Jugglemonkey.8741

Hmm. I actually kind of like the melee range fear when playing rifle, as it helps to stop you getting trained down by camp guards while you hit your target, removing some of the advantage the enemy has by fighting in their camp and meaning you're not forced to swap to your melee set until you want to. It also works really, really nicely with severance sigil and draining sigil in those circumstances.

Yep, no arguments here. So often I end up swapping out useful runes for runes of speed on my thief because stuff is just leeroying out of melee range with superspeed lol.

I'd be fine with this, provided they shaved some utility off of binding shadow. DE would have too much boonrip & control on the bar otherwise.

1) These graphs do not prove anything about build diversity or claim buff because that requires data, both qualitative (what is the definition of meta, and over what time period are we comparing?) and quantitative (how many people play these builds?) as opposed to the "class A runs X, class B runs Y" logic you're using. These graphs are illustrations, not proof. 2) The graphs appear to contain errors, at least in the case of thief. For the majority of HoT rev and warrior ran full zerker gear in zergs, but thieves were running marauder/zerk or valk/zerk mixes, meaning thief should be to the left of rev and warrior on that graph instead of where it is now. They also don't show the shifts in metas caused by balance patches over the course of each expansion; the meta can change dramatically with a single patch (see warriors swapping from zerk to minstrel because of the CC damage nerf in Feb), and you will often find players running builds from the previous meta some months after the patch. You would be better off comparing the meta before and after a single change rather than over a time scale of 2-3 years per interval. 3) It is difficult to draw valid comparisons between the graphs when you are changing what professions and elite specs are included. In order to track the change of something over time, you must include the same things in all three graphs otherwise any conclusions will be less useful than you'd like. A more useful thing to track might have been meta build by profession for each period, and to have a series of graphs for each profession. 4) Your line of best fit for pre HoT and post HoT are clearly inaccurate. You appear to be muddling the shape of the graph by using the Y axis to show both the prevalence of each class in the average WvW group and the number of builds that fulfill the criteria on the X axis, leading your peak to be drawn at the point where the guardians & necros sit in the post HoT graph rather than to the right of the line where it clearly ought to be. The prevalence of an individual meta build is irrelevant when considering build diversity, so if you simply had "number of meta builds" on the Y axis, both the pre and post HoT curves would have the same general shape with a concentration of points on the right of the graph causing a peak there, with a longer, more drawn out tail to the left side in the post HoT graph caused by the two support builds being further from the central line, rather than the flattened middle peak you have going on. This, along with the dramatic change to the post PoF line, suggests that the shift between vanilla and HoT was not as impactful as the shift from HoT to PoF. This would in turn suggest that the claim buff is not the cause of any significant shift in the meta given it was introduced with HoT, but it is the introduction of full supports that has done the damage, as said by others in the thread. Edit: Thinking about it, you do actually have a point in a way, in that keep buff becomes more significant in a min/max meta than it does a more balanced meta. Still, it is a consequence of the change in game design changing the meta, not a cause of the meta changing in and of itself.

Except those that run past you are heading to the zerg to reinforce them, so the zerg continues their attack on your base, And in another instance, you don't even know if the players running past you on mounts aren't worth chasing...there's no way to actually know until you fight them and either beat them or lose. Mainly what you and @"lodjur.1284" are really referring to here is about is fighting "worthy opponents" because the assumption is that two players who want to fight will mutually agree to dismount. This is just 1v1 and if you just wanted to 1v1 you could have just gone to a pvp server and 1v1. If you actually wanted to roam you would be in the thick of all types of encounters that are inherently unpredictable including 1v1's but also 1v3's being outmanned (getting ganked), to 3v1 ganking people, to small scale skirmishes, even ending up in the thick of large scale battles...all of those things are part of roaming. if you want a 1v1 simulator go to a 1v1 duel arena that's way faster than running around on a mount to find other players to duel. Not speaking directly to you just addressing your point. Also personally, before i quit roaming, at least 75% if not more of people that were traversing would almost always bypass me. I had nights where i found nobody to fight because nobody was willing to dismount their warclaws unless it was them and 50 of their buddies there...which i also just mount my warclaw and ran away from all 50 of them because the mounts allowed me to do just that. Like I said it killed roaming and all that's left are the gankers because all the good duelers and real roamers like myself have long since left the scene. I didn't say or mean to imply that I only look for 1v1s, I will take on whatever comes when roaming because that's what I find fun. When I say it's not worth chasing people that run past you I mean that I've never really had an issue finding fights as long as there is an objective to fight over, be it a camp or a keep, that way the fight will come to you. If they choose to run past me and ignore the camp that I took or the tower that I hid in and am capping, they didn't want the fight and I have better things to do. I don't really care what they are running to attack because if I did, I'd probably be playing a group build on tag and not be on my thief. So yeah, it's not worth chasing people that run away on mounts because there's no point chasing after fights that will come to you on their own. As for your last point, it's interesting how you say roaming is about adapting to whatever fight you find in one breath, then go on to say that most real roamers have left the scene because they failed to adapt to how things changed with warclaw. Looks like it wasn't me that was looking for a specific type of fight.

