Backstab

Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadows, striking for double damage if you hit from behind or they are defiant. — In-game description

Backstab

Profession

Thief (skill list)

Weapon

Main hand dagger

Type

Stealth Attack

Game link

API

13005

“

0.25¼  1  

Backstab

Stealth Attack. Attack your foe from the shadows, striking for double damage if you hit from behind or they are defiant.

 Front damage: 550 (1.5)^?

 Front damage: 367 (1.0)^?

 Back damage: 1,100 (3.0)^?

 Back damage: 734 (2.0)^?

 Range: 130

— In-game description

Related traits

Deadly Arts

• Dagger Training — Gain bonus power, which is increased when wielding a dagger.
• Even the Odds — Apply vulnerability when you steal. Gain might when you hit with a stealth attack.

Critical Strikes

• Sundering Shade — Stealth Attack skills inflict vulnerability and grant fury upon successfully hitting foes.

Shadow Arts

• Hidden Thief — Stealing inflicts blindness. Stealth Attacks inflict weakness. Cannot affect the same target more than once per interval.
• Shadow Siphoning — Stealth attacks siphon health if they hit. Cannot siphon the same target more than once per interval.
• Rending Shade — Steal boons from enemies you strike with stealth attacks. Striking a boonless foe with a stealth attack inflicts fear on nearby foes.

Specter

• Panaku's Ambition — Gain barrier when you strike foes with a stealth attack. When you apply stealth to allies you also grant them barrier. This effect can only be received once and will reset when stealth is removed.

Notes

• "From behind" is counted as the back 180 degrees which is different to flanking.

Version history

For a detailed skill history, see here.

Patch	Changes
April 15, 2025	Increased the front power coefficient from 0.9 to 1.0 and the back power coefficient from 1.8 to 2.0 in PvP and WvW.
June 27, 2023	All effects that benefit when the player strikes from the flank or from behind now always apply their benefits when striking defiant foes.
August 23, 2022	(PvE only) Front damage multiplier increased from 1.2 to 1.5. Back damage multiplier increased from 2.4 to 3.
February 25, 2020	Competitive content update: (Competitive split) Reduced base power coefficient from 1.2 to 0.9. Reduced flanking power coefficient from 2.4 to 1.8.
July 10, 2018	The aftercast of this skill has been reduced by a little less than 0.5 seconds
July 26, 2016	All stealth attack skills will now have a 1-second recharge between uses.
June 23, 2015	Specialization update: This will now only apply revealed when you hit a foe.
April 15, 2014	Updated the skill fact to display the correct damage amount with Dagger Training.
April 30, 2013	Skills that must be performed from stealth are now labeled as "Stealth Attack."
October 24, 2012	Stealth skills now always apply the Revealed' buff when they hit their target (this update was not originally documented )
August 28, 2012	Game release: Backstab has been added to the game.