Returning player struggling with new pve content

[Bustacapshaw.8047]

Hey everyone, I quit playing just prior to heart of thorns. I've been attempting to play through the new expansions, but I am getting absolutely steam rolled by these enemies. I've been running full berserker with some orbs for vit and toughness, but I'm dying quickly. I've unlocked about half of daredevil elite, so I'm not sure if that is my problem. Any builds or advice is gladly welcomed. I've played almost all the professions some since returning but the thief is the one that I love the most, so I want to git gud with it. Thanks.

[mindcircus.1506]

If you are struggling on Thief make sure to run Signet of Malice as your Heal and Invigorating Precision from Critical Strikes.Often using these can supply you with the sustain you need.

[Taril.8619]

Target specific enemies above all others. Mordrem Snipers/Stalkers like to hit hard. Tendrils do a PBAoE that can one-shot a Berserker Thief. Bristlebacks can channel an attack on you that will likely kill you if they start it (As it will follow you even if you stealth, or go behind a wall...)

In PoF, Marksmen/Weaponeers can hit pretty hard (They're more sniper enemies...).

Basically, if the enemy wants to stand very far back, or right behind you... Stab 'em first!

Also, while Signet of Malice is the meta choice for Thief, I find that Withdraw provides better sustain because it also works as an additional dodge (Also, cleanses Torment which some enemies stack up on you pretty quick) not to mention with no cast time for its burst heal it can come in clutch as full glass cannon where your health pool might not last through a 1s+ cast time heal.

An Offhand Pistol can also provide a lot of defence as always, due to Black Powder providing a bunch of Blinds from the Smoke Field it creates and if you just auto attack while spamming Black Powder, many things just can't hit you.

[ASP.8093]

Heart of Thorns has the hardest explorable areas. If you have Path of Fire, you may want to "skip ahead" a bit to Crystal Oasis / Desert Highlands to get a gentler "relearning" onramp while still facing content designed for fully-geared level-80 characters, then return to the HoT maps after you feel more familiar with your class and build. (Use the Lily pass, switch your story path for a moment and do the intro quest — you'll get a mount as well, — or ask a guildmate to go there and then teleport-to-friend.)

For Daredevil specifically,

• A few pieces of Marauder gear can go a long way. You can get like 2k hp for only a 3% DPS drop, which is usually a worthwhile trade for chaotic open-world situations. In your case, this'll let you swap your orbs for nicer runes (more utility or damage!) without becoming squishier.
• Invigorating Precision (in Crit Strikes) helps sustain considerably. You'll likely prefer No Quarter for group content where someone else can give you heals, but IP in solo play is really powerful and dependable.
• Mind your weapon skills. Staff 5 evades, so try to time it to get the benefit of both the attack and the evade instead of just using it for flat AOE damage (Staff 2 is a slightly more efficient DPS skill in a lot of situations, anyway). Your Staff 1 has a juicy reflect on the third attack, as well as pretty good damage, so try to complete your auto-attack chains as much as is practical.

[Qori.9671]

I am in the same boat , I am playing PP core "press 3 til it dies" build. It is working well in Path of fire zones , I have 35ish% unlocked on Dare Devil , but I am not sure if I should go ahead and just unlock it all now , or if I should unlock Deadeye and then just do HoT zones to finish Dare Devil . What you guys think is better to do HoT zones Dare Devil or Unload Deadeye ?

[Trianox.3486]

Press 3 til it dies is extremely potent on deadeye as mark/steal renew on every marked target kills. And with mark comes in fury, might, and almost permanent quickness, plus you regain 2 initiatives, meaning you can chain kills extremely fast.

But, I like daredevil playstyle the most personally, in terms of flavour.

[djgLXXII.1907]

I had the same problem when I started PoF (which I've recently completed and am about to start HoT). I followed this guide for a strong PvE build:

Watch the video in its entirety as he explains why he chose particular skills over others and gives some tips on how to play the build.

I think this guide was created before the re-balancing, though, but I believe everything stated still applies. I mean, I'm still running the build that he suggests and I'm absolutely wrecking stuff. Plus it's fun as hell. Also, I did buy all exotic gear from the TP with power/precision/ferocity stats.

I haven't played a Daredevil build yet, but I will be shocked if it can chain-kill enemies on the scale that a PP Deadeye can.

[ASP.8093]

@djgLXXII.1907 said:I think this guide was created before the re-balancing, though, but I believe everything stated still applies.

The rebalance actually helps you a bit because you can get Pierce on all of your pistol attacks via Critical Strikes now.