The Jack of All Trades - Extensive Thief Guide
Mar 19, 2015 18:00:05 GMT
admin, odin, and 2 more like this
Post by MikeCorrupt on Mar 19, 2015 18:00:05 GMT
. . .The Will to go on...
The Strength to stand up...
I cast off these petty illusions...
For a single day...
To see you Whole Again. . .
The Strength to stand up...
I cast off these petty illusions...
For a single day...
To see you Whole Again. . .
lol jk) I could open up and share a few tips & tricks that may or may not improve your game play.Before we begin, i'd like to stress this is a work in progress and most likely won't be finished any time soon because i'm also learning new things everyday. If you feel that i have incorrect information or a better alternative don't hesitate to share your opinion on this thread. This guide will cover the basics before going more in depth, i won't be using a key or short abbreviations because it's obnoxious to read. Feel free to ask questions.
If you're the type that enjoys reading then you've come to the right place! If not, a short stay is fine as well! I'll dump a quick run through just for you because you dropped by just below:
Weapon Sets:
Dagger/Dagger=Pistol
Sword/Pistol=Dagger
Shortbow
Dagger/Dagger=Pistol
Sword/Pistol=Dagger
Shortbow
Since weapon sigils are a controversial subject, i'll discuss it later in the guide.
Contents
- Basic Gear and Stats
- Weapon Sets and Different Playstyles
- Traits and Utility Skills
- Importance of Combos
- PvP
- PvE
- Advanced (Work in progress)
Updates:
- 24/3/2015: Decided on Gif's any feedback on laggy navigation would be appreciated! More advanced tip videos later on tonight after i've done some more recording
- 23/3/2015: Traits and generic utility skills for Spvp created. More advanced tips, Weapon sets & playstyles will have short clips (Gif's or YT vids undecided)
- 19/3/2015: Guide is alive! Any additional information or varients please comment
and i hope you enjoy your stay!Basic Gear and Stats
Generally as Metascrub as it sounds, Berserker stats are the most versatile of all viable stat builds out there and will be the key focus of this guide. I won't say it's the ONLY viable stats but it is important to consider the purpose of the class before deciding how you want to build it. We are a mobile, burst class at it's core. Restricted by short cooldowns and vulnerable during Revealed. It would be possible to play Thief with a constant dps or condi build (as you see more often in higher RSpvp) but essentially you will be trading utility for viability which is not what we want especially when we are one of two classes that have Dark Field, a none cooldown blast finisher with also Smoke and Poison fields at our disposal. I will cover the importance of this further on. Thief is by nature squishy, it is important to never forget that while playing and we should therefore focus on increasing efficiency in what we're good at rather than being "Ok" at a variety of things.
Thieves need openers, without a strong opener you are not instantaneously at a disadvantage but equal footing. Every other class excels and outshines us on equal footing, it is not impossible to win without a good opener but you will be making your life much harder because you have to reset without putting enough pressure out. Therefore without the ability to pull off a 12k Backstab on light in the first place, you will already be without one of few quirks that make Thief the signature class that is feared in capable hands.
All in all, new or veteran it is arguable Power, Precision and Ferocity is the cookie cutter to any successful Thief.
Roll Credits!
Weapon Sets and Different Playstyles
Before we jump into this i'd like to state: ALL WEAPON SETS WORK IN BOTH PVP AND PVE.
With that out of the way, this guide will be primarily be focusing more on Dagger/Dagger because it fits my playstyle. In the future i'll be adding different aspects and how i play differently depending on what weapon set i am running. To start with you ought to play the way that lets you enjoy whatever you're doing the most, unsurprisingly each set allows you to excel at different roles in a party so changing sets to strengthen your team in what they may lack or going full damage to zerg an encounter is down to you. I will list some pros and cons of each set;
Dagger/Dagger:
Pros:
- Highest damage output
- Built in Condi application
- On demand reset
- Backstab Opener
Cons:
- Initiative starved if used incorrectly
- Reliant on positioning
- Vulnerable after offensive openers
Dagger/Pistol:
Pros:
- Built in Condi application
- On demand reset
- Backstab Opener
- Very strong crowd control
- Unblockable gap closer
Cons:
- Initiative heavy to reset
- Vulnerable after openers
- Viability requires specific trait route
Pistol/Dagger:
Pros:
- Highest Condi application
- Ranged
- Cheap reposition with high burst
- On demand reset
- Immense pressure
Cons:
- Lacks burst
- Requires melee range to reset
- No gap close ability
- Vulnerable if rng trait does not proc
Sword/Dagger:
Pros:
- Arguably best evade mechanic
- Constant damage
- On demand reset
- Extremely cheap gap closer with escape and condi remove
- None cooldown boon steal
Cons:
- No burst
- Defies the generic playstyle of Thief, therefore only works against select classes
- Control requires positioning, built in evade repositions making the playstyle clunky
Sword/Pistol:
Pros:
- Constant damage
- Very Strong Crowd control
- Pistol Whip. Amazing damage, evade mechanic and CC
- Extremely cheap gap closer with escape and condi remove
- Best solo play weapon set
Cons:
- Extremely telegraphic burst
- No reset
- Unable to maintain pressure due to high initiative costs
Pistol/Pistol:
Pros:
- Highest constant damage
- Built in Condi application
- Very Strong Crowd control
- Ranged
Cons:
- No gap close
- No burst
- No reset
- Unable to maintain pressure due to high initiative costs
Thieves need openers, without a strong opener you are not instantaneously at a disadvantage but equal footing. Every other class excels and outshines us on equal footing, it is not impossible to win without a good opener but you will be making your life much harder because you have to reset without putting enough pressure out. Therefore without the ability to pull off a 12k Backstab on light in the first place, you will already be without one of few quirks that make Thief the signature class that is feared in capable hands.
