New Thief on Atlantic

[Cat The Outcast]

Greetings everyone,

After quite a few years of playing the Trammel-lifestyle I decided it was time for a change of pace. So I made a Thief on Atlantic; a new profession on a new shard.

I would like some comments on my template and hopefully some tips on how to play it correctly.
I've read some posts in the forum already. So I have a vague idea of what I'm doing but I'm still struggeling with the where, when and how. I have been to a couple of spawns (all of them in despise) but have yet to land that first scroll.


My template
110 Stealing
100 Snooping
100 Hiding
120 Stealth
120 Ninjitsu
117 Wrestling
100 Parrying

Equipment
My suit has 45% DCI, 21HP Regen, 50% EP and 70/66/70/58/66 resists.


Some additional questions:
I read something about a thieves guild on Atlantic? Is anybody here a member? Is it active? Are they open to new members?
Where are the fel-hotspots (other then yew gate and despise)?


Thanks in advance

 

[The Green Thief]

Where are the fel-hotspots (other then yew gate and despise)?

ohmyGED's house apparently.

 

[Robthemilt]

The thief guild on atl is Po0 we're normally open but lately none of our emmys are online. PM me and we can put you in my guild for the time being. Im allied with them. Basically if you're looking for spawns Despise is the place to be, but if your looking for easier steals you're more likely to succeed against blues trying to do t2a's really quickly. The only problem is that its kind of a pain to run laps around the lost lands waiting for someone to decide to do one.

Other than that keep your eyes open for things that should be insured. Your template looks fine, i'd suggest you up it to 120 stealing, but you've got the important stuff.

The Thief in general is a very diverse class. I started off with wrestle and spell resists, and now i dont use either.

 

[Sweeney]

Come to Siege.. the shard that still allows stealth thieves, catching victims in the most popular bank (Luna), with no worries about stalking people in Ilshenar, Tokuno Islands, Malas, or Felucca (Of course there is no Trammel on Siege).

Whatever you decide, I wish you success, but I hope you are in it for the thrill and not the gold.. the gold is just a side-benefit.

 

[Shinobi]

What's up cat, I'm the GM of P0O, biggest thief guild in UO. Unfortunately, my computer crapped out on me in february, then when I fixed it in march, the hard drive crashed.

With the exclusion of about 2 weeks of it working in march, I haven't been able to get on UO since february. Because of this, the majority of the guild has either stopped playing their thieves, or left. Since february, I've watched our numbers of active members drop from almost 80 to around 35 through the UO site.

Good news though, my hard drive finally came in the mail yesterday, and as soon as my brother has time to install it, I'll be back on UO. I'll be sure to immediately start recruiting more thieves, and scheduling events. We should be back to our normal size in no time.

If you're interested in joining, hook up with Robthemilt until I can get my hard drive installed. He can take you to the guild house, where I have 173 pages of instructional books I've written on the thief class. Everything you need to know should be in those books.

Hopefully I can meet up with you later this week when my computer is finally up and running again. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions until then.

 

[Touzoko]

Template looks good, but yes, 120 stealing for sure. Wonder about the parry though.

 

[RichDC]

Template looks good, but yes, 120 stealing for sure. Wonder about the parry though.

Disagree with the stealing,

120 is pointless unless you really need to steal 10+stone items and not much weighs that. All replicas are below 7stones and all scrolls are 1stone.

I would consider dropping parry, the only reason why is that you have to re-equip a shield after steal. Maybe put alchemy on for extra healing on the run.

One thing, possibly the most important, to remember is Patience. Sometimes youll be tempted to take that 115, sometimes youll be tempted to move in for the snoop too early. Stay focused, remain patient and the spoils will be yours(just dont stay too patient and fall asleep )

 

[Shinobi]

Disagree with the stealing,

120 is pointless unless you really need to steal 10+stone items and not much weighs that. All replicas are below 7stones and all scrolls are 1stone.

It isn't pointless. As a thief, we don't know what item we will be stealing next. It's all about opportunity. So if the chance arises for you to steal something extremely rare, why even risk it by not having 120 Stealing?

For instance, I've stolen 3 pairs of inquisitor's resolutions from players. But that is 3 out of 4. I had the chance to steal a 4th pair a few months ago, but failed. I failed on a 10 stone item with 120 Stealing. Imagine someone attempting to steal an extremely rare item that weighs 12 stones, such as the Ruined Painting (at least I think it weighs 12 stones), with less than 120 Stealing. Why even risk it?

