Thief Overhaul - Core Traitlines
Deadly Arts
The official DA description describes it focusing on enhancing poison and increasing damage from other sources. But really its a hybrid damage line and, of course, a must if thief wishes to deal damage. As for the traits themselves, there are limited choices depending on your build due to the design being geared towards competitive modes. For this overhaul, this traitline is going to focus more on general condition damage and venoms rather than just poison.
Adept
Minor - Serpent's Touch
Gambits inflict poison when they strike foes. While in a downed state, your attacks apply poison.
2 Poison (5s): 302 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness
Poison while Downed (2s): 67 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness
Dagger Training
Gain Expertise when wielding a dagger. Conditions your venoms apply last longer.
Expertise: +75
Condition Duration: +33%
Filch and Switch
Larcenies steal a boon and transfer a condition if your target is in range.
Boons Stolen: 1
Condition Transfered: 1
Range: 300
Deadly Ambition
Inflict poison when striking a foe with a dual wield attack. Gain increased condition damage. Applies poison once per attack use.
Poison (8s): 268 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness
Condition Damage: +180
Master
Minor - Lotus Poison Fracture
Cripple you inflict deals damage to moving targets.
Cripple: 342 Damage if Foe is Moving
Scaling: [(.34 * Condition Damage) + 342]
Even the Odds
Striking foes with Gambits make them Vulnerable. Gain Might when receiving a Gambit.
5 Vulnerability (10s): +5% Incoming Damage, +5% Incoming Condition Damage
5 Might (8s): 150 Condition Damage, 150 Power
Panic Strike Attrition
Might on you grants more condition damage and less power. Fury on you increases condition duration.
Might: +40 Condition Damage, +20 Power
Fury: +15% Condition Duration
Revealed Training Preparation Training
Preparations Base Arm Time reduced. Hitting foes with a preparation grants you alacrity.
Base Arm Time Reduced: 1
Alacrity (3s): +25% Recharge Rate
Grandmaster
Minor - Exposed Weakness
Increase all damage for each unique condition on foes.
Damage increase per condition: 1%
Potent Poison
Poison you Inflict has increased damage and duration. Thief traits that inflict poison give an extra stack.
Damage Increase: 33%
Duration Increase: 33%
Additional Poison Stacks: 1
Deadly Gambits
Gambits inflict bleeding when they strike foes. Bleeding deals additional damage.
Damage Increase: 25%
3 Bleeding (10s): 660 Damage
Pressure Striking
Inflict Torment on foes you strike with Gambits. Inflict more torment when you interrupt their skills or when they're defiant.
Torment (8s): 176 Damage, 256 Damage if Foe is Stationary
2 Torment on Interrupt or Defiant (8s): 352 Damage, 509 Damage if Foe Is Stationary
Interval while Defiant: 3s
Critical Strikes
Critical Strikes is the "power damage" line for thief. Like other traitlines, it has an issue of disparity between a few good traits and many useless fillers. For Critical Strikes in particular, there are only three traits that increase critical chance. Keen Observer offers 15%, but requires your health to stay near full. Twin Fangs offers 7% but requires you flank, which can be a pain in competitive. Hidden Killer provides a guaranteed critical hit in stealth and for two seconds after leaving it, but then you're forced into stealth spam to get the most out of it. And this causes a problem which will be explained in Shadow Arts. With changes to stealth and the initiative system, Critical Strikes will have its critical chance and damage conditionals relaxed (providing a maintainable 30% crit damage outside HK instead of a conditional 21%). Some traits have also been tweaked to compensate for stealth and skill spam changes.
Adept
Minor - Keen Observer
Gain critical chance for each point of Initiative you have. Gain bonus critical chance when initiative is full.
Rate per Initiative: 1% Critical Chance
Full Initiative: 8% Critical Chance
Assassin's Fury (1s CD)
Fury grants might and vigor.
3 Might (8s): 90 Condition Damage, 90 Power
Vigor (8s): +50% Endurance Regeneration
Signets of Power
Signets grant Initiative and their passive remains active for a short time after use.
