Thief PvE | Dungeon Dagger/Pistol, Sword/Dagger | Damage WvW Special Ops
Table of Contents
Summary
This build is for a WvW utility/special ops thief, this will allow you to solo flip camps, close in on enemies, and it should give you enough padding to survive an initial engage against other thieves/zergs (and the capability to run away quickly and easily)
I. Weapons and Skills
- Weapon Strength: 924-981
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 876-1029
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 924-981
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
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- Wild StrikeStrike your foe again. Gain endurance with a successful strike.Damage: 286Endurance gain: 10Range: 130
- Lotus Strike¼Strike your foe and inflict poison.Damage: 286Poison: 4 s (336 damage)Range: 130
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- Shadow ReturnReturn to your starting location and cure three conditions.Break stunRange: 1,200
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Weapon and Skill Details
In your weapon skills you have access to many things, on your primary set you have cleaving swings, distance closers/escape mechanics, condition removal, evasive damage, boon stripping, crippling, and stealth at will. From stealth you have access to a near 3 second daze.
On your offhand set you have access to immense burst damage (especially at lower life totals) this also doubles as a method for fast travel across the map, and another method of stealth when combined with black powder, a distance closer/blind, an interrupt/daze, and a blinding field which you can use for stealth or, more importantly, to fight melee classes at a significant advantage.
Utility Skills
Shadow Refuge - A thieves bread and butter in many ways, allows an advantageous engage or disengage.
Infiltrators Signet - A closer, and more importantly a stun break, this can be used to target animals in the distance to escape from zergs that have you knocked down, or just to get close enough to deliver that final blow.
Shadowstep/Shadow Return - Another stun breaker/combat maneuverability technique, in addition this can be used to finish people in combat (begin the process, shadowstep away and pop back right before it occurs)
OTHER UTILITY SKILLS THAT I LIKE -
Blinding Power - always more stealth and blinds.
Scorpion Wire - Great for pulling people out of position/interrupting at range
Smoke Screen - It's like a free longer lasting black powder! In addition you can shortbow spam on it to get ~10 seconds of stealth, that combined with refuge can really be handy on recon/supply starve missions (or camp flipping)
Elite Skills
Dagger Storm - Great if you're running with a zerg and need to reflect massive projectiles, not my favorite in WvW though.
Thieves Guild - THIS is my favorite for when I'm running recon, they can take the heat for you when there are too many guards and you need to burst down the guild claimer, or they can just get in the way of enemies in a 1v1 fight/screw up their targeting.
Basilisk Venom - I have yet to find a place where this is better than the other two... but that's just me personally.
Alternative Weapon Set Suggestions
Short Bow - This weapon gives you access to blast finishers and added mobility, it's a great tool for carrying around especially in zerg versus zerg where you're acting as a mobile blast finisher and scout/lookout. As a general rule the sigils I recommend for this weapon set are, force, energy, or purity/generosity.
Dagger/Dagger - This gives you access to a more aggressive single target skillset, I generally don't like running if, but if you find that you need that extra burst you could always go S/D and then just run a dagger mainhand as a third weapon, it'll utilize your offhand dagger from your sword set as your offhand when you swap weapons. If you do this I'd recommend either a sigil of energy, or a sigil of intelligence (as, while our crit chance is high, it's not 100%, and it could be handy to C/D swap to D/D backstab and then have immediate access to heartseeker/more C/D)
II. Traits
Deadly Arts
Critical Strikes
Shadow Arts
Acrobatics
Trait Details
So this particular trait line gives you access to the best of all worlds, you lose out on some power, but gain massive survivability and sustain.
In critical strikes you gain additional crit chance/flat damage, and a little boost to your life total in the form of practiced tolerance, we could probably abuse this further with alternative runes, but I find it more than meets my needs as it is.
Shadow Arts gains you some of the very necessary condition removal that many thieves lack, I personally run a short bow of generosity, but sometimes that's just not enough.
Some alternative traits that I would recommend are Descent into Shadows (I, in acrobatics) Uncatachable (III in Trickery) or Thrill of the Crime (V in trickery)
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 14425 (+2780)
- Vitality 1194 (+278)
- Armor 2080 (+100)
- Toughness 1016 (+100)
- Attack 2966 (+1045)
- Power 1911 (+995)
- Critical Hit 43% (+43%)
- Precision 1824 (+908)
Secondary Stats
- Boon Duration 15% (+15%)
- Condition Damage 150 (+150)
- Critical Damage 72% (+72%)
- Damage 1055 (+5%)
- Defense 1064 (+0)
- Endurance Regeneration 40% (+40%)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 1083 (+1083)
- Healing Power 100 (+100)
- Steal Recharge Rate 15% (+15%)
- Swiftness Duration 30% (+30%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
A thief and his/her boons
Your access to combat boons is regrettably limited As such, it's your motive in life to never let any opponents have any boons ever, steal them, steal them all.
Might - Assuming you're using the rolley polley food I recommend (Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew) You get 2 might stacks every time you dodge! Which is often! How nifty is that?!
Swiftness - You get it when you dodge, dodge before you heartseeker across the map, it's fun.
Alternate Boon Trait - If you decide to take Thrill of the Crime, it will give you access to Fury, Might, and Swiftness on engage. Not a bad package.
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
100% chance to gain might when you dodge.
Endurance Regeneration: 40%
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- 100% chance to gain might when you dodge.
- Endurance Regeneration: 40%
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
- Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 97
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 97
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 338
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 157
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 218
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 157
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 1064
- Ferocity 175
- Swiftness Duration 30%
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Air- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
Accessories & Jewels
- Power: 4
- Power: 25
- Precision: 15
- Ferocity: 15
- Power: 25
- Precision: 15
- Ferocity: 15
- Power: 25
- Precision: 15
- Ferocity: 15
- Power: 25
- Precision: 15
- Ferocity: 15
- Power: 25
- Precision: 15
- Ferocity: 15
Accessory Totals
- Power:646
- Precision:438
- Ferocity:438
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 924-981
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 876-1029
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Sigil of Superior Strength60% chance to apply might for 10s on critical. (Cooldown 1 second)
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 924-981
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior Paralyzation+30% stun duration.
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Water Weapon I
Sigil of Superior Blood50% chance to life steal on critical.
Water Weapon II
Sigil of Superior Frailty50% chance to cause vulnerability for 10s on hit.
Upgrade Item Details
I already went over, for the most part, my recommendation on sigils in the weapon section.
The runes in this particular build are fairly greedy since it is expected that you will be solo roaming, or roaming with another thief.
Alternative Rune Sets
Runes of the Ogre - Runes of the ogre are sweet because the provide a pretty aggressive punch and, once again, more mobs to take hits/screw up tab targeting, which is great since you'll be popping in and out of stealth constantly. You lose a bit of mobility however.
Runes of the Centaur - This still gives you your increased mobility, adds some flat power instead of Crit damage and is slightly less greedy in that every time you heal all allies get some swiftness, not bad at all.