It's all about opportunity. You can have lower than 120 Stealing, but when that golden opportunity arises, and you fail, you'll be kicking yourself. While if you have 120, and you still fail, at least you know it was a fluke and not because of a decision you made with your template.

 

[RichDC]

It isn't pointless. As a thief, we don't know what item we will be stealing next. It's all about opportunity. So if the chance arises for you to steal something extremely rare, why even risk it by not having 120 Stealing?

For instance, I've stolen 3 pairs of inquisitor's resolutions from players. But that is 3 out of 4. I had the chance to steal a 4th pair a few months ago, but failed. I failed on a 10 stone item with 120 Stealing. Imagine someone attempting to steal an extremely rare item that weighs 12 stones, such as the Ruined Painting (at least I think it weighs 12 stones), with less than 120 Stealing. Why even risk it?

It's all about opportunity. You can have lower than 120 Stealing, but when that golden opportunity arises, and you fail, you'll be kicking yourself. While if you have 120, and you still fail, at least you know it was a fluke and not because of a decision you made with your template.

Agreed, then again thats why i carry a blessed burglars bandana with me.

I just dont "waste" the points as my template is way to crammed for that "luxury"

 

[Shinobi]

Agreed, then again thats why i carry a blessed burglars bandana with me.

I just dont "waste" the points as my template is way to crammed for that "luxury"

Oh, if you're 120 with bonuses, then that's fine. Hell, I'm only 85 Stealing without my shadow dancers/15 stealing ring. If someone tells you that 120 REAL Stealing is better than 120 using bonus items, then they're a moron. Get as many bonus items as possible. The more you have, the better your temp can be.

 

[RichDC]

Oh, if you're 120 with bonuses, then that's fine. Hell, I'm only 85 Stealing without my shadow dancers/15 stealing ring. If someone tells you that 120 REAL Stealing is better than 120 using bonus items, then they're a moron. Get as many bonus items as possible. The more you have, the better your temp can be.

100% Correct, normally i use a stealth/ninja mark(like that HPR) but i carry the burglars as i say...in case.

 

[Touzoko]

I forget this is Atl. I get to used to Siege ways. Yeah, I'd use artis if I could keep them, but they'd be gone after first kill. But the trade off is steal anywhere. Its' always a give and take scenario.

 

[Sweeney]

On Siege 100 steal is enough with some trash jewels. I trust your judgement though, do what works for you.

 

[Touzoko]

eh- I get anal about some things. I have 120 stealth too, though certainly don't need it. I tried factions shortly, but was dis-illusioned by the lack of participation. I was able to preserve 80 stealth, stealing, and ninja while in stat, so it never really slowed me down as a thief. Never dropped them back.

 

[Cat The Outcast]

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

@ Robthemilt and Shinobi: I would like to join I'll be in touch

Template looks good, but yes, 120 stealing for sure. Wonder about the parry though.

I originally planned for 120 stealing but when I decided to add wrestling and parry I ran out of skillpoints.
Shinobi makes a good point though; I'll make sure to add a Buglar's Bandana to my inventory.

I would consider dropping parry, the only reason why is that you have to re-equip a shield after steal. Maybe put alchemy on for extra healing on the run.

I can re-equip the shield with just the press of a button. I considered alchemy but is the 30% EP bonus really worth it?

Basically if you're looking for spawns Despise is the place to be, but if your looking for easier steals you're more likely to succeed against blues trying to do t2a's really quickly. The only problem is that its kind of a pain to run laps around the lost lands waiting for someone to decide to do one.

I see. Any other non-champspawn hot-spots I should know about? I disarm-stole a Dragon's End off some guy in Destard the other day, that was fun

One thing, possibly the most important, to remember is Patience. Sometimes youll be tempted to take that 115, sometimes youll be tempted to move in for the snoop too early. Stay focused, remain patient and the spoils will be yours(just dont stay too patient and fall asleep )

When is the right moment though? Should I stay put until the moment the champion falls and snoop/steal really fast? Or earlier, so I have their backpack(s) opened to see the scrolls drop?

What is the succesrate like for you guys? How often do you get away from a spawn with a scroll?

 

[RichDC]

I can re-equip the shield with just the press of a button. I considered alchemy but is the 30% EP bonus really worth it?

No, but the 80 from that and a decent ep ring is!

