We watched a live demo of the Norn starting area and learned all about the newly unveiled thief profession at GDC. We also got some details on dynamic events and the personality system.

Enter the thief

Following the Norn demo, Lye switched gears and unveiled the thief profession on the big screen. This is the sixth profession to be revealed for Guild Wars 2, and the class focuses on stealth and surprise to be deadly in single combat.

“One of the key things about the thief is stealth,” Lye said. “It looks a little like Predator camouflage. We consider stealth to be a powerful ability, so it's not unlimited. It should be used strategically.”

The profession is also defined by her ability to steal. Lye demonstrated that fact by stealing some feathers from a bird-type enemy and using them to stun the monster.

The thief is the first profession ArenaNet has revealed that can use pistols. Thieves can dual wield the guns and use their agility to shoot quickly while dodging around enemies.

The first five weapon skills do not have cooldown timers, although the do cost Initiative points. “This gives thieves flexibility of when to use their abilities,” Lye said. He showed that using the pistols to perform two Unloads back to back can be pretty devastating.

Shadowstep is a limited teleportation ability that can get you in and out of combat. This ability really shows off the dynamic combat that Lye mentioned in his introduction. The thief in the demo was quickly moving around the screen and twirling through the air as she annihilated her foes.

Thieves also have the ability to switch weapons out very quickly. In addition to pistols, thieves can use a mixture of ranged and melee weapons such as swords, daggers and a shortbow.

Lastly, Lye explained that every profession in the game has the ability to perform some sort of heal. The thief can roll backward and heal at the same time, which will help keep the character alive long enough to take down the enemy or sneak away and live to fight another day.

Darryl Gangloff, Editor-in-Chief