Initiative Gain: 2
Signets of Power (5s): Signet Passive effects remain after use.
Twin Fangs
Dual Attacks and Gambits deal more critical damage when you're above the health threshold. Gain bonus Critical Chance when flanking or the foe is defiant.
Health Threshold: 50%
Critical Damage: 5%
Critical Chance: 10%
Master
Minor - Practiced Tolerance
Gain ferocity based on your precision.
Gain Ferocity Based on a Percentage of Precision: 10%
Muscle Control (4s CD)
Incoming Weakness has a reduced duration. Remove weakness whenever you gain fury.
Weakness Duration: -20%
Opportunistic (4s CD)
Using a Gambit grants you and nearby allies Might and Fury.
2 Might (10s): 60 Condition Damage, 60 Power
Fury (4s): +25% Critical Chance
Number of Targets: 5
Radius: 360
Magnum Rounds
Pistol attacks pierce and deal more damage. Gambits and Basic Gambits deal more damage when a pistol is equipped.
Bonus Gambit Damage: 10%
Bonus Pistol Damage: 10%
Number of Targets: 5
Pierce
Grandmaster
Minor - Ferocious Strikes
Gain increased critical damage against foes whose health is above the threshold.
Critical Damage: 10%
Health Threshold: 50%
No Quarter (2s CD)
Landing a critical hit while under the effects of fury increases the duration of fury. Gain increased ferocity while under the effects of fury.
Fury (2s): +25% Critical Chance
Ferocity: +250
Hidden Killer
Gain bonus critical-hit chance while stealthed. This bonus lingers for a short duration after you've been revealed.
Hidden Killer (3s): +100% Critical Chance
Critical Chance increase: +100%
Invigorating Precision
You are healed for a percentage of outgoing critical-hit damage. This healing is increased while you are under the effects of fury.
Percent: 5%
Percent under Fury: 7.5%
Shadow Arts
Shadow Art has been consistent in its design throughout the years as the "stealth" traitline. However, stealth has had a history of being the bane of the average player in competitive modes. It has also managed to steer developers towards balancing around it in pvp. And because of it, thief has been pretty much sidelined in the pve side of balance. Support had to be injected into stealth play for it to be useable outside of pvp and wvw. But without Shadow Arts, stealth is only used to reset Malice on Deadeye. These issues were ultimately the reason why this overhaul is even conceived.
In an attempt to remedy these issues, stealth has been simplified down to requiring smoke fields outside of a few skills. To compensate for the cut to stealth access, Shadow Arts will have a catalogue of other defensive options from life siphon to barrier generation and combo field mechanics. Focus was also added, specifically to help fill the defense/sustain gap in Shadow Arts from the stealth nerf.
Adept
Minor - Shaded Restoration
Grant barrier to allies you stealth. Grant barrier to nearby allies when you stealth.
Barrier: 1,044 (1.0)
Stealth Barrier: 536 (.6)
Number of Targets: 5
Radius: 360
Merciful Shades
Dark Fields you place grant dark aura to allies. Dark Aura you grant reduces incoming strike damage.
Dark Aura (5s): Surrounded by a dark aura that reduces incoming condition damage and causes torment each time you are struck (1-second cooldown per attacker).
Incoming Strike Damage: -20%
Shadow's Embrace
Combo Fields from focus skills and Gambits cure conditions on allies upon creation. Reduce the recharge on Focus skills.
Conditions Cured: 1
Recharge Reduced: 20%
Mending Shade
Barrier you grant gradually converts into health.
Barrier to Health: 94 (.05)
Interval: 1s
Master
Minor - Swift Shadows
Smoke Fields grant Swiftness to allies who enter them.
Swiftness (5s): +33% Movement Speed
Shadow Savior
After completing a shadowstep, you are healed. Nearby allies are also healed for a larger amount. Only affects thief shadowsteps.
Healing: 298 (.2)
Ally Healing: 596 (.4)
Number of Allied Targets: 5
Range: 360
Leeching Venoms
Venoms siphon health from foes.
