Guild Wars 2

Thank you all for the kind words and the feedback!

TeaLobster.6514:

What I had envisioned when I started playing was be that, if I became good enough at learning when to dodge, interrupt, etc., I could solo more difficult and/or long PvE fights that are normally able to be soloed by warriors/necros/etc. Is this true, or am I ultimately fated to be a glass cannon with limited defensive measures?

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I plan to do mostly PVE because of the extension so do you have any advice to improve survivability.
And do you think it’s better to get some defensive stats or go zerk and work on dodging and using skill with blind.

In regards to survivability and solo-ing: If you guys have trouble staying alive on Berserker’s, I’d suggest taking a look at IP (Grandmaster in CS). It gives a solid sustain, and combined with SoM and food that heals on crit (Omnomberry Pie for example) you will be able to survive most encounter without a problem. (for perspective: IP+SoM heals you more than Retaliation dmg) If you have trouble with timing evades you could also try out S/P, #3 is an excellent trash clearing ability. It used to be the go to set for such cases before HoT came out.
I’d argue that Thief is an excellent solo profession, DrD especially. Most PvE content is solo-able by us, you just have to practise enough.

saerni.2584:

Seems nice but I’m surprised my Fervent Malice build (which was more theory crafting alternative roles for a thief) made it in while my actual build (P/D conditions) which has admittedly changed since I last updated my build videos, did not.

I made it to platinum last pvp season running P/D so I think I’m justified in calling it viable. Offhand shortbow on a condi build applies cleave etc.

The build section which deviate from the meta was purposefully made to feature odd builds. I liked your Fervent Malice and played around with it a lot after you made the initial post. You can see the alterations and the reasoning behind them on that original post.
The Handbook does not contain all the viable builds, I believe your P/D is wokring, I also played many different builds over the last year. It’s merely a highlight of how far you can go from the meta and still make a build that works.

TakenAura.4168:

For the second weapon, on both the staff build and the dagger/dagger build, can you use whatever you want?

D/- + -/D stands for equipping one dagger in one weapon set, and another in the other. So if you look at your equipment tab, you’ll see one weapon in each set. Because the two weapons are in dif hands, the game will use a D/D set, and when you swap, it will stay D/D. (Its like you have 4 daggers, but due to this feature in the game, you only need two daggers for it). It is made like this so you benefit from the on-swap effects. (Here: Initiative on weapon swap)
The staff build has an open slot on the second weapon set, ideally you would never swap to it in raids. (Note that some ppl use D/P in case they need an emergency cc to break a boss, but under normal circumstances you dont need that)

Hey all!
I’ve been working on a profession guide for some time now and it is ready to be published.
Keep in mind that it is mainly written for newer Thief players.

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Share link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bw6Cw91_m2y-LWR3SG5zazBURG8
Last update: R01 – 2017.08.05

This build caught my eye a few days ago and inspired me to do some testing.
However, I made some alterations right at the start and will discuss that in the following paragraphs:

-> I dropped P/P for SB. -> With Mender’s Amulet your damage output, even considering Unload, is not very high. Of course you can contribute to fights from a distance but I’d much rather have the mobility of SB. I understand that this is not a fast decap/+1 build but not running SB in sPvP is a bit of a waste imho, you are not using your class to its full potential, even considering the nature of the build.
-> Switched Distraction Daggers for Shadow Step -> Same reason as the previous one, with the additional note that this would completely remove the ability to interrupt abilities and attacks which might needs to be addressed.
-> Swapping NQ for IP -> I simply liked the extra sustain, yes you lose the extra Fury but in light of the goal of this build and its low dmg output regardless, I’d rather have more sustain.

Here are my thoughts after playing the altered build: (note that it was tested in unranked which meant an unbalanced environment and often put me against lower-skill rated players)(Mid-gold ranked MMR & ~1.5k matches played)

Sustaining was no issue, I could keep up with every dedicated sustain build, and sometimes even two enemies at once for several minutes however it was due to the unbalance of the matchup. Even after losing Fury IP was useful, though as a Rune variant I’d recommend testing Rune of the Pack. It has a slightly lower Precision bonus but it provides a free TotC with a 25% chance on 30s CD and boosts your swiftness duration (with only the Acro swiftness-on-dodge trait it means 1 extra second) which comes in handy if you are not running Dash nor TotC.
Mobility was notably weaker (in the absence of Dash and TotC) but still better than most classes if not all.
I was testing other dodges as well, Dash was useful for mobility but lost a considerable sustain, Bound was useful in cases where you fought a lot of enemies that were not dedicated sustain builds, hence you could slowly out-sustain and kill them greatly benefiting from the dmg buff of Bound. Impaling Lotus was a good pick for more sustain and against builds that lack consistent condition clear. Constant Torment and Bleed application really hurt most of them. As far as dodges go I’d pick the one most suitable for the situation.
Taking the effort to consider what I dodge and where, I was able to keep up my endurance and Initiative, with the occasional need to use SoA or Bandit’s Defense if things got heated. I only ran out of options when I was pressured by 3+ ppl and had to leave the fight to recover.

In conclusion; the build achieved what it was aiming for, and definitely highlighted the possible viability for this unique role. It is the marriage of sustain builds and fast decap/+1 Thief builds. It is one of those builds that you really need your team to play around it, but that is the case for most Thief builds anyways.
And of course the mandatory paragraph about how this is not optimal for high-rating matches, it is a sub-optimal craft that executes what it is meant for but everything it does, it does it with less effectiveness than the dedicated builds for all corresponding roles. It works in lower tier match ups and a definite diversity in build range.
Would do further testing, also in ranked environment, trying the aforementioned alternatives and further optimizing.

