New Preparations Utility Skills

[Shio.5826]

Preparations will function in a similar fashion to trap abilities, but they will not fire unless the thief chooses to trigger them. Each preparation will have a radius of 240 and will produce a variety of results, including the introduction of a portal-type utility that can ferry allies to a location.

Depending on how these are designed, they might be game changing to thieves in all game modes.

• Prepare Pitfall: This new skill will mark your current area with controlling magic, readying the location to crush enemies when released.
• Pitfall: This new skill will unleash your pitfall on an area, knocking down foes and delivering constant damage over time.

I imagine this to be similar to Tripwire in mechanics and animation. But the fact that we can activate it at will makes a whole lot of difference especially in PvP and WvW. However, I imagine that this might not be a widely popular pick in the future.

• Prepare Thousand Needles: This new skill will mark your current area with inhibiting magic, readying the location to poison enemies.
• Thousand Needles: This new skill will unleash a hail of needles that immobilizes enemies on impact and repeatedly strikes foes over a short period of time.

Again, this might be similar to Needle Trap, just with the benefit of activating it at will. Might be the weakest one of them all in terms of utility to be honest.

• Prepare Seal Area: This new skill will mark your current area with stifling magic, readying the location to seal enemies in.
• Seal Area: This new skill will seal your marked area, blocking projectiles and preventing enemies from entering or leaving.

This is the best one in my opinion, in all game modes. In PvE, does it affect boss monsters or champs? It might add a whole new dimension to skipping mechanics (though I doubt it will be the case). But in PvP and WvW, this skill is crazy good. Depending on how many people are allowed in this so called area, it can potentially be a game changer. In WvW, a good execution of this might immobilize a whole zerg, or might be able to keep a group of enemies inside a localized 240 radius area to bomb. In PvP, it can be used to prevent 1vX and keep an opponent from joining/leaving a fight or rotating. I don't know why the next skill (portal) is the one most talked about, but I feel like this one is the one that will change the game entirely for thieves in all game modes (and what I suspect will get the most controversy).

• Prepare Shadow Portal: This new skill will mark your current location with shadow magic.
• Shadow Portal: This new skill will unleash the shadow magic at your prepared location, creating a one-way portal that you and your allies can take. Allies traveling through the portal will be granted stealth, and foes around the portal's exit will be weakened. This skill is split between game modes, allowing 5 allies through in PvE and WvW, while only allowing one ally through in PvP.

Now this one is great! Depending on how it interacts with terrain and LoS stuff, this skill adds a whole lot of depth and variations to how thief can be played in any game mode. This is more of a toned down mesmer's portal, but paired with thieves' mobility, you'll get some disgusting portal plays in WvW and PvP especially.

Can't stress enough how excited I am to log into my thief next week to try out these skills. What do you guys think of these new toys we can play with?

[DemonSeed.3528]

What are the benfits of activating it at will though? What are the scenario's for example. It doesn't feel like a benefit if it's an extra button to press, but I need to understand it a little more.

[Shio.5826]

It depends on the window given to activate the skill to be honest. But it would get rid of the scenarios when an opponent accidentally dodges into your traps and activating it without doing anything (this is for the first two utility skills similar to Tripwire and Needle Trap, the seal and portal are different in functionality and would require us to be able to activate it at will to be effective in the first place). It also gives you more control over who will be the receiving end for the "trap" (in an outnumbered fight in PvP for example) instead of just hitting the first person to step on the trap, which is very unreliable.

[babazhook.6805]

@Shio.5826 said:

Preparations will function in a similar fashion to trap abilities, but they will not fire unless the thief chooses to trigger them. Each preparation will have a radius of 240 and will produce a variety of results, including the introduction of a portal-type utility that can ferry allies to a location.

Depending on how these are designed, they might be game changing to thieves in all game modes.

• Prepare Pitfall: This new skill will mark your current area with controlling magic, readying the location to crush enemies when released.
• Pitfall: This new skill will unleash your pitfall on an area, knocking down foes and delivering constant damage over time.

