Lock & Key: Tip Top Thievery, PROFESSION-THIEF

16

AUG 2012

Lock & Key: Tip Top Thievery

BY: djthunder | PROFESSIONS,THIEF

COMMENTS  0

While I promised a final review in this column last week, I was stricken with a case of bad math. Nextweek will be the grand review of all things Thief. Oh stop your whining and take it out on an Engineer!

So, what to do instead of that? Gentlemen, Ladies, sentient beings of varying descriptions, I present to you Wormwood’s Best of the Thief: Beta Edition. Forthwith, I shall submit my opinions on which skills, weapons and items were the absolute best during your days of sneaking, stabbing and general skullduggery in the many betas and stress tests ArenaNet has hosted. So, sit back, grab a snack and enjoy!

Award for Best Utility Skill:  Signet of Shadows

                While Roll for Initiative and Scorpion Wire have a special place in my heart, I have to give this award to Signet of Shadows for one reason, and one reason only: the 25% increase to movement speed. This is one of the single most useful benefits any skill or trait provides, and frankly, was a must have in any game mode I played during beta.

                In PvE, the movement speed increase is wonderful for getting around the world, outrunning dangerous mobs and simply remaining mobile. Once you hit PvP, however, things start getting more interesting.  In WvW, I’d say you need to have this skill unlocked before you can truly be an asset to the team. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one of the skills you always have on your action bar, but you should always be ready to trade it in when trying to get from A to B. The faster you can get to a battle, the faster you can start contributing, and that is one of the single most important aspects of WvW. Finally, in sPvP, (I did finally manage to start playing sPvP matches. I must admit, I should have started sooner. It is a great amount of fun, and a great test of your ability) having this signet equipped can help lead to superiority in map control. Being able to zip around the map as a highly mobile thief, capturing points and tracking enemy players, can be incredibly effective.

                And this isn’t even considering the active effect of this signet! Being able to Blind your target and anyone near them is a great skill to be able to call on. In large team fights it can give your side an advantage for a couple of seconds that can easily lead to victory.

Award for Best Elite Skill: Thieves Guild

                I’ve not yet discussed the Thief Elite Skills in Lock & Key. To be honest, this is because, outside of a few instances, I do not find these skills essential to my plans. They are certainly powerful, and certainly do what they advertise, but I just can’t seem to fit them in.

                However, if I were forced to make a decision on which of these skills I feel is most useful, which seems to be the case presently, I could only respond with Thieves Guild.  The utility in both PvE and PvP of this skill is simply too great to ignore. In PvE, the extra help of two NPC allies can be invaluable in a tight spot, providing the extra help you need in finishing off a few mobs or deal some extra damage to that Champion mob you happen to be fighting.

                In PvP, Thieves Guild serves a very different purpose. Of course, the two Thieves you summon are still useful in combat, but they are more useful in trying to trick your enemies.  Rather than a single person, you can now effectively appear to be three. This could be incredibly useful in dissuading solitary opponents from attacking you, or misleading enemies as to the number of people that might be holding an objective. I think that this probably will work better in WvW as opposed to sPvP, simply because deception is far more viable a tactic in WvW.

Award for Best Weapon: Sword

                The debate over melee versus ranged fighting will continue for ages, but it is the judging body’s opinion that damage output is not the primary deciding factor for which weapon may be considered the ‘best’. While I still stand by the wonderful, characterful, and oh-so-cacophonous pistols, I have to admit that the Sword takes the cake for me.

                The main-hand sword represents your primary means of mobility in combat. The shortbowmay have access to Infiltrator’s Arrow, but Infiltrator’s Strike more than makes up for the Sword’s lack of that amazing skill. For me, it isn’t the Shadowstep to the enemy that sells the skill. It is the Shadowstep away from them. Darting in and then out of combat after delivering a few blows withFlanking Strike, or Dazing the opponent with Pistol Whip, is the essence of Thief combat.  As you take pot shots at the enemy with your Pistols or your Shortbow, watch for the right moment to strike. This might be a particularly high stack of Vulnerability, or just after an enemy’s massive attack. Then, jump in with Infiltrator’s Strike, Slash away, and jump out with Shadow Return.

                Even if you choose not to use the Sword, it represents what I would call the ‘proper’ way for a thief to fight.  Hit-and-run should be your motto as you slice and dice your way through Tyria. Use it as a guideline if you will.

