Daredevil - SA Axedevil
The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great
Focused on: Hybrid damage and Sustain
Designed for: PvP Conquest
Difficulty:
Easy
This build was last updated on January 17, 2025 and is up to date for the February 11, 2025 patch.
Overview
A high damage PvP Daredevil build using Thief's Axe. Axedevil specializes in midrange, single-target burst damage. Power and condi are both viable options here, with the power version offering slightly higher immediate bursts in exchange for lower sustained damage.
The frequent access to stealth, evasion and 
Blind also makes it relatively high sustain and easy to play, as far as Thief builds go.
Skill Bar
Axe/Pistol
Sword/Dagger
Utility
Skill Variants
Utility
- over - low CD defensive skill with blocking and a stunbreak vs a condi management tool with endurance refill that could also aid with
Stealth stacking and has a decent offensive passive.
Template Code
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Specializations
Equipment
Axe
Pistol
Sigil
Sigil
Sword
Dagger
Sigil
Sigil
Rune
Amulet
Relic
Equipment Variants
Amulets
- - this hybrid approach overall has slightly better damage but weaker bursts. Take to compensate for the low HP. Replace with and take .
Relics
- - passive mobility at the expense of damage.
- - while there aren't many tools in the build that proc this, the healing reduction is still useful.
- - makes your condi bursts stronger and adds more cover conditions to the build.
- - better condi variety and a strong damage boost you can easily proc with Steal or .
Usage
General
- Axe/Pistol is your main set, most of the time you'll be camping this.
- Sword/Dagger is more of a defensive/backup set. It has decent damage and even survival tools of its own, plus it provides an alternative when facing builds with projectile-denial against which Axe simply doesn't work.
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).
- Stealing grants initiative, boons, dazes enemies and refills a portion of your endurance among other things. Its most important function however is the instant boonstrip that prioritizes
Stability which goes off before the 
Daze does, resulting in an instant interrupt.
Axe/Pistol
Main set
- Axe has its own weapon-specific mechanic. Autoattacks and leave behind spinning axes on the ground. You can stack these up to 6 and check your active axe count above your utility bar.
- Spamming the auto is going to leave behind axes even if they hit nothing. This allows you to stack axes for free while your target is in stealth or out of range.
- is a cone-shaped attack and therefore needs to be used in melee range for maximum effectiveness. ing at the end of the animation can help with that.
- is your finishing move, pulling all of your axes into your target. Try to use it with 5-6 axes whenever possible.
- This skill also evades attacks when used, allowing you to use Initiative defensively in desperate situations.
- is a quick interrupt. It's a very situational skill with no real pressure of its own.
- plays a very important role as a Stealth tool when combined with a dodge.
Rotation
- Dodge inside Black Powder to combo Stealth
- Optional: do an auto attack or two to up your Axe count
- Repeat
Note: if you can get this rotation going, it's going to take care of everything from damage to survival. Not only is this a burst rotation, it's also made to minimize contact with the enemy via Blind and Stealth while restoring initiative at multiple points. It even cleanses conditions.
Utilities
- 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 uses. A few applications include teleporting to safety while pressured or extending your reach in combat.
- 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 fairly simple. This is your second stun breaker, and another source of stealth. As a Blast finisher you can combo it with for AoE stealth. Just like Signet of Agility, this is a skill you can use to your allies' benefit by sharing its effect with them.
- is both a defensive and offensive 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. On the other hand the skill deals heavy AoE damage whilst evading, which makes it great for pressuring melee targets in general with next to no risk.
- Note: skills like or are able to interrupt Dagger Storm, so don't be completely careless.
Related Builds
- Daredevil - Celestial A/P Roamer - WvW version of the build.
Ratings
Multiple nerfs later, this isn't as good as it once was. The damage is alittle unreliable due to reliance on projectiles and positioning of axes. It does less damage than s/d and even d/p I feel. Due to its ease of use I will still rate it a 4, but it gets out done by d/p and s/d by rotation, and deadeye by ranged dps.
Has been repeatedly nerfed for months. Still pretty good, but I don't know if it's the be-all end-all build for Thief any more. A good deadeye is way more annoying, and D/P is always going to be the most cancerous build in PvP because of the perma-stealth.
Fairly common ranked build. It's a lot like Willbender in a sense that you can absolutely carry games with it in ranked while being easy to play, but sees very little play at tournaments. High damage high sustain.
Comments
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