Thief - Dagger/Pistol

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Focused on: Direct damage, Utility, Mobility.

Designed for:

Conquest

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Overview

D/P Thief provides superior single target burst and great access to AoE stealthing.

In general try to avoid duels, gank squishy or low HP targets in teamfights, rotate to skirmishes in order to +1 (outnumber) your opponent and quickly end the fight, revive allies/prevent stomps with Stealth, and decap unguarded capture points in Conquest using the mobility offered by

Infiltrator's Arrow

6

Infiltrator's Arrow

Fire an arrow and shadowstep to the target area, blinding nearby foes.

Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

Number of Targets: 3

Radius: 120

Range: 900

.

Skill Bar

First Weapon Set

Dagger/Pistol

Utility

Elite

Double Strike

Chain. Strike your foe twice.

₂Damage: 138

Number of Targets: 2

Range: 130

3

¾

Heartseeker

Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

Above 50%: 244

Below 50%: 365

Below 25%: 487

Combo Finisher: Leap

Range: 450

4

Shadow Shot

Dual Wield. Fire an unblockable shot shot at your foe, which blinds them, and then shadowstep to them for a dagger strike.

Damage: 304

Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

Unblockable

4

Headshot

Daze your foe with a head shot.

Damage: 61

Daze (¼s): Unable to use skills.

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

6

½

Black Powder

Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

Damage: 62

Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

Number of Targets: 5

Pulses: 3

Duration: 4 seconds

Interval: 2 seconds

Radius: 120

Combo Field: Smoke

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

18

Withdraw

Trick. Roll backward while healing and evade attacks. Cures immobilization, chill, and crippling.

Healing: 4,344

Evade: 0.75 seconds

¼

60

Shadow Refuge

Deception. Create a pulsing refuge at the target area that heals allies and cloaks them in stealth.

Healing: 1,775

Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

Pulses: 5

Duration: 4 seconds

Radius: 240

Combo Field: Dark

Range: 600

50

Shadowstep

Deception. Shadowstep to target area. Becomes Shadow Return which returns you to your starting area and cures three conditions.

Breaks stun

Range: 1,200

40

Blinding Powder

Deception. Blind foes in the target area and grant stealth to nearby allies.

Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

Smoke Bomb Radius: 240

Combo Finisher: Blast

1

40

Basilisk Venom

Venom. Your attacks turn foes to stone.

₂Basilisk Venom (30s): Your attacks turn foes to stone.

Stone Duration: 1 second

Venom Duration: 30 seconds

Second Weapon Set

Shortbow

¼

Trick Shot

Bounce an arrow between multiple nearby foes.

Damage: 134

Number of Bounces: 2

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

3

½

Cluster Bomb

Fire a cluster bomb at the target area. Detonate in midair for multiple explosions.

Large Explosion: 353

Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

Number of Targets: 5

Radius: 240

Combo Finisher: Blast

Range: 900

4

¼

Disabling Shot

Do an evasive leap away from your foe while firing a crippling shot.

Damage: 122

Cripple (2s): -50% Movement Speed

Evade: 0.5 seconds

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

4

½

Choking Gas

Fire an arrow that fills the target area with a poisonous cloud.

Damage: 71

Poison (2s): 67 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness

Number of Targets: 5

Pulses: 4

Field Duration: 4 seconds

Radius: 240

Combo Field: Poison

Range: 900

Unblockable

6

Infiltrator's Arrow

Fire an arrow and shadowstep to the target area, blinding nearby foes.

Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

Number of Targets: 3

Radius: 120

Range: 900

Equipment

3

Superior Sigil of Air

50% Chance on Critical: Cause a Lightning Strike. (Cooldown: 3s)

5

Superior Sigil of Blood

50% Chance on Critical: Steal Health. (Cooldown: 5s)

3

Superior Sigil of Air

50% Chance on Critical: Cause a Lightning Strike. (Cooldown: 3s)

9

Superior Sigil of Energy

Gain 50% of your endurance when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (Cooldown: 9s)

Superior Rune of the Pack

(1): +25 Power (2): +10% Swiftness Duration (3): +50 Power (4): 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20s) (5): +100 Power (6): +125 Precision; +20% Swiftness Duration

