Antiquary - Hybrid Axetiquary

The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good

Focused on: Mobility and Hybrid damage

Designed for: PvP Conquest

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on June 19, 2026 and is up to date for the June 2, 2026 patch.

Overview

An Antiquary build that makes extensive use of the Deadly Arts traitline to deal high hybrid damage with artifacts. Doesn't have the same access to stealth as most other Thief builds but has a lot of evasion to compensate.

The build has two variants: one for roaming/skirmishing, one for more lengthy fights. The roaming version is the default as it's more flexible, and much of this primer will imply that you're running it. The other differs slightly but shouldn't need much additional explanation.

Skill Bar

Axe/Dagger

Shortbow

Utility

Skill Variants

Utility

For the default variant, any of these can fill the empty slot:

• Blinding Powder - A simple, consistent way to Stealth. Cunning Salvo is a fantastic stealth attack as it procs Even the Odds on each hit, making easy stealth access a welcome addition.

• Infiltrator's Signet - Simple mobility skill and stunbreak.

• Scorpion Wire - Good for locking down players without Stability or creating a window for Harrowing Storm / Cloak and Dagger. Cleanses 2 conditions with Trickster.

Elite

For the default variant, these elite skills are both situationally viable:

• Dagger Storm - A simple and powerful defensive pick that provides three seconds of evasion and a small cleanse with Trickster). Can deal a LOT of damage if used within a poison or fire field, e.g. Mistburn Mortar.

• Skritt Scuffle - Best value elite by far in extended fights, but requires very quick reactions and a deep understanding of artifacts as a whole to properly utilize. Possessive Hoarder gives allies near you the same boons it gives you.

If using the repeat ransacker variant, always use Skritt Scuffle.

Template Codes

Default variant:

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Repeat Ransacker variant:

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Specializations

There are two primary variants for this build.

• Frontloaded variant: This is the default setup and the one that the guide implies you're taking. It's versatile with good burst and high evasion, but tends to run out of gas if fights drag on. Good against teams where you're frequently the target as well as burst classes like Mesmer.

Variants

• Repeat Ransacker variant: This variant is much harder to play and is much weaker against strike damage burst builds and chain-stun builds. However, it has much higher initiative generation and condition cleanse, and can stand its ground as a duelist against the right classes. Take Antivenom Draught or Hide in Shadows as the heal, Canach-Coin Toss and Skritt Scuffle for the empty utility & elite slots, and change the relic to either Relic of the Mist Stranger or Relic of Mistburn. Always use Scoundrel's Luck on Canach-Coin Toss, and get used to using Antivenom Draught early on in fights so you can backfire it when you most need to.

Equipment

Axe

Dagger

Sigil

Sigil

Shortbow

Sigil

Sigil

Rune

Amulet

Relic

Equipment Variants

Amulets

• - Use against comps that primarily deal condition damage.

• - Less burst damage, but you'll be harder to kill and are especially resilient towards conditions.

Relics

• Relic of the Mist Stranger - pairs well with all of the multi-hit abilities Antiquary & Axes have.

• Relic of Mistburn - extra damage in the form of might and crit chance. Works best when running utility skills that give Stealth as to consistently trigger Even the Odds.

• Relic of Galdra - extra burst damage. Best when paired with and Skritt Scuffle / Basilisk Venom.

Sigils

• Sigil of Exposure over Sigil of Cleansing (on Shortbow) - Can add a surprise ~5% to your burst. Weapon swap immediately after the axes are recalled with Harrowing Storm to ensure the Vulnerability stacks land at the right time. If you're more frequently swapping to shortbow to burst rather than escape, this can be a good option.

• Sigil of Escape over Sigil of Cleansing on Shortbow - Good for breaking roots in a pinch.

Usage

Basics

• You'll be camping Axe / Dagger 90% of the time, only swapping to Shortbow to move around the map faster with Infiltrator's Arrow or supplement a burst with Cluster Bombs.

• Use axe skills 1 and 2 (Spinning Axe and Venomous Volley) to throw axes. These axes remain where they land for 10 seconds and can be recalled onto a target with your third skill, Harrowing Storm. Use these abilities until you have 5 or 6 axes, then use an artifact classified as "offensive" (e.g. Mistburn Mortar) to give yourself Fury and Might. After that, recall your axes with Harrowing Storm for a huge burst of damage. Recalled axes deal full damage again while additionally applying Torment, and also Immobilize any targets hit by 5 or more axes. Comboing artifacts and axe recalls together like this is the main way the build does damage.

• Axe's stealth skill, Cunning Salvo, also leaves behind an axe. This is a very high value skill to hit.

• Harrowing Storm gives you 1/2s of evasion when used and will shadowstep you to your target, making you especially hard to pin down in a fight.

• Dagger's 5th skill Cloak and Dagger is incredibly good if you can land it. The unfortunate downside is that many artifacts hit multiple times which will break you out of Stealth, so use it wisely. As this build lacks Superspeed and expendable blinks, the best targets for this skill are often ranger pets or mesmer illusions.

Elite specialization basics

• Antiquaries gain access to Skritt Swipe which functions as their Steal, benefiting from all traits that would affect it. Using it (with or without a target) will give you a set of artifacts. Your F2 will always be an offensive artifact, F3 is always a defensive artifact, and F4 (available when Prolific Plunderer is taken) will be a random one.

