Jump to content
  • Sign Up

What kind of thief builds do you run in solo in group PvE content?


Zexanima.7851

Recommended Posts

@MUDse.7623 said:an encounter based build.probably easiest if you tell us what you want to do with the thief and one can give you advise for each encounter.

My biggest issue is fights that punish melee range with lots of spam damage or fast, hard hitting bursts. I run full glass so usually anything more than a tap and I'm dead. When soloing group content I usually run DD/CS/Tr with staff/sb and I will eventually run out of dodges/evades and that's when the going gets tough. If it's just one slow boss and maybe a couple of adds, no problem. If the boss has a break bar and teleports to attack you, pulses AoE damage, or has tons of CC then I have a hard time after I run out of ini and endurance in the first couple minutes of the fight. It's hard to sustain my resource for a long period and avoid all the damage I need to.

I've kind of been starting to realize I need to change out my build/skills per encounter more so than other professions. A lot of the other professions I've played you can setup a solo PvE build and pretty much just run that successfully without having to do more than maybe swap a utility now and then. Thief I've only really ever played in PvP and now I'm trying to get in some PvE experience. As an example I was trying to get the chest at Temple of Atar in the Crystal Deserts that's surrounded by veteran fire djinn. I was running DrD with Staff/Sb and got killed probably 3-4 times before I swapped shortbow for dagger/pistol and had zero issue with them due to being able to kite and headshot to get their breakbars down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Zexanima.7851 said:

@MUDse.7623 said:an encounter based build.probably easiest if you tell us what you want to do with the thief and one can give you advise for each encounter.

My biggest issue is fights that punish melee range with lots of spam damage or fast, hard hitting bursts. I run full glass so usually anything more than a tap and I'm dead. When soloing group content I usually run DD/CS/Tr with staff/sb and I will eventually run out of dodges/evades and that's when the going gets tough. If it's just one slow boss and maybe a couple of adds, no problem. If the boss has a break bar and teleports to attack you, pulses AoE damage, or has tons of CC then I have a hard time after I run out of ini and endurance in the first couple minutes of the fight. It's hard to sustain my resource for a long period and avoid all the damage I need to.

I've kind of been starting to realize I need to change out my build/skills per encounter more so than other professions. A lot of the other professions I've played you can setup a solo PvE build and pretty much just run that successfully without having to do more than maybe swap a utility now and then. Thief I've only really ever played in PvP and now I'm trying to get in some PvE experience. As an example I was trying to get the chest at Temple of Atar in the Crystal Deserts that's surrounded by veteran fire djinn. I was running DrD with Staff/Sb and got killed probably 3-4 times before I swapped shortbow for dagger/pistol and had zero issue with them due to being able to kite and headshot to get their breakbars down.

i personally go deadeye mostly over daredevil for thougher opponents. because the boon gen, ini gen and the safety in being on range will often result in higher solo dps. higher solo dps with IP is also more sustain ( aside from the 10% dmg reduction from iron sight + perma protection from maleficient seven). the 25 mighstacks alone are so powerfull, you can simplify your rotation alot without falling below a solo daredevil. for example use silent scope for stealth instead of a combination of utilities and stolen skills as the raid build suggests, this should also help with the lower precision you have when solo. you can also fight standing if you feel like kneeling is too dangerous and you will still have pretty decent solo dps.so you can basically play snowcrows raid build, replace premeditation with snipers cover , IP instead of no quarter and then adjust utilities/off weaponset for the fight. take trickery possibly with mercy if you need more boonrip instead of deadly arts, if you dont need boonrip keep deadly arts. i mostly run with binding shadows (vuln, CC) , assassins signet + X.then for the most part build malice with rifle 3, rifle 2 when you have some adds troubling you and DJ to reset malice. pretty simple but efficient rotation.the wall from snipers cover is also nice to cheese some encounters, for example the champion avatar of balthazar in auric basin when you fight him on range he will only throw a projectile outside his onehit attack wich you can negate with 100% uptime snipers cover, while in melee he would spawn fields below any target nearby or jump for a knockback in your face or use high cleave dmg.CC is also not a problem with binding shadows and spotters shot.

now deadeye is not allways better than daredevil tho. for example of all the WvW tower/keep lords there is 2 types wich i kill faster on daredevil: the alpine tower lords and the necropolis lord. because both spamm projectiles but have negligible melee damage as well as adds. so you have from staff the high reflect uptime on AA , the cleave for the adds and no increased danger in melee range. doing them on deadeye you will be pressured much more than from other lords as you cant kite their conatant pressure as easily and spamming snipers cover is a dps loss, while the daredevil gets even more damage through reflects.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@MUDse.7623 said:

@MUDse.7623 said:an encounter based build.probably easiest if you tell us what you want to do with the thief and one can give you advise for each encounter.

