Thief sPvP | Fun Sword/Pistol, Shortbow | Roamer Menzies Pistol Whip

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Summary

Hello fellow thieves,

 

I'm Menzies and I've been playing Thief for a very long time.

 

I think this build is still viable in most game modes. I've spent a long time trying new stuff. But I keep coming back to this setup just because its really fun to play.

 

  • Thief has a bad reputation
  • Pistol Whip spamming is not the way to go
  • I'm not a Thief god
  • I'm not a great theorycrafter

 

Now that these things are clear, I do have to add that I've been using this build in tournament play. Both SPvP and TPvP. But I just gave it a "Fun" tag instead to prevent immense discussions of why this is not a "Tournament" build.
Now let's begin!


I. Weapons and Skills

PvP Sword
  • Weapon Strength: 905-1000
PvP Pistol
  • Weapon Strength: 876-1029
PvP Shortbow
  • Weapon Strength: 905-1000
PvP
  • Weapon Strength: -
PvP
  • Weapon Strength: -
PvP
  • Weapon Strength: -
  • Hook Strike¾
    Attack your foes with stealth, knocking enemies down.
    Damage: 163Knockdown: 2sRange: 130
  • Slice
    Slice your foe.
    Damage: 269Range: 130
    • Slash½
      Slash your foe again.
      Damage: 269Range: 130
    • Crippling Strike½
      Cripple your foe with a final strike.
      Damage: 437Crippled: 2 sWeakness: 2 sRange: 130
  • Infiltrator's Strike3
    Shadowstep to a foe and strike them. Use Shadow Return to shadowstep back and cure one condition.
    Damage: 252Immobilized: 1 sRange: 600
    • Shadow Return2
      Return to your original location. Cure one condition.
      Range: 1,200
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
  • Pistol Whip¾ 5
    Dual wield. Pistol-whip your foe, stunning them, then slash repeatedly with your sword.
    Damage (9x): 872Stun: ½ sRange: 130
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
  • Headshot4
    Daze your foe with a head shot.
    Damage: 84Daze: ¼ sCombo Finisher: ProjectileRange: 900
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
  • Black Powder½ 6
    Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.
    Damage: 84Duration: 4Combo Field: SmokeCombo Finisher: ProjectileRange: 900
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
  • Withdraw15
    Trick. Roll backward while healing and evade attacks. Cures immobilized, chilled, and crippled.
    Healing: 3,960
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
  • Shadowstep50
    Deception. Shadowstep to the target location. Becomes Shadow Return, which returns you to your starting area and cures three conditions.
    Breaks stunRange: 1,200
    • Shadow Return
      Return to your starting location and cure three conditions.
      Break stunRange: 1,200
  • Signet of Shadows30
    Signet Passive: Grants a 25% increase in movement speed.
    Signet Active: Blind foes near your target.
    Blind: 5 sRadius: 240Range: 1,200
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
  • Roll for Initiative60
    Trick. Evade backward to regenerate initiative and recover from crippled, chilled, and immobile.
    Initiative gain: 6Breaks stun
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s
  • Basilisk Venom1 45
    Venom. Your next attack turns your foe to stone.
    Stone duration: 1½ sVenom duration: 30
    • 0
      Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 s

Weapon and Skill Details

  • Withdraw can be used to Forward Withdraw
  • Infiltrator's Strike can be cast without returning to your position, closing gaps infinitely
  • Shadowstep has 2 built in stunbreaks, which is great. You could swap it for Infiltrator's Signet
  • Signet of Shadows is quite optional, you could throw in a skill you prefer
  • Roll for Initiative is a great way to remove immobilize, gives you mobility and breaks stuns
  • Basilisk Venom with "Runes of Lyssa" gives you a nice condition removal


