What you think is gonna be new thief elite spec and what weapon it will unlock?

Hi, what d you think the new expansion will bring to thief class? I hope for elite spec that uses greatsword and smokes/smoke screens.

Im hoping for a executioner elite with axe main or off hand or bothOr a torch off hand based tombraider elite that focuses on condi damage and ally buffsA off hand sword elite spec with a focus on a new shadow form as a new class mechanic with focus on survival and being tanky and counter attacks alongside teleports would seem cool tooGreatsword wouldnt be a good choice imho. Smokes are already in the class core skills. Look at rifle 4. Pistol 5. Smokescreen. Shadow refuge. Dual dagger pistol skill. Deception skills and some signets already give u too much blinding and stealth with teleportations

hoping for an offhand sword spec mostly.

if not maybe a longbow spec

What do I think it'll be?

Probably yet another single target Power based DPS E-Spec. Using probably a greatsword...

As for what I'd like?

A Bard/Minstrel/Dirge/Troubador style support E-Spec with Warhorn.

A Pirate/Bandit themed E-Spec with a unique mechanic that focuses on comboing skills together coming with Axe/Axe.

A Fencer themed E-Spec that focuses on Ripostes and Parries with a unique mechanic of enabling single 1h weapons to have 5 skills (With some method of allowing an additional Sigil to be utilized while increasing the stats of your 1 weapon) that also comes with off-hand Sword (Hey, just because you CAN single wield, doesn't mean you HAVE to :p )

A Saboteur themed E-Spec that uses bombs and explosives and comes with Torch.

A Warlock themed E-Spec that uses shadow magic to drain the life out of enemies and comes with Scepter and Focus (If we're talking about things that won't happen anyway, I can suggest Scepter + Focus in one E-Spec)

A Trickster themed E-Spec that creates illusions to confuse enemies while they attack from range with a Longbow (Rather than being actual NPC's like Mesmer, they'd be just skill animations, much like the animals that appear when Rangers are doing some of their attacks)

My own hope: Oyabun

Oyabun is the title of the leaders of the yakuza. Considering that we are going to Cantha and criminal gangs fighting for power in Kaineng have been a thing (Am Fah and Jade Brotherhood), I think becoming a yakuza would be really cool.

Your skill type would be minions, named gang members of yours specialised in different tasks. Even your steal skill gets replaced with a minion that steals from the enemy for you, then proceeds attacking them for a while.

Weapon choice would be a torch that is used for dealing condition damage through burns. Thematically, it is used to give signals to your gang in the dark city of Kaineng.

double post, delete pls

I hope for a Dual Foci Shadow Mage elite spec.

Realistically, I think it's going to be some kind of Bladedancer with offhand sword though.Or maybe it'll a Bandit spec with Hammer or oversized swords.

Hope it won't be a pur dps spec. We have (had) already two DPS e-spec, then they slowly dug the hole to be, today, barely noticeable. I don't want the same for the next one. Deadeye Fire For Effect was outstanding, but fury/mightbot ... an other one ? :# And not the best one. :#
But, reading the core traits, I don't see logical others roles. There is no real support in core, except some gimmicks like venom share, Signet of Agility, some heal on stealth or f1 ... Hard to design something else than an other selfish spec.Or a ground targeting F1 (like scourge), classic you'll do the steal but to 3-5 enemies in a zone, but you could also support easier with Shadow Savior if you target your allies, traits to share the effects of Steal, stealth attack, and the stolen skill (thrill of the crime, hidden thief, Mug, Improvisation, double the effect of shadow savior and ... that's all ?)

@Zhaid Zhem.6508 said:Hope it won't be a pur dps spec. We have (had) already two DPS e-spec, then they slowly dug the hole to be, today, barely noticeable. I don't want the same for the next one. Deadeye Fire For Effect was outstanding, but fury/mightbot ... an other one ? :# And not the best one. :#

But, reading the core traits, I don't see logical others roles. There is no real support in core, except some gimmicks like venom share, Signet of Agility, some heal on stealth or f1 ... Hard to design something else than an other selfish spec.Or a ground targeting F1 (like scourge), classic you'll do the steal but to 3-5 enemies in a zone, but you could also support easier with Shadow Savior if you target your allies, traits to share the effects of Steal, stealth attack, and the stolen skill (thrill of the crime, hidden thief, Mug, Improvisation, double the effect of shadow savior and ... that's all ?)

Technically, daredevil is not supposed to be a dps spec, but a bruiser spec. They are supposed to be the thief version of a tank, giving the thief alot of cc and defense to stay alive (weakness, additional dodges, block, projectile reflect....).

Daredevil just migrated into a dps playstyle because tanks are not needed for this game....The same happened to other tank specs. Scrappers migrated to a support playstyle to avoid competition with holosmith as the dps spec as well as at least having some supportive value with their gyros. Spellbreaker also migrated into the dps role, but they can't really compete with berserkers in that role, hence why spellbreakers are fairly rare.

So right now, thief has a tank spec and a dps spec. What thief needs is a support spec. I think they can find a way to make a spec able to ill the healer role. For example, core thief has a trait that heals allies for shadow stepping. If they make an e-spec around such concept, being able to shadow step on allies and that skill heals allies on landing, that would double down on that playstyle.

Shadow Weaver.

Off hand Focus.

Focus on group support through redirecting damage and healing.

This one. Assassin from GW and offhand sword.

@"Zacchary.6183" said:This one. Assassin from GW and offhand sword.

I 2nd that.