I imagine this to be similar to Tripwire in mechanics and animation. But the fact that we can activate it at will makes a whole lot of difference especially in PvP and WvW. However, I imagine that this might not be a widely popular pick in the future.

• Prepare Thousand Needles: This new skill will mark your current area with inhibiting magic, readying the location to poison enemies.
• Thousand Needles: This new skill will unleash a hail of needles that immobilizes enemies on impact and repeatedly strikes foes over a short period of time.

Again, this might be similar to Needle Trap, just with the benefit of activating it at will. Might be the weakest one of them all in terms of utility to be honest.

• Prepare Seal Area: This new skill will mark your current area with stifling magic, readying the location to seal enemies in.
• Seal Area: This new skill will seal your marked area, blocking projectiles and preventing enemies from entering or leaving.

This is the best one in my opinion, in all game modes. In PvE, does it affect boss monsters or champs? It might add a whole new dimension to skipping mechanics (though I doubt it will be the case). But in PvP and WvW, this skill is crazy good. Depending on how many people are allowed in this so called area, it can potentially be a game changer. In WvW, a good execution of this might immobilize a whole zerg, or might be able to keep a group of enemies inside a localized 240 radius area to bomb. In PvP, it can be used to prevent 1vX and keep an opponent from joining/leaving a fight or rotating. I don't know why the next skill (portal) is the one most talked about, but I feel like this one is the one that will change the game entirely for thieves in all game modes (and what I suspect will get the most controversy).

• Prepare Shadow Portal: This new skill will mark your current location with shadow magic.
• Shadow Portal: This new skill will unleash the shadow magic at your prepared location, creating a one-way portal that you and your allies can take. Allies traveling through the portal will be granted stealth, and foes around the portal's exit will be weakened. This skill is split between game modes, allowing 5 allies through in PvE and WvW, while only allowing one ally through in PvP.

Now this one is great! Depending on how it interacts with terrain and LoS stuff, this skill adds a whole lot of depth and variations to how thief can be played in any game mode. This is more of a toned down mesmer's portal, but paired with thieves' mobility, you'll get some disgusting portal plays in WvW and PvP especially.

Can't stress enough how excited I am to log into my thief next week to try out these skills. What do you guys think of these new toys we can play with?

At this time seal area is the one I am most interested in as that projectile block would be useful coupled with daggerstorm in dealing with ranged. The Thousand needles describes adding poison but I do not see that in the description of the skill. I am not sure if it will be there in addition to the immobs or if the Immob is intended to couple with panic strike (which makes it less likely I will use it).

[Dahkeus.8243]

@"Shio.5826" said:It depends on the window given to activate the skill to be honest. But it would get rid of the scenarios when an opponent accidentally dodges into your traps and activating it without doing anything (this is for the first two utility skills similar to Tripwire and Needle Trap, the seal and portal are different in functionality and would require us to be able to activate it at will to be effective in the first place). It also gives you more control over who will be the receiving end for the "trap" (in an outnumbered fight in PvP for example) instead of just hitting the first person to step on the trap, which is very unreliable.

Yea, but the same thing would be true for most of these if it was just a one click to cast the activated portion of these.

My guess though is that there will be a cast time on the preparation side and an instant cast on the activation. If that is the case, you'll want to drop the preparation ahead of time to avoid getting interrupted and to get the instant effect, which means that you'll have to think ahead on where you want the effect. If the prep and activate are both instant, then the preparation step will just be a redundant button to click with the exception of the portal ability.

[foste.3098]

The portal one is interesting depending on how it works and the duration. If you can use the flip over activation instantly without any cast time or animation then you could use it as a pseudo stun break: get cc'd -> use shadow portal -> pres f to get away all while stunned (i am not sure how it works but if it is the same as mesmer portal then you can use the portal even while disabled as long as it is active).If it functions this way, then thieves can trade offensive and proactive mobility (shadow step) for team and reactive mobility (prepare shadow portal). Or take both and be a speed lord that is on 2 points at once at any given time. ether way oceans of salt are inbound.