When is the right moment though? Should I stay put until the moment the champion falls and snoop/steal really fast? Or earlier, so I have their backpack(s) opened to see the scrolls drop?

That all depends, if the marks are smart you may have to wait and be swift. If not (that is blues dumping poison fields), you can usually sneak up close to the end and open the packs. Its the time when they are least likely to move when you strike.

What is the succesrate like for you guys? How often do you get away from a spawn with a scroll?

When i make a steal probably up to 80% success. But, i dont steal often...if i open a pack to see 115's, i wont move...IF i can get another pack and see a 120focus...i wont steal. I wait and wait and wait for the best item available, i have pulled an oak leaf shroud like that.

 

[Robthemilt]

Alchemy +50ep ring is AMAZING. It'll cure boredom...and keep you alive. Its the next thing im going to put on Sarme.

Even though i typically dont carry pots/smokebombs or have ANY type of defense short of running, i dont really die. Though, It is brutal when i've got a speedhackers on my tail.
You'll learn when you can hide and not. There is a range where you can hide, and learning to turn corners STOP and hide is tricky but it works. Its just hard to not run through the hide sometimes.

I think its best to ignore the shield, because your bound to forget to remove it at some point.

We can tell you everything about how each of us does things and you'll get 15 different aspects and opinions, but it'll all come down to your own experience. PM me and we'll get together so i can guild you.
your success rate , how quickly you notice solid targets, how long it takes you to figure out if you can escape someone, a whole bunch of small very important decisions, all experience. It'll be fun everytime. Every guild is their own little puzzle for you to figure out.

 

[Arch Magus]

ohmyGED's house apparently.

rofl

 

[Arch Magus]

I would opt for Magery instead of Parry.

You aren't going to be sticking around to parry stuff.
Plus, you don't need to make an 'equip/unequip shield' macro.

 

[RichDC]

I would opt for Magery instead of Parry.

~~I would 100,000,000% disagree with this unless your on siege.

The LAST thing you want to do is waste points, to me, magery is a waste! You cant cast in animal form, you cant cast while running...its a thieves worst nightmare!!!

If you stop...you die, simple! To cast, you must stop allowing that mage who pre-cast paralyse to catch and target you, spamming it over and over as the dexxer has his way. Or, another scenario, it allows that archer to get closer and hit you with a mortal. Oh wait...Forget both, if your running away your in animal form so now you cant cast anyway!!

Dont waste skill points in any "mage" skill (chiv/magery/necro), even bushido to some extent as you cant cast that in form...bush however does offer some nice DCI bonus.

You aren't going to be sticking around to parry stuff.
Plus, you don't need to make an 'equip/unequip shield' macro.

But you are going to be parrying moving shot archers as you run!

Sorry arch but in my opinion...terrible advice!

 

[Robthemilt]

I agree with rich, mostly. You should go with EITHER Ninja or Magery, but they arent really going to be worthwhile if you're running both. A mage thief can be effective, but you're asking to get ganked.

 

[Mairut]

What's up cat, I'm the GM of P0O, biggest thief guild in UO. Unfortunately, my computer crapped out on me in february, then when I fixed it in march, the hard drive crashed.

With the exclusion of about 2 weeks of it working in march, I haven't been able to get on UO since february. Because of this, the majority of the guild has either stopped playing their thieves, or left. Since february, I've watched our numbers of active members drop from almost 80 to around 35 through the UO site.

Good news though, my hard drive finally came in the mail yesterday, and as soon as my brother has time to install it, I'll be back on UO. I'll be sure to immediately start recruiting more thieves, and scheduling events. We should be back to our normal size in no time.

If you're interested in joining, hook up with Robthemilt until I can get my hard drive installed. He can take you to the guild house, where I have 173 pages of instructional books I've written on the thief class. Everything you need to know should be in those books.

Hopefully I can meet up with you later this week when my computer is finally up and running again. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions until then.

Was wondering where you've been! I missed you. I'm not friended to your house anymore I didn't have anywhere to train stealing while you were gone. Suxxors...you'll have to deal with a rogue thief now, haha! Going to join a pvp guild to do idocs.


Welcome Cat! Cya around, hopefully

 

[Shinobi]

Was wondering where you've been! I missed you. I'm not friended to your house anymore I didn't have anywhere to train stealing while you were gone. Suxxors...you'll have to deal with a rogue thief now, haha! Going to join a pvp guild to do idocs.