Except for those that actually want to engage in combat. They added the spear on Warclaw for a reason, because prior people would just YEET away for eternity until they reach their allied zerg or until the enemy just leaves you alone because its not worth traveling across the entire map just to engage with you when you decide you want to dismount your warclaw. Again picking and choosing fights via the warclaw killed roaming. Before warclaw there was still the same picking and choosing fights, you were just forced to run one of the handful of builds (mainly thief) that had that luxory otherwise you were just food for gank squads. Now more classes/builds are viable for roaming as everyone has comparable ability to avoid gankers rather than a select few. I guess people are salty about a luxory they have enjoyed for years being granted to other classes.Actually, it's not about the luxury being granted to other classes, it's the opposite. If you are against the same players that form your gank squads they can now have 2-3 attack you while the others keep you in combat with warclaw and spear, so mobility is now entirely irrelevant if you try solo roaming no matter your class. That's why some people say it killed roaming, as now everyone gets ganked if the enemies have half a brain. Also this. This is why I don't have a problem personally, as most that run are generally not worth chasing.

How did this turn from dragon banner to mounts? Good change to banners imo tho

I'd rather be playing with them than against them, personally. You think one deadeye hiding in SM is bad? Try a whole guild of them :PIn all seriousness tho, it's their game, their right to play it how they want to, and nobody has a monopoly on the maps. Zerglings run around tagging stuff for bags, so I don't see how this is any different.

The build I was testing had AED and the cleanse from the supply crate toolbelt skill, that plus a cleansing sigil seemed like enough cleanse vs a sustain soulbeast and a condi druid last night (seperate fights). The issue I had was I'm not used to using CC to lock down the opponent anymore, so I could get him to half health then had to kite out and heal which gave him opportunity to recover. I don't want to give up rocket boots for C (thief main, I like the mobility) but I will see how it goes.

Awesome, thanks for the replies. I made the build I mentioned earlier with a trailblazer/rabid mix and it works pretty nicely with rocket boots to kite. I will try out scrapper (I guess I'll drop tools, as sneak gyro and hammer leaps should cover the mobility from rocket boots) and SpellOfIniquity's build next :)

So I used to run engi a lot in vanilla, specifically a celestial bomb kit build. I don't have much interest in scrapper or holo so would prefer to run either a celestial core build or something similar to the comeback king build from metabattle; https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Engineer_-_Comeback_King_Engie_Core_Spec. Is this a decent build still? What do you guys run for core engi and why?

If you're in fractals, havok is better as dodges are part of your rotation. That said, I prefer not to be running on 0-1 dodges all the time as I will do more damage by not getting downed, so it is more preference than anything really.

I'm on underworld, so we're against each other this week. Whisper me in game if you want to set up some duels sometime ^^

Honestly, core ele and core engi are only really seen as bad because a combination of their elite specs and utility on other classes make them redundant (why run 4 kit engi to blast fields when holo and scrapper give you the same utility on a single button, and why run staff ele for water fields when firebrand heals exist etc etc). If you remove elite specs then those specs are suddenly a lot more useful than you'd think.

So because it's not your desired playstyle, they should be nerfed so nobody bothers with it? Objective balancing FTW.

