Guild Wars 2

I am having trouble picking between these two classes…

I prefer ranged abilities.. (particularly staff for both characters).. and I enjoy both WvW and PvE.. please give me advice on which would be better accepted into groups.

Thanks _
Shy

Mes.

I play an ele and a warrior. Trust me, ele is a joke outside of pve at the moment.

Is staff Mes viable? >.>;

In WvW, staff is a very viable defensive option for Mesmers.

In PvE, it’s about as effective as not using a weapon at all.

I main an ele and i can assure you that ele is definitely not a joke in any part of the game.
I also have a lvl 80 mesmer. And to answer your question then mesmer is very useful in wvw(more so than elementalist). But in wvw their playstyle differs. Mesmer in a zerg is the guy who lays down null fields and makes portals and veils. He is more a supportive rather than combat derived character. Outside of zerg mesmer can be a deadly roamer if played correctly. Staff mesmers clones are better than most other clones he can produce.

Elementalist(staff) in a wvw zerg is on of the best ranged characters you can have. He has long range attacks, big aoe and useful fields. Outside of zerg elementalist can be a good roamer but only with the right builds.

So for zerg wvw their roles are different. For roaming wvw, mesmers have more reliable builds but they both can do it.

As for pve:
Mesmers are sometimes favored to certain paths in dungeons (cof p1, coe p2) for their quickness buff and portal.

Elementalist have more varied role in Pve starting from healing power and cleansing and might stacking to raw damage.

Outside of dungeons i find elementalist easier to play for their out of combat speed(constant speed buff with most of the builds). Also they have more aoe which is crucial in pve.

Again it all comes down to your preferences. Don’t believe people who say one certain class is crap to others.

When you say PVE, I assume you mean dungeons since everyone can blind fold their way thru open world. I definitely have a harder time playing ele in dungeon due to their low hp (full zerker is like <11k hp). Mesmer are wanted for their utilities. I think eles have the higher DPS though.

In Wvw, my experience ele have an easier time tagging enemies. Again, mesmers are for the support/utilities.

So staff as not really viable for Mesmers in PvE? :/

Ahhh.. it’s difficult to decide. My only complaint really about Mesmers in WvW is that they don’t have a 25% movement speed signet so I have trouble keeping up with groups sometimes (might just me my bad).

I can only say mesmer, after logging enough hours in both to get them to 80 I can only say I hate the current state of the elementalist. The problem is to much glass for the amount of cannon you get. In gw 1 the ele was much better. Problem is that now Anet tried to balance it to be able to run solo in pve so its gotten a few more heals etc but a major nerf in damage. its sad that I can spec a warrior, theif… or really just about anything to get the same result for not nearly so much effort.

I have not encountered any build that utilizes the staff for mesmer, again for dungeons. Feel free to use whatever you want while exploring. Also, you have the greatsword if you really need to range.

For the 25% movement, you can use travelers runes. Your DPS won’t suffer to much but it’s quite expensive right now. If you want something cheap, you can also use rune of speed. Your DPS will suffer quite a bit on this one.

Talyn.3295:

I can only say mesmer, after logging enough hours in both to get them to 80 I can only say I hate the current state of the elementalist. The problem is to much glass for the amount of cannon you get. In gw 1 the ele was much better. Problem is that now Anet tried to balance it to be able to run solo in pve so its gotten a few more heals etc but a major nerf in damage. its sad that I can spec a warrior, theif… or really just about anything to get the same result for not nearly so much effort.

I have 2000 hours into my ele and I agree with this.

Lowest base toughness and 2nd lowest base vitality means ele is the class easiest to burst down. This would be okay if the class was given either high damage or made highly mobile. Unfortunately thanks to nerfs to maximum targets and rtl/flash, the ele no longer has either of these.

As an ele these days you’re just a glorified buff bot. Stacking might, swiftness, and throwing out the occasional cleanse. If you’re okay with playing a role that makes your already more powerful allies stronger while you continue to be tissue paper, give it a shot.

Hmm I thought base toughness was the same for every class? I also thought that ele, along with guard and thief, has the lowest base vit? Well, point remains that they’re squishy :P

thing that people wont tell you:

Ele in current state in PvE (and marginally in WWW) is a joke.

His only viability is due to a BUG and a couple gimmick build that force you to stay melee or near melee range (even with staff) and repeat the same skill over and over.

Mostly a summoned HAMMER melee but also similar stuff.

