[E.Spec Suggestion] Drifter

[TheSwede.9512]

Drifter

• Support/Bruiser Archetype
• Heavy focus on Peeling, Endurance Restoration and CC
• Secondary focus on Condition Damage and Dueling
• Aims to give Thief a greater role in Team Play, primarily PvP and WvW, without breaking too far away from their lone wolf design philosophy

Theme and Role

"Across the frozen wastes of the Northern Shiverpeaks, there exist no true safe haven or sanctuary. Where the Dragon's hold isn't absolute, nature herself reigns with a cold iron fist, making the land inhospitable to all living things. And yet there are whispers among those who still dare to travel this far north. Whispers of solitary campfires, tended to by equally solitary yet surprisingly altruistic hearthkeepers: The Drifters.Silent sentinels of the north, what brought these thieves to this forsaken place is a mystery to anyone but themselves. For some, it's a calling. For others, it's redemption. All that is known is that they are tireless protectors of the vagrant and the foolhardy who finds themselves lost amidst the freezing snow, pulling them from the cold jaws of death back to the warming fires of their hearths. They ask neither reward nor recognition for their work, and disappear as soon as your back turns on them, back out to the wild in search of other lost souls in need of their aid."

The Drifter is a Support/Bruiser archetype well-equipped to deal with many situations. They remain as self-reliant as any Thief, however their kit is particularily designed towards saving allies in need, either by directly pulling them out of harms way or by intercepting enemies looking to harm them. At once angels of death and angels of mercy, a Drifter's true potential is unleashed when they can ambush enemies too occupied with attacking their allies.Drifters have unique Supportive abilities that let them restore Endurance to Allies, and their Mobility is greater than even regular Thieves. While not as evasive as Daredevils nor possessing the range of a Deadeye, the Drifter makes up for this by moving fast and locking down enemies with Crowd Control and Conditions. Do not think that because they are Supporters by nature that they are weak on their own; Drifters may prefer to rescue their allies and whisk them away to safety, but get in their way and they will happily remind you just why they can survive the most inhospitable place on Tyria all by their lonesome.

Profession Mechanic: Campfire and Respite Buff

"The calling card of a Drifter is perhaps the most primal of havens: A burning flame to ward of cold and darkness. In the Northern lands, a Drifter's campfire can be seen from far away, attracting those lost upon the plains or in the woods towards it with its beckoning light."

Drifters all know how to create a base of operations from which they venture into the unknown; A safe haven of rest and respite for their allies and any person they end up rescuing from peril. Setting up a campfire requires a relatively long channel and as such needs to be prepared in advance, or from Stealth, but once stoked and lit it will remain burning for a long time. This ability is bound to F5 by default.

• Set Camp - Light a Campfire at your position, creating an area of respite for allies. Allies within gain the Respite buff, increasing their Endurance Regeneration by 25% and instantly Restoring 30 Endurance if they reach below 25, consuming the Buff.
  • Campfire Duration: 180s.
  • Number of Targets: 5. Campfire Radius: 300.
  • Buff Duration: 25s. Buff application Intervall: 5s.
  • Campfire Charges: 25.
  • Cooldown: 20s.
• Respite increases Endurance Regeneration for allies and doesn’t stack, new applications merely refreshing its duration. If it’s consumed for a full restoration, the ally gains Well Rested for 6s, which prevents the reapplication of Respite. Specific traits enhances the effects of the Campfire, Respite and Well Rested.

The Campfire may last for a total of 180s once placed, however it can only grant the Respite Buff a total of 25 times across any number of players before it goes out and the skill is placed on Cooldown. However, whenever the Drifter uses Steal, they gain an additional 5 charges for their Campfire (Though the charges are hard-capped at 25 still, you cannot increase the number above that threshold unless using a specific trait), allowing them to keep the fire burning by stealing supplies from enemies.

Furthermore, the Drifter can also use their campfire as a base to stash away Stolen Skills. Whenever the Drifter steals from an enemy while they already possess a Stolen Skill, the old Stolen Skill is not overwritten but instead the new one is placed into 1 of 2 new slots, relegated to F3 and F4 respectively. These Stolen Skills cannot be used except when the Drifter is within range of their Campfire, however they will remain even if the Campfire goes out. The Drifter can interact with their Campfire in order to cycle through which active Stolen Skill to bind to F2, allowing them to horde useful Stolen Skills for later use at their base of operations.

Weapon: Main-hand Axe

"Versatility and adaptability are among the Drifter's most valued assets, and no weapon better fits this description than the Axe. With its multitude of uses both in combat and in survival, it's become a staple in every Drifter's arsenal and they wouldn't even consider leaving their campfire without it firmly secured to their hip."

