Antiquary

“

"Another unusual find."

From treasure hunters to scholars, and everything in between, antiquaries wield the relics and artifacts that they've collected through their travels on the battlefield. With the help of their skritt companion, an adept antiquary can disarm, distract, and conquer any enemy - and when the risk is high, so is the reward.

— In-game description

Antiquary is an elite specialization for the thief unlocked with the Visions of Eternity expansion.

With Janthiri artifacts prompting explorers to expand their collections, antiquaries are the pinnacle of accomplished thieves. They partner with skritt assistants to plunder for artifacts from their opponents, exchanging the thief's traditional ability to steal for a selection of artifact skills alongside access to Double Edge utilities that may be used before their cooldown — with the risk of backfiring if used too early.

List of antiquary skills

See also: List of thief skills

“

Purveyors of rare artifacts, the Antiquary uses its Pilfer skill to call upon the thieving inclination of its skritt companion, stealing from enemies to create random improvised weapons. The Antiquary can also use its unique skills even while on cooldown… at the risk of causing detrimental effects to themselves!

— Promo description

Profession mechanic

• Skritt Swipe replaces Steal as the F1 for the antiquary, granting two Tyrian artifacts in the F2 and F3 slots upon activation.
  • Skritt Swipe draws randomly from four Offensive Artifacts and four Defensive Artifact choices. Artifact draws may be modified through traits.

#	Skill			Description
F1	Skritt Swipe		25	Summon a skritt to pilfer artifacts.
Skritt Swipe artifact skills
	Metal Legion Guitar	2		Offensive Artifact. Rock out with your guitar, damaging and applying conditions to opponents around you, then slam the ground, damaging and stunning opponents in the area. For a short time after using this skill, your first weapon skill is replaced with your stealth attack, even when not stealthed.
	Forged Surfer Dash	1		Offensive Artifact. Dash to the targeted location while dropping bombs along your path that detonate after a short period of time, dealing damage and burning enemies. More bombs are dropped the farther you travel. For a short time after using this skill, you continue to drop additional bombs at your location.
	Forged Surfer Dash	1		Offensive Artifact. Dash to the targeted location while dropping bombs along your path that detonate after a short period of time, dealing damage and burning enemies. More bombs are dropped the farther you travel. For a short time after using this skill, you continue to drop additional bombs at your location.
	Summon Kryptis Turret	0.5½		Offensive Artifact. Summon a Kryptis turret at your targeted location and[sic] fires at the closest foe in range. For a short time after using this skill, you deal increased damage to enemies that were struck by the turret.
	Summon Kryptis Turret	0.5½		Offensive Artifact. Summon a Kryptis turret at your targeted location and[sic] fires at the closest foe in range. For a short time after using this skill, you deal increased damage to enemies that were struck by the turret.
	Mistburn Mortar	0.75¾		Offensive Artifact. Shoot an orb that explodes upon impact with the ground, creating a corrupted area that deals damage and applies conditions to enemies. For a short time after using this skill, your strikes additionally inflict burning on enemies.
	Mistburn Mortar	0.25¼		Offensive Artifact. Shoot an orb that explodes upon impact with the ground, creating a corrupted area that deals damage and applies conditions to enemies. For a short time after using this skill, your strikes additionally inflict burning on enemies.
	Exalted Hammer			Defensive Artifact. Leap to the targeted area and slam down with an enchanted exalted[sic] hammer, damaging enemies while healing and granting boons to allies in the area. For a short time after using this skill, activating any weapon skill that costs initiative creates an additional healing burst at your location.
	Chak Shield			Defensive Artifact. Place an electrified shield at your position that blocks projectiles and deals damage to enemies within it. For a short time after using this skill, your weapon skills that cost initiative refund initiative.
	Holo-Dancer Decoy	0.5½		Defensive Artifact. Summon a holo-dancer decoy that taunts enemies and grants boons to nearby allies. It self-destructs if it is not destroyed, dealing damage to enemies in a large area and granting additional boons to allies. For a short time after using this skill, the next utility skill you use has reduced cooldown.
	Zephyrite Sun Crystal	1	1	Defensive Artifact. Dash toward your target, damaging and inflicting conditions on enemies and removing conditions from allies around you when you reach your destination. You evade attacks as long as you are still traveling. For a short time after using this skill, whenever you use a weapon skill that costs initiative, remove conditions from yourself.
Skritt Scuffle randomized skill
	Unstable Skritt Bomb			The bomb explodes in your hands, damaging you and damaging and knocking down[sic] enemies around you. For a short time after using this skill, you take increased strike and condition damage.

Slot skills

Healing

Skill				Description
Antivenom Draught		0.75¾	10	Double Edge. Drink an antivenom potion to heal yourself and remove conditions. You may activate the skill while it is recharging, with a chance for the skill to backfire. The chance of the skill backfiring lowers as the skill recharges, and the skill cannot backfire when the skill is completely recharged.
Antivenom Draught: Backfired		0.75¾	10	This skill has backfired and cannot be used again until fully recharged.