• Artifacts have two classifications: "offensive" and "defensive". This classification determines which buffs you get with Possessive Hoarder.

• Two traits increase the number of artifacts you can use after pilfering: Prolific Plunderer and Improvisation. If taken together, they allow you to use three artifacts from a pilfered set, which results in a lot of boons, damage, and utility.

• Using an artifact restores 1 initiative. "Offensive" artifacts give Might and Fury and should always be used before landing other skills if possible. "Defensive" artifacts tend to deal less damage but provide the defensive boons Protection and Regeneration and some other beneficial effect (e.g. an evade on Exalted Hammer).

• Artifacts have an immediate effect and a lingering bonus effect. The lingering effects are applied when the skill finishes casting. They don't need to hit anything for you to get the lingering effects.

Artifacts

• There are 8 available artifacts that you'll randomly get when you Skritt Swipe. Many are walls of text that feel daunting to read, but at first you can probably just spam them and have some moderate success. As you continue to play the spec, it'll make more and more sense when and where to use each artifact, as well as what their icons look like.

• Here is a guide to each artifact. Each artifact has an active and lingering component which will be explained.
• These are good for offense:
• Summon Kryptis Turret - stationary turret that deals massive damage via projectiles to the closest enemy. the lingering effect gives you a damage bonus against anything the turret hit.
• Metal Legion Guitar - long cast that pulses damage in an AoE around you. if the channel finishes it stuns enemies and gives you one free stealth attack.
• Forged Surfer Dash - slide towards an area, dropping high damage bombs as you travel. bombs continue dropping every few seconds at your feet.
• Mistburn Mortar - shoots a projectile glob to an area that pulses strike damage and burning to those in the AoE. lingering effect makes your next two attacks burn the target.

• These are good for both:
• Chak Shield - instantly creates a projectile-destroying dome that pulses damage to enemies and barrier to allies. your next initiative spending ability refunds 50% of the cost.
• Exalted Hammer - evades attacks before dealing high strike damage in an AoE.
• Holo-Dancer Decoy - places a dancing decoy that taunts targets around it for 1 second. it also pulses might to nearby allies and reduces the cooldown of your next utility skill by 33%.

• Save these for defense:
• Zephyrite Sun Crystal - evade while dashing towards an area. blind and burn targets in an AoE where you arrive. cleanses 3 conditions when arriving, then your next 2 initiative-spending abilities cleanse another.

General

• The TL;DR for the build's core gameplan is as follows: Enter fights with a full set of artifacts already available from an earlier Skritt Swipe (F1), throwing out axes with its first two skills, then using an artifact (e.g. Summon Kryptis Turret) before recalling the axes with Harrowing Storm. The result is Fury and Might from Possessive Hoarder and a huge burst of damage. From there, use all remaining artifacts and then Skritt Swipe again and throw out the new artifacts for even more damage. Opening with stealth for axe's stealth attack Cunning Salvo increases the amount of burst even further thanks to Even the Odds.

• Use Skritt Swipe (without a target) during downtime to fish for good sets of artifacts, or during combat on a target to interrupt a key ability. Since artifacts are such a big part of the build, deciding whether to use Skritt Swipe immediately as it's up or waiting to interrupt an ability with it is a choice you'll regularly have to make.

• Pay attention to any projectile hate that would eat your axes - reflect fields, magnetic aura, etc.. If possible, use non-projectile artifacts while waiting for the hate to go away, or drop your target and throw your axes at nothing so you can recall them later.

• As axes require setup and a lot of initiative, it can be a good idea to swap to shortbow after landing a big Harrowing Storm and spam Cluster Bomb instead than trying to set up another recall.

Defense

• Remain at range while throwing axes, only entering melee with Harrowing Storm when a good opportunity presents itself. Always keep in mind which artifacts you have and formulate a followup plan based on them. Some artifacts such as Exalted Hammer deal high damage in addition to making you evade for the duration, making them excellent for countering attacks.

• Harrowing Storm gives a small window of evasion on use. If possible, use the skill to both recall your axes and dodge a powerful attack.

• Your cleanse is strong but limited. Withdraw, Roll for Initiative, and Dagger Storm (if taken) all immediately cure 2 conditions (in addition to any already cleansed by these abilities) thanks to Trickster. Additionally, Zephyrite Sun Crystal can cleanse you multiple times, but you won't always have access to it. Save it for the right moment.

• Any artifact categorized as "defensive" will give Protection and Regeneration when used thanks to Possessive Hoarder.

Advanced

• Once you're comfortable with the main gameplay of Antiquary, you can start to play around your combo fields.

• Venomous Volley's projectiles will occasionally act (20% chance) as a "projectile finisher". This gives them added effects depending on which combo field they pass through. The main ones are Mistburn Mortar, which creates a fire field and adds Burning to the axe, and Chak Shield, which causes the axe to cleanse a condition (granted you're in melee range of the target. it's weird, but if you're using Harrowing Storm you can drop Chak Shield as the axes are coming in to benefit from the finishers).

• Exalted Hammer is a leap finisher. Use it through Chak Shield to gain Light Aura or Mistburn Mortar for Fire Aura.

• Lastly, your stealth attack, Cunning Salvo, is a blast finisher. It's impractical to try and always combo this one with a field, but it's easy to use it with Chak Shield when recalling axes for additional condition cleansing.