II. Traits

Adept Master Grandmaster

Trait Details

  • Read the traits, not much to explain here


III. Stat Specifics & Effects

Primary Stats

  • Health 21615 (+9970)
  • Vitality 1913 (+997)
  • Armor 2880 (+900)
  • Toughness 1816 (+900)
  • Attack 3231 (+1300)
  • Power 2216 (+1300)
  • Critical Hit 23% (+23%)
  • Precision 1391 (+475)

Secondary Stats

  • Condition Damage 300 (+300)
  • Condition Duration 15% (+15%)
  • Critical Damage 20% (+20%)
  • Damage 1015 (+0%)
  • Defense 1064 (+0)
  • Ferocity 300 (+300)
  • Movement Speed 25% (+25%)
  • Steal Recharge Rate 30% (+30%)

Boons

  • Aegis
    Block the next attack.
  • Distortion
    Allows mesmers to evade attacks for some time.
  • Frenzy
    Increases damage taken by 25%. It typically seen as a mechanic to offset a beneficial effect such as quickness.
  • Frosty Armor
    Chills foes that hit you.
  • Fury
    20% critical chance increase. Stacks in duration.
  • Haste
    Regenerate endurance at 50% effectiveness when under the effects of this skill. It's typically seen as a mechanic to offset a beneficial effect such as quickness.
  • Invulnerability
    Prevents the target from taking damage or receiving conditions. It is also placed on rallied players for one second.
  • Might
    X damage per attack increase. Stacks intensity.
  • Protection
    33% damage reduction. Stacks in duration.
  • Quickening Zephyr
    Prevents healing. It typically seen as a mechanic to offset a beneficial effect such as quickness.
  • Quickness
    Makes all skills and actions 50% faster.
  • Regeneration
    Regenerates X health per second. Stacks in duration.
  • Rejuvenation
    Regenerates health. This effect is exclusive to the guardian profession through the Virtue of Resolve.
  • Resistance
    Resistance temporarily negates the affected target of all effects caused by conditions.
  • Retaliation
    Does X damage to an opponent each time they hit you. Stacks in duration.
  • Smiting
    Causes every fifth attack to apply burning. This effect is exclusive to the guardian profession.
  • Stability
    Cannot be knocked down, pushed back, launched, stunned, dazed, floated, sunk, or feared.
  • Stealth
    Allows the user to be invisible to enemy players and avoid being spotted by enemy NPCs.
  • Swiftness
    33% movement speed increase. Stacks in duration.
  • Vigor
    Faster endurance regeneration. Stacks in duration.

Conditions

  • Agony
    Agony is an effect unique to Fractals of the Mists that removes a percentage of the player's health every second and reduces received healing by ~50%.
  • Bleeding
    Bleeding is a stackable condition that deals damage over time.
  • Blind
    Causes the target's next hit to miss instead.
  • Burning
    Inflicts X damage per second. Stacks in duration.
  • Chilled
    Reduces movement speed and skill recharge by 66%. Stacks in duration.
  • Confusion
    Inflicts X damage each time a foe uses skill. Stacks in intensity.
  • Crippled
    Crippled is a condition which decreases movement speed by 50%. Stacks in duration.
  • Fear
    Causes the target to run directly away from the caster.
  • Immobilized
    Immobilized is a condition which prevents movement and dodging. Victims also can't turn. Stacks in duration.
  • Poison
    Inflicts X damage per second. Reduces outgoing heals by 33%. Stacks in duration.
  • Slow
    Slow is a condition that reduces the activation time of skills and abilities.
  • Taunt
    Taunt is a control effect that forces the affected target to run towards the source of taunt with all skills except stun breakers disabled while using their auto-attack skill.
  • Torment
    Deals damage every second; deals additional damage if moving; stacks intensity.
  • Vulnerability
    Increases damage the target takes by 1%. Stacks in intensity.
  • Weakness
    Causes 50% of attacks to be glancing and reduces endurance regeneration by 50%. Stacks in duration.

