Booster Specter

October 2024

Introduction

This Celestial Booster Specter is a great beginner-friendly offensive support setup made for open-world. The equipment above is designed to be played with the Exotic gear obtained by the Level 80 Boost, with some modifications to runes and sigils. To gear this build without the Level 80 Boost, use crafting or purchase items directly from the trading post.

Build Fundamentals

Initiative
Initiative is a skill cost mechanic unique to all Thief professions. Instead of having recharge time on your weapon skills, Thief spends Initiative to use weapon skills. You have 12 initiative points that recharge over time: 9 from Specter and 3 extra from Preparedness. Quick Pockets also grants Initative while swapping weapons and when using Enter Shadow Shroud and Exit Shadow Shroud. Do not deliberately swap weapons for Initiative, but instead, let Quick Pockets be triggered by using Enter Shadow Shroud naturally.

Wells and Shrouds
Many boons come from Well of Bounty. Traversing Dusk causes Wells to provide . In this build, Relic of the Chronomancer gives you whenever you cast a Well.

A unique mechanic of the Specter is Enter Shadow Shroud, which provides an additional health bar and changes your weapon skills. Shadestep allows you to provide to yourself and your allies with your Shroud skills. The boon is provided by tethering to an ally with Siphon, but it is okay to let your tether automatically select a nearby friendly target. This will automatically happen whenever you Enter Shadow Shroud with prioritization to your party and squad.

• Haunt Shot provides and damages enemies with .
• Grasping Shadows cleanses conditions and damages enemies with in a targeted area.
• Dawn's Repose provides and inflicts on enemies.
• Eternal Night provides self-healing and inflicts enemies with , and .
• Mind Shock gives three stacks of and stuns enemies.

You gain Shadow Shroud Force by using wells via Traversing Dusk, spending initiative, and using F1 Siphon on an enemy. You should use Siphon not only to gain Shadow Force but also to gain , , , and .

Weapons

Your main weapon set is Scepter/Dagger. Prioritize using Twilight Combo as your main source of damage. If you can’t cast it due to lack of Initiative, fill with your scepter Auto-attack chain and Siphon off-cooldown. Enter Shadow Shroud as soon as available or as much as possible and stay in Shroud until you have used Grasping Shadows three times. While waiting to cast Grasping Shadows, use Eternal Night and Mind Shock off-cooldown and fill with Auto-attack chains.

Your second skill Shadow Sap grants , and to allies in the ground-targetted area.

If you need to deal Breakbar damage or interrupt an enemy, switch to Scepter and Pistol and use Head Shot repeatedly.

Quick Pockets also triggers when you enter Shadow Shroud Enter Shadow Shroud.

Crowd Control

• Head Shot
• Shadowfall or Basilisk Venom if equipped
• Dawn's Repose
• Mind Shock
• Well of Silence

Alternatives

• Thieves Guild if you like having some NPCs follow you.
• Basilisk Venom is a good Crowd Control skill.
• The trait Even the Odds for additional and .
• Roll for Initiative or Shadowstep for stun break.