.

*If gold is an issue, consider looking at the other dungeon vendors and you will find which ones you need to run so you can save your money and buy Armor/Weapons with tokens.

@ Raging, it was early and I didn’t check the build I posted. I accidentally posted the exact build he already had with no changes. For Clarification I am advocating using Scholar Runes