Core Thief is focused on stealth.Daredevil — melee combat and acrobatics.Deadeye — ranged combat (sniper) or stealth (like returning to the core).What do we miss? Something focused on magic, so maybe scepter MH or Focus OH would fit for something that could use shadow magic to... probably blind/confuse/torment enemies. For sure it would be condi spec.Scepter > Focus, because thief has enough "shadow/shealth" OH weapons: dagger (stealth); pistol (cc, smoke field).

But I would like to see a bandit-themed spec. Dirty fighter.Axe MH weapon (slow, heavy power damage). Something that strikes from front, once, but deals heavy damage, inflicting a lot of vulnerability.

@"Antycypator.9874" said:Core Thief is focused on stealth.Daredevil — melee combat and acrobatics.Deadeye — ranged combat (sniper) or stealth (like returning to the core).What do we miss?main update for my vision was without elite spec. I am talking about portal and traps.So I am sure we can say in future "WAU! is so cool" without any additional trait line.

I'm hoping for offhand sword, or greatsword.

@AikijinX.6258 said:I'm hoping for offhand sword, or greatsword.

This^ cant believe people actually want to run around on thief with a damn torch lmao seriously? What u gonna go explore some caves? Awesome

@Psycoprophet.8107 said:This^ cant believe people actually want to run around on thief with a kitten torch lmao seriously? What u gonna go explore some caves? Awesome

lol! yeah im not to keen with the idea of having a focus, torch or warhorn for thief. but i can tolerate having a torch offhand to be a arsonist-ish class/spec. shields as an offhand wouldn't be too bad on a thief too but they have to look like bucklers or small shields to kinda make sense... having a big kite shield or tower shield on a thief is just... not so thief-y

@AikijinX.6258 said:I'm hoping for offhand sword, or greatsword.

yup this. i prefer thief to get an offhand sword espec next expansion but wouldn't mind a greatsword or a longbow one too

I hope it's not Spy

I'm still hoping for Agent using off-hand foci or lb with gadget utilities

Its cantha which is oriental themed so I'm hoping for off hand sword or gs ronin spec and to be unique the gs katana skin is on left hip instead of back. Be really cool. Than warrior could get a heavy armored samurai type spec with spear lol. Those would be the ideal specs for me as they'd fit the expac theme.

Assassin, offhand sword

Duel Axes. Cant go wrong with axes~

Offhand sword so we can have s/s and so can sword can finally be good in PVE!

@Kodama.6453 said:

@"Zhaid Zhem.6508" said:Hope it won't be a pur dps spec. We have (had) already two DPS e-spec, then they slowly dug the hole to be, today, barely noticeable. I don't want the same for the next one. Deadeye Fire For Effect was outstanding, but fury/mightbot ... an other one ? :# And not the best one. :#

But, reading the core traits, I don't see logical others roles. There is no real support in core, except some gimmicks like venom share, Signet of Agility, some heal on stealth or f1 ... Hard to design something else than an other selfish spec.Or a ground targeting F1 (like scourge), classic you'll do the steal but to 3-5 enemies in a zone, but you could also support easier with Shadow Savior if you target your allies, traits to share the effects of Steal, stealth attack, and the stolen skill (thrill of the crime, hidden thief, Mug, Improvisation, double the effect of shadow savior and ... that's all ?)

Daredevil's staff doesn't have the tools to make it a tank. The trait line and ONE SINGLE physical utility does, but nothing else is "tank". It needs rev staff or ranger gsword(lol) to be a tank really.

@Shiyo.3578 said:

@Kodama.6453 said:

@"Zhaid Zhem.6508" said:Hope it won't be a pur dps spec. We have (had) already two DPS e-spec, then they slowly dug the hole to be, today, barely noticeable. I don't want the same for the next one. Deadeye Fire For Effect was outstanding, but fury/mightbot ... an other one ? :# And not the best one. :#

But, reading the core traits, I don't see logical others roles. There is no real support in core, except some gimmicks like venom share, Signet of Agility, some heal on stealth or f1 ... Hard to design something else than an other selfish spec.Or a ground targeting F1 (like scourge), classic you'll do the steal but to 3-5 enemies in a zone, but you could also support easier with Shadow Savior if you target your allies, traits to share the effects of Steal, stealth attack, and the stolen skill (thrill of the crime, hidden thief, Mug, Improvisation, double the effect of shadow savior and ... that's all ?)

Daredevil's staff has quite alot of survivability in the kit.The auto attack has a reflect for projectiles, which can be quite useful for some encounters. Boneskinner, for example, comes to my mind.Staff provides evasion frames on 2 skills: 3 and 5.It also has AoE blind (I know, not really helping against PvE bosses, but at least adding survivability in other environments, like fighting multiple enemies in PvP).Then there is also an AoE weakness on 2, which benefits daredevil additionally since that elite spec has a trait that makes them take less damage from weakened foes.

The physical skills are mostly focused around hard CC, which is fine since hard CC is also a major design point of the bruiser elite specs. Look at spellbreaker and scrapper, both also have hard CC added to their skills and get additional benefits from CCing enemies.Daredevil also has a trait that makes them take advantage of hard CC: they apply pulmonary impact on enemies they interrupt. I know, that trait is heavily nerfed for PvP, but in PvE it still has quite some power damage scaling with 3,28.

You are also not accounting that traited physical skills, again, add additional survivability. Using a traited physical skill gains you endurance for additional dodges once again.

Daredevil is an unconventional tank, since it isn't using "traditional" tank mechanics like additional armor, blocks, etc.This is because Anet wanted to design a tank spec for thief that is still coherent with thief's thematics, hence why daredevil is using dodges as their primary tank mechanic.But there is still no doubt that daredevil is designed to be thief's tank/bruiser elite spec.