Thief sPvP | Tournament Sword/Pistol, Shortbow | Farpoint assaulter Interrupt Burster
Table of Contents
Summary
This is my latest far-point assaulter build.
I have seen some similar builds out there, but none that are quite like this one. This build can be deadly and very, very annoying to fight against with the right player. This is not an easy build to just copy and master - timing is everything.
I. Weapons and Skills
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- Slash½Slash your foe again.Damage: 269Range: 130
- Crippling Strike½Cripple your foe with a final strike.Damage: 437Crippled: 2 sWeakness: 2 sRange: 130
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- Shadow Return2Return to your original location. Cure one condition.Range: 1,200
- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
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- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
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- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
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- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
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- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
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- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
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- Shadow ReturnReturn to your starting location and cure three conditions.Break stunRange: 1,200
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- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
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- 0Might: 10 sFury: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
Weapon and Skill Details
Sword and Pistol are the bread and butter of this build. The mobility combined with interrupt and heavy damage is just amazing. Pistol Whip and Infiltrator's Strike are the two most used skills, but they all have their uses. As I said in the intro - timing is everything.
Auto Attack: Against Retaliation you should always use auto attack! Pistol Whip may only be used as an interrupt or quick burst if your enemy is nearly downed and your health is above 50%.
Infiltrator's Strike: One of the main skills in this build. Mobility is the key in this build, being able to get out to reset or avoid damage is really important. Don't be afraid to spam this skill since it will blow your opponent's stun breakers really quick.
Pistol Whip: The bread and butter of this build. The damage output is really good, and the built in interrupt can be a real life saver. You also evade while doing the slashing part of the animation - which is why this build can outlast most other builds. Just remember to be careful against Retaliation.
Headshot: Timing, timing, timing. See an incoming Moa morph from a Mesmer? See a heal you want to stop but you're out of range and out of teleports? Then this is the right skill to use.
Black Powder: An amazing skill that is really underestimated. AoE blind on a node can turn the fight in your team's favor in seconds. Blind stomping, locking down melee professions and killing mobs is just some of the uses for this skill. Use in combination with Cluster Bomb to AoE stealth your team if needed.
Healing skill: I usually go for Withdraw. The instant cast and the build in evade works really well and have saved me a ton of times. If you feel comfortable with it, you can go with Signet of Malice instead. If the enemy team have lots of minions, clones or pets then SoM would be the clear choice. The cleave from sword and the traits in Critical Strikes work very well with SoM, but I find that Withdraw helps me a lot more since I'm usually fighting 1v1.
Infiltrator's Signet: The extra initiative is nice, but I use this as a teleport to land my Pistol Whip. I also get 2 initiative and 5 stacks of Might upon use. Which means that I'll be able to do another Pistol Whip and I'll do more damage because of the Might Stacks.
Shadowstep: Stunbreaker and teleport. Just an amazing skill that works very well in this build. It also removes 3 conditions.
Signet of Agility: Extra Precision and team-wide condition removal. It also fills your endurance bar so you can do 2 additional evades. You also get 2 initiative and 5 stacks of Might upon use, so it can be used offensively if needed.
Elite skill: I usually run with Basilisk Venom since it synergizes really well with the Lyssa runes. I use it more defensively than offensively. Pop BV after the Necro condition burst and you got the edge. If there are a lot of minions and I'm running Signet of Malice I'd go for Dagger Storm instead. Thieves Guild has its uses, but it doesn't work well with the Lyssa runes because of the long cool-down.
Steal: Interrupt, Daze, Swiftness, Vigor, Might, Fury, heal, damage, get 3 initiative and steal two boons and give them to your team - on a 21 second cool-down! Use it - a lot! Pre-cast Pistol Whip and then Steal to land all the slices.
Short Bow: For AoE situations, when you're low on health, need to get out card. Short bow is a really strong weapon, and if used right it can be deadly. You can kite enemies, weaken them or nuke down several enemies on a node. I usually use SB as an opener if I'm defending a node.
II. Traits
Deadly Arts
Critical Strikes
Shadow Arts
Acrobatics
Trickery
Trait Details
Deadly Arts: Mug is the main reason I chose DA. The damage really helps my burst and the heal is really nice too. Use offensively and defensively.
