Guild Wars 2

Shatter has two basic problems:

The clones don’t aim well. A ranger pet or an engi missile are guided they go straight to the target. Clones, by contrast, pick a spot and detonate there as the target runs by in a different direction.

Most clones are destroyed and never actually reach the target.

The vast majority of shatters are at least partial misses, which is why non shatter methods have become so popular. Who cares about a high theoretical burst on a stationary target golem?

Sure… I can choose to run right next to a hammer warrior to make my clones hit.. and most likely be killed and laughed at for being stupid.

So here’s the solution I propose:

Give distortion to phantasms AND clones upon cast. Make them actually track the target and finally give them swiftness during a shatter since many if not most classes have a speed or tele escape. Alternatively give them a significantly larger burst radius.

Engineer has received huge buffs ( which boggles my mind considering that I’m seeing 5 engi teams dominating pvp )

If passive clone death traits are removed.. it leaves no real options for a Mesmer. Sure a vocal minority with a lot of experience will feel smugly that THEY can play their favorite builds just fine… but I see this as a horrendous nerf for the majority of Mesmer players.

In addition to the aiming issues, ANET has chosen to nerf clone production, making [Deceptive Evasion] a GM trait.

We ought to get a compensation that makes shatter viable, since that’s what anet is clearly pushing for.. along with the push to eliminate berserker thieves.

Please don’t. Next to turret engie, this is the last build that needs a buff. If you’re not ripping up the competition with shatter mes, you’re doing it wrong.

I don’t agree. Shatters do pathetic damage a lot of the time.

Ithilwen.1529:

I don’t agree. Shatters do pathetic damage a lot of the time.

LOL…. no ones believing this!

dadada.1306:

Please don’t. Next to turret engie, this is the last build that needs a buff. If you’re not ripping up the competition with shatter mes, you’re doing it wrong.

If it’s so overpowered, then why doesn’t every top team run a mesmer? On the other hand, pretty much every top team runs with a thief and ele.

@ Dewolfe Shatter has a very high theoretical damage If: you preshatter to generate vulnerability and all those clones hit and you then secondary shatter and all those clones hit and crit. You have a better chance of winning money on the lottery.

The reality is that because of the excess aoe in most matches the majority of clones are destroyed before they reach the target. Of those that aren’t destroyed, most will run right by the target and detonate out of range.

ANET has only itself to blame for clone death play… since the vast majority of clones are killed before they are useful. Condi clone death builds are the logical and appropriate response.

Successful Shattering is a skill based on timing.

Being able to pull off a full shatter on your opponent can happen in the right hands.

What you are suggesting is making shatter mes a no skill drone class that you can just throw a bunch of clones out and let em sit until you are ready to do a shatter.

Any decent shatter mes does not do this.

Most of the ones I encounter that are really good, the clones are pulled right before the shatter, its pretty much an insta bomb by the right player, that you didnt even see the clones rushing towards you.

They do it by judging their distance, timing, and movement of their opponent. In other words, skills.

A good shatter mes is a formidable foe right now and I have high respect for the build as I tried it and I was a horrible shatter mes.

The problem you are talking about is the same thing I heard one of the guys from Abjured say on their twitch.

The PvP meta is team fights. Therefore, the 1v1 classes are getting pushed out in favor of team classes. Shout Warriors, Bunker Guards, and so on. While thief still occupies the 1v1 category.

This is why Shatter mes is becoming less effective in high ranked PvP, as other builds are more viable in team fights.

That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking for distortion for a brief time on cast to allow the clones to survive an AOE field and make it to the target.

Also they should actually track the target until they explode. Now, they appear to pick a spot and cease tracking when they get within a certain range.

Random Weird Guy.3528:

dadada.1306:

Please don’t. Next to turret engie, this is the last build that needs a buff. If you’re not ripping up the competition with shatter mes, you’re doing it wrong.

If it’s so overpowered, then why doesn’t every top team run a mesmer? On the other hand, pretty much every top team runs with a thief and ele.

Because every team is running a thief. Thief counter Mesmer pretty good in the zerker wars which keeps it from being played as frequency. It’s damage however does not need buffed (and unfortunately is anyways with the trait changes). Like power necro, damage has never been what’s keeping it out of the meta, it’s how easily spiked down it is.

The devs mentioned giving distortion to phantasms. I’m suggesting it be extended to clones as well.

Mesmer is one of the squishiest classes. Asking us to survive the aoe bombs and run right in close to high CC /AOE classes like War, Guard, Ranger, Ele and Necro to hit our burst doesn’t make sense, even in a Mesmer world.

Ithilwen.1529:

In addition to the aiming issues, ANET has chosen to nerf clone production, making [Deceptive Evasion] a GM trait.

That’s not how it will work, in the future trait system you’ll have to chose between 3 traitlines and you’ll have access to the whole tree as if you had 18 trait points, so that’s hardly a nerf.
This being said it’s true that clones are a tad too squishy, too often i’ve seen my clones die at the very second they spawn because of too much AOE, or a random attack hitting it. A (very short) distortion on creation would be more than welcome.