Thief Elite Specialization Prediction & Speculation Discussion

[BobbyT.7192]

6 hours ago, Kodama.6453 said:

Duskbringer? Dreadmancer? Dude?

Dude would be cool

[Gibson.4036]

1 hour ago, BobbyT.7192 said:

Dude would be cool

Make it The Dude.

New weapon: bowling ball

[Zacchary.6183]

6 hours ago, Psycoprophet.8107 said:

When is the next blurry reveal?

Plot Twist: 

Spoiler

The blurriness is the mechanic. The Shadowblurrer

 

[Rezok.2709]

I find it a bit weird how people are so negative about scepter - I'd say it makes quite a lot of sense. Greatsword would fill the same role as staff, so among the other weapons I'd say only off-hand sword and scepter makes any sense for thief. Off-hand sword would probably not allow much for a new playstyle, rather just some more variation of our old playstyles, seeing how much the main hand dominates the playstyle on thief. Sure I'd love a GS thief, but that's mainly because I don't like Daredevil that much, but I understand that the gameplay of them would overlap.

Personally I think scepter sounds really fun, my only concern is how lackluster the previous Elite Specs have been, so I don't have high hopes for them actually making scepter what it could be.

[Tails.9372]

2 minutes ago, Rezok.2709 said:

Greatsword would fill the same role as staff

The problem with scepter is that "overlapping" can easily also become an issue here too depending on where they want to go with it (especially in regards to weapon choices for future e-specs).

[draxynnic.3719]

43 minutes ago, Tails.9372 said:

The problem with scepter is that "overlapping" can easily also become an issue here too depending on where they want to go with it (especially in regards to weapon choices for future e-specs).

Magic weapons do offer a bit more range of possibilities, though.

 

If you look at pistols and rifles, for instance, the majority of their skills tend to be "shoot bullet", "shoot more bullets ,"shoot special projectile", or "shoot bullet aimed at a specific point at the enemy to have a specific effect". Engineers have a bit more variation in there because they have a wider range of special payloads available, but there's a relatively limited range of abilities that can be given to a gun without invoking magic or advanced technology.

 

Similar observations can be made for most melee weapons as well. If you're not explicitly using magic, there's a relatively limited pool of abilities.

 

Scepter with a more magic-oriented theme, though, could potentially have thief doing things that it wouldn't be doing with a physical weapon like longbow or throwing axe.

[ShadowInTheVoid.9183]

18 minutes ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

Magic weapons do offer a bit more range of possibilities, though.

 

This the the reason I'm actually glad it's Sceptre.

Pistol is the only main hand ranged weapon we have right now and range is very very useful.

If Sceptre/Pistol 3 skill offers some evade and maybe something defensive or AOE blind on 2 it could make for a good option for survivability. 

This would fit with a support Spec too.

[Tails.9372]

1 hour ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

Magic weapons do offer a bit more range of possibilities, though.

I wasn't talking about it thematically but in more practical terms and in that regard there is a lot of potential for overlap here.

[draxynnic.3719]

13 hours ago, Tails.9372 said:

I wasn't talking about it thematically but in more practical terms and in that regard there is a lot of potential for overlap here.

My observation includes practical terms.

 

Guardian scepter has a projectile-less damage field and a projectile-less immobilise. Mesmer has a clone-generating autoattack, a block, and a projectile-less beam. Necromancer is entirely projectile-less, including an AoE. And that's without going into ele because other professions won't have 12 skills for a mainhand weapon.

 

Scepter is a ranged mainhand weapon, but that's as far as the similarities go. None of the other profession's scepters behave like a reskinned mainhand pistol (mesmer is probably closest, if you consider the beam to be an equivalent of a Poison Dart Volley or Unload, but I don't see pistol getting a block-and-riposte move). There's no reason to think thief scepter is just going to behave the same as existing ranged thief weapons.

[Zacchary.6183]

15 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

there's a relatively limited range of abilities that can be given to a gun without invoking magic or advanced technology

This is mainly why I am not so sure about scepter as a weapon, but also that scepter tends to suck. Like, what is the thief going to do for the dual attack? "Bonk Shoot"? "Cast Stab"? If they're really creative and it works, then maybe I will give it a try. Otherwise I'll probably stick with Deadeye.

Edited October 2, 2021 by Zacchary.6183

[Tails.9372]

4 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

There's no reason to think thief scepter is just going to behave the same as existing ranged thief weapons.

But there is still a lot of potential for overlap in what it might do, if it's AoE condi focused then it's clashing with SB and a potential torch in future e-specs. If its support then both focus and warhorn could easily render it redundant depending on where the focus lies (focus, torch and warhorn are also known to have non projectile range attacks so that's not a unique feature of the scepter either). Which only leaves us with close randed condi (e.g. a magical blade with the scepter as "the grip") and mind ranged power AoE as options for things we don't already have and are rather unlikely to be obtained from other sources.

Edited October 2, 2021 by Tails.9372

[Dawanarth.4601]

Shadow attack?