Award for Best Stolen Item: Ectoplasm

                When I stole my first Ectoplasm, I was deep in the Ascalonian Catacombs, fighting through waves of vengeful spirits, a friend on either side of me. Leaping forward, I snatched a Glob of Ectoplasm from one of the assailants. Hovering over it for a minute, I was astounded. All the boons? ALL THE BOONS?

                Consume Ectoplasm can be stolen from a number of the Ascalonian Ghosts (as well as Earth Elementals for some reason that I’m not sure I understand). After using it, you’ll gain 10 seconds of Protection, Regeneration, Vigor, Might, Fury, Swiftness and Aegis.  This will reduce your damage taken by 33%, grant you a good bit of healing,  increase your endurance regeneration by 100%, increase your power and condition damage,  give you a 20% critical chance, increase movement speed by 33%, and block the next attack. All at the same time.

                Now of course, you’ll only see this on occasion in the PvE World while exploring the region of Ascalon, or when you steal it from an enemy in PvP. Nevertheless, I think the facts are plain enough that this item is the most powerful stolen item we Thieves could have the pleasure of acquiring. It also tastes ever so slightly of Thundershrimp, which I can’t say is a bad thing. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if this item was changed by release, since it frankly seems a little overpowered. 

Award for Best Character in a Supporting Role:  Quinn

                Is he incompetent? Sure. Annoying? You bet. These facts don’t stop Quinn, your character’s companion in the Street Rat Human Story Line from being a believable character, and one that fits in nicely with the atmosphere of Thieves.

                For those who are uninformed, Quinn is your character’s longtime friend if you grew up on the streets of Divinity’s Reach.  He visits you in the hospital after you become the “Hero of Shaemoor”, and then he writes to you shortly after, in need of help. Over the course of your Personal Story, you help him with his involvement with a Divinity’s Reach gang. I won’t spoil the story, but I’ve heard more than a few people express their frustrations with Quinn.  Having just received a detailed report of his action from my man in Divinity’s Reach, I cannot say that I disagree with this judgment.

                For Thieves, Quinn represents a tale of warning. Quinn got himself in far deeper than he should of. As Thieves, we will likely be dealing with the same sorts of people as Quinn deals with in the Human Personal Story.  Never truly trust the people around you, not even your oldest friends, especially if they are Engineers.   A healthy dose of paranoia will do you good in the world of Tyria.

Congratulation Quinn. You’re the worst. 

With this, we bring this award ceremony to a close. With just over a week left, you can almost taste the salty air of Lion’s Arch, and almost hear the roar of gun on the battlefield.  Stay strong, get prepared, and make sure to keep you blades sharp. 

Oh, and thank the Six for making me a Thief.

An Video indroduting some kind of pet?WTF?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdI33E96ZxM&feature=player_embedded

The New Krewe: Meet The Sylvari

16

AUG 2012

The New Krewe: Meet The Sylvari

BY: DjThunder | THE NEW KREWE

COMMENTS  0

Most of the races of the world of Tyria have been around for a good while. The charr and humans have been at each other for centuries; the asura, though new to the surface world, have been around for a considerable amount of time. Even the mighty norn have a rich history that has been told for generations by their skaalds. There is also a newcomer to the field, a race that has only come into existence within the last 25 years: the SYLVARI.

Though the sylvari are the youngest race they have a fascinating history. Many years ago a human named Ronan and a centaur named Ventari gave up the warring ways of their people and sought to establish a safe haven for those ravaged by war. The tenets of this haven were carved upon a tablet and set at the foot of the Pale Tree. It reads:

I. Live life well, and fully, and waste nothing.
II. Do not fear Difficulty, hard ground makes strong roots.
III. The only lasting peace is the peace within your soul.
IV. All things have a right to grow. The blossom is brother to the weed.
V. Never leave a wrong to ripen into evil or sorrow.
VI. Act with wisdom, but act.
VII. From the smallest blade of grass to the largest mountain, where life goes- so too, should you.¹

It is from these beliefs that the sylvari society was formed.

The sylvari are perhaps the most unique of all the races of the world, being that they are not composed of the same flesh and blood as everyone else. Instead, the sylvari are plant people – their bodies have the same form and function as that of a human, though slightly smaller in stature. Instead of bones, they have hardwood skeletons; instead of muscles, they have vines and plant fiber. Golden sap takes the place of blood, and leaves and bark instead of skin. Physically, they are quite unique.

