Daredevil - Power S/D
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Contents
Overview
A direct damage based Daredevil take on the already slippery Sword/Dagger playstyle. This build mixes high mobility with evade chains, boon stealing, and consistent damage output to get the job done.
Skill Bar
Template Code
Specializations
Variants
- is also a viable option. By taking this trait you gain better access to both boons and boon removal, but sacrifice a CD reduction and some cleansing on several skills that are crucial for your sustain.
Equipment





Equipment Changes
Amulet
- - a more defensive choice. Slightly lower damage, but allows you to take on Daredevil and a different rune, like .
Usage
General
- is replaced by which inherits all the traits from Steal, but has half the range. To compensate for that, Swipe is unblockable! We're still going to refer to this profession mechanic as steal/stealing for most of the guide.
- The thief's role is to almost constantly keep moving.
- Dodge if you need
Swiftness or extra mobility in general while moving between capture points.
- The many dodges and evasions on weapon sets provide decent survivability for an otherwise very squishy profession.
Steal
- is the most powerful tool in a thief's kit and should not be wasted! Do not start fights with steal, keep it for the right moment (mainly to interupt important skills such as heals or elites).
- Steal refills endurance, grants initiative, inflicts
Poison, does damage, heals for ~2k, and provides a variety of boons for you and your team. Its most important function however is the instant, unblockable interrupt.
Sword/Dagger
The main set of the build
- Most of the damage will come from a combination of autoattacks and the chain.
- is an excellent skill for initiating fights or just closing gaps. It's recommended that you start fights with this skill from a place that break line of sight (LoS), like a wall or a pillar. This leaves you with an escape route via in case you get focused, and IR even provides some minor cleansing.
- Don't spam mindlessly. You will become easily predictible and locked in an animation while your enemy can set up burst. Find a balance between your autoattacks and flanking strike. Both this skill and its chain are unblockable. Larcenous Strike will be your main source of burst damage.
- is merely a filler for ranged poking in case going into melee range would be too dangerous and Short bow is on CD, or if you want to get rid of
Aegis /
Blind before jumping in. The bouncing attacks however aren't all that bad when it comes to clearing Mesmer clones.
- - although rarely used - is strong in its own right. Being the only source of
Stealth in the build, this grants access to which can help with interrupting important casts (heal, stomp, etc.) when is on cooldown, and the stealth in general can help you lose aggro for a short while or even leave the fight entirely without being chased. Its high cost and long cast time however makes it a very situational skill.
- This is often used on AI (clones, pets, minions) because this skill is all about the stealth, not the damage, and AI won't dodge it therefore the odds of getting a successful CnD off becomes higher.
Short bow
Utility weapon
- being a spammable blast finisher has high value for your team when it comes to blasting fields for
Stealth or healing (although they'll have to provide the fields).
- Its chain skill is a solid cource of downed cleave, or even ranged burst if you pre-cast
Cluster Bomb aimed at your feet,
Steal near the end of the animation and then detonate at your target.
- Its chain skill is a solid cource of downed cleave, or even ranged burst if you pre-cast
- provides cheap and spammable evasion in case you're being focused by the enemy team and your defensive skills are on CD. Remains usable even while
Immobilized.
- Use on downed enemies especially if they are being revived - Poison decreases healing gained by 33% which affects resurrecting speed.
- is the #1 skill for moving around the map in general, cuts down on travel time between capture points drastically.
Utilities & elite
- is your best souce of cleansing, as it instantly removes 3 conditions. In addition to that, this also gives an entire dodge roll's worth of endurance which can be used as a last resort option for squeezing out more dodges when you're out of endurance and don't have time to heal. Keep in mind that the active portion of this skill is AoE! Try to use it near allies whenever possible.
- is easily the most versatile and one of the strongest skills in the build. It has 2 parts:
- The first half is a stun break and teleport, which already has countless applications. A few applications include teleport to safety while pressured, extending your reach in combat, or using the instant mobility boost to decap enemy points before using the 2nd part of the skill to leave just as fast.
- The second half is called . This skill becomes available for 10 seconds after using Shadowstep, and cures 3 conditions in addition to breaking stun again before returning you to your starting location.
- These can also be combined to safe stomp targets: begin stomping, away to safety, and then follow up with at the end of the animation in order to finish the target.
- is a defensive elite. The rather lengthy evade frame with increased movement speed makes it an excellent panic button when you're being focused by the enemy team.
- Note: skills like or are able to interrupt Dagger Storm, so don't be completely careless.
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