Help with thief build

[Khalisto.5780]

I play my own minigame of solo dungeons, I try to complete with a power build and condi build for each class.

 

I'm struggling a lot with thief, I had a build I could do just well against 1 strong enemy, but sometimes i can't just stealth skip everything, sometimes I have to tank all those elites, like in CM story mode. This is where I struggle the most.

 

I'm currently doing core thief, I have completed all dungeons with core ele already, which is my main, with power and condi build.

 

So I'd like some help with 2 core thief builds, 1 power 1 condi.

 

 

[Stx.4857]

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PaABoihjlNw6YUsD2IOuOrrbA-zRJYkxfZUQF0RK4+0MjnNQFA-e
 

This core Condi build should work.  Thief in general is probably the worst class to solo on, but this build will regenerate health from poison stacks when entering and exiting stealth.  Pistol for champions, and dagger/dagger for groups.  
 

As for power…. Thief is in a tough spot for solo power builds, especially core.  

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

It's been years since I've solo'd a dungeon on core thief.  Last time was Honor of the Waves, before HoT was released.  I've done it on Deadeye and Daredevil, which would be much easier if you were to attempt them.  However, to do it in core, this is the power build I'd recommend:  http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PawAwqVlZwAZeMM2IO8L5rTA-zRJYiRnfZURFlRKa7AUB-e

Don't be too rigid with the build.  This right here is just the initial setup.  While running solo I'd also change weapons to Sword/Dagger, ad well as Pistol/Pistol.  S/P lets you spam black powder and pistol whip to cleave enemies down quickly while blinding and evading attacks.  Against some of the easier mobs this will let you corner stack and pull them to death.  S/D gives you a skill evade on command, and also boon stealing.  Against some of the slower bosses this will let you evade literally every attack they can do.  Shortbow is good at kiting enemies and hitting multiple foes, while P/P is good at single target damage.  You'll need to pick and choose the weapons depending on circumstances.

The utilities are also variable.  Smokescreen is the best blind spam in the game, letting you cleave down enemies safely while also stopping projectiles, or comboing with shortbow to blast stealth.  Haste is there for additional damage with a stunbreak, and the Assassin's Signet is just there for damage.  Know that thief has a wide toolbox in their utilities, so it is good to familiarize yourself with what each one does.  Know which ones are stun breaks, CC, movement skills, stealth, and damage.  Against groups of elites you might find yourself kiting with the shortbow, so use Shadowstep/Signet of Shadows/Roll for Initiative to maintain distance while firing away.  If you aren't bent on killing everything, use Shadow's Refuge/Hide in Shadows/Blinding Powder to stealth your way through.  Bosses are immune to blind, so use things like Scorpion Wire/Pitfall/Seal area.  Venoms are used mostly for condition builds, but there are chill + immobilize venoms, which may have niche use.

Gear-wise, Marauder is one of the best to go with.  I used to do this all with Berserker, so Marauder will have an easier time overall.  The thief has a lot of active defenses, but all of those blinds and dodges effectively give you a time limit.  You'll want to kill things before that limit is up, so it is beneficial to do as much damage as fast as possible.  The Runes and Sigils are also picked to fulfill that purpose.  All of this damage has an important interaction with the trait Invigorating Precision, which heals you based on how much damage is done.  This will recover a substantial amount of health, healing away all of those errant hits that squeak through your defenses.  The rest of the traits are nothing special: as much damage as possible, with plenty of boons.  If you do want to swap out one trait line for another, Deadly Arts is the least significant for this setup.  You'll want to keep Critical Strikes and Trickery for all the utility they provide.  Deadly Arts just does more damage with small amounts of weakness thrown in, so if you want to defenses of Agility or Shadow Arts, go for it.  Though those traitlines tend to be lackluster, which is why most PVE builds just go for pure damage.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Blood Red Arachnid.2493