Marauder Amulet

+1050 Power +1050 Precision +560 Vitality +560 Ferocity

Variants

Dagger/Pistol

• Superior Sigil of Rage

  30

  Superior Sigil of Rage

  50% Chance on Critical: Gain Quickness (3 seconds). (Cooldown: 30s)
  over
  Superior Sigil of Blood

  5

  Superior Sigil of Blood

  50% Chance on Critical: Steal Health. (Cooldown: 5s)
  .
• Superior Sigil of Fire

  5

  Superior Sigil of Fire

  50% Chance on Critical: Trigger a Flame Blast for area of effect damage (240 radius). (Cooldown: 5s)
  over
  Superior Sigil of Blood

  5

  Superior Sigil of Blood

  50% Chance on Critical: Steal Health. (Cooldown: 5s)
  .

Shortbow

• Superior Sigil of Fire

  5

  Superior Sigil of Fire

  50% Chance on Critical: Trigger a Flame Blast for area of effect damage (240 radius). (Cooldown: 5s)
  over Air if your role is team-play based and not far-point assault.
• Superior Sigil of Generosity

  9

  Superior Sigil of Generosity

  60% chance to transfer a condition to your foe on a critical hit. (Cooldown: 9s)
  over Air.
• Superior Sigil of Bloodlust

  Superior Sigil of Bloodlust

  Gain a charge of +10 power each time you kill a foe, five if you kill an enemy player.
  over Air.

Usage

There are many intricacies and combos to using D/P on Thief, however the main role of the build is to win 1v1 duels and finish weak players in team fights. Scroll down to the 'in-depth' section for more information, examples, and combos.

Concise

Dagger/Pistol

• Use
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  out of stealth to spike foes down. (Works from any flanking position).
• Dagger auto has good DPS, restores endurance, and applies poison to limit your foes healing potential. (Very important against classes that rely on regeneration).
• Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  does more damage the less health the foe has and closes gaps.
• Shadow Shot

  4

  Shadow Shot

  Dual Wield. Fire an unblockable shot shot at your foe, which blinds them, and then shadowstep to them for a dagger strike.

  Damage: 304

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900

  Unblockable
  blinds and teleports to a foe. Does decent damage.
• Headshot

  4

  Headshot

  Daze your foe with a head shot.

  Damage: 61

  Daze (¼s): Unable to use skills.

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  is an incredibly fast, but short daze. Use it to stop players from healing, ressing, or finishing.
• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  blinds foes with each pulse. Counts as a smoke field. Useful against downed foes and stealthing yourself or your allies.

Shortbow

• Surprise Shot

  ¼

  Surprise Shot

  Stealth Attack. Shoot an arrow that immobilizes your foe.

  Damage: 146

  Immobilize (2s): Unable to move.

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  out of stealth will immobilize your foe.
• Trick Shot

  ¼

  Trick Shot

  Bounce an arrow between multiple nearby foes.

  Damage: 134

  Number of Bounces: 2

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  does better damage the more targets there are. Good in team fights or against foes with pets/minions.
• Cluster Bomb

  3

  ½

  Cluster Bomb

  Fire a cluster bomb at the target area. Detonate in midair for multiple explosions.

  Large Explosion: 353

  Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

  Number of Targets: 5

  Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast

  Range: 900
  is good AoE damage (5 targets) and counts as a blast finisher. Detonating this will hit 3-9 times and cause bleeding, but removes the blast finisher.
• Disabling Shot helps you evade away and cripples the enemy.
• Choking Gas

  4

  ½

  Choking Gas

  Fire an arrow that fills the target area with a poisonous cloud.

  Damage: 71

  Poison (2s): 67 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 4

  Field Duration: 4 seconds

  Radius: 240

  Combo Field: Poison

  Range: 900

  Unblockable
  applies a pulsing AoE poison. Useful on downed enemies.

Steal

• Bait your opponent to waste their dodges to help land this skill.
• Strips two boons from target and shares them with you and your party.
• Dazes target (after prioritizing the Stability boon strip).
• Applies poison.
• Applies boons to yourself and allies even if used without a target. (If nobody gives swiftness at the beginning of a match, Steal can improve mobility).

Utility and Elite

• Shadow Refuge

  ¼

  60

  Shadow Refuge

  Deception. Create a pulsing refuge at the target area that heals allies and cloaks them in stealth.