Played an unranked match on Forest of Niflhel on 2017.03.06
Got stuck inside one of the pillars around the Henge node. See attachment.
Was knocked back into the pillar and I ended up inside it. Could not leave, targeting was not possible, but could still take/deal AoE damage.
(Was forced to relog)

When you are the only thief in the team and they ask you to reroll saying “you will get kitten d by the enemy’s three DHs”. You refuse, proceed to beat anyone in your way during the match, and listen to your teammates apologize after the match for asking you to reroll.

Here is what I use:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAoYVn8lCdmiNNBGNB8PhlWCbeEuCfhaBgQ0CY7QFdSUA-TBSAQBBUfA2U+FtHAQEV/RBHCgXs/AAODA2UJIpAWUZF-e

Works pretty well. I’ve set the utilities for 5-mans, if you’d do solos-duos, I’d swap ID for Ambush and BV for TG due to the extra share-targets. Caltrops viable for stationary bosses in the place of ID.
The build editor doesn’t count all the condi duration, both poison and bleed should be capped around 98-100% with the right food.

When someone asks about a build’s viability I always ask them what they want to achieve with said build.
You mentioned fracs and dungeons, but it still depends how you wish to play/clear the content. Technically you can play whatever and still do fine.
You run full Berserker’s, with IP and Malice, which should be more than enough to survive in the instances mentioned above.
As it was suggested before me I’d also recommend swapping Acro for DA. It will boost IP thanks to the extra dmg modifiers, hence it will boost your survivability.
I honestly suggest to you (and anyone else out there) that you learn to play with a glassy set up instead of swapping skills/traits/gear to make it ‘easier to stay alive’.
But then again if you don’t care about how efficient you are clearing content then just play what you feel like, but note that pugs will require meta builds.

I was experiencing a similar issue with the ‘The Wolf Havroun’ instance before the patch, but now it seems to be fixed for me.

Still looking for more active members!

Just another bump

Just a shameless bump

Still looking for dungeoneers

Hey Everyone!
[MahP] has been recently created by a small group of players who wanted to run dungeons without the need for pugs.

We are looking to keep our numbers low (20-25 tops), and aim to create a relaxed community. The guild is made solely for dungeon running, thus there won’t be missions, guild halls or representation requirements for that matter.

What we ask of our applicants is simple, have a level 80 character, basic game knowledge and the willingness to communicate and cooperate.

We accept players from all skill level, and provide an opportunity for starters to get better. As long as you are open we can teach you all we know, up to basic speedrunning.

Currently we have a small core that has the experience to speedrun dungeons.

If you’re interested or have any questions feel free to contact us at:
zGwmark.7139

Happy Dungeoneering!

To be fair, ‘best’ is really relative, you can’t pick one build and declair it to be above all else, considering the different playstyles and scenarios.
Depending on what role you fill in your team, different builds become more viable.
Looking at the build you posted, I’d guess you aimed at a more skirmish oriented build, rather than a bursty one.
Following that line of thought, I was using a ‘special’ build while I was climbing with my two friends. It was a carrion DA/SA/DD venomshare build. It worked great for me in every situation, using Ambush and TG, I was able to win even 1v1s with it but it was generally made for it’s teamfighting potential. I’d say it’s definately sth worth testing further if you are bored and want to try sth new.

Power DPS

I would personally prefer to run this,

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAoYVl8MhinYhTwxJw/EH0E1OPTg90nFfRZoDgJMCA-TBSBABAcGAW4QAYmSQKV/hMlYP8AAua/R5Be6DAA-e

but if you want me to run the highest dps possible then i can also run this,

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQJAWVn8MBFPhFOBOOBkmiFaCbLPlA2TaBgJUEYuCuBHhA-TBSBABAcFAITJGlq/c1+jyD80FYmSwFOEAP8AAAA-e

I dont know what the condi ppl will run but if they use SA we have access to might through that (Leeching Venoms). Vuln can be built up by using Sundering Strikes (CS). Thrill of the Crime shares Might and Fury which could come in handy, if power dps builds don’t run Daredevil and sacrifice Flanking Strikes ofc. Sustain wise, power dps can rely on Invigorating Precision if needed, and condi can pick Leeching venoms if necessary.

Have knowledge about all phases of VG. None about further bosses. Been speedrunning for several months, have experience in solo/duo dungeons/fractals.

IGN: Shidah
Thief Type: Artisan
Server: Vabbi
Experience with Thief:
For my – little more than – 1 year of playing I was a Thief main, and will be probably forever. No matter the game or the context I always prefer this path. I have 2 Thieves, one of of which is a more experimental, the one I used to make new builds on. Made countless casual builds and been tweaking (stealing) exsisting meta builds, to my own liking of course. My second Thief is considered to be a ‘hardcore’ character, – almost – min.max.ed, used to speedrun with it before HoT came out. I like theorycrafting and testing new builds in every gametype. As mentioned before I used to be somewhat hardcore in PvE, but I also have a fair amount of sPvP experience (currently rank70+).

Also interested (EU)! Can contribute as any form of power dps (asc zerk). Can take up the medic role (exotic clerics | still experimental).
Have knowledge of the first raid boss, and been speedrunning dungeons/fractals for some time in the past.