Guild Wars 2

While practicing with my Mesmer getting used to shattering 7 clones at once. It dawned to me, all of mesmer balance and their placement in the meta since day 1 is based around how powerful shatter spike is.

So the question is, why is shatter spike never in a good spot?

Because they saw fit to nerf Mirror Blade which offers counter-play instead of Confounding Strikes which doesn’t. They don’t want you to have counter-play.

Velimere.7685:

Because they saw fit to nerf Mirror Blade which offers counter-play instead of Confounding Strikes which doesn’t. They don’t want you to have counter-play.

The concept of Mesmer has always been lockdown and spike. I remember the old Mind Wreck build with sword/pistol. However, that was nerfed and then Mesmers just disappeared from the meta for an entire year, they rely heavily on the damage coming from activating 2-3 shatters.

I cannot imagine playing Mesmer without shatter spiking less than 5 clones now.

I keep trying to figure out how to drag my clones to a good hit. Oh, on re-reading.. Mesmer has some of the same issues thief has.

People don’t understand how it works. For this reason, Mesmer is called OP. We get nerfed time and again.

The reason Mesmer isn’t a high tier profession is that it is actually very squishy and under powered.

Against high skill players, you’re going to die in a hurry unless you are significantly more skilled than they are. Low skilled players are easy marks, but beware when you go against someone who understands how Mesmer works.

Ithilwen.1529:

I keep trying to figure out how to drag my clones to a good hit. Oh, on re-reading.. Mesmer has some of the same issues thief has.

People don’t understand how it works. For this reason, Mesmer is called OP. We get nerfed time and again.

The reason Mesmer isn’t a high tier profession is that it is actually very squishy and under powered.

Against high skill players, you’re going to die in a hurry unless you are significantly more skilled than they are. Low skilled players are easy marks, but beware when you go against someone who understands how Mesmer works.

Agreed 100%
Say what you want about Mesmers being OP, yes, they are the kings of 1v1 but in team fights their damage is shutdown so easily and cannot counter-play while being focused. Hell, Rangers have much stronger options for counter playing while under pressure.

_

So what gives? Is this really going to be the fate of Mesmers? Shatter spike relies on having clones up for spiking 5 or 6 clones at once. In a team fight with a lot of AoE cleave you can barely maintain one or two. To make matters worse my entire spike is ruined if a thief decides to focus me in a team fight.

It’s weird, I feel like a God in 1v1’s but feel like I’m doing kitten in a team fight unable to get a good lockdown or damage output.

I’m still learning Mesmer and I main an ele, I can’t help but feeling the team fighting problem is a learn 2 play issue…

Nova Stiker.8396:

While practicing with my Mesmer getting used to shattering 7 clones at once. It dawned to me, all of mesmer balance and their placement in the meta since day 1 is based around how powerful shatter spike is.

So the question is, why is shatter spike never in a good spot?

Because it’s instant cast and it legitimately takes no skill to land once you understand how “landing hits” in this game works.

It doesn’t help that Mesmer spams evades while attacking and if they run out of endurance they just stealth.

Mesmer TAKES NO SKILL. This is why Shatter will not be on a good spot, every other class has to be more broken than Mesmer mechanics so that Mesmer is balanced “takes actual skill.”

Look at the cele meta for example. Mesmer in that meta was kinda balanced because they still affect rotations extremely well and it’s impossible to be useless if you were good with portal.

Nier.8741:

Nova Stiker.8396:

While practicing with my Mesmer getting used to shattering 7 clones at once. It dawned to me, all of mesmer balance and their placement in the meta since day 1 is based around how powerful shatter spike is.

So the question is, why is shatter spike never in a good spot?

Because it’s instant cast and it legitimately takes no skill to land once you understand how “landing hits” in this game works.

It doesn’t help that Mesmer spams evades while attacking and if they run out of endurance they just stealth.

Mesmer TAKES NO SKILL. This is why Shatter will not be on a good spot, every other class has to be more broken than Mesmer mechanics so that Mesmer is balanced “takes actual skill.”

Look at the cele meta for example. Mesmer in that meta was kinda balanced because they still affect rotations extremely well and it’s impossible to be useless if you were good with portal.