All in all, new or veteran it is arguable Power, Precision and Ferocity is the cookie cutter to any successful Thief.
Roll Credits!
Before we jump into this i'd like to state: ALL WEAPON SETS WORK IN BOTH PVP AND PVE.
With that out of the way, this guide will be primarily be focusing more on Dagger/Dagger because it fits my playstyle. In the future i'll be adding different aspects and how i play differently depending on what weapon set i am running. To start with you ought to play the way that lets you enjoy whatever you're doing the most, unsurprisingly each set allows you to excel at different roles in a party so changing sets to strengthen your team in what they may lack or going full damage to zerg an encounter is down to you. I will list some pros and cons of each set;
Dagger/Dagger:
Pros:
- Highest damage output
- Built in Condi application
- On demand reset
- Backstab Opener
Cons:
- Initiative starved if used incorrectly
- Reliant on positioning
- Vulnerable after offensive openers
Dagger/Pistol:
Pros:
- Built in Condi application
- On demand reset
- Backstab Opener
- Very strong crowd control
- Unblockable gap closer
Cons:
- Initiative heavy to reset
- Vulnerable after openers
- Viability requires specific trait route
Pistol/Dagger:
Pros:
- Highest Condi application
- Ranged
- Cheap reposition with high burst
- On demand reset
- Immense pressure
Cons:
- Lacks burst
- Requires melee range to reset
- No gap close ability
- Vulnerable if rng trait does not proc
Sword/Dagger:
Pros:
- Arguably best evade mechanic
- Constant damage
- On demand reset
- Extremely cheap gap closer with escape and condi remove
- None cooldown boon steal
Cons:
- No burst
- Defies the generic playstyle of Thief, therefore only works against select classes
- Control requires positioning, built in evade repositions making the playstyle clunky
Sword/Pistol:
Pros:
- Constant damage
- Very Strong Crowd control
- Pistol Whip. Amazing damage, evade mechanic and CC
- Extremely cheap gap closer with escape and condi remove
- Best solo play weapon set
Cons:
- Extremely telegraphic burst
- No reset
- Unable to maintain pressure due to high initiative costs
Pistol/Pistol:
Pros:
- Highest constant damage
- Built in Condi application
- Very Strong Crowd control
- Ranged
Cons:
- No gap close
- No burst
- No reset
- Unable to maintain pressure due to high initiative costs
Traits and Utility Skills
(Work in progress)
Spvp: gw2skills.net/editor/?fZAQNAoYVlsMpwpdPxxJ8PRRLBtd07wL4xrzo7DCAA-TpBFwACeAAI3fIyRAYxhAoaZAAnAAA
Utility skills vary against different set ups, Signet of Agility may be changed to Shadowstep if you struggle with reposition and end up defending bunkers. That way you also have 3 condi removal and more survivibility.
Healing slot may be changed from Hide in Shadows to Withdraw, it honestly depends on your playstyle. If you prefer Withdraw it is more likely you will want to run Infiltrator's Signet.
Elite spell subjective to whether you run with a guard for stability or require smoke field. Dagger Storm is a must against Mesmer and Ranger heavy teams. Thieves Guild against Warrior and Engineer's. As a side note, TG will only have two smoke fields for the whole duration and it's important to make use of this with Heartseeker (leap finisher) for an instant stealth.