My biggest issue is fights that punish melee range with lots of spam damage or fast, hard hitting bursts. I run full glass so usually anything more than a tap and I'm dead. When soloing group content I usually run DD/CS/Tr with staff/sb and I will eventually run out of dodges/evades and that's when the going gets tough. If it's just one slow boss and maybe a couple of adds, no problem. If the boss has a break bar and teleports to attack you, pulses AoE damage, or has tons of CC then I have a hard time after I run out of ini and endurance in the first couple minutes of the fight. It's hard to sustain my resource for a long period and avoid all the damage I need to.

I've kind of been starting to realize I need to change out my build/skills per encounter more so than other professions. A lot of the other professions I've played you can setup a solo PvE build and pretty much just run that successfully without having to do more than maybe swap a utility now and then. Thief I've only really ever played in PvP and now I'm trying to get in some PvE experience. As an example I was trying to get the chest at Temple of Atar in the Crystal Deserts that's surrounded by veteran fire djinn. I was running DrD with Staff/Sb and got killed probably 3-4 times before I swapped shortbow for dagger/pistol and had zero issue with them due to being able to kite and headshot to get their breakbars down.

i personally go deadeye mostly over daredevil for thougher opponents. because the boon gen, ini gen and the safety in being on range will often result in higher solo dps. higher solo dps with IP is also more sustain ( aside from the 10% dmg reduction from iron sight + perma protection from maleficient seven). the 25 mighstacks alone are so powerfull, you can simplify your rotation alot without falling below a solo daredevil. for example use silent scope for stealth instead of a combination of utilities and stolen skills as the raid build suggests, this should also help with the lower precision you have when solo. you can also fight standing if you feel like kneeling is too dangerous and you will still have pretty decent solo dps.so you can basically play snowcrows raid build, replace premeditation with snipers cover , IP instead of no quarter and then adjust utilities/off weaponset for the fight. take trickery possibly with mercy if you need more boonrip instead of deadly arts, if you dont need boonrip keep deadly arts. i mostly run with binding shadows (vuln, CC) , assassins signet + X.then for the most part build malice with rifle 3, rifle 2 when you have some adds troubling you and DJ to reset malice. pretty simple but efficient rotation.the wall from snipers cover is also nice to cheese some encounters, for example the champion avatar of balthazar in auric basin when you fight him on range he will only throw a projectile outside his onehit attack wich you can negate with 100% uptime snipers cover, while in melee he would spawn fields below any target nearby or jump for a knockback in your face or use high cleave dmg.CC is also not a problem with binding shadows and spotters shot.

now deadeye is not allways better than daredevil tho. for example of all the WvW tower/keep lords there is 2 types wich i kill faster on daredevil: the alpine tower lords and the necropolis lord. because both spamm projectiles but have negligible melee damage as well as adds. so you have from staff the high reflect uptime on AA , the cleave for the adds and no increased danger in melee range. doing them on deadeye you will be pressured much more than from other lords as you cant kite their conatant pressure as easily and spamming snipers cover is a dps loss, while the daredevil gets even more damage through reflects.

Thanks for the detailed reply! I'll give rifle DE a try as I've avoided using it due to how difficult it can be to position and use correctly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQNAW6an8lCFOhNOBGPBkmildCbLAUbOQeThtwVY+A2ArgA-jRRSwAHVCCY/Boq/QR5HNdDAA-e

I run this to solo open world / dungeons / low level fractals and I've never had an issue with any encounter. Super Rare that I need to even swap a skill out.
Lack of gap close across the battlefield with the swipe nerf kinda sucks now, but you can solo most encounters and low level group content.
If you need more dodges, I guess you can switch to acro instead of tricks, or use bountiful theft for vigor.

I personally find thief to be the most fun style of gameplay gw2 has to offer so I stick with it, but the sad reality is other classes can do these things better and easier. (ie: reaper)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally running this:http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vZAQRAoY6an0MBFPhNGDGOB0PhFyCj/LuGfjeBgEQBYLDNWqNA-jRSBQBCWJIe0PAgHCwV2fUW5hTAweOCAUSVl/qWRgVqAA-e

Just spam Marks to maintain Quickness and use Haste on occasion. Become the Bullet-Hell you were meant to be. Should the crowd be too much to P/P, just swap to D/D and swing your arms like a madman while your health rapidly regenerates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...