Deadeye - Quickness Support Power DPS

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Direct damage and Support

Designed for: Raids

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on July 18, 2026 and is up to date for the June 2, 2026 patch.

Overview

A fast-paced Deadeye build that provides Quickness by alternating between cantrips and the stolen skill. This provides permanent Fury and ~22 stacks of Might, but nothing else. This makes the build a rather niche pick and mostly for existing Deadeye fans.

Skill Bar

Axe/Pistol

Dagger/X

Utility

Weapon Variants

The Axe build is very vulnerable to mistakes and CC is a significant DPS loss. The dagger on the second set can be used a "finisher", so it could be replaced with Spear to provide some CC as the stealth skill allows for the recovery of initiative.

• For a much more forgiving rotation, you can use Dagger/Dagger. This set is fully melee and has no CC, so your second set can be Axe/Pistol to have a ranged option, or Spear for CC. Some less common options are:
  • Shortbow for mobility from Infiltrator's Arrow.
  • Rifle or Pistol/Pistol for simpler ranged options.

Skill Variants

Elite

• Shadow Meld is recommended if you have doubts about yourself or your lag.
• Basilisk Venom if you need CC
• Thieves Guild for maximum damage.

Template Code

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Specializations

Trait Variants

• Invigorating Precision if you're having trouble surviving. This is a ~10% DPS loss.

Equipment

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Assassin

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Axe
Berserker

Pistol
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Berserker

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x14

Infusion
x4

Relic

• If you do not have stat infusions, switch the headpiece to Assassin stats.
• The difference between Rune of Superior Rune of the Dragonhunter and Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar is negligible.

Consumables

Food

• or ascended versions

Utility

• /

Usage

All your cantrips give you a stolen skill, and you always gain Steal Time! The trick is to space out your cantrips and Deadeye's Mark such that you don't overwrite your stolen skill or drop the buff from Relic of the Deadeye.

As none of the options utilise weapon swapping for damage, when you swap for other reasons (ranged damage or CC), switch to the corresponding rotation below. Ideally you would swap at a point where your initiative is high and your malice is low - this can be manually achieved through the use of Mercy.

Axe Rotation

Spinning Axe, Malicious Cunning Salvo and Venomous Volley all leave spinning axes on the ground. Orchestrated Assault recalls these axes to the thief, reapplying their effects and increasing the strike damage. As such, you want to ensure that the axes pass through your target when they return to you.

Although the complete loop is long, it is divided into six "sub-loops". Within each of these sub-loops, you generally will use Venomous Volley, Steal Time, Malicious Cunning Salvo, and Orchestrated Assault once each, plus either a cantrip or Deadeye's Mark. The initiative mechanic means that you don't gain access to your skills at the same point in each sub-loop, and you need to space out your stealth attacks to allow Revealed to expire, so each is a little different.

Shadow Flare flips to Shadow Swap when used. As the skill is instant-cast, use it whenever you can, just ensure the flare's position is safe.

Opener

1. Deadeye's Mark
2. Steal Time to quickly provide Quickness
3. Shadow Flare
4. Venomous Volley x2
5. Orchestrated Assault

Loop

1. Venomous Volley
2. Steal Time
3. Malicious Cunning Salvo
4. Mercy ⇒ Venomous Volley x2
5. Orchestrated Assault

6. Spinning Axe x2
7. Steal Time
8. Malicious Cunning Salvo
9. Deadeye's Mark
10. Orchestrated Assault

11. Steal Time
12. Shadow Meld
13. Malicious Cunning Salvo
14. Venomous Volley
15. Spinning Axe x2
16. Orchestrated Assault

17. Venomous Volley
18. Steal Time
19. Malicious Restoration - this will drift slowly backwards in the rotation, so just cast it as soon as possible to provide the next Steal Time
20. Malicious Cunning Salvo
21. Spinning Axe x2
22. Orchestrated Assault

23. Venomous Volley x2
24. Steal Time
25. Malicious Cunning Salvo
26. Orchestrated Assault

27. Shadow Flare ⇒ Shadow Swap
28. Venomous Volley
29. Spinning Axe x5
30. Orchestrated Assault
31. Repeat

Video example

Dagger Rotation

Shadow Flare flips to Shadow Swap when used. As the skill is instant-cast, use it whenever you can, just ensure the flare's position is safe.