I would disagree. Profession is important to discuss as certain classes will be countered by others. Elementalist was designed to be weak to burst damage, the developers have commented on this in the past. It has the lowest armor rating and lowest HP pool coupled with the lack of any stealth revealing skill. Elementalist is not a bruiser class that is meant to be able to soak up damage, even as a Weaver. Its a sustain based class, it stays alive over long periods of time by retaining its HP through heals, boons, heavy access to vigor for multiple dodges, and in Weavers case, barrier. I've mained elementalist since the games launch, so I am speaking from experience here. Ranger's smokescale is strong, yes, but you have plenty of ways to defend against it. I posted earlier this thread a list of evades Weaver has access too on Sword. But if you're running staff and playing with zergs, then yes of course you're going to eat it when you're attacked by these classes, they are literally built to take out squishy targets like Weaver. In those situations you need to learn your positioning and how to kite around, using the terrain to LoS the enemies. If range pressure is really causing you trouble, grab Focus, it can literally shut down rangers strongest moves. Since Elementalist doesn't have access to reveal skills, consider picking up some Target Marker traps or do one of the following: 1) If they are stealth and are using ranged, LoS immediately and watch for the first sign of incoming damage. When you see it coming, use one of your evades to avoid most of the damage, then begin to assault. 2) If they stealth and are using melee, prepare to use your skills that mostly effect short range AoE (Flame Uprising, Earthen Vortex, Lava Skin, Earthquake) so you can catch them when they get out of stealth. Practice will make perfect. Learn your match ups. You've chosen to main one of the hardest, if not THE hardest class in PvP game modes. It will take time to get used to it, but I promise these skills are not as terrible as they may seem right now. Should they be balanced a bit more? Probably. But it will get easier as you play more. Fun fact: Did you know that Elementalists is one of the classes have natural access to Stealth? =) It's just never useful since its underwater. Ahaha I am ok with the fact that highly skilled players should feel rewarded playing a profession with the highest skill ceiling in the game, I know Elementalists have a stealth spell, it comes from the trident but since going underwater is not practical in WvW because there is a lack of water in Conquest maps I wouldn't even contemplate it. I like playing a build that requires hard work in order to feel rewarding, that is why I don't play my Dragonhunter Guardian anymore. Weaver feels rewarding once you gear up properly and master a stall build but that is not how squad fights work. I am aware I have to play a squishy squad build in Conquest when I am not roaming. I am very impressed with the Thief's roaming potential that I am thinking of adding one to my roster. I doubt Anet is going to nerf the current toxic meta so in order to learn how to deal with one I have to play one. 'Guild Wars 2 | New player tries Condi Thief PvP' Lol if I wanted I could make a montage of killing unranked boys with my condi weaver too, let's be serious now. Condi thieves are difficult if you can clear through their first burst they usually cant handle long term pressure. Tbh this video just speaks more to how Condi is over performing in this meta. And that sPvP and WvW are balanced differently. +1 You are correct that Conditions are Toxic in this meta but there is an underlying issue when it comes to Toxicity/Toxic Meta in itself especially when it has been present since Guild Wars 2 beta until this day= Thief Profession Thief Profession has been Toxic since Guild Wars 2 release and has been excused from any serious nerfs whereas other Professions since Guild Wars 2 beta has gone through many serious nerfs including conditions. Even Condition Mesmer Profession has long gone through many nerfs since