Melee Thief changes.

At every new patch I noticed that Thief get nerfed or buffed "in a casual way" (not based on balance needs).. so I want to suggest some ideas:

1. Impacting Disruption (Daredevil): Pulmonary Impact damage (like Superior Sigil of Draining damage) is unaffected by target armor. - The idea here is to make equal damage every time you'll interrupt an enemy skill regardless of the target's armor (a "fixed" damage of around 2700 will be fine).

2. Endurance Thief (Daredevil): this skill is no longer split between game modes: Endurance Gained: 50

3. Havoc Mastery (Daredevil): Damage Increase: 10% (current 7% + 3%). - To compensate all the recent damage nerfs.

4. Burst of Agility (Trickery): "Use Lesser Haste when attacking a foe from behind or from the side WIELDING melee weapons" + Lesser Haste Cooldown 40 seconds - Melee weapons: Dagger, Sword, Staff. You can always activate this trait with a melee weapon and then swap to rifle or other ranged weapon (pistol, shortbow).

5. Bewildering Ambush (Trickery): 5 stacks for 5 seconds in all game modes - I don't like really much condi thief, but 6 stacks for 3 seconds is a no sense..

6. Exposed Weakness (Deadly Arts): restore the 10% damage if the target has a condition in WvW (splitting this trait between game modes).

7. Swindler's Equilibrium (Acrobatics): cooldown: 20 seconds in all game modes.

8. Instant Reflexes (Acrobatics): PvP cooldown 60 seconds (no sense a 90 seconds cooldown for 2 seconds of evade).

I like some of the changes, but what Thief needs most is reverting some of the old Weapon nerfs.Like increase Sword and Dagger AA, it is insanely low. Hell I got a 400dmg on enemy player without protection and 700 critic with protection. Non-DE Thief is currently insanely underpowered.Many people will say that it means that Thief is what other professions should be, de-powercreeped. But since Anet will never de-powercreep all other professions to non-DE Thief level then we desperately need its dmg restored, right now it does absolutely nothing, poses absolutely no threat and has nothing on any single other profession in the game.I qued in Ranked with Thief (always did, but not anymore) and the very first thing I see is a God fo PvP whispering me, asking me if I can swap to ANYTHING else saying that Thief is utterly useless in current meta. It pained me not that he asked but that I knew for a long time that this is completely true. If thief has no DMG then it has literally nothing.

EDIT: Can't wait for people telling me "But Shadowstep! But mobility! " Yeah, congratulations you can run away and still do that mentioned absolutely nothing in a fight. Infiltrator Arrow nor Shadowstep wont help you a single bit when fighting, only to save yourself and run away, which is the only thing you'll be doing with non-DE Thief.

@"Alatar.7364" said:I like some of the changes, but what Thief needs most is reverting some of the old Weapon nerfs.Like increase Sword and Dagger AA, it is insanely low. Hell I got a 400dmg on enemy player without protection and 700 critic with protection. Non-DE Thief is currently insanely underpowered.Many people will say that it means that Thief is what other professions should be, de-powercreeped. But since Anet will never de-powercreep all other professions to non-DE Thief level then we desperately need its dmg restored, right now it does absolutely nothing, poses absolutely no threat and has nothing on any single other profession in the game.I qued in Ranked with Thief (always did, but not anymore) and the very first thing I see is a God fo PvP whispering me, asking me if I can swap to ANYTHING else saying that Thief is utterly useless in current meta. It pained me not that he asked but that I knew for a long time that this is completely true. If thief has no DMG then it has literally nothing.

EDIT: Can't wait for people telling me "But Shadowstep! But mobility! " Yeah, congratulations you can run away and still do that mentioned absolutely nothing in a fight. Infiltrator Arrow nor Shadowstep wont help you a single bit when fighting, only to save yourself and run away, which is the only thing you'll be doing with non-DE Thief.

Well, I completely agree with you when you say that non-DE thief is currently insanely underpowered (and every new patch notes we lose damage on dagger and sword skills).The changes I have proposed try to curb the problem: lower cooldown in Burst of Agility will grant more quickness to melee thieves (fundamental, not just in terms of DPS, but also to speed up some combo), Havoc Mastery at 10% is a little damage increase as reward if you fight in short range and "Pulmonary Impact damage unaffected by target armor" gives back meaning at this trait, cause now you can use it only against no bunker build.. or is only a waste of initiative.