  Healing: 1,775

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Pulses: 5

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Radius: 240

  Combo Field: Dark

  Range: 600
  can be used on downed party members to prevent a finish.
• Infiltrator's Signet

  30

  Infiltrator's Signet

  Signet Passive: Regenerate one extra initiative every ten seconds.
  Signet Active: Shadowstep to your foe.

  Initiative Gain every 10 seconds: 1

  Breaks stun

  Range: 900
  can be used as a gap closer (like steal) or as a stun breaker (does not require target).
• Basilisk Venom

  1

  40

  Basilisk Venom

  Venom. Your attacks turn foes to stone.

  ₂Basilisk Venom (30s): Your attacks turn foes to stone.

  Stone Duration: 1 second

  Venom Duration: 30 seconds
  applies a strong stun.

Advanced

• Learn your cooldowns. Many thieves will abuse steal and
  Infiltrator's Signet

  30

  Infiltrator's Signet

  Signet Passive: Regenerate one extra initiative every ten seconds.
  Signet Active: Shadowstep to your foe.

  Initiative Gain every 10 seconds: 1

  Breaks stun

  Range: 900
  at inopportune moments when
  Shadow Shot

  4

  Shadow Shot

  Dual Wield. Fire an unblockable shot shot at your foe, which blinds them, and then shadowstep to them for a dagger strike.

  Damage: 304

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900

  Unblockable
  can do the same thing on a 4 second cooldown. You regain initiative at 1 per second.
• Withdraw

  18

  Withdraw

  Trick. Roll backward while healing and evade attacks. Cures immobilization, chill, and crippling.

  Healing: 4,344

  Evade: 0.75 seconds
  is exceptional because of it's high healing per second value. It should be used off cooldown. (Be sure to enter stealth to remove poison). If you're fighting a mesmer with a sword or a ranger that has yet to use
  Entangle

  ¾

  60

  Entangle

  Survival. Entagle foes around you with vines. Entagled foes bleed and are immobilized until the vines are destroyed.

  ₄Damage: 508

  ₅Bleeding (8s): 4,760 Damage

  ₅Immobilize (1s): Unable to move.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Duration: 5 seconds

  Radius: 600

  Unblockable
  , be sure to try and have your
  Withdraw

  18

  Withdraw

  Trick. Roll backward while healing and evade attacks. Cures immobilization, chill, and crippling.

  Healing: 4,344

  Evade: 0.75 seconds
  ready.
• Abuse stealth when needed. You can often beat a mesmer by outstealthing them. You can often reset your heal and other powerful cooldowns while removing conditions and still keeping your enemy in combat. Be patient if you're playing on the defensive and stay in stealth as long as you can.
• Blinding Powder

  40

  Blinding Powder

  Deception. Blind foes in the target area and grant stealth to nearby allies.

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Smoke Bomb Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast
  in a
  Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  ensures you enter stealth. At higher level of play, ranged foes will start to try and interrupt your
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  . That can place you at a severe disadvantage. If further stacking stealth using
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  , learn to de-target and
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  away from the enemy (even if your
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  begins near an enemy it can reveal you, learn the distance of damage through the leap on golems).
• Learn to stack stealth four times in a
  Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  . Look down on your character and strafe left or right while using
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  in a smoke field. YouTube:
  Video Guide
• Blinding Powder

  40

  Blinding Powder

  Deception. Blind foes in the target area and grant stealth to nearby allies.

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Smoke Bomb Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast
  >
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  lets you enter stealth after heartseeker's damage is applied. If used within leaping range it can do strong damage in addition to the backstab.
• Blinding Powder

  40

  Blinding Powder

  Deception. Blind foes in the target area and grant stealth to nearby allies.

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Smoke Bomb Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast
  >
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  > Teleport >
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  : This only works if you use the teleport during the leap portion of the heartseeker. Practice it on golems (both the activation as well as the range you can teleport from). If done correctly you may see upwards of 12k damage via mug, sigil procs, and all skills listed on a light armored target.
• Stealth >
  Shadow Shot

  4

  Shadow Shot

  Dual Wield. Fire an unblockable shot shot at your foe, which blinds them, and then shadowstep to them for a dagger strike.