Guild Wars 2 beta and has been the scapegoat for Condition Thief Profession (In other word, it is Mesmer Profession fault for Thief Profession Toxicity including all other Professions, so Blame them instead for all Toxic meta's including , taking away their Perma-dodge/evade because they're the only Profession who can do it) WHERE IS THIEF PROFESSION 1 DODGE CONSEQUENCE TOO?!! HOW DOES A DPS PROFESSION ROLE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAP INTO A CONDITON BASE ROLE PROFESSION- NECROMANCER CONDITIONS AND EXCELL IN IT, BETTER THEVEN AN ITS HOLDER??!! WHERE ARE NECROMANCER PROFESSION CONDITIONS?!! Let us be serious here, isn't dealing with the root cause and removing its influences is the right approach in dealing with Toxicity? So why 1 Profession is freely allowed and permitted to continue to be Excused, Destructive and Blameless when it comes to serious nerfs since Guild Wars 2 beta? WHY IS MESMER PROFESSION BEING BLAMED, USED AS ITS SCAPEGOAT INSTEAD OF TACKLING WITH THE ROOT CAUSE OF ENDLESS PROFESSIONS TOXICITY?!! https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/81212/nerf-the-mesmers-for-the-love-of-pvp/p3 If you genuinely think that condi mirage was fine on release, and that it was nerfed because thief condis were OP, that alone refutes your own point more than anything else I could say. my post did not state anything of which you 've stated therefore, i have nothing to reply You sure about that? First of all, you do not know my thoughts so instead you should be asking me for inputs of my though the correct way, Do you think ? What do you think? etc...? Secondly, i never once stated ever on my post (highlight it again)' that Condition Mesmer was fine'.. Lastly, Correct, I don't know your thoughts, but I didn't need to ask for your input as you already gave it in the form of your previous post. If what you said there isn't your actual opinion on the matter then it's up to you to clarify that, I can't help you with that one. The only reason that someone would be upset about condition mesmer being nerfed is if they thought it was fine as it was, and that the nerf was unjustified. If condition mesmer was not fine, then the reason it was nerfed is because it was too strong and that alone. Calling mesmer a scapegoat for thief makes no sense unless you believe mesmer was fine as it was, hence why I inferred that from your post. So if you do agree that condition mesmer was not fine, why are you complaining that it got nerfed? Thief actually has nothing at all to do with that. You only think that the buff was unwarranted because you don't like thief. That makes about as much sense as if I said ranger pets should not be buffed because I think they are ugly. Bias alone is not a sound argument, and if that is your only point of reasoning it means that you actually have no argument at all. I am 100% sure I could find buffs to condition skills on every single one of those classes within a few minutes of looking. I won't bother though as it would still have absolutely nothing to do with thief. You seem to think that thief has only ever received buffs to conditions throughout it's lifetime. Just looking at this year, the May 26th patch saw nerfs to shadow strike, pistol sneak attack and spider venom in PvP and WvW, and the July 7th patch saw access to repeater after using shadow strike be nerfed from 4 seconds to 3. Condition thief was overperforming, and it got nerfed, just like condition mesmer. Fancy that. What Exactly Do You Mean By Never Given Enough Reason When It Comes To Buffs? And What Does That Have To Do With Mesmer? I am assuming that your point is that shadow portal wasn't needed on thief. If you look through my post history, you will see that I actually agree with you on that point. If you are trying to say that thief portal shouldn't exist simply because that's something only mesmer should have, then I wonder how you would feel about all stealth skills on mesmer being removed next patch. Because, you know, stealth is thief's thing, so mesmer shouldn't have any stealth for that reason. Right?