Utility

Skill				Description
Stone Summit Cannon		0.5½	15	Double Edge. Summon a skritt to fire a dwarven cannon at the targeted area, damaging and inflicting conditions on foes. You may activate the skill while it is recharging, with a chance for the skill to backfire. The chance of the skill backfiring lowers as the skill recharges, and the skill cannot backfire when the skill is completely recharged.
Stone Summit Cannon		0.5½	15	This skill has backfired and cannot be used again until fully recharged.
Inquest Portal Device		0.5½	20	Double Edge. Shadowstep to the targeted enemy, damaging and inflicting conditions on enemies at the target's location. You may activate the skill while it is recharging, with a chance for the skill to backfire. The chance of the skill backfiring lowers as the skill recharges, and the skill cannot backfire when the skill is completely recharged.
Inquest Portal Device: Backfired			20	This skill has backfired and cannot be used again until fully recharged.
Emergency Jade Shield			15	Double Edge. Break stuns and summon a jade shield that applies barrier to yourself. You may activate the skill while it is recharging, with a chance for the skill to backfire. The chance of the skill backfiring lowers as the skill recharges, and the skill cannot backfire when the skill is completely recharged.
Emergency Jade Shield			15	This skill has backfired and cannot be used again until fully recharged.
Canach-Coin Toss			15	Double Edge. Flip a number of enchanted Canach Coins. Gain effects depending on whether they land on heads or tails. You may activate the skill while it is recharging, with a chance for the skill to backfire. The chance of the skill backfiring lowers as the skill recharges, and the skill cannot backfire when the skill is completely recharged.
Canach-Coin Toss		0.25¼	15	This skill has backfired and cannot be used again until fully recharged.

Elite

Skill				Description
Skritt Scuffle		0.5½	50	Double Edge. Summon a skritt assistant at your location that grants you artifacts every interval as long as you are within range. The skritt has a random chance of giving you an Unstable Skritt Bomb instead of a regular artifact. Attempting to use the Unstable Skritt Bomb results in a Backfire.

List of antiquary traits

See also: List of thief traits

Tier	Trait		Description
Minor Adept	Trinket Collector		Steal is replaced with Skritt Swipe, allowing you to pilfer from enemies. Successfully pilfering grants one offensive and one defensive artifact. Only one artifact may be used each time you pilfer, and pilfering overrides any artifacts you already have.
Major Adept	Card Swap		Gain access to Reshuffle. Remove conditions from yourself whenever you reshuffle your artifacts or use an artifact skill.
Major Adept	Repeat Ransacker		Reduce the recharge of Skritt Swipe whenever you use an artifact.
Major Adept	Prolific Plunderer		Gain an additional artifact slot. Whenever you pilfer, you gain an additional, random artifact. You can use one additional artifact when you pilfer with Skritt Swipe.
Minor Master	Magpie's Defense	20	Grant yourself barrier when you use a healing or elite skill. The cooldowns for this trait are separate for healing and elite skills.
Major Master	Scoundrel's Luck		Gain Scoundrel's Luck whenever you use Skritt Swipe, Scoundrel's Luck allows you to use Double Edge skills on cooldown without backfiring.
Major Master	Meticulous Custodian		Your artifacts have increased effectiveness. Beneficial artifact effects last longer.
Major Master	Exhilarating Ephemera		Gain increased damage for a period of time after using an artifact.
Minor Grandmaster	Enterprising Aristocrat		Gain initiative and barrier whenever you use an artifact skill. You take reduced strike and condition damage whenever you have barrier.
Major Grandmaster	Prodigious Pincher		You pilfer after using a certain amount of initiative. This trait will override any existing artifacts when triggered.
Major Grandmaster	Possessive Hoarder		Artifacts grant boons to allies when used. Offensive and defensive artifacts grant different boons. Barrier granted through Magpie's Defense and Enterprising Aristocrat is now also granted to allies as well.
Major Grandmaster	Combat High		Gain Combat High when you use Skritt Swipe, increasing your outgoing strike and condition damage. Lose stacks of Combat High every interval.

Lore

“

The balance of black-market trade and above-board commerce in Lion’s Arch has tipped toward legitimacy in recent years, and the Captain's Council has banded together with several smaller factions to claim a place in the Tyrian Alliance. But the discovery of Janthiri artifacts has started a gold rush as explorers hustle to procure rare and valuable items that no living culture can lay claim to.

The somewhat-euphemistically titled antiquaries pride themselves on their scholarly appreciation for the artifacts they acquire. Many even keep a few in their private collections, ready to impress colleagues at the tavern or blindside foes on the battlefield. And whether they’re priory historians or pirates, Lion’s Arch is still their favored nexus for trading and selling their wares and knowledge.

— Official website

Gallery

Specialization background.

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  Fourth teaser 07/05/25.

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Icons

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  Official icon

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  Official icon

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  Official icon

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  Wiki icon

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  Old official icon

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  Old official icon

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  Old official icon

Note

• Antiquary characters summon a Skritt when using Thieves Guild.
  • Other than being summoned through the Thieves Guild, non-targetable skritt assistants appear as part of other antiquary skills: Skritt Swipe, Chak Shield, Summon Kryptis Turret, Holo-Dancer Decoy, Stone Summit Cannon, and Skritt Scuffle.

Trivia

• In the concept art, the antiquary wears the Jungle Explorer Outfit and a unique hat, though somewhat similar to the Beach Hat Skin.
• (Undocumented) Antiquary's icon was changed with Raids and Wardrobe update (February 3, 2026)

External links

• Elite Specialization Reveal: Thief, Necromancer, and Warrior, GuildWars2.com
• Elite Specializations: Antiquary, Ritualist, Paragon, YouTube.com
• Elite Specialization Livestream: Antiquary, Ritualist, Paragon | Visions of Eternity, Twitch.com

References

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Thief