Welcome Cat! Cya around, hopefully

Haha, yeah sorry about that. Like I said...computer trouble. I'm not sure why you were unfriended, but when I'm back on I'll refriend you.

 

[Mairut]

Haha, yeah sorry about that. Like I said...computer trouble. I'm not sure why you were unfriended, but when I'm back on I'll refriend you.

Thanks! Will pm you my icq
See you soon

 

[Cat The Outcast]

No, but the 80 from that and a decent ep ring is!

I already have 50% EP from my ring (and love it). So GM alchemy would only add 30% EP. Is that difference really worth 100 skillpoints?
I may give it a try in the future but for now I think parry is more usefull.

I would opt for Magery instead of Parry.

I had chivalry for a little while and I agree with RichDC: spellcasting and the thief class don't go together very well. Even chivalry spells, which you can cast on the run, are useless when you are running in animal form.


Since my las post I managed to steal my very first scroll! Nothing impressive, a +15 Swords, but I'm pleased nonetheless

Thanks for all the help so far! I'd still like to hear more about your techniques, specially when and how to snoop. That's where I'm having the most difficulty now.

 

[Arch Magus]

~~I would 100,000,000% disagree with this unless your on siege.

The LAST thing you want to do is waste points, to me, magery is a waste! You cant cast in animal form, you cant cast while running...its a thieves worst nightmare!!!

If you stop...you die, simple! To cast, you must stop allowing that mage who pre-cast paralyse to catch and target you, spamming it over and over as the dexxer has his way. Or, another scenario, it allows that archer to get closer and hit you with a mortal. Oh wait...Forget both, if your running away your in animal form so now you cant cast anyway!!

Dont waste skill points in any "mage" skill (chiv/magery/necro), even bushido to some extent as you cant cast that in form...bush however does offer some nice DCI bonus.



But you are going to be parrying moving shot archers as you run!

Sorry arch but in my opinion...terrible advice!

rofl.. a thief with a shield, give me a break.

Magery, 90'ish points.
invisibility, teleport, curing, healing.
energy walls, stone walls.

parrying moving shot archers? put your dagger on, damn, lol.

did i miss something?
are you trying your hand at being a thief now Rich?

 

[RichDC]

Ive been a thief for a Long time, and been getting very very good.

Magery is useless.

You wont have time to cast spells especially as your on foot!
Invis items(sash is my personal favourite) and smoke bombs are much more effective.

Add in the fact most sensible thieves will steal and run(there are a few good nutter thug thieves, who will stand and fight) youll be in animal form(usually wolf+20HP) and you cant cast in form. Thus wasting whatever investment in points you have.

Its quite simple IMO, if you stop...you die! Healing/defending without stopping should be NO1 Priority. Hence why i use wrestle and alchemy.

Parry/Fencing would be effective to shadow strike instantly after the steal. And yes...you do sometimes have to parry moving shot archers as you run away if youve missed your shadow strike!

 

[Arch Magus]

me and my gear.

115 fencing
100'ish ninjitsu
100'ish magery
100 hide
120 stealth
100 snoop
100'ish stealing
rest in focus

well over 800 points with gear.
I carry an Invis charged cape.

if you want to run after a steal, go animal form

if you want to steal and stick around, cast invisibility.
or, steal/shadowstrike.

can't hide immediately around lots of spawn, so you might have to invis instead of running far away to hide.

hit by lots of EQ's? step right out of the enemy's range, Greater heal then hide.

DP fields? step out of range and arch cure.

Good luck with no magery when you get knocked out of animal form by a dismounter. parry not for the win!

There's more to a thief than just stealing and running away in wolf form.
If you've actually been to 1000's of spawns on your thief like I have.
And stolen countless 120's. like I have.
and stolen stat scrolls from half a dozen harrowers, like I have.


Shield? Forget about it.

 

[Arch Magus]

Magery is useless.

LOL.

please stop, i'm going to wet myself.

 

[RichDC]

me and my gear.

115 fencing
100'ish ninjitsu
100'ish magery
100 hide
120 stealth
100 snoop
100'ish stealing
rest in focus

well over 800 points with gear.
I carry an Invis charged cape.

if you want to run after a steal, go animal form

if you want to steal and stick around, cast invisibility.
or, steal/shadowstrike.

can't hide immediately around lots of spawn, so you might have to invis instead of running far away to hide.

hit by lots of EQ's? step right out of the enemy's range, Greater heal then hide.