Ele was a great profession but was overnerfed since launch until it became completely UNFUN.

Mesmer on the opposite is master of versatility, have access to various builds each with unique gameplay but most of all each extremely FUN.

I did the mistake to start with an ele…i don t like alts….i tried to play and adapt, i changed weapons frequently…..after 1000+ hours i had enough and i rolled a mesmer….

Happy since then….(other 1000 hours with almost no complaints).

My argument stands. Elementalist is not a joke anywhere.
The factor of FUN is totally subjective and thus should not be the basis of any argument.

The best thing to do is is try it for yourself. Take every opinion with a grain of salt.
Try some builds from subforums(mesmer and elemntalist) if you don’t want to come up with your own and make your assumptions from there.

I don’t know. Who usually wins in a rhino vs. penguin match-up?

Shyhalu.4891:

I am having trouble picking between these two classes…

I prefer ranged abilities.. (particularly staff for both characters).. and I enjoy both WvW and PvE.. please give me advice on which would be better accepted into groups.

Thanks _
Shy

My main since launch is a GS/Staff Mesmer and it is very viable and fun.
You can play around a bit with those two weapons and it varies a lot with different builds.

I have a low level Staff Ele that I also enjoy but I find that she is very good as support but struggles solo- that might just be because I suck or that I don’t find the Staff on a Ele as versatile and self sustainable as a Staff/GS combination on a Mesmer.
I actually have 2 Staff/Gs Mesmers with different builds.

So try both and see which you enjoy most- If you want to be virtually immortal though- go for Mesmer

I play both and I love them both.

But I think I love my ele more in PVE.

Peetee.9406:

Talyn.3295:

I can only say mesmer, after logging enough hours in both to get them to 80 I can only say I hate the current state of the elementalist. The problem is to much glass for the amount of cannon you get. In gw 1 the ele was much better. Problem is that now Anet tried to balance it to be able to run solo in pve so its gotten a few more heals etc but a major nerf in damage. its sad that I can spec a warrior, theif… or really just about anything to get the same result for not nearly so much effort.

I have 2000 hours into my ele and I agree with this.

Lowest base toughness and 2nd lowest base vitality means ele is the class easiest to burst down. This would be okay if the class was given either high damage or made highly mobile. Unfortunately thanks to nerfs to maximum targets and rtl/flash, the ele no longer has either of these.

As an ele these days you’re just a glorified buff bot. Stacking might, swiftness, and throwing out the occasional cleanse. If you’re okay with playing a role that makes your already more powerful allies stronger while you continue to be tissue paper, give it a shot.

^This!

I do not like the staff on my mesmer be it in general pve(lol why) or in wvw. In WvW I run GS for great distance tagging and beserker. Other hand I use sword pistol, not for aoe but getting specific foes.
I also use sword/pistol or sword/focus for PVE even though I hardly play pve with my mes at all.

Eles are in a terrible spot at the moment. They either need all of their mobility back or have their damage and survivability buffed a lot.

I would prefer the former.

Haven’t played much on Ele, so I won’t voice an opinion on something I know nothing about.

But Mesmer on the other hand, I’d say go for it. They are very versatile in PvE and PvP. And, if you actually learn how to use them well, you can use pretty much run any build to maximum effectiveness. But only if you learn how to play them.

And Staff builds can be viable in PvE, don’t let others tell you different. But again, that is only IF you learn how to play it properly. Mesmer is not a faceroll profession like others can be, it actually takes some skill to play them properly. Anyone can go the ol’ Greatsword route and do alright. But if you truly take the time to learn how to play (and this goes for really any profession), you can make any build optimal.

Gandalf.5803:

My argument stands. Elementalist is not a joke anywhere.
The factor of FUN is totally subjective and thus should not be the basis of any argument.

this is a agame is all about FUN

And frankly Ele PvE gameplay is ALL BUT subjective.

Siitting in a single attunement pressing a single button hoping that guardian keeps you alive can t be fun for anyone.

Maybe people find fun what they drop….but the gameplay as it is is objectively the worst seen in a mmorpg.
Infact is based on a glitch and gimmick builds.

LordByron.8369:

Gandalf.5803:

My argument stands. Elementalist is not a joke anywhere.
The factor of FUN is totally subjective and thus should not be the basis of any argument.

this is a agame is all about FUN

And frankly Ele PvE gameplay is ALL BUT subjective.

Siitting in a single attunement pressing a single button hoping that guardian keeps you alive can t be fun for anyone.