Opener

1. Deadeye's Mark
2. Steal Time to quickly provide Quickness
3. Shadow Flare
4. Cloak and Dagger - be aware that if you cast this too quickly, it can interrupt the cast of Shadow Flare or the activation of One in the Chamber
5. Malicious Backstab
6. Steal Time
7. Mercy
8. Dancing Dagger
9. Steal Time
10. Deadeye's Mark
11. Dancing Dagger x2
12. Double Strike ⇒ Wild Strike ⇒ Lotus Strike
13. Steal Time
14. Malicious Backstab
15. Mercy
16. Dancing Dagger
17. Steal Time
18. Deadeye's Mark
19. Dancing Dagger x2
20. Double Strike ⇒ Wild Strike ⇒ Lotus Strike

Basic loop
The duration of Revealed is slightly longer than this loop if no Cantrips or Steal Time are available. In this case you want to use one extra Double Strike to let the Revealed expire.

1. Cloak and Dagger - if you have Shadow Meld, use it instead of Cloak and Dagger on loops where no Cantrips are available
2. Malicious Backstab
3. Steal Time, otherwise a Cantrip
4. Double Strike ⇒ Wild Strike ⇒ Lotus Strike
5. Steal Time, otherwise a Cantrip
6. Double Strike ⇒ Wild Strike ⇒ Lotus Strike

• Below 25% health, replace Cloak and Dagger ⇒ Malicious Backstab with three uses of Heartseeker.

Video example

Spear Rotation

Spear is more complicated than other thief weapons as it employed a combo system where skills 2 and 3 each have three sub-skills that are classified as Lead Attacks, Follow Ups or Finishers. These flow together in order, with the active skills changing depending on where you are in the chain, and you can switch between 2 and 3 for different effects. For this build the standard combo is Mantis Sting ⇒ Vampiric Slash ⇒ Falling Spider (2 ⇒ 3 ⇒ 2).

Additional complexity is added by your stealth attack, and skills 4 and 5, all gaining bonuses if they are used after a Finisher:

• Malicious Ashen Assault regenerates 4 initiative
• Distracting Throw grants a 10-second damage buff
• Shadow Veil blocks additional attacks

If this isn't enough, Distracting Throw will also count as a Lead Attack in this case, which means the next combo will skip Mantis Sting.

The general structure will be:

• Cycle through your basic combo, replacing it with Distracting Throw ⇒ Vampiric Slash ⇒ Falling Spider every 10 seconds (every three or four combos).
• Every two or three combos, you use a stolen skill to stealth yourself and regain initiative from Malicious Ashen Assault (the damage is fairly low so don't use it more than necessary).
  • If you don't have a stolen skill available, use Shadow Meld.
• After Malicious Ashen Assault, use a cantrip if available, with the priority:
  1. Shadow Flare
  2. Mercy
  3. Malicious Restoration
• When you use Mercy, immediately follow up with Steal Time ⇒ Deadeye's Mark.

With many competing demands, there isn't a consistent loop that can be defined, so the opener below is long enough to show off a few of the points above in action. Be aware that Dagger can be used to finish a phase (if the target is below 50%), so there is a separate section for that.

Opener

1. Deadeye's Mark
2. Steal Time
3. Shadow Flare ⇒ Shadow Swap - the flip skill has no cast time, do you can use it during other skills
4. Mantis Sting ⇒ Vampiric Slash ⇒ Falling Spider
5. Distracting Throw ⇒ Vampiric Slash ⇒ Falling Spider
6. Mantis Sting ⇒ Vampiric Slash ⇒ Falling Spider
7. Steal Time
8. Malicious Ashen Assault
9. Mercy ⇒ Steal Time ⇒ Deadeye's Mark

Dagger Finisher

Against targets below 50% health, Dagger can be used to finish a phase. This is very strong when your target is below 25% health, but only just worth it below 50% health. The target should be close enough to phasing/dying that you won't have to use any autoattacks, and it's a good idea to get one final use of Distracting Throw before you switch.