The Axe functions as a melee Condition Weapon for the Drifter with a powerful Stealth Attack specifically designed for interrupting unsuspecting enemies. It can rapidly stack Bleeding on enemies, as well as having easy access to debilitating Conditions such as Cripple, Poison and Immobilize. It pairs well with either a dagger or a pistol, the former granting it access to even more Bleeding as well as Poison, while the latter gives it the means to stick to enemies and lock them down for further attacks.

• [stealth Attack] Headhunter - Leap at your target and Stun (1s) them with a blow to the Head. If this attack Interrupts the target, they are also Crippled (3s) and Weakened (3s). Range: 450.

  1. Wounding Chop - Chop at your foe, Bleeding (1 stack, 6s) them.
     • Tearing Wound - Strike your foe again, causing Bleeding (1 stack, 6s) and Vulnerability (1 stack, 10s).
     • Lacerate - Launch a violent upwards slash that causes Bleeding (1 stacks, 6s) and Cripple (2s) on your target.
  2. Bleeding Edge - Hurl a hatchet at your target, causing them to stack Bleeding (1 stack, 8s) on an interval for a short time. Activate again to Shadowstep to the target. Duration: 6s. Interval: 2s. Initiative Cost: 3. Range: 600.
     • Hunter’s Shadow - Chains from Bleeding Edge. Shadowstep to your target and reclaim your axe, tearing it from them to cause Cripple (3s). Initiative Cost: 4. Range: 900.
  3. Chopping Block - Chop at your target three times in rapid succession. Daze (1s) your target if all 3 attacks connect. Initiative Cost: 4.

• Dual Wield

  • Claws and Fangs (Dagger) - Cross your weapons and strike your target with both blades, causing Bleeding (2 stacks, 6s) and Poison (2 stacks, 6s). Initiative Cost: 4.
  • Steel and Lead (Pistol) - Leap at your target with your Axe and Immobilize (1s) them with a strike to the legs. If the Axe strike connects, follow up with a powerful burst shot from your Pistol that Bleeds (5 stacks, 8s) them and nearby enemies. Axe Leap Range: 450. Axe Leap Targets: 1. Pistol Shot range: 240. Pistol Shot Targets: 3. Initiative Cost: 4. Acts as a Leap Finisher.

Utility Skills: Survival

"Survival in a hostile land hinged upon the readiness and caution of the individual. And yet, many who travel seem to fall short in both these categories. The Drifter has designed their outfit with all the necessary tools for keeping the unprepared and lost out of harm's way."

A Drifter’s Utility Skills are all themed around survival in a harsh land where even nature is against you. However, unlike the Ranger’s Survival skills, the Drifter isn’t only focused around keeping themselves alive but also their allies. Drifter Survival skills excel at peeling for allies through CC and unique Support, allowing them to pull their allies out from what would’ve otherwise been an early grave.

• [Healing] Medicine Drop - Drop a vial of medicine at your position, Healing yourself and creating an area that Cleanses Conditions from allies and Slightly revives downed allies.
  • Self-healing: 5.430 (x0.8).
  • Pulses: 5. Duration: 4s.
  • Number of Targets: 5. Radius: 240.
  • Conditions removed per Pulse: 1. Revive Percentage per Pulse: 7%.
  • Cooldown: 35s.
  • Acts as a Water Field.
• Forage - Search for supplies in your immediate vicinity. Randomly creates 2 Supply Nodes in an area around you for each nearby Ally. Allies can walk over these nodes to restore Health and Endurance. Whenever a Supply node is consumed, you gain 5 Charges for your Active Campfire and 1 random Stolen Skill.
  • Number of Targets: 5.
  • Radius: 450.
  • Healing per Node: 1.035 (x0.7). Endurance per Nope: 15. Node duration: 15s.
  • Cooldown: 35s.
• Zipline - Throw a zipline and pull yourself towards the target area, Knocking down (2s) enemies in your path. If you hit an enemy with the zipline, pull yourself to their position instead and Immobilize them (3s) as well.
  • Range: 1200.
  • Number of Targets: 1. Radius: 180.
  • Cooldown: 40s.
  • Breaks Stun
  • Combo Finisher: Leap.
• Shadow Rescue - Ground-targeted. Shadowstep a Downed ally at the target position to yourself, cleansing them of Damaging Conditions and reviving them slightly. Removes 3 Conditions from up to 5 Allies at the target area even if no Downed Ally is nearby.
  • Range: 1200.
  • Number of targets: 1. Radius: 180.
  • Revive Percentage: 10%.
  • Cooldown: 25s.
• Smoke Grenade - Throw a grenade at the target area that explodes in a Dazing (3s) light, creating a Smoke Field that Blinds (2s) enemies and Stealths (3s) allies on creation.
  • Range: 1200.
  • Smoke Field duration: 10s. Pulse Interval: 2s
  • Number of Targets: 5. Radius: 240.
  • Cooldown: 30s.
• [Elite] Hearth’s Calling - Break Stun, cleanse all conditions from yourself and Portal back to an active Campfire, leaving behind a One-way portal that connects to your Campfire for allies to use.
  • Portal Range: 5000.
  • Portal Duration: 12s. Number of Portal Charges: 20.
  • Requires an active Campfire to activate.
  • Cooldown: 50s.