Life Siphon Damage: 260 (.033)
Life Siphon Healing: 293 (.2)
Biting Shadows
Smoke Fields last longer. Blinding foes siphon health from them.
Life Siphon Damage: 130 (.04)
Life Siphon Healing: 194 (.08)
Smoke Field Duration Increase: 1s
Grandmaster
Minor - Shadow Siphoning (2s)
Striking foes from stealth or with a Gambit siphons health from them.
Life Siphon Damage: 312 (.1)
Life Siphon Healing: 404 (.2)
Cover of Shadows
Smoke Fields grant Protection to allies.
Protection (1s): -33% Incoming Damage
Interval: 1s
Number of Targets: 5
Watcher in the Dark
Deceptions grant initiative and Vigor.
Initiative Gain: 2
Vigor (6s): +50% Endurance Regeneration
Rending Shade
Gambits steal boons and grant endurance. Boonless foes are feared.
Boons Stolen: 1
Fear (2s): Involuntary retreat; unable to act; stacks duration.
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is universally considered a bad traitline in spite of the devs' attempts to increase its viability. To give a little insight into how bad this used to be, Hard to Catch was once the worst trait in the game originally teleported the thief in a random direction if they got stunned. Arenanet eventually remade it into a free stunbreak with endurance refill, but nowadays its "gain endurance on shadowstep". However, the rest of the traits involve evading attacks to get effects in an attempt to reward players who use evasion as intended. Evasion and mobility has seen enough nerfs in competitive modes that rather than use the traitline they would prefer the bread and butter stealth.
Many of the traits have been tweaked and moved around to provide some defense and support. The line also enhances the more ignored boons Swiftness and Vigor. It also offers enhancements to sword and shield. On top of that, both weapons have plenty of defensive options built in. Slotting in Acro in tandem with sword and shield would add to your thief's staying power. Acro will still be the "dodge/evasion" line, but hopefully the added passive defenses added to thief would make this line more usable.
Adept
Minor - Expeditious Dodger
Gain Swiftness upon dodging. Swiftness is more effective.
Swiftness (6s): +50% Movement Speed
Uncatchable
Leave behind Lesser Caltrops when dodging or using an evasion skill.
Bleeding (5s): 110 Damage
Cripple (1s): -50% Movement Rate
Number of Targets: 3
Duration: 3s
Interval: 1s
Radius: 180
Guarded Initiation
Gain Vitality. Shield skills have reduced recharge and give extra initiative.
Vitality: +200
Initiative Gain: 1
Recharge Reduced: 20%
Pain Response (½s CD)
Cure a damaging condition from yourself when you dodge, evade or use an evasion skill.
Bleeding: 22 Damage
Burning: 131 Damage
Confusion: 11 Damage, 49 Damage on Skill Use
Poison: 34 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness
Torment: 22 Damage, 32 Damage if Foe Is Stationary
Conditions Removed: 1
Master
Minor - Feline Grace
Gain vigor when successfully evading an attack. Vigor you apply heals over time.
Vigor (5s): +50% Endurance Regeneration, 400 Heal
Luck Reversal (½s)
Successfully evading or blocking an attack copies a condition on you to nearby foes and then removes it from you.
Conditions Removed: 1
Number of Targets: 5
Radius: 240
Swindler's Dexterity
Gain power. Gain more power when wielding a Sword or Spear. Chance to gain a random Gambit when evading attacks.
Power: +80
Bonus Power: +160
Chance: 10%
Hard To Catch Inspiring Feats (1s)
Using a Gambit grants nearby allies boons.
Swiftness (5s): +33% Movement Speed
Fury (5s): +25% Critical Chance
Regenration (5s): 650 Heal
Vigor (5s): +50% Endurance Regeneration
Number of Targets: 5
Radius: 360
Grandmaster
Minor - Lead Attacks
Gain increased damage for a time when using a Gambit or when a Basic Gambit affects foes.