DP fields? step out of range and arch cure.

Good luck with no magery when you get knocked out of animal form by a dismounter. parry not for the win!

There's more to a thief than just stealing and running away in wolf form.
If you've actually been to 1000's of spawns on your thief like I have.
And stolen countless 120's. like I have.
and stolen stat scrolls from half a dozen harrowers, like I have.


Shield? Forget about it.

Thats your playstyle and preference, having stolen a fair amount of replicas 120's and stat scrolls. As well as taking the sigils while 10+people are defending and trying to kill me...SOLO and take down 2of the offenders.

Im pretty sure i can speak confidently about what does and doesnt work.

In an enclosed space you will have 0 chance of casting. 80EP stops any need for carrying greater cures, lessers is all i carry (i can make them on the run so i carry about 20garlic for 20pots). 50+hp per pot...better than a g-heal(good luck getting that of btw!).

Dismounted out of wolf form???

Good luck hitting with 120wrestle 60DCI and Parry.

Join factions and go to a base stealt the sig when 10+peaople are about defending (done in minax, TB and SL's Base) and try to get away with that temp, all i can say is good luck! you will have 0 chance of casting any spell!

Well...you might get a mini cure of of mini heal...but then your on foot and the dexxers will tear you a new ring piece as mages dump. (oh and you cant get outta EQ range in those bases!)

Fensing=easy kill...disarm = 0 DCI, then bleed and ar-ignore(or Deadly Poison), good luck curing/healing with magery through that.

Wrestle cannot be disarmed, nor can parry. Alchemy = and extra 50hp (bringing my total hp to 170)

 

[Arch Magus]

not a pot chugger here, so i use magery. I like magery because it makes me different than everyone else and i don't have to rely on potions.

mage heals arent for casting on the run, for obvious reasons.

i never said to try and cast through a gank. you run, shadowstrike, invis, or invis cloak.

I don't do faction stealing with this. I basically only steal from spawns and harrys if there's one going on.

sounds like you have a pot chugger who likes to steal sigils.
not my game, i'm glad you're so successful at it.
personally, I hate factions but joined them for the gear.

great job shooting down magery though.
I guess everyone should just make a parry roach like you with no versatility.

to each his own.

 

[RichDC]

I fail to see the non-versatility of the temp.

I can kill what i need to, in fact i have actually recieved replicas from using conflag pots at spawns. Sometimes the blues just dont care about lil ol me running around...until they lose there scrolls. Ive also killed people attempting to kill me. I actually see my temp as more versatile and cheaper. Not relying on godlike weapons to disarm/kill for example. And, unless your a God-like mage you arent going to be offensivly successful with 80magery.

I am a pot chugger yes, because its the most effective form of healing, against skill point investment, while maintaining full mobility.

Unless i do something stupid(like walk into a dead end in t2a) im pretty much unkillable. Once ive made my steal im around 80-90%evade success(i still do alot of silly things hit wrong macros etc. otherwise that would be 90-95%)

Edit: you also steal on Chesapeak, although they have some great PvPers there, you cannot compare stealing there to stealing on the mass zerg shards of GL(my home) or Atlantic.

 

[Touzoko]

I use both magery, or alchemy, wrestling, or fencing, depending upon my mood. I am currently also training spell weaving, necro, swords, archery, and macing lol. There is no perfect template in all situations. To each their own, as and when it is needed. I am just now around 107 magery. Before that, using fencing and alcehmy, I have brought down some pretty big game, using it (alchemy) and an ecru ring. Some times it is fun to do a little farming, to bring up the karma a bit. The marks feel safer with an honorable chap standing next to them.

Please, rather than put down any one elses' template or choices, instead outline the best ways you have found to get the best advantage out of your chosen skills. It might educate the rest of us, and will certainly help any new-comers trying to figure out their path, which might indeed be different from any of ours, and even more successful.

 

[BakeryGnome]

Haha, yeah sorry about that. Like I said...computer trouble. I'm not sure why you were unfriended, but when I'm back on I'll refriend you.

Yeah, I was once a friend in your guild house as well. But no longer am I.

Ol' Dirty!!!

I'll stop by and crack a dutch wit ya some time soon!

 

[BakeryGnome]

For a template...you think Anatomy and Eval is better than weapon skill and parry? For defence?


(not to change the subject...welcome Cat..see you around maybe...hehehe)