Another unique aspect of this race is that they all share in The Dream. Before a sylvari awakes in the world, they are grown in pods, and during this time they exist within The Dream, where they share in the experiences of the sylvari that have come before. They do not experience the same exact details, but rather the impressions and feelings of those other sylvari. This makes the world somewhat familiar to them when they awake, though there is much they have yet to learn.

Not everything is sunshine and rainbows – there are some sylvari that believe Ventari’s teachings are a crutch, or a leash, that is holding the sylvari back from reaching their full potential. Then, adding another set of foes to the equation, the Nightmare Court’s goal is to flood the dream with as much pain, suffering, and darkness as possible so that The Dream is corrupted by the nightmare.

There are four cycles under which a sylvari may be born, and these do affect their characteristics.

The Cycle of Dawn refers to those born between midnight and 6 a.m. These sylvari are typically diplomatic and friendly, and they’re naturals when it comes to planning and conversing with others. Their Luminary is Aife, an experienced diplomat who has traveled to the major cities of Tyria.

The Cycle of Noon refers to those born between 6 a.m. and noon. Those born at this time are fighters, skilled combatants who prefer actions over words. They prefer to experience things firsthand and attack problems head-on. Niamh is their Luminary, the leader of the Warden and a bold warrior.

The Cycle of Dusk are usually intelligent and philosophical. They enjoy studies and puzzles over physical pursuits. Their luminary is Kahedins, a kind soul who helps newly awakened sylvari understand their visions in the Dream of Dreams.

The Cycle of Night are inclined to be secretive and self-contained, preferring to travel alone. Their Luminary, Malomedies, is very private, and considered a stern and caring mentor. Malomedies describes Sylvari of the Cycle of Night as “sentinels, scoundrels, and mathematicians.”²

So which race will you choose? The noble and curious sylvari? The fierce charr? The brilliant asura? The mighty norn? or the majestic humans? We’ll see you on the 25th!

The Vanguard: Guardian Arsenal Part 2 – Main Hand & Off-Hand Weapons

15

AUG 2012

The Vanguard: Guardian Arsenal Part 2 – Main Hand & Off-Hand Weapons

BY: DjThunder | GUARDIAN,PROFESSIONS

COMMENTS  1

Time is running out, my shield brothers and sisters, and the launch of Guild Wars 2 is one week closer! My sacred charge is to prepare you for your first days in Tyria. We’ve already covered utility skills in depth, discussing heals & consecrations, meditations, shouts & signets, and spirit weapons & elite skills in three consecutive weeks. Now it’s time to look at our arsenal.

Last week we  looked over our two-handed weapons, and today we’ll conclude with a review of our main hand and off-hand weaponry. I’ll give you a basic rundown of each ability, and tell you my personal insight on how they work in battle.

MAIN HAND WEAPONS

Mace — A support weapon with attacks that heal and protect the Guardian and her allies.

The mace is, without question, our best one-handed support option. It’s fantastic for soloing as well, as you can’t go wrong with the periodic healing it provides. I love the fact that it’s still doing damage while healing and supporting.

Ability	Cooldown	Description
Faithful Strike	NONE	Hit your foe with a strike and heal nearby allies.
Symbol of Faith	8	Smash a mystic symbol onto the ground that damages foes and regenerates allies.
Protector’s Strike	15	Surround yourself and nearby allies with a shield. Damage enemies that strike protected allies. Grant protection to yourself and nearby allies if you are not struck.

1. Faithful Strike is the third and final strike in a three-part attack chain. The first two, True Strike and Pure Strike, each hit progressively harder, with the final hit smashing enemies and healing allies and the Guardian. This is important to note, because it’s one of the easiest and most spammable group/self heals we have at our disposal. Only the Staff’s Orb of Light comes close to being as effective on land, and it requires detonation in order to heal. 

2. Symbol of Faith’s damage won’t deter anyone from crossing it, but the regeneration it provides is the star attraction. The regeneration only lasts for a single tick, but it’s enough to complement the direct healing from Faithful Strike.

3. Protector’s Strike proves that the only thing better than healing damage is preventing it in the first place. No other profession can provide the protection boon as reliably to himself and his allies as the Guardian. This ability only provides 3 seconds of it, but it’s enough to turn the tide in a crucial situation. Use it wisely.

Scepter — Offensive spellcasting weapon to bind and smite a single enemy.

The scepter is our lone long-range combat weapon. It mixes single-target damage, AoE damage and a bit of control and is effective up to maximum range of 1200 units.