Fluid Strikes (5s): +10% Damage
Momentum
Deal increased damage while initiative is full. Each point of initiative you gain while full increases damage further and grants endurance.
Might (5s): 30 Condition Damage, 30 Power
Endurance: 2
Damage Increased: 5%
Gambit Mastery
Basic Gambits cost less. You have a chance to gain a random Gambit when Basic Gambits affect foes.
Initiative Cost Reduced: 1
Minimum Cost: 1
Chance: 8%
Dont Stop
While you have swiftness, movement-impairing conditions have reduced duration. When you gain swiftness, lose a movement-impairing condition.
Chilled: -66% Recharge Rate, -66% Movement Speed
Cripple: -50% Movement Speed
Immobilize: Unable to move.
Conditions Removed: 1
Duration Decreased: 80%
Trickery
Unlike Acrobatics, Trickery has the exact opposite problem all due to Initiative. It is required, essentially a staple in most builds due to Initiative costs. Deadeye's Malevolent Seven is a testament to how necessary Initiative is to thief's damage as it can instantly refill Initiative and perpetuate skill spam almost indefinitely. Anet is starting to realize this and has shown signs of balancing towards it with their recent initiative cost change to Unload (p/p 3), making it a second autoattack for the weaponset. As such, the culpret to this problem is Preparedness with it's +3 Initiative. Many have called anet to make this baseline for nearly a decade to no avail.
Fortunately, preparedness won't ever be needed again due to the changes made to Initiative. Trickery will instead be the "Mechanics line" where you can find a plethora of traits that change them.
Adept
Minor - Kleptomaniac
Hitting with Larceny effects restore Initiative.
Initiative Gain: 2
Venom Autocoater (20s CD)
Effects that would load a Gambit instead apply a random venom you have equipped. Using a non-venom Gambit applies a random venom to your weapons.
Note: This effect works the same way as Gambits but with venoms.
Neurotoxins
Using a deception applies Devourer Venom to your weapons. Immobilizing or crippling a foe poisons them.
Poison (5s): 168 Damage, -33% Heal Effectiveness
Venom: Devourer Venom
Coat your weapons in venom that immobilizes foes you strike.
Immobilize (1s): Unable to move.
Number of Targets: 5
Number of Strikes: 2
Duration: 30s
Radius: 300
Revealed Training
Gain power. Gain more power when you are revealed.
Power: +80
Power while Revealed: +200
Master
Minor - Quick Pockets (8s CD)
Swapping weapons reduces cooldowns of utility skills.
Recharge Decreased: 5%
Compound Bow
Shortbow projectiles travel faster and deal more strike damage.
Velocity Increase: +33%
Strike Damage: +10%
Trickster
Tricks remove conditions.
Conditions Removed: 2
Gravling Venom
Apply Gravling Venom when you enter stealth. Blinding foes torments them.
Torment (4s): 88 Damage, 127 Damage if Foes are Stationary.
Venom: Gravling Venom
Coat your weapons with venom that blinds foes and makes them vulnerable.
Blindness (3s): Next outgoing attack misses.
Vulnerability (10s): +1% Incoming Damage, +1% Incoming Condition Damage
Number of Targets: 5
Number of Strikes: 3
Duration: 30s
Radius: 300
Grandmaster
Minor - Resourcefulness
Deal increased damage while Initiative is within the threshold.
Minimum Initiative: 5
Maximum Initiative: 10
Damage Increased: 10%
Improvisation (18s CD)
Gambits can hold more stacks and non-stacking Gambits can now stack. Gain a stack of your current Gambit when you defeat a foe. No effect if Gambit is not available.
Maximum Count Increased: 1
Count on Kill: 1
Sleight of Hand (3s CD)
Foes hit by Larceny effects are dazed. Interrupting foes recharges a random skill or ammo skill that is on cooldown. No effect if no skills are recharging.
Daze (1s): Unable to use skills.
Cooldown Reduction: 2s
Ammo Restored: 1
Executioner
Deal increased strike damage when your target is below the health threshold.
Damage Increase: 20%
Health Threshold: 50%