Specialization Line

"The Drifters may all share a purpose, but they have different ways to go about getting results. Some focus entirely on supporting allies, giving it their earnest effort to get them out of dangerous situations without harm. Others are more aggressive, relentlessly attacking any threat and disabling them completely. A dead threat is no threat, after all."

The Drifter's specialization line follows three distinct paths and themes. The upper line is heavily focused on Bleeding and CC, enhancing the Drifter's offensive capabilities allowing them to lock down and bleed out enemies at an even greater scope than before. The middle line focuses primarily on Support, empowering the use of the Campfire and the Respite buff to help allies recover their strength. The lower line is more geared towards personal sustain and mobility, allowing the Drifter to power through no matter how grim the situation might seem like.

• [Minor Adept] Silent Sentinel - Gain the ability to set up Camp and access to Survival Skills.
  • Cut where it Counts - Bleeding you apply deals 20% more Damage to Movement-impaired or Disabled enemies. Cripple (5s) enemies when you stack Bleeding on them over the Threshold. Threshold: 4. ICD: 10s.
  • Triage - Create a Lesser Medicine Drop when you begin reviving an Ally. Take 25% less Damage when Reviving Allies. ICD on Lesser Medicine Drop: 40s.
  • Swift Journey - Well Rested Heals Allies and grants Superspeed (2s) when applied. Base Healing: 937 (x0.4).
• [Minor Master] Tireless Vigil - Vigor reduces Damage and Condition Damage you suffer by 10%. Gain Vigor (2s) when you Critically Strike an enemy. ICD: 10s.
  • Axe to Grind - You Deal 10% more Damage and Condition Damage while wielding an Axe. Bleeding you apply lasts 33% Longer.
  • Rejuvenating Respite - Respite now restores health on an Interval to affected Allies. This effect doubles when within range of your Campfire. Healing (Base): 104 (x0.06). Interval: 1s.
  • Survivalist - Survival Skills now apply Vigor (3s) and Stability (1 stack, 4s) to Allies around you on Activation and recharge 20% Faster. Radius: 240.
• [Minor Grandmaster] Home Turf - If your Initiative falls below the threshold while near your Campfire, replenish Initiative at the cost of Campfire Charges. Allies near you Campfire gain +5% to All Stats and All Healing they recieve is increased by 10%. Initiative Threshold: 3. Initiative Gained: 5. Campfire Charges used: 5. ICD: 10s.
  • Saviour's Arrival - Daze (1s) enemies when you Immobilize them, this can only happen once every 10s per target. Whenever you Interrupt an enemy, Break Stun for and Heal Allies around them. Healing: 1.253 (x0.5). Radius: 240. This can only happen once every 3s against Defiant Enemies.
  • Fires of the Hearth - Your Campfire can hold more Supplies, affects a greater radius and more allies. Allies near your Campfire lose 1 Condition on an interval. Supply Increase: 25. Radius Increase: 180. Number of Targets: 10. Interval: 10s.
  • Savepoint - If you have an active Campfire when you take Lethal Damage, ignore the lethal Blow to Heal yourself and teleport to your Campfire. This consumes all remaining Charges of your Campfire, placing it on Cooldown. Healing: 3.250 (x1.3). ICD: 60s (90s in PvP/WvW).

[Orpheal.8263]

I must admit, this here sounds good, theme fitting and in fact would be a concept, where I'd accept thieves getting Axes with , even if I personally would rather prefer giving them Torches as Mainhand Weapon to give Thief access to Burning, instead of giving them Bleeding, but that can simply be kept also for something like a Saboteur or Stalker Spec..

And I rarely say this about concepts, if I don't really mean it the way I say it.I must somehow laugh, because the very first picture I had in my mind when I have read the name of the concept, was whyever this here xD

https://lparchive.org/Wild-Arms-3/Update%2057/72-53.jpg

maybe most likely because of my memories of this good game, which was all about its heroes and its main heroine being about being "Drifters" ^^

[Fiercefang.6819]

Aw man, this is so cool. It's a unique way for us to support so players can't say, "Well, x prof does it better" plus gives us a new role in pvp other than +1. Thematically it makes sense too. Only downside is that I know Anet won't ever implement it ☹

[Avador.8934]

This is amazing! I love it! Anet pls, hear us, this definitely needs to be an Elite spec in the future!!