I suppose it is not so much their hours (i.e., Spain) but the hours of people from South America playing on that server (or so I've heard), which is an unfair advantage because of their time difference. Thing is, if you put all south american players on one server, then put them against any EU server, you'll get PPT trains and nothing else. It's better that they are mixed, so coverage is more even.

I would disagree. Profession is important to discuss as certain classes will be countered by others. Elementalist was designed to be weak to burst damage, the developers have commented on this in the past. It has the lowest armor rating and lowest HP pool coupled with the lack of any stealth revealing skill. Elementalist is not a bruiser class that is meant to be able to soak up damage, even as a Weaver. Its a sustain based class, it stays alive over long periods of time by retaining its HP through heals, boons, heavy access to vigor for multiple dodges, and in Weavers case, barrier. I've mained elementalist since the games launch, so I am speaking from experience here. Ranger's smokescale is strong, yes, but you have plenty of ways to defend against it. I posted earlier this thread a list of evades Weaver has access too on Sword. But if you're running staff and playing with zergs, then yes of course you're going to eat it when you're attacked by these classes, they are literally built to take out squishy targets like Weaver. In those situations you need to learn your positioning and how to kite around, using the terrain to LoS the enemies. If range pressure is really causing you trouble, grab Focus, it can literally shut down rangers strongest moves. Since Elementalist doesn't have access to reveal skills, consider picking up some Target Marker traps or do one of the following: 1) If they are stealth and are using ranged, LoS immediately and watch for the first sign of incoming damage. When you see it coming, use one of your evades to avoid most of the damage, then begin to assault. 2) If they stealth and are using melee, prepare to use your skills that mostly effect short range AoE (Flame Uprising, Earthen Vortex, Lava Skin, Earthquake) so you can catch them when they get out of stealth. Practice will make perfect. Learn your match ups. You've chosen to main one of the hardest, if not THE hardest class in PvP game modes. It will take time to get used to it, but I promise these skills are not as terrible as they may seem right now. Should they be balanced a bit more? Probably. But it will get easier as you play more. Fun fact: Did you know that Elementalists is one of the classes have natural access to Stealth? =) It's just never useful since its underwater. Ahaha I am ok with the fact that highly skilled players should feel rewarded playing a profession with the highest skill ceiling in the game, I know Elementalists have a stealth spell, it comes from the trident but since going underwater is not practical in WvW because there is a lack of water in Conquest maps I wouldn't even contemplate it. I like playing a build that requires hard work in order to feel rewarding, that is why I don't play my Dragonhunter Guardian anymore. Weaver feels rewarding once you gear up properly and master a stall build but that is not how squad fights work. I am aware I have to play a squishy squad build in Conquest when I am not roaming. I am very impressed with the Thief's roaming potential that I am thinking of adding one to my roster. I doubt Anet is going to nerf the current toxic meta so in order to learn how to deal with one I have to play one. 'Guild Wars 2 | New player tries Condi Thief PvP' Lol if I wanted I could make a montage of killing unranked boys with my condi weaver too, let's be serious now. Condi thieves are difficult if you can clear through their first burst they usually cant handle long term pressure. Tbh this video just speaks more to how Condi is over performing in this meta. And that sPvP and WvW are balanced differently. +1 You are correct that Conditions are Toxic in this meta but there is an underlying issue when it comes to Toxicity/Toxic Meta in itself especially when it has been present since Guild Wars 2 beta until this day= Thief Profession Thief Profession has been Toxic since Guild Wars 2 release and has been excused from any serious nerfs whereas other Professions since Guild Wars 2 beta has gone through many serious nerfs including conditions. Even Condition Mesmer Profession has long gone through many nerfs since Guild Wars 2 beta and has been the scapegoat for Condition Thief Profession (In other word, it is Mesmer Profession fault for Thief Profession Toxicity including all other Professions, so Blame them instead for all Toxic meta's including , taking away their Perma-dodge/evade because they're the only Profession who can do it) WHERE IS THIEF PROFESSION 1 DODGE CONSEQUENCE TOO?!! HOW DOES A DPS PROFESSION ROLE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAP INTO A CONDITON BASE ROLE PROFESSION- NECROMANCER CONDITIONS AND EXCELL IN IT, BETTER THEVEN AN ITS HOLDER??!! WHERE ARE NECROMANCER PROFESSION CONDITIONS?!! Let us be serious here, isn't dealing with the root cause and removing its influences is the right approach in dealing with Toxicity? So why 1 Profession is freely allowed and permitted to continue to be Excused, Destructive and Blameless when it comes to serious nerfs since Guild Wars 2 beta? WHY IS MESMER PROFESSION BEING BLAMED, USED AS ITS SCAPEGOAT INSTEAD OF TACKLING WITH THE ROOT CAUSE OF ENDLESS PROFESSIONS TOXICITY?!! https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/81212/nerf-the-mesmers-for-the-love-of-pvp/p3 If you genuinely think that condi mirage was fine on release, and that it was nerfed because thief condis were OP, that alone refutes your own point more than anything else I could say. my post did not state anything of which you 've stated therefore, i have nothing to reply You sure about that?

Can you imagine the uproar if they removed this thread with no explanation or update? I'd buy a ticket to that show! Well, even that would be a confirmation of sorts, so it would probably please some people.

We can open a post with "Alliances When" as title, one for each of us. When they merge them all, it’ll tell us they heard... to no avail of course Then we will know they have read it.Unfortunately, seen =/= read.