In the cele meta mesmers were outclassed. Easily shutdown from engineers and couldnt harm shoutbow.
When it comes to Mesmer difficulty, in 1v1 I feel like I can dance around players easily. In team fights I feel like I can’t do kitten. Cant spike, cant lock down and cant counterplay any harassment. Rarely I get the chance to lock down an opponent because my clones blows up from cleave.
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The balance is a complete flipped switch, going from God in 1v1’s to a liability in team fights :/

Nier.8741:

Nova Stiker.8396:

While practicing with my Mesmer getting used to shattering 7 clones at once. It dawned to me, all of mesmer balance and their placement in the meta since day 1 is based around how powerful shatter spike is.

So the question is, why is shatter spike never in a good spot?

Because it’s instant cast and it legitimately takes no skill to land once you understand how “landing hits” in this game works.

It doesn’t help that Mesmer spams evades while attacking and if they run out of endurance they just stealth.

Mesmer TAKES NO SKILL. This is why Shatter will not be on a good spot, every other class has to be more broken than Mesmer mechanics so that Mesmer is balanced “takes actual skill.”

Look at the cele meta for example. Mesmer in that meta was kinda balanced because they still affect rotations extremely well and it’s impossible to be useless if you were good with portal.

Nier… which class do YOU think takes skill? Because you seem to say about everything that it never took skill to begin with.

Nova Stiker.8396:

While practicing with my Mesmer getting used to shattering 7 clones at once. ?

I thought the cap was 3 clones..? Returning player here. How do I get 7 clones up? :|

How does a Mesmer “spam evades”? Like you’ve got Blurred Frenzy on MH sword every 9.5-12 seconds and then, well, you have 2 dodges like every other class. Or does “spam evade” just incorporate everything a Mesmer does – including utilising good positioning?

Simonoly.4352:

How does a Mesmer “spam evades”? Like you’ve got Blurred Frenzy on MH sword every 9.5-12 seconds and then, well, you have 2 dodges like every other class. Or does “spam evade” just incorporate everything a Mesmer does – including utilising good positioning?

There’s also a shatter skills which grants distortion (evade)

Distortion is not an evade.

Evade is not distortion.

People don’t realize that Power Guard can AoE deny Mesmer clones in a team fight. We’re just hard to manage efficiently compared to the other power creep.

Like others have said, while ruling the 1v1 area, they struggle in high pressure group fights unless they manage to pull off a full shatter without their clones getting blown up.

The difference between Mesmers and Rangers is that Mesmers do better in 2v2 skirmish plays while also offering greater team support utilities.

El Commi.3149:

Simonoly.4352:

How does a Mesmer “spam evades”? Like you’ve got Blurred Frenzy on MH sword every 9.5-12 seconds and then, well, you have 2 dodges like every other class. Or does “spam evade” just incorporate everything a Mesmer does – including utilising good positioning?

There’s also a shatter skills which grants distortion (evade)

I’m aware of that, but that’s an invulnerability skill and all classes except Thief and Necro have access to invulnerability in some form – I’m just struggling to see how anyone can claim Mesmer can evade spam when the number of weapon skills that grant an evade window is exactly one. I can evade spam on my Thief no problem (not recommended) and can evade 3 times with S/D Ranger if that’s considered spam, but Mesmer – nope.

So I guess by evade spam what is actually meant is " a short port (if wielding staff), a single blink, a single evade (if using MH sword) and a source of invulnerability". Most of Mesmer survivability is dependent on repositioning with stealth or simply good kiting with the aid of blink perhaps.

Mesmer is the king of stealth spam with PU. Let the evade spam title go to S/D Thieves and Rangers

Nova Stiker.8396:

Velimere.7685:

Because they saw fit to nerf Mirror Blade which offers counter-play instead of Confounding Strikes which doesn’t. They don’t want you to have counter-play.

The concept of Mesmer has always been lockdown and spike. I remember the old Mind Wreck build with sword/pistol. However, that was nerfed and then Mesmers just disappeared from the meta for an entire year, they rely heavily on the damage coming from activating 2-3 shatters.

I cannot imagine playing Mesmer without shatter spiking less than 5 clones now.

Heh, I can never have 3, much less 4-5 up. By the time the 3rd one is up the 1st one is dead. Always, like clockwork. So I have resigned myself to shatter 2, sometimes even just 1.

I suppose I could make a more fotm build, but the thing is after playing since game launch i am so sick and tired of zerker style burst it makes me wanna puke, all across the entire game, not just pvp.

I will quit the game again if I dont have viable non power / crit oriented options.