Jugglemonkey.8741

I still used it even then actually. I never played ghost thief tho, I played trapper thief more like a dragonhunter with traps and meditations instead. It was the range nerf on swipe that stopped me playing traps as it was much harder to make that playstyle work at 600 range than at 1200 range.

1) I don't think you understand what an exponential graph looks like. The pip gains from rank aren't exponential as the system presently stands because as stated, the maximum pip gain per tick is 17 and the minimum is 5. If you drew a graph of pip gain per hour for both these cases and all cases in between, you would find that they form a finite set of linear progressions over time each with a gradient set by the rank of each individual and which circumstantial bonuses each individual had available to them. There is nothing exponential about any of the progressions, each progression is still linear for each player and each would be described by an equation looking something like this: Pip gain = (minimum pip gain/tick + rank bonus pips per tick + bonus pips per tick)*Number of ticks played This is assuming that circumstantial factors like server placement within a matchup and the outnumbered bonus remain constant during playtime, but even if you factored that in in real time you'd get a set of data points that can still be averaged as a line on a graph, not an exponential curve, because each variable is constant for the time that you have it. 2) You're not using the term entropy correctly. Entropy in a system is a way of expressing the randomness or disorder of a system, often related to how many microstates can give rise to a particular macrostate. For instance, say I toss a coin 5 times. There are 10 combinations of the result of each individual coin toss (microstate) that could result in me getting 3 heads and 2 tails (macrostate), which is the result with the least order but the most variation. There is only one possible combination that would result in me getting the most ordered/structured result of 5 heads. Entropy always increases in a system, which is a way of saying that systems tend to disorder. So if I set those 5 coins heads up then threw them on the table at once, it is possible the coins will all land heads up, but it is far more likely that they will land in a combination of heads and tails. Apply that to what you said. You're describing WvW as a system where only veterans play and new players aren't retained because of how pips work. That system is inherently more ordered than one with equal levels of new and old players. What you're describing has low entropy, it's ordered, when what you actually want is variation, or disorder. 3) You get 3-4 ranks in 2 hours, you play 8 hours per week, giving 16 potential ranks per week. That means you'd only need to play for 9-10 weeks to get 150 ranks and another pip. If you're saying you only play WvW for two hours a week, well, why should you expect good rewards from anything with that level of time investment? PvE doesn't work like that, so why should WvW?

Just be glad thieves don't have it anymore lol

Spot the necro player ^

Tbh I agree with Saerni about seeing less thieves than other classes. Part of the reason I say this is because most thieves don't avoid each other at all, quite the opposite. If there's a thief looking for fights you can pretty much guarantee he will have a pop at me over other classes stood next to me as thieves are usually glass cannons and he's looking for the easy kill, it's exactly the same thing I do when I see a group. So on average I'm far more likely to notice enemy thieves while roaming than anything else, and I still see more revenants, rangers and guardians than I do thieves.

Pretty much this. I'd either get chased off by a group, or I'd carry on picking you off as and when you give me opportunity. Yup lol.

I know haha. I was more making the joke that if you only get the shaft of the axe it's a scepter, because a scepter is essentially a stick.

It's just typical that once again we only got the shaft. Edit: I'm actually really happy with Specter, just couldn't resist the joke haha

Not that this is much better, but you still get shroud and can still near perma evade with spear at least.

Lol, mechanist not being able to use the golem underwater is really, really bad xD

I don't think any of the 300s cd traits are gonna get changed now, since new ones are being introduced. It's just bad luck for acro that it has two such traits, and not much else besides Swindler's Equilibrium that Daredevil doesn't offer. Edit: I mean, I use acro on S/D builds, but that's pretty much only because of the swiftness on dodge and Swindler's Equilibrium. When Specter is here then shadow arts with the healing on shadowstep will be a better option for a defensive line. Second edit: I've been playing S/D with shadow arts over acro recently with fireworks runes to cover the mobility and it's waaaay stronger. Line needs a rework.

My main is sylvari, can I call it shroomies?

I love my celestial deadeye so I've already reserved a build slot for celestial specter, and I'm glad to see it's stronger than I thought. Seriously, I cannot wait for the expac now xD

I feel like taunt would be too strong with absorption sigil and bountiful theft because it'd be too easy to set up for the effect esp on S/D, but a chill & fear would be a good QoL for melee.

I mean, it's a fun trait to use on deadeye rifle if you port behind someone as you Death's Judgement. But yeah, in melee it can be pretty annoying.

Wouldn't work well against AoE classes that largely don't need a target, would just be an easy way to nullify your support while still dealing damage.

This. So much this. Keep doing this kind of feedback Devs, while I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about code wise it is 100% better to be reading this kind of post than to get no updates at all like the last few years.

You don't actually hate thieves by the sounds of it, you hate stealth. Personally I wouldn't mind if they removed stealth entirely and redesigned thief around dual swords, evades, mobility and blocks, but that has and always be a pipe dream since ANet created Revenant using ideas from the "what do you want to see in the new thief elite spec" forum post the devs started for HoT. Fact is the devs want thief to play the way it does, and while I am sorry that you couldn't find enjoyment in WvW it is just as simple as that. I hope you enjoy whatever you ended up playing instead more.

Honestly I was going to get it, but after seeing it the other day with a guildie it looks a bit underwhelming. I might just buy the gen 1 legendary and skin it instead, save the effort of doing the gen 2 collections.

Confirmed, a guildie and I tested this the other day too. The dragon gets no effect on your side, but he's definitely not visible to the enemy.

Tbh I mostly want it for the swappable stats as much as anything. Specter is flexible enough to use virtually all stat sets in some way whereas I never bothered with a legendary staff because I'm never gonna use any stat other than marauder.

1) Yep, no issues with that. 2) Preparations ought to have a cast time, but the arming time should be removed because it makes the skills too static for use in most circumstances (Although there is one deadeye I have seen making excellent use of seal area, I think on Kodash). I think they made traps into preparations as a new type of skill specifically to avoid rune interactions after the whole trapper runes thing, so I'd be careful what you change in that regard. 3) Not sure if you mean on shadowstep or on sword 2, but either way I don't want it removed as both of those are pretty important condi cleanse skills on core S/D. 4) Yes. in some places I have no idea how much malice I have until M7 procs because the lit up pips look almost identical to the unlit ones. Not sure if it's map or boon specific, but it's a UI issue I think.

Also the shot can proc basilisk venom and air sigil because it does damage and can crit. I used to use it to set up a one shot with D/P bound when pulmonary impact was OP because nobody really thought to avoid the blind shot.

How are you getting 24 initiative in 12s? Edit: When I sat down and worked it out, yeah, 6 ini on 3s base stealth when combined with Kleptomaniac and stealth on steal would give permastealth even when not considering the extra stealth duration from SA. Better to make it either a 1s stealth or a 9 initiative cost, both of which would either force SA use or remove the point of changing it to make the stealth more readily accessible to specter. And that's before considering whether you should remove the smoke field or not. Good point well made sir ^^

Huh, I didn't know this but thanks for the heads up. I was considering making it for the expac xD