@Shio.5826 said:

In PvE, does it affect boss monsters or champs? It might add a whole new dimension to skipping mechanics (though I doubt it will be the case). But in PvP and WvW, thisPretty sure it works exactly the same as guardian's ring of warding in that it will knock down anyone who tries to cross it with a set amount of charges it can kd things before it disappears or until it expires. On pve mobs it will most likely kd anything that does not have defiance and remove a set amount of defiance from anything that has it while it passes through.

[elemainomegalul.4261]

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[Xenji.4907]

Update on the preparations:

@Karl McLain.5604 said:Being that the notes have gone out early and the theorycraft is in full swing, I want to add one additional note on Preparations.This ability type still carries similar functionality to other abilities that have arm-times. For preparations, the arm time is set at 3 seconds, with the activation being instant >for non-damaging ones and 1/4 second for the damaging ones.These abilities have a few unique aspects to them. We're looking forward to seeing the builds and gameplay that you come up with!-Karl

[Markri.9475]

3 sec arm time, wow. current traps are 1 second. also these preps with a cast time on it to trigger them .. doesnt that make them worse than current tripwire and needletrap?

[Zexanima.7851]

@Markri.9475 said:3 sec arm time, wow. current traps are 1 second. also these preps with a cast time on it to trigger them .. doesnt that make them worse than current tripwire and needletrap?

We won't really understand how they work until we get more specifics. If we're going by what we know now they will be powerful (because they are balanced as if they are traited already) but next to useless because of the arm time. Not worth replacing any meta thief utility.

[Shio.5826]

@Xenji.4907Update on the preparations:

@Karl McLain.5604 said:Being that the notes have gone out early and the theorycraft is in full swing, I want to add one additional note on Preparations.This ability type still carries similar functionality to other abilities that have arm-times. For preparations, the arm time is set at 3 seconds, with the activation being instant >for non-damaging ones and 1/4 second for the damaging ones.These abilities have a few unique aspects to them. We're looking forward to seeing the builds and gameplay that you come up with!-Karl

Thanks for the update! This is quite a huge drawback, but we'll have to see whether the skill damage/utility outweighs the 3 seconds arm time (though, I'm quite pessimistic about this, 3 seconds is a damn long time!).

[kash.9213]

Both of my main builds are for covering and rescue along with some other things, that Seal Area sounds just about perfect for me if it can be prepped and set pretty quickly, having Guardian Sanctuary during WvW core swap has been clutch.I'd like the Shadow Portal to be two way but I guess it's fair that it's mostly offensive.

[Dirame.8521]

We need a rune set that stealths you when using preparations.

[Xenji.4907]

@Dirame.8521 said:We need a rune set that stealths you when using preparations.

I wonder if they are going to update the trapper runes to include preparations? but it's after you lay it so you can run for it.

[DemonSeed.3528]

There is no rune synergy with this, just like there are no rune syngery with ranger commands. Gonna be pretty bad with a 3s cast time, especially if we can't throw them. I don't mind if they act like sbow 4 when you cast/throw.

[kash.9213]

@DemonSeed.3528 said:There is no rune synergy with this, just like there are no rune syngery with ranger commands. Gonna be pretty bad with a 3s cast time, especially if we can't throw them. I don't mind if they act like sbow 4 when you cast/throw.

If we can't throw them I'd want extra stealth to cover any animation or whatever.

[DemonSeed.3528]

I have thoughts that the actual value they want for these kind of things is actually around half that, but they slap about dbl the amount so that when they change it, their original intended value doesn't seem so bad.So for example [this goes for anything really]item or skill value they want = 10the value they give = 50what people normally want = 5Now usually 10 would make people complain, so if this originally came out as 50, then they change it down to 10 later on after all the screaming, then people would be more accepting of that 10 value. I bet the same case would happen here, depending on how ineffective or effective it was, because it can also go the other way.That cast time really has to go unless it gets some aoe blind/stealth/aegis or whatever to go with it, we'll have to see.

[SehferViega.8725]

@DemonSeed.3528 said:There is no rune synergy with this, just like there are no rune syngery with ranger commands. Gonna be pretty bad with a 3s cast time, especially if we can't throw them. I don't mind if they act like sbow 4 when you cast/throw.

