Should I just start over?
Nope. Level 32 is really low level and you’d be back at the same level after like an hour or few of play. Just keep doing whatever you find fun and eventually you’ll figure out or remember what you’re doing.
yeah just remember combo fields and what stats you are going for on your gear.
I like to skip between games so I’m often coming back to one after months or even years of not playing and need to familiarise myself with how the game works and what I was doing.
What I would do in your situation is keep your level 32 mesmer, but also create a new one in a spare character slot (assuming you have one) and play them for a while. That will make it easier to familiarise yourself with how the game works because mechanics, game modes etc. are introduced gradually as you level up. Depending on how long you’ve been gone a lot may have changed.
Once you feel like you know what you’re doing again you can switch back to your existing character and carry on.
“Life’s a journey, not a destination.”