Guild Wars 2

Hello, I main a mesmer for Fractals of the Mists, and I find the class really engaging and fun. However, there is one boss inside the fractals which severely gimps us in our damage output because they destroy our phantasms so fast.

Most of the bosses inside fractals aren’t that much of an issue when it comes to keeping up my Phantasms, I even find it fun to figure out which phantasms are best for a certain fight. Sure, some of them can wipe them out pretty fast, but my phantasms can also get a few attacks in before being destroyed. Usually, my cooldowns are up in time to put more out, and they’ll usually last until the cool down is ready.

However, there is one fight inside fractals where your phantasms can only achieve one attack before they’re destroyed, and that fight is the Molten Alliance. More specifically, the Berserker’s wave attack.

Currently, it doesn’t matter which phantasm you summon. All of them get close enough to die within the first wave. I even tried using the signet of illusions (50% more HP), and they still go down in one hit because the distance covered by the wave attack is enough to reach all of them.

The wave attack’s coverage reminds me of another fractal boss, the Svanir Shaman inside the snow fractal. This guy has an attack the covers the map, but of course only 1/3 of it at a time. When fighting him, I noticed my illusions were immune to the AoE ice attack, and thought how nice it was for Anet to consider the Mesmers Phantasms that are uncontrollable when summoned.

I think it would be a good idea for the Mesmer’s illusions to have the same immunity when it comes to the Berserker’s wave attack. I feel the semi-randomness of Firestorm’s attack is fine in terms of destroying phantasms, because it doesn’t cover the entire field and you’re phantasms can stay alive for a while if they don’t get hit by them.

However, the wave attack has such large coverage, I think it’s fair to give phantasms, immunity to it’s damage, much like the Svanir Shaman’s AoE ice attack.

anyone agree or disagree?

I myself have never actually used a mesmer myself so I can’t hold up a strong argument for this but I do see your point from a PvE side. considering clones/illusions are a major part of mesmer it does seem odd they be allowed to die so easy. On the other hand I have seen quite a few mesmer who had no issues keeping illusions up. It might be a case of bad timing for when your releasing them.
Try waiting till after he does his double stomp. I always find a large gap between stomps in that time frame.

Chaotic Storm.2815:

I myself have never actually used a mesmer myself so I can’t hold up a strong argument for this but I do see your point from a PvE side. considering clones/illusions are a major part of mesmer it does seem odd they be allowed to die so easy. On the other hand I have seen quite a few mesmer who had no issues keeping illusions up. It might be a case of bad timing for when your releasing them.
Try waiting till after he does his double stomp. I always find a large gap between stomps in that time frame.

The issue is there is no phantasms that can withstand at least one of his wave attacks. All it takes it one wave and all your phantasms go down. Most of our Phantasms have a 15+ second cool down (traited). That means your phantasms are only ever going to get one hit off, and maybe another, before being completley destroyed.

Even using the ranged phantasms like Duelist are within the coverage area, resulting on one or two attacks before the phantasm gets killed.

I have timed my phantasms for after the jump, but I’ve also killed that boss enough to realize waiting till after the wave attack makes little difference because by time he does his next wave attack, the phantasms will -might- get another hit in.

Like I said, the main issue is one attack that covers the max range of the phantasms, leading to him being one shot. There is nothing you can do help them survive that attack. I believe this is the reason the Svanir Shaman’s AoE attack is immune to Mesmer’s Phantasms, because it’s impossible to keep them alive if not, and the shaman has a longer cool down on that attack than the Berserker.

All I’m asking is that single attack have the same treatment as the Svanir Shaman’s AoE attack, for the same reasons.