Control

  • Break Stun
    Stun break is an effect which can break control effects on a character.
  • Daze
    Interrupts and prevents the target from using skills for a period of time.
  • Float
    Forces the affected target(s) to move towards the surface.
  • Knockdown
    Interrupts and causes the foe to be unable to move or use skills for a short duration. Knocked down foes fall to the ground.
  • Launch
    Interrupts and tosses a character into the air.
  • Pull
    Shortens the distance between the user and the foe by drawing one of them to another. If a foe is pulled, this can result in an interrupt.
  • Push
    Physically pushes foes away from the player and interrupts them.
  • Sink
    Forces the affected target(s) to move away from the surface.
  • Stun
    Interrupts, immobilizes, and incapacitates foes for a short duration.
  • Teleport
    Teleport to target location.
  • Teleport
    Teleport (alternatively, flash) is a mechanic that causes the user or target(s) to instantly move from one location to another.

Fields & Finishers

  • Dark Field
    Dark Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Blindness
    Leap Finisher: Blindness
    Projectile Finisher: Life stealing
    Whirl Finsher: Leeching Bolts
  • Ethereal Field
    Ethereal Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Chaos Armor
    Leap Finisher: Chaos Armor
    Projectile Finisher: Confusion
    Whirl Finsher: Confounding Bolts
  • Fire Field
    Fire Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Might
    Leap Finisher: Fire Shield
    Projectile Finisher: Burning
    Whirl Finsher: Burning Bolts
  • Ice Field
    Ice Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Frost Aura
    Leap Finisher: Frost Aura
    Projectile Finisher: Chilled
    Whirl Finsher: Chilling Bolts
  • Light Field
    Light Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Retaliation
    Leap Finisher: Retaliation
    Projectile Finisher: Remove Condition
    Whirl Finsher: Cleansing Bolts
  • Lightning Field
    Lightning Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Swiftness
    Leap Finisher: Dazing Strike
    Projectile Finisher: Vulnerability
    Whirl Finsher: Brutal Bolts
  • Poison Field
    Poison Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Weakness
    Leap Finisher: Weakness
    Projectile Finisher: Poison
    Whirl Finsher: Poison Bolts
  • Revealed
    Revealed is an effect applied when stealth is broken, for example by entering combat or exiting a Shadow Refuge circle prematurely.
  • Smoke Field
    Smoke Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Stealth
    Leap Finisher: Stealth
    Projectile Finisher: Blindness
    Whirl Finsher: Blinding Bolts
  • Super Speed
    Activate your slick shoes, enabling you to move at superior speeds.
  • Water Field
    Water Combo Effects

    Blast Finisher: Area Healing
    Leap Finisher: Healing
    Projectile Finisher: Regeneration
    Whirl Finsher: Healing Bolts
Combo
  • Blast Finisher
    Blast Combo Effects

    Dark: Area Blindness
    Ethereal: Area Chaos Armor
    Fire: Area Might
    Ice: Area Frost Aura
    Light: Area Retaliation
    Lightning: Area Swiftness
    Poison: Area Weakness
    Smoke: Area Stealth
    Water: Area Healing
  • Leap Finisher
    Leap Combo Effects

    Dark: Blindness
    Ethereal: Chaos Armor
    Fire: Fire Shield
    Ice: Frost Aura
    Light: Retaliation
    Lightning: Dazing Strike
    Poison: Weakness
    Smoke: Stealth
    Water: Healing
  • Projectile Finisher
    Projectile Combo Effects

    Dark: Life stealing
    Ethereal: Confusion
    Fire: Burning
    Ice: Chilled
    Light: Remove Condition
    Lightning: Vulnerability
    Poison: Poison
    Smoke: Blindness
    Water: Regeneration
  • Whirl Finisher
    Whirl Combo Effects

    Dark: Leeching Bolts
    Ethereal: Confounding Bolts
    Fire: Burning Bolts
    Ice: Chilling Bolts
    Light: Cleansing Bolts
    Lightning: Brutal Bolts
    Poison: Poison Bolts
    Smoke: Blinding Bolts
    Water: Healing Bolts