Critical Strikes: Signets of Power and Signet Use are just amazing with this build. I get more damage, initiative and reduced cool down from my signets. Add SoM to the juice and you can get 15 stacks of Might with ease. Executioner really helps my burst when my enemy start to play defensively. Interrupt their heal with Headshot and watch them cry as you burst them down with 20% increased damage.
Trickery: The reason this build works. Steal is the bread and butter together with Pistol Whip in this build. It adds burst, mobility and defense.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 11645 (+0)
- Vitality 916 (+0)
- Armor 1980 (+0)
- Toughness 916 (+0)
- Attack 3282 (+1351)
- Power 2216 (+1300)
- Critical Hit 74% (+74%)
- Precision 2471 (+1555)
Secondary Stats
- Condition Damage 300 (+300)
- Condition Duration 15% (+15%)
- Critical Damage 80% (+80%)
- Damage 1066 (+5%)
- Defense 1064 (+0)
- Ferocity 1200 (+1200)
- Steal Recharge Rate 30% (+30%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
I have access to stuns, teleports, interrupts, blinds and cripple. All of these are really powerful and gives me the advantage in any 1v1 fight. Fighting 1v2-3 is not a problem if you know what you're doing. In those cases I'll have to do a lot of target switching to interrupt key skills and still burst down my targets one by one.
IV. Runes, Sigils, Accessories & Jewels
Armor & Runes
- Precision: 25
- Condition Duration: 5%
- Precision: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Precision: 100
- When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
- Precision: 25
- Condition Duration: 5%
- Precision: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Precision: 100
- When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
- Precision: 25
- Condition Duration: 5%
- Precision: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Precision: 100
- When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
- Precision: 25
- Condition Duration: 5%
- Precision: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Precision: 100
- When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
- Precision: 25
- Condition Duration: 5%
- Precision: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Precision: 100
- When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
- Precision: 25
- Condition Duration: 5%
- Precision: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Precision: 100
- When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
Rune Stat Totals
- Precision 175
- Condition Duration 5%
Rune Bonuses
PvP Rune of Lyssa- Precision: 25
- Condition Duration: 5%
- Precision: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Precision: 100
- When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
Accessories & Jewels
- Power: 0
- Precision: 0
- Ferocity: 0
- Vitality: 0
Accessory Totals
- Power:1200
- Precision:900
- Ferocity:900
- Vitality:0
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Weapon Strength: 876-1029
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior Fire50% chance to cause flame blast on critical hit causing AoE damage. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Weapon Strength: -
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior Fire50% chance to cause flame blast on critical hit causing AoE damage. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)
Water Weapon I
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Water Weapon II
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Upgrade Item Details
Lyssa runes: Condition removal on demand as well as all the boons in the game. Power for more damage and random boon on heal. Works really well in this build and adds a ton of survivability against condition burst builds.
Sigil of Fire: Most of my attacks are AoE, so why not keep it that way?
Sigil of Force: The extra damage is really nice and very noticeable.
Sigil of Bloodlust: I sometimes run Bloodlust on the Shortbow. The extra damage from 25 stacks is amazing!
V. Basic Gameplay
This build is about getting in really quick and then keep pressure on your enemy. Don't rush, just take your time. The evade on PW and all the interrupts and heals you have available are more than enough to keep you alive. Keep up the pressure and force your foe to play defensively. As soon as you see them pop their heal you interrupt it and burst away. I usually pop all my signets and steal for maximum damage while I drop my burst.
I always try to keep a Shadow Return open. Having an easy out of jail card is always useful. It will also confuse your enemy if you position yourself right.
The main source of damage comes from Pistol Whip. You have more initiative than you can wish for and getting back initiative is ridiculously easy.
Main Skill Rotation
This would be my most used rotation. I rarely find myself in need of doing anything else since I'll be completely locking down my enemy with dazes and immobilizes. Switch Steal with Infiltrator's Signet every second time. Their cool-down is so low that you can pretty much spam these skills.
Catching up with an enemy
Do these three skills quick enough and you'll land the immobilize from Infiltrator's Strike on your enemy. You'll be able to travel 2400 units with this combo.
Healing up and returning even stronger
This combo will confuse your enemy so much that they won't know what hit them. You'll pop up turning them to stone and deliver a really solid punch. Most times this will be enough to kill them.
Burst when enemy heals
This will kill almost every single profession in the game. Most people press heal in panic of dying. Doing this to them will make them piss their pants 