  Damage: 304

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900

  Unblockable
  >
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  : It is possible to close a gap with
  Shadow Shot

  4

  Shadow Shot

  Dual Wield. Fire an unblockable shot shot at your foe, which blinds them, and then shadowstep to them for a dagger strike.

  Damage: 304

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900

  Unblockable
  and still
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  the opponent. The key to doing this is to spam
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  activation while the pistol shot reaches the target.
• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  >
  Cluster Bomb

  3

  ½

  Cluster Bomb

  Fire a cluster bomb at the target area. Detonate in midair for multiple explosions.

  Large Explosion: 353

  Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

  Number of Targets: 5

  Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast

  Range: 900
  : Provides aoe stealth. If you are the only person capable of stopping a friendly from being stomped by an enemy with stability and your shadow refuge is on cooldown, this is a viable option. Can be followed up with Blinding Powder for extra stealth (~8 seconds total).
• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  >
  Whirling Axe

  3¼

  15

  Whirling Axe

  Spin and attack nearby foes. You can move while spinning.

  ₁₅Damage: 1,290

  ₁₅Damage: 1,005

  Radius: 130

  Combo Finisher: Whirl
  : Blind all foes around you, effective against downed players being stomped/ressed
• Shadow Refuge

  ¼

  60

  Shadow Refuge

  Deception. Create a pulsing refuge at the target area that heals allies and cloaks them in stealth.

  Healing: 1,775

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Pulses: 5

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Radius: 240

  Combo Field: Dark

  Range: 600
  > SB 1 > Damage > Stealth: The arrow fired from shadow refuge will not only immobilize the target but also leech some health from them. Lead up with strong damage from detonating cluster bomb or swap to dagger for strong damage. Right before your reveal comes off cooldown your SR will pulse and grant you 3s of stealth again. Again practice on golems to get an idea of how quickly after SR you must reveal yourself.
• Shadowstep

  50

  Shadowstep

  Deception. Shadowstep to target area. Becomes Shadow Return which returns you to your starting area and cures three conditions.

  Breaks stun

  Range: 1,200
  > Stealth > Return: There are many methods to stealth. However this particular method can cause the enemy to think you've gone further ahead, when in reality you've returned to your original position. Inexperienced players will be off point long enough for you to decap it with this juke. Experienced players will notice the circle has disappeared and that you have returned in stealth.
• Infiltrator's Signet

  30

  Infiltrator's Signet

  Signet Passive: Regenerate one extra initiative every ten seconds.
  Signet Active: Shadowstep to your foe.

  Initiative Gain every 10 seconds: 1

  Breaks stun

  Range: 900
  / Steal >
  Cluster Bomb

  3

  ½

  Cluster Bomb

  Fire a cluster bomb at the target area. Detonate in midair for multiple explosions.

  Large Explosion: 353

  Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

  Number of Targets: 5

  Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast

  Range: 900
   : High Burst from steal and
  Cluster Bomb

  3

  ½

  Cluster Bomb

  Fire a cluster bomb at the target area. Detonate in midair for multiple explosions.

  Large Explosion: 353

  Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

  Number of Targets: 5

  Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast

  Range: 900
  causes inexperienced players to panic and waste their skills (very good agains engineer)

In Depth

Damage

Dagger/Pistol

Backstab

¼

Backstab

Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

Front damage: 292

Back Damage: 585

Range: 130

does bonus damage from the back or the sides, also known as "flanking" positions.

Double Strike

Chain. Strike your foe twice.

₂Damage: 138

Number of Targets: 2

Range: 130

⇒

Wild Strike

Chain. Strike your foe again. Gain endurance with a sucessful strike.

Damage: 209

Number of Targets: 2

Endurance Gain: 10

Range: 130

⇒

¼

Lotus Strike

Strike your foe and inflict poison.

Damage: 302

Poison (6s): 201 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness

Number of Targets: 2

Range: 130

The dagger auto-attack does very good damage. It can be cancelled during any part of the chain to restart the auto-attack. Each successive hit in the chain does less damage, however the second one restores endurance, and the third one applies poison (see 'control' section below).