Maybe people find fun what they drop….but the gameplay as it is is objectively the worst seen in a mmorpg.
Infact is based on a glitch and gimmick builds.

Sorry- I am no Ele expert at all- exactly the opposite.
But I have to ask- who sits in one attunement pressing one button?
0-0
Do people actually play Staff Ele like that?

As for guardian keeping me alive- that is sadly spot on for me- at least in my defense I am only lvl30 and just really really suck at Ele.
I find that since I team up with my husband’s guardian I have gotten a much better grasp of what I can do with Ele because I can stay alive long enough to plan ahead :P

My Mesmers on the other hand…..man I seriously LOVE Mesmers

Morrigan.2809:

Sorry- I am no Ele expert at all- exactly the opposite.
But I have to ask- who sits in one attunement pressing one button?
0-0
Do people actually play Staff Ele like that?

As for guardian keeping me alive- that is sadly spot on for me- at least in my defense I am only lvl30 and just really really suck at Ele.
I find that since I team up with my husband’s guardian I have gotten a much better grasp of what I can do with Ele because I can stay alive long enough to plan ahead :P

My Mesmers on the other hand…..man I seriously LOVE Mesmers

If you dig around the forums its been demonstrated that the highest ele dps in pve comes from full berserker/scholar staff just sitting in fire spamming 1 and 2/3/5 if theyre recharged. The other high dps build is lightning hammer which really is just spam 1111111…

OP: I play and fully ascended my ele knowing its still underpowered because it was my 1st character, I would switch to guardian or mesmer but they have annoying rp-mechanics that get in the way of my fun(holyness/butterflies).

One thing you should know about this forums, is that elementalist players are dramatic. They’re using a profession that requires more skill than most, has been nerfed a few times (so was the mesmer), and fulfill several roles that they do not care about. A mesmer is a more unique profession – whichever role if fulfills, its players usually accept it. But there are those who expect the ele to be the traditional nuke-from-range spellcaster, and whenever it doesn’t fulfill that, or it doesn’t completely fulfill that, they call the entire profession terrible.

I’d say that ele’s playing in pve and wvw is a bit more smooth than mesmer’s. The reason for that is, a mesmer depends too much on AI. In the middle of a zerg or at an event farming spot, you’ll be ale to loot a lot more by using your ele’s aoes than using your mesmer pet’s aoes, as the AI is frail.

But the most important thing is really to try them out. Both professions have very unique mechanics, and there are players that are completely addicted to one or both of them. I personally find ele’s attunement dancing to be very addicting and fun.

Talking exclusively about the staff, ele’s staff is going to be buffed in the next patch. Not all changes are known, but the healing skills will be improved and its weaker earth skill is going to become an awesome cc-skill, especially for wvw.

As an elementalist, you can use staff in many different ways. You can stay at fire and farm in pve or zerg in wvw. Or you can contribute excellent party support or crowd control with your healing, huge amount of combo fields, movement-denial, etc. You can go from using zerker amulet and nuking from afar, to using healing and boon equipment and supporting allies, to a more defensive gear to survive in wvw while still supporting allies and using cc that does not depend on your stats.

The drawback is that you’ll be very frail, and have poor 1v1 effectiveness against players. However, conjures are also getting buffed next patch, and maybe they might solve that problem.

Worth noting that in pve’s dungeons, eles rely on might/ fury stacking and then auto-attacking with lightning hammer.

Regarding a mesmer, their staff skills are strong, and offer excellent (if random) crowd control, party support, utility/ defense and even damage. The problem with staff in pve, is that pve is all about damage, and all about offensive boons, so depending on AI, speccing regen and protection, or teleporting are not as useful as skill-speeding a boss or dodging/ evasion/ blocking. So, it gets overshadowed by, say, the greatsword, which offers might, vulnerability and great damage too.

Solo.9027:

Morrigan.2809:

Sorry- I am no Ele expert at all- exactly the opposite.
But I have to ask- who sits in one attunement pressing one button?
0-0
Do people actually play Staff Ele like that?

As for guardian keeping me alive- that is sadly spot on for me- at least in my defense I am only lvl30 and just really really suck at Ele.
I find that since I team up with my husband’s guardian I have gotten a much better grasp of what I can do with Ele because I can stay alive long enough to plan ahead :P

My Mesmers on the other hand…..man I seriously LOVE Mesmers

If you dig around the forums its been demonstrated that the highest ele dps in pve comes from full berserker/scholar staff just sitting in fire spamming 1 and 2/3/5 if theyre recharged. The other high dps build is lightning hammer which really is just spam 1111111…

OP: I play and fully ascended my ele knowing its still underpowered because it was my 1st character, I would switch to guardian or mesmer but they have annoying rp-mechanics that get in the way of my fun(holyness/butterflies).