Ability	Cooldown	Description
Orb of Wrath	NONE	Fire a slow-moving orb at your foe.
Smite	6	Strike foes in the target area repeatedly.
Chains of Light	20	Immobilize and inflict Vulnerability upon your foe with ethereal chains.

1. Orb of Wrath is our only spammable long-range ability, and it’s far slower than similar abilities of other professions. The damage is decent, and its rapid-fire nature certainly helps settle the argument. While it’s useful for situations when you need a ranged alternative, it still reminds me of a child’s bubble wand. As silly as it is to use, it has to be even worse to die at the hands of one. 

2. Smite is our only ranged AoE tied to a weapon. It summons the spirit of Manny Pacquiao to kidney punch anyone entering his reach with a swarm of spectral fists. The best part about this ability is you can place it 1200 units away. The second-best aspect is that it is fire and forget, and has a duration long enough that you can drop it, swap weapons and then do another AoE right on top of it. Whirling Wrath is a perfect example.

3. Chains of Light is my favorite ability on the weapon! It combines two my my favorite conditions – vulnerability and immobilization. It’s a fantastic way to stop a fleeing enemy or a charging one, and even if it only lasts for two seconds, you can still be very tactical with it.

Sword — A melee weapon with a good balance of offense and defense.

The sword offers us means of closing gaps, blinding enemies and blocking ranged attacks.

Ability	Cooldown	Description
Sword Wave	NONE	Send out a cone attack, striking up to three enemies.
Flashing Blade	10	Teleport to your target, striking them and blinding nearby foes.
Zealot’s Defense	15	Block ranged attacks while casting magical projectiles.

1. Sword Wave  is the third and final strike in a three-part attack chain. The first two, True Strike and Pure Strike, each hit progressively harder. The final hit, Sword Wave, will provide us with a bit of AoE damage. Other weapons handle this by hitting everything in their swing arc. Sword Wave is more like a thrust, so the AoE component was added as a magical effect.

2. Flashing Blade is a fantastic gap closer, instantly teleporting you to your target 600 units away. Upon arrival, you’ll blind up to 5 enemies for 3 seconds, making their next attack miss. Because it is a teleport, you avoid any negative AoEs that may be between you and your target. The only downside is that you need a target in order to use the ability. It won’t allow you to travel forward the way leaps will.

3. Zealot’s Defense blocks incoming ranged attacks while hitting your enemy with three burst attacks over its 3-second cast. You’re immobile during this cast time, so it’s not something you want to use on the run. Typically it’s best held in reserve for its defensive capabilities. If you plan on using it for offense, try to save it for opponents who are themselves immobilized, knocked down or otherwise unable to escape the full cast time.

OFF-HAND WEAPONS

Focus — Provides supportive spells for both offense and defense.

The focus is probably our most defensive off-hand, which may seem odd considering we also have a shield.

Ability	Cooldown	Description
Ray of Judgment	25	Pass a ray over foes and allies. Foes are damaged and blinded. Allies gain regeneration and cure one condition.
Shield of Wrath	45	Create a shield to block the next three attacks. If the shield is not destroyed, it explodes and damages nearby foes.

1. Ray of Judgment has a 1200-unit range, but the 25-second cooldown keeps it from being a true long-range threat. The upside is that the ability will bounce between three targets, friend and foe alike and including the Guardian. It does respectable damage, and the ability to blind multiple opponents is great. The regeneration and condition removal for allies makes it a viable ability in almost any situation. I’ve found it very useful in duels or 1v2 scenarios where I can blind and damage my opponent(s) and then bounce the ray back to myself for regen and to remove a condition. 

2. Shield of Wrath is a perfect complement to the Ray, blocking the next three incoming attacks. I’m honestly not sure why this isn’t a Shield ability, but I’m happy to have it any way I can get it. For solo defensive play, the focus has no equal among off-hands.

Shield — A protective off-hand for local area-of effect shielding.

If the focus is our defensive option, then the shield is all about support. If those roles seem backwards to you, you’re in good company.

Ability	Cooldown	Description
Shield of Judgment	30	Create a shielding wave in front of you that damages foes and gives protection to yourself and up to five allies.
Shield of Absorption	40	Create a dome around you that pushes foes back and absorbs projectiles.

 1. Shield of Judgment provides protection to the Guardian and her allies while blasting enemies with a frontal cone of magical energy. The range of the ability is 600 units, making it a good mid-range option. If you’re in group play, you can’t go wrong equipping a shield, and the value of the protection boon can’t be understated. 

