PvP, Raids, Fractal CMs, Lore-hunting and some RP
(edited by Anna.7845)
xera vs scarlet briar
I view Scarlet vs. Xera as a battle akin to Batman vs. Superman where the former is weaker but, if given enough time to prepare for the confrontation, might be resourceful enough to be able to win in the end against all the odds.
Scarlet was a master engineer who had studied various advanced subjects under many acclaimed teachers and also had the added bonus of Mordremoth giving her suggestions at times. By the time of the Battle on the Breackmaker she had already succumbed under Mordremoth’s influence which made her more dangerous than before as she no longer had to fight a battle inside her mind against the dragon and could focus fully on destroying anyone that opposed her.
Xera, on the other hand, was a master mesmer whose powers were increased tenfold after having absorbed enough Bloodstone magic (boosted by Mordremoth’s released magic which also included some of Zhaitan’s magic juice).
Although Scarlet had the know-how to create terrifying machines of destruction which culminated in the Twisted Marionette, the Breachmaker and the Ultraviolet Hologram, Xera was able to rewrite reality and not succumb to madness at the height of her power.
Let’s look at the heroes’ accomplishments for comparison’s sake. It took an army of adventurers to fight through a besieged LA and Scarlet’s minions to reach the Breachmaker, defeat the Ultraviolet Hologram and weaken Scarlet enough so a handful of people could go after her and finish her off. Meanwhile only ten raiders were needed to go through the cultists and monsters of Forsaken Thicket, with some time to rest in between missions to each raid wing, before navigating the maze-like Twisted Castle and facing the empowered Xera on her turf and prevail. The Pact Commander, who is a powerhouse on their own as admitted by Destiny’s Edge, was responsible for the downfall of Scarlet and may or may not have participated in the raid to bring down Xera.
Scarlet fought with all she got so the Breachmaker could finish drilling into the ley line under LA for the benefit of Mordremoth. Xera fought to buy time for Lazarus to awaken, realizing that even with her power she might not be able to defeat the ten raiders after all they’d already gone through.
With all that said, let’s say that for this match both Scarlet and Xera were allowed to retain their full power as witnessed in their respective boss battles, so Scarlet would have Mordremoth guiding her and all her gadgets while Xera would be boosted by the released magic from both Mordremoth and Zhaitan for the confrontation.
The outcome of the battle between the two ladies would depend on whether Scarlet was aware of what she was up against and if she’d been given enough time to prepare for battle to devise counters for this mesmer. Even then, the battle would lean heavily in Xera’s favor if only because at the height of her power she was able to pretty much instantly transform the Stronghold of the Faithful into the Twisted Castle, thus proving that her Bloodstone-boosted mesmer powers could shape reality itself at that point. Unlike Matthias, she was able to remain sane and not succumb to the power, so she’d have not only the power but her intelligence as well to assist her. And if that wasn’t enough, she was able to fool with her enemies’ senses and create a powerful mesmer avatar of herself.
Xera’s only weakness appeared to be the very Bloodstone shards she was drawing power from, so Scarlet would have to figure out the connection between Xera and the shards, which shouldn’t be hard for the sylvari genius, but also somehow reach them to disrupt them, and survive Xera’s illusions and actual reality manipulation. Even with Mordremoth, the Dragon of Plant AND Mind, guiding her and using every dirty trick she could think of, Scarlet would still have a hard time overcoming Xera if neither lady was aware of the full extent of the other’s power.
So, considering all of what was said above, I’d bet on Xera winning the duel.