IV. Runes, Sigils, Accessories & Jewels

Armor & Runes

PvP Rune of Lyssa
  1. Precision: 25
  2. Condition Duration: 5%
  3. Precision: 50
  4. When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
  5. Precision: 100
  6. When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
PvP Rune of Lyssa
  1. Precision: 25
  2. Condition Duration: 5%
  3. Precision: 50
  4. When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
  5. Precision: 100
  6. When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
PvP Rune of Lyssa
  1. Precision: 25
  2. Condition Duration: 5%
  3. Precision: 50
  4. When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
  5. Precision: 100
  6. When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
PvP Rune of Lyssa
  1. Precision: 25
  2. Condition Duration: 5%
  3. Precision: 50
  4. When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
  5. Precision: 100
  6. When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
PvP Rune of Lyssa
  1. Precision: 25
  2. Condition Duration: 5%
  3. Precision: 50
  4. When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
  5. Precision: 100
  6. When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)
PvP Rune of Lyssa
  1. Precision: 25
  2. Condition Duration: 5%
  3. Precision: 50
  4. When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
  5. Precision: 100
  6. 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
  1. Precision: 25
  2. Condition Duration: 5%
  3. Precision: 50
  4. When you use a heal skill, you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
  5. Precision: 100
  6. When you use an elite skill, convert up to 5 conditions into boons. (Cooldown: 45 seconds)

Accessories & Jewels

Soldier's Amulet
  • Power: 1200
  • Toughness: 900
  • Vitality: 900

Accessory Totals

  • Power:1200
  • Toughness:900
  • Vitality:900

Weapon Set Sigils

PvP Sword
  • Weapon Strength: 905-1000
PvP Pistol
  • Weapon Strength: 876-1029
Sigil of Superior Fire
50% chance to cause flame blast on critical hit causing AoE damage. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)
Sigil of Superior Air
50% chance to cause a lightning strike on a critical hit. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 3 seconds)

Weapon Set I

Sigil of Superior Fire

50% chance to cause flame blast on critical hit causing AoE damage. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)

Sigil of Superior Air

50% chance to cause a lightning strike on a critical hit. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 3 seconds)

PvP Shortbow
  • Weapon Strength: 905-1000
PvP
  • Weapon Strength: -
Sigil of Superior Energy
You gain 50% of your endurance when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 9s)
Sigil of Superior Air
50% chance to cause a lightning strike on a critical hit. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 3 seconds)

Weapon Set II

Sigil of Superior Energy

You gain 50% of your endurance when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 9s)

PvP
  • Weapon Strength: -
PvP
  • Weapon Strength: -

Water Weapon I

Water Weapon II

Upgrade Item Details

  • Runes of Lyssa for great condition removal
  • Fire & Air with high precision
  • Soldier's Amulet gives great sustain, you could use Berzerker if you need that extra damage


V. Basic Gameplay

Watching a video is probably the easiest way to understand this build.
Random Hotjoin
SoloQ Match
TPvP Guild Fun


Main Skill Rotation

Infiltrator's Strike3
Shadowstep to a foe and strike them. Use Shadow Return to shadowstep back and cure one condition.
Damage: 252Immobilized: 1 sRange: 600
Steal18½
Steal. Shadowstep to your foe and steal from them.
Range: 1,200Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 sDamage: 302

Close a gap if the gap is quite large
Immobilize and Daze your target to make him panic


Shadowstep50
Deception. Shadowstep to the target location. Becomes Shadow Return, which returns you to your starting area and cures three conditions.
Breaks stunRange: 1,200
Infiltrator's Strike3
Shadowstep to a foe and strike them. Use Shadow Return to shadowstep back and cure one condition.
Damage: 252Immobilized: 1 sRange: 600
Steal18½
Steal. Shadowstep to your foe and steal from them.
Range: 1,200Fury: 10 sMight: 10 sSwiftness: 10 sVigor: 15 sDaze: 1 sDamage: 302

Close a HUGE gap!


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