True, if it wasn’t for the fact that they can spam Sneak Attack back-to-back safely 5 times in a row from Refuge until it finally hits. With S/D acrobatics set, I can maintaina high time of evade, but most of the classes have no counterplay against it, they just have to take the hit.
It really doesn’t hit that hard, certainly not hard enough to kill you and one hitting you isn’t even going to have a decisive influence.
While those utilities are on a ‘long’ cooldown, there’s a few things you must first consider. First of all, you have Refuge, where you can spam Sneak Attack with zero risk until it hits.
So can you, you were running S/D so you have C&D and likely SR, with a very dangerous daze from stealth at that.
Secondly, if you run P/P or D/P as second set, you only need Black Powder + Blinding Powder (+leap) for possible 8-12s of stealth again.
If … if. P/P doesn’t have any stealth, it can generate the field but it doesn’t have any leaps. D/P is a very odd secondary set for a condition P/D as these typically hit like a wet noodle with a power based skill. And then there is the cooldown on the weapon swap and the fact that BP+HS would drain their initiative, not only depriving them of C&D but also costing a lot more. A P/P main might try to do this, combined with D/P and stealth utilities to generate stealth for Sneak Attack + Unload. A power based P/D+D/x might use the dagger burst to finish an opponent, but a condition P/D?
The long cooldowns suddenly don’t feel as long, when you can maintain high durations of stealth so easily.
P/D has no use for maintaining long stealth, it’s primary damage is coming from Sneak Attack and it’s output is low enough for it to need it used a lot. Infrequent and long duration stealth does not work with this weaponset.
Most P/D thieves also run HiS, granting them yet another way of safely stealthing. P/D is mostly ran in WvW, where you can just nail your CnD’s off critters, in the best case, you don’t even need to make direct contact with your actual opponent.
Well, HiS is interruptible and has a long cooldown, so it’s not ‘safe’. The availability of critters depend on where you are fighting, which is part of your choice of where you fight him. And, as S/D you can use the same critters to C&D on.
Steal and Infiltrator’s Signet also make it extremely easy nailing those CnD’s,
Same thing, you have those on S/D – everything you’re complaining about was just as usable on your weaponset.
There is, btw, a limit on the amount of utility skills you can bring, you’ve used them by now, Shadow Refuge, Blinding Powder, Infiltrator’s Signet. No stunbreaker, no speed buff, no condition removal …
Also, don’t misregard the trait Improvisation.
On a P/D?? What are you suggesting, 4/0/6/0/4? That looks odd, not sure that could work well.
I may have overdone it with the original description, but the argument still stands.
No, it doesn’t. Exaggeration voids your argument. You’re amongst thieves, there’s no need for this kind of hyperbole, it’s painfully obvious all it achieves is hide what you really have to say.
P/D (+x/P) is an extremely forgiving and easy set, but luckily only useful for WvW Roaming and nothing else.
Yes it is, it typically is used with a very defensive build. It has no burst and it needs the sustain to exhaust the opponents, surviving long enough so eventually the opponent has everything on cooldown. You could possibly build a more defensive x/D, or D/P, and have similar sustain, I suppose, and some people use a more bursty (and fragile) setup with P/D. But, Sneak Attack has the advantage of being a ranged attack which gives it more options for positioning then dagger and sword mainhand. It pays for this with a lower damage.