• Spam Heartseeker and use Steal Time to Stealth and access Malicious Backstab.
  • If you have an excess of stolen skills, just use them without worrying about stealth as they are very damaging.
• Shadow Flare is still worth using.
• You can also activate Assassin's Signet.

Video example

Staff-only rotation

Video example

Rifle-only rotation

Video example

Pistol-only rotations

Video example

Video example (with animation cancels)

General Tips

• Shadow Flare has a long cast time and it will be interrupted by Cloak and Dagger if you use it too early, so make sure to finish the cast.
• Below 50%, if the boss is about to phase, you can use up any excess initiative by spamming Heartseeker - Just make sure to leave yourself enough initiative for Cloak and Dagger if you will also have time for another Malicious Backstab! Above 50%, Heartseeker is lower DPS than the auto chain.
• This rotation is susceptible to lag. If this is likely to be a problem, Shadow Meld can be used to re-enter stealth in the event that you are revealed before before you can use Malicious Backstab.

Break bars

• Basilisk Venom should be cast while you are standing in melee range of 5 allied units (mesmer illusions, ranger pets and necromancer minions all count towards this).

Encounter Specific Tips

Spirit Vale

Ghost events

The ghost events are mostly movement based.

• Consider equipping a Short bow, and/or using Shadowstep.

For more information, see our Spirit Woods Guide.

Gorseval the Multifarious

• During the split phases, you can use Dancing Dagger to cripple spirits from 900 range.

For more information, see our Gorseval Guide.

Salvation Pass

Slothasor

• You have no way of blocking Slothasor's fear so either rely on others to break/cleanse it for you or use Mercy. This can also be used to recover from disruption caused by the Slublings.
• Bringing CC will be very helpful.
• A Rifle can be useful for moments where you cannot melee the boss.

For more information, see our Slothasor Guide.

Matthias Gabrel

• Use Heartseeker for mobility around the room.
• Bringing one of the CC options will be very helpful.
• A Rifle can be useful for moments where you cannot melee the boss.
• Basilisk Venom is somewhat unreliable as your allies may still be targeting Matthias instead of the sacrifice.

For more information, see our Matthias Guide.

Stronghold of the Faithful

Keep Construct

• Unless you really need the CC, you can greed for damage with Thieves Guild.

For more information, see our Keep Construct Guide.

Twisted Castle

• Consider equipping a Short bow, and/or using Shadowstep.
• You can use Mercy as a stunbreak.

For more information, see our Twisted Castle Guide.

Bastion of the Penitent

Cairn the Indomitable

• This fight has no breakbar, bring Thieves Guild or Shadow Meld.

For more information, see our Cairn Guide.

Mursaat Overseer

• This fight has no breakbar, bring Thieves Guild or Shadow Meld.

For more information, see our Mursaat Overseer Guide.

Samarog

• Bringing CC option will be very helpful.

For more information, see our Samarog Guide.

Deimos

• The breakbar in this fight is too fast and too small for Basilisk Venom, so you can bring Thieves Guild or Shadow Meld instead.
• A Rifle can be useful for moments where you cannot melee the boss.

For more information, see our Deimos Guide.

Hall of Chains

Dhuum

• This fight has no breakbar, bring Thieves Guild or Shadow Meld.
• A Rifle can be useful for moments where you cannot melee the boss.

For more information, see our Dhuum Guide.

Mythwright Gambit

Conjured Amalgamate

• Basilisk Venom is overkill for breaking shields, so you can bring Thieves Guild.
• Given the speed at which the arms slam down, Mercy can be used to ensure you can mark them.

For more information, see our Conjured Amalgamate Guide.

Twin Largos

• Bringing CC will be very helpful.
• A Rifle can be useful for moments where you cannot melee the boss.

For more information, see our Largos Assassins Guide.

The Key of Ahdashim

Cardinal Adina

• A Rifle can be useful if you're being made to do pillars.

For more information, see our Adina Guide.