3 second is not casting time, it's arm time.

You'll have:

• 1/2 second Casting time;
• then 3 second of Arm Time (so after you have casted Preparetion skill, you need 3 second before you can activate it);
• Instant activation (after 3s of arm time) for non-damaging ones (I guess Seal Area and Shadow Portal) and 1/4 second Activation time for the damaging ones (Pitfall and Thousand Needles).

@Shio.5826 said:Can't stress enough how excited I am to log into my thief next week to try out these skills. What do you guys think of these new toys we can play with?

I really don't want to use them.. they could be great, OP or useless, don't mind me. That is not the play style I want from a Thief.

[DemonSeed.3528]

@SehferViega.8725 said:

@DemonSeed.3528 said:There is no rune synergy with this, just like there are no rune syngery with ranger commands. Gonna be pretty bad with a 3s cast time, especially if we can't throw them. I don't mind if they act like sbow 4 when you cast/throw.

3 second is not casting time, it's arm time.

You'll have:

• 1/2 second
  Casting time
  ;
• then 3 second of
  Arm Time
  (so after you have casted Preparetion skill, you need 3 second before you can activate it);
• Instant activation
  (after 3s of arm time) for non-damaging ones (I guess Seal Area and Shadow Portal) and
  1/4 second Activation time
  for the damaging ones (Pitfall and Thousand Needles).Thanks for the info. Doesn't that still equate to 1/2s+3s before you can even use it then (from setting it before you can activate essentially). That is a bit of time to juggle in a fight. Gonna be bad when interrupted. Basically, why is the arm time necessary? It definitely doesn't seem like something to take for active fighting, but I guess I'll see when the patch drops to test it out. I'm just thinking of scenarios here, but with traps you could essentially kite someone and drop behind you and get them, but with this since there is also a cast and arm time, I don't think you will be able to do that - you will have to kite them back onto where the trap is. Not to mention they will visually see that you dropped a preparation, they know they are safe for that 3s of arm time, and just evade that place after. I guess the counter argument would be that you can setup in stealth, and reposition, but you have to assume that they will go over it by the time you've set it up. For me I think it should have little to no indication of being put down, seeing as the times all add up with more chances of them not walking on top of it.

[Straegen.2938]

The portal change just makes it even more important to sweep in smc and the like. The issue here is that thieves with dagger off hand can stealth at will off of gates and the like so finding them is often much more difficult than mesmers.

The seal looks very trolly to me. Much like Binding Shadow but requiring way more setup. If the skill knocked people off mounts, it would be a total winner allowing for efficient ganking. As it is now, I suspect it will be dropped in camps, flags and such in order to gank unsuspecting foes. That said Binding Shadow is simply better at least on paper. Pitfall and Thousand Needles read like they are mostly pointless.

[Cobrakon.3108]

Can you imagine if the port ability is greater than 5000 units? (5k being the range for mesmer portal)

[BoxHat.1824]

I think the portal might not work the way people think. ANet mentioned it was 1-way only right. So I would think that where you prepare it is the entrance, and where you trigger it is the exit. If so you can't use it to ferry people into captured keeps, because you would have to place the entrance inside the keep.

It's more likely to get used for stealth engages on enemy zergs. Place entrance inside your Zerg. Stealth up. Place exit inside their Zerg while invisible. Your team follows to your position and gains stealth for surprised engage

[DemonSeed.3528]

If it becomes an essential tool, a lot of people are going to get even more mad because they removed detection pulse from scrappers.

[Leo Schrodingers Cat.2497]

@DemonSeed.3528 said:What are the benfits of activating it at will though? What are the scenario's for example. It doesn't feel like a benefit if it's an extra button to press, but I need to understand it a little more.

Returning thiefs abilities to pick their fights.

Traps have a problem with triggering on the first person. Preparations gives the thief the ability to single out targets, or to hold and det for a much larger effect.

[Crab Fear.1624]

I have used all of them to success.

I prefer them to traps.

Bigger area, better effects, and persistence.

Time to adapt.