Ahh I see thanks-
well that IS boring.

I guess I ’ll just stick with swapping my attunements and sucking- at least I enjoy it.
I like to imagine I am calling down a storm of elemental wrath on my enemies from afar while standing at the eye myself. :P

I have been playing ele since the release GW1 and we were fragile there too. Ele is not a tank so you shouldn’t be trying to melee or 1on1, master the dodge and let the tanks be the front line. Our job is to stay back and and release hell or offer support when needed. I don’t know how other people play their ele but there is an use for every single one of my weapons and I use all my skills based on situations, We have the most skills to choose from and that is why ele can be challenging for some people that like to sit in one spot and aggro as much foes as possible and smash buttons while swigging a sharp metal weapon . If you are stuck at one attu and is using only a few buttons with only one weapon, it is not a problem with the profession but with the thing between the keyboard and the chair. My advice to OP is to try them both as you can see it is a preference and style matter.

DiogoSilva.7089:

One thing you should know about this forums, is that elementalist players are dramatic. They’re using a profession that requires more skill than most, has been nerfed a few times (so was the mesmer), and fulfill several roles that they do not care about. A mesmer is a more unique profession – whichever role if fulfills, its players usually accept it. But there are those who expect the ele to be the traditional nuke-from-range spellcaster, and whenever it doesn’t fulfill that, or it doesn’t completely fulfill that, they call the entire profession terrible.

I’d say that ele’s playing in pve and wvw is a bit more smooth than mesmer’s. The reason for that is, a mesmer depends too much on AI. In the middle of a zerg or at an event farming spot, you’ll be ale to loot a lot more by using your ele’s aoes than using your mesmer pet’s aoes, as the AI is frail.

But the most important thing is really to try them out. Both professions have very unique mechanics, and there are players that are completely addicted to one or both of them. I personally find ele’s attunement dancing to be very addicting and fun.

Talking exclusively about the staff, ele’s staff is going to be buffed in the next patch. Not all changes are known, but the healing skills will be improved and its weaker earth skill is going to become an awesome cc-skill, especially for wvw.

As an elementalist, you can use staff in many different ways. You can stay at fire and farm in pve or zerg in wvw. Or you can contribute excellent party support or crowd control with your healing, huge amount of combo fields, movement-denial, etc. You can go from using zerker amulet and nuking from afar, to using healing and boon equipment and supporting allies, to a more defensive gear to survive in wvw while still supporting allies and using cc that does not depend on your stats.

The drawback is that you’ll be very frail, and have poor 1v1 effectiveness against players. However, conjures are also getting buffed next patch, and maybe they might solve that problem.

Worth noting that in pve’s dungeons, eles rely on might/ fury stacking and then auto-attacking with lightning hammer.

Regarding a mesmer, their staff skills are strong, and offer excellent (if random) crowd control, party support, utility/ defense and even damage. The problem with staff in pve, is that pve is all about damage, and all about offensive boons, so depending on AI, speccing regen and protection, or teleporting are not as useful as skill-speeding a boss or dodging/ evasion/ blocking. So, it gets overshadowed by, say, the greatsword, which offers might, vulnerability and great damage too.

Yeah,

Elementalist
We’re working on the staff in an effort to make it a stronger support weapon, and we also improved the conjure weapons so that they’re stronger for support. You’ll see improvements to all 4 of the conjure weapons to make them stronger and better for support.
We also increased the healing on Water Blast, the radius on Geyser and we reworked
Unsteady Ground to make it function more like line of warding.

(Dropping this because OP asking about both.)

Mes
To stay in line with the support theme, we wanted to find ways the Mesmer could support allies. We looked at Mantras, and just didn’t feel they were quite strong enough to do this, so we made some improvements.

Power Cleanse: We wanted to add some condition support, and made it so that this skill can remove 2 conditions from 5 allies.

Power Break also saw an improvement, as it now grants stability to nearby allies.

If you’re looking for just PvE: Choose an Elementalist.
If you’re looking for both PvE and WvW: Choose a Mesmer.

The Elementalist has received too many nerfs to its better single target skills and weapons that make it do crappy dps.