2. Shield of Absorption is a great control ability, knocking back any nearby enemies and absorbing projectile attacks. It would be better if it reflected those projectiles instead, but I may be a bit biased. The knockback is the real star of the show here, and it’s a great way to protect someone who is resurrecting a downed ally, or keeping people from finishing him off. 

Torch — Scorches enemies while cleansing conditions off of allies.

The torch is the most offensive of our three off-hand options, and features burning attacks.

Ability	Cooldown	Description
Cleansing Flame	15	Breathe magical flames that damage foes and cure conditions on allies.
Zealot’s Flame	20	Set yourself alight, periodically burning up to three nearby foes.

 1. Cleansing Flame is another great dual-purpose ability, supporting allies with condition removal while damaging enemies. It can be used while moving, and looks amazing. I’m not sure if the damage it does is worth using it only as an offensive solution, as it seems a bit low, but it’s great in group play.

2. Zealot’s Flame is a two-part attack. The first part sets you on fire and will burn up to three nearby enemies periodically for its 10-second duration. The followup ability, Zealot’s Fire, will allow you to project the fire at a single enemy up to 1200 units away. While the damage of Zealot’s Fire is significant, the trade-off is that it also increases the recharge time on Zealot’s Flame by 50%. It’s an interesting risk vs reward ability, and I appreciate its flexibility. 

This concludes our look at the Guardian’s arsenal. After launch, we’ll look at our weapons more in depth, along with the traits that enhance them. In the meantime, leave your comments or stop by the Guardian forums and let me know if I missed any of the ways our weaponry can be put to use. I’m always appreciative of your feedback!

Next week I’ll be taking everything we’ve talked about over the past months and boiling it down into an introductory summary as part of our launch week extravaganza! This will be perfect for those new to the Guardian, and give you a chance to catch up on anything you may have missed.

Until then…

Remain vigilant.

Current Changes In 8/15 Stress Test

16

AUG 2012

Current Changes In 8/15 Stress Test

BY: DjThunder | GW2 NEWS

COMMENTS  0

The resourceful folks over on Guru have ripped into the most recent update to the Guild Wars 2 dat file and compiled a list of the changes. They have even provided a nice before-and-after so that we can see just what exactly has changed. Most of these are balancing fixes like cooldowns and percentages which is a good indication that things are starting to get finalized. Here’s a sample of some of the changes:

Elementalist
Fire Magic

• Burning Precision20%30% chance to cause burning on a critical hit.

Water Magic

• Stop Drop and Roll Dodge rolling removes burnign and chilled. burning and chilled. (10s cooldown)(Cooldown: 10 Seconds)

Engineer
Alchemy

• Blood Injection10%5% of vitality is converted into condition damage.

Inventions

• Performance Enhancement20%10% of healing is given as a bonus to power.

The Mars Curiosity mission last week was a success! Here is a beautifull mornng from Mars!!

Ο χρήστης DjThunder μοιράστηκε αυτήν την ανάρτηση:

Here is Curiosity's First Color Image of the Martian Landscape. This view of the landscape to the north of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity was acquired by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the afternoon of the first day after landing. (The team calls this day Sol 1, which is the first Martian day of operations; Sol 1 began on Aug. 6, 2012.)

In the distance, the image shows the north wall and rim of Gale Crater. The image is murky because the MAHLI's removable dust cover is apparently coated with dust blown onto the camera during the rover's terminal descent. Images taken without the dust cover in place are expected during checkout of the robotic arm in coming weeks.

The MAHLI is located on the turret at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. At the time the MAHLI Sol 1 image was acquired, the robotic arm was in its stowed position. It has been stowed since the rover was packaged for its Nov. 26, 2011, launch.

The MAHLI has a transparent dust cover. This image was acquired with the dust cover closed. The cover will not be opened until more than a week after the landing.

When the robotic arm, turret, and MAHLI are stowed, the MAHLI is in a position that is rotated 30 degrees relative to the rover deck. The MAHLI image shown here has been rotated to correct for that tilt, so that the sky is "up" and the ground is "down".

When the robotic arm, turret, and MAHLI are stowed, the MAHLI is looking out from the front left side of the rover. This is much like the view from the driver's side of cars sold in the USA.

The main purpose of Curiosity's MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover's Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity. This means it can, as shown here, also obtain pictures of the Martian landscape.

Guild Wars 2 stress test is over!I hope you enjoy it!