Heartseeker

3

¾

Heartseeker

Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

Above 50%: 244

Below 50%: 365

Below 25%: 487

Combo Finisher: Leap

Range: 450

is not only a great source of damage for foes below 50% health, it is also a gap closer. If you can catch up to your opponent and do damage at the same time it's a win/win. Counts as a leap finisher.

Shadow Shot

4

Shadow Shot

Dual Wield. Fire an unblockable shot shot at your foe, which blinds them, and then shadowstep to them for a dagger strike.

Damage: 304

Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

Unblockable

can teleport you 900 units. Blinds foe. Does decent damage. Should be used if you need to close a further gap than heartseeker or when trying to teleport to a target. Can also be used to blind big attacks like hammer swings on warrior.

Shortbow

Trick Shot

¼

Trick Shot

Bounce an arrow between multiple nearby foes.

Damage: 134

Number of Bounces: 2

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

does below average damage in 1v1s. However it's not bad against players with minions or pets. Is very good damage in team fights and allows you to stay further back.

Cluster Bomb

3

½

Cluster Bomb

Fire a cluster bomb at the target area. Detonate in midair for multiple explosions.

Large Explosion: 353

Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

Number of Targets: 5

Radius: 240

Combo Finisher: Blast

Range: 900

does very good AoE damage (hits up to 5) and counts as a blast finisher.

Detonate Cluster

1

Detonate Cluster

Detonate your cluster bomb in mid-air.

Small Explosion: 122

Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

Number of Impacts: 3

Maximum Targets per Impact: 3

Radius: 240

does very good AoE damage (hits up to 3-9) and applies bleeds (but does not count as a finisher).

Control

Profession Mechanic

Steal

30

Steal

Shadowstep to your foe and steal from them.

Range: 1,200

will strip and share two boons from the enemy to yourself and nearby players. It will also daze the target. And it does not break the current action (though it can interrupt certain skill activations). It is useful to daze players under stability. E.g. D/D Ele's channeling ether renewal, Warrior/Guardian stomping a team-mate, or Power Necros using Lich Form. It can be used while finishing a target on another foe that is reviving the enemy. In addition it also does apply poison, which you can read the next point on.

Dagger/Pistol

Lotus Strike

¼

Lotus Strike

Strike your foe and inflict poison.

Damage: 302

Poison (6s): 201 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness

Number of Targets: 2

Range: 130

, the dagger auto-attack's third hit, will apply poison, which is very helpful against targets that "regen" health such as warriors with healing signet and adrenaline heal trait or ranger's that have activated Troll Unguent. In general players that have the regeneration boon will suffer a 33% reduction in healing. This is a great skill to use on downed players as it reduces the efficacy of enemy team-mates ressing their downed. See 'Choking Gas' below for a ranged poison.

Headshot

4

Headshot

Daze your foe with a head shot.

Damage: 61

Daze (¼s): Unable to use skills.

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

is an incredibly fast short daze. It can be used during duels to "confuse" players. If an ele was about to attune swap and you dazed them, they may fuddle their keys and fail to swap. Can be used very effectively to stop heals. Very good against big healers like Ranger's Troll Unguent, Engi's A.E.D., Thief's Hide in Shadows, Mesmer's Ether Feast, and Ele's Ether Renewal. Can be used when you see an Engi drop Healing Turret to interrupt further actions or confuse them on whether or not it was activated. Is great to use on player's reviving enemies or finishing team-mates. Will not work against players with stability.

Black Powder

6

½

Black Powder

Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

Damage: 62

Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

Number of Targets: 5

Pulses: 3

Duration: 4 seconds

Interval: 2 seconds

Radius: 120

Combo Field: Smoke

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

is a well known method to blind targets. It can be used to safely stomp many foes (esp. less experienced players that don't know how to counter it with a channeled attack). Works well to provide a field to stealth with. Leap for self-stealth; Blast for area-stealth.

Shortbow

Surprise Shot

¼

Surprise Shot

Stealth Attack. Shoot an arrow that immobilizes your foe.

Damage: 146

Immobilize (2s): Unable to move.

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

can be used on the Shortbow out of stealth to immobilize a target. This can be led up with cluster bomb / detonate cluster combo. It can also be used to help land powerful attacks like heartseeker. Immobilized enemies cannot "turn". So staying on a flanking position is a good idea.