Sceptre+Pistol: Shadow Pistol where a portal of shadow appear behind the enemy and shoot him in the back (Unblockable)

Sceptre+None: Shadow Wave, where it's an AoE who cause fear

Sceptre+Dagger: After Image, teleport behind the target and gain/give alacrity

[draxynnic.3719]

4 hours ago, Tails.9372 said:

But there is still a lot of potential for overlap in what it might do, if it's AoE condi focused then it's clashing with SB and a potential torch in future e-specs. If its support then both focus and warhorn could easily render it redundant depending on where the focus lies (focus, torch and warhorn are also known to have non projectile range attacks so that's not a unique feature of the scepter either). Which only leaves us with close randed condi (e.g. a magical blade with the scepter as "the grip") and mind ranged power AoE as options for things we don't already have and are rather unlikely to be obtained from other sources.

Magical blade with scepter as the "grip" for condi? By your logic, that's just dagger.

 

Support is a possible option. If focus or warhorn DO come later, that'll be some other future elite specialisation that supports (or not!) in its own way, so they're not going to be in direct competition.

 

Could be defence-oriented with a block or something similar like mesmer scepter. Could be control-oriented, either hard or soft, possibly with a weakness inflict on autoattack or something like that. 

 

Could be AoE power.

 

Could be AoE condi despite your claim. Torch would be a different elite spec altogether, so the only real competition would be shortbow, and I think there's a lot of room for a one-handed AoE condi weapon that can be combined with dagger or pistol to be very different from the shortbow with all five skills locked and two of those skills being mobility-oriented.

 

If we were to define weapons as tightly as you are, there'd be existing weapons that would be culled by that logic, and a lot of weapons that people ask for would be disqualified. Greatsword for thief, for instance? Regular sword already offers melee power cleave, why would they need nor want greatsword. (Answer, succinctly, because it's not that simple, and that the differences between weapons can lead to different secondary capabilities and different playstyles.)

[nopoet.2960]

5 hours ago, Dawanarth.4601 said:

Shadow attack?

Sceptre+Pistol: Shadow Pistol where a portal of shadow appear behind the enemy and shoot him in the back (Unblockable)

Sceptre+None: Shadow Wave, where it's an AoE who cause fear

Sceptre+Dagger: After Image, teleport behind the target and gain/give alacrity

Interesting, what would you do with the scepter stealth attack?

[Dawanarth.4601]

59 minutes ago, nopoet.2960 said:

Interesting, what would you do with the scepter stealth attack?

Choke them with their own shadow

[Dawanarth.4601]

Also, what if they turn the Scepter into some sort of whip ? (I do not want it to happen but it could still happen)

[ChronoPinoyX.7923]

 

 

[Graeaw.6329]

The upper part of the scepter looks like a sickle or something sharp at least (melee elements?). Also a huge amount of red used. Maybe some hints toward blood magic.

[Naneel.2348]

Scepter looks nice. Pose seems so indicate another mobile Spec. Can't see a hint for class mechanic.

 

[MrForz.1953]

Certainly looks like a fast AF boy.

[Graeaw.6329]

Looks like we'll be Stealing the Life Force of our enemies 😎

[Fueki.4753]

To me, that looks more like an Axe than a Sceptre. It reminds me of Veilrender.

Also, the red colouring doesn't necessarily refer to blood. Deadeye's skills were dominantly red as well. Arenanet may just continue with the same colour scheme.

Edited October 2, 2021 by Fueki.4753

[Kodama.6453]

23 minutes ago, Fueki.4753 said:

To me, that looks more like an Axe than a Sceptre. It reminds me of Veilrender.

Also, the red colouring doesn't necessarily refer to blood. Deadeye's skills were dominantly red as well. Arenanet may just continue with the same colour scheme.

The orb makes it look more like a scepter to me. Then there is also the datamine which said that thief will get scepter and this datamine correctly predicted the last 3 elite spec weapons (greatsword revenant, pistol warrior, hammer elementalist).

So I think we can 99.99% sure that this is a scepter. The 0.01% is the possibility of us all being in the matrix and gw2 thief never existed in reality in the first place.

I am personally glad about this outcome, considering that Scepter hasn't been used for any elite spec so far, it is a way more interesting weapon choice than an axe. If the datamine is also correct about engineer getting mace, then focus remains as the only weapon which got never used for a new elite spec!

Edited October 2, 2021 by Kodama.6453

[TwiceDead.1963]

28 minutes ago, Naneel.2348 said:

Scepter looks nice. Pose seems so indicate another mobile Spec. Can't see a hint for class mechanic.

 

Yeah it's always gonna be mobile. If a thief didn't have mobility or stealth they might as well not exist, since they get deleted by a fart in their general direction otherwise.

Now to see if this is going to be stealth-healing kitten.

[Tails.9372]

5 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

Could be ... despite your claim.

What are you talking about? "overlapping" only even makes sense as a thing to critique if it also "could be" X.

5 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

Magical blade with scepter as the "grip" for condi? By your logic, that's just dagger.

Except dagger is not a condi focussed weapon. It's hybrid.

5 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

If we were to define weapons as tightly as you are, there'd be existing weapons that would be culled by that logic, and a lot of weapons that people ask for would be disqualified.

No, there is value in having two different takes on "the same role" but that's better left for different professions while e-specs should be used to, if still possible, differentiate within the profession in question.

1 hour ago, Naneel.2348 said:

Can't see a hint for class mechanic.

Well this had to be expected, the only way the silhouette would have shown us anything we didn't already know would be if the new class mechanic would have involved minions so at least this doesn't seem to be the case.

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by Tails.9372