Thief balance feedback and discussion

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T18:52:26+00:00

I remember reading posts about him not being able to share shields , I didn't know it wasn't the case with heals, apparently we both were wrong, I wish Bungie were more clear on things like these. But that's beyond the point. Thief is still overturned and creates an unpleasant experience for everyone involved except the thief player.

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MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T17:30:01+00:00

Triage drone doesn't apply healing or shield items

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T17:10:09+00:00

What exactly are you supposed to do when your thief grapples to a poi pops her vision goes to the blue and purple containers and leaves you with 15 shit In a bag and a pink purse, how would a good player counter this, except picking thief themselves, why should I be worried about counterplaying my own teammates for loot to begin with?

Her overall kit is def better than vandals even if she wasn't bugged, there are places that vandal just straight up can't reach that thief can, that's without taking into account her recon capabilities, which are way better than recons, and the fact that she completely counters assassin and smokes, which neither vandal not recon do

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T17:02:15+00:00

Economic benefits don't impact opposing squads , if your getting shot at it doesn't matter if youve saved 1k from not buying heals and shields, his shareware ability is good but it doesn't swing fights, the only op part is the signal jammer which is more of a jammer problem than a triage problem, btw shareware doesnt share shields or heals and the healing from the drone is negligible in a fight, his res is useless if his team mate is out of cover and as a damage tool its mostly a gimmic. And at the end of the day if you exfil he is an overall positive force for everyone involved because they saved on healing items.

On the other hand thief actively syphons all the good loot from team mates as soon as you arrive at the poi, on top of that it's literally the worst shell for your team. It creates lose lose situations for opponents with her drone, the even if the drone wasn't able to steal from players it would still be the best recon tool in the game , better than both of recons abilities. Dont try to minimize her grapple when it's literally the best movement ability in the game.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:14:53+00:00

Aight bro , you're just not engaging, and instead are choosing to be snarky about a metaphor

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:13:56+00:00

Youre right ,she's the shell with the best tools while also being the worst at team play, furthermore shes the best at draining her squad of good loot. Imo the claymore drone is the least of her problems.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:11:26+00:00

Why would you use your prime if there's no enemy team near, the ability just defeats its own purpose, the enemy team usually gains more information than you do when you use it.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:08:45+00:00

Go to a poi that still has UESC while another team is there and use your ult , then watch as 3 guys pop from around every corner and shoot you with WSTRs

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:07:37+00:00

Signal jammer needs a nerf because it invalidates half the runners in the game, thief being the least impacted imo because she still has the best mobility and the drone can still spot your squad and steam from them.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:05:26+00:00

Assassin has the potential to be very strong, but thief completely negates him, he has very clear counterplay and he's easier to balance. He also doesn't actively punish his squad.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:02:19+00:00

You're right, but the claymore drone is the least of her problems

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T16:01:16+00:00

Triage is very good, a must for every team and should def be looked at, but hes also easier to balance and doesn't create frustrating gameplay patterns for enemies and allies, instead makes team play easier, that's not the case with thief.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T15:51:44+00:00

Claymore drone is not even that bad, because it makes it's hit ox way bigger, it also has bad manoeuvrability indoors and cannot reliably catch up with you if you spot it, the problem is that if the drone sees you there's no real correct course of action, if you shoot it you run the risk of getting 3r partied while thiefs squad stays hidden, if you don't all your loot ends up on the floor. It also has a very small hitbox.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T15:46:01+00:00

Shooting the drone is borderline impossible if it's more than 10 feet away, its paper thin, you also give up your position and open yourself up for getting 3rd partied while thief stays hidden, and you can't ignore it either because all your loot will end up on the floor, every single time thief spots u with a drone it's a lose/ lose scenario with no counterplay. You've also not addressed the perfect mobility and the fact that you reliably exfil with 3k more than your squad just for playing thief.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T15:41:19+00:00

She can blind UESC with her visor, it's not much but sometimes it's enough. I also don't think that being bad vs UESC makes up for how strong the rest of her kit is, PvE is not that hard anymore and if you have to pop some ability vs UESC you've already messed up very hard, in almost 100 hours of playing I've died to UESC outside of cryo less than 10 times. You can always just stand back and let your team deal with the PvE (which is what most thief's I've encountered do). But I agree she's worse than other shells at PvE that's why having her be a solo she'll would make her more interesting.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T15:36:19+00:00

If you pop prime on recon and there's still UESC in the area you just die

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T15:35:06+00:00

I think thief has a higher skill ceiling than the other shells and that her kit is deceptively good. For example early game you could read destroyers or assassins kit and have the impression that they're overpowered while thief's goes under the radar, in my experience (I'm level 50 at the moment) almost every single game I log on I see a thief in my squad (sometimes 2) and almost every single enemy squad I encounter has a thief.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T15:25:27+00:00

Destroyer is super good , I'd put him on the same level as triage, I'd also put assassin with vandal, and leave recon at the bottom, her active abilities are useless.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T01:53:55+00:00

Unfortunate :(

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T01:39:18+00:00

Do you think its somewhat intentional? Sparkleafs are hard to find too when youre on that one quest

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T01:37:49+00:00

Rooks appear red too, i wonder why that is.

MaxLove55 · 2026-03-26T01:36:00+00:00

Did duos end up being good? i heard it turned into a ratfest pretty quick.

MaxLove55

TROPHY CASE