Disabling Shot

4

¼

Disabling Shot

Do an evasive leap away from your foe while firing a crippling shot.

Damage: 122

Cripple (2s): -50% Movement Speed

Evade: 0.5 seconds

Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

Range: 900

is helpful to evade well telegraphed attacks while crippling the target.

Choking Gas

4

½

Choking Gas

Fire an arrow that fills the target area with a poisonous cloud.

Damage: 71

Poison (2s): 67 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness

Number of Targets: 5

Pulses: 4

Field Duration: 4 seconds

Radius: 240

Combo Field: Poison

Range: 900

Unblockable

is helpful because it applies AoE poison. But in addition it can be blasted to provide AoE weakness (reduce cleaving damage on downed team mates) and can be leaped through to apply a longer duration single-target weakness against power strong opponents. Since this skill 'pulses' it is a strong choice to use on downed players. If the enemy attempts to cleanse the poison and the skill continues to pulse they will have wasted a skill.

Elite

Basilisk Venom

1

40

Basilisk Venom

Venom. Your attacks turn foes to stone.

₂Basilisk Venom (30s): Your attacks turn foes to stone.

Stone Duration: 1 second

Venom Duration: 30 seconds

is a strong stun. This prevents enemy players from moving or activating any skills aside from a stun breaker.

Support

Profession Mechanic

Again

Steal

30

Steal

Shadowstep to your foe and steal from them.

Range: 1,200

is one of two primary methods through which a thief can support it's party members. It can be used at the beginning of a match to provide a short amount of swiftness (ideally use it before the gates open, perhaps around 3-4 seconds so there is some swiftness but it can also come off cool-down in time for an encounter). This skill not only provides strong boons for your party members by stripping it from the opponent, but also provides vigor and fury. Fury provides a strong boost to damage for team mates.

Utilities

Shadow Refuge

¼

60

Shadow Refuge

Deception. Create a pulsing refuge at the target area that heals allies and cloaks them in stealth.

Healing: 1,775

Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

Pulses: 5

Duration: 4 seconds

Radius: 240

Combo Field: Dark

Range: 600

is the second way through which thieves support party members and themselves. It can be used on downed players to prevent a "finish" (though it will not negate cleave damage). It can be used at the start of a match (5+ seconds on timer) to dis-orient the other team on your team's position. It also provides some healing and a dark field. Projectiles and whirl finishers used inside a dark field will leech enemy health to you.

Shadowstep

50

Shadowstep

Deception. Shadowstep to target area. Becomes Shadow Return which returns you to your starting area and cures three conditions.

Breaks stun

Range: 1,200

is not only for the stun-break teleport but also for the triple condi cleanse on return. This only applies to the thief, but can be crucial in 1v1s where you are condi-spammed and must remain on point (very difficult or a thief) or to quickly cleanse condis against a longbow warrior's burning if they are close to being finished. Otherwise it should be used to create a gap between you and the damage source or to break a stun.

Infiltrator's Signet

30

Infiltrator's Signet

Signet Passive: Regenerate one extra initiative every ten seconds.
Signet Active: Shadowstep to your foe.

Initiative Gain every 10 seconds: 1

Breaks stun

Range: 900

can be used to break stuns on a decent cooldown.

Mobility

• Infiltrator's Arrow

  6

  Infiltrator's Arrow

  Fire an arrow and shadowstep to the target area, blinding nearby foes.

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 3

  Radius: 120

  Range: 900
  is an incredibly useful teleport. It can be aimed at any object and can be used to do many of the same teleports that a mesmer's blink can offer. Since this can be used repeatedly it allows a thief to quickly decap a point and come back to the team fight. Arguably it should not be done if your team will lose the point in your absence, but can be helpful when you know you will lose the point and can quickly fortify a new position or if you're sure it will pull a respawning character to their home point (leaving them out of the team fight for longer) fast enough. Very effective on Khylo, with it's shorter distances and excellent teleport positions. This skill on it's very own is why the Thief meta has used a swap Shortbow since quite possibly the very first meta in open-beta. (900 units; teleport)
• Shadowstep

  50

  Shadowstep

  Deception. Shadowstep to target area. Becomes Shadow Return which returns you to your starting area and cures three conditions.