I would disagree. Profession is important to discuss as certain classes will be countered by others. Elementalist was designed to be weak to burst damage, the developers have commented on this in the past. It has the lowest armor rating and lowest HP pool coupled with the lack of any stealth revealing skill. Elementalist is not a bruiser class that is meant to be able to soak up damage, even as a Weaver. Its a sustain based class, it stays alive over long periods of time by retaining its HP through heals, boons, heavy access to vigor for multiple dodges, and in Weavers case, barrier. I've mained elementalist since the games launch, so I am speaking from experience here. Ranger's smokescale is strong, yes, but you have plenty of ways to defend against it. I posted earlier this thread a list of evades Weaver has access too on Sword. But if you're running staff and playing with zergs, then yes of course you're going to eat it when you're attacked by these classes, they are literally built to take out squishy targets like Weaver. In those situations you need to learn your positioning and how to kite around, using the terrain to LoS the enemies. If range pressure is really causing you trouble, grab Focus, it can literally shut down rangers strongest moves. Since Elementalist doesn't have access to reveal skills, consider picking up some Target Marker traps or do one of the following: 1) If they are stealth and are using ranged, LoS immediately and watch for the first sign of incoming damage. When you see it coming, use one of your evades to avoid most of the damage, then begin to assault. 2) If they stealth and are using melee, prepare to use your skills that mostly effect short range AoE (Flame Uprising, Earthen Vortex, Lava Skin, Earthquake) so you can catch them when they get out of stealth. Practice will make perfect. Learn your match ups. You've chosen to main one of the hardest, if not THE hardest class in PvP game modes. It will take time to get used to it, but I promise these skills are not as terrible as they may seem right now. Should they be balanced a bit more? Probably. But it will get easier as you play more. Fun fact: Did you know that Elementalists is one of the classes have natural access to Stealth? =) It's just never useful since its underwater. Ahaha I am ok with the fact that highly skilled players should feel rewarded playing a profession with the highest skill ceiling in the game, I know Elementalists have a stealth spell, it comes from the trident but since going underwater is not practical in WvW because there is a lack of water in Conquest maps I wouldn't even contemplate it. I like playing a build that requires hard work in order to feel rewarding, that is why I don't play my Dragonhunter Guardian anymore. Weaver feels rewarding once you gear up properly and master a stall build but that is not how squad fights work. I am aware I have to play a squishy squad build in Conquest when I am not roaming. I am very impressed with the Thief's roaming potential that I am thinking of adding one to my roster. I doubt Anet is going to nerf the current toxic meta so in order to learn how to deal with one I have to play one. 'Guild Wars 2 | New player tries Condi Thief PvP' Lol if I wanted I could make a montage of killing unranked boys with my condi weaver too, let's be serious now. Condi thieves are difficult if you can clear through their first burst they usually cant handle long term pressure. Tbh this video just speaks more to how Condi is over performing in this meta. And that sPvP and WvW are balanced differently. +1 You are correct that Conditions are Toxic in this meta but there is an underlying issue when it comes to Toxicity/Toxic Meta in itself especially when it has been present since Guild Wars 2 beta until this day= Thief Profession Thief Profession has been Toxic since Guild Wars 2 release and has been excused from any serious nerfs whereas other Professions since Guild Wars 2 beta has gone through many serious nerfs including conditions. Even Condition Mesmer Profession has long gone through many nerfs since Guild Wars 2 beta and has been the scapegoat for Condition Thief Profession (In other word, it is Mesmer Profession fault for Thief Profession Toxicity including all other Professions, so Blame them instead for all Toxic meta's including , taking away their Perma-dodge/evade because they're the only Profession who can do it) WHERE IS THIEF PROFESSION 1 DODGE CONSEQUENCE TOO?!! HOW DOES A DPS PROFESSION ROLE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAP INTO A CONDITON BASE ROLE PROFESSION- NECROMANCER CONDITIONS AND EXCELL IN IT, BETTER THEVEN AN ITS HOLDER??!! WHERE ARE NECROMANCER PROFESSION CONDITIONS?!! Let us be serious here, isn't dealing with the root cause and removing its influences is the right approach in dealing with Toxicity? So why 1 Profession is freely allowed and permitted to continue to be Excused, Destructive and Blameless when it comes to serious nerfs since Guild Wars 2 beta? WHY IS MESMER PROFESSION BEING BLAMED, USED AS ITS SCAPEGOAT INSTEAD OF TACKLING WITH THE ROOT CAUSE OF ENDLESS PROFESSIONS TOXICITY?!! https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/81212/nerf-the-mesmers-for-the-love-of-pvp/p3 If you genuinely think that condi mirage was fine on release, and that it was nerfed because thief condis were OP, that alone refutes your own point more than anything else I could say.

Only if I can be a lizard man who can't wear boots

Oooh, I forgot about vamp, very nice for PvE too

I main thief, and I think that you will limit your enjoyment of the class as a main if you don't want to try all the specs at least once. My advice would be to find something about that class that you find fun and build around that, because at the end of the day, you can learn to be an amazing thief but unless you find it fun you're not going to want to play it. Thief is a class that revolves around outplaying your opponent, so you will have to know what you're doing to get the most out of it, and that experience generally comes from grabbing a meta build and throwing yourself at everything that comes. Yes, you will die a lot (I have over 11k deaths on my thief lol) but if you concentrate on your own play, you will learn a lot too.

Depends on build. On sword builds I tend to use speed runes, for dagger builds I use scholar or daredevil runes (depends if I build glassy or tanky), for staff builds I use speed or durability runes and for hybrid I use aristocracy runes. Other useful runes are brawler, fireworks, thorns, antitoxin, and tormenting, depending on what you want from your build.