Guild Wars 2

Hey everyone, I was thinking about starting a new character but I can’t decide between a elementalist or mesmer. Usually in rpgs, I like playing a thief/mage hybrid, so I thought these two would be pretty good. What are some pros and cons of each class, and which one is better overall is pve and pvp? Thanks for the answers

ele:
PvE: top dps, good support as well. Highly needed in dungeon/fractal runs
PvP: best on-point 1v1er, skilled ele can survive 1v2 even against good players. good support, good mobility.

mesmer:
PvE: medium to low dps, very good support. overall pretty solid everywhere, can fit in most groups as long as you know the class well.
PvP: very strong duelist, but not good at holding point. unparallel ability to quickly burst down an opponent. have access to key utility like portal and moa, very useful in a coordinated team.

Right now it’s really hard to say if you plan on getting hot and specizalations. This Friday they are announcing the tempest. Maybe watch that before deciding for sure

Both of these professions have high damage potential, high spike potential, and strong condition potential. They both have light armor, and they both use a more magical weapon set.

The major differences are:
condition flavor. Elementalists will have a lot of conditions that do more damage up front. Mesmers have slower-to-damage conditions that are based on punishment instead of direct damage.
combo opportunities: Elementalists offer a greater number of combo fields and blast finishers. Mesmers have fewer fields and of a more narrow focus.
cheap tactics: Elementalist has ice bow, which does stupid damage. Mesmers can chain more stealth than a thief with the right traits.