  Breaks stun

  Range: 1,200
  works similarly to Infiltrator's arrow but can travel 1200 units. It should not be spam clicked, as a second activation will return you to the original position.
• Infiltrator's Signet

  30

  Infiltrator's Signet

  Signet Passive: Regenerate one extra initiative every ten seconds.
  Signet Active: Shadowstep to your foe.

  Initiative Gain every 10 seconds: 1

  Breaks stun

  Range: 900
  functions similarly to aforementioned
  Shadow Shot

  4

  Shadow Shot

  Dual Wield. Fire an unblockable shot shot at your foe, which blinds them, and then shadowstep to them for a dagger strike.

  Damage: 304

  Blindness (5s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900

  Unblockable
  . (900 units; teleport to target)
• Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  is already mentioned as a good gap-closer. (450 units; leap)

Stealing & Stolen Skills

Steal will prioritize stripping defensive boons. Stability is top of the list, followed by Aegis and Protection. Might is often very low on the list of things stolen and it is helpful to wait for the opponent to lose some of their other boons before attempting to steal their large stacks of might. Boon stripping is complicated and has few "hard-set" rules aside from Stability comes off first. Depending on whom you're stealing from and what skill they activated it is possible to get a different array of boons. Practice makes perfect here.

The skills stolen by a thief have a strong correlation with countering their foe's meta build (with the exception of Engineer). However be creative and use them for multiple scenarios. E.g. Steal to a warrior and reflect a ranger's longbow burst, Steal to a necromancer to fear foes away from stomping your team mate, Steal to a Mesmer for stability, which can itself be used for many purposes.

• Warrior: Whirling Axe. This does very good AoE damage and reflects projectiles (thus making it suitable for a duo finisher, where you reflect their downed skills and another player successfully stomps them). Will work very well in fields

• Smoke: Blinding bolts
• Water: Healing bolts
• Dark: Leeching bolts
• Poison: Poison bolts
• Ethereal: Confounding bolts
• Fire: Burning bolts
• Light: Cleansing bolts (will not cleanse you, but your team-mates, can help clear poison off downed players being ressed)
• Ice: Chilling bolts
• Lightning: Brutal bolts (applies vulnerability)

• Guardian: Mace Head Crack. Amazing 4s daze with good damage.
• Engineer: Throw Gunk. Not very good damage. Provides an Ethereal field which can provide chaos armor for you or your allies. Should be utilized with leap finishers when possible, but not mandatory to position around.
• Ranger: Healing Seed. This is incredible for healing and removing conditions. You will get 3s of Regen and remove a condition for each of six pulses. In addition it acts as a water field and can be leaped through or blasted for healing. Be careful to not attempt a leap stealth by placing a black powder second on top of this field (it will not work) as the bottom most field will take precedence.
• Thief: Blinding Tuft. Primarily used to enter stealth. Though it does apply a short blind it is very rarely used for that purpose (if at all).
• Elementalist: Ice Shard Stab. Does good damage like the Guardian's stolen skill, but more importantly applies an 11s chill on your opponents. Really strong against d/d eles that like to spam a lot of skills at once, tripling their remaining cooldown. Also slows movement speed against foes that like to leap away.
• Mesmer: Consume Plasma. Provides most boons for about 10 seconds, retaliation for 5s, and stability for 3s. (Note: Protection reduces direct damage taken by 33%).
• Necromancer: Skull Fear. It will cause targets closer to you to flee for a greater duration. They will always run away from you, so if you try to backstab them, they will continually turn away from you. However this can be used to make people walk off edges by fearing them from one position and then moving to another to turn them away.

• 0 to 200: 3.25s
• 200 - 400: 2.25s
• 400 - 600: 1s

Jukes & Combos

Juking is the act of positioning enemy players in a way that benefits you or confusing them about your whereabouts to pull off a decap/cap or res/finish. Combos may help you maximize damage and control. (Note: for all combos be aware of "haste" which speeds up the activation of many skills).

• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  >
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  : Enters stealth after heartseeker's damage is applied. If used within leaping range it can do strong damage in addition to backstab.
• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  >
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  > teleport >
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  : This only works if you use the teleport during the leap portion of the
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  . Practice it on golems (both the activation as well as the range you can teleport from). If done correctly you may see upwards of 12k damage via mug, sigil procs, and all skills listed on a light armored target.
• Stealth > Shadow Shot >
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  : It is possible to close a gap with shadow shot and still
  Backstab

  ¼

  Backstab

  Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadow, striking for double damage if you hit from behind.

