Antiquary - Power DPS

This is a rough draft. Once adequately written, it will progress to the testing stage, where it can be rated by the community. You can help by proposing changes with a comment.

Focused on: Direct damage

Designed for: Raids and Fractals

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on November 14, 2025.

Overview

The power DPS raid build for Antiquary. Learning all of the possible artifacts will improve the DPS of this build considerably.

Skill Bar

Staff

Axe/Pistol

Utility

Weapon Variants

Axe/Pistol is there to provide a ranged option, and a strong opener. Requires Secrets of the Obscure

• For players that don't own Secrets of the Obscure, Pistol/Pistol does a similar job.
  • Offhand Pistol in particular is a useful source of extra CC via Head Shot and for Black Powder - a smoke field that can be blasted for AoE stealth.
• Spear is the highest damage option for players that own Janthir Wilds, but it is a lot more complicated. Replace Staff.
• If you don't intend to use the second set for damage, Shortbow can be taken for mobility such as getting to green circles on Dhuum, and for various skips in fractals.
• Rifle can be used instead of Axe/Pistol for players that own Secrets of the Obscure.
• Dagger/x can replace Axe/Pistol for a powerful finisher, or as the best option for players that only own Visions of Eternity.

Skill Variants

Healing

• Signet of Malice for a relatively weak but continuous healing effect. Good if you do not plan on using your heal skill.
• Withdraw if you need an extra evade, or for fights that have a lot of movement impairing conditions.

Elite

• Basilisk Venom for breakbar damage. This is a significant DPS loss.

Template Code

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Specializations

Trait Variants

• Use Invigorating Precision if you're having trouble surviving.
• Meticulous Custodian does more damage once you've learned all the different artifacts.

Equipment

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Assassin

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Staff
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Axe
Berserker

Pistol
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x11

Infusion
x7

Relic

• The DPS difference when using Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar is negligible.
• If using Spear, the frequent Daze from Distracting Throw makes Relic of the Claw a stronger option.
• If you do not have stat infusions, swap one accessory to Assassin stats.
• If you regularly swap between using Signet of Agility or not, a much simpler gear setup involves using full Berserker stats gear (and full Mighty infusions) and an Assassin stats Amulet. Swap it to Berserker stats if taking Signet of Agility.
  • Otherwise, you want to aim for ~2008 precision if not using Signet of Agility.

Consumables

Food

• or ascended versions

Utility

Usage

Assassin's Signet can be activated for additional burst damage, but due to the different timings on your major skills, keeping it passive is practically the same damage as using it outside of the opening burst.

If a boss becomes Exposed (or otherwise takes increased damage for a time), using Assassin's Signet at this time will be advantageous, as will using it just before your target phases/dies.

General Tips

• Use Basilisk Venom with nearby allies to break defiance bars.
• Cluster Bomb can be used to blast for Might or Stealth - particularly useful in dungeons or fractals. Make sure not to double tap it as only the first skill counts as a blast finisher.
• Infiltrator's Arrow can be used to skip parts of certain fractals such as the lasers in Aetherblade and the scaffolding in Cliffside.

Group Stealth

Thief's unique support in groups is long-lasting group-wide Stealth, which lets you run past trash without having to fight it. This lets you skip large sections of dungeons and certain fractals.

• Black Powder should be used as the primary smoke field due to lack of cooldown. Have party members chain blasts in this field with you, while you blast it with Cluster Bomb. The smoke field only lasts 4s so you need help from your party in order to stack a significant amount of stealth.
  • Use Smoke Screen in less organised groups since it gives a longer stealth field for easier blasting.
• Shadow Refuge gives a large amount of area stealth without needing to use blast finishers. This skill is useful when stealthing next to or on top of mobs since most blast finishers deal damage and thus break stealth. It can also be used to reapply stealth in the middle of a skip. When possible retrait for Shadow Arts before using it to get the benefit of Meld with Shadows and the cooldown reduction of Concealed Defeat.
• Blinding Powder gives 3s of stealth, is a blast finisher, and causes no damage making it very useful if you have to cover a long distance. It is often used in combination with Black Powder.

Pathing

Once you trigger certain mob groups while being in stealth they will follow you unless you "path" them. This is done by standing still until the Mobs reach you.

Pathing Tutorial by Vitarain

Skipping Ahead

After stealthing with your group you can use a lot of skills to skip ahead of your group to trigger bosses/events faster to save time. This requires you to be able to re-trait fast for full efficiency but isn't needed.

You should re-trait to Unhindered Combatant for extreme mobility. You could also trait Shadow Arts for Superspeed and initiative regeneration.

• Use Shadowstep to blink up ledges and for additional mobility.
• Use Infiltrator's Signet and/or Infiltrator's Strike to teleport to mobs (should be used out of range to not hit the mob).
• Use Hide in Shadows and/or Steal traited with Hidden Thief to gain stealth to not aggro mobs.