PvE:
Wvw:
Importance of Combos
Combos and thief go hand in hand, unlike classes such as warrior with only one combo field we have a whole toolbox of them to improve out situational gameplay. If you don't use combos effectively, you are not playing Thief to its' potential. So what's a combo you say? Have you ever played Street Fighter? Combo Finisher + Combo Field = Combo. There are 4 types of finishers; Blast, Leap, Projectile and Whirl . There are 9 combo fields; Dark, Ethereal, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Poison, Smoke and Water. The ones highlighted in bold are accessible to Thief on their own.
Just so it's easier to understand i'll post a table that i stole from wiki;
Advanced (Work in Progress)
Our most vulnverable state after attacking in Stealth, leaves a debuff Revealed. It is the biggest downfall of any Thief to attack straight away as soon as they get backstab active. As long as you don't attack, the debuff won't apply as you leave stealth granting you the ability to enter stealth again straight away. Putting on pressure and constant dps is always desired, but a downed player is never as useful as one who isn't in any scenario; And a dead player can't do damage! So stay alive!
We all know it's the little tips and tricks that really make or break a game. I'll start by throwing a few mechanics that some thieves out there might not know!
Heartseeker gap close
A lot of people engage with steal or try to gap close with it early. This functions as an extremely strong execute and is the same range as hunter auto.
Shadowstep Stomp
Pretty sure most thieves know this one, shadowstep as you start your stomp animation to avoid interrupts from guards or necros or chase after other thieves then port back just as the animation finishes.
Free Stun Break
Ok this one is kind of an mechanic abuse...but not many people know it. If you select a far away target out of steal range, your steal will go on 5second cooldown because it failed and it will automatically break stun and knockdown.
More to come when i have the time 
!
(Work in progress)
Spvp: gw2skills.net/editor/?fZAQNAoYVlsMpwpdPxxJ8PRRLBtd07wL4xrzo7DCAA-TpBFwACeAAI3fIyRAYxhAoaZAAnAAA
Utility skills vary against different set ups, Signet of Agility may be changed to Shadowstep if you struggle with reposition and end up defending bunkers. That way you also have 3 condi removal and more survivibility.
Healing slot may be changed from Hide in Shadows to Withdraw, it honestly depends on your playstyle. If you prefer Withdraw it is more likely you will want to run Infiltrator's Signet.
Elite spell subjective to whether you run with a guard for stability or require smoke field. Dagger Storm is a must against Mesmer and Ranger heavy teams. Thieves Guild against Warrior and Engineer's. As a side note, TG will only have two smoke fields for the whole duration and it's important to make use of this with Heartseeker (leap finisher) for an instant stealth.
PvE:
Wvw:
Combos and thief go hand in hand, unlike classes such as warrior with only one combo field we have a whole toolbox of them to improve out situational gameplay. If you don't use combos effectively, you are not playing Thief to its' potential. So what's a combo you say? Have you ever played Street Fighter? Combo Finisher + Combo Field = Combo. There are 4 types of finishers; Blast, Leap, Projectile and Whirl . There are 9 combo fields; Dark, Ethereal, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Poison, Smoke and Water. The ones highlighted in bold are accessible to Thief on their own.
Just so it's easier to understand i'll post a table that i stole from wiki;
PvP
Advanced (Work in Progress)
Our most vulnverable state after attacking in Stealth, leaves a debuff Revealed. It is the biggest downfall of any Thief to attack straight away as soon as they get backstab active. As long as you don't attack, the debuff won't apply as you leave stealth granting you the ability to enter stealth again straight away. Putting on pressure and constant dps is always desired, but a downed player is never as useful as one who isn't in any scenario; And a dead player can't do damage! So stay alive!
We all know it's the little tips and tricks that really make or break a game. I'll start by throwing a few mechanics that some thieves out there might not know!
Heartseeker gap close
A lot of people engage with steal or try to gap close with it early. This functions as an extremely strong execute and is the same range as hunter auto.
Shadowstep Stomp
Pretty sure most thieves know this one, shadowstep as you start your stomp animation to avoid interrupts from guards or necros or chase after other thieves then port back just as the animation finishes.
Free Stun Break
Ok this one is kind of an mechanic abuse...but not many people know it. If you select a far away target out of steal range, your steal will go on 5second cooldown because it failed and it will automatically break stun and knockdown.
!. . .And I will remember the words that you said
Left a clouded mind and a heavy heart
But I was sure we could see a new start
Don't let your heart grow cold
I will call you by name
I will share your road. . .
Left a clouded mind and a heavy heart
But I was sure we could see a new start
Don't let your heart grow cold
I will call you by name
I will share your road. . .