  Front damage: 292

  Back Damage: 585

  Range: 130
  the opponent. The key to doing this is to spam backstab activation while the pistol shot reaches the target.
• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  >
  Cluster Bomb

  3

  ½

  Cluster Bomb

  Fire a cluster bomb at the target area. Detonate in midair for multiple explosions.

  Large Explosion: 353

  Bleeding (4s): 170 Damage

  Number of Targets: 5

  Radius: 240

  Combo Finisher: Blast

  Range: 900
  : Provides aoe stealth. If you are the only person capable of stopping a friendly from being stomped by an enemy with stability and your
  Shadow Refuge

  ¼

  60

  Shadow Refuge

  Deception. Create a pulsing refuge at the target area that heals allies and cloaks them in stealth.

  Healing: 1,775

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Pulses: 5

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Radius: 240

  Combo Field: Dark

  Range: 600
  is on cooldown, this is a viable option.
• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  > whirling axe: Blind all foes around you, effective against downed players being stomped/ressed
• Shadow Refuge

  ¼

  60

  Shadow Refuge

  Deception. Create a pulsing refuge at the target area that heals allies and cloaks them in stealth.

  Healing: 1,775

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Pulses: 5

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Radius: 240

  Combo Field: Dark

  Range: 600
  > sb 1 > damage > stealth: The arrow fired from
  Shadow Refuge

  ¼

  60

  Shadow Refuge

  Deception. Create a pulsing refuge at the target area that heals allies and cloaks them in stealth.

  Healing: 1,775

  Stealth (3s): Invisible to foes.

  Pulses: 5

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Radius: 240

  Combo Field: Dark

  Range: 600
  will not only immobilize the target but also leech some health from them. Lead up with strong damage from detonating cluster bomb or swap to dagger for strong damage. Right before your reveal comes off cooldown your SR will pulse and grant you 3s of stealth.
• Shadowstep

  50

  Shadowstep

  Deception. Shadowstep to target area. Becomes Shadow Return which returns you to your starting area and cures three conditions.

  Breaks stun

  Range: 1,200
  > stealth > Return: There are many methods to stealth. However this particular method can cause the enemy to think you've gone further ahead, when in reality you've returned to your original position. Inexperienced players will be off point long enough for you to decap it with this juke.

Stomping

In general it is good enough to drop a black powder for your team mates to safely stomp. However, if it ends up falling to you here are some helpful tips:

• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  blinds many professions's downed interrupting skills. It can also be used to mitigate their downed damage, especially if you are low on health.
• Black Powder

  6

  ½

  Black Powder

  Fire a black powder shot, blinding nearby foes with the smoke cloud.

  Damage: 62

  Blindness (2s): Next outgoing attack misses.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 3

  Duration: 4 seconds

  Interval: 2 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Smoke

  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile

  Range: 900
  x2 will make it very hard for guardian's to interrupt your stomp. This is very initiative heavy and should be avoided. In a 1v1 situation, it might be better to simply dodge the interrupt instead of laying down another black powder.
• Stealth Stomp with
  Heartseeker

  3

  ¾

  Heartseeker

  Leap and strike your foe. The less health your target has, the more damage you cause.

  Above 50%: 244

  Below 50%: 365

  Below 25%: 487

  Combo Finisher: Leap

  Range: 450
  in Black Powder. This is useful against Rangers.
• In the very worst of situations (dire need to res a bunker that has "tagged" a nearby downed enemy) it is possible to Shadowstep 900-1200 units after initiating the stomp and activating Shadow Return prior to finishing the stomp.
• Use your teleports to help stomp Thieves. This can actually be used on well timed stomps against Mesmers and Eles as well (Initiating a split second before they activate).
• It is possible to heartseeker or shadow shot to invisible mesmers. Initiate a split second before they go invisible and it will take you to the correct downed body. Continue to cleave and apply poison or to simply increase your awareness of their whereabouts sooner.

Counters

• DPS guardian
• Celestial elementalists

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